Muskrat Ramble (song)

"Muskrat Ramble" is a jazz composition written by Kid Ory in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926 by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece. It was a prominent part of the Dixieland revival repertoire in the 1930s and 1940s, and was recorded by Bob Crosby, Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, Muggsy Spanier, Chet Atkins, Lu Watters, and Al Hirt, among others. It is considered a part of the jazz standard repertoire. Owing to a misprint, or the record company's sensibilities, the tune was titled "Muskat Ramble" on its initial release.

Ory has said that he originally composed the tune in 1921, and that the title was made up by Lil Hardin at the recording session. Armstrong, on the other hand, has claimed in an interview to have written the tune himself, and that it was Ory who only named it. Sidney Bechet has said that it was originally an old Buddy Bolden tune called "The Old Cow Died and the Old Man Cried". The estate of Kid Ory sued Country Joe and the Fish for copyright infringement in 2001 alleging that the "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die Rag" of Woodstock fame lifted its tune from Ory's ramble. This suit was dismissed due to the lateness of the filing.

Ray Gilbert wrote lyrics to the originally instrumental tune in 1950. Following a decree by the Classification Committee of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1956, Gilbert is entitled to a third of all performance credits of the tune, both vocal and instrumental.

A version with Gilbert's lyrics was recorded by Phil Harris and His Dixieland Syncompators (Vocalist: Phil Harris) in Hollywood on February 24, 1950. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3273 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9927.

A recording with Big Chief Jazzband was made in Oslo on January 8, 1954. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3371.

The tune contains a 32-bar ensemble section at the beginning, followed by 16-bar solo sections for the trombone, cornet and clarinet. After the solos, an ensemble section of 32 bars is played, followed by a two-bar trombone tag. Ory's tag at the end is almost always copied in performances. In the ensemble sections, the clarinet, cornet and trombone play a three-part counterpoint line typical of 1920s New Orleans bands.

In 2003 Country Joe McDonald was sued for copyright infringement over his signature song, specifically the "One, two, three, what are we fighting for?" chorus part, as derived from Muskrat Ramble. The suit was brought by Ory's daughter Babette, who held the copyright at the time. Since decades had already passed from the time McDonald composed his song in 1965, Ory based her suit on a new version of it recorded by McDonald in 1999. The court however upheld McDonald's laches defense, noting that Ory and her father were aware of the original version of the song, with the same questionable section, for some three decades without bringing a suit. In 2006, Ory was ordered to pay McDonald $750,000 for attorney fees and had to sell her copyrights to do so.

Personnel
The original 1926 recording was made with the following personnel:
 * Louis Armstrong – cornet
 * Kid Ory – trombone
 * Johnny St. Cyr – banjo
 * Johnny Dodds – clarinet
 * Lil Hardin – piano