Adam Kiesling - Posted - 06/01/2012:  13:43:38

Some of my favorite old-time fiddle tunes and bands are from Mississippi. It seems to me that that there is a wide range of styles present in the 78s that were recorded by Mississippi bands in the Twenties and Thirties, and quite a few of those bands recorded some pretty squirrely tunes.

Both County Records and Document have released two volumes each of Mississippi string bands (I recommend both of 'em), and include music from Floyd (Hoyt) Ming and His Pep Steppers, Narmour and Smith, Carter Brothers and Son, The Leake County Revelers, and, probably my favorite, Freeny's Barn Dance Band.

Freeny's Barn Dance Band hailed from Freeny, Mississippi in the central part of the state around Leake County, and consisted of cousins Leslie Freeny and Hendrix Freeny on fiddles, Carlton Freeny on the tenor banjo, Cleveland Freeny on the mando, and neighbor Fonzo Cannon on the guitar. They recorded six sides in Jackson, Mississippi on December 16, 1930 for the Okeh label.

Here's their version of Sullivan's Hollow:

youtube.com/watch?v=7lkzVleF66c

According to the liner notes of Document DOCD-8009, Mississippi String Bands, Volume 1, "Sullivan's Hollow" was named for somewhat rough area near Lorena in Smith County. Apparently there were many ghost stories told about Sullivan's Hollow, and Carlton Freeny said, "As a kid, I used to be afraid to go through the area." Courtesy of Harold Maurer, here's some more info about the area and one of the Sullivan's who lived there during the Civil War era. There's also Harold's banjo version of Sullivan's Hollow as well: haroldmaurer.net/id12.html

Here's what the Fiddler's Companion has to say:

SULLIVAN'S HOLLOW. Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, Mississippi. D Major. Standard tuning. AA’B. The recording by the twin-fiddle Freeny’s Barn Dance Band, the original source for the tune, has been called by Tony Russell (1973) “one of the greatest stringband recordings ever made.” Although often rendered in the key of ‘D’, it is also played in the key of ‘C’. Sullivan's Hollow was a place near Lorena, Smith County (south of Scott County, south of Leake County), Mississippi, a part of the Bienville National Forest. It was a rough-and-tumble hill community for many years during and after the Civil War, as captured by Ann R. Hammons, author of Wild Bill Sullivan—King of the Hollow. She describes “the bloodiest fight the Hollow ever knew" (pg. 65), a mid-19^th century battle that began after Wild Bill Sullivan had whipped Gabe Chain in a fight. In retaliation Chain determined to kill Bill’s brother, Neece, at Shiloh Church in Covington County, and enlisted the aid of some friends in the venture. They attacked Neece, who was accompanied by his friends Frank Gibbeons and Dan Hathorn at the spring near the church and a bloody fight ensued in which Gabe Chain himself was killed.  During the fight another of the Chain gang slumped to the ground, and was asked by one of his comrades whether he was hurt much, a question answered by Dan Hathorn who said, “You damn right he is hurt. He is dead as hell.” Hathorn saved Neece Sullivan by pulling two guns and warning the others that, "If you touch him, you are dead men."

***

Despite the fact that Bill Sullivan was proclaimed ‘king’ of Sullivan’s Hollow, Dan Hathorn appears to have been an individual to be reckoned with. He appears again in Hammons’ book on page 99:

***

Many acts of violence occurred at the sawmill at Bunker Hill.  This sawmill,

a sash mill, was first erected by Francis Marion Howell and Wiley Sullivan. 

At one time, when a man named Eaton attempted to kill his brother‑in‑law,

Hathorn, to obtain possession of it, Eaton stabbed Hathorn three times in the

back, and two shots were put through his chest by a man named Yawn who

accompanied Eaton. While Eaton was stabbing him, Hathorn seized his own

pistol and shot Eaton through the heart and killed him.  Hathorn recovered

from his wounds and lived eighteen years after this incident.

***

Some see similarities with the Irish jig “Out on the Ocean [1].” Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; pg. 234. County Records 3514, Freeny's Barn Dance Band ‑ "Mississippi String Bands, vol. 2: Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi." OKeh 45508 (78 RPM), 1930, Freeny's Barn Dance Band (twin fiddle band from Leake County, Mississippi). Philo Records, Kenny Hall. Rounder 0132, Bob Carlin ‑ "Fiddle Tunes for Clawhammer Banjo" (1980).

Sullivan's Hollow is one of my favorite tunes on which to play some back-up guitar, even though there's not too much going on for the rhythm instruments. I guess those are the tunes I enjoy backing up the most :)  

I don't have any tab, but I did find some notation at the old time fiddle tune site (pdf link): mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/tunes/su...ollow.pdf

I've also included my version that I played on my Menzies tackhead.

Sullivan's Hollow

rickhayes - Posted - 06/01/2012:  14:25:14

Never heard that one.  Kind of has an unusual flow to it that I can't quite wrap my head around.  Very nicely played.

