schlange - Posted - 07/07/2015:  14:54:13

James A. Bland

 

"Oh, Dem Golden Slippers", aka "Golden Slippers" was penned in 1879 by James A. Bland, one of only a few well-known black composers from the 1800s. It is the theme song for the long-running Philadelphia Mummers Parade.

More on Bland from Wikipedia: "Often called "The World's Greatest Minstrel Man", Bland toured the United States, as well as Europe. Bland's earliest recorded minstrel performance was with the Original Black Diamonds of Boston in 1875. Beginning in 1881, he spent 20 years in London before returning to the United States. Bland toured Europe in the early 1880s with Haverly's Genuine Colored Minstrels and remained in England to perform as a singer/banjo player without blackface. Appearing as "The Prince of Negro Songwriters," he was invited to give command performances for Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales. Music historian Alec Wilder calls Bland the black writer who "broke down the barriers to white music publishers' offices." Bland was one of the most prolific minstrel composers of all time; he is reputed to have written over six hundred songs, though only about fifty were published under his name."

This song is actually a parody of the spiritual "Golden Slippers" which was popularized after the Civil War. Nowadays it's a favorite of fiddlers--but it sounds pretty good on a banjo as well!

Learn the Tune:

• We have a lesson video from Casey Henry teaching her arrangement of this tune. Only $6 thru 6/16! Get it here >


• Backing Tracks: I've including backing tracks at various speeds with the banjo removed from the mix.


• Tabs: I don't have any tabs for this tune--does anyone have any?

Share!

I (and others) would love to hear (and see!) you play your version of this tune--post it in a reply below!

VIDEO: Cherryholmes - Golden Slippers (click to view)	VIDEO: BLUEGRASS TRADITION - SPL GUEST VIC MULLEN OH THEM GOLDEN SLIPPERS 2014 live (click to view)	VIDEO: Golden Slippers - Excerpt from the Custom Banjo Lesson from The Murphy Method (click to view)	VIDEO: OH, DEM GOLDEN SLIPPERS - Vocal Version - Tom Roush (click to view)
Golden Slippers Backing Track (G) 70BPM	Golden Slippers Backing Track (G) 90BPM	Golden Slippers Backing Track (G) 110BPM	Golden Slippers Backing Track (G) 130BPM
Golden Slippers chords

chuckv97 - Posted - 07/07/2015:  19:44:13

Great old tune- thanks for posting the history behind it. Nice to see Vic Mullen on the vid- a Canadian icon - great fiddler and banjo player.

howsy-bee - Posted - 07/07/2015:  23:57:22

My tab of Golden Slippers is available for $5 at banjo-tabs.com. As usual it contains a low and a high break.