Salty Dog Blues
Composer: Traditional / Charlie Jackson / Wiley Morris / Zeke Morris
Jerry Garcia recordings
Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018
Other recordings
Papa Charlie Jackson, 192?
Ethel Waters, 192?
Single (Brown's Ferry Blues (The Delmore Brothers) / New Salty Dog (The Allen Brothers)), April 1934
Morris Brothers, 194?
Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 1, Secular Music, Harold Courlander, 1951
Archie Duff, The Singing Scoolteacher, With The Western Cherokees, 1954
Blind Willie McTell, 1956
Country Music, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys, 1958
Skiffle in Stereo, The Orange Blossom Jug Five, 1958
Jack Takes the Floor, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1958
The Newport Folk Festival 1960 Vol 2, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1961
Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!, Flatt and Scruggs, 1962
Greatest Bluegrass Hits, Tommy Jackson, 1962
Folk & Bluegrass Favorites, Mac Martin & the Dixie Travelers, 1962
Walk Right In, Gus Cannon With Will Shade, 1962
Folk Songs and Blues, Mississippi John Hurt, 1963
Livin' On The Mountain, Bill Keith & Jim Rooney, 1963
Single, Elvin Rooks and the Blue Grass Ramblers, 1963
Country Music And Bluegrass At Newport, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1964
Muleskinner, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1964?
American Folk Singers And Balladeers, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1964
Eric Darling, Eric Darling, 196?
Fat Mouth 1924-1927, Papa Charlie Jackson, 1971
Single, Lester Flatt and Mac Wiseman, 1971
Ruby, Buck Owens, 1971
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, Earl Scruggs, 1972
Greatest Folksingers of 60s, Various Artists (Flatt and Scruggs), 1972
Profile, Don Reno with Red Smiley, 1972
World Of Country Music, Vol. 2, Johnny Duncan and The Bluegrass Boys, 1973
The Earl Scruggs Revue, Earl Scruggs, 1973
On The Southbound, Lester Flatt, 1973
Best Of, Mississippi John Hurt, 1974
Lester Flatt Live! Bluegrass Festival, Lester Flatt, 1974
Profile: Don Reno, Don Reno and Bill Harrell, 1975
Hard Luck Papa: Old Time Picking Styles and Techniques, Tom Paley, 1976
In Person: At Randy Wood's Old Time Pickin' Parlor, Buck White & Down Home Folks, 1977
Thirty Years Of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1977
Deep Shady Grove, Evo Bluestein, 197?
Bleecker & MacDougal: The Folk Scene Of The 60s, Various Artists (Erik Darling), 1984
Voices In Bluegrass, Osborne Brothers, 1985
Jack Rabbit!, Doug Dillard Band, 1986
Live At The Bluegrass Festival, Lester Flatt, 1986
Stanley Series, Vol. 2 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1987
Live Broadcast Bluegrass Bonanza, Martha White Biscuit Time, Flatt and Scruggs, 198?
Grassroots to Bluegrass, Mac Wiseman, 1990
Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1: 1924-1926, Papa Charlie Jackson, 1991
Reunion, Bill Emerson, 1992
1959-1963, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
Complete Mercury Sessions, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
She's No Angel, Frank Wakefield & Good Old Boys, 1992
Bluegrass At Newport: Recorded Live At The Newport Folk Festivals 1959, 60 & 63, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1993
Bluegrass And More, Jim & Jesse, 1994
Folk Song America, A 20th Century Revival, Vol. 3, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1994
Prestige/Folklore Years, Vol. 3: Roots and Branches, Various Artists (Keith and Rooney), 1994
Rhythm of the Mountains, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1994
Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 1: Wild and Reckless Men, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1994
1956-1968, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
That's Bluegrass!: CMH Records 20th Anniversary Collection, Various Artists (Benny Martin), 1995
Stanley Series, Vol. 3 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1996
Marimac Anthology: Deep in Old Time Music, Various Artists (Double Decker String Band), 1996
Vanguard Collector's Edition, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1997
The Great American Fiddle Collection, Various Artists (Benny Martin/Josh Graves), 1997
Artist's Choice: The Best Tracks (1970-1980), Earl Scruggs Revue, 1998
Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!: Complete Concert, Flatt and Scruggs, 1998
Folk Duets, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1998
Heart of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Josh Graves/Benny Martin), 1998
Complete Recorded Works 1926-1934, Sam McGee, 1999
Appalachian Stomp: More Bluegrass Classics, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1999
Flatt On Victor Plus More, Lester Flatt, 1999
Sam and Kirk McGee From Sunny Tennessee, Sam and Kirk McGee, 19??
Single, The Professors, 19??
Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends / Nashville Airplane, Flatt & Scruggs, 2000
American Roots Music, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2001
Newport Folk Festival: Best of Bluegrass 1959-1966, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2001
Fiddler's Hall of Fame, Various Artists (Benny Martin/Josh Graves), 2001
Live at Vanderbilt, Lester Flatt & Bill Monroe, 2002
The Complete Mercury Recordings, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys, 2003
Unearthed, Johnny Cash, 2003
The Essential Earl Scruggs, Earl Scruggs, 2004
Bluegrass Early Cuts 1931-1953: Classic Recordings Remastered, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 2004
Ragged But Right, Lightnin' Wells, 2005
The Mayor of MacDougal Street: Rarities 1957-1969, Dave Van Ronk, 2005
Best Uv Grass, Various Artists, 2005
Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Rick Sherry), 2006
Classic Bluegrass Collection, Vols. 1-4, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2007
For You: The Decca Years, Rick Nelson, 2008
Yarn Sessions, Tobasco Donkeys, 2008
Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: 1946, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 2008
Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Volume 6: 1973, Various Artists, 2015
The Yarn Sessions, The Tobasco Donkeys, 2021
Early Dawg: Deluxe Edition, David Grisman, 2022
Notes
Played by the Hart Valley Drifters at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on November 10th 1962. Played by the Black Mountain Boys on the 7th March 1964. Also played by Jerry Garcia during a banjo lesson / demonstration on April 14, 1964.
The lyrics of the version performed by the Black Mountain Boys are as follows;
I was standing on the corner with the low-down bluesCredits on recordings sometimes to Wiley and Zeke Morris sometimes to Charlie Jackson. But may well be a traditional song that Jackson adopted. Sometimes called simply Salty Dog though there are other songs with this title. Also songs New Salty Blues and New Salty Dog which may well be related.
Great big hole in the bottom of my shoes
Baby let me be your salty dogLet me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dogI was down in wild wood sitting on a log
Finger on the trigger [and eye on hog]
Honey let me be your salty dogLet me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dogNow look here Sal I know you
Run down [stocking] and a worn-out shoe
Honey let me be your salty dogLet me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dogI pulled the trigger and the gun said go
Shot fell over in Mexico
Honey let me be your salty dogLet me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dogNow let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog