Annotation:Darkey's Dream
Tune properties and standard notation
DARKEY'S/DARKIE'S DREAM. AKA and see "Acorn Stomp," "Darkey Dan," "The Wind That Blows You Away." AKA - "Darky's Dream." Old-Time, Breakdown or Schottische. USA; eastern Tenn., western N.C., West Virginia, Missouri, southwestern Pa., Arizona. D Major (Bayard, Beisswenger & McCann/Goforth, Roche): F Major (Phillips): G Major (Beisswenger & McCann/Robertson). Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB (Roche): AA'B (Bayard, Phillips): AA'BB'CC (Beisswenger & McCann/Robertson): AABBCD (Beisswenger & McCann/Goforth). The first strain appears to be fairly uniform among fiddlers' versions of this tune, although the second strain varies (sometimes quite a bit). One version was in the repertoire of legendary fiddler J. Dedrick Harris, born in Tenn., who played regularly with Bob Taylor when he was running for Governor of the state in the late 1800's. He moved to western North Carolina in the 1920's and influenced a generation of fiddlers there: Osey Helton, Manco Sneed, Bill Hensley, Marcus Martin--in fact, a tune by the title was also in Osey Helton's repertoire. "Darkie's Dream" was identified by John Hartford as a Missouri tune similar to "Essence of Sugar Cane" which is known to have inspired the three-part "Darkie's Dream" by George Lansing, published in New York in 1891. Lansing himself was a white banjo player in Boston in the 1880's. A tune by this title in the key of G Major was in the repertoire of Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner who identified it as a "clog dance," sometimes played at dances for a schottische. Bayard (1981) noted that Pennsylvania fiddlers played this tune with a variety of tempos and styles, and he too mentions that the schottische style was common. "Darkie's Dream" even appears in an Irish collection (Roche) where it is listed simply as a "barndance." Other tunes that bear a general or part similarity are "Always Welcome," "The Butcher's Row"and "Old Yaller Houn'." In the repertoire of West Virginia fiddler Burl Hammons, who learned it from African-American musician Grafton Lacey. An early version of the Missouri variant appears in W.H. Morris' Old Time Violin Melodies, according to Mark Wilson., printed in St. Joseph in 1927.
The tune was picked up, relatively intact, by musicians in Ireland and appears in Frank and John Roche's early 20th century (1927) collection. "Darkey's Dream" was recorded by fiddler Michael Gorman as "Jamesy Gannon's Favorite," and by James Morrison's student, Timmy Cronin, as "Offally Favorite" in 1957.
Source for notated version: Samuel Losch (Juniata County, Pa., 1930's), William Shape (elderly fiddler from Greene County, Pa., 1944) [Bayard]; Grant Lamb (Mo.) [Phillips]; Gene Goforth (1921-2002, High Ridge, near St. Louis, Mo.), who learned it from his uncle Lawrence, who had it from a French musician who lived around Potosi, Mo. [Beisswenger & McCann]; Lonnie Robertson (1908-1981, Springfield, Mo.) [Beisswenger & McCann].
Printed sources: Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozarks Fiddle Music), 2008; pp. 44 and 116. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 2, 1995; p. 38. Roche Collection, 1982; vol. 3, p. 53, No. 159.
Recorded sources: Caney Mountain Records CEP 213 (privately issued extended play LP), Lonnie Robertson (Mo.), c. 1965-66. Rounder CD0375, Lonnie Robertson - "Lonnie's Breakdown" (1996. Originally recorded 1966). See also listings at: Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [].