Make Me a Pallet on the Floor
"Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" (also "Make Me a Pallet on your Floor", "Make Me a Pallet" and "Pallet on the Floor") is a blues/jazz/folk song now considered as a standard. The song's origins are somewhat nebulous and can be traced back to the 19th century. It appeared in sheet music in 1908 as part of "Blind Boone's Southern Rag Medley No. One: Strains from the Alleys."[1] Various versions of the lyrics were first published in 1911 in an academic journal of ethnomusicology. Some sources attribute the modern score to W. C. Handy who later modified into a song known as "Atlanta Blues".[2]
An early recording of the song was made by Mississippi John Hurt (as "Ain't No Tellin'").
Renditions
"Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" has been recorded or performed by a number of artists, mostly blues, jazz, folk and country American musicians. The following is an incomplete and roughly chronological list of interpretations.
- Mississippi John Hurt (1928)[3]
- Memphis Jug Band (1920s)
- Big Bill Broonzy (1930s)
- Jelly Roll Morton (1930s)
- Willie Brown
- Bunk Johnson
- Sidney Bechet
- Louis Armstrong and His All Stars (1954, Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy)
- Ottilie Patterson
- Brownie McGhee
- Kid Ory (1956, Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band 1956)
- The Weavers (1958, Traveling On With the Weavers, Vanguard VRS-9043)
- The Journeymen (circa 1960, debut album)
- Odetta and the Blues (1962, Odetta and the Blues)
- Bob Dylan on the Billy Faier Show (1962)
- Gus Cannon (1963)
- Tom Rush (1963, Blues Songs and Ballads")
- Sandy Denny (1967, Sandy and Johnny)
- Jo Ann Kelly
- Doc Watson (1975, Memories)
- David Bromberg (1976)
- Mike Wilhelm (1976)
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1977, Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real)
- Sam Chatmon (1978)
- Lucinda Williams (1979, Ramblin')
- Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan (1980, Trouble in Mind)
- Sharon, Lois & Bram (1980, Singing 'n' Swinging)
- Jim Post (1987, Jim Post & Friends)
- Mike Seeger (1996, Way Down In North Carolina)
- Sue Foley (2000)
- Gillian Welch (2003, Soul Journey)
- Entrance (2004, Wandering Stranger)
- Tangleweed (2005, Just a Spoonful)
- Irma Thomas (2006)
- Eddie Adcock
- The Wood Brothers (2008, Loaded)
- North Mississippi Allstars (live performances)
- Josh Ritter (2012, Bringing in the Darlings)
- Josh Garrels (2013, The Sea in Between DVD and soundtrack)
- Paul Kelly with Charlie Owen (2016, Death’s Dateless Night)
References
- ↑ Blind Boone's Southern Rag Medley No. One: Strains from the Alleys. Allen Music Co. 908 Broadway, Columbia MO. 1908
- ↑ Robertson, David (2009). W.C. Handy: the life and times of the man who made the blues. Random House of Canada. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-0-307-26609-5.
- ↑ Dixon, Robert M.W.; Goodrich, John M.W.; Rye, Howard W. (1997). Blues & Gospel Records 1890–1943 (4th ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 419. ISBN 0-19-816239-1.