Annotation:Lee Highway Blues

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LEE HIGHWAY BLUES. AKA and see "Going Down the Lee Highway," "New Lee Highway Blues," "Opry Fiddler's Blues," "Talkin' Fiddle Blues." Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. USA. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by North Carolina/Tennessee fiddler G.B. Grayson in the 1920's. Stacy Phillips (1995) suggests the tune was derived from "Down Home Blues" (a version of which was recorded by Jimmy McCarroll and the Roane County Ramblers). Roy Parker states this tune was composed by fiddler G.B. Grayson in the back of guitarist Henry Whitter's Model T Ford as it chugged down US 11 (Lee Highway) on the way to the Memphis recording session.

Source for notated version: Highwoods String Band (Ithaca, New York) [Brody], Robert Wise [Phillips].

Printed sources: Brody (Fiddler's Fakebook), 1983; p. 167. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; p. 76.

Recorded sources: Bay 203, Jody Stecher- "Snake Baked a Hoecake." Columbia KC 32717, Dave Bromberg- "Wanted Dead or Alive." County CO-CD-3511, "Rural String Bands of Tennessee" (appears as "Going Down the Lee Highway"). Rebel 1531, Curly Ray Cline- "Fishin' For Another Hit." Rounder 0023, Highwoods String Band- "Fire On the Mountain." Rounder 0070, The Kentucky Colonels- "1965-1967." Rounder C-11565, Scotty Stoneman - "Lee Highway Blues" (1990). Rounder CD 11565, Scotty Stoneman - "Rounder Fiddle." Victor 23565 (78 RPM), 1929, G.B. Grayson (N.C./Tenn.).

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