Annotation:Paris Waltz

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PARIS WALTZ. Old-Time, Bluegrass; Waltz. USA, Tenn. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. Composed by Arthur Smith [1] (1898-1971), named for the Henry County, Tennessee, seat, Paris, near where Smith was born and raised. The county is named from American revolutionary-era hero Patrick Henry of Virginia, while the town was named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette.

Smith recorded the waltz for Bluebird Records in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1938, backed by the Delmore Brothers, Alton and Rabon, who both played guitar.

Mule Day, Paris, Tenn., 1930's. Mule Day was a local celebration held every April in the early 20th century to sell and trade livestock, purchase goods, and meet neighbors.

Source for notated version: Howard Forrester and Dwight Lubiniecki [Phillips]; Floyd Engstrom [Silberberg].

Printed sources: Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 292. Silberberg (93 Fiddle Tunes I Didn’t Learn at the Tractor Tavern), 2004; p. 35.

Recorded sources: Bluebird BB B-8158 (78 RPM), Arthur Smith (1938). County LP-784, Kenny Baker & Howdy Forrester - "Red Apple Rag" (1983). County Records CO-3526-CD, "Fiddlin' Arthur Smith & His Dixieliners." Starday SLP 202, "Rare Old Fiddle Tunes - Fiddlin' Arthur Smith and the Dixieliners" (1963). Voyager Records VRCD 361, Floyd Engstrom - "Kitsap County Fiddler" (2003).

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer’s Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]
Hear Arthur Smith's 1938 recording on youtube.com [3]