BANJO TUNES & SONGS
Below is a list of tunes many of which I am actively playing:
(Tunes marked * are originals) The indication "$" means I have forgotten how to play this original tune and do not have it written down anywhere, so it is lost forever :( (so far it amounts to eight tunes in the last eight years. Such a shame I don't get around to writing the tunes down, or at the very least, recording them for later reference.)
Instrumentals:
Pickaway
Lonesome Road Blues
Haskell's Stomp
Mc Cormick's String Picnic
Bugle Call Rag
Pike County Breakdown
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Feuding Banjos
Foggy Mountain Banjo
Foggy Mountain Minor*
Shake & Bake Breakdown*
Blue Ridge Pines*
Backcountry Picking Party*
Long Hard Road*
Alder Brook*
Are You Washed in the Blood
Across the Big Sandy
Crossroads
Get in Line Brother
Banjo Girl*
Deep Water Hornpipe*
East Mill Flow*
Essex Junction*
Five String Dixie*
General Hammond*
Greenwood Strain*
Hard Wide Road*
Longing For Home*
McCourt's Bridge*
Old Home Rag*
Panther Mountain*
Pig in a Poke*
Ripple Crick*
The Flight of the Hornet*
Uncle Jake*
The Valley Rascals Rag*
Little Maggie
When You and I Were Young, Maggie
Roll in My Baby's Arms
Jingle Bells
Oh Tannenbaum
Grandfather's Clock
Cripple Creek
Whoa Mule
Blackberry Blossom
You Are My Sunshine (D)) (with tuners)
Home Sweet Home (D)) (with tuners)
Home Sweet Home (C)
Tall Pines
Ruben's Train
Rueben (D) with tuners)
Red River Valley (G)
Red River Valley (D) (with tuners)
Dear Old Dixie
Walking Cane
Girl From West Virginia
Gravel Yard
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Mary Ann
Raining in L.A.
Brown Eyed Girl (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
I'll Take The Blame
Walk The Way The Wind Blows
Slewfoot
Nellie Kane
Take it Easy With My Heart
Rough and Rocky
Daybreak in Dixie
Ralph's Banjo Special
Nashville Skyline Rag
Nashville Grass Breakdown
Joy Bells
Banjolina
Theme Time (A))
Gold Rush (A))
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Black Diamond (C))
Fireball Mail
Fireball
The Wabash Cannonball
Old Joe Clark (A))
Cumberland Gap
Bluegrass Breakdown
Down Yonder
Roanoke
Black Mountain Rag
Mountain Dew
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
John Hardy
Little Dave
Little Willie
Molly and Tenbrooks
Monroe's Hornpipe
Big Mon
Wheel Hoss
My Little Girl in Tennessee
Georgia Rose
Nine Pound Hammer
No Mother or Dad
Rawhide
Rabbit in the Log
Red Wing
Santa Claus
Sourwood Mountain
Stony Lonesome
Sweet Dixie (C))
The Baptism of Jesse Taylor
White Dove
Who Will Sing For Me
Union County
Wildwood Flower
Will You Be Loving Another Man
Dark Holler
How Mountain Girls Can Love
Turkey in the Straw
Take Me In a Lifeboat
I'm Using My Bible For a Road Map
Tears of Regret
I'm Changing the Words to My Love Song of You
I Got a Letter
True Love is too Sweet to Last
Old Liza Jane
One Tear
My Little Honeysuckle Rose
My Darling in Heaven
Lost All My Money
Y'all Come
Maple Sugar
Spinning Wheel
Brandy Wine
Sally Goodin
Missouri Road (Bb)
Silver Bells
Jake Brake
Shucking the Corn
The Rheatown Ramble*"$"
Mountain Fairies*"$"
Chuckey Pike Breakdown*"$"
Sledd Ridin'
The Banjer Am The Instrument Fer Me (Grandpa Jones)
