By Henk Scholts
Document DOCD-8071
Mississippi Fiddle Tunes And Songs From The 1930s
This was the last project of Document with CD release
Note by Henk Scholts: At my opinion is that the first
(matrix) numbers must be the matixes made by Herbert Halpert and the next numbers
are probably for the Library of Congress
CD 1
W. E. Claunch with
Mrs. Christine Haygood
10 May 1939 Route 3, Guntown, Lee County, MS - (W. Claunch [vcl/fiddle],
Christine Haygood [gt])
Ol' Molly Hare 238A 2 / 2971 A1 - A2
Soldiers Joy 238A 3 / 2971 A3
The Eighth Of January 238B 1 / 2971 B1
Grub Springs 238B 2 / 2971 B2
Give The Fiddler A Dram 238B 3 / 2971 B3
Mississippi Sawyer 238B 4 / 2971 B4
Black-Eyed Susie 239A 2 / 2972 A1 - A2
Wagoner 239A 3 / 2972 A3
Chicken Pie 239A 4 / 2972 A4
Bear Creek's Up 239B 1 / 2972 B1
Grey Eagle 239B 2 / 2972 B2
Pass Around The Bottle And We'll All Take A
Drink 239B 3 / 2972 B3
The Great Titanic 239B 4 / 240A 1 / 2972 B4 / 2973 A1
Walkin' In The Parlor 240A 2 / 2973 A2
Run Nigger Run 240A 3 / 2973 A3
Rabbit In The Pea Patch 240A 4 / 2973 A4
The Devil's Dream 240B 1 / 2973 B1
Sally Gooden 240B 2 / 2973 B2
Cindy 240B 3 / 2973 B3
Texas Bells 240B 4 / 2973 B4
Raise Big 'Taters In Sandy Land 241A 1 / 2974 A1
Miss Sally At The Party 241A 2 / 2974 A2
Wolves A Howlin' 241A 3 / 2974 A3
Oh, Yes, Mammy, Look At Sam 241A 4 / 2974 A4
How Old Are You, My Pretty Little Miss 241B 1 / 2974 B1
Drunkard's Hiccups 241B 2 / 2974 B2
Arkansas Traveler 241B 3 / 2974 B3
John Hatcher
12 May 1939 Home Of Mrs Vivian Skinner, Luka, Tishomingo
County, MS - (John Hatcher [vcl/fiddle]).
Soldier's Joy 265B 2 / 2998 A - B1
Eighth Of January Takes 1 and 2 265B 2 / 266A 1 / 2998 B2
The Arkansas Traveler 266A 2 / 2999 A2
Tishomingo County Blues 266B 1 / 2999 B1
Goin' Up To Hamburg 266B 2 / 2999 B2
Scott Number Two 267A 1 / 3000 A1
Black-Eyed Susie 267A 2 / 3000 A2
Old Miss Sally 267A 3 / 3000 A3
Grub Springs 267A 4 / 3000 A4
Baldin Or Long-Eared Mule 267B 1 / 3000 B1
Tom And Jerry 267B 2 / 3000 B2
Pretty Little Gal All Round Town 267B 3 / 3000 B3
Farewell Whiskey 267B 4 / 268A 1 / 3000 B4
Bonaparte's Retreat 268A 3 / 3001 B1
Buffalo Girl 268A 2 / 3001 A2
The Little Danville Girl 270A 2 / 3003 A2
Up The Road, Far As I Can See 270A 3 / 3003 A3
Down Yonder 270B 1 / 3000 B1
Leather Breaches 270B 2 / 3003 B2
Billy In The Low Ground 270B 3 / 3003 B3
John Alexander Brown
12 May 1939 Home Of Mrs Vivian Skinner, Luka, Tishomingo
County, MS – (John Alexander Brown [fiddle], John hatcher [vcl])
Git Along Home, Cindy 268B 1- B 2 / 3001 B2
Give The Fiddler A Dram 269A 1 / 3002 A1
Wolves A-Howlin' 269A 2 / 3002 A2
Dusty Miller 269A 3 / 3002 A3
Sally Goodin 269B 1 / 3002 B1
Froggie Went A-Courtin' 269B 2 / 3002 B2
Not A-Gonna Have No Supper Here Tonight 269B 3 / 3002 B3
Rats In The Meal Barrel 270A 1 / 3003 A1
CD 2
Frank T. Kittrell
20 May 1939 Meridian Civic Centre, Meridian, Lauderdale
County, MS (Frank T. Kittrell [fiddle], Mrs. Kittrell Straws)
Frank Kittrell - Interview
Indian War Whoop 302B 1 / 3035 B1
Corn Stark Fiddle And A Shoe String Bow
- Takes 1 and 2 302B 2 / 3035 B2
Goin' To The Weddin' 302B 3 / 3035 B3
Little Boy Went A-Courtin' 303A 2 / 3036 A1
