Annotation:Old Leather Bonnet with a Hole in the Crown

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OLD LEATHER BONNET WITH A HOLE IN THE CROWN. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Arkansas. G Major/Mixolydian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA'BB'CC'. Drew Beisswenger (2008) finds Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett's version of "The Arkansas Sheik" (1931) to be nearly identical to the tune from the repertoire of Arkansas fiddler Jesse Wallace. However, Wallace learned his melody at the age of 16 (predating McMichen's recording by eight years) from the singing of his grandmother, while bedridden from a leg injury. Both titles ("Arkansas Shiek" and "Old Leather Bonnet with a Hole in the Crown" are lines from songs with different melodies. The hole in the crown of the bonnet was useful to farm women, who would pull their long hair through it to keep the wind from blowing it off.

Source for notated version: Jesse Wallace (1907-2006, born Stone County, Arkansas) [Beisswenger & McCann].

Printed sources: Beisswenger & McCann (Ozarks Fiddle Music), 2008; p. 156.

Recorded sources: Rounder CD 0435, Jesse Wallace - "Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, vol. 1" (1999. Various artists).

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