Oldtime Stringband
Click on a tune title below to hear a mp3 snip of that track.
| Rolling River (D) 2:41 -- From one of our field recordings of Delbar Tarpley (1900-1995) of Olney, IL in December of 1975. We often lead off with this one at practice sessions and pickin' parties. It's got just eh right drive to get the juices flowing and the grins a'beaming. |
The Old Days (L) (C) 2:39 -- By David Danner. Jesse takes the lead on this great nostalgia piece written by his late father Dave. This is about as Stephen Foster-esque smooth as it gets for Airtight. Written around 1994. | ||
| Ida Red (L)
(G) 2:20 -- Traditional and PD. As with many of Airtight's song arrangements, this Ida Red is drawn from the likes of the Skillet Lickers, Indian Creek Delta Boys and enough other influences to call it a true amalgam. Bish carries the lead on this one. |
Betsy Likens
(Am) 2:08 -- An old fave assimilated from multiple sources over the years, mostly at festival and field pickin' sessions throughout the Midwest from the '70s onward. | ||
| Danner's Tune
(A) (fdl: AEAE) 2:16 -- Bish made this tune in 2001, the same day he go the news that our dear brother David Danner had been diagnosed as terminal with cancer. Oddly, he first worked it up on the 5-string banjo, an instrument Bish is not even authorized to pronounce. Granted, the end result earns him much indulgence in that regard and we're thankful for whatever angel, or usual suspect muse, it was that put it in his ear. |
Bear Pen Hollow (G) 2:28 -- An exquisite version from 1950s home recordings of Harry Jones (1900-1967) of rural Altamont, IL. Airtight is forever grateful to Lynn "Chirps" Smith, world class fiddler with The Combine and New Bad Habits oldtime stringband (formerly Volo Bogtrotters), for joining us on this extraordinary tune as a very special guest fiddler. | ||
| Whispering Hope (L) (D) 2:53 -- From Bill and Earl Bolick, the Blue Sky Boys. Jesse and J.B. do the Bolicks proud on this great old number so classically representative of 1940s radio. |
Baltimore Fire (L) (A) 3:38 -- This one appears in Mowrey's Songster, printed around 1905, just one year after the actual fire. The opening "FIRE" usually gets a reaction out of Bish's old dog Kirby, so we had to distract him in order to get this track recorded without his startled beagle input. That's bassist J.B. Faires carrying the Charlie Poole lead. | ||
| Malinda (L) (D) 3:10 -- From the "Shoe Box Collection" of Mildred Plummer (1915-1999) of Rosemont, IL. Mildred had a shoe box full of song lyrics in the form of letters exchanged between her parent generation relatives. That's Bish in the lead singing a melody adapted from "Liza Jane" as that tune was played on the fiddle by Lester Brittin (1909-2003) of LeRoy, IL. |
Cora Dye
(G) 2:08 -- From a 1976 field recording of Jim Reed (1902-1985) of rural Benton, IL. Cora Dye was a local Benton fiddler and friend of Jim's who played this nameless tune which eventually became known to other area fiddlers by her name, pronounced in southern Illinois dialect as "Cory" Dye. This is on the Indian Creek Delta Boys album (Davis Unlimited, Vol. 2) as "Corn Dye" in the liner notes and as "Cory Dye" on the record label; typos introduced by the printer. | ||
| Charlie, He's a Fine Old Man (Am) 2:12 -- From Harvey "Pappy" Taylor (1898-1991) of Effingham, IL. Despite the similarity in the tune title, this one apparently is not related to the melody attributed to "Charlie, He's a Good Old Man," as recorded by various individuals and groups, including our pickin' buds the IL-MO Boys. "Fine" or "Good" -- what a difference a mere adjective can make. (fdl. AEAE) |
Waterbound (L) (A) 3:08 -- A bit of debate seems to exist as to whether this is a Fields Ward or a Roscoe Holcomb song. We decided to leave such academics to the musicologists and just turn it into an Airtight song. "Walker's Ford" is on our local Embarass ("Am-braw") River, about 10 miles downstream from the Airtight bridge, and definitely not in North Carolina. (fdl. AEAE) | ||
| Plum Pudding (L) (G) 3:30 -- By the late David Danner (1950-2001) and wife Victoria around 1994. Fittingly, Jesse takes the lead on this one as it was co-written by his father. The round close-out was Bish's idea and seemed a nice cherry on top for such a sweet confection of a song. |
Cuckoo's Nest (D) 2:31 -- via Ed Haley. Here Airtight makes musical history by being joined by "the other" Harrison brother, Terry. This is Terry's first appearance on any commercial recording and we couldn't be more proud to claim the honor. His unique 2-fingered style on the banjo contrasts nicely with Steve's lower register clawhammer while he plays an intricate duet with the fiddle. | ||
| Shell Corn (A) 2:50 -- Another gift from Pappy Taylor, the tune would seem to be related to "Sheep Shell Corn by the Rattling of its Horn," but is from so far back in Pappy's repertoire (1940s) and with enough unique nuances to claim its own place as a traditional variation. The band here is an impromptu reprise of the Indian Creek Delta Boys in a configuration of that venerable oldtime stringband that hasn't been heard for about 25 years. Garry Harrison (fdl.), Chirps Smith (mand.), John Bishop (gtr.), Steve Harrison (bjo.). |
Hand Me Down My Walking Cane (L) (G) 2:54 -- PD (c. 1865). Other than the Skillet Lickers, we've only heard soloist versions of the song, so coming up with a band version has been a fun adventure all the way. That's Steve in the lead. With his seniority, we figured he'd know more about walking canes than any of the young'ens. | ||
| Grey Cat on a Tennessee Farm (L) (D) 3:16 -- By Uncle Dave Macon. After much collective experience on Midwestern farms, and with a bit of reflection, we changed it from "porter..." (as cited in more than one interpretation) to "poultry" [in the yard] in the third verse. We even consulted with some rawboned prairie farmers and can report that none could remember ever seeing a baggage porter lounging about outside. But poultry in the yard? Oh, yeah. Common as a big can of lard. Steve takes the reins on this one. |
Dixon's Hornpipe (A) 2:58 -- Another gem from Harry Jones, one of Pappy Taylor's close friends. Harry was every bit the equal of Pappy as a fiddler (read: "VERY good") and as a rare tune source. And nothing could make reintroducing a new rarity more special than to be joined by former Indian Creek Delta Boys champion fiddler Garry Harrison doing a high-low fiddle duet with Bish. One for the vault. | ||
| Wolves in the Woods (Am) 2:20 -- From Ray Alden's excellent "Young Fogies, Vol. 2" album as played by the Double Eagle String Band. Easily the scariest waltz in our inventory. J.B's bowed bass never fails to put the hair up on our arms. |
Won't Get Drunk No More (L) (G) 2:55 -- We got this version from the Indian Creek Delta Boys "Antiques, Primitives and Collectables" cassette album. Sung with a good bit of tongue-in-cheek, we couldn't resist a wee drop of levity in the finale. |