OF RIVERS AND RELIGION

Steamboat Gwine ‘Round De Bend

JF: “I can’t remember writing this… it’s very pretty but just a series of clichés that you’d play in open G with a bottleneck.”

Ol’ Man River

Composed by Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein II in 1927. From Showboat.

Deep River

A spiritual first published in 1875.

Denny Bruce, producer: “John had mentioned he met a standup bass player he wanted to try out. The first song we tried was Old Man River and I knew then we better bring in the big boys… After I started doing my homework on all the good jazz New Orleans from the ‘20s living in LA, we were able to conceptualise working with men who played with Kid Ory, Count Basie; real traditional jazz guys.”

Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q Blues

The Dixie Pig, 4500 Annapolis Road, Bladensburg (Washington, D.C.)

The original Dixie Pig was situated right in front of the Crossroads and dated back to the twenties when it was called Coldenstroth’s Saloon. The Pig was the very first country nightclub to offer live country music bands and was famous for its jam sessions and nightly brawls. The Pig originally opened in 1927 as a barbecue roadhouse restaurant. It burned to the ground in 1952, never to be rebuilt. The Pig moved to a new location (3804 Bladensburg Road) in 1953 and quickly became the area’s major country nightclub and featured local favorite Chick Hall throughout most of 1953 and 1954.

The Dixie Pig closed for good in June 1965.

(Capitol Rock, Mark Opsasnick)

Texas And Pacific Blues

First performed by the frankly amateur John Fahey Shuffle Band and “released” as a Fonotone 78.

Fahey’s version of this tune comes from a recording by Frenchy’s String Band. They were from Dallas, but Frenchy Polite [!], the trumpet player was from New Orleans. The instrumentation consisted of Polite on trumpet, a bowed bass, a banjo and a guitar. It has been reissued on Jazz the World Forgot Vol. I on Yazoo. But Fahey did not forget it. Fahey also mentions the tune in the notes to American Primitive as an example of true American folk music. (from Joe Brennen)

Funeral Song For Mississippi John Hurt

Another example of JF reviving a previously-released song (this one from Requia) without any substantial reworking.

By The Side Of The Road

Fahey could have used versions by Mac Wiseman or Lulu Belle & Scotty

I Come, I Come

This is the tune Woodworth by William Bradbury (1816 - 1868), used for the familar hymn Just As I Am, Without One Plea by Charles Elliot.

Lord Have Mercy

Based on Give Me That Old Time Religion.

Song

Contains The Wearing of the Green, traditional Irish tune, right at the end.