Vetsorn - Posted - 06/23/2018:  10:17:31

So, apparently when Wade Ward was being recorded by Eric H. Davidson for the Folkways records, the name of two tunes got confused.

Lost Indian was mixed up with what we now know as Half-shaved, that familiar and great tune usually played out of eCGCD.

This makes sense when you listen to for example fiddlers playing Lost Indian, even though it's very different from how Wade Ward played Lost Indian (aka. Half-Shaved), it's still quite similar. Searching around for what is claimed to be the "real" half-shaved though, I couldn't find any recordings of Wade playing anything other than what is claimed to be Lost Indian mislabeled as Half-shaved. However, I did find these two talented gentlemen playing a tune they claim to be the real Half-Shaved, a very different tune from the other one, but still obviously in a "Wardian" style:

youtube.com/watch?v=LBthRMZRGqI&

youtube.com/watch?v=ZFvHnllw2_c

Where can I find a recording of Wade playing this tune? Did anyone ever record him playing it? And also, does anyone have any opinions on this whole mislabeling business?

Edited by - Vetsorn on 06/23/2018 10:18:09

janolov - Posted - 06/23/2018:  11:18:06

Here WW is playing and talking about Half Shaved: youtube.com/watch?v=pyKHL1IMpxo

Here is another recorded by WW: youtube.com/watch?v=rGZRsfiz6qM

???????In both videos the title is introduced as Half-Shaved/Lost Indian, so I think this is one of the tunes that have several different names.

janolov - Posted - 06/23/2018:  11:46:29

Here it is also labeled "Half Shaved N*****":  youtube.com/watch?v=WT6f1hQakIo

According ti the discussion in this video: "Wade Ward later called this tune 'Half Shaved' on his recordings for Eric Davidson (Folkways Smithsonian) and John Cohen (High Atmosphere LP & CD - Rounder). According to Fields Ward he also played another tune called 'Half Shaved...' and confused the titles at those sessions. (Source: Mike Yates' Far In The Mountains CD collection of Old Time Music) (the other 'Half Shaved' appears on that CD set, and on the Heritage album ' Old Five String , vol 1 ' as played by Paul Brown & Fields Ward. Harold Hausenfluck also recorded it, and I think it is still on Youtube somewhere.?"

Edited by - janolov on 06/23/2018 11:54:07

RG - Posted - 06/23/2018:  14:48:53

The tale of this tune is very confusing, every recording I have of Wade Ward playing "Half Shaved" (as played on High Atmosphere) including a field recording from August 1958, is the same, the tune that people now call "Lost Indian."  Wade relates that he got the tune from his brother Crockett Ward (b. 1872) who in turn got it from Wva...so the tune that Wade is playing is undoubtedly an old tune.  That being said, Dent Wimmer (who lived close enough to Wade Ward), played a tune called "Half Shaved N*****" that is the tune played by both Pat and Frankie in the videos you posted...and Harold Hausenfluck also attributes the Conte/Basile tune to Ward and Dimmer as well....so, the waters still remain muddy.  

To further compound things, I also have a field recording of Wylie Richmond from WVa playing a tune he called "Half Shaved N*****", that is clearly Oscar Wright's (Princeton WVa) tune that Oscar called "Sandy River."

I suspect that the tune Pat and Frankie play is the "real" "Half Shaved N*****"...

If anyone would know, it would be Pat or Frankie...

Edited by - RG on 06/23/2018 14:51:21

banjo bill-e - Posted - 06/23/2018:  15:33:42

Well, if any tune needed a new name, the original Half Shaved certainly is at the top of that list. I'll stick with Lost Indian. Hey, if its' good enough for WW, it's good enough for me.

RG - Posted - 06/23/2018:  19:49:45

Yes, the tune name is unfortunate, but it's a great tune (both of them) and most likely from a Black music origin...Wade Ward never called the tune that he played on High Atmosphere "Lost Indian" to my knowledge...

Edited by - RG on 06/23/2018 19:51:35

Vetsorn - Posted - 06/24/2018:  05:20:09

Thanks to everyone for your informative answers. Regardless of the what the tunes are named, the core of my quest is really just trying to find out if Wade Ward ever was recorded playing that "other" half-shaved, the modal one. It seems from your answers he wasn't. The closest seem to be that recording with Paul Brown & Fields Ward that Janolov mentioned, so I'll guess I'll hunt that recording down.

I did find Harold Hausenfluck playing it though, so three versions in total should be enough to try to learn it :)

Here is the Harold recording if anyone is interested:

fieldrecorder.bandcamp.com/tra...nt-wimmer

Edited by - Vetsorn on 06/24/2018 05:20:44

RG - Posted - 06/24/2018:  12:59:51

Harold plays both Wade's and Dent Wimmer's version on that Field Recorders release...

Chris Berry - Posted - 06/25/2018:  13:36:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by RG

Yes, the tune name is unfortunate, but it's a great tune (both of them) and most likely from a Black music origin...Wade Ward never called the tune that he played on High Atmosphere "Lost Indian" to my knowledge...

---

Rick, on the "Round the Heart of Old Galax" County LP set there's a recording of Ward playing the eCGCD tune and it's labeled "Lost Indian." I don't remember if it's Library of Congress or one of the unissued recordings he made for Okeh? (might be misremembering label). I'll have to look when I get home.

RG - Posted - 06/25/2018:  20:17:53

Mr. Chris,



As my hero Ed McMahon would say "I did not know that..."



Thanks for pointing that out, I have that LP somewhere around here too, I had never encountered that, is there a recorded version of Wade playing the Conte/Basile "Half Shaved" anywhere? That I haven't encountered...



Wade talks about the tune he plays on "High Atmosphere", wonder were the mix-up occurred...

Chris Berry - Posted - 06/26/2018:  19:30:41

quote:

---

Originally posted by RG

Mr. Chris,



As my hero Ed McMahon would say "I did not know that..."



Thanks for pointing that out, I have that LP somewhere around here too, I had never encountered that, is there a recorded version of Wade playing the Conte/Basile "Half Shaved" anywhere? That I haven't encountered...



Wade talks about the tune he plays on "High Atmosphere", wonder were the mix-up occurred...

---

As best I can figure, the "Lost Indian" on the "Galax" set is a Library of Congress recording from 1941; it's definitely not one of the unissued pieces he recorded for OKeh in 1925.

RG - Posted - 06/26/2018:  21:05:34

Interesting Chris... still wonder where the names got mixed up... on that field recording I have from August 1958, the eCGCD tune is titled "Half Shaved", guess Wade decided to call it something else... haha! They're both great tunes to play...

Dan Gellert - Posted - 06/27/2018:  07:55:00

Lucas Pasley recorded the "original":

store.cdbaby.com/cd/lucaspasley

RG - Posted - 06/27/2018:  10:35:32

Thanks for the link Dan, I'll check out Lucas' version.  I've been mixing both Wade's version as played by Harold with Dent Wimmer's version, and even though they're in different tunings, it still works since the tunings share 3 strings common...fun tune to play...