I Want To Go To Meetin' And Got No Shoes 303A 3 / 3036 A2
Cindy Jane 303B 1 / 3036 B1
Rye Straw 303B 2 / 3036 B2
Hell After The Yearlings 303B 3 / 3036 B3
Hardy C. Sharp
20 May 1939 Meridian Civic Centre, Meridian, Lauderdale
County, MS (Hardy C. Sharp [fiddle], Douglas Williams [gt-1], Horace Kinard
[banjo-2])
Puncheon Floor -1 304B 1 / 3037 B1
Great Big Yam Potatoes -1 304B 2 / 3037 B2
Leather Breaches -1 304B 3 / 3037 B3
Liza Jane -1 305A 2 / 3038 A1
Eighth Of January -2 305A 3 / 3038 A2
Mississippi Sawyer -2 305A 4 / 3038 A3
W. A. Bledsoe
20 May 1939 Meridian Civic Centre, Meridian, Lauderdale
County, MS (W. A. Bledsoe [fiddle], Horace Kinard [banjo])
W.A. Bledsoe - Interview
Prettiest Little Gal In The County-O 305B 1 / 3038 B1
Big Foot Nigger In A Sandy Lot 305B 2 / 3038 B2
Stoney Point 306A 1 / 3039 A1
Farewell Mary Anne 306A 2 / 3039 A2
Old Molly Hare 306A 3 / 3039 A3
Bill Cheatham 306A 4 / 3039 A4
Horace Kinard
20 May 1939 Meridian Civic Centre, Meridian, Lauderdale
County, MS (Horace Kinard [vcl/ banjo])
Horace Kinard - Interview
Liza Jane 306B 1 / 3039 B1
Railroad Bill 306B 2 / 3039 B2
Charles Long
21 May 1939 Home Of Mr. Long Near Quitman, Clarke County, MS
– (Charles Long [fiddle], Sam Neal Straws)
My Little Dony 309B 1 / 3042 B1
Hard Road To Texas 310A 1 / 3043 A1
Drunkard's He-Cups 310A 2 / 3043 A2
Sally-O 310A 3 / 3043 A3
Jones County 310B 1 / 3043 B1
Steamboat 310B 2 / 3043 B2
Fisher's Hornpipe 311A 1 / 3044 A1
Alabama Waltz 311A 2 / 3044 A2
Big Eyed Rabbit 311A 3 / 3044 B1
Little Willie 311A 3 / 3044 A3
Rock Candy 311B 1 / 3044 B2
My Ol' Dog's Trailin' Up A Squirrel 311B 2 / 3044 B3
Stephen B. Tucker
23 May 1939 Meridian Civic Centre, Meridian, Lauderdale
County, MS – (Stephen B. Tucker [fiddle])
Cold Frosty Morning 312A 2 / 3045 A1
Bragg's Retreat 312A 4 / 3045 A2
Hog Eye 312B 1 / 3045 B1
(No Name Recalled) 312B 2 / 3045 B2
Throw The Soap Suds In The Corner Of The
Fence 312B 3 / 3045 B3
Soldier's Joy 312B 4 / 3045 B4
Mississippi Sawyer 313A 1 / 3046 A1
Fisher's Hornpipe 313A 2 / 3046 A2
Arkansas Traveler 313A 3 / 3046 A3
Run, Nigger, Run 313A 4 / 3046 A4
Raker's Hornpipe 313B 1 / 3046 B1
Texas Wagon 313B 2 / 3046 B2
Indian Eat The Woodpecker 313B 3 / 3046 B3
Devil's Dream 314A 1 / 3047 A1
Tom And Jerry 314A 2 / 3047 A2
Christmas Times In The Morning 314B 1 / 3047 B1
Pound Cake And Sugar 314B 2 / 3047 B2
Joke On The Puppy 314B 3 / 3047 B3
Haste To The Wedding 315A 2 / 3048 A2
Jig (No Title Recalled) 315A 3 / 3048 A3
Circus Piece 315B 1 / 3048 B1
Chippy Get Your Hair Cut 315B 2 / 3048 B2
Leather Breeches 315B 3 / 3048 B3
Calico 315B 4 / 3048 B4
CD 3
Enos Canoy
26 May 1939 Home Of Miss Maud Turner, Magee, Simpson County,
MS – (Enos Canoy [fiddle], Tim Canoy [mandolin], Lola Canoy [gt])
Possum And The Racoon 320B 1 / 3053 B1
Eighth Of January 320B 2 / 3053 B2
The Old Blue Sow 321A 1 / 3054 A1
Buck Dancin' Charlie 321A 2 / 3054 A2
Lost John 321B 1 / 3054 B1
Introduction To Henry Holmes Holla
Henry Holmes Holla 320B 2 / 322A 1 / 3054 B2 / 3055 A1
Jim Meyers
26 May 1939 Home Of Miss Maud Turner, Magee, Simpson County,
MS – Jim Meyers [fiddle])
Old Field Rabbit 324B 3 / 3057 B3
Enos Canoy
26 May 1939 Home Of Miss Maud Turner, Magee, Simpson County,
MS.
