Genre: Old Time Style: Clawhammer and Old-Time Key: G Tuning: Standard Open G (gDGBD) Difficulty: Expert
Posted by ChuckJo, updated: 4/4/2013
Download: TABLEDIT
Notes: “And the Cat Came Back The Very Next Day”, from Doc Roberts: I have long been an admirer of Doc’s fiddling. He infuses his rich repertoire of tunes with a distinct bluesy sound characterized by powerful, yet smooth bowing and remarkably clear intonation.
First, I learned to play this tune on the fiddle. Eventually I was able to eke out a fair approximation of The Cat. I would dust it off from time to time, but really did not fully commit to it, in part because I didn’t feel fully confident in my fiddling. But of course, it kept coming back, insisting that I give it the attention it deserved, so that now it lays curled up comfortably at the fire amongst the other familiar G tunes.
I suppose it became jealous of my time on the banjo, so slyly crept into my clawhammer fingers, where it sits now as a banjo favorite.
One of the charms of Doc’s fiddle version, is how the tune wanders in no obvious pattern (at least to me) between what I am labeling the A, B, and C parts. In order to share more easily with others, I play it as AABBCC.
A brief bio of Doc Roberts compiled from the internet (Wikipedia and other sources)
Dock Philipine Roberts was born in 1898 near Kirksville, Madison County, and learned to play the fiddle at an early age with some help from his older brother Liebert. Doc's and Liebert's musical mentor was the African-American fiddler Owen Walker who was born in 1857, and taught Roberts most of his tunes. After finishing his studies in Berea Roberts married in 1913. In 1925, a talent scout, Dennis Taylor, recruited Roberts along with Welby Toomey and Edgar Boaz as old time recording artists for Gennet Records In early 1927, Roberts recorded with the string band, the "Booker Family". Together with Dick Parman and Ted Chestnut, he formed the Kentucky Thorobreds. They recorded in April 1927 for Paramount.
In the fall of 1927, teamed up with Asa Martin as Martin & Roberts. They made their recording debut in May 1928 for the Gennett label. Between 1927-1934, the duo performed at fiddler's conventions, in schoolhouses, on vaudeville stages, and on radio (WHAS in Louisville, Kentucky). Martin & Roberts recorded altogether more than 200 sides on 11 different labels. Later on, with the addition of Doc Roberts' son James, the Fiddlin' Doc Roberts Trio was formed. In 1928, Roberts was hired, through the agency of Bradley Kincaid, by the National Barn Dance radio show in Chicago . He was paid $50 a week. After only two weeks he quit the show and moved back to Kentucky because he was unable to sleep due to the noise of the big city. The Doc Roberts Trio lasted until 1934 when Roberts retired as a recording artist. During the next 4 decades, he continued to make personal appearances and occasional radio works.
He died at the age of 81 in his hometown of Richmond.
The Cat Came Back:
I first heard “The Cat Came Back” as a camp song. The melody in Doc’s version, seemed completely separate from my vague memory of that song, so I didn’t give it much more thought. However, in preparation for this post, I conducted an internet search and quickly discovered 1) The first commercial recording of "The Cat Came Back" was by Fiddlin’ John Carson (OKeh 40119) in April 1924. It doesn’t sound at all like Doc’s version "And The Cat Came Back The Very Next Day", recorded on Gennett 3235 on November 13, 1925. However, the Fiddlin’ John’s version appears directly related the Harry S. Miller Song of 1893: "The Cat Came Back: A Nigger Absurdity." Ouch! The racism that runs through much of American popular culture is revealed again. I don’t like reporting this, but just thought you should know.
writerrad Says:
Monday, June 23, 2025 @5:33:53 PM
Hey Chuck. Right now I am working on a CD of Doc Roberts and the Bookers for Document records. What actually happened is that Roberts was managed by Dennis Taylor, a businessman/farmer who essentially was a talent hunter and talent exploiter for Gennett Records. He took Blues, Old Time, and other musicians from his area in KY, Taylor and Roberts' tobacco farms adjoined, to Gennett records and usually got the royalties from Gennet, and paid the artists chump change. It is estimated Roberts made about 1000 1927 bucks for each trip. Roberts became the biggest artist in Gennnett's old time stable not only in Gennett recordings, but the many recordings Gennett sold to other labels especially the Montgomery Wards and Sears cheap labels.
Roberts got angry at all the money Taylor was getting from his recordings and complained to Gennett Records. Gennett told Roberts that Taylor had a contract, but Gennett records would not mind, particularly if Taylor was not told, if Roberts went to other record companies and recorded as long as he did not do it under the name Doc Roberts. So Roberts got together with two local musicians not affiliated with Taylor and went to Chicago where he made several recordings for Paramount Records using a variety of other names. Collectors are still finding new recording he made on this trip.
Because of that Roberts missed the scheduled trip of Taylor artists to the Gennett studios in Indiana scheduled for April 1927. On short notice, Taylor took Black fiddler Jim Booker Jr (often confused with his father Jim Booker who died in 1903) who made a bunch of recordings with white old time musicians especially Marion Underwood at the Gennett studios in April 1927.
In August 1927 another Taylor session was scheduled, and Taylor and Gennett decided not only to bring Jim Booker Jr., but his brother Joe and John and one of their African American neighbors who played percussion and mandolin named Steele.
Roberts showed up and cut about 8 classic Roberts tunes accompanied on Guitar by John and Joe Steele. When I first met Kerry back around 1999 he told me these were the acme of guitar accompaniment of fiddle. Joe Booker and Jim Booker also played fiddle on a number of selections and John Booker also did a lot of guitar accompaniment. Most of the fiddle tunes from that were not Roberts on Fiddle accompanied by a Booker on guitar were not issued. Gennett had terrible outmoded equipment tht might have malfunctioned. It is also suspected that Roberts did not like any fiddle recordings where he played with another fiddler. It is more likely that Taylor got more money for Taylors Kentucky Boys recordings like these, and so maybe Roberts was just mad at Taylor for whom he never recorded again.
One recording of Roberts and Joe Booker fiddling Sourwood Mountain has been found. Gennett records may have told everyone involved the recording did not come out, and then sold it to the Sears budget label, issuing under another name.
Gennett was a pretty technically backward record company even for the 20s, really an adjunct to a piano company. They actually made more money out of being a stencil label, selling their recordings to other record companies to issue under phoney names for the artists, so the artists didnt get their money.
Thanks Chuck
writerrad Says:
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 @8:45:40 AM
Just to add to my comments above. Roberts return to Gennett on August 26 was Roberts first recordings with what was brand new electrical recording equipment for Gennett on its first day in opertion. This could give some strength to the possibility that the recordings he did not want issued had come out lousy for purely technical reasons.. On the other hand, one of these recordings, "Sourwood Mountain," with Roberts and Joe Booker playing fiddles and John Booker on guitar has been located apparently sold by Gennett to the 2 Sears budget labels, Silvertone and Supertone, and attributed to Hills' Virginia Mountaineers!
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