“Back Up and Push” is a fiddle reel whose melody descends from the ragtime piece “Creole Belles,” published in 1900. Early in the twentieth century fiddlers across the country picked up its catchy strain, and it spread under names including “Back Up and Push” and “Rubber Dolly.”
A fast, swinging breakdown, the tune was recorded by many of the Appalachian string bands of the 1920s and 1930s, among them the Skillet Lickers, whose version sold well. It later became a showpiece for bluegrass fiddlers and flatpickers.
Its drive and its room for fast playing keep it a favorite among pickers.
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