Banjo Hangout Newest 100 Songs

CH take on slip jig written by Mark Kelly of Altan. Wildwood. Double C tuning but low.

From "Bluegrass" by The Boys In The Band. Upon hearing this afternoon, of Tom Ratliff's passing, I thought I would post this a cappella number from my dad's old band, featuring Tom Ratliff singing the lead part. Tom had a distinctive East Tennessee accent that did not dissapear when he sang, giving him an authenticity that others others often cannot achieve. Vocals: Tom Ratliff, Audie Ratliff, Frank Wing, and Wayne Chilcote.

A swing version of this song by Laurence Diehl recently appeared on BHO. It was popular and received many comments. I though BHOers might also enjoy this version that I recorded at Suwannee Banjo Camp in 2015. It features double banjos by Scott Anderson and Alan Munde, with Gerald Jones on mando and Niki Portman on bass.I think Anderson, who hails from Florida, put this group together for this song This was part of the faculty concert at SBC, recorded on an Edirol pocket device some 25 feet from the stage. The room is large with lots of hard surfaces, making for a good deal of echo and fuzz in the song. Despite, the musicianship is fine.

Sawmill tuning, two-finger thumb lead. From the singing of Aunt Molly Jackson.

Song of the Russian cartoon "The Bremen Musicians"

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 10-28-16, New Yorker Ira Bernstein wrote this tune in the 80's. He is known most famously as a dancer, specializing in Appalachian flatfoot, clogging, and tap. I was quite surprised this week when I learned he wrote a fiddle tune, which is also his favorite instrument to dance to. The A part begins with a minor and the B part modulates, so it's not a common fiddle tune. It's catchy and was actually played in my neck of the woods when Earl White played at a bluegrass festival in Grass Valley, California. However, I admit I'd have learned the tune if it wasn't for this week's TOTW.