woensdag 20 september 2017

Ella Ree (1853) / Carry Me Back To Tennessee (1865) / Sarie Maré (1889) / Sarie Marais (1927) / Sweet Allalee (1927)


Although "Sarie Marais" became known as a typical South African song, its origins go back to the American Civil War, where a song called "Carry Me Back To Tennessee" or "Ellie Rhee" was published in 1865 by Septimus Winner (1827-1902).


But this song has a confusing history:

Charles E. Stewart and James W. Porter published "Ella Ree" in 1852 or 1853.

 



In 1865, Septimus Winner altered the lyrics of the song to fit the post-Civil War circumstances. That seems to be the original of most of the traditional versions, although they cannot agree on whether the girl is Ella or Ellie, and Ree or Rhee or Rhea, or even Allalee.
 





This song was heard being sung by Americans working the Transvaal gold mines by Afrikaans journalist Jacobus Petrus Toerien, who adapted the song into the Afrikaans language sometime around 1889 (between the First and Second Freedom Wars, as the Boer War was known in South Africa). He substituted the name of Ellie Rhee with that of his own sweethart Sarie Maré, who he later married and with who he had 16 children, 8 of whom survived.



The first recording of the original American version I could find:

(c) Carroll Clark (1910)  (as "Carry Me Back To Tennessee")
Recorded early 1910 in New York
Released on Columbia A852



Listen here:




(c) Lester McFarland and Robert A. Gardner (1927) (as "Sweet Allalee")
Recorded December 8, 1927 in New York
Released on Vocalion 5199



Listen here:





(c) Kanawha Singers (1929) (as "Ella Ree (Carry Me Back To Tennessee")
Recorded August 27, 1929 in New York
Released on Brunswick 459




Or here:





Die Afrikaanse woorde van Sarie Marais het die eerste keer in 1927 in druk verskyn in Joan van Niekerk se “Groot Afrikaanse-Hollandse Liederbundel” waarin dit bloot as ‘n Afrikaanse volkswysie beskryf is.

This is what the above African words mean: The African words of Sarie Marais appeared in print for the first time in 1927 in Joan van Niekerk's "Groot Afrikaanse-Hollandse Liederbundel" in which it was merely described as an African folksong.


SEE PAGE 130 : niek008groo01_01.pdf


"Sarie Marais" was also the title of the first South African talking picture, directed by Joseph Albrecht and made in 1931. Filmed in Johannesburg, Sarie Marais manages to pack a lot into its 10-minute running time. Set in a British POW camp, the film concentrates on a group of Boer prisoners as they pass the time under the watchful eye of their British captors.
One of the internees, played by Billy Mathews, lifts his voice in song with the popular Afrikaans patriotic tune "My Sarie Marais". His enthusiasm catches on with the other prisoners, giving them hope for the future.



Chris Blignaut also sang some songs in the Sarie Marais talking picture referred to above,
Blignaut's recording, with the Melodians as backing band, is from the same year as the movie.
Released in South-Africa on Columbia LE 13
 



Or here:


The version below by Chris Blignaut with the Welgens Suikerbossie Orkesis a variation of the original song in which he is backed by a boeremusiek band.




(c) Vier Vrolike Kerels (1930's)  (as "Sarie Marais")
Conducted by Alec Benjamin
Released in South-Africa on Columbia LE 44
Matrix WEA.444




Or here: 




(c) Albert de Booy (1933)  (as "Sarie Marijs")
Dutch lyrics Wilhelm Ciere
Matrix PR 2112
Released on Triumph 581 and also on Regina S 3479
Also released on the Astra-label
 

Listen here:




(c) August de Laat (1933) (as "Sarie Marijs")
with the Ramblers Orchestra
Recorded end December 1933 on Decca F 42012


Listen here:




(c) AVRO band Kovacs Lajos (vocals: Bob Scholte)  (1933)  (as "Sarie Marys")
Recorded end 1933
Released on Parlophon B 17816 and Odeon A 164997
Matrix 148121


