JanetB - Posted - 09/02/2013:  15:24:20

Over a year ago I learned Catlettsburg 3-finger style from the fiddling of Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley.  He had learned it from listening to Ed Haley as a youngster.  I'm playing it now in double C tuning and find it's easier.

You can read about what J.P. Fraley said about Ed Haley in this link, including these quotes about Catlettsburg, the Kentucky town where the Haley's settled:  oldtimeparty.wordpress.com/201...ed-haley/

"See, Catlettsburg was a jumping off place, I call it, for loggers and coal miners and rousters and so forth, and they was always some musicians in them. And Ed had this ability – he couldn’t read – but he had an ear like nobody’s business. If he heard a tune and liked it, he’d play it and he’d just figure out his own way to do it.”

See, Ed has become more or less of a legend now…and rightfully so. His range was from, say, Portsmouth, Ohio to Ashland, Catlettsburg, and up to Charleston, West Virginia. I think he was at Columbus, Ohio, and then he went to the world’s fair. He played consistently up and down the river. He made good money on the boats.”

Ed Haley (1885 - 1951) and his wife were both professional musicians, and both were blind.  He was originally from West Virginia and raised his family in Catlettsburg.

Catlettsburg (CH)

Catlettsburg (CH) tab

Catlettsburg

dbrooks - Posted - 09/02/2013:  16:18:31

Another really fine effort, Janet.  I am adding this tune to my "next tune" list.  I've always liked it but never got around to making it a priority -- before now.

David

J-Walk - Posted - 09/02/2013:  16:55:00

Excellent, Janet.

I've loved this tune from the first time I heard Adam Hurt's recording. I can play it, but not like you.  I need to work on it some more.

Paul Roberts - Posted - 09/02/2013:  18:03:23

It took me a while to realize the second one was picking. Both versions have a real nice feel to them. You're really making the banjo sing.

Edited by - Paul Roberts on 09/02/2013 18:04:02

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  05:46:15

Thanks, David, John, and Paul.  That's nice what you've said about the clawed versus the picked version, Paul.  My instinctive method is to play the melody without adding much in the way of extra syncopation or rhythms, so I can see why they'd sound alike.

I've discovered that amazon has 3 collections of Ed Haley's you can download for $8.99 each.  They're under a set of collections called "The Fiddlers of Country Music."  Perhaps all of the tunes are also on the Slippery Hill site, but I haven't checked that out yet.  Here's a link to Volumes 5, 6, and 7 with Catlettsburg on track 45:  amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?ur...+ed+haley  

SCclawman - Posted - 09/03/2013:  06:19:09

Janet,

I'm loving my new life with our 11 week old girl. It's been an absolute blast. BUT, you are killing me with your posts of all these songs. I really miss learning and recording, but you know I wouldn't trade it for the world. But seriously, you make me want to run home and pick up a banjo and learn a song every time you post. You have a knack for picking wonderful songs to learn. I think that's what's so amazing. I can't ever remember you recording a song you picked to learn, and not liked it.

Always a pleasure to hear you play. Just like DBrooks said above, I'll have to add this one to my "next tune" list -- which is starting to get really long and filled up with a lot of your tunes.

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  06:25:06

Thanks, Travis.  Your comments are like little Lottie's warm fuzzy blanket.  Have you posted any pictures of her on BHO?  Do you sing her to sleep?  What's her favorite song? 

SCclawman - Posted - 09/03/2013:  07:46:11

Hey Janet,

I don't want to hi-jack the thread of your awesome tune, but here are some pictures

We went to the mountains for labor day. Picked some apples, set up a hammock below a waterfall, played banjo in the shining rock wilderness near the top of Black Balsam mountain, and had a great time overall!

As far as singing her to sleep, I have put her to sleep playing the piano, banjo, and guitar. When I play the fiddle, she is entranced and just stares, probably b/c it sounds so bad...haha!

Moore Cove Falls

10 weeks old

daughter and banjo

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  17:27:48

I'm glad you posted family photos, Travis.  The tune Catlettsburg is named for the town where Ed Haley raised his family.

 Kit and I wrote a tune for Smartsville that is named after the town we live in where we put on our own little festival to raise money for an old church restoration project.  It's where our family visits us and makes new memories.  Just this Labor Day we went hiking here, climbed boulders, caught a crawdad, frog, and fish, found numerous good pine cones with pine nuts, and danced to some silly piano music.

 Maybe you'll write a tune called Moore Cove Falls to recall your good memories.

Smartsville Waltz

Smartsville Pioneer Day, 2012

Climbing through the chimney

Harlan's Cave entrance

MrManners - Posted - 09/03/2013:  17:31:49

been kicking it around a couple years myself,john hartford is where i got onto it,John had 2 cds of all Ed Hayley,good job as always Janet

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  17:35:58

Thanks, Tom.  I really appreciate John Hartford for that, plus he introduced us to Laurence Haley, who may be the boy in the picture at the top here.  I'm happy I found the downloadable links to Ed Haley.  Those must have been where John learned his tunes from since Ed Haley died in 1951.

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  17:36:00

Thanks, Tom.  I really appreciate John Hartford for that, plus he introduced us to Laurence Haley, who may be the boy in the picture at the top here.  I'm happy I found the downloadable links to Ed Haley.  Those must have been where John learned his tunes from since Ed Haley died in 1951.

JanetB - Posted - 09/03/2013:  19:50:49

What I meant to say before I posted twice and hurriedly went to fix dinner was that John Hartford wrote, "Our Haley sources were his family,  Mark Wilson and Gus Meade's great notes on the original Parkersburg Landing album, and tune lists such as the Berea Lists (Thanks to Steve Green) and the Lambert Collection (Thanks to Brandon Kirk)."  

I think Mac Benford is another picker who has immersed himself in Ed Haley tunes.  Adam Hurt does a great job interpreting his tunes, too.  I plan to listen to them more, also.

Laurence Diehl - Posted - 09/03/2013:  21:02:44

What a pretty tune! You sure can pick them.

JanetB - Posted - 09/05/2013:  07:08:31

Thanks, Laurence.  When I explore Ed Haley's repertoire and you do the Beatles' we're in a huge and rich cavern.  Hope to hear more Beatles from you.  

SCclawman - Posted - 09/07/2013:  12:20:19

janet,

I'm on day one of our family beach vacation, and i'm spending my first moments learning this song...i'm in heaven! Thanks for the tab to make things easier and quicker! My playing is RUSTY!!!! i hit that 7th fret correctly about 10% of the time...oh well!!! still having a blast....

love this tune.

dbrooks - Posted - 09/08/2013:  08:49:36

After I started working on this tune following Janet's lead, I got intrigued by Adam Hurt's version (and who isn't intrigued by Adam?).  I have tabbed out what I hear in Adam's version (minus his variations in the tune).  The A part is quite similar to Janet's arrangement though the last two measures (in the repeat endings) have some significant differences.  The B part also has some differences.  I offer this as an alternative to Janet's fine arrangement.  Thank you, Janet, for getting this great tune into our working list.

David Brooks

Clawhammer tab eBooks for Kindle

amazon.com/author/dbrooks

 

Catlettsburg - after Adam Hurt