A series of great  Southern Folk, Pre-War Country, Hillbilly, Mountain Bands, Polka and Square Dance on 78 rpm Victrola Records


More great SQUARE DANCE, FOLK and POLKA Records in my other listings!

Famous FIRST RECORDING of the famous HOBO Fantasy song of the Land Of Cockaigne

Hobo Mac Harry McClintock singing and playing guitar

Original version of the Hobo song BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAINS, written and sung by the chronicler of American hobo songs, Harry "Mac" McClintock. This was recorded in 1928. Lots of hobo slang in this tune.

Recorded 6 September 1928 The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA - Harry McClintock [gt/vcl solo/whistling] Born Harry Kirby McClintock in Knoxville, TN [1882 - 1957] aka "Haywire Mac"

Mac  – The Bum Song - No. 2 / The Big Rock Candy Mountains

Label:
Victor – 21704
Format:
Shellac, 10", 78 RPM

Country:
US
Released:
Nov 1928
Genre:
Folk, World, & Country
Style:
A  The Bum Song - No. 2
B  The Big Rock Candy Mountains
Record Company – Victor Talking Machine Co.
Pressed By – Victor Pressing Plant, Oakland
Written-By – H. McClintock*
Artist is listed as "Mac (Harry McClintock)".



A side (mx. BVE-46453-2) recorded Hollywood, CA, September 6, 1928.
B side (mx. BVE-46454-2) recorded Hollywood, CA, September 6, 1928.

The Talking Machine World, November 15, 1928, page 124: "List for November 16."

Orig Issue Victor Scroll10" 78 rpm record

Condition:

EXCELLENT NO WEAR, faint scuffs, BUT Bum Song 3 has 3 longer fine scratches don't sound, a 2mm scratched patch may cause rare ticks.

A SUPERB COPY


"Big Rock Candy Mountain" is a song about a hobo's idea of paradise - a modern version of the medieval concept of Cockaigne, and similar to the fishermans' concept of Fiddler's Green.

History
The song is generally recognized as a turn of the century hobo ballad based on An Invitation to Lubberland, but authorship is also generally attributed to Harry McClintock since earlier written evidence of the song is not known. As a result, the song's copyright status is also in dispute. There are secondhand reports that McClintock attempted to enforce a copyright on the song but lost his lawsuit; in that case the song is in the public domain. Without further verification it must be assumed that the song is copyright by Harry McClintock.

The song was first recorded in 1928 by Harry McClintock, also known as Haywire Mac. It is probably best remembered for its recording by Burl Ives in 1949, but it has been recorded by many artists throughout the world. The most popular version, recorded in 1960 by Dorsey Burnette, reached the Billboard top ten.

Sheet music with a copyright date 1928, by Denton & Haskins Music Pub. Co. Inc., 1595 Broadway, New York, N.Y., identify the author as Billy Mack.

According to the song, anything that a homeless man would fear is rendered harmless. The dogs have rubber teeth, the police have wooden legs, and the jail bars are made of tin.

Before recording the song, McClintock cleaned it up considerably from the version he sang as a street busker in 1897. Originally the song described a child being recruited into hobo life by tales of the "big rock candy mountain". Such recruitment actually occurred, with hobos enchanting children with tales of adventure called ghost stories by other hobos. In proof of his authorship of the song, McClintock published the original words, the last verse of which was:

Harry McClintock (October 8, 1882 - April 24, 1957), also known as "Haywire Mac," was an American country music composer and labor organizer, best known for his song Big Rock Candy Mountain (which was in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?), as well as his ballad, "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum". He was also credited as being the first person to sing in public "The Preacher and the Slave" , a song by Joe Hill. He was a lifelong member of the Industrial Workers of the World. In the early 1920's he worked and organized union men in the oil fields of west Texas, where he met and recruited writer Jim Thompson who later incorporated him into several short stories using the name "Strawlegs Martin." McClintock was from Knoxville, Tennessee. Having worked as a cowboy himself, McClintock was one of the few "country" singers who had an authentic background to draw from.

Hobo is a term that refers to a subculture of wandering homeless people,[1] particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. The iconic image of a hobo is that of a downtrodden, shabbily-dressed and perhaps drunken male, one that was solidified in American culture during the Great Depression. Hoboes are often depicted carrying a bindle and/or a sign asking for money/work/food.

Hoboes differentiate themselves as travelers who are homeless and willing to do work, whereas a "tramp" travels but will not work and a "bum" does neither.