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Cotton Eyed Joe
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, widely known, but may have originally been a Texas tune.
ARTIST: From The Mountain Ramblers; Blue Ridge Mountain music; Label: Atlantic SD 1347; Release Date: 1960-11
Instruments: Cullen Galyean-bj/f; Charles Hawks-bj; James Lindsey-g; Eldridge Montgomery-g; Thurman Pugh-sb Vocals:Cullen Galyear-L
Recorded in the Field and Edited in 1958 By Alan Lomax (Assisted By Shirley Collins).
Listen: The Mountain Ramblers; Cotton Eyed Joe
Listen: Rednex; Cotten Eye Joe
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: Mid-1800’s
OTHER NAMES: Miss Brown; Cotten-Eyed Joe Going to London; Red Dog; Sugar in My Coffee-O; Ever See a Devil Uncle Joe; Joe;
RELATED TO: Did You Ever See the Devil Uncle Joe?; Tom Doucet's Cotton Eyed Joe; Citaco.
EARLY RECORDING INFO: Dykes Magic City Trio got in ahead of Fiddlin' John Carson by 6 days. The Dykes Magic City recording, but it was reissued on Old Homestead LP 191. The other four above are fiddle dominated dance tunes. The Fiddlin' John rendition is basically a series of dance calls. In his notes to County 544 (Georgia Fiddle Bands Vol 2) Gene Wiggins writes that John's 'Cotton-eyed Joe' with its 'mixolydian cast' is said 'by old-timers to be older than other tunes with the same name'. The other renditions are mostly lengthy instrumental breaks interspersed with the usual couplets - 'had it not been for ...' 'went to the window, went to the door ...' etc - the Skillet Lickers' has the most lyrics but even these are repeated. The early recording artists focused on using it for dance purposes. The Carter Brothers and Son recording is great - wild, exuberant twin fiddling:
Virginian stringband - Dykes Magic City Trio 9 March 1927 in New York; Old Homestead OHCS191, "Dykes Magic City Trio" (Eastern Tenn.) {originally recorded in 1927 on a Brunswick 78}.
Georgian stringband - Fiddlin' John Carson and Virginia Reelers 17 March 1927 in Atlanta; County 544, Fiddlin' John Carson- "Georgia Fiddle Bands, Vol. 2."
Arkansas stringband - Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers 6 February 1928; County 518, Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers- "Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 1."
Georgian stringband - Skillet Lickers 10 April 1928 in Atlanta; Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1, County 506, LP (196?), cut# 12.
Mississippi stringband - Carter Brothers and Son 22 November 1928 in Memphis; County 520, Carter Brothers and Son- "Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 3." County 528, Carter Bros. & Son - "Mississippi Breakdown, Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 1."
RECORDING INFO: Agents of Terra. Fresh Oldtime String Band Music, Rounder 0262, LP (1988), cut# 8. Alden, Ray. Old Time Friends, Marimac 9009, Cas (1987), cut# 2. Bowlin, Granville. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Folkways FA 2317, LP (1960), cut# 12 . Bowlin, Granville. Mountain Music of Kentucky, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40077, CD (1996), cut#2.41 . Brand, Oscar. Laughing America, Tradition TLP 1014, LP (195?), cut#B.05. Camp Creek Boys. Camp Creek Boys, County 709, LP (1967), cut# 12. Carson, Fiddlin' John. Georgia Fiddle Bands, Vol. 2, County 544, LP (197?), cut# 3. Carson, Fiddlin' John. Fiddlin' John Carson. Vol 4, Document DOCD 8017, CD (1997), cut#10. Carter Brothers & Son. Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 3, County 520, LP (1970), cut# 14. Carter Brothers & Son. Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 1, County 528, LP (1975), cut# 6. Carter Brothers & Son. Going Down The Valley; Vocal & Instrumental Music from the South, New1 World1 NW 236, LP (1977), cut# 6. Collins, Earl. That's Earl, Briar BR-4204, LP (1975), cut# 3. Dalglish, Malcolm; and Grey Larsen. First of Autumn, June Appal JA 0026, LP (1978), cut# 17. Douglas, Wilson. Right Hand Fork of Rush Creek, Rounder 0047, LP (1975), cut# 1. Douglas, Wilson. Back Porch Symphony, Douglas C-7625, LP (1995), cut#A.08. Flippen, Benton. Appalachia, The Old Traditions, Vol. 2, Home Made Music LP-002, LP (1982), cut# 24. Forrester, Howdy. Devil's Box, Devil's Box DB, Ser (196?), 22/4, p50b. Freedom Singers. We Shall Overcome, Mercury MG 20879, LP (1963?), cut#B.03. Freight Hoppers. Where'd You Come From, Where'd You Go?, Rounder 0403, CD (1996), cut# 2 . Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), cut#A.01. Hall, Kenny; and the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band, Bay TPH-727, LP (1973), cut#B.02 . Hancock, Elliot. Rackensack. Volume 2, Driftwood LP 279, LP (1972), cut#A.02. Hawkins, Steve. Singin' Gatherin', Silver Burdette, Bk (1939), p45. Highwoods String Band. No. 3 Special, Rounder 0074, LP (1978), cut# 1. Hobbs, Smiley. American Banjo, Folkways FA 2314, LP (1966), cut# 18. Hofner, Adolph; and his San Antonians. Roots N' Blues - The Retrospective (1925-50), Columbia Legacy 47911/47912-15, Cas (1992), cut#4.08. Holt, David. It Just Suits Me, June Appal JA 0038, LP (1981), cut# 7. Holt, David. It Just Suits Me, June Appal JA 0038, LP (1981), cut# 11. Holt, David. Music of North Carolina, Heritage (Galax) 024 (XXIV), LP (1979), cut#B.05. Hooven, Greg. Tribute to Fred Cockerham, Heritage (Galax) 079C, Cas (1993), cut#B.01. Hornbostel, Lois. Vive le Dulcimer!, Kicking Mule KM 215, LP (1983), cut#B.06b. Hoswell, "Hos" (Jim). Blue Dog Cellar Project No. 1, Kimberly RINC 1245, LP (196?), cut#B.02. Hunter, Ernie. All About Fiddling, Stoneway STY-143, LP (197?), cut#A.01. Hutchins, Esker. Old Time Fiddling at Union Grove. The 38th Annual Old-Time Fi..., Prestige 14039, LP (1964), cut#B.01. Ives, Burl. Wayfaring Stranger, Columbia CS 9041, LP (196?), cut#A.01b. Jackson, Tommy. 30 Fiddlers Greatest Hits, Gusto GT-104, LP (1978), cut# 16. Jackson, Tommy. 30 Fiddlers Greatest Hits, Gusto GT-104, LP (1978), cut# 18 (Fiddlin' Joe). Jackson, Tommy. Country Express, Nashvile NLP 2006, LP (196?), cut# 13 (Fiddlin' Joe). Jarrell, Tommy. Sail Away Ladies, County 756, LP (197?), cut# 13 . Keith, Leslie. Black Mountain Blues, Briar BF-4210, LP (1974), cut# 1. Koken, Walt. Banjonique, Rounder 0337, CD (1994), cut# 9. Macon, Uncle Dave. At Home, His Last Recordings, 1950., Bear Family LC 15214, LP (1987), cut# 12. McCurdy, Ed. Folk Singer, Dawn DLP 1127, LP (1956c), B.02. Michael, Walt; & Company. Step Stone, Flying Fish FF-480, Cas (1988), cut# 8b. Miller, Rodney. Airplang, Rounder 0193, LP (1985), cut# 10. Molsky, Bruce. Warring Cats, Yodel-Ay-Hee 011, Cas (1993), cut# 2 (Inch(ing) Along). Mountain Ramblers. Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), cut#1.17 . Plank Road String Band. Plank Road String Band, Carryon, LP (1976), cut#B.02. Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers. Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 1, County 518, LP (1977), cut# 10. Rector, Red; and Fred Smith. Songs from the Heart of the Country, County 721, LP (1969), cut#A.05. Red Clay Ramblers. Rambler, Sugar Hill SH-C-3798, Cas (1992), cut# 1. Red River Dave and His Texas Tophands. Songs of the Golden West, Remington, LP (1957), cut# 3. Reno & Smiley. Glory Years, Collectors Classics CCLP 22, LP (197?), cut#A.04. Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Down Home, Roan Mountain, CD (2000/1983), cut#16. Robertson, Lonnie; and the Caney Mountain Boys. Square Dance Fiddlin', Caney Mountain CEP 213, SP (196?), cut# 2c. Rutherford, Ernest; and the Gold Hill Band. Old Cap'n Rabbit, Heritage (Galax) 080, Cas (1989), cut# 4. Schwarz, Tracy. Dancing Bow and Singing Strings, Folkways FTS-6524, LP (1979), cut#B.03. Shannon, Bookmiller. Southern Journey. Vol. 7: Ozark Frontier, Rounder 1707, CD (1997), cut#21. Shannon, Carlos. Folk Songs from the Ozarks, Prestige International INT 25006, LP (196?), cut# 9. Skillet Lickers. Skillet Lickers, Vol. 1, County 506, LP (196?), cut# 12. Sutherland, Pete. Poor Man's Dream, Flying Fish FF-336, LP (1984), cut# 7 (Inch(ing) Along). Texas Dance Hall Band. Cotton Eyed Joe, Roysales RSC 114, Cas (1981), cut# 2. Thomason, Ron. Mandolin and Other Stuff, Kanawha RT-3, LP (198?), cut#A.01c. Watson, Doc and Merle. Down South, Sugar Hill SH-3742, LP (1984), cut# 10. White, Josh. Josh White Stories, Vol. 1, ABC Paramount ABC 124, LP (1956/196?), cut# 8 (Cottoneye Joe). White, Josh; Jr.. I'm on My Own Way, Mercury MG 21022, LP (1965?), cut#A.03. Wills, Bob; and the Texas Playboys. Country Music, South and West, New1 World1 NW 287, LP (1977), cut# 18; County 518, Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers- "Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 1." County 520, Carter Brothers and Son- "Echoes of the Ozarks, Vol. 3." County 528, Carter Bros. & Son - "Mississippi Breakdown, Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, Vol. 1." County 544, Fiddlin' John Carson- "Georgia Fiddle Bands, Vol. 2." County 756, Tommy Jarrell- "Sail Away Ladies" (1976. Learned after 1925 from a friend, Charlie Lowe, a clawhammer banjoist who heard the tune broadcast on Nashville radio). Fretless 201, Gerry Robichaud--"Maritime Dance Party." Gusto 104, Tommy Jackson- "30 Fiddler's Greatest Hits." Heritage XXIV, Dave Holt - "Music of North Carolina" (Brandywine, 1978). Heritage XXXIII, Zenith String Band (Conn.) - "Visits" (1981. Learned from the Carter Brothers via Vermont/Ohio fiddler Pete Sutherland). June Appal JA 028, Wry Straw - "From Earth to Heaven" (1978. Version learned from Creed Power {Dungannon, VA} and Byard Ray {Shelton Laurel, N.C.}). Mercury SRW 16261, Tommy Jackson- "Instrumentals Country Style." Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Version learned from Carter Bros. & Son recording). Marimac 9009, Doris Kimble & Dave Spilkia - "Old Time Friends" (1987). Old Homestead OHCS191, "Dykes Magic City Trio" (Eastern Tenn.) {originally recorded in 1927 on a Brunswick 78}. Rounder 0074, Highwoods String Band- "No. 3 Special" (1977). Rounder 0047, Wilson Douglas- "The Right Hand Fork of Rush's Creek" (1975). Rounder 0193, Rodney Miller - "Airplang" (1985). Rounder CD0262, Mike Seeger - "Fresh Oldtime String Band Music" (1988. With the Ithica, N.Y., group Agents of Terra). Stoneway 143, Ernie Hunter- "All About Fiddling." Tennvale 004, Bruce Molsky- "An Anthology."