Listen here:




(c) Welgens Orkes (1930's) (as "Sarie Marais")
Released on Gallotone 286




(c) Joseph Marais and his Bushveld Band (1939) (as "Sarie Marais")
Recorded December 18, 1939 in New York
Released on Decca 18048 as part of Decca album A-113
 


this was re-released in 1949 on Decca album DL 5014


Listen here:




(c) Anne Shelton (1945)  (as "My Beautiful Sarie Marais")
with Stanley Black and his Orchestra
English lyric and musical adaption by Michael Carr and Tommie Connor



In 1949 Anne Shelton re-recorded "My Beatiful Sarie Marais" (sung in English and Afrikaans)
with John Massey and his Orchestra

Listen here:




In 1950 Dutch singer Eddy Christiani made a very free adaptation of "Sarie Marais"

(c) Eddy Christiani (1950)  (as "O mijn Sarie, mijn Sarie Marijs")


Listen here:




(c) Kilima Hawaiians (1954)  (as "Sarie Marei")
German lyrics by Bruno Balz and Norbert Schultze
Also sung in the movie "Ein Leben Für Do"
Recorded March 17, 1954 in Hamburg
Released on Philips P 44588 H



Listen here:





(c) Eve Boswell (1956)  (as "Saries Marais")
Released on Parlophone R 4189
 


Listen here:




(c) Bobbejaan Schoepen (1959)  (as "Sarie Marijs")
Incorporated in the Bobbejaan in Transvaal medley


Listen here:




(c) The Giants (1962)  (as "Sarie Marijs")
A rockin' guitar-instrumental.  


Listen here:




In June 1934, a gentleman by the name of A. Kloosterman wrote to a Dutch newspaper to have a song he wrote published in the newspaper. He claimed that it was written to be sung on 31st August (Queen Wilhelmina"s birthday). In the song, simply called "Vlaggelied" (Flag song) is expressed the close relationship between the Netherlands and the House of Orange. He also claimed that the song was already being taught in all Dutch schools and sung by Orange associations, in political circles, in the army and by the fleet. In this capacity he offers his song as a national anthem alongside the classical Wilhelmus to our Great Netherlands. The melody to be used was that of Sarie Marijs (Sarie Marais)    SEE:  Vlaggelied - Geheugen van Nederland




(c) Thembi (1977)  (as "Take Me Back To The Old Transvaal"
Nr 3  Hit in The Netherlands

In 1977 South-African singer Thembi recorded the medley "Take Me Back To The Old Transvaal", which was a medley of "Suikerbossie", "Boere" and "Sarie Marijs"


Listen here





vrijdag 8 september 2017

Suikerbossie (1933) / Sugarbush (1946) / Zucker-Lili (1952) / La Petite Marie (1952)



"Suikerbossie" is a popular song supposedly composed in 1930 by Fred Michel (1898-1969). Fred Michel sold the rights to Polliacks Music Company for a small sum of money.

SEE the next Fred Michel Tributepage with many newspaper articles:  https://www.facebook.com/suikerbossieFredMichel/

Translated into English and recorded by Josef Marais in 1946 as "Sugarbush".
Incorporating the well-known Dutch tune "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home"), Doris Day and Frankie Laine's recording of "Sugarbush" in 1952 became a big US Hit and a version by Eve Boswell was a bestseller in the United Kingdom.



"Suikerbossie" (Protea Repens) is named after a beautiful South-African plant, which was the National Flower of South Africa up to 1976.



Most likely the first recording :

(o) Malan En Sy Kêrels (1933) (as "Suikerbossie")
Frankie Malan: violin
Louis Brocker: guitar
Fred Michel: vocals
Released on Columbia AE556

Listen here:




(c) Chris A. Blignaut (1935) (as "Suikerbossie")
Recorded in South-Africa
Released on Columbia DE 100
Matrix CEA 2023


Listen here:




(c) Dawid de Lange met die Welgens Orkes (1936) (as "Suikerbossie")
Released on Gallotone GE 264



This recording (Gallotone Singer GE 264) by David de Lange and Willie Welgens' band sold over 200,000 copies - a record for those days. 
After this runaway success Welgens' band became known as the "Welgens Suikerbossie Orkes".

