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Barrow Wheary
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 10 ต.ค. 2011
Born and raised in Virginia, I live just outside of Fountain Inn, South Carolina and specialize in historical and old time banjo and fiddle music and build historically-accurate gourd and tackhead banjos. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me at hbwhea@gmail.com if you are interested in music for your event, lessons, engaging my services as a speaker or living history interpreter, having a banjo made, or collaborating. I travel and perform primarily in the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia.
"Hi! Ho! de Charleston Gals" -- Christmas at Mulberry Hill Plantation, Randolph, Virginia
"Hi! Ho! de Charleston Gals!’ from Phil Rice‘s 1858 "Method for the Banjo With or Without a Master." Our earliest record of this song and tune appears in 1844 as a minstrel song with lyrics by Cool White (stage and pen name of John Hodges) of The Virginia Serenaders. The version we play here appears about a decade and a half later but is the earliest arrangement we have with music specifically for the banjo. Interestingly, the song turns up next in the classic 1867 anthology “Slave Songs of the United States,” albeit with a different set of lyrics, suggesting that Charleston Gals may have originated as a black folk song. To this day, the tune is known among West Virginia fiddlers and with another set of associated lyrics and retains the title Charleston Gals. The modality and melodic structure of the tune is highly typical of West Virginia fiddle music and several other traditional banjo and fiddle tunes which bear a strong resemblance to "Charleston Gals" are found in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia (for example, see Sherman Hammons' "Muddy Roads" and Henry Reed's "Newcastle" a.k.a. "Texas"). Like many folk songs and tunes adapted for the minstrel stage, later versions likely owe something to both vernacular and popular sources. It is not clear whether or not the Charleston referenced by the title is the city in South Carolina or modern day West Virginia. The popularity of the tune among older West Virginia fiddlers, its modal quality, similarities to other fiddle tunes traditional in the region, and the fact that one of our sources, Phil Rice, is known to have travelled through the region and includes other tunes with West Virginia associations ("Sandy Boy" for instance) in his banjo method strongly supports a Western Virginia origin for the tune. However, geographical references in other lyrics published by the Virginia Serenaders strongly favor South Carolina... So who knows? Did the song originate in as a black folk song or a fiddle or banjo tune and get picked up and adapted for the minstrel stage? Did it originate in South Carolina and become popular in West Virginia? Or did it originate in West Virginia and get adapted to South Carolina? (It should be noted that the Virginia Serenaders, like many minstrel troupes, were not based in Virginia or anywhere else in the South, despite their name.) The banjo is one of my most recent period instruments. For more info on my banjos please visit my facebook page for The Upcountry Banjo Country.
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"Briggs Jig" (1855) at Mulberry Hill, Staunton River Battlefield Park, Virginia
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"Briggs Jig" (1855) at Mulberry Hill, Staunton River Battlefield Park, Virginia, with Barrow Wheary on banjo, and James Pentecost and Jake Stalls on bones. The banjo is one I recently completed for a customer. For more information on my instruments and how to order one please visit The Upcountry Banjo Company facebook page: profile.php?id=61563661769708.
Upcountry Banjo Company -- "Briggs' Jig" (1855) on newly-made period banjo
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"Briggs' Jig" (1855) on a period banjo I recently completed for a customer. Check out my other work at The Upcountry Banjo Company Facebook page: profile.php?id=61563661769708.
"De Ole Jim River" or "Twill Never Do to Give it up So, Mister Brown" at Batteaux and Banjos 2024
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First published in 1843 by Dan Emmett, under the title "'Twill Nebber Do To Gib It Up So!" the song relates the determination of a black boatman on Virginia's James River. Although Emmett claimed authorship of the words and music, numerous variants of the song have been documented among folk musicians. One of the more noteworthy variants comes from Carter Brothers and Son, a Mississippi String ...
"Old Christmas Morning" old time fiddle tune
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"Old Christmas Morning" from West Virginia fiddler, Wilson Douglas. This tune, with its many variants, likely goes back a long way. The title, Old Christmas, refers to Twelfth Night, which fell on January 5, the day before the Feast of Epiphany which commemorated the visitation of the Magi and formally marked the end of the Christmas Season ("the twelve days of Christmas") in the liturgical cal...