SOURCES: Wiki; Kuntz; Folk Index; Meade; American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p.262 Highwoods String Band (New York) [Brody]; John Hendricks (Bates, Arkansas) [Thede]; Tommy Magness [Phillips/1994]; Steve Hawkins (Rowan County, Kentucky, 1911) [Thomas & Leeder]; Louise Arsenault (b. 1956, Wellington, East Prince County, Prince Edward Island) [Perlman]. Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; pg. 74. R.P. Christeson (Old Time Fiddlers Repertory, Vol. 1), 1973; pg. 20. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; pg. 60. Frets Magazine, "Byron Berline: The Fiddle," September 1981; pg. 64. Kaufman (Beginning Old Time Fiddle), 1977; pg. 50. Perlman (The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island), 1996; pg. 86. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 12. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pgs. 56 & 57 (two versions). Thede (The Fiddle Book), 1967; pg. 26-27. Thomas & Leeder (The Singin' Gatherin'), 1939; pg. 60. Bay 209, "The Gypsy Gyppo String Band" (1977. Learned from Paul Ermine of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan). Traditional Music in America, Folklore Associates, Bk (1940/1965), p 60b; Collins, Earl. Beginning Old-time Fiddle, Oak, sof (1977), p50. Hendricks, John. Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p 27; Bay 727, "Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band." Briar 0798, Earl Collins- "That's Earl." Caney Mountain Records CEP 213 (privately issued extended play LP), Lonnie Robertson (Mo.), c. 1965-66. Cassette C-7625, Wilson Douglas - "Back Porch Symphony." County 506, The Skillet Lickers- "Old Time Tunes, 1927-1931." Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc;
Ballad Index: Cotton-Eyed Joe
DESCRIPTION: "If it hadn't been for Cotton-eyed Joe, I'd have been married a long time ago." "Where did you come from, where did you go...." Stanzas describe country life, fiddle playing, and attempts to outshine Cotton-eyed Joe
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (recording, Dyke's Magic City Trio)
KEYWORDS: fiddle music nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
BrownIII 104, "Page's Train Run So Fast" (1 text)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 69-70, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 262-263, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 35, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (1 text)
DT, COTTNEYE*
Roud #942
RECORDINGS:
Arthur "Brother-in-Law" Armstrong, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (AFS 3979 B2, 1940)
Granville Bowlen, "Cotton Eyed Joe" [instrumental] (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Cotton Eyed Joe" (OKeh 45122, 1927)
Carter Brothers and Son, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (Vocalion 5349, 1929; on GoingDown)
Dyke's Magic City Trio, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (Brunswick 120, 1927)
Spud Gravely & Glen Smith, "Cotton Eye Joe" (on HalfCen1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Cotton-Eye Joe" (on NLCR10)
Elmo Newcomer, "Cotton Eyed Joe" (CroMart 101, n.d. but prob. late 1940s - early 1950s)
Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (Victor 21469, 1928)
Bookmiller Shannon, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (on LomaxCD1707)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (Columbia 15283-D, 1928)
Art Thieme, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (on Thieme03)
Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, "Cotton-Eyed Joe" (Columbia 37212, c. 1947)
NOTES: Primarily a fiddle tune, with the sort of chaotic words one would expect of such a piece. I assume "Cotton-Eyed Joe" stands for something, but I've never heard an explanation. - RBW
It's been suggested that Cotton-Eyed Joe was a local character who was blind due to cataracts or another eye disease such as trachoma. - PJS
NOTES: "Cotton Eyed Joe" is one of the few traditional fiddle tunes that has become a national and international hit both as a fiddle tune/song and dance. The 1994 version the Swedish techno band Rednex [Listen: Rednex; Cotten Eye Joe] was a number one song overseas (Europe; Scandinavia) and a number 25 song in the US (also number 5 charted dance song).
According to Wiki: "Cotton Eyed Joe" (also known as "Cotton Eye Joe") has inspired both a partner dance and more than one line dance that is often danced at country dance venues in the US and around the world. The 1980 film Urban Cowboy sparked a renewed interest in the dance. In 1985, The Moody Brothers' version of the song received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Instrumental Performance." Irish group The Chieftains received a Grammy nomination for "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" for their version of the song on their 1992 album "Another Country." And, in 1994, a version of the song recorded by the Swedish band Rednex as "Cotton Eye Joe" became popular worldwide.
The origins of this song are unclear, although it pre-dates the 1861–1865 American Civil War. American folklorist Dorothy Scarborough (1878–1935) noted in her 1925 book, On the trail of Negro folk-songs, that several people remember hearing the song before the war and her sister, Mrs. George Scarborough, learned the song from a man who had known the song during his earliest childhood from slaves singing it on plantations in Louisiana. Both the dance and the song had as many variants as the old old folk song that it is. American publishing house Harper and Brothers published a version in 1882, heard by author Louise Clarke Pyrnelle (born 1850) on the Alabama plantation of her father when she was a child, that was later republished in 1910:
"Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so,
Fur ter take my gal erway fum me,
An' cyar her plum ter Tennessee?
