Skip to main content

Watermelon Is Spoilin’ on the Vine

Thomas Cartwright and the Boys
Audio
Watermelon Is Spoilin’ on the Vine
A goombay rake-and-scrape band, consisting of a saw, a goatskin drum (goombay), and an accordion, performs this traditional instrumental dance piece. The saw provides a timeline, a rhythmic pattern that repeats consistently, thereby marking the meter. Ensembles like this date from the early 1900s.