"Dry Bones" on newly made tackhead banjo
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"Dry Bones" from Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882-1973) of South Turkey Creek, Buncombe County, North Carolina. According to Lunsford, "The title of this spiritual is 'Dry Bones.' It was known in our section after the visiting of a great Negro preacher who came to that section, was a powerful pulpit orator and a devoted man, and his name was Romney. And he preached a sermon on the 'dry bones of the ...
Highlander's Farewell, two versions
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“Highlander’s Farewell,” two versions - one an 18th version from Scotland, and one from Emmett Lundy (1864-1953) of Grayson County, Virginia, in the tradition of old-time Southern fiddling. Caroline and I recently played this set as part of a presentation on the history and folkways of the South Carolina Upcountry as an example of continuity and change in the traditions which Scots-Irish settle...
"Bile 'em Cabbage Down" on newly made gourd banjo, and old times in the South Carolina Upcountry
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"Bile 'em Cabbage Down" on a newly made gourd banjo of mine, and reminiscences of old times in the South Carolina Upcountry from De Bow's Review, 1859.
Pompey Ran Away/De Bones in De Barnyard -- Batteaux and Banjos, 2024
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"Pompey Ran Away" may be one of the earliest banjo tunes we know of. First appearing in "Aird's Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs" in 1781, it stands out as the only piece in the collection to bear the caption "Negroe Jig." Two additional pieces in "Aird's Airs" are described as "Virginian," and may be derived from the same source. "Pompey Ran Away" exhibits several distincti...
"Never Do to Give it Up So" or "De Old Jim River"
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Getting ready for Batteaux and Banjos in less than two weeks and figured I'd resurrect this old number which I first heard from my banjo teacher Joe Ayers. First published in 1843 by Dan Emmett, under the title "'Twill Nebber Do To Gib It Up So!" the song relates the determination of a black boatman on Virginia's James River. Although Emmett claimed authorship of the words and music, numerous v...
Old Virginny Jig (Old Molly Hare) at Eppington
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Old Virginny Jig, as it appears in the earliest 19th century banjo methods, is widely known among old time musicians today as Old Molly Hare and comes to us originally from 18th century Scottish sources as the fiddle tune The Fairie Dance.
Natchez on the Hill/McLeod's Reel from Knauff's "Virginia Reels" (1839) at Eppington
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Two tunes from George P. Knauff's "Virginia Reels" (published 1839) at Eppington, May 4th, 2024.
"Possum Hunt" 1841 fiddle tune from Georgia by way of William Sidney Mount
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"Possum Hunt" 1841 fiddle tune from Georgia by way of William Sidney Mount
"Shaving a Dead Man" played at 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, Hagood Mill
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"Shaving a Dead Man" played at 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, Hagood Mill
"Half Shaved..." played at 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, Hagood Mill
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"Half Shaved..." played at 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, Hagood Mill
"Last Chance" played at the 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, at Hagood Mill
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"Last Chance" played at the 2023 South Carolina Old Time Fiddler's Convention, at Hagood Mill
"Whoop Jamboree/Jonny Boker" (Old Johnny Booker) by Joel Walker Sweeney, at Batteaux and Banjos 2023
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"Whoop Jamboree/Jonny Boker" (Old Johnny Booker) by Joel Walker Sweeney, at Batteaux and Banjos 2023
"Ole Tare River" (Old Tar River) by Joel Walker Sweeney (1840) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Ole Tare River" (Old Tar River) by Joel Walker Sweeney (1840) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Gum Tree Canoe" (1847) by George P. Reed, at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Gum Tree Canoe" (1847) by George P. Reed, at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Flying Indian" from Knauff's Virginia Reels (1839) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Flying Indian" from Knauff's Virginia Reels (1839) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Ole Virginny Jig" at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Ole Virginny Jig" at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Sanford Jig" from "Buckley's New Banjo Method" (1859) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Sanford Jig" from "Buckley's New Banjo Method" (1859) at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Jim Along Josey" at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
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"Jim Along Josey" at Batteaux and Banjos, June 17, 2023
"Old Virginia" from Knauff's "Virginia Reels," at Batteaux and Banjos, June 18, 2022,
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"Old Virginia" from Knauff's "Virginia Reels," at Batteaux and Banjos, June 18, 2022,
"Peter Francisco," from George P. Knauff's "Virginia Reels," 1839
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"Peter Francisco," from George P. Knauff's "Virginia Reels," 1839
I'm gonna start making my own up here in maine. I'm very inspired myself, and I'm learning a lot from you and others. Next season, I'll have some gourds to play with. Keeping rural traditions going will save us in the long run.
is that their real hair? thanks. Hello from ottawa,
absolutely love this tune, had it stuck in my head all day and had to learn it! thanks for your awesome posts!