Ef it hadn't ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I'd er been married long ergo.
"His eyes wuz crossed, an' his nose wuz flat,
An' his teef wuz out, but wat uv dat?
Fur he wuz tall, an' he wuz slim,
An' so my gal she follered him.
Ef it hadn't ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I'd er been married long ergo.
"No gal so hansum could be foun',
Not in all dis country roun',
Wid her kinky head, an' her eyes so bright,
Wid her lips so red an' her teef so white.
Ef it hadn't ben fur Cotton-eyed Joe,
I'd been married long ergo.
"An* I loved dat gal wid all my heart,
An' she swo' fum me she'd never part;
But den wid Joe she runned away,
An' lef' me hyear fur ter weep all day.
O Cotton-eyed Joe, O Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you sarve me so?
O Joe, ef it hadn't er ben fur you,
I'd er married dat gal fur true."
By 1884, the same year Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published, the fiddle based song was referred to as "an old, familiar air." In 1925, another version was recorded by folklorist Dorothy Scarborough and published.
Don't you remember, don't you know,
Don't you remember Cotton-eyed Joe?
Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you treat me so?
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe!
Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
He was de nig dat sarved me so, ?
Tuck my gal away fum me,
Carried her off to Tennessee.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
If it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.
Hi's teeth was out an' his nose was flat,
His eyes was crossed, ? but she did n't mind dat.
Kase he was tall, and berry slim,
An' so my gal she follered him.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.
She was de prettiest gal to be found
Anywhar in de country round;
Her lips was red an' her eyes was bright,
Her skin was black but her teeth was white.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.
Dat gal, she sho' had all my love,
An swore fum ne she'd never move,
But Joe hoodooed her, don't you see,
An' she run off wid him to Tennessee,
I'd 'a' been married forty years ago,
Ef it hadn't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe."
Scarborough noted that the song seemed to be well known in the South prior to the Civil War, and parts of it had been sent in by various persons.
Over the years, many different versions of the song have been performed and/or recorded with many different versions of the lyrics (and many without lyrics). Cotton-Eyed Joe, on occasion referred to as "The South Texas National Anthem", was played for minstrel-type jigs, and it has long been popular as a square dance hoedown and a couple dance polka.
Notes from Andrew Kuntz: See A Major (most versions): G Major (Ford, Kaufman): D Major (Zenith String Band). Standard, AEAE, ADAE, GDAD (Thede, John Dykes). AABB (Perlman): AABBA: AA'BB' (Kaufman). Charles Wolfe has called this tune "a Texas dance-hall anthem" but it has had such widespread currency in the United States that the tune is really a pastiche of melodies using interchangable phrases, the most recognizable of which usually is associated with the verses:
Where did you come from, where will you go?
Where did you come from Cotten-Eyed Joe.
(Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
Marion Thede believes 'cotten-eyed' may refer to a person with very light blue eyes, while Alan Lomax suggests it was used to describe a man whose eyes were milky white from Trachoma. In Georgia, people with large whites to the eyes are called cotton-eyed. This usage is fairly common, as pointed out in the quote from a dictionary of slang (Gargoyle). Charles Wolfe (1991) writes that African-American collector Thomas Talley, in his manuscript of stories, Negro Traditions, related a story entitled "Cotton-Eyed Joe, or the Origin of the Weeping Willow." The story includes a stanza from the song, "but more importantly details a bizarre tale of a well-known pre-Civil War plantation musician, Cotton Eyed Joe, who plays a fiddle made from the coffin of his dead son."
Boswell's Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee, which references Talley, The Negro Traditions has this to say: "According to black folk traditions of late-nineteenth-century Bedford County, Cotton-Eyed Joe was a well-known pre-Civil War slave musician whose tragic life caused his hair to turn white; eventually he played a fiddle made from the coffin of his dead son." Boswell collected seven versions.
