Hear Old Illinois: The Dear Old Illinois 3-CD set

eginning a little over 30 years ago, the traditional music of downstate Illinois was carried public by those who collected it, specifically by three LP recordings made by the Indian Creek Delta Boys of Charleston in 1976-78.

Over the years since, several of the pieces on these recordings, pieces such as "Wolf Creek," "Run Down Boot," "Cora Dye," "Devil in the Haystack," "Old Kentucky Whiskey," and numerous others, have become well-known throughout traditional fiddle music circles. What is perhaps not as well-known is that these pieces are each traceable to a single downstate Illinois source.

This 3-CD set offers the unique opportunity to hear the actual source performances of over 120 pieces from the Garry Harrison collection. In addition to the pieces that are now better-known, the recordings also introduce many pieces that traditional music players will find "new" and unfamiliar. Though the focus of the recordings is on fiddle pieces, there are a few banjo and vocal performances and one harmonica number as well.

In collecting the music of Dear Old Illinois, commercial recordings of traditional music were not a target of pursuit, simply because the music they presented had already been documented. The music sought was of a rarer level; music that for the most part pre-dated the earliest commercial recordings, that had thrived in rural areas years ago and was on its last flicker by the 1970s, and that had never been recorded commercially. Documenting this music required finding and visiting the relatively few remaining primary sources.

All of the recordings on these CDs are "home" (non-studio) recordings. Audio ranges from excellent to terrible. We offer no apologies for the latter; please keep in mind that as applicable to the recordings presented here, even terrible audio is worlds better than a loss of history. You can preview a short clip of several tracks by clicking on the links below. The assortment includes examples from both ends of the audio quality spectrum, eliminating the possibility of any surprises.

It should be noted that some of the recordings in the CD set may not necessarily match the transcriptions in the book note-for-note. This is because many of the pieces are represented in the collection by several different recordings (by the same performer.) The recordings of such pieces were selected on the basis of both performance and audio quality, and the best of both wasn't always to be had from one recording. So the definitive rendition of a piece, if in fact represented by one recording, might not be the one given in the CD set if another recording offered a good rendition, better audio, and/or accompaniment at a more suitable volume. In any case, the book is to be regarded as the ultimate reference.

Thanks to Paul Tyler for providing a good copy of six of the 1950s discs presented here. Years ago, Garry Harrison gave the original discs to record collector Ron Brown and kept a tape copy. Over the years, Ron moved and Harrison lost track of him, and the tape copy deteriorated to a barely playable condition. After mentioning this to Paul once, a CD copy of the recordings showed up in the mail a short time later. Thanks to Ron for keeping these recordings in good order and to Paul for sending the copy along.

The vital information for the tracks is given below. (To minimize printing costs, the information in the tables below, minus performer ages and fiddle tunings, is the total of that given in the paper matter of the CD set itself. For further information, consult the book.) Additional personnel information is given where known. The code for this data is as follows:

MW = Mike Wilson, guitar
GH = Garry Harrison, guitar
JH = J.L. "Doc" Holliday, guitar
PA = Paul Abbott, guitar
LS = Lynn "Chirps" Smith, mandolin
DM = Dave Miller, banjo
DB = Dillon Bustin, guitar
NW = Naomi Williams, piano
KA = Ken Appleby, guitar
1 = Betty Brinkman, guitar; either Garry Harrison, Brian Hubbard, or John Bishop, guitar; Gaye Harrison, mandolin; Bud Barbee, banjo
2 = Unidentified group, Prairie du Rocher; copied from Bill Clerc's recording of the ceremony

The majority of the traditional music in these recordings was collected from older folks. We thought it would be of interest to some if we included the ages (or approximate ages) of the performers at the time the recordings were made, so this information is also given below.

The performers used alternate fiddle tunings for some pieces, and these are given in red. For more information on this, see the Tunings Page.

