Topic: Minor key hillbilly songs

[Beanshambone]

So recently I got into an argument with a fiddle player friend who was saying that he hates minor keys because there is no minor hillbilly songs from the 20s and 30s(laughable I know). I continued to show him 3 I could think of off the top of my head being:
Al Hopkins- west virgins gals
Jimmie Rodgers- prairie lullaby
Jimmie Rodgers- gambling barroom blues.

I know there is lots more like dock Boggs definitely sings some minor songs. I’d like to see what you guys think. How many minor hillbilly tunes can you think of?

[banjochris]

I was trying to find some of our discussions about this, but there are lots of hillbilly songs in various modes, but there are not that many that you would call unequivocally "minor" – there are different sounds involved. That said, there are definitely hillbilly songs that qualify.

Someone who has more time than I do at the moment will likely/hopefully chime in on this one!

A couple I can think of are "Treat My Daughter Kindly" as performed by the New Lost City Ramblers (I forget who did the original)
"Jimbo Jambo Land" by Shorty Godwin has a minor section.

[Johnm]

I believe Arthur Smith's "Chittlin' Cookin' Time In Cheatham County" is minor.

[Beanshambone]

Thanks for the reminder chittlin cookin time in cheatham county is fantastic!

[Lignite]

Willie The Chimney Sweeper - Ernest Rogers
Mexican Waltz - Kessinger Brothers
Cajon Stomp - Farr Brothers (Hugh and Karl)
Pickaninny Lullaby Song - Uncle Dave Macon

They do exist but they seem to be few and far between.

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here's one from Kelly Harrell, "The Cuckoo, She's A Fine Bird":



All best,
Johnm

[Beanshambone]

Here’s is a another cool one that I found a 78 of the other day! Nice minor cowboy song!

Patsy montana- pride of the prairie

[Lignite]

Here's a minor key tune by the same group who backed Patsy Montana on Pride Of The Prairie; The Prairie Ramblers aka The Sweet Violet Boys.

https://archive.org/details/78_i-havent-got-a-pot-to-cook-in_sweet-violet-boys-rellim-wells_gbia0240222a

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Here's one from the Watson Family--"The Lost Soul". I love Arnold Watson's lead singing (they all sound great).:



All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Sam and Kirk McGee's version of "Salty Dog Blues" ends up resolving to C major, but it starts with a really long-held A minor chord, so I thought it sort of fit in this category. Here it is:

[Lignite]

Here is; a beautiful haunting melody from Uncle Davey

[Johnm]

Boy, that is a beauty, Lightnin'--thanks for posting it. It's so unusual, at the front end of the verses the phrasing reminds me of the "Crawdad Song", but at the tail end it goes somewhere altogether different. And that ascending/descending melodic line of the refrain is unforgettable.