Ada from Decatur

December 3, 2007 5:23 AM

Please help me find a song filter: Looking for the song Ada from Decatur.

My very cute and very sweet 8 month old daughter is named after her great-great-grandmother, Ada. While out and about in my North East DC neighborhood we ran into a very nice old lady who shared some smiles and coos with Ada and asked her name. When I told her, she asked if I'd ever heard the old tune Ada from Decatur?

My google-fu has failed me, except for one reference on a WFMU playlist for December 18, 1999 where Ada from Decatur by Jimmy Liggins off the Duplex label was played. Knowing Jimmy and Joe Liggins as swingin' R&B musicians of the late 40's, this song is a must have! Please help oh mighty hive mind!

Also, I am aware that Ada from Decatur is also a craps term. I went to college with many a degenerate gambler in Mississippi who also refer to jacks as "cowboys," queens as "ladies," and nines as "neener-ross." Thanks again!

posted by Pollomacho to media & arts (3 comments total)

From what I've gathered, it's from an album by Jimmy Liggins called She's My Black R&B Baby (Still).

Also, according to this article, the song was written by a G.C. Rann in the 1960s, and it seems at least several people in the town of Decatur, TX have copies of the original. It seems that the person there to call would be Decatur Main Street Manager Frieda Davis, whose work # is 940-627-2741. The article also says that it was just recently rerecorded by a local band called King Cone. I emailed them and asked for an MP3 of them playing it, but that doesn't get you the JL version, unless they have that too. If they answer me I'll ask them!
posted by iconomy at 6:12 AM on December 3, 2007

Pollomacho, you can directly download the song here.

Located via Seeqpod, Playable Search™‒you might want to check their FAQ in case you are concerned about the legality of obtaining the song in that way.
posted by halogen at 2:33 AM on December 4, 2007

Wow, it appears that the search for one song has turned into two songs; the country tune by G. C. Rann and the R&B tune by Jimmy Liggins!

Excellent work folks!
posted by Pollomacho at 5:01 AM on December 4, 2007