Annotation:Dolly

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DOLLY. AKA and see "Stumptown Dolly," "Stumptailed Dolly." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; Magoffin County, Ky. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB. A regional eastern Kentucky tune. Jeff Titon (2001) says John Salyer (1882-1952) recorded a similar version of this local tune as "Stumptailed Dolly." John lived not far from the home of Titon/Phillip's source, William Hamilton Stepp (1875-1947), and the two played together frequently, sharing some of their respective repertoires. Stepp was recorded for the Library of Congress by the Lomax's in October, 1937, and his version can be heard on AFS 568. The original title of "Dolly" may or may not have been "Stumptailed Dog," named so by Salyer's father Morgan, who had a bob-tailed dog named Dolly (according to Magoffin County fiddler Glen Fannin, who played a version for Bruce Greene). Other Kentucky fiddlers simply knew the tune as "Dolly." Fiddler George Hawkins (1904-1991) also had a version of "Dolly," according to John Harrod. Stump Tailed Dolly has another meaning--it is the slang name for the poss stick, or paddle, and dolly tub employed when washing clothes the old-fashioned way.

Source for notated versions: W.M. Stepp (1875-1947, Lakeville, Magoffin County, Ky., 1937) [Phillips, Titon].

Printed sources: Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; p. 72. Titon (Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes), 2001; No. 34, pg. 67.

Recorded sources: Berea College Appalachian Center AC003, John M. Salyer - "Home Recordings 1941-42, vol. 2" (1993). Cartunes 105, Bruce Molsky & Bob Carlin - "Take Me As I Am" (2004. Sourced to William Hamilton Stepp). 5 String Productions 5sP05002, The Hoover Uprights - "Known by their Reputation" (2006. Appears as "Stumptailed Dolly," a version learned "mostly" from the Stepp recording).

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