Three Moore Brothers

DESCRIPTION: "This is why we love the Moore brothers so well, They feed us on the farm like they do in the Rice Hotel." The Moore family hires Texas prisoners to work, and gives them extravagantly good or bad treatment
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1964 (recorded from "Chinaman" Johnson by Jackson)
KEYWORDS: work food prison
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Jackson-WakeUpDeadMan, pp. 53-61, "Three Moore Brothers" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
NOTES [95 words]: Jackson's notes describe a large farm, almost a feudal fiefdom, run first by Tom Moore Sr. and then by his sons Steve, Tom, and Henry. Often they rented out convicts from the Texas prison system. Folklore about the family was abundant.
Jackson calls the song a cante-fable, and the two versions found by Jackson are very distinct; "Chinaman's" version is full of whistles and recitations, while Johnny Jackson's is more a straight song. But Judy McCulloh calls "Chinaman's" one of the "peskiest" things she has ever had to transcribe. Clearly the piece is very fluid. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: JDM053

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