The tune was a favorite of John Dykes (Magic City Trio {Eastern Tenn.}) and it was in the repertoire of Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner (in the key of G Major) who said a fellow fiddler named Youngblood brought it to the territory from Mississippi around 1890. It was one of the tunes played at the turn of the century by Etowah County, Alabama, fiddler George Cole, according to Mattie Cole Stanfield in her book Sourwood Tonic and Sassafras Tea (1963), and was mentioned in accounts of the DelKalb County Annual (Fiddlers) Convention, 1926-31. The title appears in a list of traditional Ozark Mountain fiddle tunes compiled by musicologist/folklorist Vance Randolph, published in 1954. Some verisons are similar to Lowe Stokes (N.Ga.) popular "Citaco." Ken Perlman (1996), who collected the tune on Prince Edward Island, believes Canadian versions probably derived from the playing of radio and TV Maritime fiddler Don Messer (the 'B' part is played with a strong Acadian flavor). See also Bayard's (1981) note to a related tune "The Horse Called Rover" (No. 10, pgs. 20-21). The original tune for "Cotton-Eyed Joe" may have been originally a Scottish piece called "General Burgoyne's March." (Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc).
Mountain Ramblers Biography by Eugene Chadbourne
Based out of the musically hyperactive mountain area of Galax, VA, this band's early recordings are considered as important to the early beginnings of bluegrass as the first records by mandolinist Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys. How and why old-time music turned into bluegrass and just how, where, and what made it do that are the topics for endless debate, much of it unfortunately carried out under the influence of moonshine. There are those that believe the term bluegrass simply came into play because fans wanted to have a way of requesting certain tunes by the popular Monroe group without irritating his obviously competitive fellow musicians, many of whom might be ex-members of his band with a chip on their shoulder. Since Monroe's band was called the Bluegrass Boys, one could ask for a bluegrass tune and most likely get the point across without having to mention Monroe's name.
Bandleader James Lindsey preferred describing his group as playing mountain music, making the name Mountain Ramblers descriptive not only of the band's geographical home base but of their musical style, which evolved with various changes in direction and membership over more than 20 years. By maintaining its existence over such an extended period of time, the group became to classic bluegrass what combos such as the Drifters or the Coasters are to rhythm & blues and doo-wop, although the mountain music genre seems to have inspired a trifle less franchising and band-cloning.
Leader Lindsey has always remained a constant, providing a kind of training ground for a variety of musicians who have passed through the band and gone on to careers of their own in folk and country music. Lindsey was born in 1921 near Hillsville, VA, only about ten miles east of Galax. He has remained in this community all his life, performing with other musicians from a working class background. He is considered just a normal guy although known as a musician around his region, despite the legendary status his name is often granted in conversations amongst bluegrass buffs spread around the world. He actually accessed what has come to be known as bluegrass via country music and not through the often-followed old-time roots. The premiere version of the group, at first nameless, was formed in the early '50s and was basically a country cover band of the day. Vocalist Frances Diamond was the frontwoman and the band also featured dual electric guitars plus pedal steel. Definitely not an old-time music combo. The nameless ones became the Mountain Ramblers after a dance one night in the local Old Moose Hall. The audience had actually taken part in a name-the-band contest that night, writing their choice on slips of paper. Nobody actually wrote the name of the Mountain Ramblers, but so many people wrote something to do with "ramblers" that it was considered an omen. The rest of it came from the fact that they were in the mountains. Lindsey actually has said that in retrospect he wishes he had been able to use all of the band names that had been submitted, linking him up with Texan bandleader Gibby Hayes in terms of obsessing about having an endless supply of band names. The newly named band was able to perform not only live but over the radio over the next few years in an area extending into North Carolina as well. The group was still performing covers, including songs by country artists such as Carl Smith, Hank Snow, and Ray Price.
In 1956, the group imploded, creating an opportunity for Thurman Pugh, then in his early twenties, to approach Lindsey about collaboration. The group carried on under their careful partnership, a multigenerational affair, as Pugh is 14 years younger. He comes from more of a pure folk tradition, having won many contests for unaccompanied balladry. He continued this type of performing through his career, taking first price at the Galax festival in 1975. Pugh was also a big fan of Ray Price when he set out to convince the older musician to form a band with him, so once again there was the country music connection. The new band even sounded good enough to lure back former singer Diamond, although she eventually dropped out of the country croon-dom to become a housewife. The grand entrance of fiddler Fred Mulkey into the band in 1956 heralded the musical change that had been hinted at as the instrumentation began to change from electric back to predominantly acoustic.
