un5trung - Posted - 10/31/2010:  12:30:10

Roustabout

There are two variants of this tune. One version was popularized by Fred Cockerham from volume two of the famed Clawhammer Banjo series from County Records. A second is taken from Cilff Endress’ 1970 recording of Josh Thomas, from Hollins VA.

Recordings

Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. 2 – Fred Cockerham
Label: County Records

Black Banjo #8232;Songsters Of North #8232;Carolina & #8232;Virginia – Dink Roberts
Smithsonian Folkways

Banjo Gathering – Bruce Molsky (a-DAC#E)
Rounder Records

For this version see also:
oldtimebanjofestival.com/mp3s/...about.mp3

Old Time Banjo – Allen Hart
Voyager Records
Notes :
[Key of C: banjo - gDGBD] with bones. I was given a set of CDs recorded by Cliff Edress in 1970, in Hollins, Virginia by my friend Kerry Blech. What a treasure set of recordings by African American player Josh Thomas there three hours of recordings are and I want to thank Cliff for making them available. Josh's clawhammer style on Roustabout is unique and creates a wonderful drone by alternating back and forth on the fifth and third strings. Clif Ervin is accompanying me on the bones and I'm playing the Okie Adams 20-pounder on this tune.


Tuning

gCGA#D
Zepp, who categorizes it as a G minor variant. Taken from Mike Seeger, “who gives his source as "Josh Thomas of Hollins, VA, an exceptional blind black banjo picker and singer", who was recorded in 1970 by Cliff Endress.”
zeppmusic.com/banjo/aktuning.htm

a-DAC#E
Bruce Molsky on Banjo Gathering

gDGBD
Allen Hart on Old Time Banjo

Tabs

Bob Carlin, Banjo Newsletter 419, Sept. 2008.

Phil Sparks, Nashville Old-Time Sting Band Association, May 2009
I have a PDF of this newsletter and will send it to anyone who emails me at raharris@yahoo.com


YouTube

tinyurl.com/2cjpbyv
On a gourd banjo by Bob Thornburg
boscoheja

tinyurl.com/27p2xu3
Mike Seeger at the Old Time Banjo Festival 2009 at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, VA.
CommunityMusic

tinyurl.com/27k2ze6
“My attempt to play Fred Cockerham's version of this tune...”
bilbo60

tinyurl.com/24m4tog
On a fretless banjo
jonmusgrave


BHO

Roustabout on Round Peak style Goodtime banjo
tinyurl.com/2f5wrkw

Tuning/Playing Used for Josh Thomas' Roustabout
tinyurl.com/2dbca6f

Soundoff
tinyurl.com/23r53r2

banjohangout.org/myhangout/m

Edited by - un5trung on 10/31/2010 13:11:56

LyleK - Posted - 10/31/2010:  14:04:08

Great pick! Re: the Nashville Old-Time String Band Association newsletters, those are all available at: nashvilleoldtime.org/Newslette...dex.shtml

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 10/31/2010:  15:46:08

Great tune. And I'm glad to see you included a version with bones...very appropriate for Hallowe'en (though a whole skeleton might have been better for that).

Chadbanjo - Posted - 10/31/2010:  16:01:08

"For this version see also:
oldtimebanjofestival.com/mp3s/...about.mp3

Old Time Banjo – Allen Hart
Voyager Records
Notes :
[Key of C: banjo - gDGBD] with bones. I was given a set of CDs recorded by Cliff Edress in 1970, in Hollins, Virginia by my friend Kerry Blech. What a treasure set of recordings by African American player Josh Thomas there three hours of recordings are and I want to thank Cliff for making them available. Josh's clawhammer style on Roustabout is unique and creates a wonderful drone by alternating back and forth on the fifth and third strings. Clif Ervin is accompanying me on the bones and I'm playing the Okie Adams 20-pounder on this tune."


Bones?....



EDIT: Never mind. I did a bit of searching, I thought you were referring to the recording above I had in the quote. Cool, people play bones, whoda thunk

I prefer Cockerhams version, such a flow to it. I'd like to attempt it in standard tuning.

Edited by - Chadbanjo on 10/31/2010 17:06:17

srselby - Posted - 10/31/2010:  18:28:38

I play it in straight gDGbd tuning and it falls straight out. Also a good one for fretless. I have modified the first verse:

Where did you get them high topped shoes,
And that dress that you wear so fine?
Got my shoes from Jimmy Choo's,
And my dress from Kalvin Klein.

Oh, hop high! Hop high! Hop high consumer girl..." etc.

vrteach - Posted - 11/01/2010:  08:57:21

Great song, distinctively different. I remember trying to do it some justice years ago, but never quite got there.

Here is another interesting YouTube version, Rick Ceballos on akonting and clogging by Kristin Bolton

youtube.com/watch?v=wdfStGWeSLk&NR=1

PS, sorry about my confusing mess-up with the totw this weekend.

