Annotation:John Lover's Gone

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JOHN LOVER('S GONE). AKA and see "Tommy Love," "Poor Johnny's gone to War," "Poor Johnny's Gone to the War," "John the Lover," "Johnny Has Gone to War," "Johnny Lover," "John's Lover is Gone." Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, south-west Va. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Phillips): ABC (Silberberg): ABBC (Milliner & Koken). A popular dance tune in Virginia's Blue Ridge, known especially as a banjo song which employs a special tuning on the instrument. In the repertoire of Taylor Kimble (1892-1979), Patrick County, Va., and J.P. Nestor.

The Roanoke Jug Band recorded the tune in Richmond in 1929. The group was primarily made up by employees of the American Viscoe Company plant in Vinton, Virginia, and played throughout the south-central part of the state. Despite their name, none of the members used a jug in performance.

Additional notes
Source for notated version : - Billy Altizer with the Roanoke Jugband and Jack Link) [Phillips]; Glen Smith with Wade Ward [Milliner & Koken].

Printed sources : - Milliner & Koken (Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes), 2011; p. 343. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; p. 127. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; p. 76 (appears as "Johnny's Lover's Gone").

Recorded sources : - County 201, Babe Spangler - "The Old Virginia Fiddlers: Rare Recordings." County 531, Roanoke (Va.) Jug Band - "Old Time String Band Classics, 1927-1933" (1975). County 746, Taylor Kimble. County 790, Leftwich & Higginbotham - "No One to Bring Home Tonight" (1984). Field Recorder Collective FRC106, "The Kimble and Wagoner Families" (2006). Folkways 2380, Wade Ward. OKeh 45423 (78 RPM), Roanoke Jug Band (1929). Shanachie Records 6040, Gerry Milnes & Lorriane Lee Hammond - "Hell Up Coal Holler" (1999). Smithsonian Folkways FW 02380, Wade Ward - "Uncle Wade" (1973).

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