Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts recorded Buck Creek Gal at an August 26, 1927, session in Richmond, Indiana. It was released as Champion #155500, credited to the pseudonym Fiddlin’ Jim Burke. The tune is unusual structurally. It can be broken into three primary sections: An eight-bar ‘A’ section in E minor An eight-bar ‘B’ section in G major…
Bill Cheatham
The Red Headed Fiddlers recorded Bill Cheatham as Cheat `Em at an October 27, 1929, session in Dallas. Bill Cheatham remains a standard in old-time and bluegrass repertoires. There are several recordings under various spellings listed in Tony Russell’s comprehensive discography: Bill Cheatam: Blind Joe Mangum/ Fred Shriber Bill Cheatham: Arthur Smith Bill Cheatum: The Light…
What’s the Matter with the Mill
I made this simple arrangement of What’s the Matter with the Mill years ago for <a href=”https://kennethrainey.com/writing/my-wildly-unsuccessful-book/”>my tunebook</a>, based on a Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys recording from a September 29, 1936, session in Chicago. Coincidentally, that same session produced Wills’ first recording of the Western Swing standard Steel Guitar Rag. The tune is a…
Wish I’d Stayed in the Wagon Yard
I made this simple arrangement of Wish I’d Stayed in the Wagon Yard years ago for my tunebook, based on Lowe Stokes’ recording from a November 1st, 1929, session in Atlanta, released as Columbia 15557-D. Stokes’ recording is the only version listed under the title ‘Wish I’d Stayed in the Wagon Yard’ in Tony Russell’s comprehensive…
Walking Boss
I made this simple arrangement of Walking Boss years ago for my tunebook, based on recordings by Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley. I’m not aware of any recordings that precede the Clarence Ashley recording (ca 1960). It has since been performed by artists including Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, Mike Seeger, and Meat Puppets.
Wabash Blues
This arrangement of Wabash Blues is mostly based on Milton Brown’s recording, cut on January 27th, 1935 in Chicago. The tune has also been recorded by other notable artists such as Roy Acuff and the Delmore Brothers. The song is a straightforward pop tune by Fred Meinken, with a nice harmonic surprise in the form…
Oozlin’ Daddy Blues
I made this arrangement of Oozlin’ Daddy Blues for my tunebook, based mostly on recordings by Bill Cox and Bob Wills. The song is a simple smutty ditty, bearing more than a passing resemblance to Lonesome Jailhouse Blues and several other tunes. The Cox performance features a short yodeled section at the end of each…
Hesitation Blues
I made this arrangement of Hesitation Blues years ago for my tunebook. It attempts to combine attributes of performances by Charlie Poole, Milton Brown, Hank Penny, and Doc Watson. The earliest recordings of this song were in a twelve-bar form, but most contemporary players use the structure Doc Watson used, a sixteen-bar form with an…
Run Smoke Run
Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts recorded Run Smoke Run at an August 24th, 1928 session in Richmond, Indiana. The recording was released as Gennett # 6689. The tune is comprised of two short four-bar strains, played AABBB. There is substantial variation between some of the repeats, so they are written in full.
Bull at the Wagon
The Lewis Brothers recorded Bull at the Wagon at a July 11, 1929 session in El Paso. Sadly that was the only known session for the duo. It’s a pity because Bull at the Wagon is a charming and energetic recording. The tune itself is fairly simple, composed of three strains in A Major, played…