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Song

Written by
Language
English
Comments
"Buffalo Gals (Won't You Come Out Tonight)" is frequently said to have been composed by the blackface minstrel performer, John Hodges (who used the stage name "Cool White"). He copyrighted a song he called "Lubly Fan Will You Come Out Tonight?" in 1844, which used the melody now commonly associated with "Buffalo Gals". This tune has been traced back in published form to 1839, where it appears in a collection of dance tunes entitled "Virginia Reels, Selected and Arranged for the Piano Forte" as "Midnight Serenade" so Cool White's tune was not original with him. At least one scholar has suggested that "Buffalo Gals" was inspired by the English singing game, "Pray, Pretty Miss".

In 1845 another blackface minstrel group, The Ethiopian Serenaders" published sheet music for "Philadelphia Gals", which had the typical set of "Buffalo Gals" lyrics, except substituting "Philadelphia" for "Buffalo". In 1848, The Ethiopian Serenaders published another version of this song as "Buffalo Gals". In neither case did The Ethiopian Serenaders attribute an author to either the tune or the lyrics. Edward Christy, the leader of perhaps the most popular blackface minstrel group, Christy's Minstrels, did obtain a copyright on the music and lyrics to "Buffalo Gals" in 1848, although both tune and at least substantially similar lyrics predated the copyright.

Fiddlin' John Carson recorded the song in 1924 as "Alabama Gal (Won't You Come Out Tonight?)". Also can be performed as "Round Town Girls (or Gals)" instead of "Buffalo Girls (or Gals)".
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Versions

written by English

Title Performer Release date Info
November 1924
April 1925
February 24, 1927
August 1927
April 1929
1929
listen on Internet Archive November 1938 Medley
listen on Internet Archive September 1939 Medley
listen on Internet Archive Dance with a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stocking) Terry Shand and His Orchestra 1939 Unverified
1944
1950
December 1957
1958
1958
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1963
1970
1979
1980
1985
1988 Medley
August 1, 1991
1992
1994
June 1997
1997
1997 Released more than 10 years after its recording
Live
2002
2002
2003
Buffalo Gals Buffalo Gals 2005 Unverified
March 6, 2006
October 3, 2006
2007
2013
July 1, 2014
Buffalo Gals Richard Meyer [US2] With Mark Babson 2015 Unverified
December 24, 2016
May 1, 2017
December 7, 2018

written by instrumental

Title Performer Release date Info
i 1926
i April 1927
i 1961
i 1961
i 1962
i September 1963
listen on Internet Archive i 1963 Medley
i April 1968
i 1969
i 1970
i 1971
i 1972
i 1974
i 1974
i 1976
i 1978
i 1978
i 1980
i 1983
i 1983
i 1983
i 1984 Medley
i 1984 Released more than 10 years after its recording
i 1985
i 1985
i 1988
i 1991 Medley
i 1992
i 1992
i 1992
i 1993
i 1995
i January 16, 1996
i 1997
i November 17, 1998
i 2000 Medley
i September 11, 2001 Medley
i 2001 Medley
i 2003
i 2005
i 2005 A cappella
Released more than 10 years after its recording
i 2005
i June 5, 2007
i 2009
i June 1, 2010
i August 13, 2010
i December 13, 2010
i March 1, 2013
i May 21, 2013
i September 28, 2015
i March 22, 2019

written by , , English

Title Performer Release date Info
listen on Internet Archive 1940 First recording on January 18, 1940
First release
listen on Internet Archive 1940
listen on Internet Archive Dance with a Dolly Six Hits and a Miss 1940 Unverified
listen on Internet Archive August 1944
listen on Internet Archive October 1944
December 1944
Dance with a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stocking) The Town Criers 1945 Unverified
August 1952
1956
November 1959
1959
1959 Medley
July 1961
1961
July 1963
January 17, 1964
September 15, 1967
1976
1982
1988
1989