My vintage partner in crime, Miss Tetsie, and I are readily preparing for our Grackle Sister debut at this year’s SXSW. Part of our song and dance act involves a tap dance number, so last night as we were doing our hair I pulled up some videos on the Black Bottom Stomp for us to try out.

Une Petite Histoire: The Black Bottom is a dance that originated in New Orleans in the 1900s. The rhythm is based on the iconic Charleston dance, although it’s more sexual in nature. You bump your bottoms together, people! (See above diagram)  I read several places that The Black Bottom was more popular than the Charleston, but in our modern minds, the aforementioned Charleston is just more iconic of the flapper era.

Jelly Roll Morton wrote, “Black Bottom Stomp” and recorded it in 1926.
The Black Bottom is pretty simple to do – and it has a good learning curve. If you’re not into polished choreography dance, you can incorporate the stamps and little come-hither motions with the arms to give a flavor to your dancing.

Perry Bradford and his Georgia Strutters, “The Original Black Bottom Dance” from 1926
I love youtube videos of old men nerding out over their record collections. This collector does a really good job of introducing the record and giving some history. He has a beautiful phonograph too!

How to do the Black Bottom:
Hop down front, Doodle* back,
Mooch* to your left then Mooch to the right
Put your hands on your hips, Mess Around,
Break a Leg* until you’re near the ground
Now that’s the Old Black Bottom Dance

*Doodle = Slide
*Mooch = Shuffle forward with both feet. Hips go first, then feet
*Break a leg = Hobbling Step

This video has some great still images in the beginning of Joan Crawford doing the Black Bottom. You can also hear strains of the “Way down yonder on the Swanee River” dotted throughout. The popularity of the Black Bottom in society is shown by photos of nurses and teachers doing the Black Bottom too!

If you’re interested in the Black Bottom, you must watch this video in its entirety! It features a young Ruby Keeler and a dancing cow. It shows some of the origins of the dance along with a slow motion diagram of the dance. I think also that Baby Rose Marie dances, but I’m not sure if it is her.

Annette Hanshaw – Don’t Take that Black Bottom Away

“Snake Hips” dance from 1929, with Sharon Lynn
This song and dance is amazing, and features the lyrics “Do the wiggle waggle woo.” It’s not a strait-forward version of the dance but certainly shows influence of the Black Bottom and Charleston. Watch those costumes! OH! I’m such a sucker for glitzy chorus lines that are nothing but leg after leg marching on the screen.

When we get better at our routine I promise that I’ll share my version of The Black Bottom!

yours till Cats Kill Mountains,

Amelia

If you don’t already know her, I’m very pleased to acquaint you with one of my favorite singers!
Annette Hanshaw (1901- 1985) needs little more than a piano accompaniment, ukulele strum and cymbal punctuation to offset her dreamy, buttery voice. Her songs are filled with breathy pauses and hums as she pleads “Love me Tonight” or flippantly suggests, “What do I Care?” Through her extensive recordings, manages to effortlessly combines flapper ingenue with sweetheart pop songs. One quick glance through her catalogue and you’ll surely recognize standards like “Ain’t She Sweet?” and “Button Up Your Overcoat.” She’s instantly likeable and her songs will stick with you throughout the day!
I like to listen to Annette Hanshaw while I’m cooking a lengthy breakfast of baking powder biscuits, tofu scramble and strong Brazilian coffee. Her rhythms deliciously accompany any activity that involves wearing an apron, rolling dough, and singing to oneself in the kitchen. In fact, she even has a song called “Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love!” And, a girl after my own heart, she likes dogs, perfume and cooking, but dislikes diets, mathematics and bugs. Isn’t it silly that magazines today aren’t any better when profiling celebrities?

And who’s got plenty of that thing they call “it”?
And who can pet and love like Babe Ruth can hit?
Who?
Who takes the sheikin’ prize?
Who plays like Lindbergh flies?
Who-oo? You-oo, that’s who!

“Who-Oo? You-Oo, That’s Who” is one of my favorite songs because it references slang and celebrities of the age in lines like “Who loves like Lindburg flies?” and sheikin’ prize (what ever that may be!!). Her version of “Button Up Your Overcoat” mentions keeping away from bootleg hooch and Peroxide blondes!

Possibly my favorite part of her songs is that she always finishes the recording with a demure, “That’s all!”

Tiptoe through the Tulips

We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye – Footage of her singing