RG - Posted - 06/01/2012:  18:49:07

Have played this tune at some local jams, it's a good one!

aeroweenie - Posted - 06/01/2012:  19:42:06

Great tune, I've never heard it before.  Your playing is very nice, I love the sound of the Menzies.  What key/tuning are you playing it in?  The Freeny's version you linked to on youtube is very helpful for getting a feel for the tune.

Edited by - aeroweenie on 06/01/2012 19:44:18

Adam Kiesling - Posted - 06/02/2012:  07:14:35

Thanks for the kind words!

I'm playing this in double C, but it's tuned way down. Most of the fiddlers I play it with play it in D, but it sounds like C on the 78 record...I'm guessing that the fiddle was tuned down.

Tamarack - Posted - 06/02/2012:  08:54:28

New tune to me too. Nice old-time vibe with some quirks.

I'd love to learn the tune, but I'm gonna stay far away from the actual Sullivan's Hollow! Not the kind of place where decent folk would go.

ScottK - Posted - 06/02/2012:  09:04:41

Good choice and great write-up, Adam!  Great picking, too!

I learned Sullivan's Hollow from Rayna Gellert's playing on the Uncle Earl She Waits for Night CD after one of my local jam buddies picked it up off of there.   That version is a little slower with Dirk Powell playing some accordian accompaniment.  I only later heard the Freeny's Barn Dance Band version.  It was interesting working out the timing on this one.  It ended up being one of the few tunes I play where I use a brush-skip with the thumb picking the first string.

Thanks for the heads-up about those Document collections of Mississippi string band recordings.  I have the County collections, but didn't know about the Document collections.  That County collection is probably my favorite compilation recording. 

Scott

janolov - Posted - 06/02/2012:  09:05:18

It is a very nice tune. It is a little crooked and the extra inserted phrases give an extra dimension to the tune.

We have a terrible weather today (rain and below 40 *F) so I have dedicated the whole day to Sullivan's Hollow. Sullivan's Hollow is in the Milliner - Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes, which I got a month ago, and it helped me figure out the tune.

I have put a tab in the tab archive (go to the letter S and scroll down to Sullivan's Hollow). It is my own version and is based on what I here in the Freeny's Barn Dance Band's recording.

Banjowik - Posted - 06/03/2012:  04:26:27

Great tune, and great timing for this title of tune!
My wife and I recently (only three months ago) became parents for the first time
And we named our son, Sullivan. He has so far been raised on a steady diet of old time music,
I even took my banjo in to the hospital and played to him in his first days.
I've been looking for a tune to become his and I think this one will fit nicely!!
Thanks goes to you Adam for your tune selection and informative write up.
I look forward to learning this tune in the coming days and playing it to and one day with my son.

Just a query, when I listened to the Freeny version of the tune, it was instantly familiar, does anyone
know of an alternate name for the tune, I have a recording of this tune but it must be under another name.
Not knowing the name means it is lost somewhere in my rather large collection of old time music in the dark corners of my iPod. I know one day it will reveal itself as I often set it to play randomly but unless I can get this other name i'll have to wait, with baited.......ears!

hendrid - Posted - 06/03/2012:  07:22:05

If anyone is interested a version of the sheet music is on the Old Timey Fiddle Tunes site about half way down the menu.  Don

mne.psu.edu/lamancusa/tunes.htm

JanetB - Posted - 06/03/2012:  14:07:08

Inspired by Adam's great rendition with help from Link's tab, here's my slow version on a Gold Tone mini.  Dick Kimmel's Sullivan's Hollow has always been a favorite on his Fishin' Creek Blues CD.  I'm looking forward to reading all those interesting Mississippi stories included here.

Sullivan's Hollow

rickhayes - Posted - 06/03/2012:  16:48:27

Bit of a different feel to yours Janet but also very nice. 

SCclawman - Posted - 06/04/2012:  06:37:24

Adam and Janet,

That's a new tune to me. Thanks Adam for the great writeup and for the mp3's. I enjoyed listening to both of recordings. Well done!

slc - Posted - 06/04/2012:  09:06:34

Great to hear these versons! I've heard that Freeny recording and it definitely sounds like a C tune - and it works really well and 'naturally' on the fiddle in C too (the G drone sounds great). But I learned it in D 'way back when' so that's the version I'm most comfortable with.



Not long ago I was at one of our semi-regular jam sessions and played it - and nobody knew it! It was such a staple long ago that I was kind of surprised. I thought everybody would dive right in with me but I ended up playing it by myself while everybody tried to work out the parts... So I hope more people play it again - it's a lot of fun.



FWIW here's my version from last year or so:

Sullivan's Hollow

cmic - Posted - 06/04/2012:  10:39:16

slc,  I really love your version. Is this what you call lilt ?

And love the foot thumping too. (argh ! would like to play this way 8-) )

Cheers.

Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 06/04/2012:  10:59:41

I play that tune in C and a buddy of mine made a video of me playing it at the annual competition in Calhoun, GA. I was not in the money that day. Here's my version...

VIDEO: Sullivan's Hollow (click to view)

slc - Posted - 06/04/2012:  11:13:27

Nice, Dean. Do you have any fiddlers who play it in C? It really changes the tune without changing the notes much - if you know what I mean. Besides working it out - sort of - myself, I haven't heard anyone here play it in C.

cmic, Thanks - I do get all 'note-y' when playing solo, thus the 'lilt'. When I play with others it's funny how the playing shifts - seemingly all by itself - to a more 'tick tock' sound (but the thumping is still there!).

