[Dixielandjazz] Ballin' The Jack

[George G. Loring]

Here is some information I had pasted into my database on this tune. I don't remember where it came from.



Introduced in Vaudeville in conjunction with a dance of the same name, by the song and dance team of Billy Kent and Jeanette Warner. Prince’s Orch had a best selling instrumental record (Co).  It was interpolated in the touring company of “The Girl From Utah”(TM) in 1914. This was originally an English production to which Jerome Kern was asked to contribute songs. "Ballin' The Jack" by Chris Smith and Jim Burris was added while the show was on tour. With the help of James Reese Europe, Chris Smith turned the hit song into an instrumental.There are several tunes which use the title "Ballin' The Jack": Versions by The Chicago Footwarmers (Johnny Dodds/Jimmy Blythe 1927) and The Red Devils [Salty Dog Four] (1930) are not the Chris Smith tune, notwithstanding their titles. However, I do not know about those mentioned by Bob (Smith): the barn dance and those composed by Moore or Clark.From: Parlor Songs.com.What we know today as a song, really did not start as a song. 
Ballin' The Jack began life as a pure piano piece, very much in the ragtime style and billed as a "Fox-Trot" dance. In fact, this may very well be among one of the first Fox-Trots to be published. On the cover appears a photo of Billy Kent and Jeanette Warner captioned, "creators of the Fox-Trot." In fact, Kent and Warner introduced the work on vaudeville. The piece begins with a very unfamiliar introduction that is very "raggy" in its style. It then moves into a central section that is the melody we are familiar with although rhythmically it is different than today's versions, it is clearly recognizable. The song ends with a section based on the James Reece Europe song, What It Takes To Make Me Love You. The original was actually written in 1912, then in 1913, Smith teamed with Jim Burris who provided the lyrics and the song took off as a big hit. 









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