PorterBranch - Posted - 11/03/2023: 03:39:49
This week's TOTW is "Rabbit In The Grass," a tune from Mentone, Alabama fiddler Mack Blalock who, to my knowledge, has no recordings of his own. We get this tune, as we get all known Blalock tunes, from the wonderful James Bryan. It appeared as the first segment of the "Blalock Medley," track B6, on Bryan's album Lookout Blues.
It's entirely different from the Ozark tune of the same name that we get from Bill Driver (coincidentally, that tune has the alternate title of "Soapsuds Splash," while there's another Mack Blalock tune on Lookout Blues entitled "Soapsuds Over The Fence." Neither Blalock tune bears any relation I could find to the Ozark tune in question).
I wasn't able to dig up much on Blalock, and even less on the tune (The Traditional Tune Archive has brief entries on Blalock, here, and the tune, here). Mack Blalock was Bryan's source for many tunes, including the now-famous "Farewell Trion," which Blalock's uncle reportedly wrote upon his return to Mentone. Growing up in NE Alabama near Mentone, Bryan was influenced by the fiddling of Blalock and his family (all noted fiddlers in the region) from a young age. Several of their tunes appear on Lookout Blues, and you can hear Bryan's beautiful playing of Farewell Trion on the terrific album "Bangin' and Sawin'" from Bob Carlin.
In terms of resources for a banjo player, there's very little available for reference. You can find sheet music at The Traditional Tune Archive (about all you'll find on the tune there) and at TaterJoes.com (who incorrectly attributes the tune to Ozark fiddler Bill Driver).
I wrote and uploaded banjo tablature for it, which you can find here.
The only commercially recorded version of the tune I've ever heard is James Bryan's version on Lookout Blues, featuring Tom Jackson's fantastic banjo playing, which you can hear on YouTube.
There's also a great version from Bach Bui and Cameron Dewhitt in a very early episode of Get Up In The Cool that you can listen to here (it's the opening tune so there's no wait, but you should definitely listen to the whole episode after learning this tune!).
Even on YouTube, however, I could find painfully few recordings. Here's a nice mandolin version I found. Played slowly and clearly, so great for learning from if you're not a fan of tabs.
As far as banjo versions go, the only recording I know of is this one that I uploaded to YouTube this morning (unfortunately for y'all). Neither as slow nor as clear than the mandolin version linked above, but it's what I have to offer. I was battling the wind for a decent take, so I apologize for nature's screaming into the microphone at the end of the second/beginning of the third time through.
Thanks, and if anyone has any questions or comments please leave them below! I look forward to hearing y'all's versions of this great tune!
Edited by - PorterBranch on 11/03/2023 06:50:27
JanetB - Posted - 11/04/2023: 19:11:28
I find it exciting, Porter, you uncovered a great James Bryan tune and worked out a tab and recording to share. When I covered Farewell Trion as a TOTW here's what was learned about Mack Blalock: "One reads a short description in the Traditional Tune Archive website that James Bryan learned Farewell Trion from Mack Blaylock (1914 – 1987). They are from the same region near Lookout Mountain in Alabama. Mack learned it from his great-uncle, Joe Blaylock (born 1854) who had worked at the mill in Trion, Georgia but was laid off and went back home to Alabama. The original tune had two parts. James added the third part in the 1980’s." In the first link you can read interesting facts about the mill in Trion where Joe Blaylock worked.
I tried playing this in open G tuning and then decided to try fDGCD, which if capoed up two frets puts it in the key of G. On the cello banjo, as I play here, it isn't in that key, but I liked the tone better tonight.
Being in Alabama yourself, Porter, what more might you know about James Bryan or Mack Blaylock's neck of the woods?
Edited by - JanetB on 11/04/2023 19:12:53
PorterBranch - Posted - 11/06/2023: 03:59:53
Thanks for the reply Janet! Wonderful playing, as always.
As far as their area of Alabama goes, Mentone is sort of like our version of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge in Tennessee (without Dollywood unfortunately!). Lookout Mountain is the highest point in the state, and you can apparently see seven different states from the top (it lies in the northeast corner with parts in Georgia and Tennessee — this highest part is actually in Georgia).
Funnily enough, Mentone hosts a big contra dance weekend every year. I was talking to one of the people involved with that a jam a few weeks ago and asked if there was any relation between that event and the Bryan/Blalock group of fiddlers up there. Apparently that’s entirely coincidental though. To paraphrase her words “how we ended up in Mentone is a whole adventure that you don’t have time to hear about right now.”
