"Black Bottom Strut" is a mandolin rag in 4/4 time and C major. It was originally recorded by the black string band The Three Stripped Gears on OKeh 45553 (78 RPM) -- R. W. Durden on mandolin and Cliff Vaughn and Marion Brown on guitars. They seemed to have recorded only four 78 RPM sides, all in late 1931 which were "Blackberry Rag", "Alabama Blues", "1931 Depression Blues" and "Black Bottom Strut". It was also recorded by the New Lost City Ramblers who learned it from The Three Stripped Gears recording. It was recorded by the New Lost City Ramblers on Remembrance of Things to Come (1967), the Hotmud Family on Stone Mountain Wobble (1974), The ILL-MO Boys on Timely Old Tunes from ILL-MO and Beyond (1988), John & Heidi Cerrigione on Wood Stoves & Bread Loaves (2003) and The Hunger Mountain Boys on Live & Early Studio Duets (2006). Our college band, The New Dimension String Band, learned it from the Rambler's recording. I played lead on an old Orpheum mandolin banjo.