Not to be confused with that Sarah Palin YouTube hit, “Turkey in the Processor,” this 1926 recording is one of the earliest of this 19th-century American folk tune, which derived from an even older Irish ballad. The Skillet Lickers were mostly Georgians with day jobs, led by Gid Tanner, and their music was old-time even in their day.
The song itself is literally the background music to the nation’s history: It was Billy the Kid’s favorite tune. It was the soundtrack to Walt Disney’s “Steamboat Willie,” the first appearance of Mickey Mouse. With different lyrics it was the minstrel song “Zip Coon,” which gave rise to one of the form’s stock characters. It was one of the songs the band played as the Titanic sank. In many places, kids know it as the song played by the ice cream truck, fer chissakes. I rest my case.
