Annotation:John Brown's Dream
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JOHN BROWN'S DREAM. AKA and see "Brownlow's Dream," "Brown's Dream (1)," "Brownstream," "Pretty Little Gal (1)," "Pretty Little Miss (1)," "Herve Brown's Dream," "Johnny Bring the Jug Around the Hill," "Little Rabbit," "Red Steer," "Stillhouse Branch." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina. A Major. AEae (Tommy Jarrell) or Standard tuning (fiddle). AABBCC (Brody): AABBCCDD (Phillips, Songer). A Galax, Virginia, regional standard. One of a family of tunes that includes "Brownstream," "Herv Brown's Dream," "Jimmy Johnson Pass That Jug Around the Hill," "Little Rabbit" "Pretty Little Girl," "Pretty Little Miss (1)," "Stillhouse Branch" "Table Mountain Road" and others. The tune family is a common a popular one in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where it probably originated but has since been disseminated. Hobart Smith, of Saltville, Va., also played the tune on the banjo. Tommy Jarrell, of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, suggested that "John Brown's Dream," which he learned from his father, fiddler Ben Jarrell, was derived from "Pretty Little Miss."
('B' part vocal) John Brown's dream, the devil is dead.
('C' part vocal) Come on Lula, come on Lula, come on Lula you're hoggin' the bread.
John Brown's dream, John Brown's dream,
John Brown's dream, the devil is dead.
Come on, Lula, come on Lula,
Come on Lula, eat your hog and your bread. ... ("hog" refers to fatback).
Apparently, Walton, West Virginia, fiddler Franklin George is the source for the "Herve (or Harv) Brown's Dream" title, which he obtained from Jim Farthing, late of S.W. Virginia and West Virginia. There is speculation, though no proof, that the title of the tune was originally "Herve Brown's Dream," but the name Herve was supplanted by John because of the notoriety of the famous abolitonist who was hanged at Charles Town, Virginia in 1859 for treason committed in the raid of the U.S. Arsenal at Harper's Ferry earlier that year. Most commentors agree that the tune has considerable age, and may predate the Harpers Faerry incident in the mid-19th century. Dwight Diller has said that the West Virginia tune "Jimmy Johnson" was the musical precursor to "John Brown's Dream," and opined that "Jimmy Johnson" was the far superior melody. Kentucky fiddler Buddy Thomas knew the tune as "Stillhouse Branch." Kerry Blech has even heard the title "Brown Stream," a mondegreen of course (for "Brown's Dream"). Hobart Smith called his version of the tune "Devil's Dream" on his Rounder recording (Rounder CD 0032).
Sources for notated versions: New Lost City Ramblers [Brody]; Kevin Wimmer [Phillips]; Tommy Jarrell (Mt. Airy, N.C.) [Milliner & Koken].
Printed sources: Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 148. Milliner & Koken (Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes), 2011; pp. 340-341. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; p. 126. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 111.
Recorded sources: County 524, "Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters: 1927 Recordings" (the fiddler for this band is Ben Jarrell). County 713, Cockerham, Jenkins and Jarrell- "Down to the Cider Mill." County CD2702, Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham - "Tommy and Fred: Best Fiddle-Banjo Duets" (1992). County CO-CD-2711, Kirk Sutphin - "Old Roots and New Branches" (1994). Document DOCD-8023, Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters (reissue). Folkways FA 2492, New Lost City Ramblers- "String Band Instrumentals" (1964). Folkways FTS 31041, New Lost City Ramblers- "Across the Great Divide." Kicking Mule 203, Art Rosenbaum- "The Art of the Mountain Banjo." Marimac 9038, Dan Gellert & Brad Leftwich - "A Moment in Time" (1993. Learned from Tommy Jarrell). Roane Records RR-101, "Cedar Point String Band" (Franklin George et al. Appears as "Harv Brown's Dream"). "Silvertone 5183B (78 RPPM), Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters (1927). Tennvale 003, Pete Parish- "Clawhammer Banjo." Tradition Records TLP1007, Hobart Smith - "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians" (1956). PearlMae Muisc 004-2, Jim Taylor - "The Civil War Collection" (1996. Learned from Sheila Adams who had it from Tommy Jarrell and Scot Ainsley).