David de Lange - vocals
Willie Welgens - concertina
Rup Meyer - double bass
Gert Naudé - guitar
George Abrahams - banjo
Dan Truter - clarinet

Listen here:




(c) Faan Harris en sy Boslansers (1930's) (as "Suikerbossie")
Vocals Danie du Plessis
Released on Decca SD 205




In 1939 South-African born artist Josef Marais went to the USA and there he translated "Suikerbossie" into English (as "Sugarbush"), and this was published in 1942 in the book "Songs From The Veld".
 




He first recorded that version of "Sugarbush" (which also contains the original South-African verse) in 1946

(c) Josef Marais and his Bushveld Band with Chorus (1946)  (as "Sugarbush")
Recorded January 29, 1946 in New York
Released on Decca 23691 (as part of Decca album A-471)


And here's a page from the album-notes .
 



Listen here:




(c) Vrij en Blij olv Wessel Dekker (1950) (as "Suikerbossie")
This Dutch cover of the "Suikerbossie" follows the original South-African version, and adds a few Dutch lyrics by Lia de Vos.
This Dutch version DOESN'T contain the "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home") tune, which popped up in later versions of "Sugarbush"
On Dutch sheetmusic it says: South-African lyrics and music by S.M. Eyssen / arrangement by Wessel Dekker / Dutch lyrics by Lia de Vos
 

Released in 1950 on Decca M 32869


Listen here:




Somewhere around 1951, Josef Marais added the wellknown Dutch tune "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home"), which was most likely the idea of his Dutch wife Miranda.

Notes from Josef Marais from a paperback songbook called "World Folk Songs", by Marais and Miranda: "Worldwide popularity was attained by this song when I joined two folk songs (from Africa and Holland) and added an English lyric in 1952. "Suikerbos" is a term of endearment somewhat like "sweetie-pie." The vastrap dance is a kind of polka. Vas (pronounced fuss) meaning firm, and trap(pronounced trupp) meaning step".


This medley was first recorded by Doris Day and Frankie Laine.

(c) Doris Day and Frankie Laine (1952)  (as "Sugarbush")
(in a medley with "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")
Recorded February 7, 1952
Released June 1952 on Columbia 39693



Listen here:




Josef Marais and Miranda recorded their own version of the "Sugarbush" medley in June 1952.

(c) Josef Marais and Miranda (1952) (as "Sugarbush")
(in a medley with "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")
Recorded June 1952
Released on Columbia 39847

Also released on Columbia album # 6226:

 

Listen here:




(c) Eve_Boswell (1952) (as "Sugar Bush")
(in a medley with "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")
Released August 1952 on Parlophone R. 3561



Listen here:




(c) Stargazers (1952) (as "Sugar Bush")
(in a medley with "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")
Released September 1952 on Decca F 9960


Listen here:




(c) David MacKersie (1952)  (as "Sugarbush"
(instrumental version)
Released on Omega 21859 and also on Decca 21859


Listen here:




(c) De Notenkrakers (1952)  (as "Suikerbossie")
with the Orchestra of Ger van Leeuwen.
This Dutch version DOES contain the "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home") tune, nearly at the end.
Released on Omega 21868


Listen here:




In Norway the song (with Norvegian lyrics by Egil Hagen) was covered by Leif Juster

(c) Leif Juster and Robert Levis Orkester (1952)  (as "Krølltopp")
(incorporating the "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home" tune)

Listen here:




In France the song (with French lyrics by Noël Barcy and Roger Varnay) was also quite famous.
Apparently it was based on the Dutch version by Vrij en Blij olv Wessel Dekker (SEE ABOVE), because Wessel Dekker was mentioned as the composer of the music on the French sheetmusic.
And all the French versions below, also, DON'T contain the "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home") tune.





