• NEWS
  • REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEOS

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from Blues Scene about music & art.

Frontier Ruckus to Release New Album ‘On The Northline’

November 30, 2023

Shane MacGowan, Pogues Singer-Songwriter, Dies Aged 65

November 30, 2023

Remembering George Harrison

November 29, 2023

Review/Gallery: Robert Finley Live at The Blues Kitchen, Manchester November 9, 2023

November 28, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram Vimeo
American Blues SceneAmerican Blues Scene
  • NEWS
  • REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • EVENTS
  • VIDEOS
Advertise
American Blues SceneAmerican Blues Scene
Home»News»Language of the Blues: SHANK
News

Language of the Blues: SHANK

Debra DeviBy Debra DeviApril 22, 2016No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email VKontakte WhatsApp
confiscated prison shanks
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
confiscated prison shanks
confiscated prison shanks

This is the latest installment of our weekly series The Language of the Blues, in which author and rock musician Debra Devi explores the meaning of a word or phrase found in the blues.

Grab a signed copy of Devi’s entertaining & award-winning glossary The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu (Foreword by Dr. John) at Bluescentric.com. Also available as an eBook.

In the 1800s, shank referred to the long shaft of the metal keys that were common at the time. When sharpened to a point, a key shank made a nasty weapon. Linguists speculate that this may be the origin of the slang use of shank to refer to a handmade knife.

Prison inmates are notorious for crafting deadly shanks out of seemingly harmless objects. A shank can be made by melting the end of a toothbrush and inserting a razor blade into the plastic while it is still soft, for example, or by filing the handle of a spoon to a sharp point. A company called Securitas sells a line of No-Shank products for prisons, including the No-Shank Mirror and the No-Shank Toothbrush.

According to musician Dr. John, “shankings,” or stabbings, were fairly common incidents in some of the rougher gutbucket joints a person might wander into for some blues and a drink, hence the nickname “bucket of blood,” for these types of establishments.

Pick up a signed copy of The Language of the Blues today!

Songs:
“Shank” – Bo Diddley

Video:
Bo Diddley – “Shank”

Debra Devi shank The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp
Previous ArticleA Glimpse Into Memphis Blues Dynamo Jeff Jensen
Next Article 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Elvin Bishop
Debra Devi
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Debra Devi is a rock musician and the author of the award-winning blues glossary The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu (foreword by Dr. John). www.debradevi.com

Related Posts

Roots Rockers Coyote Motel Premiere “Keep Me in Your Mind” From Soundtrack to Film ‘The River: A Songwriter’s Stories of South’

November 28, 2023

Singer-Songwriter Oria Aspen Releases New Song ‘I Dream in Color’

November 27, 2023

VizzTone to Release New Bob Corritore & Friends Album, ‘Phoenix Blues Rumble’

November 24, 2023

Alastair Greene Signs to Ruf Records

November 20, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Advertisment
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Events
  • Videos
  • About

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.