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 11/01/2010:  09:05:48

quote:

---

Originally posted by vrteach

Great song, distinctively different. I remember trying to do it some justice years ago, but never quite got there.

Here is another interesting YouTube version, Rick Ceballos on akonting and clogging by Kristin Bolton

youtube.com/watch?v=wdfStGWeSLk&NR=1

PS, sorry about my confusing mess-up with the totw this weekend.

---

ScottK - Posted - 11/02/2010:  17:04:13

A few more interesting renditions of Fred Cockerham's version of Roustabout are on Joe Newberry's Two Hands CD, Dyad's Who's Been Here Since I've Been Gone CD, and Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg's Farewell Trion CD.

Speaking of Chris Coole and Clif Ervin in the same thread, you can see a video of Clif playing bones with Chris on banjo at Midwest Banjo Camp '08 here:

youtube.com/watch?v=lnUjERsFLlo

Scott

XXXris - Posted - 11/02/2010:  19:49:31

Some other versions just to keep the list going:

Dan Tate on Ray Alden's "Visits (the Old Timers)"
Dent Wimmer on "Old Originals"
The Fuzzies, on "Summer Oaks & Porch"

I can't get over Cockerham's version though....maybe one of the best OT recordings of all.

Richard - Posted - 11/03/2010:  08:26:56

i was just playing this tonight, trying Cockerham's version, but doesn't he have the D tuned down to a C (gCGBD) ?
i love his version - it's advanced and primitive at the same time, and just blows me away.

Richard

Chadbanjo - Posted - 11/03/2010:  08:34:19

Just about to ask the same question, Richard. Is Cockerhams version of Roustabout standard tuning with D dropped lower? Reading about, I see that his Long steel rail is gGGbd . the 4 string is an octave lower then the third. Similar tunes..same tuning?

un5trung - Posted - 11/03/2010:  08:50:12

More from Zepp:

gCGBD
"Standard-C", "Single-C", "Drop-C","C-tuning"
Used to be one of the most widely used banjo tunings, and is a "standard" in bluegrass as well as old-time music. C-tuning was the basis for most of the 19th century banjo methods and the written banjo literature. Nowadays, many old-time pickers use "Double-C" for tunes that were formerly more often heard in "Standard-C" (e.g. Mississippi Sawyer, Soldier's Joy, Arkansas Traveler, Turkey in the Straw, to name a few in the canon). Tuned up to D, this becomes aDAC#E.
Just a few examples: Wade Reedy, Old Jimmy Sutton ("High Atmosphere"). Buell Kazee, Black Jack Davy ("Buell Kazee"). Hobart Smith, Cindy; John Greer's Tune; Soldier's Joy ("Hobart Smith of Saltville, Va."). Fred Cockerham, Roustabout ("Clawhammer Banjo vol 2"). Dock Boggs, Turkey in the Straw ("Dock Boggs Vol 3"). Pete Seeger, Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase; Hard, Ain't It Hard ( "How to Play...").

Joe Newberry - Posted - 11/03/2010:  17:04:10

I did a version of Roustabout on my solo project "Two Hands" a few years back.

Joe Newberry - Posted - 11/03/2010:  19:37:49

My Roustabout here... banjohangout.org/myhangout/mus...?id=17376

Chadbanjo - Posted - 11/03/2010:  21:23:04

Thanks un5trung, and awesome take Joe. Man oh man. More I explore this tune, it seems a feller needs to be proficient at drop thumb to make a decent go at it....that i'm not. Gona have to get serious with some drop thumb exercises..i love this tune.

un5trung - Posted - 11/04/2010:  07:20:30

Now that's one real nice version of Roustabout, Joe. Love the sound of your banjo too -- is that the Enoch?


And kudos on Old Reuben as well -- I love that tune. Are any of your pieces on the BHO jukebox?

janolov - Posted - 11/04/2010:  23:47:31

Talking about banjos and Roustabout, Mike Seeger plays Josh Thomas Roustabout on a gut strings gourd (?) banjo, but he told on the Southern Banjo Sound DVD that Josh Thomas used steel strings on a resonator banjo.

Uncle Sinner - Posted - 11/05/2010:  07:23:26

I once tried using Mike Seeger's banjo part together with Dink Roberts' version:

youtube.com/watch?v=iRhSiCYtRmk

Maybe not that successful, but it was fun to try. I sent it to Mike (who had generously allowed me to record JTR without having to pay royalties, provided I credited my source). I'm not sure if it was due to that or not, but he started playing Roustabout more akin to Dink Roberts (esp. the break) shortly after:

youtube.com/watch?v=xT_meLvu_P...e=related

I do a straighter version of JTR on my cd. It's in my juke box.

Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 11/05/2010:  09:12:35

Here's Mike Seeger doing this tune on gourd banjo: youtube.com/watch?v=udSxPjk9EVw