Nice stuff
Excellent !!! Bravo !
Sounds great!
Another good one. Can’t wait to see more
Thoroughly enjoyable
Great performance
Thanks!
Charming merry tune ! Thank you !
Another wonderful banjo my brother. Great work. Very nice playing as well.
Boy, I’d love to be there.
Love the history as much as the song--thank you!
Sounds awesome! What tuning are you using?
Cross or sawmill tuning, GDGD, but actual pitch is a half step low (F#C#F#C#).
@@barrowwhearybanjo Thank you very much! Love the sound of that tuning
That was great!!!
swet job
beautiful tune. merry xmas!
Merry Christmas to you too!
Merry Christmas, thanks for this fiddle tune! You’ve been an inspiration to many of my friends
I'm humbled, sir! Would love to have you bring your minstrel banjo up to Virginia next June to play at Batteaux and Banjos! Let me know if you're interested.
@ if I’m there in June, yes!
Merry Christmas 🎄🎁
Merry Christmas! Thanks for sharing this!
hi i'm momo from france great banjo and singing
Splendid! Would you mind sharing the tuning you’re in?
Thanks! Nothing fancy, just your standard "G tuning" (gDGBD) tuned down low to suit my voice. Actual pitch: cGCEG.
Thank you! Very special stuff, don’t stop anytime soon
Thank you for great importent song and banjo. Greetings from Arnbak Banjos in Denmark.
And people say there ain’t no white culture, what the hell do they know
..Teach some folks the rolling notes. That must survive. Keep posting.
Thank you! I hope to do some instructional videos as well.
@@barrowwhearybanjo I'll see them if you do. Those rolling notes..mmhmm.
Great tune, great singing and great banjo. Always have loved Mr Lunsfords songs
This way too sweet, Sir. I wish I'd come by and listening to you playing all day-night long. God bless you!
best channel Ive been recommended
Lovely
What a Therapeutic effect your video has! Its wonderful to see your creativity and your music is soulfully beautiful. We love your clothes... it looks like you've just stepped off the set of 'the emperor of the North' 🥰 Something about that time has a magnetic effect on your imagination, you long for it even though you never personally witnessed it... wonderful sir! x
Banjo is beautifully carved and assembled, sounds deep and elegant
This a banjo
Beautiful banjo beautiful song!
beautiful instrument
Splendid job with the instrument and performance!
Down home good.
I love it. Thank you Barrow.
That was really nice. Beautiful banjo too. Great work friend.
Excellent!
Excellent!
I have a little clip of me playing Train on the Island by JP Nestor let me know what you think?
Yes sir
Omg it's barrow!! I'm growing gourds right now to build some instruments with next year!
Great to hear from you Bryon! Look forward to seeing your work. Hope you’re doing well. Are you on Facebook by any chance?
wow that's gotta be my favorite gourd banjo build I've seen in a while. The cypress is gorgeous with that straight grain and what a great story behind the tuning pegs. Incredible sound too, and damn I love that foot stomp
Thanks! I’ve enjoyed seeing videos of your music and work as well. It’s interesting how individual every maker’s instruments are - especially with gourd banjos, it’s such an open form.
Absolutely incredible work. We feature Chris Propes playing this tune on our new record… th-cam.com/video/_nFEgRK2WL0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=g7LnpF0HpHAxP0hR
What a moment! Feels like havin' a good time in early 1850s.
I ❤ a breezy day, accompanied by some fine fiddling
Very nice!
Love love love that second version!!
You going this year?
I’d like to, but probably not this year since my wife and I are expecting our first baby around the same time.
Greetings brother from Campobello South Carolina, Spartanburg County! I play old Time banjo, and have built a few. Hope to build a gourd banjo soon! Did Civil War reacting for four years and do revolutionary war now Would like to incorporate a gourd banjo into my revolutionary war persona. Hope to meet you sometime great video!
Thanks! Great to know of other similarly minded people in the area! Do you have Facebook? Look me up if you do and we can keep in touch. Would love to play some tunes together.
@@barrowwhearybanjo I just sent a friend request on FB