EggerRidgeBoy - Posted - 01/06/2018: 16:31:13
Today's Tune of the Week is Katie Fetch the Soap Home, chosen simply because the title spoke to me - I spent the past several days visiting family, and my ten-year-old niece enlisted me to help her train her new dog. As the dog's name is Katie, I both used and heard the words "Katie, fetch!" countless times over the past week.
The tune comes from us from Estill Bingham, of Pineville, Kentucky, in the southeastern corner of the state. The youngest of 13 children, Estill was born in 1899 and died in a car accident in 1990 at age 91. He started learning fiddle at the age of seven and was initially taught gospel tunes to prevent 'rowdy behavior'. He is said to have learned Katie Fetch the Soap Home from his father, Noah. He was recorded by Bruce Green near the end of his life, and several of his tunes became popular in old-time circles.
Here is Bruce's recording of Estill playing the tune: http://slippery-hill.com/recor...-soap-home
Other recordings:
Silasbanjo (solo banjo): youtube.com/watch?v=PZJFuiHdZVE
Blue Nose Mule (band): youtube.com/watch?v=81WQavgr5bc
Gwen Caeli (dulcimer): youtube.com/watch?v=N6-Xrs4lkDU
Banjo tab by Maya Whitmont can be found on the Mossyrood site: stringband.mossyroof.com/Katie..._Home.png
Edited by - EggerRidgeBoy on 01/06/2018 16:34:15
Tamarack - Posted - 01/07/2018: 20:49:04
Very fun tune -- I had never heard of the tune or the fiddler. It lends itself well to dulcimer, as Gwen Caeli's version shows,
JanetB - Posted - 01/08/2018: 23:54:46
Three in a row, Bret! This one is a nice, upbeat dance tune. Estill Bingham was known for his "treasure trove" of rare and unusual tunes, but this one seems easier and reminds me of Flop-Eared Mule. Another one of his tunes, Cookhouse Joe, was a past TOTW. If you have Jeff Titon's book Old-Time Fiddle Tunes of Kentucky you can see a nice photo of him on page 199. I liked Maya's tab and memorized it, because you need to look at up the neck to quickly get to the 9th fret several times.