Dean-O-Craft - Posted - 06/04/2012:  11:20:21

SLC, My wife is my personal fiddler and she plays it in C. We played it last weekend at Mt. Airy and we were told that the other fiddlers in the group played it in D. My wife is a bit of a music historian and she thinks it was originally played in C... The speed on some of those old records was off a bit, so there is really no telling.

slc - Posted - 06/04/2012:  11:29:58

I think you're right, and I'd love to hear her version! Is it posted anywhere? I told someone local about how the Freeny version must have been in C not D, but they disagreed. They were 'real' fiddlers (I'm a long-time beginner) so they probably knew their stuff. But to me it's almost perfect as a C tune - like where the high notes are placed, and the low drones etc. I've never quite got the feel for C tunes on the banjo - it's always felt like a slack-key version of D - but on the fiddle it makes so much sense there.

LyleK - Posted - 06/04/2012:  11:32:05

Great versions, all! 

Stumbled across this fiddle (5 string) and CH youtube today (and paired with Clyde Davenport's version of "5 miles from Town").

youtube.com/watch?v=hR6UEHzE6V...e=related

Edited by - LyleK on 06/04/2012 11:32:25

cmic - Posted - 06/05/2012:  04:18:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by slc

cmic, Thanks - I do get all 'note-y' when playing solo, thus the 'lilt'.

---

Sorry but what is 'note-y'. I don't get it. (just curious 8-)

Cheers

slc - Posted - 06/05/2012:  06:44:04

cmic - oh, just I play a lot of notes, kind of dress it up a bit, when playing solo. Actually I'm not sure how it adds to 'lilt' but does seem related.

carlb - Posted - 06/05/2012:  11:06:52

If it's any help to any, I wrote a tab in about 1980 and here it is:

direct.hangoutstorage.com/banj...62012.pdf

YorkshireWannabeOldTimer - Posted - 06/06/2012:  03:24:06

I thought that I'd have a go at this tune; I've been trying to thump it out it all week, helped greatly by the excellent versions posted thus far. It's been the tune that has dominated my playing on a banjo that I took delivery of this week, bought on Ebay from another BHO member here in the UK. (The banjo is a 'Big Bottom Special' made by JP Harris: I'm bowled over by it - the UK isn't swimming in quality left-handed banjos, and it's only the second fretted banjo that I've ever played.) So, bringing up the rear...   

Sullivan's Hollow

carlb - Posted - 06/06/2012:  05:24:31

quote:

---

Originally posted by carlb

If it's any help to any, I wrote a tab in about 1980 and here it is:direct.hangoutstorage.com/banj...62012.pdf

---

 Here's my take on it, on a fretless.

Sullivan's Hollow

Mark Johnson - Posted - 06/06/2012:  09:38:39

double whammy! I just love TOTWs that introduce me to new tunes, and TOTWs where people post their own versions...  And I super-love TOTWs where we get both.

Carl, Yorkshire, Dean, SLC, Janet, Adam... great playing all of you.  Double kudos to Adam for making the TOTW.

slc - Posted - 06/06/2012:  23:34:31

An amazing thing just happened! I was digging through my late grandpa's (Paddy O'Curl) old steamer trunk from when he came over from the Green Isle by boat (at least, that's what my granny said - he was so drunk he doesn't remember any part of it, before during OR after), and in it were half a dozen wax cylinders! I was so excited I destroyed the first two by trying to cram them into my CD Player, then finally figured out where I was going wrong and took it to a local flea market to play them. By AMAZING coincidence, the very first song played was - you guess it - Sullivan's Hollow! Pretty much the same except the timing was a wee bit different. Anyway, to get to the point, I present to you my Grandpa Paddy O'Curl's version of Sullivan's Hollow (which he called O'Sullivan's Hollow)!

O'Sullivan's Hollow

JanetB - Posted - 06/08/2012:  07:50:19

Wow, Stefan.  That's miraculous, what a treasure for you and now us!  So it's an imported tune.  Maybe the Sullivan's played it before immigrating to the states.  Your grandfather's version is definitely more lilting and Celtic in feel, and it's also gorgeous.  

slc - Posted - 06/08/2012:  08:13:24

I guess you didn't see the twinkle in my eye when I posted that ;-) - and that makes it one of the nicest compliments ever!

It was all made up - the story, the tune - everything. I hope you'll forgive me!

JanetB - Posted - 06/08/2012:  13:12:18

Shore, I'll forgive you.  Banjo Hangout is full of mischievous, fun-loving boys.  I teach my first grade students to make leprechaun traps every Saint Patrick's Day and leave them golden chocolate kisses during lunch with their traps all messed up.  They think it's the leprechaun.  

I do think you posted most wondrous versions of Sullivan's Hollow.  

banjoike - Posted - 06/09/2012:  13:13:51

Sounds like the song "Sugar in my Coffee" played by Ron Mullennex.  He learned it from the Hammons.