BLACK RIVER. American, Reel. USA, Missouri. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. See note for "annotation:Ladies in the Ballroom (2)," and "Rattlesnake Bit the Baby." Liner notes to Gene Goforth's album say that Ken Curtis, who played the character Festus on American TV's long-running Gunsmoke, whistled the tune and called it "Cherokee Square Dance." John Hartford calls it a 'cousin' to Howdy Forrester's "Ladies in the Ballroom (2)," and Bill Monore's "Boston Boy."
Additional notes
Source for notated version: -
Printed sources : -
Recorded sources: -Rounder RO-0388, Gene Goforth -"Emminence Breakdown" (1997. Learned in 1958 from a tape of 'old man' Walter Alexander, of Leasburg, Mo.). Rounder 0442, John Hartford - "Hamilton Ironworks" (2001. Learned from Walter Alexander of Leasburg, Missouri).
See also listing at:
Hear Walter Alexander's field recording at Slippery Hill [1]
Hear Cecil Goforth's recording at Slippery Hill [2]
