Muskrat Ramble

"Muskrat Ramble"
Song by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five
Written	1926
Genre	Jazz
Writer(s)	Composer: Kid Ory Lyricist: Ray Gilbert

"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, the Andrews Sisters, Harry James, and Al Hirt, among others. It is considered a part of the jazz standard repertoire.

Without Ory's consent, lyrics were written for the instrumental tune in 1950 by Ray Gilbert. After Gilbert protested that he was entitled to share credit with Ory, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awarded him one-third credit on all performances of "Muskrat Ramble", vocal and instrumental.

Kid Ory said that he originally composed the tune "Muskrat Ramble" in 1921, and that the title was made up by Lil Hardin at the 1926 session when it was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five. Armstrong, on the other hand, 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".

Owing to a misprint, or the record company's sensibilities, the tune was titled "Muskat Ramble" on its initial release.

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