bj - Posted - 12/06/2008:  06:19:22

I just posted another West Virginia Fiddler video filmed by WVaFiddler aka Mark. The fiddler is Joe Coe, who is 90 years old. He is playing the song called "Phoebe Ice" which came up in a discussion we had about Elmer Rich's Video and playing. Considering his advanced years, he does a great job on this great song.

http://www.fiddlehangout.com/myhang...atID=&id=728

For those who have further interest in the song, Mark also filmed Patty Looman singing it, and talking about its history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AeuJSrdXHs

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Motto for the Week- Mottos are overrated.

Me on the Web --
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My inspiration:
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brya31 - Posted - 12/06/2008:  14:06:27

I enjoyed that video bj, thanks for posting it!

WVaFiddler - Posted - 12/07/2008:  20:45:41

The tune is a local one that Shawn mentioned on this forum a couple weeks ago. That got me to thinking about it and I realized that I only know one older musician that still plays it on fiddle (Joe). Perhaps Shawn knows of others. A few revival fiddlers play it including Gerry Milnes and myself. Patty Looman is the only person I know that sings it, though I do know one other person that remembers a few words. I need to record her soon too.

Joe is pretty amazing. He's mostly been playing upright bass lately and always lugs it around himself. He say's, "When a can't carrry it, I'll stop playing it". He had brought his guitar to the event that day, so is playing one of my "beater" fiddles in the video. I think he adapts to strange fiddles better than me; I was struggling with intonation on this one all day. I thought we'd be playing in the cold, drafty 1700's house on the property, so brought this fiddle rather than my better one. The heat was out completely in the old house, so we ended up in the nice warm visitors center. I wish I'd brought the other fiddle, and also not dressed quite so warm.

Joe got DSL a few weeks ago; I called him this evening and told him how to find this discussion and the video.

Mark

Edited by - WVaFiddler on 12/07/2008 20:47:08

bj - Posted - 12/07/2008:  20:53:54

I just gave Shawn a holler. He did comment on the video page, I don't know if you saw that. This melody apparently goes by more than one name.

I sure hope Joe signs up for the site! We'd love it if he posted some mp3s of his playing! And I sure hope I get to meet him come June.

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Motto for the Week- Mottos are overrated.

Me on the Web --
http://doneinstyle.com
My inspiration:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh14633812588807237

PGifford - Posted - 12/08/2008:  06:06:56

I haven't seen Patty's video, but she may mention that Phoebe Ice was related to Russell Fluharty (or his wife), the dulcimer player of Mannington, WV. I also taped another dulcimer player, Loy Swiger, of Massillon, OHIO, play the tune (in the late '70s). He was originally from Ashley, West Virginia. Interesting how local the tune was.

Paul Gifford

bj - Posted - 12/08/2008:  06:36:47

Paul, any chance you can get an mp3 of that uploaded? We'd love to hear it. I know you said it's not fiddle, but it's still Oldtime. :-)

^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^.^
Motto for the Week- Mottos are overrated.

Me on the Web --
http://doneinstyle.com
My inspiration:
http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh14633812588807237

fiddlecraver - Posted - 12/08/2008:  07:14:04

Wow. Great stuff! In th early 90's I believe I got the tune from Oakland MD fiddler Larry Rush. After the jams I'd pick his brain about tunes. Jim Hollis from just over the line in WV also attended some of the jams I was going to at that time (and I never really talked to him) but heard some of his tunes. Jimmy Triplett recorded a nice version of this tune from Hollis as "Old Hang On." (I don't know Jimmy or his playing but have heard some of his firld recordings.) Somewhere along the line in my unscholarly research of tunes from my region, I ran across a reference to the title "Hang On" in a very old book called "The History of Western MD" that lists the tune as being played in the 1700's in the region. (SW PA, West MD, WV..." ) It seeems I have also heard the title "Hang Out" used for this tune as well. "Up Jumped Jenny" seems to be another title that is coming to mind.

As I mentioned in the video comments, Samuel P. Bayard collected several versions in SW PA. I'll have to dig out my copy of his book to see if there are other details. Ohio? Paul, that's pretty neat.

http://www.wvpics.com/History%20of%...cksville.htm

-Shawn

fiddlecraver@yahoo.com
www.shawncraver.com

Edited by - fiddlecraver on 12/08/2008 07:26:51