The Alabama Walk-Around (1891)..Monroe H. Rosenfeld.l

[Steve Harrison]

From the title I surmise that Rosenfeld possibly saw this as a cake-walk although it's described as a comic dance which would make it one of the earliest published. It hasn't got the same folksy sound as some of his other cakewalks/marches but none the less it sounds fine on banjo. I have another two of his early compositions prepared which I'll post shortly. The score and midi are in the library...Steve.

[Joel Hooks]

A "walk around" is different than a "cake walk."  The walk around comes from the minstrel stage as a finale piece where the entire troupe comes out on stage and dances through the concert hall doing exhibition dancing with there "best moves."  The early walk around to a patten with some strummed or played cords to open like this...

Tim is playing a little fast here but you get the idea.

Here is the Skirtlifters playing one--  same sort of pattern.

I am not expert and it could be that the cake walk was inspired by the walk around but it took a very long time for that to happen. 

The attached "Uncle Joe's Cake Dance" from 1890 by C. S. Patty has hints of a walk around so I might have just answered my own question. --Note this is in A notation.

[Steve Harrison]

Thanks for that Joel, as a mere Brit such things are alien to me so your information is now filed away in my knowledge bank for future use...Steve.

[marc dalmasso]

Thanks Joel