Today we deal with the song, "Funky Butt". This is one of those casually obscene songs popular in New Orleans around the turn of the century, originating in the many whorehouses and illicit clubs around Storyville. In this sense, the word "funky" means "smelly" basically and the song is presumably about either farting or sweating. I suppose it could probably be the first piece of music where the term funky was a applied though - Ray Charles eat yer heart out...
Anyway, although no-one knows for sure who wrote the song, it was most associated with Buddy Bolden, the supposed Father of Jazz.
Buddy Bolden's band were allegedly playing jazz as early as the 1890's and his cornet playing was said to audible for miles around when he played. Some people, notable Jelly Roll Morton, have argued that he was merely a very loud ragtime musician and since there are no existing recording of Buddy, we'll never really know. Jelly Roll Morton adapted "Funky Butt" into the slightly sanitised "Buddy Bolden's Blues" or "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say". Here's a recording of him playing it from around 1938:
Here's a bunch of guys whom I have never heard of playing a slightly more modernised very of "Funky Butt", albeit with the original title:
And here's ME playing and singing it on the guitar! Loosely based on the version by Mississippi John Hurt:
Buddy Bolden, like everyone apparently, went mad and was sent to a mental institute in 1907, dying there in 1931. He missed out on the Jazz age, but his influence spread directly to the next generation of musicians like Freddie Keppard, Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver. There is a film being made about him starring Anthony Mackie set for release in 2010:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0858419/
Anyway, until next time, shag loose, hangers...
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