Banjo Hangout Top 100 Songs

my arrangement and adaptation of a Merle Travis guitar instrumental to banjo...it's in Dm and shifts to Dmaj for the bridge...

my attempt at a Townes Van Zandt classic...it's in the key of G...backing musicians compliments of Band In A Box...

This version of Wolf Creek is from Harvey "Pappy" Taylor (b.1894), recorded in 1974. Slowed down from the original, it makes a pretty piece in fDGCD tuning. DOI stands for Dear Old Illinois, a compilation of songs and fiddle tunes by Garry and Steve Harrison and Jo Burgess. Wolf Creek is the old-time Tune of the Week for 3/13/20.

this Johnny Cash song has been covered by a lot of folks including Flatt & Scruggs..I used to do it a lot at dance gigs because it makes a pretty good 2-step dance song...

Tunaday #100 - In G Modal-f (fDGCD).

Here is a live recording of Jered Widman and The Grass Station, which (in this particular version of the group) features Jered on guitar and vocals, Zak Borden on mandolin, Amy Hakanson on fiddle, Delores Johnson on bass, and myself on banjo. It was recorded at a live concert this past February at the Multnomah Grange #71.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 12/14/18, this sentimental song plays out in clawhammer rather than the Scruggs picking style I originally learned it in.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, Sweet Nell is the title name of a CD by a Washington-based group who wrote the tunes. The tune is named for Nell, the daughter of Paul Newman, partners in a charity-based organic snack company. It's a sweet tune.

Frosty Morn is the old-time Tune of the Week, 8/24/18. Related to Cold Frosty Morning in some of its melody and chordal movement, here's a medley of the two. The first was learned from the guitar flat-picking of Doc Watson, who I idolize. The second was learned from Miles Krassen's Clawhammer Banjo book. He used Henry Reed's version which he had published previously in his Appalachia Fiddle book. Sawmill tuning, playing on my Doc's Banjo.

This is the Luther Davis version of Sail Away Ladies, or at least my interpretation of it. Presented for Tune Of The Week for August 2nd, 2018. In any case a fine tune!

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 6/8/18, Trouble on My Mind was recorded by Kentucky fiddler John Salyer's sons at home. Salyer never recorded commercially, but was an excellent fiddler. This tune is crooked in the last measure when it repeats and is unusual in having six measures in the A part and eight in the B part.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, 4/13/18, Snake wrote this tune during a recording session and it was was recorded and kept for posterity with this title that was reminiscent of his experience as a child of being knocked down by an angry hornet.

For the old-time Tune of the Week, March 23, 2018. Susannah Gal goes by other titles. This one comes from the duet CD of Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham, both from the Round Peak, NC region. Their B part is unique, but they play it together and so it sounds great. Fred adds slides which I attempted to include, too. They must have had lots of fun playing together!

Made this banjo duet recording with Ed Britt back in November, 2014. We still play it when we go busking in Harvard Square.

CH take on Irish Reel composed by Michael Gorman. AB AB. Wildwood. D tuning

CH take of Grub Springs in A tuning. Long.