RUFUS RASTUS. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Mississippi. C Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The tune was derived from Sterling and Von Tilzer's Tin-Pan-Alley song "Whatcha Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round.” It was one of four sides the group recorded for Victor Records in Memphis, Tennesse in May, 1930. It is said that the Mississippi Possum Hunters (Avalon, Miss.) were friends with bluesman Mississippi John Hurt.
Source for notated version: - fiddler John Holloway with the Mississippi Possum Hunters (Miss.) [Phillips].
Printed sources : - Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2), 1995; p. 117.
Recorded sources: - County 528, Mississippi Possum Hunters - "Mississippi Breakdown: Traditional Fiddle Music of Mississippi, vol. 1." Document 8028, The Mississippi Possum Hunters – “Mississippi String Bands, vol. 2” (reissue). Grooveless Records, Arm and Hammer String Band - "Stay on the Farm" (1978). Victor 23644 (78 RPM), Mississippi Possum Hunters (1930). Tom & Ben Paley - "Paley and Son" (2015).
See also listing at:
Hear the Mississippi Possum Hunters 1930 recording on youtube.com [1][2] and at Slippery Hill [3]