(c) Annie Cordy (1952)  (as "La Petite Marie")
Recorded around September 1952
Released in 1952 on Columbia BF 508 (78 rpm)



Released in 1953 on Columbia SCRF 119 (45 rpm)



Listen here:




(c) Tohama (1952)  (as "La Petite Marie")


Listen here:




(c) Patrice et Mario (1952)  (as "La Petite Marie")


Listen here:




(c) Jacques Helian et Jean Marco (1953)  (as "La Petite Marie")
Released on Pathe PG 700 (78 rpm)
 

Also released on Pathe 45 G 1013 (45 rpm)


Listen here:




In Germany the song (with German lyrics by Georg Bürger) was also quite popular.
But the German versions below DO contain the "Heut Gehen Wir Nicht Nach Haus" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home") tune



(c) Fred Rauch with Herbert Beckh and the Münchner-Rundfunkorchester (1952)  (as "Zucker-Lili")
(in a medley with "Heut Gehen Wir Nicht Nach Haus" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")
Released December 1952 on Polydor 48906



Listen to a sample here:




(c) Peter Alexander and Erni Bieler (1954)  (as "Zucker-Lili")
(in a medley with "Heut Gehen Wir Nicht Nach Haus" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home")



Listen here:




And in Italy the song was also covered, with Italian lyrics by Nisa (=Nicola Salerno)
This Italian version also DOES contain the "Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home" tune, but with quite different lyrics.

(c) Nilla Pizzi and Gino Latilla (1953)  (as "Sugar Busch")
Recorded April 17, 1953
Released on Cetra DC 5700



Listen here:



Some time later the song was also sung in Russia (with lyrics by Nikolay Dorizo)
This Russian version ("Little Marie") was based on the French version ("La Petite Marie")  and therefore also DOESN'T contain the "En We Gaan Nog Niet Naar Huis" ("Oh We Never Not Gonna Go Home") tune,

(c) Александра Коваленко (=Alexandra Kovalenko) (1954) (as "Маленькая Мари") (= "Little Mary")


or here.




(c) Гелена Великанова (Helena Velikanova) (1955)  (as "Маленькая Мари") (= "Little Mary")


Listen here:




Eve Boswell, who had already recorded "Sugar Bush" in 1952, made a disco-version in 1976.

Listen here:




In 1977 South-African singer Thembi recorded a medley of famous South-African songs, including a part of "Suikerbossie". This was a #3 Hit in the Netherlands and a #4 Hit in Belgium.

(c) Thembi (1977) (part of "Take Me Back To The Old Transvaal" medley)



Listen here:




In 2000  Dutch singer Stef Bos, made his own arrangement of "Suikerbossie".

(c) Stef Bos (2000)  (as "Suikerbossie")



Here's a live-version from 2005, which he recorded in the University of Pretoria in South-Africa.





I also found an article in the South-African magazine Opskommel, with information about the history of "Suikerbossie".

