Hi all,
It's been a while since we've had a new posting in this Board, but I've been thinking recently how much I like every version I've heard of this song. Lots of Blues players have recorded versions of it in the Post-War period, and of those, the earliest one I have found is John Lee Hooker's version, which he chose to accompany in Spanish tuning, and which his record company titled "Rabbit In A Log". Here it is:
Lonzie Thomas, an Alabaman, was recorded by George Mitchell in the 1970s, and he played it in Vestapol tuning, using the same melody that John Hurt used for "Payday", Henry Thomas for "Shanty Blues" and the Mississippi Sheiks for "Bootlegger's Blues". Lonzie employed a backwards alternation with his picking thumb that allowed him to use it both to keep time and to phrase the melody on the fourth and fifth strings. Here is "Rabbit On A Log":
J. W. Warren, another Alabaman, was similarly recorded by George Mitchell, and his version, accompanied in Vestapol, uses a different melody than both John Lee Hooker's and Lonzie Thomas's. It's a little surprising that none of these three versions share the same melody, despite sharing many of the same verses. Here is J. W. Warren's "Rabbit On A Log":
The song has had a life in the White Old-Time tradition, too, and it seems the most influential version was recorded by Bill and Charlie Monroe as "Feast Here Tonight", on January 28, 1938. The Monroes took the tune at a startling tempo, and Bill's mandolin is just pedal-to-the-metal, as is Charlie's guitar. I love the back and forth in the vocals preceding the conclusion of each verse. Virtually every Country version of the song I could find on YouTube was a straight cover of this version, in melody and energy, though I've yet to hear the Monroes version equaled, at least to my taste. Here is "Feast Here Tonight":
All best,
Johnm
