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Salty Dog Blues

Composer: Traditional / Charlie Jackson / Wiley Morris / Zeke Morris


Jerry Garcia recordings

info Before The Dead, Jerry Garcia, 2018

Other recordings

no info Papa Charlie Jackson, 192?
no info Ethel Waters, 192?
no info Single (Brown's Ferry Blues (The Delmore Brothers) / New Salty Dog (The Allen Brothers)), April 1934
no info Morris Brothers, 194?
no info Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 1, Secular Music, Harold Courlander, 1951
no info Archie Duff, The Singing Scoolteacher, With The Western Cherokees, 1954
no info Blind Willie McTell, 1956
info Country Music, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys, 1958
no info Skiffle in Stereo, The Orange Blossom Jug Five, 1958
no info Jack Takes the Floor, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1958
info The Newport Folk Festival 1960 Vol 2, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1961
info Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!, Flatt and Scruggs, 1962
info Greatest Bluegrass Hits, Tommy Jackson, 1962
no info Folk & Bluegrass Favorites, Mac Martin & the Dixie Travelers, 1962
no info Walk Right In, Gus Cannon With Will Shade, 1962
info Folk Songs and Blues, Mississippi John Hurt, 1963
info Livin' On The Mountain, Bill Keith & Jim Rooney, 1963
no info Single, Elvin Rooks and the Blue Grass Ramblers, 1963
info Country Music And Bluegrass At Newport, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1964
no info Muleskinner, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, 1964?
info American Folk Singers And Balladeers, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1964
no info Eric Darling, Eric Darling, 196?
info Fat Mouth 1924-1927, Papa Charlie Jackson, 1971
no info Single, Lester Flatt and Mac Wiseman, 1971
info Ruby, Buck Owens, 1971
info Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, Earl Scruggs, 1972
info Greatest Folksingers of 60s, Various Artists (Flatt and Scruggs), 1972
no info Profile, Don Reno with Red Smiley, 1972
no info World Of Country Music, Vol. 2, Johnny Duncan and The Bluegrass Boys, 1973
info The Earl Scruggs Revue, Earl Scruggs, 1973
no info On The Southbound, Lester Flatt, 1973
no info Best Of, Mississippi John Hurt, 1974
info Lester Flatt Live! Bluegrass Festival, Lester Flatt, 1974
no info Profile: Don Reno, Don Reno and Bill Harrell, 1975
info Hard Luck Papa: Old Time Picking Styles and Techniques, Tom Paley, 1976
info In Person: At Randy Wood's Old Time Pickin' Parlor, Buck White & Down Home Folks, 1977
info Thirty Years Of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1977
no info Deep Shady Grove, Evo Bluestein, 197?
info Bleecker & MacDougal: The Folk Scene Of The 60s, Various Artists (Erik Darling), 1984
no info Voices In Bluegrass, Osborne Brothers, 1985
info Jack Rabbit!, Doug Dillard Band, 1986
no info Live At The Bluegrass Festival, Lester Flatt, 1986
info Stanley Series, Vol. 2 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1987
no info Live Broadcast Bluegrass Bonanza, Martha White Biscuit Time, Flatt and Scruggs, 198?
info Grassroots to Bluegrass, Mac Wiseman, 1990
info Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1: 1924-1926, Papa Charlie Jackson, 1991
info Reunion, Bill Emerson, 1992
info 1959-1963, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
info Complete Mercury Sessions, Flatt and Scruggs, 1992
info She's No Angel, Frank Wakefield & Good Old Boys, 1992
info Bluegrass At Newport: Recorded Live At The Newport Folk Festivals 1959, 60 & 63, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1993
info Bluegrass And More, Jim & Jesse, 1994
info Folk Song America, A 20th Century Revival, Vol. 3, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1994
info Prestige/Folklore Years, Vol. 3: Roots and Branches, Various Artists (Keith and Rooney), 1994
info Rhythm of the Mountains, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1994
info Mountain Music Collection, Vol. 1: Wild and Reckless Men, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 1994
info 1956-1968, The Osborne Brothers, 1995
info That's Bluegrass!: CMH Records 20th Anniversary Collection, Various Artists (Benny Martin), 1995
info Stanley Series, Vol. 3 #4, Stanley Brothers, 1996
info Marimac Anthology: Deep in Old Time Music, Various Artists (Double Decker String Band), 1996
info Vanguard Collector's Edition, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1997
info The Great American Fiddle Collection, Various Artists (Benny Martin/Josh Graves), 1997
info Artist's Choice: The Best Tracks (1970-1980), Earl Scruggs Revue, 1998
info Flatt and Scruggs at Carnegie Hall!: Complete Concert, Flatt and Scruggs, 1998
info Folk Duets, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1998
info Heart of Bluegrass, Various Artists (Josh Graves/Benny Martin), 1998
info Complete Recorded Works 1926-1934, Sam McGee, 1999
info Appalachian Stomp: More Bluegrass Classics, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 1999
info Flatt On Victor Plus More, Lester Flatt, 1999
no info Sam and Kirk McGee From Sunny Tennessee, Sam and Kirk McGee, 19??
no info Single, The Professors, 19??
info Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends / Nashville Airplane, Flatt & Scruggs, 2000
info American Roots Music, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2001
info Newport Folk Festival: Best of Bluegrass 1959-1966, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2001
info Fiddler's Hall of Fame, Various Artists (Benny Martin/Josh Graves), 2001
info Live at Vanderbilt, Lester Flatt & Bill Monroe, 2002
info The Complete Mercury Recordings, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys, 2003
info Unearthed, Johnny Cash, 2003
info The Essential Earl Scruggs, Earl Scruggs, 2004
info Bluegrass Early Cuts 1931-1953: Classic Recordings Remastered, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 2004
info Ragged But Right, Lightnin' Wells, 2005
no info The Mayor of MacDougal Street: Rarities 1957-1969, Dave Van Ronk, 2005
info Best Uv Grass, Various Artists, 2005
info Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Rick Sherry), 2006
info Classic Bluegrass Collection, Vols. 1-4, Various Artists (Flatt & Scruggs), 2007
info For You: The Decca Years, Rick Nelson, 2008
no info Yarn Sessions, Tobasco Donkeys, 2008
no info Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music: 1946, Various Artists (Morris Brothers), 2008
info Truckers, Kickers, Cowboy Angels Volume 6: 1973, Various Artists, 2015
info The Yarn Sessions, The Tobasco Donkeys, 2021
info 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 blues
Great big hole in the bottom of my shoes
Baby let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

I was down in wild wood sitting on a log
Finger on the trigger [and eye on hog]
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

Now look here Sal I know you
Run down [stocking] and a worn-out shoe
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

I pulled the trigger and the gun said go
Shot fell over in Mexico
Honey let me be your salty dog

Let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

Now let me be your salty dog
Or I won't be your man at all
Honey let me be your salty dog

Credits 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.