Billy Golden is believed to be one of the first to introduce "Turkey in the Straw", starting around 1875.
We've all heard the old favourite "Turkey in the Straw", but how many of you have heard it played in Rag-Time? Golden recorded this tune more than any other of the popular artists of the 1890's. So from how popular the song was, it was recorded by a variety of these artists, and sung in several different keys. I have heard it played in F, C, A, E flat, A Flat,B flat and even B major. It's really interesting for some reason. To get to the versions, here is Billy Golden's famous specialty(with Fred Hylands playing his usual Rag-Time) from about 1898:
This record is a wonderful example of how early Rag-Time was played, and how it was sung as well, as Hylands and Golden bonded together on records almost as perfectly as Hylands and Spencer. I still cannot get over that ending! How does he do it! Hylands was just inprovising! HOW? Amazing.
This version was played in A major, to check it off the key list.
Here is the next version, also by Golden with Hylands, but from quite a few years later. This record was played too slow in the transfer, but it's still fun to listen to, because this is one of the few recordings of Hylands where you cam really pull apart the sections and really listen to what he's playing behind Golden. Here you go, from 1903:
(sorry, it gets stuck in a groove for a moment at the end!)
Hylands plays in B flat on this one,even though if the record was played at the correct speed, it would probably be in the same key as the last one. It's still Hylands, so the key would be the same.
This next one is also Billy Golden, but it's on an Edison Cylinder this time, so you know what that means, the pianist is:
Frank P. Banta!
Banta's playing this in a very fun and inventive way, here you go, from about 1898:
Banta's playing was so sleek and quick. It's really great in so many ways, but it's not nearly as broken and exciting as Hylands' playing.
Here is the next one, this time it's Silas Leachman and Hylands or Banta(not sure who to lean more toward on this one...) on a Victor from 1901:
Notice! See how different the lyrics are on this one. Leachman probably heard someone else record it(i.e. Billy Golden).This one is played in F, which is odd, because I did not expect to hear Leachman sing this in F. This record really sounds similar to this record by Billy Golden somehow:
I cannot get over those runs in the left hand!!!
Which is it? Banta or Hylands?
It's so hard to tell. The piano accompaniment is absolutely wonderful on Golden's "Uncle Jefferson", but I'm really unsure about who it is, I almost have no comment on how complicated the answer to the "who's the pianist?" question is on this one. It's still a great record nonetheless, and it IS early recorded Rag-Time as well, even if the old title would suggest to some that it isn't, you'd just have to listen to find out why it's Ragged.
I hope you enjoyed this!
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