Annotation:Cowboys Dream (1) (The)

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COWBOY'S DREAM, THE. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Ohio. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AB (Silberberg): AABB (Kuntz): AABB' (Phillips). John McCutcheon identifies this as an Ohio tune, although its origins are somewhat obscure. Kerry Blech says the tune was played by Barnesville, Ohio, fiddler John W. Hutchison (1915-1979), from whom it was learned by fiddler Greg Dearth who was playing with Hutchison's sons in a bluegrass band for a time. Hutchison says he learned many of his tunes from "'old man' Bondy, an Irishman." Dearth later played with the Hot Mud Family, who Blech thinks "were probably the main conduit for this tune getting spread around." Gus Meade (2002) links the tune "Rachel" with "Cowboy's Dream."

Source for notated version: fiddler Bill Christopherson and Scott Ainslie with the Fly By Night String Band (learned from friends in California) [Phillips]; Tony Mates [Silberberg].

Printed sources: Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1), 1994; p. 58. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; p. 26.

Recorded sources: Greenhays GR 70710, John McCutcheon - "Fine Times at Our House" (1982. Learned from Pete Vigour and Ellen Scherer). Mudthumper CD MM-0050, The Fat City String Band (Walt Koken, Mac Benford, Bob Potts). Fly By Night String Band (1980).