Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

[Old Cremona]

Kyle Pretzl on the bones. This kid can really play!!

[Thomas Alleman]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

I met the man who sang that very song in the Ride with the Devil movie and he did serenade us with it. That was the best thing about the 140th Antietam. I am glad that others have picked up that minstrels tune.

[sepoy1857]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Thanks Carl!

Another great song.

[Jeremy Bevard]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

All I could do was smile and tap my foot!

Thanks for posting!!!

[mslaird]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Thanks for posting that one Carl. The family got a real kick out of it.

[Kiev Thomason]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Yeah that boy can throw down on dem bones.I really think that when we were playing around the fire was the highlight of my trip to Pea Ridge.I have been playing the bones for two years and he is way better!
Thanks for posting this Carl and good to hang out with you at the event....enjoy the shirt!

[Old Cremona]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Yeah that boy can throw down on dem bones.I really think that when we were playing around the fire was the highlight of my trip to Pea Ridge.I have been playing the bones for two years and he is way better!
Thanks for posting this Carl and good to hang out with you at the event....enjoy the shirt!

Kiev, it was a treat meeting you. I was gonna make a buddy of mine buy this overshirt 'cause he needs to improve, but I might not be able to let it go :wink_smil

Man, kids just learn so fast it's amazing. Kyle wants to learn banjo next, and he'll probably be kicking my butt before long.:cry_smile

[Spinster]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.



I do believe this clip showcases the aformentioned up and coming young bonesman even more. What a pleasure!! Thank y'all for making them available.

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Old King Crow was/is Virginia Minstrel tune and not a published well founded standard with national exposure.

How did such a tune make its way to the TM ?

From an accuracy standpoint is this akin to a TMD soldier wearing an RD ?

Mind you this is discussion and not a cheap shot at these lads who are are doing a fine job. Please know that.

OKC

Caw, Caw, Caw

[Hank Trent]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Old King Crow was/is Virginia Minstrel tune and not a published well founded standard with national exposure.

How did such a tune make its way to the TM ?

Well, it was at least published as sheet music in 1847 "as sung by the Virginia Minstrels"

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/sm1847.420800

Eastern minstrel performances were hitting California at least as early as 1848. History of California by Hubert Howe at http://books.google.com/books?id=UOoNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA243 reports in 1847 "some of the New York volunteers gave minstrel entertainments at Santa Barbara and Monterey," and "The Virginia minstrels played with success during the winter, Star and Cal., Dec. 9, 1848."

I don't know if it was the actual Virginia minstrels, but with a name like that it's clear where they were getting their inspiration. I believe George Christy's Minstrels played in California in 1858. So there was a fair amount of cultural sharing coast-to-coast. I don't think it wouldn't be surprising to hear some of the same minstrel songs in the west as well as the east.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Doh !!! I should have LOC'd before posting....I had docsouth searched it to no avail.

Excellent work. My question stems from discussions last month with Marty Liebschner (Banjoist in the devil rides movie) when I asked the similar question regarding regional minstrel tunes widely known across the CS armies. Seemingly the minstrel tunes are localized/sectional in nature we concluded they would not be as known as say a standard such as Lorena, Katie Wells, etc.....

Would say an AOT soldier neccessarily know the tunes Sweeney was pick'n out for Ole' Beauty to croon along to.

Thanks.

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Thasa great! I sees de young massah is cooking up de ho cake by de fir whiles yous boys sings de tune. My belly be hongry for de ho cake!

[Danny]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

...regarding regional minstrel tunes widely known across the CS armies. Seemingly the minstrel tunes are localized/sectional in nature we concluded they would not be as known as say a standard such as Lorena, Katie Wells, etc...

It's quite clear from period literature that Minstrel music performances and the sheet music made popular from those were in no way "regional", in fact definitely the opposite. They were a significant cultural export, not only from the Northeast to the South, but to England and the continent, and as far as the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii etc) and Australia as well, and not uncommonly, and within months of the first stateside perfomances and publishing.

It is generally agreed by historians that Minstrelry was one of the first expressions of "pop" (popular) music the world had ever experienced, in part because of the telegraph and the many newspapers read by the first sizeable populations of literate people, but also because it was highly interesting and "exotic".

To follow the money alone tells the story, and there were many bunches of money made selling individual sheet music, collections, and tutors, including Old King Crow and others, a practice that would have quickly collapsed except for their being available everywhere, if only through the mails. Minstrel shows and sales of printed Minstrel tunes continued throughout the CW, including in the South.

Dan Wykes

[tater_cuffie]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

hey thanks yall but the bones don't only make up the song lol it''s the whole band, cause without the other fellers playin all the other instryuments the sond wouldn't be the same

-Kyle Pretzl

[Old Cremona]

Re: Old King Crow in the Trans Miss.

Old King Crow was/is Virginia Minstrel tune and not a published well founded standard with national exposure.

How did such a tune make its way to the TM ?

It's quite simple, really. Old King Crow was published, in standard notation, in the seminal Briggs Banjo Instructor.Not only does this excellent method book give us early banjo repertiore, but it gives us the style that was in popular usage at the time. It is the Briggs version that I'm playing.