"Wild Bill Jones" Performance (guitar, DADGAD)
Added 2022-03-11 15:00:07 +0000 UTCI learned "Wild Bill Jones" from George Gibson of Knott County, Kentucky. George played it on a 6-string guitar-banjo tuned DADGAD, with a worn-out 4th string in place of his 6th string.
I've attempted to reproduce Gibson's method as closely as possible, including his instrumental run. Note, however, that George uses a three-finger picking style when playing guitar tunes, but I only use two.
I went out on one day just a rambling holiday
When I met up with that Wild Bill Jones,
He was walking he was talking with my little doney gal
So I bid him for to leaver her alone.
He said my age is twenty-two
Much too old for to be controlled,
So I drew my revolver off from my side
I destroyed that poor boy's soul.
He fell to his knees then he laid on the ground
And he gave one dying moan,
Then he threw his arms up around her neck
He said O darling you are left alone.
Take down your long neck fifth and we'll all get on a spree
For today was the last of that Wild Bill Jones,
And tomorrow will be the last of me.
[original verse by Clifton Hicks]
Don't you tell my momma about the bad things I've done
Won't you tell her just to pray for me,
When I'm hanging on the hangman's tree?
Comments
I was remembering back to the very early 70s. The Smithsonian Archives would publish full recordings of Alan Lomax and other field researchers. No tab really available then. The songs and instrumentals would be listed so usually needed to buy entire vinyl LPs. Folks can now download songs and lessons in minutes; still amazes me!
Matthew Keeley
2022-04-16 02:18:35 +0000 UTCThanks, Matthew. Did a free sample record come with each catalog?
Clifton Hicks
2022-04-15 10:25:51 +0000 UTCMan oh man oh man, well done! When I first started the five and six string we would wait for weeks for the mail order catalog. Choose a few tunes and wait a few more weeks for the record, which of course the needle would wear away the song. Sometimes it lasted long enough to get enough to learn. You're making a huge impact in keeping this music alive.
Matthew Keeley
2022-04-15 00:55:01 +0000 UTCThanks. I'm trying.
Clifton Hicks
2022-03-11 22:59:12 +0000 UTCLesson and tab coming soon!
Clifton Hicks
2022-03-11 22:59:00 +0000 UTCWould love you to break this down in a lesson… I’m playing around with playing guitar clawhammer style at the moment and would love to be able to add something like this to my repertoire
Chris
2022-03-11 20:59:35 +0000 UTCTruly great performance Clif. Inspiring stuff man keep on keeping on!!
jason k.
2022-03-11 20:48:41 +0000 UTCThat’s so beautiful and haunting. Roscoe Holcomb also played guitar with banjo style upon occasion. But I love that the low string is actually a high string!
Jai Uttal
2022-03-11 18:41:31 +0000 UTCI play it exactly as I would a regular banjo, but with an extra bass string. I explain it here: https://youtu.be/iZDccQXpxVQ
Clifton Hicks
2022-03-11 16:58:50 +0000 UTCWow❤️
Fenton
2022-03-11 16:43:55 +0000 UTCMan, that sounds good. I've seen you pick up a guitar before but don't recall seeing you 2-finger it. Are you basically playing it as you would a banjo? I used to play back in the past and have considered picking it up again and applying banjo technique to it. I've heard some musicians actually play overhand style and it sounds fantastic and would obviously be pretty unusual in the guitar world.
Ted Crilly
2022-03-11 15:52:46 +0000 UTCVery nice my favorite version. Thank you Clifton!
Earle Rowe
2022-03-11 15:46:22 +0000 UTCLove it
Justin Hoffmann
2022-03-11 15:14:25 +0000 UTCOh, Man! Switchin’ it up. Diggin’ it.
Alex Richardson
2022-03-11 15:03:23 +0000 UTC
