(1) The Revelers was an American all-male close harmony group popular in the late 20's and early 30's. The Revelers' recordings of "Dinah", "Old Man River", "Valencia", "Baby Face", "The Blue Room", "Birth of the Blues", "When Yuba Played the Rumba on the Tuba", and many more, which became popular in the U.S. and then Europe in the late 1920's.
Source: Wikipedia.org
(2) The Revelers was a rock band from Cleveland, Ohio (and briefly New York City) during the years 1989-1999. The band -- which featured a lineup of singer/guitarists Andrej Cuturic and Joel Kaufman, drummer Tommy Fox (formerly of Cleveland's legendary The Mice), and a string of bassists (including Rick Brom, Matt Charboneau, and George Frank) -- performed an energetic brand of rock music molded after the work of artists like the Who and Elvis Costello. After quickly gaining a considerable reputation as a live act, the group self-released a number of singles and albums. In 1998, they signed to New York City's Spin Art label, also home to artists such as the Apples in Stereo and Frank Black and the Catholics. 1998 saw the release of Hard Times, Sunday Spirits, an album that many consider to be the band's finest moment. The group then disbanded after releasing the album Day In Day Out the following year.
(3) The Revelers are a successful and regionally popular Cajun band. They were founded in 2010, featuring members of the Red Stick Ramblers and Pine Leaf Boys, and released their first album in 2012. They were nominated for a Grammy in the roots category in 2016, for their album Get Ready.
Dinah
The Revelers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gave me Dinah;
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.
News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean!,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The Revelers' song "Dinah" tells the story of a proud man from Carolina who has found love with a woman named Dinah. He is so in love with her that he believes there is no one finer in the state of Carolina. He hears news of their upcoming wedding and imagines hearing church bells ringing. Despite his strong love for Dinah, he admits to feeling afraid that she may change her mind about him.
The song captures the excitement and fear that often come with falling in love. The singer is absolutely enamored with Dinah, calling her the finest woman in Carolina and praising her Dixie eyes. The repeated refrain of "show her" highlights the singer's pride in Dinah and his desire for others to see how wonderful she is. However, he is also vulnerable, admitting to shaking with fear and worrying that Dinah might change her mind. The final verse sees the singer declaring that he would go as far as hopping an ocean liner if Dinah ever wandered to China, showing the depth of his love and willingness to go to great lengths to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Carolina
The state of Carolina, where the singer received his love interest
Gave me Dinah;
Dinah is the name of the singer's love interest, who he received from the state of Carolina
I'm the proudest one
Beneath the Dixie sun.
The singer is the proudest person in the region, proud to have Dinah as his love interest
News is spreadin'
'Bout our weddin';
I hear church bells ringin',
Here's the song my heart keeps singin':
People are spreading the news of the artist's upcoming wedding to Dinah. The sound of church bells ringing is heard and it fills the artist's heart with love and joy
Dinah,
Is there anyone finer
In the state of Carolina?
If there is and you know her,
Show her!
Dinah is the epitome of beauty and grace, and the artist challenges anyone who thinks otherwise to show him a woman who is finer than Dinah in the whole state of Carolina
Dinah,
With her Dixie eyes blazin',
How I love to sit and gaze in
To the eyes of Dinah Lee!
The singer is filled with love and admiration for Dinah's beautiful, fiery eyes and he loves gazing into them
Yet, every night,
My, how I shake with fright,
Because my Dinah might,
Change her mind about me!
Despite his unwavering love for Dinah, the singer is afraid that she might change her mind about him every night and it fills him with anxiety
But if Dinah,
Ever wandered to China,
I would hop an ocean liner,
Just to be with Dinah Lee!
The artist's love for Dinah is so strong that if she ever went to China, he would cross oceans just to be with her
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Akst, Samuel M. Lewis, Joseph Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
william daugherty
I have this recording on an acoustic Victor and it has the same number. So strange! I can’t imagine that they made an electric version at the same time they made the batwing.
The78Prof
Yes, Victor did that sort of thing on a few occasions. "Dinah" was recorded first in September 1925 (acoustic) and again in January 1926 (electric), both issued under the same number. Here is the DAHR site's info post about the session details: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/800007520/BVE-33252-Dinah
Michael O'Leary
Great!
Vinny Cuozzi
Do you digitize all of these?
The78Prof
Only some. If readily available I'll use a CD-sourced track or other clean (or cleanable) file I've obtained from elsewhere over the years. If the description specifically reads "From 78rpm," the audio was transferred from a 78, though not necessary by me.