[Dixielandjazz] Influence of grammar on jazz, was spring sprang ...

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

Dan Augustine's revelation of the work of Beausolil is timely. DJML needs
to know about this. Can we have a thread on oxometric research?

The influence of grammar on jazz (actually cowboy songs, but that's close
enough for most people these days) is shown by the "discovery" and
recording of the cowboy singer Carl T Sprague. In 1925 Sprague recorded
such timeless pieces as "When the works all done this fall", "Bad
companions", "The kicking mule", "Cowboy love song" and "The last great
round-up". The Victor people in NJ were troubled by the fact that Carl
couldn't agree on what his family name actually was (sometimes Spring,
sometimes Sprang, sometimes Sprung), so he was re-named for records - Sprague.

Under his real name(s) he recorded for the obscure Abilene label Sudskog in
1923. These are the earliest electrical recordings known. The process,
known as "Texagraph", was developed by Swamp Laboratories of Galveston and
the discs may have been 7 inch coarse-grooved 33 rpms. We may never know
what they sounded like - no copies are known to exist.

Sprague's most famous saying was "There ain't no sex on the prairie - just
cactus".

All the best
Anton