Annotation:Dolly

Back to Dolly

X:1 T:Dolly S:W.H. "Fiddling Bill" Stepp (1875-1947, Lakeville, Magoffin County, Ky.) M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel Q:"Fast" N:Stepp bounces the bow in the first strain. D:Library of Congress AFS 01568 B01, W.H. Stepp (1937) F:https://www.slippery-hill.com/recording/dolly Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:G V:1 clef=treble name="1." [V:1] [G2B2]AG E2Ee|dBAG EG[GB]A|[G2B2]AG E2 eB|dBAF G2[EA]F| [G2B2][GA]G E2eB| dBAG EG[GB]A|[G2B2][GA]G E2 eB|dBAF G2 || |:ef|g2ef g2eg|fefg afdd|g2 ef g2dc|BGAG EGGB| g2 ef gfeg|fefg afdf |bgaf g2ed|BGAG EGG:|

DOLLY. AKA and see "Stumptown Dolly," "Stumptailed Dolly." American, Reel. 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 former Magoffin County fiddler Glen Fannin, who played a version for collector 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.

Additional notes

Source for notated version: - 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, p. 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). Library of Congress AFS 01568 B01, W.H. Stepp (1937).

See also listing at:
Hear W.H. Stepp's 1937 recording at Slippery Hill [1] and at Berea Sound Archives [2]
Hear John Morgan Salyer's "Stumptailed Dolly" at Berea Sound Archives [3]

Back to Dolly