This is another “Sunset Waltz”, unrelated to the Mississippi Mud Steppers tune, transcribed at the request of a reader. The tune is in three strains, similar to a classic American march, and, as is often the case with marches, it modulates to the subdominant for the final strain. The first two strains are in the…
Sunset Waltz (Mississippi Mud Steppers)
Sunset Waltz is one of a handful of tunes recorded by members of the seminal African-American string band the Mississippi Sheiks under the name the Mississippi Mud Steppers. There are six known sides attributed to the group, and, curiously in an era of strict racial segregation, they were released in OKeh’s 45000 ‘Hillbilly’ series. Whether…
Good Night Waltz
Good Night Waltz is a lovely waltz in the keys of C and F that was recorded by early string band performers such as the Kessinger Brothers, the Blue Ridge Entertainers, and the Leake County Revelers. This transcription is based on a Leake County Revelers performance recorded in New Orleans on April 13th, 1927, and…
Don’t You Remember the Time
Don’t You Remember the Time is a beautiful waltz in G major that sounds surprisingly modern due to two simple surprises in the chord progression: going from the V7 to the IV chord in bar 5, and doing the same in bar 16. This transcription is based on a performance by Freeny’s Barn Dance Band,…
Saint Jobe's Waltz
This transcription is based on an October 1929 performance a group called The Red Headed Fiddlers, recorded in Dallas, Texas for the Brunswick company. It was released as Brunswick 460. According to Tony Russell’s discography, theirs is the only recording of St. Jobe’s Waltz made by a country string band prior to WWII. Like many good fiddlers,…
There's More Pretty Girls than One
This transcription is based on a performance by John D. Foster, recorded for the Gennett company on April 11, 1929. It was issued on the Gennett-affiliated label Challenge (#423), credited to ‘Crocker & Cannon.’ This performance is in waltz time. Modern performers often play this in 4/4. Though the lead sheet starts with the chorus,…
Lauterbach Waltz
This transcription is based on a recording the Kessinger Brothers made in New York City in September, 1930. It was released as Brunswick 567. Any resemblance to ‘Where Oh Where has My Little Dog Gone’ is purely coincidental.
Alma Waltz
This transcription is based on a performance by the Mississippi Mud Steppers, OKEH 45504. The Mississippi Mud Steppers recording has some unusual harmonies in bars nine and ten that are not reflected in the above transcription. In the recording, the guitar accompaniment plays a chromatic ascending line from C to D, causing bar nine to…