You hear it before you see it. A carpenter’s handsaw, played with a metal file or screwdriver, bent and released to produce a wavering, percussive groan. That saw is the defining instrument of rake ‘n’ scrape, a Bahamian music tradition that emerged in the 1800s. Most outsiders first encounter Bahamian music through the global pop hit “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men, but rake ‘n’ scrape tells a much older, more grounded story — one of plantation-era imitation, African rhythmic retention, and the self-made entertainment of island communities that had no electricity until the 1990s. This article investigates where rake ‘n’ scrape came from, how its unusual instruments work, and how contemporary musicians are pushing it forward without losing its core.
Joseph Spence (1910–1984), a Bahamian guitarist from the fishing communities of Nassau, took the three-part vocal harmonies of Bahamian rhyming groups and translated them into a single guitar — reproducing bass runs instead of alternating bass patterns. Smithsonian Folkways called his 1958 recordings “a miraculous field recording.” He later influenced Richard Thompson, Ry Cooder, and the Grateful Dead.
Rake ‘n’ scrape is a percussive, call-and-response folk music built around three instruments — a carpenter’s handsaw, a goatskin drum mounted on an oil barrel, and an accordion — that originated on Cat Island among enslaved and post-emancipation Bahamians. It is not a single fixed genre but a living tradition with strong regional variation between Cat Island and Grand Bahama, and its status has shifted from rural “bush music” to a symbol of national identity, though it still struggles for airplay and institutional support compared to imported pop.
| Instrument | Material / Construction | Role in the ensemble | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenter’s handsaw | Steel saw blade, played with a metal file or screwdriver | Melodic percussion; produces a wavering, vocal-like tone | Player bends the blade while striking to change pitch |
| Goatskin drum | Goat or cow skin nailed to a wooden rim atop a 55-gallon oil barrel | Rhythmic foundation; the “heartbeat” of the group | Skin is heated over a stove or fire to tighten before playing |
| Accordion | Diatonic button accordion (typically) | Harmonic and melodic lead; carries the chord progression | Player pumps bellows while pressing buttons; often the bandleader |
The three instruments work as a tightly interlocked unit. The accordion leads the melody, the saw provides a sliding counter-melody, and the drum drives the rhythm. On Cat Island, where the tradition is oldest, musicians often say the saw “sings” — its pitch-bend mimics the human voice in the call-and-response rhyming tradition.
Cat Island and the Birth of Rake ‘n’ Scrape
The PBS series Music Voyager called Cat Island the “petri dish of Bahamian culture” and the original home of rake ‘n’ scrape. Local accounts, including those of accordion player Pompey Johnson — described as the sole Pompey Johnson on the island and a recognized authority on the music — trace the style to the era when enslaved people and their descendants on local plantations imitated European ballroom dances while adding African rhythmic and vocal elements. The result was a new, syncopated sound that the earliest practitioners called “sting bo dutty,” a phrase whose meaning is no longer known.
Cat Island had no electricity until the 1990s, so entertainment was entirely self-made. Rake ‘n’ scrape was played at homes, at beach gatherings, and at small venues like Da Smoke Pot, run by saw player Julian Russell and his wife Renee. Da Smoke Pot remains one of the few places on the island where live rake ‘n’ scrape is performed regularly. Pompey Johnson still uses a conch shell to signal neighbors — “cheaper than the phone,” he told Music Voyager.
Outside Cat Island, the music was often called “bush music” — a term that reflected its rural, non-electric character rather than any judgment of quality. The name “rake ‘n’ scrape” itself is onomatopoeic: the “rake” refers to the rhythmic scratching of the saw, and the “scrape” to the file drawn across its teeth.
The Rhyming Tradition and Joseph Spence
Rake ‘n’ scrape is inseparable from the Bahamian rhyming tradition — a call-and-response vocal style practiced by island fishermen, characterized by improvised, fast-paced, syncopated verses. Rhyming groups typically involved three vocal parts: a lead “rhyner,” a chorus, and a bass voice. The guitarist Joseph Spence absorbed all three parts into his playing. Instead of using an alternating bass pattern common in American country blues, Spence reproduced what a bass singer would do in a rhyming group — more like bass runs — while his singing tumbled over exclamations, swaying between guttural interjections and fast-rhyming patter.
