Topic: Memphis Jug Band- Sousa March?

[Gingergeezer]

Hello there fellow Weenies... I'm trying to find out where the Memphis Jug Band got that wonderful melody part for 'You May Leave', I've been lead to believe it's from a Sousa March. Can anyone shed any light on this?
Thanks folks!

[Cambio]

I don't know enough about Sousa marches, but it's entirely possible that they lifted it from a piece of popular music from an earlier time.  Sadie Green, the Vamp of New Orleans, is their interpretation of Sallie Green, the Vamp of the Town, which Billie Murray recorded in 1920 or 21.  I think that there was a lot of influence from many early popular pieces that made their way into early blues and hillbilly music.  A lot of that stuff is really square sounding though and people don't listen to it enough to really get familiar with it. 

[dj]

If anyone has access to JSTOR (or to the original journal), American Music from the spring of 1987 had an article by Chadwick Hansen titled "Jenny's Toe Revisited:  White Responses to Afro-American Shaking Dances" that mentions this song with the phrase "The Memphis Jug Band recorded the same tune, but under a different title-"You May Leave but This Will Bring You Back...".  If no one has access, we'll just have to wait for Bengt Olsson's book.   

[bnemerov]

Hansen article refers to John Hurt's "Satisfied" melody.

[banjochris]

The part of the melody that's sung is indeed the "I'm Satisfied" melody. The part that's the long instrumental in the middle is extremely similar to the last part of Scott Joplin's "Gladiolus Rag," although Joplin throws in some beautiful and unusual chord changes. I'd be willing to bet there's a folk ancestor to the melody somewhere.
Chris