Here Rattler Here

Rattler seems to have originated in rural, rather than prison song. The earliest version was printed by Natalie Curtis Burlin in Hampton Series, Negro Folk Songs 1919, under the title “Hyar, Rattler.” Seemingl., The title of the folk song on which Grandpa Jones’ famous recording was based was ‘Calling the Dog’. The earliest recording was by [Blind] George Reneau in NYC ca April 1924 and issued as Vocalion 14814 in July 1924: ‘Here Rattler Here [Calling the Dog]’. Recordings by Reneau marked Vocalion’s entry into the hillbilly market – Uncle Am Stuart and Uncle Dave Macon were to soon follow him into the studio. Charles Wolfe noted that Reneau was ‘one of the relatively few traditional musicians to make the transition from wandering street corner minstrel to recording artist’. Unfortunately, he contracted pneumonia while working the streets of Knoxville and died at the tender age of 32. As far as I am aware, his ‘Old Rattler’ has not been reissued