Artist: Speckled Red
Author: Rufus Perryman
Label: Vocalion/Brunswick
Year: 1929
Albino barrelhouse boogie piano player; real name: Rufus Perryman, brother of William Perryman, better known as Piano Red or as Dr. Feelgood (see also: Mr. Moonlight, Oh Red and The Right String But The Wrong Yo Yo).
Covers:
Johnny Jones & The J.T. Brown Boogie Boys [as Dirty By The Dozen]
Memphis Minnie [as New Dirty Dozen; the first woman to sing it, to the melody of Lead Belly's Noted Rider]
Ben Curry [as The New Dirty Dozen]
Roosevelt Sykes [as Dirty Mother For You]
Kokomo Arnold [as The Twelves; main example for Tata Vega in film The Color Purple]
Jelly Roll Morton [claiming he heard it first in Chicago in 1908; Alan Lomax recording]
Dirty Red [as Mother Fuyer]
Little Johnny Jones [as Sweet Little Woman with Elmore James]
Powerhouse [as Sweet Little Woman]
B.B. King [as Mother Fuyer]
Billy Boy Arnold [as Dirty Mother Fucker]
Tata Vega [in film The Color Purple]
Zora Young [as Dirty Mama Jama]
André Williams [as Mother Fuyer]
Barrelhouse favorite in the thirties, but the Dozens (or Twelves), like eloquency, have always gathered high esteem among blacks. In a way it's the blacks' equivalent of Scrabble. Outdo the opponent verbally is what it's all about, the dirtier and the sassier, the better. Ironically the melody is based upon a ringsong from Bible class.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)