Shuffle History

KC Jones

Junior Member
I'm looking for some history on the shuffle, such as where it originated, the difference between the various types (Kansas City, Texas, Chicago, Flat tire, etc ), and the people who made the variations popular. I've tried searching the web for info and haven't really found much. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Wow tough question. I want to say post Civil War, but I really don't know. I inclined to think that it basically didn't see the light of day before the 1860's. I imagine it springing from the loins of the old ragtime stuff and the music in 'Nawlins, but I could be way off...
 
Hi
Check out Steve Smith's video the History Of the US backbeat and Drumset....He gets into that topic....Denis
 
Hi
Check out Steve Smith's video the History Of the US beat and Drumset....He gets into that topic....Denis

I 2nd that advise. That's a great video and as the name implies, it's a history lesson from a great drummer. Disc1 is drum technique and disc 2 is the history lesson. Check it out.
 
One day someone was playing a triplet groove and left out the middle note. So as to not be perceived as an error, he repeated the mistake and the shuffle groove was born.
 
Shuffled rhythms have been used in European music since the 1200's, and they've probably been around in Africa for millenia. The "modern" American shuffle is a descendant of jazz, which was born as a fusion of American, European and African music cultures.
 
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