Document DOCD 8071 (by Henk Scholts)

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'