On October 22, 1926, Al Hopkins and The Hillbillies recorded an old Southern Appalachian standard, "Cumberland Gap" in New York City for Vocalion Records. Two of the fiddlers at this recording session were from East Tennessee. Fred Roe was from Bristol, TN and Charlie Bowman was from Gray Station in Washington County, TN. The third fiddler was Tony Alderman. The other musicians included Al Hopkins and his brothers Joe and John and Fred Roe's brother Henry:

Al Hopkins and The Hillbillies Cumberland Gap Vocalion 1926

“HOMEGAS” TAKOMA C 1026. PRODUCED
 BY JOHN FAHEY, 1971, 

TRACK 12 “CRASSHOPPERS” (Peter Aceves-Narvaez)
Vocal and Guitar: Peter Aceves (Narvaez)
Fiddle: Richard Blaustein   Mandolin: Neil Rosenberg
Bass: John Hyslop    Harps: Jim Barden, Dave Brock


" Grasshoppers" Peter Aceves (Narvaez) "Homegas" Takoma C 1026 1971

II learned this old time fiddle tune circa 1967- 68 from Jimmy Campbell of Dolan, Indiana, a small community on the outskirts of Bloomington, the county seat of Monroe County.  Located about 25 miles south of Bloomington, Bedford, the county seat of Lawrence County, Indiana, is famous for its ornamental limestone used in constructing several federal office buildings and the Empire State Building in New York City.

Musicians: Richard Blaustein (fiddle), Doug Dorschug (piano), Dick Tarrier (5 string banjo), Ed Snodderly (guitar), Roger Ben Moore (bass) From "Tune In On My Memories" (Cloudland 003, produced by Doug Dorschug, 1982),

Old Bedford (fiddle tune)

Born in 1903 in the Paint Creek community in Greene County, Tennessee, fiddler Loyd Payne grew up in a family of traditional old time mountain musicians. On October 8, 1987, I recorded Loyd Payne playing "Freight Train Boogie," very similar to "Lee Highway Blues", at the home of his nephew Bill Gosnell on Cherokee Road south of Jonesborough, county seat of Washington County, TN. Bill Gosnell (guitar) and myself (banjo) accompany Loyd's fiddling: http://snd.sc/TXxJUZ


Freight Train Boogie Loyd Payne, Bill Gosnell, Richard Blaustein 10-8-87

Roy Andrade (banjo) and Chris Sharp (guitar) accompany my version of Loyd Payne's "Freight Train Boogie." Though I learned this tune directly from Loyd by backing him up on banjo, my version of the tune is more leisurely in pace and smoother in tone, putting my own touch on it quite literally: http://snd.sc/Tj5JPL

Freight Train Boogie Richard Blaustein, Roy Andrade, Chris Sharp

"Florida Blues" was first recorded for Bluebird Records in 1936 by its composer, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith and Alton and Rabon Delmore from North Alabama on guitar and tenor guitar. This tune was very popular and was picked up by fiddlers across the USA.

Florida Blues Arthur Smith Trio

Thanks to Julie Amundson for sharing this great recording of "Florida Blues" featuring  Louis Franklin on fiddle, Omega Burden on guitar, and Sleepy Johnson on tenor banjo: " think recording was late 1960's. a friend gave me a bag of cassette tapes to put on computer before they were to bad to play... and it didn't have the year."

Lewis Franklin, Omega Burden, Sleepy Johnson, Florida Blues

Old time  East Tennessee fiddler Loyd Payne (born 1903), his nephew Bill Gosnell on guitar and banjoist Richard Blaustein play "Train 111" in Bill Gosnell's home on Cherokee Road south of Jonesborough, Washington County, TN on October 8, 1987. Recorded on a professional grade Sony cassette recorder by Richard Blaustein: http://snd.sc/R3Fr1i 

Loyd Payne, Bill Gosnell, Richard Blaustein, Train 111, Oct 8 1987

In May of 1939, folk music collector Herbert Halpert recorded fiddler W.E. Claunch of Guntown, Mississippi playing a fiddle tune titled "Grub Springs", the name of a nearby community. Halpert  also recorded John Hatcher of Iuka, Mississippi, also located in the same section, playing a tune titled "Grub Springs" which has a different melody. Halpert's 1939 recordings of Claunch's and Hatcher's "Grub Springs" are the source of the two tunes widely played by old time fiddle enthusiasts today 

W.A. Claunch, Grub Springs Lib of Cong 1939

Old time East Tennessee fiddler Loyd Payne (born 1903), his older brother George Payne (born 1889) on old time two finger up picking banjo and Richard Blaustein (born 1943) on guitar play an old Southern Appalachian standby, "Lonesome Road Blues" on December 26, 1978. Recorded on a professional grade Sony cassette recorder by Richard Blaustein in George Payne's home on Bayless Road, Route 7, Jonesborough, Washington County, Tennessee: http://snd.sc/Pi3lZa

Payne Brothers and R. Blaustein, Lonesome Road Blues 12-26-1978

I learned "Salty River Reel" from Jake and Lena Hughes of Ludlow, Missouri, whom I first met at the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Contest in Athens, Alabama circa 1968. A prize-winning old time fiddler, banjoist and guitarist, Lena's brother Casey Jones was a well known radio fiddler throughout the Great Plains region. Richard Blaustein, fiddle; Dick Tarrier, 5 string banjo; Ed Snodderly, guitar; Doug Dorschug, piano, and Roger Ben Moore, bass. From "Tune In On My Memories", Cloudland 003, produced by Doug Dorschug, 1982:  http://snd.sc/Pk5nYN

Salty River Reel (from "Tune In On My Memories" 1982)

Fiddle and banjo duet by two master instrumentalists of the Grand Ole Opry, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith and Earl Scruggs recorded in an informal session at Smith's home by his son Earnest Smith in 1957 according to my friend Steve Goldfield..
Though the title "Uncle Joe" is common, this is definitely not a common tune. Thanks to Roy Andrade for sharing this buried treasure with me:  https://soundcloud.com/richard-blaustein/fiddlin-arthur-smith-and-earl


Richard Blaustein

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