The Hill Billies (aka Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters) recorded Walking in the Parlor at a New York session on October 22nd, 1926. It is one of three recordings listed in Tony Russell’s Country Music Records under that title, the others being by Dr. D.D. Hollis and The Pickard Family. The tune is a simple AABB fiddle…
Blue Eyed Girl
Blue Eyed Girl is, for all intents and purposes, Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss. The Hill Billies (aka Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters) recorded it at an October 22nd, 1926, session for Vocalion. It was released as Vocalion # 5017, paired with Fisher’s Hornpipe. As with several other of the group’s recordings, the fidelity of the…
Big Sciota mandolin tablature
A gentleman wrote me to ask if I had tablature for the mandolin part I played for Big Sciota on the Morning Glory Waltz LP. I sketched out this chart of the first chorus for him. This portion of the tune can all be played in first position. The second chorus (not notated here) goes…
President Garfield’s Hornpipe for two mandolins
Don Stiernberg encouraged me to put this two-mandolin arrangement of President Garfield’s Hornpipe together, and offered some helpful tips on how it could be improved. It’s a fairly straightforward arrangement — one instrument takes the fiddle tune melody, the other plays a high harmony line above the melody. There are two versions of the score here:…
Sally Ann
The Hill Billies (aka Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters) recorded Sally Ann at their first-ever recording date, a January 1925 session for the OKeh label. They would re-record the the following year for release on Brunswick and Vocalion. Though this performance is in C major, Sally Ann is often played in other keys, more commonly…
East Tennessee Blues
This transcription is based on a performance of East Tennessee Blues recorded by the dual-monikered group Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters/ The Hill Billies. It was recorded in New York City on October 21st, 1926, and released as Vocalion # 5016 (credited to The Hill Billies) and Brunswick # 103 (credited to Al Hopkins…
Texas Gals
The Hill Billies, aka Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters, recorded Texas Gals at an October 22nd, 1926, session in New York City. It was released as Vocalion # 5021, paired with Goin’ Down the Road Feeling Bad. Texas Gals is a three-part tune in C major. The middle strain is very similar to the second strain of Billy…
New Money
Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts recorded New Money at an August 24th, 1928, session in Richmond, Indiana. It was paired with Shoot That Turkey Buzzard, and released as Gennett # 6775. It also saw a release on the Supertone label (# 9355), credited to his oft-used pseudonym, Fiddlin’ Jim Burke. This is the only commercial recording of New Money under that title…
Mississippi Sawyer
The Hill Billies (aka Al Hopkins and His Buckle Busters) recorded Mississippi Sawyer at their second recording session, an April 30th, 1926, date for Vocalion. The recording features four Hopkinses: Elmer, Al, Joe, and John. The band would never again realize such a Hopkins density. Tony Russell’s Country Music Records lists 13 recordings of Mississippi Sawyer made before…
Waynesburgh
Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts recorded Waynesburgh at an August 26th, 1927, session in Richmond, Indiana. His recording is the only recording of this tune under this title to be released before 1942. It was released as Gennett # 6257, as well as on the Gennett-affiliated labels Champion (# 15549, credited to Fiddlin’ Jim Burke), Silvertone (# 5078…