(alternate titles: Got No Sugar Baby Now; Honey Babe; Red Apple Juice; Red Rocking Chair)
Moran Lee "Dock" Boggs (1898-1971) was from Norton, a coal mining town in the Virginia panhandle. Boggs was influenced by the African-American music in his region and his banjo playing has a blues feel to it. After recording for Brunswick Records, Boggs had hoped a music career might help him avoid a life in the mines, but instead he worked as a miner most of his life before retiring in 1952. He was rediscovered by the folk revivial in the 1960s and played various folk festivals, including the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and the 1969 Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife. Mike Seeger did extensive interviews with Boggs in 1963 (excerpts of which were published on the recording Folkways 5458).
FOR ADDITIONAL RECORDINGS of Boggs see: Dock Boggs (FW 2351c); Vol. 2 (FW 2392c); Vol. 3 (FW 3903c); His Twelve Original Recordings (FW RF654c); Excerpts from Interviews (FW 5458c); The Legendary Dock Boggs (VF 9025a); and from the collections Virginia Traditions: Ballads from British Tradition (BRI 002a); Collection of Mountain Blues (CTY 511a); Friends of Old Time Music (FW 2390c) and Old Time Music at Newport 1963 (VG 9147a, VG 77011c).
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on Boggs see Griel Marcus, "Get Into the Graveyard" in Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes (New York: Henry Holt, 1997). Also Barry O'Connell's notes to Folkways RF 654, and Bill Malone's article, "I Always Loved the Lonesome Songs" in Sing Out! Vol. 14 No. 13 (1964).
OTHER RECORDED VERSIONS include:
Traditional American Folk: as a later version by Boggs (VG 9147a); as Got No Sugar Baby Now: Frank Proffitt (FL 36d); as Red Rocking Chair: Doc and Merle Watson (FF 252c); Harry and Jeannie West (ST 36a); Billy Ed Wheeler (MNT 367a); as Honey Babe: Sandy and Jeannie Darlington (FL 28a).
Folksong revival: as Sugar Baby: Tom Akstens (TAK 1053a); Paul Clayton (FW 2007c); Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard (GRN 704a); as Red Apple Juice: Nancy Ames (LIB 7299a); Benji Aronoff (PRS 7416a); Guy Carawan (PRS 13013a); Bob Carey (20th Century 3125a); Dean DeWolf (ARG 4030a); Spider John Koerner (RDH 12c); Dick Rosmini (TRD 1019c); The Shennandoah Trio (Dot 3641a); The Tarriers (ATL 8042a); Hally Wood (ST 73a); as Red Rocking Chair: Dan Gellert (MMC 9000d); The Mother Bay State Entertainers (ELK 292a); The Red Clay Ramblers (FF 009a, SGH 8501a, Rykodisc 10034c); Stampfel and Weber (RND 3004a); Jeff Winegar (KM 243c).
Country/String Band: as Sugar Baby: Morgan Sexton (JA 0066a); as Honey Babe: The Carter Family (JEMF 101a); Stringbean (STR 260a); as Red Rocking Chair: The Coon Creek Girls (CTY 712a); Red Cravens and the Bray Brothers (RND 0053a); Wayne Erbsen (Native Ground 002d); The New Lost City Ramblers (FW 2398c).
Bluegrass: as Honey Babe: Charlie Monroe (RCA 552a); Don Reno and Bill Harrell (RR 171a); as Red Rocking Chair: The Country Gentlemen (SF 40022c); Dry Branch Fire Squad (RND 0339c); Hickory Wind (FF 018a); The Hot Mud Family (FF 087a); Charlie Monroe (RCA 552a); Muleskinner (SRR 6000c); Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin (RND 0274c); Virginia Mountain Boys (FW 3833c); Mac Wiseman (CMH 8003a, CMH 9041c).
Rock: as Sugar Baby: Cordelia's Dad (OMN 2011c); as Red Apple Juice: Eric Ambel (ESD 81062c); as Honey Babe: Maria Muldaur (REP 2194a).
British: as Red Apple Juice: Ralph McTell (KM 307a, WB 56105a, Twentieth Century 486a).
