I came across this link in a Facebook group about Old Time Music.
http://fretandfiddlehmb.com/blog/posts/origins-of-fiddle-tune-soldiers-joy
Interesting read about Soldiers Joy
4 Likes
That is so weird, my Mandolin teacher gave me this piece of music yesterday to work on. Thanks for sharing
3 Likes
Very interesting @Tim_C. Thanks for sharing, I really love getting background information on things that interest me. Fiddle tunes definitely are of interest!
2 Likes
Thanks for the background! A very interesting read. I see from the lyrics the 1960’s weren’t the only 60’s where they did songs about drugs.
1 Like
Sam Bush mentions the tune in his song Bowling Green. He says his father called it “Payday in the Army”.
4 Likes
Hi @mharrison43
I am not 100% sure but I think some of the old British Infantry Regiments such as the Guards and Light Infantry Regiments of the Royal Green Jackets and Gurkhas had a bugle call for Pay Day. it seems they had a bugle call for almost everything and I do mean everything.
When I joined up in 1968 we had a Pay Parade every week and had to line the corridors until our name was called. We then had to come to attention and march up the corridor to a table where the Paymaster and two witnesses sat where we had to salute and give our name rank and army number and hand over our soldiers pay book referred to as an AB64.
The Paymaster would write in the book the amount the soldier was due less any barrack room damages, fines etc. Repeat the soldiers name rank and number followed by the amount due. The soldier would then check the book against the amount received and state Pay and Pay Book Correct Sir. Salute then march back to his position in the corridor whilst the next soldier name was called. When I was posted to Germany this all changed and I had to open a bank account and my pay was transfer in once a month. It was hard at first but soon learned to manage my pay and not become overdrawn.
I suspected the US Army would have a similar procedure for pay.
4 Likes