The Saturday Square Dance and Fish Fry in Dogtown
Creator: Linda L. Henry (2020 (June))
Cultural historian and old-time fiddler Linda L. Henry has done extensive research into the history of black string band music and dance in Warren County, Tennessee, halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga. This short article focuses on comments made by two surviving members of that community. She writes:
"The black string band known today as Gribble, Lusk, and York was considered the best square dance band in Warren County, Tennessee, when they were recorded by the Library of Congress in the 1940s. ... Two ninety-year-olds, Theresa Wood-Smith and Robert “Bub” Bonner provide the only remaining first-hand accounts of the music, the square dances and the fish fries."Linda Henry's complete collection of the recordings of Gribble, Lusk, and York (60 audio files with music and interviews) can be found on this website. These include recordings made by Margot Mayo for the Library of Congress (1946), Stuart Jamison (1949) and Ralph Rinzler (1964). At the bottom of that website page, there's a link to "Some Real American Music": John Lusk and His Rural Black String Band, Henry's detailed thesis on that subject.
Collection: Southern Appalachian
Subjects: Southern Appalachian - general
Tags: African-American, Gribble, Linda Henry, Lusk, Tennessee, York
Subjects: Southern Appalachian - general
Tags: African-American, Gribble, Linda Henry, Lusk, Tennessee, York
Item Relations
| This Item | is related to | Item: Square Dance Calling: The African-American Connection |
| This Item | is related to | Item: The Life and Times of Joe Thompson |
| This Item | is related to | Item: The Slave Roots of Square Dancing |
| This Item | is related to | Item: A Tennessee Square Dance |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Phil Jamison 2: African influences, and African-American callers |
Citation
Linda L. Henry, “The Saturday Square Dance and Fish Fry in Dogtown,” Square Dance History Project, accessed February 23, 2025, https://squaredancehistory.org/items/show/1909.
Dublin Core
Title
The Saturday Square Dance and Fish Fry in Dogtown
Subject
Description
Cultural historian and old-time fiddler Linda L. Henry has done extensive research into the history of black string band music and dance in Warren County, Tennessee, halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga. This short article focuses on comments made by two surviving members of that community. She writes:
"The black string band known today as Gribble, Lusk, and York was considered the best square dance band in Warren County, Tennessee, when they were recorded by the Library of Congress in the 1940s. ... Two ninety-year-olds, Theresa Wood-Smith and Robert “Bub” Bonner provide the only remaining first-hand accounts of the music, the square dances and the fish fries."Linda Henry's complete collection of the recordings of Gribble, Lusk, and York (60 audio files with music and interviews) can be found on this website. These include recordings made by Margot Mayo for the Library of Congress (1946), Stuart Jamison (1949) and Ralph Rinzler (1964). At the bottom of that website page, there's a link to "Some Real American Music": John Lusk and His Rural Black String Band, Henry's detailed thesis on that subject.
Creator
Date Created
2020 (June)