Spence worked as a fisherman and mason in Nassau. In 1958, folklorist Samuel Charters recorded him for Folkways Records. Those recordings, later called “miraculous” by The New Yorker, introduced Spence to the American folk revival. He went on to influence Richard Thompson, the Grateful Dead, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Renbourn, and Martin Carthy. The Grateful Dead and the Incredible String Band covered his songs. In 1965, recording engineer Peter Siegel — then a teenager — recorded Spence in New York City and later in Nassau in Spence’s hand-built home. Those sessions were released in 2021 by Smithsonian Folkways as Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing, including the only known recording of the ballad “Run Come See Jerusalem,” which recounts the 1929 sinking of the steamship Pretoria — Spence himself had pulled bodies from the water that night.
Spence died in 1984. His funeral in Nassau included “Won’t That Be A Happy Time,” a shape-note song he had never recorded solo. He was one of the last Bahamian rhymers, heir to a working-class tradition that did not survive the mid-20th century in its pure form.
Modern Rake ‘n’ Scrape: Stileet and the Evolution
On Grand Bahama, a younger generation has taken rake ‘n’ scrape in a high-energy direction. Desmardo Finley, who performs as Stileet and calls himself the “Rake ‘n’ Scrape General,” describes the style as “a rhythm of life” — something that accompanies daily activity as much as performance. His music incorporates elements of Junkanoo, the elaborate Bahamian street parade tradition recognized by UNESCO, and aims to keep people on the dance floor. Stileet has stated publicly that his goal is to see Bahamian music accepted worldwide alongside reggae and R&B, but without changing rake ‘n’ scrape to the point of losing its identity.
This tension — between preservation and global reach — is a live debate in the Bahamian music scene. Singer Lattia, a classically trained artist based in Delray Beach, Florida, has argued that Bahamian musicians do not earn what they are worth compared to international artists, and that local radio does not play enough homegrown music. She points to Baha Men as a rare success story: they left the Bahamas, found global fame, and then returned. But that model is not available to most artists.
Meanwhile, the Region Bells — the oldest performing gospel group in the Bahamas, formed in 1948 in Eleuthera — represent the a cappella, shape-note singing tradition that runs parallel to rake ‘n’ scrape. All original members came from Cat Island. The group is now in its third generation, preserving old-style rhyming spirituals and call-and-response hymns. Contemporary gospel groups like Shaback bridge that older sound with modern production, declaring Bahamian praise culture to the world through songs like “We Praise.”
If you want to hear live rake ‘n’ scrape, Cat Island is the most reliable destination. Da Smoke Pot remains active, and Pompey Johnson sometimes plays at local gatherings. On Grand Bahama, check for performances by Stileet or at events like the Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival Kickoff Weekend, where rake ‘n’ scrape artists often share the bill with Junkanoo troupes and contemporary acts. In Nassau, look for performances at cultural festivals such as Goombay — though these tend to be shorter, stage-set versions rather than the extended, participatory sessions found on the Family Islands.
Context and Comparison
The following table compares traditional rake ‘n’ scrape as practiced on Cat Island with the modern style associated with Grand Bahama and Stileet.
| Attribute | Cat Island (Traditional) | Grand Bahama (Modern) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary setting | Homes, beach gatherings, small venues like Da Smoke Pot | Festival stages, carnivals, recorded music |
| Instrumentation | Saw, goatskin drum on oil barrel, accordion | Saw, drum, accordion, plus electric bass and drum kit in some acts |
| Pace | Moderate; dance-oriented but not frantic | Fast, high-energy; “rigged guitar energy” as Stileet puts it |
| Relation to Junkanoo | Separate tradition; rake ‘n’ scrape is not parade music | Deliberately incorporates Junkanoo rhythms and costuming |
| Audience | Local; tourists who find it “acoustic” and novel | Local and international; aims at global dance floors |
| Self-description | “Bush music” or “sting bo dutty” (historical) | “Rake ‘n’ Scrape General” style |
One persistent outsider misconception is that rake ‘n’ scrape is simply a tourist performance, a bit of local color served up with conch fritters. In reality, it emerged from the specific conditions of plantation life on Cat Island and remained a genuinely community-based practice for most of its history. The shift toward festival-stage performance is recent and not universal. Many Bahamians over 50 recall rake ‘n’ scrape as something their grandparents played at home, not something they saw on a stage.
Do not confuse rake ‘n’ scrape with Junkanoo. Rake ‘n’ scrape is a seated or small-stage ensemble music built around the saw, drum, and accordion. Junkanoo is a large-scale street parade with hundreds of costumed dancers, cowbells, and brass bands. They share roots in African rhythmic traditions and sometimes overlap at festivals, but they are distinct forms with different instrumentation, social function, and performance contexts.
