"Viper's Drag" is a stride piano composition by the jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Thomas "Fats" Waller.
"Viper's Drag" was written as a dance tune for a ragtime dance called a slow drag, often shortened to "drag" by song writers of the day.
The song has been performed by Waller and countless other jazz artists, including Cab Calloway, who recorded a big band swing version of the tune on November 12, 1930 as song 10246-1 on the DOMINO label, album 4686 and Judy Carmichael, who recorded it for her Grammy award-nominated Two-Handed Stride on the Progressive label in 1980.
"Viper's Rag" appears on the following recordings:
Fats Waller Memorial, Vol. 1, Fats Waller, RCA, 1970, 2:48Fats Waller: Legendary Performer, Fats Waller, RCA, 1978You Rascal You, Fats Waller Pegasus/Pinnacle, 1986The Joint Is Jumpin', Fats Waller RCA Bluebird/BMG, 1987, 2:58The Definitive Fats Waller, Vol. 1: His Piano, His Rhythm, Fats Waller, 1990, 2:25Turn on the Heat: The Fats Waller Piano Solos, Fats Waller, RCA, 1991, 2:56A Handful of Fats: Original 1929-1942 Recordings, Fats Waller, Naxos Jazz/ Pro-Arte Records, 1992, 2:59The Cream Series, Fats Waller, Pearl, 1993, 3:011934-1935 Fats Waller, Fats Waller, 1993,The Indispensable Fats Waller, Vols. 1-2: 1926-1935, Fats Waller BMG, 1995,Ain't Misbehavin', Fats Waller, ASV/Living Era, 1995, 3:07...Misbehavin', Fats Waller, Camden, 1997, 2:59Fats Waller: Members Edition, Fats Waller, Membran, 1997,Piano Masterworks, Vol. 2 (1929-1943), Fats Waller EPM, 1997, 2:58A Portrait of Boogie Woogie Piano, Various artists, Gallerie, 1998, 2:57Masters of Jazz, Fats Waller, Cee-Dee, 1999,A Handful of Keys, Fats Waller, Proper / Proper Box, 1999, 3:00The Very Best of Fats Waller, Fats Waller, Collectors' Choice Music, 2000, 2:58Cradle of Jazz, Various artists, Tokuma, 2001, 2:57Fats Waller: Jazz Indispensable, Fats Waller, BMG, 2001,Associated Transcription Sessions, 1935-1939, Fats Waller, Jazz Unlimited, 2001, 2:26The Quintessence New York - Camden - Los Angeles: 1929-1943, Fats Waller, Frémeaux & Associés, 2002, 2:58Portrait, Vol. 1, Fats Waller, Documents Classics / The International Music Co., 2003, 2:58Totally Jazz Piano, Various artists, Pastels, 2003, 3:01Alligator Crawl, Fats Waller Universal Division Jazz, 2004, 2:58Fats Waller Stomp/Fractious Fingering, Fats Waller, Classic Jazz Music, 2004, 2:58Honeysuckle Rose ASV/Living Era, 2004, 2:58Happy Birthday Fats, Fats Waller, Fuel 2000, 2004, 2:23Truckin', Fats Waller, Proper Sales & Dist., 2004, 3:00The Best of Fats Waller: Jazz Forever, Fats Waller, Jazz Forever, 2005, 2:57Two-Handed Stride, Judy Carmichael, Progressive, 1980If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!, Fats Waller, Bluebird/Legacy, 2006, 2:58An Introduction to Fats Waller, Fats Waller, Fuel 2000, 2006, 2:23Complete Victor Piano Solos, Fats Waller, Definitive Classics, 2006, 2:58RCA Original Masters: The Best of Fats Waller, Fats Waller Sony BMG, 2008, 2:58Best of Fats Waller (Box Set), Fats Waller, Sony BMG, 2008, 2:58Royal Casino, Various artists, Makin Friends, 2008,Radio Recordings from 1931 to 1943, Fats Waller Fuel 2000 / Varèse Sarabande, 2010, 2:23Fats Waller: 75 Original Great Performances, Fats Waller, Gralin Music, 2010, 2:54Fats Waller Anthology, Fats Waller, Jazzland, 2010, 2:57Believe in Miracles, Fats Waller, History, 2010, 2:57Fats Waller Piano Solos (1929-1941), Fats Waller, Jazz Tribune, 2010,Reefer Blues: Vintage Songs About Marijuana, Vol. 2, Various artists, Grammercy Records, 2010, 2:57Jazz Piano Masters: 55 Famous Jazz Songs, Various artists, Jazzland, 2010, 2:57Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, Various artists, Delta, 2010, 3:02The Ultimate Jazz Archive, Vol. 18, Various artists, 2010, 2:56The Ultimate Fats Waller Collection'', Vol. 4 AP, Various artists, 2010, 3:08