"Old John Henry Died on the Mountain" | Performance
Added 2019-09-17 18:58:56 +0000 UTC[gCGCD, relative. Would also sound great in f#DF#AD] This is my original arrangement of a song I learned from the recording of Henry Grady Terrell made at Athens, Georgia by Arthur S. Rosenbaum.
Though usually associated with the "John Henry" ballad, on the contrary, I find it shares more traits with the "Across the Blue Ridge Mountain" family of songs. Generally sung by Anglo banjoists/guitarists, this a cappella version in the Afro tradition immediately captured my attention.'' While arranging my own version I altered the melody & structure found in the recording to make it more of a banjo song. I believe this family of songs is quite old indeed, perhaps going back to the earliest days of black & white settlement in southern Appalachia.
LINK to the original recording by Henry Grady Terrell: https://youtu.be/Yb-S_g5FYo0
(Be sure to turn it down at the begginning if you have dogs!)