Op 13 Februarie 1963 skryf die Kaapstadse verteenwoordiger van Die Vaderland dat die komponis van Suikerbossie 'n beskeie bestaan as haarkapper in Kaapstad voer. Hy was toe 64 jaar oud. Die komponis, mnr Fred Michel, het in 1933 'n vierman orkessie gehad wat onder die naam Fred Michel en sy Lekker Kêrels opgetree het. Michel het aan die verslaggewer verduidelik dat hy en 'n paar vriende een nag op Langebaan se strand, naby Saldanhabaai se kant, gaan visvang het. Hy het op sy kitaar sit en tokkel terwyl die ander kêrels half aan die slaap was. 'n Deuntjie wat al 'n paar dae lank in sy kop gedraai het, het daar in die maanlig begin vorm aanneem. Die ander manne het hulle glo nugter geskrik toe hy die finale wysie begin uittokkel. Woorde was 'n probleem totdat hy eenslag opkyk om te sien dat hy reg onder 'n suikerbossieblom (protea) sit...". Die woorde Suikerbossie het pragtig met die eerste note van die liedjie saamgesmelt. Twee lede van sy orkes. Louis Brockner en Frankie Malan, het help dig en voor die nag om was, is Suikerbossie gebore. 'n Kaapstadse besigheid het in daardie tyd [1930? - Red.] 'n apparaat ingevoer om plaatonames te maak, en die bestuurder was so beindruk met die liedjie dat hulle dit 'n paar dae later op plaat opgeneem het. Die orkes het glo ongeveer 55 pond (R110) vir die opname ontvang . Dit was so 'n groot gebeurtenis in die viertal se lewe dat hulle nooit daaraan gedink het om die liedjie te laat registreer nie en deur hierdie versuim het hulle goot skade aan tantiėmes gely. 'n Foto van Fred Michel wat met die berig verskyn het. is ongelukkig nie goed genoeg om te reproduseer nie. , Mnr Stephen Eyssen. die bekende musiekkundige en medewerker aan die FAK'sangbundel. skryf op 30 Augustus 1968 oor die onderwerp in Die Oosterlig dat 'n vriend van hom in Pretoria. kmdt Chris'toffel Buys. hom meegedeel het dat hy die komponis van Suikerbossie ken. Dit is 'n haarkapper in Soutrivier naby Kaapstad. wat destyds bekend was vir die talle liedjies waarvoor hy beide die woorde en die musiek geskep het. Ek is doodseker dat dit dieselfde haarkapper, mnr Michel is wat die liedjie Suikerbossie gemaak het..." het kmdt Buys aan mnr Eyssen vertel. Verder stem mnr Eyssen se inligting ooreen met dié wat in Die Vaderland in 1963 verskyn het. ln die FAK-tydskrif van 24 Junie 1969 verskyn 'n berig van ene J Van Walsem waarin hy die volgende inligting verskaf: Mnr Frederick Stavro Michel wat vir 50 jaar lank 'n haarkapper in Observatory, Kaapstad, was, is op 9 Junie 1969 oorlede. Die skrywer se informant het hom meegedeel dat hy 'n aantal jare gelede 'n plaat raakgeloop het waarop mnr Michel self Suikerbossie sing. Die betrokke Columbia-plaat is. sover vasgestel kan word, die heel eerste opname van hierdie liedjie. Op die etiket word die tempo as 'n vastrap aangedui; die oorsprong is tradisioneel en die sanger is Fred Michel

Here' the translation into English   https://translate.google.nl/?

SEE PAGE 12 and 13 of the following article:



And here's a reaction on the article above also from South-African magazine Opskommel.

I read the article about Suikerbossie in Opskommel with the greatest interest but l`m still not convinced that Fred Michel actually wrote the song. l have two Columbia 78's which came out of the 1933 session where Michel first sang Suikerbossie : AE556 Suikerbossie / Tot Son-Op and AE597 Blou Blommetjies / Perdeby. (A gap in the matrix numbers on these indicates the possibility that there could have been at least one additional coupling, Does anyone in the club have such a record? lncidentally, these were issued under the name Malan en Sy Kêrels, not Michel en sy Lekker Kêrels. The song credit for Suikerbossie on the record label is listed as traditional whereas the other three titles are all credited to (Frankie) Malan. In view of the fact that Columbia always seems to have been fairly fastidious about composer credits, l find it difficult to believe Michel`s story that he was so excited about recording that he simply forgot to register his composition. I have a feeling that Suikerbossie was actually a Cape Coloured song which Michel and Co. adapted, perhaps originating some of the verses. I believe that there is a well-known but naughty verse which uses a word usually associated with Coloured slang, When Suikerbossie made its appearance in the FAK Sangbundel, the word was changed for something more polite! A Coloured origin might also explain why the FAK could not trace the song's existence before 1930 (or perhaps some unknown Coloured musician wrote the song not long before Michel first recorded it in 1933).

SEE PAGE 8 and 9 of the following article