[Dixielandjazz] Yellow Dog Blues

[Don Robertson]

Hi,

Regarding the Yellow Dog Blues, The Black Swan Jazz Band's (whose leader 
Kit Johnson was/is a Listmember) vocalist Marilyn Keller does this song 
with explanations.  It seems the singer is a woman traveling on the 
Yellow Dog looking for her "easy rider".  As the train passes through 
several big cities there is a "low down" break in the tune, at which 
time the audience, here in California anyway,  jumps up, wave their arms 
and go "whooo" to simulate the train's whistle. 

At this year's Sacramento Jubilee, there was an excellant OKOM band from 
a Coast Guard unit.  At one of their sets I caught, they played Yellow 
Dog Blues.  When the low down break came the audience did their thing 
and scared the hell out of the band.  They took a couple of steps back, 
but never missed a beat. Apparently they had never seen and audience to 
that.  They thought it was cool though, and repeated that part of YDB at 
the end of their set.  The reed player, leader, said he thought they 
were at a football game.

Don Robertson