1. St. Anne's Reel / Liberty — St. Anne's is of French Canadian origin and played here in honor of the voyageurs who plied the waters of North America, including the the upper Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and who claimed St. Anne as their patron saint; Liberty is an American fiddle tune played here in honor of colonists who fought for independence from the tyranny of imperial rule
2. Old French — another French Canadian tune, dedicated to Pierre Cruzatte, the one-eyed fiddler with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's Corps of Discovery and the man who shot Capt. Lewis in the buttocks after mistaking him for an elk
3. Rosin the Bow — a ballad of European origin (claimed by the Irish and British) and introduced to the United States in 1838; also known as Old Rosin, the Beau, several politicians, including Abraham Lincoln, adopted the melody for their campaigns
4. Leather Britches / Ebenezer — Leather Britches dates from the late 18th century, said to be derived from the Scottish tune, Lord McDonald's Reel, 1790; as the name suggests, it reflects the buckskin clothing we wear, or it may refer to dried beans; Ebenezer, also known as West Virginia Highway, is said to have originated in what is now West Virginia
5. The Gum Tree Canoe — mintrel song written by S.S. Steele, Esq., and first published in 1847 in Boston
6. Sally Ann — traditional song and dance tune; also known as Sail Away Ladies
7. Coming Through the Canebreak (to Shoot the Buffalo) / Mississippi Sawyer — Canebreak (or Canebrake) comes from the playing of California fiddler Mel Durham; Mississippi Sawyer is thought to be of French origin, derived from the Downfall of Paris, which dates from the French revolution (1789), and one legend claims the tune was renamed after being played at the 1839 opening of a sawmill on the shore of the Mississippi River in western Kentucky
8. Shenandoah — also known as Across the Wide Missouri, this 19th century folk song tells the tale of a trader, possibly a French-Canadian voyageur, who courts an Indian chief's daughter; we dedicate this song to Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who joined Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery at a Mandan village on the upper Missouri River in 1805 and later helped save the expedition from a potential massacre
9. Cuffy / Turkey in the Straw — Cuffy is known as 19th century minstrel tune, with the title an English derivation of "Kofi," a traditional name of the Ewe tribe in Ghana (east Africa); the ancestry of Turkey in the Straw reaches back to the old country, having similarities to 18th century Scottish and Irish reels and in the U.S. often played for the Virginia Reel, a contra-style dance popular at the time
10. Flop-Eared Mule / Grasshopper Sittin’ on a Sweet Potato Vine — Flop-Eared Mule is of disputed ancestry, with melodic themes reminiscent of 19th century polkas, schottisches and quadrilles ranging from the Ukraine to Ireland to the southern United States, but there is no dispute over its popularity; the lesser-known Grasshopper SPV comes from the playing of Luther Davis (1887-1986) of Galax,Virginia
11. Gentle Maiden / Pretty Maid Milking Her Cow — Irish airs/waltzes
12. Golden Vanity — 17th century British folk song/sea chantey that may have originally been about Sir Walter Raleigh
13. Soldier’s Joy — dating from the mid-18th century, this is still one of the most popular fiddle tunes; also known as Payday in the Army
14. Damon’s Winder / Yellow Barber — a pair of hoedowns believed to have originated in Kentucky; a "winder" (pronounced "wine-der") was a snake-like line dance popular in 19th century America; the term "yellow barber" refers to a mulatto barber at a time when barbers were also known to be dance fiddlers
15. Wayfaring Stranger — 18th century spiritual ballad thought to be of British origin; it's within the "shaped note" or Sacred Harp repertoire and remains popular today
16. Greensleeves / Manitoulin Thunder (© 2001, Larry Edwards) — we call this our Shakespeare Set, which blends the old with the new: the 16th century melody Greensleeves, attributed to England's King Henry VIII, serves as the prelude to Manitoulin Thunder, composed by Larry "Friar" Edwards during a thunderstorm at Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada, in 2001, with the minor/modal melody based on the traditions of its forebears
    
    
    Listen to samples of the tracks.
    
    
    

    Note: Historical information, in part, courtesy of Andrew Kuntz and The Fiddler’s Companion.

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Larry Edwards

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