- Rake ‘n’ scrape originated on Cat Island as a post-plantation fusion of European dance forms and African rhythmic and vocal practices; its original name, “sting bo dutty,” is now lost to memory.
- The carpenter’s handsaw is the defining instrument — played as a melodic percussion tool, not a cutting tool — and gives the music its distinctive wavering tone.
- Joseph Spence was the tradition’s most influential solo artist, but his guitar style was a translation of group rhyming, not the core ensemble sound.
- Modern rake ‘n’ scrape on Grand Bahama, led by Stileet, pushes toward global dance-floor appeal while the Cat Island tradition remains quieter, acoustic, and community-based.
- The tradition faces structural challenges: limited radio play, low earnings for artists, and the tension between preservation and evolution.
Questions Readers Ask About Rake ‘n’ Scrape
Is rake ‘n’ scrape the same as Junkanoo music?
No. Junkanoo is a street parade tradition with costumed dancers, cowbells, and brass bands. Rake ‘n’ scrape is a seated ensemble music using saw, drum, and accordion. Some contemporary artists blend elements, but they remain distinct traditions with different origins and performance contexts.
Why is a carpenter’s saw used as an instrument?
The saw was readily available in island communities where carpentry was a common trade. Its flexible steel blade produces a pitch-bend when struck and bent, mimicking the sliding tones of the human voice in Bahamian rhyming spirituals. No special saw is required — performers use standard carpenter’s handsaws.
What does “sting bo dutty” mean?
The meaning is unknown. That term was used by early rake ‘n’ scrape practitioners on Cat Island, but the language has not survived. Pompey Johnson and other Cat Island musicians use the term without being able to translate it, which suggests it may derive from an older creole or African-derived phrase.
Can I hear rake ‘n’ scrape outside the Bahamas?
Yes. Smithsonian Folkways has released recordings of Joseph Spence, including the 2021 collection Encore: Unheard Recordings. The PBS Music Voyager episode “Raking and Scraping Across the Island” (Season 6, Episode 7) features Pompey Johnson and Stileet. Smithsonian Folkways also released Bo Hog and da Rooters, a compilation of Bahamian rake ‘n’ scrape music.
Is rake ‘n’ scrape still practiced by young Bahamians?
Yes, but unevenly. On Cat Island, the tradition is maintained by a small number of older musicians. On Grand Bahama, Stileet and other younger artists have modernized the sound and perform at festivals. The Region Bells, a gospel group formed in 1948, preserve the related rhyming spiritual tradition. The Grand Bahama Youth Choir also learns folk songs passed down through generations, suggesting some transmission to children.
What Rake ‘n’ Scrape Reveals About Bahamian Identity
Rake ‘n’ scrape is not a frozen artifact. It has always been a practice of adaptation — plantation-era workers imitating European dances, fishermen harmonizing in rhyming groups, a guitarist translating three voices into one, and a new generation plugging in saws and drums for festival crowds. What holds it together is the rhythmic core: the scrape of the file on the saw, the thump of the goatskin drum, the wheeze of the accordion. That sound, which began in the bush of Cat Island, now travels through recordings and festival stages, but it still carries the memory of communities who made their own entertainment because there was no other choice. For a deeper look at how geography shapes Bahamian cultural expression, read about the unique island cultures beyond Nassau.
Sources and further reading
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. “Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing — Joseph Spence.” 2021. 🔗
PBS Music Voyager. “The Bahamas: Raking and Scraping Across the Island.” Season 6, Episode 7. 2024. 🔗
WLRN. “The Minute You Hear Those Drums: Miramar’s First Goombay Festival Celebrates Bahamian Pride.” 2026. 🔗
UNESCO. “Junkanoo.” Intangible Cultural Heritage. 🔗
Related reading on IslandHopperGuides
Rake ‘n’ Scrape Rhythms: The Untold Story of Bahamian Music — A companion piece with additional artist profiles and listening recommendations.
Family Island Life: A Glimpse into Traditional Communities of the Bahamas — Context on the daily life and social structures that shaped rake ‘n’ scrape’s home on Cat Island and other Out Islands.
Inside a Bahamian Church Choir Competition — Explores the gospel and shape-note singing tradition that shares roots with rake ‘n’ scrape’s rhyming spirituals.
Explore Places to Stay in the Bahamas
Feel free to zoom in and out of the map to explore the area and find the best place to stay for your trip.