Annotation:Jake Leg Rag

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 JAKE LEG RAG. Old-Time, Breakdown. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). 'Jake Leg' was a consequence of drinking Jamaica Ginger. Recorded by the Carroll County, Mississippi, fiddle/guitar duo Willie Narmour (b. 1889) and Shell Smith (b. 1895) in San Antonio, Texas, in 1930. Allin Cottrell points out that fast accurate playing in the key of C was one of the hallmarks of Narmour's fiddling, however, the key is a matter of dispute as it also has been transcribed in D. The title references the poisoning of the drinkers of Jamaica Ginger, a contaminated product marketed as a healing potion in the late 1920's.  Source for notated version:  Printed sources:  Recorded sources: Musical Traditions MT 104, Narmour and Smith - "Where the Southern Crosses the Dog: Mississippi Fiddle Music 1928-35." Okeh 45469 (78 RPM), Narmour & Smith (1930).

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