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Composed by Braxton County, West Virginia, old-time fiddler Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997).

According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life. He had worked most of his life for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, prior to retiring in 1972 to his home in Braxton County, West Virginia.

He was a regular visitor during his working years to his homeplace on the Elk River, and was witness to the planning and construction of the Sutton Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river during the 1950's and 1960's.

Unfortunately, this resulted in the flooding of his boyhood home and the surrounding area, despite the efforts of himself and neighbors to forestall the project through a lobbyist. He refused the government's initial offer for his land (they didn't offer him anything for his house), and took the case to court.

He was able to gain a marked increase in the money he eventually was paid through this process, although he had to pay legal fees out of his pocket. He stayed in his Elk River homestead while the dam was being constructed, even though most of his neighbors had already left. Workmen blocked the roads in and out of the area, but Carpenter found alternate routes until they too were closed off.

"I was the last person out of there," he said," I went ahead then and tore the old place town and brought it up here. Part of its in this house." Of the tune, he remarked: "I was sittin' here one day, an' I had the blues. I reckon as bad as anybody could, thinkin' about my old homeplace up on the Elk River. I started sawin' on the fiddle an' that's what I came up with."

...more at: Elk River Blues - full Score(s) and Annotations

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{SheetMusic
-|f_track=Mr Isaacs Maggot.mp3
+|f_track=Elk River Blues.mp3
-|f_pdf=Mr Isaac.pdf
+|f_pdf=Elk River Blues.pdf
-|f_artwork=Mr-isaac.jpg
+|f_artwork=Ernie Carpenter.jpg
-|f_tune_name=Mr. Isaac’s Maggot
+|f_tune_name=Elk River Blues
-|f_track_title=Mr._Isaac’s_Maggot
+|f_track_title=Elk River Blues
 |f_section=abc
-|f_played_by=[https://soundcloud.com/auburn_witch Auburn Witch]
+|f_played_by=[https://soundcloud.com/jatek-zenekar Jatek Zenekar]
-|f_notes= Mr. Isaac, painted by Louis Goupy. The original portrait is lost, but this engraving of it by George White was published in the early 18th century.
+|f_notes=Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997)
-|f_caption=Dance researcher Moira Goff has discovered that "Mr. Isaac" was in fact a Royal dancing master named Francis Thorpe, offering as proof the will of his uncle, Jerome Gahory, who previously occupied the post of Royal dancing master.
+|f_caption=According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life.
-|f_source=[https://soundcloud.com/auburn_witch/mr-isaacs-maggot Soundcloud]
+|f_source=[https://soundcloud.com/jatek-zenekar/elk-river-blues Soundcloud]
 |f_pix=420
 |f_picpix=200
-|f_article=[[Mr._Isaac’s_Maggot | '''Mr. Isaac’s Maggot''']]
+|f_article=[[Elk River Blues | '''Elk River Blues''']]
-Sixteenth and seventeenth century country dance tunes sometimes had the word "maggot" in their titles, perhaps derived from Italian ''Maggiolatta'' or Italian May song, but used in England to mean a whim, fancy, plaything, 'trifle'--essentially an 'earworm'<ref>Emmerson (1972) states that maggot derives from the Italian ''maggioletta'', which he translates as a 'plaything', but what his source is for this translation is unknown.</ref>.
+Composed by Braxton County, West Virginia, old-time fiddler Ernie Carpenter (1909-1997).
-A ''maggot'' was also another name for a dram, a small unit of liquid measure. This anonymous melody dates to 1695, when it first appeared in Playford's '''Dancing Master''', 9th edition. The dance and tune were retained in the long running series through the 18th and last volume, then published by John Young, heir to the Playford publishing concern. It also was included by the Walsh's (father and son) in their '''Compleat Country Dancing Master''', editions of 1718, 1735 and 1754. For more on Isaac see Jennifer Thorp's article "Mr. Isaac, Dancing-Master" in '''Dance Research''' - Volume 24, Number 2, Winter 2006, pp. 117-137, where, for example, she gives:
+According to the booklet accompanying Carpenter's LP, the story behind the tune is one of a difficult adjustment to a forced change in Ernie's life. He had worked most of his life for the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in Clarksburg, prior to retiring in 1972 to his home in Braxton County, West Virginia.
-<blockquote>
-''The earliest references to him as a performer in London connect him with the Stuart Court, for in April 1673 a'' ''dancer named Isaac was one of several dancers (along with Mr. Priest) who performed as Venetians, a Spaniard, a'' ''Conjuror, Devils, and Shepherds, in a masquerade for King Charles II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth.''
+He was a regular visitor during his working years to his homeplace on the Elk River, and was witness to the planning and construction of the Sutton Dam by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the river during the 1950's and 1960's.
-</blockquote>
-A version of "Mr. Isaac's Maggot" has been found included the '''Suite in C Major'''<ref>A recording of Plaisible's suite has been issued as Arcana Recordings A527, "The Queen's Favourites: Music for Oboe Band at the Court of Anne Stuart", performed by La Petite Ecurie. We are indebted to David Schonfeld for information on this connection. </ref> by English court composer and recorder player James Paisible (1656-1721) as an "Ornepaipe"
+Unfortunately, this resulted in the flooding of his boyhood home and the surrounding area, despite the efforts of himself and neighbors to forestall the project through a lobbyist. He refused the government's initial offer for his land (they didn't offer him anything for his house), and took the case to court.
+He was able to gain a marked increase in the money he eventually was paid through this process, although he had to pay legal fees out of his pocket. He stayed in his Elk River homestead while the dam was being constructed, even though most of his neighbors had already left.  Workmen blocked the roads in and out of the area, but Carpenter found alternate routes until they too were closed off.
+"I was the last person out of there," he said," I went ahead then and tore the old place town and brought it up here. Part of its in this house." Of the tune, he remarked: "I was sittin' here one day, an' I had the blues. I reckon as bad as anybody could, thinkin' about my old homeplace up on the Elk River. I started sawin' on the fiddle an' that's what I came up with."
 }}