I have picked “Briarpicker Brown” by Kentucky fiddler Buddy Thomas as the Tune of the Week for 10-7-2025. This is a tune that we played regularly at the weekly contra dances here in Louisville.
According to Jeff Todd Titon’s book, “Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes,”
Buddy Thomas lived in Lewis County, Kentucky. He played some bluegrass and country music but favored old-time fiddle tunes. He died unexpectedly in 1974 at the age of 39. “Kitty Puss” is his only commercial recording. The Field Recorders Collective offers a collection of 33 Buddy Thomas tunes recorded by Dave Spilkia and Ray Alden - FRC 303 - Buddy Thomas: Recordings from the collection of Dave Spilkia & Ray Alden | Buddy Thomas | Field Recorders' Collective
The Traditional Tune Archive (Annotation:Briarpicker Brown - The Traditional Tune Archive) offers this information about the tune:
BRIARPICKER BROWN. American, Reel (whole or cut time). USA; Ky., Ohio. D Major. Standard or ADae tunings (fiddle). AABB. Presumably one picks briars as a consequence of hunting; either from oneself, or from any canines involved. It should be noted that 'briar' and 'briar-hopper' were derogatory terms for whites from Kentucky and West Virginia (from the briar bushes found in Appalachian states) who came to look for work in the factories of Ohio. The melody is known as a Kentucky tune in modern times, largely due to an influential recording by fiddler Buddy Thomas. Thomas had [learned] the tune from an elderly Portsmouth, Ohio, fiddler named Morris Allen. The tune structurally resembles West Virginia fiddler Clark Kessinger's "Everyone to the Puncheon," and Allen was in fact a friend of Kessinger. Jeff Titon (2001) points out the low part of the tune is the same as that of the English country dance melody "Rose Tree (The)."
Buddy Thomas plays the tune and talks about the source of the title: Briarpicker Brown | Buddy Thomas | Field Recorders' Collective
Other fine recordings include:
Buddy Thomas on solo fiddle, Briarpicker Brown | Slippery-Hill
Jane Rothfield and Cameron DeWhitt on fiddle and banjo, Jane Rothfield and Cameron DeWhitt play Briar Picker Brown
Version at a jam, Briarpicker Brown - Old Time Fiddle Tune
Prairie Ghost Ken on banjo, Briarpicker Brown - Clawhammer Banjo
Josh Turknett, Clawhammer Banjo - Tune (and Tab) of the Week: "Briarpicker Brown"
Scott Killops 2007 recording - Briarpicker Brown - Music Archive - Banjo Hangout
Clawhammer Tabs:
Taterjoes, Briarpicker Brown
Tab based on Jeff Todd Titon’s notation - Briarpicker Brown - Jeff Titon Tab - Details and Ratings - Banjo Hangout
Tab based on the version played at Louisville Contra Dances - Briarpicker Brown - Louisville Contra Tab - Details and Ratings - Banjo Hangout
Recording from practice before a November 2012 Contra Dance - Briarpicker Brown - November 2012 Contra Dance - Banjo Hangout Jukebox
Edited by - dbrooks on 11/07/2025 04:28:49
Great tune David! Thanks for reminding me of it.
Nice choice for TOTW, David, the examples are all great. Back at the end of Covid, while we were still "stayin' in," I was playing with a couple of my Boston area fiddler friends, John Reddick and John Maguire, using an internet system called Jackstreamer. Basically, we could play together in real time, each in our own homes, listening to each other, and ourselves, through earphones. There was a split second delay before you actually heard what was being played, but it surprisingly took only a few minutes to get used to that. Anyway, we used the opportunity to learn a whole lot of new tunes, including Briarpicker Brown. I've attached a recording a made shortly after we learned it. It's a little rough, and defintitely played at senior citizen speed, where I play most everything these days, but it's in there.
Edited by - Don Borchelt on 11/07/2025 12:56:36
Any new Buddy Thomas tune is a good challenge and a treat to hear. Thanks, David, for giving us a great tune to work on. The samples you shared have many familiar names, so it's been fun to see and hear them. And thanks, Don, for sharing your take. It's intricate and jolly, capturing the Buddy Thomas I've come to expect.
Why would Briarpicker Brown have been called that? Maybe he liked blackberries...
I'm reading the new tab here, played in double C tuning, arranged by slowing down and lowering the pitch of Buddy Thomas' fiddle.