CD 1

Track	Title	Performer(s)	Date	Age	Clip
1	Devil in the Haystack	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84	Hear
2	Rachael	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
3	Jump in the Well, Pretty Little Miss	Noah Beavers	10/11/75	77
4	Prairie Dog	Jess Abbott (PA)	09/19/75	82
5	Crow Creek	Stelle Elam (DM, LS)	10/75	73
6	Gingham Waltz	Jim Newton (1)	10/21/79	78	Hear
7	Goin' Across the Sea	Orval Hale	04/23/77	66	Hear
8	Possum up a Gum Stump	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
9	Run Down Boot	Pete Priest (GH)	10/75	71
10	Cotton-Eyed Joe (AEAC#)	Noah Beavers	10/11/75	77	Hear
11	West Virginia Polka	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
12	Sailor Springs	Charlie Fulk (GH, LS)	01/28/76	59
13	Knockin' at the Kitchen Door	Jim Reed	06/14/72	69
14	Rattlesnake Jig	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
15	Nuts and Bolts	Odie Griffith (GH)	08/05/76	60	Hear
16	Dusty Miller	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
17	Neighbor Up the Road	Cliff Pulliam (GH, LS)	01/27/76	64
18	Wolf Creek	Harvey Taylor	1950s?	60s
19	Pete and Nancy	Fletcher Fulk (GH, LS)	01/28/76	73
20	Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan?	Delbar Tarpley	10/05/75	75	Hear
21	Courtin' in the Kitchen	Harvey Taylor	10/75	81
22	Rush and the Pepper	Jess Abbott	09/19/75	82
23	Stump-Tail Dog	Howard Sims (DB)	03/23/77	80
24	Tater Roll	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
25	Going to London (GDAD)	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81	Hear
26	Apple Knocker (original)	Bob Valentine	03/13/77	62
27	Four and Twenty Blackbirds Dancing on a Fawn Skin	Harvey Taylor	05/23/75	80	Hear
28	Joe Wingerter	Joe Wingerter (LS)	02/15/77	64
29	Oscar Bettis	John Graham (GH)	11/12/77	79
30	Golden Grip	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
31	Dixon's Hornpipe	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
32	The Mill at Hord	Jim Newton	06/09/79	78
33	Sandy Bank	Anthony Hill (JH)	08/78	74
34	Come on Ma'am, Look at Sam (AEAE)	Noah Beavers	10/11/75	77
35	Lovers' First Quarrel	Harry Elie	05/24/77	70
36	Rye Whiskey (AEAC#)	Harvey Taylor (MW)	1950s	60s
37	Rabbit in a Fodder Shock	Cecil Polley (JH)	08/78	c. 70	Hear
38	Turkey Roost	Everett Fulk (GH)	01/11/77	c. 70
39	Tater Blossom	Noah Beavers	10/11/75	77
40	Stonewall Jackson	Harvey Taylor	05/23/75	80
41	Wednesday Night Waltz	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s

CD 2

Track	Title	Performer(s)	Date	Age	Clip
1	Lost Indian (AEAC#)	Harvey Taylor (MW)	1950s	60s	Hear
2	Round Up the Yearlings	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
3	Billy Butler (a/k/a Swinging Limb)	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81
4	Five Miles from Town	Jess Abbott (PA)	09/19/75	82
5	Brownie's Reel	Cliff Pulliam (GH, LS)	01/27/76	64	Hear
6	Cora Dye	Jim Reed	06/14/72	69
7	Bell Cow	Harvey Taylor (JH)	04/28/79	84
8	Dog Treed a Possum Up a White Oak Tree	Howard Sims (GH)	09/09/76	80
9	Bean Walker's Mile	Charlie Fulk (GH)	10/18/76	60	Hear
10	Jump That Log (AEAC#)	Noah Beavers	03/21/76	78
11	Ox in the Mud	Harvey Taylor	1950s	60s
12	Crooked Road	Stelle Elam	10/75	73
13	Pacific Slope	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
14	Dance, Boatmen, Dance	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
15	Pretty Little Widow	Arlin Dietz (JH)	08/78	c. 70	Hear
16	Pennyrile Tea	Orval Hale	04/27/79	68
17	White's Polka	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
18	Durang's Hornpipe	Jim Newton (1)	10/21/79	78
19	Rolling River	Delbar Tarpley (LS)	12/30/75	75
20	Six Pounds of Feathers in a Cuckoo's Nest	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/23/77	82
21	Bacon and Sausage	Everett Fulk (GH)	01/11/77	c.70
22	Flint Rock River	Noah Beavers (GH)	08/02/76	78
23	Rummy Tum	Harvey Taylor	04/30/75	80
24	John Graham (original)	John Graham (GH)	11/12/77	79
25	Best Timber	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s	Hear
26	Tennessee Backwoods Stomp	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
27	Sims One-Step	Odie Griffith (GH)	08/05/76	60
28	Litchfield	Pete Priest	10/75	71
29	Hop-Scotch Polka	Harvey Taylor	04/30/75	80
30	Little Brown Jug (GDAD)	Hurley Bennett	06/14/76	93
31	Bound for the Hills (original)	Fletcher Fulk (GH, LS)	01/28/76	73
32	Big Brown Jug	Harvey Taylor	10/75	80
33	Old Kentucky Whiskey	Noah Beavers	10/11/75	77
34	Forked Deer	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
35	Sliding Eight	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
36	Dry and Dusty	Otis Reynolds	12/03/77	78
37	Old Missouri	Harry Elie (GH)	03/18/79	72	Hear
38	Old Plantation	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
39	40 Miles from Georgetown Without any Whiskey	Ben Woods (GH, LS)	03/21/76	89
40	Red Bird	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
41	Nonsense (original)	Jim Newton (1)	10/21/79	78
42	Goin' Down to Cairo	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81

