Annotation:Yearlings in the Canebrake

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YEARLINGS IN THE CANEBRAKE. AKA - "Yearlings in the Canebreak." Old-Time, Breakdown. A Dorian ('A' part) & A Mixolydian ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB'. The tune is known as a Southwest melody. It was recorded in the 78 RPM era by Captain M.J. Bonner [1] (“The Texas Fiddler”), a Confederate army veteran who recorded at the age of 78 in 1925. Bonner was born March 1, 1847, in Franklin County, Alabama, and his family migrated to Texas around 1854. He was the most accomplished old-time musician to play on the first radio station ‘barn dance’ broadcast on WBAP out of Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 24th, 1923. His "Yearlings in the Canebrake" (as the title appears on the label) is an engertic modal breakdown from an accomplished fiddler, and his recordings resonate well in the modern era.

Captain Moses J. Bonner (1847–1939)

See related tune "Cattle in the Cane (1)."

Source for notated version: Kerry Blech (Florida) [Phillips].

Printed sources: Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 261.

Recorded sources: County CO-CD-3524, Captain M.J. Bonner – “Old Time Texas String Bands, Vol. 2." (2005). Document DOCD 8038. Victor 19699 (78 RPM), Capt. J.M. Bonner (1925). Yodel-Ay-Hee 020, Rafe Stefanini & Bob Herring - "Old Paint." Red Mountain - "Sweet Bama."

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Hear Bonner's 1925 recording on youtube.com [3]
Hear Kerry Blech and Bob Lanham play the tune on youtube.com [4]

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