Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  06:40:50

“Sugar Tree Stomp” is a tune that lies close to my heart, not just because it was one of the first tunes I ever learned, but also because it has been a favorite tune of fiddlers local to Mitchell County (possibly since the tune was created). If you put “Sugar Tree Stomp” into Google it will direct you to “stump” removal services. I assure you, the tune is much more interesting than stump grubbing. I wouldn’t call the tune a standard, but lots of great fiddlers have recorded it including: Kenny Baker, Michael Cleveland, Benton Flippen, and of course, Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith, who has the tune in his Arthur Smith’s Original Tune Folio no. 1. Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard’s Pioneering Women of Bluegrass CD includes this song, but I don’t know who was fiddling.

I played the Stomp at a Contra/ Square dance thing in Celo N.C. few months ago and the callers really loved it. They said, “nobody plays that one anymore.”
I would certainly love to change that if it’s true.

Here are some videos, the last one is of me trying to make my fingers wake up at 6:30 this morning. Someone told me that the song modulates to the key of D, I couldn’t tell you though. I will say that it is a little awkward on the banjo, but I ain’t much of a banjo picker.

Videos

Garageboogieband youtube.com/watch?v=4E-vfZCvCxI
Red Wilson and David Holt youtube.com/watch?v=7-ztZoTa_As
Me youtube.com/watch?v=a0Zm-Lbj0Ys
Andy Dejaris (audio recording) youtube.com/watch?v=s5SdW3BjzxQ

Fiddler's Companion

SUGAR TREE STOMP. Old#8209;Time, Breakdown. USA, Tenn. G Major. Standard tuning. AA'B. Named for the tiny community of Sugar Tree, Tenn., southwest of Dickson City, Dickson County, it was composed by Arthur Smith and recorded by him in 1936. On the notes to County 736 Kenny Baker says: "Sugar Tree Stomp, that's from Arthur Smith. Now I'll tell you what, you know, Arthur was one of the world's greatest fiddlers, in my mind, but I didn't play it like Arthur played it. I heard a little different way of going about playing it, not that I thought I could rearrange it and make the tune better; it's just what I heard and I wanted to record it that way.” Source for notated version: Kenny Baker [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; pg. 138. County 546#8209;547, "Fiddlin Arthur Smith and His Dixieliners" (1978). County 773, John Ashby (1915-1979, northern Virginia) and the Free State Ramblers - “Fiddling by the Hearth.” County 2705, Kenny Baker - "Master Fiddler."

DLA recording

Joe Stamper aca-dla.org/cgi-bin/showfile.e...OPTR=2096

Edited by - wormbower on 08/29/2010 14:15:39

Barry1963 - Posted - 08/22/2010:  06:54:51

Great tune, another one to add to my ever growing list to learn. You did a great job on it. I really like the back of your mando and a nice looking blonde fiddle also.

hendrid - Posted - 08/22/2010:  08:01:19

Interesting tune. Here is a slower version on mandolin with some extra notes tossed in but you can follow the melody.

youtube.com/watch?v=V1l5PiZG1V0

Little more here. You can dig out a fiddle tab and sheet music:

banjr.com/tablatures.htm

Edited by - hendrid on 08/22/2010 08:08:12

Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  08:22:46

Thanks Barry, they were both made by my friend Ray Dellinger. The fiddle has a matching back. I've heard it called bubble maple, but I'm pretty sure it is curly ash.

Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  08:32:10

If you watched the red wilson video then you heard him say that his grandad, A.W. Ledford wrote sugar tree stump. Who knows? In his defense, Waites was a really good fiddler, and so was his son steve. They regularly entertained tons of fiddlers at their home. I have a picture A.W's porch with 20 or more fiddlers on it including fiddlin' John Carson. If A.W. was walking to the county seat of Bakersville, he would have passed though an area known as Sugar Tree, not far from his house.

hardykefes - Posted - 08/22/2010:  11:50:18

To my knowledge Kenny Baker wrote this tune. Every notation I found notes him as the author.
And I still like his version best. All above youtubes have the first part simplified.
Then again maybe Kenny heard it somewhere and just recorded it?