CD 3

Track	Title	Performer(s)	Date	Age	Clip
1	Hell Among the Yearlings	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
2	Old Mother Flannigan	Harvey Taylor	05/06/75	80
3	Give the Fiddler a Dram	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81	Hear
4	Rollin' the Logs (original)	Cliff Pulliam (GH, LS)	01/27/76	64
5	Straw Bonnet	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/28/79	84
6	Eagle Creek	Jim Reed (GH)	02/05/77	74	Hear
7	Evalina	John Gibson (GH)	03/19/77	70
8	Humpback Mule	Harvey Taylor (GH)	07/03/78	83
9	Fox Chase (GDAD)	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81
10	Old Gray Horse	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
11	Bonaparte's March	Harvey Taylor	05/23/75	80
12	Little Bird in the Ash Brook (AEAC#)	Jess Abbott	05/23/77	84
13	Jackson County (original)	Noah Beavers (NW)	02/25/78	80
14	Shell Corn	Harvey Taylor (MW)	1950s	60s	Hear
15	Old Mose	Howard Sims (DB)	03/23/77	80
16	Sal's Got a Wooden Leg	Arlin Dietz (JH)	08/78	c. 70
17	Sugar in My Coffee	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/14/79	84
18	Wild Goose	Harry Jones (MW)	1950s	50s
19	Blind Bull	Odie Griffith	12/01/76	60
20	None of Your Business	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/28/79	81	Hear
21	Ground Hog	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/14/79	84
22	Old Joe Clark	Orval Hale	04/28/79	68
23	Rocky Bluff	Noah Beavers (KA)	04/29/89	91
24	Lost Indian II	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/14/79	84
25	Sugar Foot	Harry Elie	03/18/79	72
26	Green Valley Waltz	Mike Wilson (hca/gtr)	1950s	?	Hear
27	Lone Prairie	Harvey Taylor	10/75	81
28	Pond Creek Bottom	Otis Reynolds	12/03/77	78	Hear
29	Fox Chase	Vince Uselton	05/20/77	73
30	Scotland Yard	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/23/77	82
31	Benton	Jim Reed (GH)	02/05/77	74
32	Winter Night Waltz	Everett Fulk (GH)	01/11/77	c. 70
33	Butterfly Schottische	Harvey Taylor (GH)	04/14/79	84
34	Grotts	Stelle Elam	10/75	73
35	Leather Britches	Noah Beavers (GH)	04/23/77	79
36	Ida Red	Harvey Taylor	1950s	60s
37	Pompy Stole a Hog	Dave Spaugh	1972	78
38	Bear Pen Holler	Harry Jones	1957	57	Hear
39	La Gui-Annee	(2)	c. 1950	var.