Although Mulkey had a musical influence, it was his departure from the group that actually set the pace for a while. In other words, other members of the group also began vamoosing until at one point it was only a three-piece. As anyone knows, the only thing that makes a country band actually sound like a country band is the pedal steel, and so when Bill Bowls cut out, the remaining players smelled the coffee. It could no longer be a country band. New blood came into the band in the form of Cullen Galyean, a fiddler and banjo player who pushed things further in a traditional direction. He encouraged use of the banjo in the group, despite initial opposition from the leader, who was still obsessing about the Louvin Brothers. The trio decided to try out doing three-part harmonies after hearing the popular efforts of the Monroe Brothers as well as other classic early bluegrass music, much of it performed by "brother" duets. This direction was a comfortable fit for the band and it began creating its own distinct bluegrass sound, the next logical step being adding in full-time mandolin player Ivor Melton in 1957. It was Melton that suggested the band perform at that year's Galax Festival, a connection that had somehow never been obvious to Lindsey or Pugh. The Mountain Ramblers took first place in a group of 15 bands in their premiere crack at the competitions. An electric guitar was still allowed at that festival in 1957, although Lindsey played acoustic in that appearance and pretty much switched over to it completely around this time. A few years later, he was also one of the musicians involved in getting the electric axe officially declared taboo at the Galax fest. The next year, Galyean suggested adding one of his banjo students, Charles Hawks, into the group. This decision had a double effect on the sound of the group as it allowed Galyean to play either fiddle or indulge in twin banjo hijinks. Another frequent contest winner in the Galax area, Hawks plays banjo in the Earl Scruggs bluegrass style. He performs prolifically with different bluegrass groupings, many of them including his own students.
The band was recorded in 1958 by Alan Lomax, out on one of his many music gathering and recording explorations. He was fortunately able to record tracks featuring the group with its prime lineup of players. Well, almost. Bluegrass or folk music enthusiasts would invariably nod their heads knowingly at the mention of Lomax, but to some members of this group he meant nothing and in fact, guitarist Herb Lowe said he would rather go to a dance than waste time hanging around a recording session. As a result, these recordings feature a substitute guitarist, the young Eldridge Montgomery. It was his first performance with a group of any kind, so the praise that normally is bestowed on these Mountain Ramblers tracks should be doubled to count for this obvious handicap. Titles from these sessions include "Shady Grove" and "The Old Hickory Cane." These recordings eventually were released on the Atlantic album Blue Ridge Mountain Music. This particular album had a big impact as an early bluegrass release, almost historically important in some markets. For example, it was the first bluegrass album ever released in Australia. Fans of fiddler Galyean are fond of his romping takes of "Big Tilda" and "Big Ball in Boston." Mandolin duties became a shifting seam, as disinterested guitarist Lowe came back in the band for a bit after the Lomax no-show, but this time to play mandolin. When he overheard the boss practicing mandolin one day, Lowe realized his situation might be insecure and left for good. The album's success created a reputation for the band's name that the remaining players were able to take proper advantage of over the following decade, until Lindsey put the randomly chosen name to rest for good in the mid-'70s.
COTTEN-EYED JOE- Mountain Ramblers 1960
Listen: The Mountain Ramblers;
*Oh Joe (Joe) (Joe)
Come here to me, Joe.
[Banjo and fiddle break]
I fell down an' stubbed my toe,
Play a little song called Cotton-Eyed Joe.
Where did you come from, where will you go?
Where did you come from Cotten-Eyed Joe.
Oh Joe (Joe) (Joe)
Come here to me, Joe.
[Banjo break]
Cornstalk fiddle shoestring bow
Play a little tune called Cotton-Eyed Joe
Where did you come from, where will you go?
Where did you come from Cotten-Eyed Joe.
Oh Joe (Joe) (Joe)
Come here to me, Joe.
[Fiddle break]
Rosin that fiddle an' rosin the bow
Play a little tune called Cotton-Eyed Joe
Where did you come from, where will you go?
Where did you come from Cotten-Eyed Joe.
Oh Joe (Joe) (Joe)
Come here to me, Joe.
[Banjo break]
Oh Joe (Joe) (Joe) [vocals slow]
Come here to me, Joe. [music stops]
[Fiddle break- faster tempo]
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* The word "Joe" is sung and held by the lead, then followed by a second then third vocal echo.
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