Banjo Hangout Top 100 Old Time Songs

Kitchen Girl

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 11/12/17, Double File was recorded by Gaither Carlton. Anything that brings me closer to Doc Watson's family makes me hapy. I added a bit of cello banjo accompaniment.

I am playing banjo. The fiddle and guitar track is from the Centralia Parlor Pickers website. Tracks were combined using Audacity. Banjo is tuned aEAC#E. Tab is also available on here on BHO. TOTW for 10 November 2017.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, Nov. 3, 2017, Georgia Railroad was popularized by Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers in the 1920's. It's been recorded many times since, sometimes with silly lyrics, which I like. The first version I heard was actually Adam Hurt's upbeat fiddle version on his new CD Artifacts. I combine three versions here, one from Riley Puckett, who sang and played guitar on the original recording, one from Adam, and one other related tune recorded by Fiddlin' John Carson and recently by Harry Bolick called Way Late Last Night When Peter Went a-Fishing.

Sarah Armstrong came from a large family in southwestern Pennsylvania and learned fiddling at the age of 5. Her favorite mentor was her Uncle Laney and her Dream Song came to her in a dream about him. She woke up and learned it. Samuel Bayard listened and transcribed many of her tunes in 1943 and 1944. You can see these transcriptions in an 80-page book called Hill Country Tunes. I'll post the pdf file in the discussion thread with another one of her tunes.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 10-6-17. Vesta Johnson, Missouri fiddler, learned this from Cyril Stinnett who learned it form his father. I'm glad to see this elderly fiddler (age 95) showcased in this week's TOTW. I find the title amusing.

Double C tuning and played on a tenor to 5 string conversion. Old pot/new neck

A good ol' Oscar Wright tune that I first learned from Miles Krassen's Clawhammer Banjo book, but I have set here in the Half Shaved tuning (f#DADE).

Clyde Davenport, Kentucky fiddler and banjo player from Kentucky, still must be alive today, in his 90's because I can't find anything otherwise. There's a youtube of him playing at his birthday concert at 91 years old six years ago. I think the tune he plays like this one are enchanting and engaging.

This tune was once a TOTW back in 2012, but I'm just getting around to it. I once had a polecat (i.e. a ferret) visit the classroom one day and I'll try to dig out photos. I recall the owner said he didn't have a permit for it, so mum's the word... When Clyde Davenport sings "ain't goin' there no more" I'm not sure what he's referring to as a polecat's den. Don't enlighten me unless it's gentle! The tune is catchy, beginning on a IV chord, in this case a G chordal sound when the tune is in C. Mr. Davenport (who I think is in his 90's now) played it greatly on banjo, though he's known more for his fiddling. If you play it still in jams, like RG did when it was TOTW, let me know, please.

Flying Indian as based on the playing of Bruce Molsky and the Shelor Family, banjo tuned to fCFCD...

From the playing of the great Texan fiddler Bob Wills and for the old-time Tune of the Week, 9/8/17, it's a treat to have this tune with our old-time repertoire. Mac Benford plays it on banjo and that's good enough for me! The band leader I worked with for 14 years played steel-pedal at one time and his love for Bob Wills showed. He had us learning some of his instrumentals over the years, so here's one I can show him. :)

CH take of Grub Springs in A tuning. Long.

Chinquapin Hunting

This old-time Tune of the Week for 8/11/17 reminds us in melody of some other traditional songs, such as Gotta Travel On and even Worried Man Blues. The Monroe Brothers recorded this as their first ever recording in 1936 and Bill said that it was commonly sung in Kentucky at the time.