Artist: Sam Manning
Author: Sam Manning
Label: Columbia
Year: 1926
Instrumental. Trinidadian mixing jazz with mento three decades prior to the craze. Reissued on comp Trinidad 1912-1941 (Harlequin - 1992).
Covers:
Gerald Clark & his Calypso Orchestra [with Macbeth The Great on Guild as My Donkey Want Water]
Macbeth The Great [idem; real name: Patrick MacDonald; like Lord Invader recorded in New York; also a live version on Rounder cd Calypso After Midnight in the Alan Lomax Collection]
Shep Fields [as Hold It Joe; vocal by Toni Arden & Bob Johnstone]
Louise Bennett [pre Belafonte, along with an early Day Dah Light (see there)]
Harry Belafonte [as Hold 'Em Joe in his first musical John Murray Anderson's Almanac]
Charmer [idem; referring to Belafonte's success version in the lyrics; real name: Louis Farrakhan, calypsonian and future leader of the Nation Of Islam; from the Broadway musical John Murray Anderson's Almanac]
Jo Leemans [as Lieve Jo]
Rolf Harris [lyrical inspiration for his Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport; while his 'kangaroo' counts an extra syllable compared to the original 'donkey', Rolf altered the tune]
Cocktail Trio [as Op Een Kangoeroe Eiland; top 10 NL]
Yellowman & Fathead [in Donkey Want Water]
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)