DougD - Posted - 08/22/2010:  12:35:01

hardy, I think your knowledge is incomplete on this one. This tune predates Kenny Baker, and was recorded by Arthur Smith, as the Fiddler's Companion says. It sounds like one of his compositions, but I don't want to argue with Red Wilson either. Thanks for the link to that video, Runaway - its great!

hardykefes - Posted - 08/22/2010:  12:37:38

Thanks DougD. Always happy to learn.:-)

DougD - Posted - 08/22/2010:  12:42:31

hardy - In case you didn't see it, there's a quote from Kenny Baker in the Fiddler's Companion section of Runaway's first post where he says its from Arthur Smith.

bj - Posted - 08/22/2010:  12:52:01

I LOVE Red Wilson's playing of it! Great tune!

Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  14:44:25

Yeah, love me some Red Wilson. He was a big Arthur Smith fan, like about every other fiddler his age.

Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  14:51:19

My question is, what is a stomp? Kind of dance or something? Are there other stomps?

DougD - Posted - 08/22/2010:  16:37:25

Well, Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Stomp" immediately comes to mind. Looking over at the Red Hot Jazz archive there are dozens more: "Overseas Stomp" by the Memphis Jug Band, "Mahogany Hall Stomp" by Louis Armstrong, "California Stomp" by Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra, Fats Waller's "Hog Maw Stomp," "Kansas City Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton, "Jubille Stomp" and "Chicago Stomp Down" by Duke Ellington, and zillions more.

I think a "stomp" is a dance piece with a straight, insistent 2/4 or 4/4 beat, but it was probably used for a lot of compositions.

Runaway - Posted - 08/22/2010:  18:30:55

Oh wow, cool now I know :)

Runaway - Posted - 08/23/2010:  10:59:18

I forgot to mention it, but there is a recording of Marcus Martin playing Sugar Tree Stomp. He learned it from the radio listening to Arthur Smith.

fiddlerdi - Posted - 08/27/2010:  19:30:47

I posted a recording of Sugar Tree Stomp on my Member Page if you want another version...I really liked this tune and we played it a lot with our Bluegrass Band Pastense. Hope you like it!

ChickenMan - Posted - 08/27/2010:  20:24:52

I always figured a "stomp" was a bluesy tune - makes you stomp your foot.

bosco - Posted - 08/28/2010:  00:14:28

quote:

---

Originally posted by DougD

Well, Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Stomp" immediately comes to mind. Looking over at the Red Hot Jazz archive there are dozens more: "Overseas Stomp" by the Memphis Jug Band, "Mahogany Hall Stomp" by Louis Armstrong, "California Stomp" by Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra, Fats Waller's "Hog Maw Stomp," "Kansas City Stomp" by Jelly Roll Morton, "Jubille Stomp" and "Chicago Stomp Down" by Duke Ellington, and zillions more.

I think a "stomp" is a dance piece with a straight, insistent 2/4 or 4/4 beat, but it was probably used for a lot of compositions.

---

DougD - Posted - 08/28/2010:  02:01:12

How could I have missed that one!

There are other Cajun stomps too - the Hackberry Ramblers recorded a bunch.

And one of the most famous - Jelly Roll Morton"s "King Porter Stomp."

Oh wait! Maybe you meant this one: youtube.com/watch?v=jvrg_dtaxFA That might be a stomp!

Edited by - DougD on 08/28/2010 02:14:35

bosco - Posted - 08/28/2010:  06:54:42

Hehehe, everybody loves Bosco!

tiquose - Posted - 08/28/2010:  17:42:10

A couple of definitions of "stomp" from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language:

1. A dance involving a rhythmical, heavy step.
2. The jazz music for this dance.

I know a number of tunes called stomps that I wouldn't call jazz, but maybe a jazz influence is involved?

ChickenMan - Posted - 08/29/2010:  11:46:26

Early jazz is pretty "tame" compared to what the general public thinks of as jazz.
A stomp is something that developed early in Jazz's history.

Edited by - ChickenMan on 08/30/2010 20:58:28

masameet - Posted - 09/01/2010:  11:42:31

On Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard’s Pioneering Women of Bluegrass CD, Arthur Smith is credited as the composer of "Sugar Tree Stomp." Billy Baker fiddles on their rendition of the song.