Li'l Liza Jane

DESCRIPTION: "I've got a gal who loves me so, L'il Liza Jane, Way down south in Baltimore... Oh, Eliza, L'il Liza Jane." The singer loves Liza at first sight, and so "Now I've got me a mother-in-law," plus a house and children in Baltimore, and a home which he loves
AUTHOR: Countess Ada de Lachau
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage children floatingverses worksong
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore3 436, "Eliza Jane (I)" (1 text)
Curtis-Burlin-NegroFolkSongs-TheHamptonSeries (IV), pp. 158-167, "'Liza-Jane" (1 text plus variants, 1 tune)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 37, "L'il Liza Jane" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Harold Anderson, "Spotlight on Culture: Menhaden Chanteys -- An African American Maritime Legacy" in Maryland Marine Notes, Vol 14, No 1 (Jan-Feb 2000) available at http://www.mdsg.umd.edu/maryland-marine-notes-archive accessed November 12, 2016, p. 4, "Mama Liza Jane") (1 text)
Roud #825
RECORDINGS:
Al Bernard, "Li'l Liza Jane" (Vocalion 15638, 1927)
Harry C. Browne, "Li'l Liza Jane" (Columbia A2622, 1918)
Scott Dunbar, "Little Liza Jane" (on USMississippi01, USDunbarS01)
Taylor Flanagan & his Trio, "Li'l Liza Jane' (Brunswick 573, 1931; rec. 1930)
Earl Fuller's Famous Jazz Band, "Li'l Liza Jane" (Victor 18394, 1917)
Louise Massey & the Westerners, "Lil Liza Jane" (Vocalion 05361, 1939)
Menhaden Fishermen, "Mama Liza Jane" (on USMenhaden01)
Northern Neck Chantey Singers, "Mama Liza Jane" (on USMenhaden02)
Ollie Shepard & his Kentucky Boys, "Li'l Liza Jane" (Decca 7651, 1939)
Win Stracke, "Little Liza" (Mercury 5777, 1952)
NOTES [116 words]: Hard to believe that this isn't a variant of one of the other Liza Jane songs. But there is no evidence that it is. - RBW
It's a composed song, published in 1906, from the show "Come Out of the Kitchen." - PJS
Which probably holds some sort of record for obscurity. I can't even determine if "Countess" is part of de Lachau's name (which I suspect of being a pseudonym), or if she really was a slumming member of some obscure branch of the nobility. My library contains no references to her, and an internet search turned up nothing of use except copies of the sheet music to this song. - RBW
As a worksong "Mama Liza Jane" is made up of floating verses in addition to "Li'l Liza Jane" verses. - BS
Last updated in version 5.1
File: FSWB037

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