Hot Corn Cold Corn
The Beverly Hillbillies
Foggy Mountain Top
Foggy Mountain Chimes
Washington County (A)
Little Home in West Virginia
Fox On The Run
Wagon Wheel
Ridin' That Midnight Train
Earl"s Breakdown (with tuners)
The Flint Hill Special (with tuners)
The Randy Lynn Rag (with tuners)
The Unicoi Bounce*"$"
I'm Off to the Jam*"$"
Fred's 5-String Breakdown*"$"
Gold Star Breakdown*"$"
Amelia Earhart
Angel Band
Tennessee
Banks of the Ohio
Battle of New Orleans
Big Spike Hammer (A)) or (B))
Bury Me Beneath The Willow
Columbus Stockade Blues
The Crawdad Song
Darling Think of What You've Done
Dooley
Down The Road
Great Speckled Bird
Greenville Trestle
I Saw The Light
If I Lose
I'll Fly Away
I'm Going Back to the Old Home
Jesse James
Wreck of the Old 97
Somebody Touched Me
Storm's Out on the Ocean
Take me in Your Lifeboat
This Old House
Wabash Cannonball
Way Downtown
Who Will Watch The Home Place
The Bells of Saint Mary's (C) (A)
Down in Piney Grove*"$" (Bm)
Limehouse Blues (G))
Cowboys and Indians (Cm))
Dixie Breakdown (G))
Remington Ride (G)
Little Rock Getaway (C))
Banjo Signal (G))
Shenandoah Breakdown (A)
Bully of the Town (G)
Faded Love (D with tuners))
The Trip to Mountain View* (G with tuners))
Banjo Chimes (A))
The Banjo Tuner Blues* (D))
East Tennessee Blues (C)
Clinch Mountain Backstep (A)
(And many more that I'll list at a later time)
Tunes I play with the Keith-Scruggs tuners:
Faded Love (D)
You Are My Sunshine (D)
Red River Valley (D)
Home Sweet Home (D)
Flint Hill Special (G)
Earl's Breakdown (G)
Randy Lynn Rag (G)
The Trip to Mountain View* (G)
Grandfather's Clock (G)
The Banjo Tuner Blues* (D)
(Tunes marked * are originals) The indication "$" means I have forgotten how to play this original tune and do not have it written down anywhere, so it is lost forever :( (so far it amounts to eight tunes in the last eight years. Such a shame I don't get around to writing the tunes down, or at the very least, recording them for later reference.)
Instrumentals:
Pickaway
Lonesome Road Blues
Haskell's Stomp
Mc Cormick's String Picnic
Bugle Call Rag
Pike County Breakdown
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Feuding Banjos
Foggy Mountain Banjo
Foggy Mountain Minor*
Shake & Bake Breakdown*
Blue Ridge Pines*
Backcountry Picking Party*
Long Hard Road*
Alder Brook*
Are You Washed in the Blood
Across the Big Sandy
Crossroads
Get in Line Brother
Banjo Girl*
Deep Water Hornpipe*
East Mill Flow*
Essex Junction*
Five String Dixie*
General Hammond*
Greenwood Strain*
Hard Wide Road*
Longing For Home*
McCourt's Bridge*
Old Home Rag*
Panther Mountain*
Pig in a Poke*
Ripple Crick*
The Flight of the Hornet*
Uncle Jake*
The Valley Rascals Rag*
Little Maggie
When You and I Were Young, Maggie
Roll in My Baby's Arms
Jingle Bells
Oh Tannenbaum
Grandfather's Clock
Cripple Creek
Whoa Mule
Blackberry Blossom
You Are My Sunshine (D)) (with tuners)
Home Sweet Home (D)) (with tuners)
Home Sweet Home (C)
Tall Pines
Ruben's Train
Rueben (D) with tuners)
Red River Valley (G)
Red River Valley (D) (with tuners)
Dear Old Dixie
Walking Cane
Girl From West Virginia
Gravel Yard
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Mary Ann
Raining in L.A.
