Ever see something that brings a song to mind? Well, back in the day when people saw the sign for Juliff Texas about 20 miles east of Richmond, they probably continued along singing a ditty about a diddy.
What? Well, like most things, there’s a story there.
In 1933 a few enterprising citizens opened a dance hall and several taverns right along the railroad line in town. The drinking, gambling and . . . well . . . working women . . . that followed made this little town a pretty rowdy place. But it helped them get through the Great Depression.
Inspired by the female professionals, a local musician wrote a song in 1934 called “Diddy Wa Diddy” that was supposedly about Juliff. In part it went, “I got a gal down in Diddy Wah Diddy. Ain’t no town an it ain’t no city.” Some even suggested changing the name of the town to Diddy Way Diddy (I kind of wish they had!), but that was probably after they’d enjoyed themselves a bit too much at the saloons.
Juliff, a shipping point on the Brazos River, was born on land that was originally part of the antebellum Arcola plantation. It was named for early settler John J. Juliff – “Triple J” to his friends. The town earned a post office in 1891 and by 1896 had its own general store. Business wasn’t steady in the community, and the post office closed in 1908 – only to reopen in 1914 and then – yup – close again in 1958
But what about the song? It was recorded by countless artists including Bo Diddley (which I guess would be Diddley’s version of Diddy) through the years.
The playful wording was likely inspired by a 1929 tune by Arthur “Blind” Blake from Florida, whose song was also named Diddy Wah Diddy, but had different lyrics. It wasn’t the only time the phrase was “borrowed” for a song.
Here are a few of the words from Juliff’s own version:
“… I gotta gal down in Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
Ain’t no town an it ain’t no city
(Diddy Wah)
She loves her man, just is a pity
Crazy ’bout my gal in Diddy Wah Diddy
… This little girl is sweet as she could be
(Diddy Wah)
I know she’s in love with me
(Diddy Wah)
A lovely face, she’s so pretty
(Diddy Wah)
But she’s still way down in Diddy Wah Diddy
… Ain’t no town, an it ain’t no city
But oh, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy
… She kissed me all the time
(Diddy Wah)
She gonna turn me outta my mind
(Diddy Wah)
Anything, she says she’s ready
(Diddy Wah)
Run right back to Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
… Ain’t no town, ain’t no city
Lord, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy
… Diddy Wah
If you want to hear audio of the song, click HERE for a link to the 1960s version by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. Yes, really.
One of the lines of the song might hide a reason for the fate of the decline of Juliff: “Everybody would live in Diddy Wa Diddy – if only it wasn’t so hard to find.”
And that’s how the small town became connected with the jaunty tune. The next time you zoom through Juliff, hum a little diddy to let John Juliff you heard about the good old days in town.
What do an east Texas opera house, a cantankerous mule and the Marx Brothers have to do with each other? Turns out…quite a bit!
Nacogdoches Opera House
Around 1910 a trio of brothers named Leonard Joseph, Adolph and Julius Henry Marx were touring the vaudeville circuit with their act, which was mainly singing popular tunes and doing a little dancing. The thing was…they weren’t terribly adept at either of those things.
One night they were doing their act at the Opera House in Nacogdoches, Texas, one of the stops known as “tank towns” on the performance circuit. Nope, that’s not a compliment, but I’m sure they were glad to perform anywhere they could. (A tank town was considered a small, unimportant town where only trains stopped to take on water. There – now you’re all set for trivia night!)
During this particular show, a man ran in from the street shouting “Runaway mule!” Well now, THAT had to be more entertaining than these guys, so almost everyone in the audience ran out to see the excitement.
Instigator!
It seems that a mule had begun kicking a wagon it was hitched to until it broke loose on Church Street beside the Opera House and started running rampant through the streets of downtown. With their audience now outside on the streets watching the action, the brothers were left on stage. And Julius was fuming mad. Once the mule had been lassoed and subdued, the audience returned to their theatre seats – they HAD paid for tickets, after all.
And Julius let loose on them.
He began singing the tune of a popular little ditty but changed the words to include the story about how “the Jackass is the flower of Tex-ass.” As he kept hurling insults into the audience the brothers noticed something unexpected. The Texans were laughing and applauding. The snide remarks and clever insults were a hit!
That was a turning point in their career, and they began to develop the routines around sarcastic humor that would become their trademark.
Soon, Julius would paint on a greasepaint moustache and go by the name Groucho – a surly man who walked with a stooped posture. Leonard Joseph would adapt the personae of an accented immigrant by the name of Chico. And Adolph (who, by the way, understandably later changed his name to Arthur) would still rely on his brilliant musical talents as the wordless Harpo.
After they found success, they were occasionally joined by brothers Milton (Gummo) and Herbert Manfred (Zeppo).
But one of America’s most recognized comedy acts may never have happen if it weren’t for that east Texas Mule.
The Opera House is still standing today at 329 East Main Street in Nacogdoches . . . without a mule in sight.
Ever see something that brings a song to mind? Well, back in the day when people saw the sign for Juliff Texas about 20 miles east of Richmond, they probably continued along singing a ditty about a diddy.
But what about the song? It was recorded by countless artists including Bo Diddley (which I guess would be Diddley’s version of Diddy) through the years.
If you want to hear audio of the song, click HERE for a link to the 1960s version by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. Yes, really.
