Songwriters & Music Lovers:
Fiddle tunes are intricate traditional melodies coming to North America from the
British Isles, mainly Scottish and Irish. These tunes were played in the Appalachian
Mountains for over 3 centuries, and maintained their original essence with little
change. They have found their way into America’s Country and Bluegrass
repertoire, and they’re played often jam sessions. The format to most fiddle tunes
is AABB, theme and variations, passed around to each lead instrument.
Cherokee Shuffle is one of these standards. The first recorded version was by
fiddler Tommy Magness in the 1930’s. Tommy Jackson, a monumental country
fiddler, is generally credited with transforming Magness’ rendition into “Cherokee
Shuffle” in the key of A.
Thomas Lee "Tommy" Jackson, Jr. (1926–1979) was an American fiddler, regarded
as one of the finest commercial fiddle players of all time. He played on hundreds
of country records from the 1940s to the 1970s, and it has been claimed that he has
probably been heard on more country records than any other musician.
Between the late 1940s and 1960s, he also recorded many hoedown albums (fiddle
tunes) under his own name, for the Mercury, Decca, and Dot labels. Many of his
fiddle tune recordings are now regarded as definitive versions.
This Rattlesnake Hill version was performed at Cactus Flats Restaurant, just north
of Frederick, Md and features the famous banjo picker Keith Arneson who played
with the Navy Band Country Current for 24 years. Line up:
Keith Arneson Banjo
Doug Moats Bass (Beardy)
Ed Schaeffer Rhythm Guitar
Ken Wise Mandolin
To listen, click: http://rattlesnakehill.org/Web_Music/edsmusic.html
Ed
(As always, headphones preferred!)
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