TOTW  11/13/2026  Crow Little Rooster 

I’ve chosen Crow Little Rooster for this installment of TOTW.  The Traditional Tune Archive says the tune is “Sourced to Oklahoma brothers Max (1916-2001) and Earl (1911-1975) Collins, members of a large family that included several well-regarded fiddlers. The family was originally from Branson, Missouri, but moved to Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma in 1917. Earl Collins eventually moved to southern California, but Max remained in Oklahoma.”

The structure of the tune is a bit malleable.  Dan Levenson points out that Max Collins both started and ended the tune on the low part; Kerry Blech started on the low and ended on the high, and Rafe Stefanini starts on the high and ends on the low.  I learned the tune during a fiddle workshop presented by Stefanini and thus his way feels like the “right way” to me.

I’ve linked some performances below.

Max Collins, recorded in 1976, is here:  https://www.slippery-hill.com/content/crow-little-rooster

Here’s a fiddle solo:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EMzWupDVQE

Here’s a banjo solo:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WuI7K1nUUo

Here’s a second banjo solo:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgdKNkvHIHw

A tab of the tune is here:   http://www.taterjoes.com/Warehouse/Banjo/A_CrowLittleRooster.pdf

Here it is in standard notation:  https://www.oldtimefiddletunes.net/tunes/CrowLittleRooster.pdf

I come from an area where crowing roosters are just part of the environment.   That seems perfectly natural to me.   The thought that someone would object to the sounds of everyday rural life was an alien concept to me and my neighbors.   Then I moved to a suburban community in the midst of a protracted legal and political fight over backyard chickens.  

I was not involved, but I found the intense emotions and arguments on both sides of the issue interesting.  After nine months the County proposed an ordinance addressing zoning and chicken density, coop design standards, food and waste handling procedures, and odor and vermin control requirements.  The parties generally agreed to compromise on these issues, but the sticking point was the keeping of roosters.

The chicken haters claimed rooster crowing was nuisance noise disturbing the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood while the chicken lovers countered that a rooster was essential for the health, safety, and wellbeing of a flock.   The Chicken Ordinance was eventually amended to prohibit roosters on residential lots but allow unlimited numbers on agricultural property.  This created a truce of sorts but skirmishes still erupt with some regularity along the border between new subdivisions and existing farms.

Google AI says that “Chicken crowing collars are specialized soft bands designed to lower the volume of a rooster's crow without stopping him from crowing completely. They are popular among suburban and urban chicken keepers looking to manage noise complaints and keep neighborhood peace and can reportedly lower crow volume by 50%. The patented No-Crow Rooster Collar from My Pet Chicken typically costs around $34.99 but many backyard keepers make their own using soft, double-sided Velcro strips.”

Here’s a video of a no crow collar’s effectiveness: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5269sxPyPwU

Readers are encouraged to post observations, opinions, performances, and tabs contributing to this thread.

Edited by - Mtngoat on 11/13/2026 06:50:42