EC Fid; Jim Meyers Straws
Pickin' The Devil's Eye 325A 1 / 3058 A1
Where'd You Get Your Whiskey 325A 2 / 3058 A2
Pore Little Mary Settin' In The Corner 325A 3 / 3058 A3
Lola Canoy
26 May 1939 Home Of Miss Maud Turner, Magee, Simpson County,
MS – Lola Canoy [vcl], Jim Meyers [fiddle])
Pearl Brown 325B 1 / 3058 B1
Thaddeus C.
Willingham
11 June 1939 Gulfport Woman's Clubhouse, Gulfport. Harrison
County, MS - (Thaddeus C. Willingham
[vcl/banjo])
Thaddeus Willingham - Interview
Roll On The Ground, Boys 380A 1 / 3113 A
Goin' On Down Town 380B 1 / 3113 B
Rove, Riley, Rove 381A 1 / 3114 A
Shake Your Little Foot, Sally Ann 381B 2 / 3114 B1
Black-Eyed Susie 381B 3 / 3114 B3
Run, Nigger, Run 382A 1 / 3115 A
Oh, My Little Darling 382B 1 / 3115 B1
Want A Little Water, Johnny 382B 2 / 3115 B2
Cross-Eyed Gopher 382B 3 / 3115 B3
Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet? /
Mississippi Valley Waltz 383A 1 / 3116 A1
Cripple Creek 383A 2 / 3116 A2
Humpback Mule 383B 1 / 3116 B1
Old Dan Tucker 383B 2 / 3116 B2
Uncle Bud 384A 1 - B 1 / 3117 A - B1
Liza Jane 384B 2 / 3117 B2
Old Joe Clark 385A 1 / 3118 A1
Miss Cindy - Takes 1 and 2 385A 2 - B 1 / 3118 A2 - B1
Sally Goodin 385 B 2 / 3118 B2
All songs collected by Herbert Halpert and recorded by him
with Abbott Ferris acc by Miss Jerome Sage (State director of Federal Music
Project) for the Library of Congres in 1939.
This album is released in conjunction with te book
Mississippi fiddle tunes and songs from the 1930's by Harry Bolick and Stephen
T. Austin published by University Press of Mississippi.
Primarily conceived as a way to get people and the economy
back to work, Roosevelt's WPA arts projects published state tour guides,
collected ex-slave narratives, and collected folklore of all sorts, but
especially folk music.
This set contains the complete fiddle and banjo field
recordings collected by Herbert Halpert for his 1939 field trip in Mississippi.
Then working with the New York chapter of the Federal Theatre project Halpert
was drafted by the Federal Music Project to produce the recordings. An army
ambulance was donated and renovated with WPA labor. The Library of Congress
loaned recording equipment. The Presto 78 disc cutter, then the state of the
art for portable recording equipment, was installed in the ambulance, which was
later nicknamed the "Soundwagon."
The expedition was one of the very last collecting efforts
fielded by the WPA arts projects before being defunded by the anti-New Deal
opposition. The quality of the documentation, photos, and recordings make it
one of the most impressive of the WPA's collecting efforts.
After the trip, the recordings were deposited and have
largely remained unheard in the Library of Congress archives. A few tracks have
been released by the Library of Congress on several of its LP recordings. The
Mississippi Department of Archives and History produced an LP in 1987 with many
fine tracks but this is the first time all one hundred and forty recordings
have been made available.
This 3 CD set is released in conjunction with the book
'Mississippi Fiddle Tunes And Songs From The 1930s' by Harry Bolick and Stephen
T. Austin, published by University Press of Mississippi.
Relevant Document albums
DOCD- 8065 +8066 Narmour and Smith Vol. 1 and 2
DOCD- 8029 + 8030 Leake County Revelers Vol. 1 and 2
DOCD - 8009 + 8028 Mississippi String Bands Vol. 1 and 2
DOCD-5578, 'Field Recordings Vol. 2: North and South
Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas 1926 - 1943'
DOCD 5577 'Field Recordings Volume 3 Mississippi 1936-1942'
DOCD 5578 'Field Recordings Volume 4 Mississippi and Alabama
1934-1942'
