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Charleston
Words and Music by Cecil Mack and James P. Johnson - 1923
Verse:
Am           Am7   Am6 Dm           E7 Am
-               Am7 Am6 B7 E              G7
- C E7 Am
G             Gdim G              Em D7 G7
Chorus:
C E7 A7 -
D7 G7 Am7 G7
C E7 A7 D9
G B7 E7 G7
C E7 A7 -
D7 G7 Am7 G7
Am C7 F D7
Am7 G7 C -       (G7 to chorus)
8-beat intro.  Play 4-beats for each cell, reading from left to right.
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Verse:
Carolina, Carolina,  At last they've got you on the map,
With a new tune, Funny blue tune,  With a peculiar snap!
You may not be able to buck or wing,  Foxtrot, twostep, or even sing,
If you ain't got religion, in your feet,  You can do this prance and do it neat.
 
Chorus:
Charleston! Charleston! Made in Carolina,
Some dance, Some prance, I'll say, There's nothing finer than the
Charleston, Charleston, Lord how you can shuffle,
Ev'ry step you do, Leads to something new, Man I'm telling you, It's a lapazoo.
Buck dance, Wing dance, Will be a back number, But the
Charleston, the new Charleston, That dance is surely a comer.
Some time,  You'll dance it one time, The dance called the
Charleston,  Made in South Caroline.
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Performer Links:
(webpage)
 
Listen to the Saint Louis Banjo Club perform "Charleston" (mp3)
 
Listen to the Southern California Banjo Band perform "Charleston" (youtube, timestamp 3:51)
 
Watch Ozzie and Harriet Nelson perform "Charleston" (youtube, timestamp 2:00)
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Arranged by Jim Bottorff
 
This Chord Chart may not appear correctly with some browsers.  It should be viewed with a full size window.
The chord names should appear in single rows.   Let me know of any problems.
 
email: jbott@ix.netcom.com