Tiger Rag " Tiger Rag " is a jazz standard , originally recorded and copyrighted by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917 . It is one of the most recorded jazz compositions of all time . In 2003 , the 1918 ODJB recording of " Tiger Rag " was placed on the U . S . Library of Congress National Recording Registry . Origins . The tune was first recorded on 17 August 1917 by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for Aeolian - Vocalion Records ( the band did not use the " Jazz " spelling until later in 1917 ) and released as B1206 , " Tiger Rag One - Step Written and Played by Original Dixieland Jass Band " , backed with " Ostrich Walk " . The Aeolian Vocalion sides did not sell well , as they were recorded in a vertical format becoming obsolete at the time which could not be played successfully on most contemporary phonograph s . Their second recording of the tune on 25 March 1918 for Victor Records , 18472 - B , backed with " Skeleton Jangle " as the A side , on the other hand , was a smash national hit and established the tune as a jazz standard . The song was copyrighted , published , and credited to bandmembers Nick LaRocca , Eddie Edwards , Henry Ragas , Tony Sbarbaro , and Larry Shields in 1917 . Harry DaCosta later wrote lyrics to the instrumental when it became a million - seller and a no . 1 national hit for The Mills Brothers in 1931 . " But even before the first recording , several musicians had achieved prominence as leading jazz performers , and several numbers of what was to become the standard repertoire had already been developed . " Tiger Rag " and " Oh Didn ' t He Ramble " were played long before the first jazz recording , and the names of Buddy Bolden , Jelly Roll Morton , Bunk Johnson , Papa Celestin , Sidney Bechet , King Oliver , Freddie Keppard , Kid Ory , and Papa Laine were already well known to the jazz community . " Other New Orleans , Louisiana musicians claimed , however , that the tune or at least portions of it had been a standard in the city even before . Some others even copyrighted the same melody or close variations on it under their own names , including Ray Lopez under the title " Weary Weasel " and Johnny DeDroit under the title " Number Two Blues " . A number of veterans of Papa Jack Laine ' s band said the tune had been known in New Orleans as " Number Two " long before the Dixieland Jass Band copyrighted it . In one interview , Papa Jack Laine said that the actual composer of the number was Achille Baquet . Punch Miller claimed to have originated the cornet & trombone breaks with Jack Carey , and that from Carey ' s characteristic growl many locals called the tune " Play Jack Carey " . Jelly Roll Morton also claimed to have written the tune , basing part of it on his jazzed up version of an old French quadrille . Frank Tirro states in " Jazz : A History " , " Morton claims credit for transforming a French quadrille that was performed in different meters into " Tiger Rag " . According to writer Sam Chartres , " Tiger Rag " was worked out by the Jack Carey Band , the group which developed many of the standard tunes that were recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band . The work was known as " Jack Carey " by the black musicians of the city and as " Nigger # 2 " by the white . It was compiled when Jack ' s brother Thomas , ' Papa Mutt ' , pulled the first strain from a book of quadrilles . The band evolved the second and third strains in order to show off the clarinetist , George Boyd , and the final strain ( ' Hold that tiger ' section ) was worked out by Jack , a trombonist , and the cornet player , Punch Miller . " While the exact details are unclear , it seems that at least something similar to " Tiger Rag " or various strains of it was played in New Orleans before the Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded it . How close these were to the Band ' s recording is a matter of speculation . The Band ' s record seems to have helped solidify a standard version or head arrangement of the number , although one strain in the Band ' s recordings ( just before the famous " hold that tiger " chorus ) is almost invariably left out of later recordings and performances of the number . Continuing use . After the success of the Original Dixieland Jass Band recordings , the tune gained national popularity . Dance band and march orchestrations were published for the benefit of bands that couldn ' t get the hang of the new " jazz " music . Hundreds of recordings of the tune appeared in the late 1910s and through the 1920s . Among the more notable is the New Orleans Rhythm Kings version with a clarinet solo by Leon Roppolo . The ubiquitous tune even echoed around the ruins of Chichen Itza in the 1920s , as archaeologist Sylvanus Morley played it over and over on his wind up phonograph . With the coming of sound film , it often appeared on soundtracks of both live action movies and animated cartoons when something very energetic was wanted . Famous later recordings . The Canadian Brass tuba player Chuck Daellenbach has become internationally associated with Luther Henderson ' s " Tuba Tiger Rag . " He has performed this work hundreds of time , and recorded it most recently on the best - selling " Takes Flight " CD for the Opening Day label , a CanadianIndy label affiliated with Arkiv Music and NOXOS . This adaptation has taken a work associated with Dixieland and Sports onto the major concert halls around the globe . The Tiger Rag became a standard , with over 136 cover versions by 1942 alone . Famous artists who covered the song included Art Tatum , Benny Goodman , Frank Sinatra ( in a version with lyrics ) , Duke Ellington , Bix Beiderbecke , and Louis Armstrong , who released the song at least twice as a 78 single , in 1930 on Okeh and in 1934 on Brunswick . The Mills Brothers became a national sensation with their hit vocal recording of the song in 1931 , and in the same year , the Washboard Rhythm Kings released a version that was later cited as an influence on the subsequent rock & roll genre . During the early 1930s " Tiger Rag " became a standard showoff piece for Big Band arrangers and soloists , especially in England , where Ambrose , Jack Hylton , Lew Stone , Billy Cotton , Jack Payne , and Ray Noble all made recordings of it . The tune fell from popularity during the Swing era , as it had become something of a cliché . Nonetheless cover versions continued , including a hit version for Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1952 and a Be - Bop version by Charlie Parker . In 1954 it featured in the Tex Avery - directed MGM cartoon " Dixieland Droopy " , and it was added to the Library of Congress ' s National Recording Registry in 2002 . Also in 2002 , it appeared in the popular computer game " " , and in 2005 it featured in an advert for the Microsoft Xbox 360 games console . A popular fight song . Many sports teams across America have a tiger as their mascot , and some of them use a version of Tiger Rag as their fight song . The Mighty Sound of the South has played a version of the Tiger Rag at the University of Memphis Tigers games for many years , and one version ( known as Tiger Rag 2 ) is a medley with the Tigers ' primary fight song . Tiger Rag – " The Song That Shakes the Southland " – is Clemson University ' s familiar fight song since 1942 and is performed at all Tiger sporting events , pep rallies and parades . A version has been arranged for the carillon on Clemson ' s campus , an instrument almost never used in a jazz setting . Tiger Rag is a popular song of the Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band . A section of the hit song is played at every LSU home game right after the team makes a touchdown . However , the full version of the song is reserved for very special occasions . Tiger Rag is a secondary fight song for the University of Missouri , Princeton University , and Auburn University . It has often been played by Dixieland bands at Detroit Tigers home games , and was particularly popular during the Tigers ' runs to the 1934 and 1935 World Series . The Cuyahoga Falls Marching Tiger Band of Cuyahoga Falls , Ohio plays Tiger Rag as one of their main fight songs . The Massillon Tiger Swing Band of Massillon , Ohio began playing Tiger Rag at Massillon Washington High School Tigers football games in 1938 during the period the Tigers were coached by the legendary Paul Brown . It has been a Tiger tradition ever since . In the years after World War 2 the English Football team Hull City played this song over the loudspeaker system just before the players ran onto the field of play . The exact version is unknown . ( please amend ) Cover versions . The ODJB ' s original 1917 composition " Tiger Rag " became a jazz standard that was later covered by Louis Armstrong , Duke Ellington , Charlie Parker , Ted Lewis , Joe Jackson , and the Mills Brothers . There were 136 cover versions of ODJB ' s copyrighted jazz standard and classic " Tiger Rag " by 1942 alone . The number has greatly increased since . A very incomplete list of artists who have recorded this standard includes :