Walter Brown & Arthur: Roustabout holler and rocking the load (#1) (1978)

Date recorded: August 22, 1978
Contributor(s): Recordist: Bishop, John; Recordist: Long, Worth; Recordist: Lomax, Alan; Performer: Arthur; Performer: Brown, Walter

Description: Ex-roustabouts and levee-camp laborers Walter Brown and Arthur (last name unknown) sing roustabout hollers and discuss (and re-enact) "rocking the load" off the steamboats. Shot by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long on the levee in Greenville, Mississippi, August 22, 1978.

Subject(s):

Genre: holler, interview/commentary

Location: Greenville, Washington County, Mississippi, United States

Track Number: 29

Archive ID: NmQUbyAVqqI

Transcript:
Belongs to: Mississippi Delta and Hill Country (1978)

About the session: Bluesmen; fife-and-drum ensembles; former muleskinners and railroad tie-tampers; and tall-tale reciters. Performers include Skip James collaborator Jack Owens, diddley-bow player Lonnie Pitchford, fife legend Otha Turner, and R. L. Burnside in his first film appearance.

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