Annotation:Sally Ann Johnson (1)

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X:1 T:Sally Ann Johnson S:Henry Reed (1967, Glen Lyn, Virginia) M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel D:Library of Congress AFS 13703B10 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:D (F[A2A2])[AA]- [A2A2][A2A2]|BABd ed3|{e}f3d e2d2|fded BdAG| (F[A2A2])[AA]- [A2A2][A2A2]|BABd e2d2|ffaf egfe|[D2d2]d2[D2d2]A2|| |:defg a4|b4 f3f|gfgf e2d2|fded B2A2| defg a4|b4 f3f|gfgf e2d2|fded BdAG||


SALLY ANN JOHNSON. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Virginia, West Virginia. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Brody): AABB' (Phillips). The title is sometimes confused with "Sally Johnson (1)" ("Katy Hill" family), a different tune altogether but which is sometimes called "Sally Ann Johnson." "Sally Ann Johnson" also bears no musical relation to the similarly-titled "Sally Ann" ("Great Big Taters") family of tunes. Alan Jabbour, in his notes to his source Henry Reed's (1884-1968, Glen Lyn, Virginia) version of the tune notes that Irish variants of the tune go by the name "Boys of Bluehill (The)," "Freedom for Ireland" and "Nights of Gladness (5)." Jabbour also says "Sally Ann Johnson" compares with "Banks of Inverness" and the American variants "Beaux of Oak Hill (1)," "Two Sisters (The)," and "Lonesome Katy." A cognate Blue Ridge tune is Taylor Kimble's "Old Ark's a-Moving (The)". "Many printed sets are cast as hornpipes," notes Jabbour, "with the characteristic three eighth notes ending each strain. Henry Reed's tune has the feel of an American breakdown, but its circular structure for the melody leading from the second strain back to the first is unusual."[1] According to Guthrie Meade, this piece was a favorite competition number for St. Albans, West Virginia, fiddler Clark Kessinger (1896-1975) at fiddlers' contests. Kessinger played the tune at the Newport Folk Festival in 1966, and recorded it for LP's in the 1960's but seems not to have recorded it earlier in his early career. The Kessinger Brothers (Clark and his nephew Luchas on guitar) did record "Sally Johnson" (The "Katy Hill" tune) for Brunswick records (issued as Melotone M12161) although they were identified as The Wright Brothers on the label.

Additional notes

Sources for notated versions: - Ray Bierl (California) [Phillips]; Sally & John White (Scio, Oregon) [Songer].

Printed sources : - Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; p. 245. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 209. Songer (Portland Collection), 1997; p. 173.

Recorded sources: - County 733, "The Legend of Clark Kessinger" (1996). Folkways FA 2336, Clark Kessinger - "Old-Time Country Music" (1966). Folkways 31062, Ship in the Clouds - "Old Time Instrumental Music" (1978. Learned from fiddler Henry Reed, 1884-1968, Glen Lyn, Giles County, Virginia). Library of Congress AFS 13703B10, Henry Reed (1967). Victor 19372 (78 RPM), A.C. Robertson (1922). Jabbour, Thompson, and Bradley - "Sandy's Fancy."

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index of Recorded Sources [1]
Hear Alan Jabbours 1967 recording of Henry Reed playing "Sally Ann Johnson" at Slippery Hill [2] and at the L.O.C [3]
See Lisa Ornstein's standard notation transcription of Henry Reed's version [4]


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  1. ↑ https://www.loc.gov/item/afcreed000179/
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