Brown Eyed Girl (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
I'll Take The Blame
Walk The Way The Wind Blows
Slewfoot
Nellie Kane
Take it Easy With My Heart
Rough and Rocky
Daybreak in Dixie
Ralph's Banjo Special
Nashville Skyline Rag
Nashville Grass Breakdown
Joy Bells
Banjolina
Theme Time (A))
Gold Rush (A))
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Black Diamond (C))
Fireball Mail
Fireball
The Wabash Cannonball
Old Joe Clark (A))
Cumberland Gap
Bluegrass Breakdown
Down Yonder
Roanoke
Black Mountain Rag
Mountain Dew
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain
John Hardy
Little Dave
Little Willie
Molly and Tenbrooks
Monroe's Hornpipe
Big Mon
Wheel Hoss
My Little Girl in Tennessee
Georgia Rose
Nine Pound Hammer
No Mother or Dad
Rawhide
Rabbit in the Log
Red Wing
Santa Claus
Sourwood Mountain
Stony Lonesome
Sweet Dixie (C))
The Baptism of Jesse Taylor
White Dove
Who Will Sing For Me
Union County
Wildwood Flower
Will You Be Loving Another Man
Dark Holler
How Mountain Girls Can Love
Turkey in the Straw
Take Me In a Lifeboat
I'm Using My Bible For a Road Map
Tears of Regret
I'm Changing the Words to My Love Song of You
I Got a Letter
True Love is too Sweet to Last
Old Liza Jane
One Tear
My Little Honeysuckle Rose
My Darling in Heaven
Lost All My Money
Y'all Come
Maple Sugar
Spinning Wheel
Brandy Wine
Sally Goodin
Missouri Road (Bb)
Silver Bells
Jake Brake
Shucking the Corn
The Rheatown Ramble*"$"
Mountain Fairies*"$"
Chuckey Pike Breakdown*"$"
Sledd Ridin'
The Banjer Am The Instrument Fer Me (Grandpa Jones)
Hot Corn Cold Corn
The Beverly Hillbillies
Foggy Mountain Top
Foggy Mountain Chimes
Washington County (A)
Little Home in West Virginia
Fox On The Run
Wagon Wheel
Ridin' That Midnight Train
Earl"s Breakdown (with tuners)
The Flint Hill Special (with tuners)
The Randy Lynn Rag (with tuners)
The Unicoi Bounce*"$"
I'm Off to the Jam*"$"
Fred's 5-String Breakdown*"$"
Gold Star Breakdown*"$"
Amelia Earhart
Angel Band
Tennessee
Banks of the Ohio
Battle of New Orleans
Big Spike Hammer (A)) or (B))
Bury Me Beneath The Willow
Columbus Stockade Blues
The Crawdad Song
Darling Think of What You've Done
Dooley
Down The Road
Great Speckled Bird
Greenville Trestle
I Saw The Light
If I Lose
I'll Fly Away
I'm Going Back to the Old Home
Jesse James
Wreck of the Old 97
Somebody Touched Me
Storm's Out on the Ocean
Take me in Your Lifeboat
This Old House
Wabash Cannonball
Way Downtown
Who Will Watch The Home Place
The Bells of Saint Mary's (C) (A)
Down in Piney Grove*"$" (Bm)
Limehouse Blues (G))
Cowboys and Indians (Cm))
Dixie Breakdown (G))
Remington Ride (G)
Little Rock Getaway (C))
Banjo Signal (G))
Shenandoah Breakdown (A)
Bully of the Town (G)
Faded Love (D with tuners))
The Trip to Mountain View* (G with tuners))
Banjo Chimes (A))
The Banjo Tuner Blues* (D))
East Tennessee Blues (C)
Clinch Mountain Backstep (A)
(And many more that I'll list at a later time)
Tunes I play with the Keith-Scruggs tuners:
Faded Love (D)
You Are My Sunshine (D)
Red River Valley (D)
Home Sweet Home (D)
Flint Hill Special (G)
Earl's Breakdown (G)
Randy Lynn Rag (G)
The Trip to Mountain View* (G)
Grandfather's Clock (G)
The Banjo Tuner Blues* (D)
Me and my 'Idol' (Carl Kithcart)
Billy Lee Cox
Billy Lee Cox is one of the finest banjoists to be found on the circuit today. His "Reno" style and Eddie Adcock and Scruggs and Stanley influence is enhanced by his own wonderful style. His backup is second-to-none. I love listening to Billy. I also love visiting with him and "hanging" out with him and attending his banjo workshops when they're available and listening to him jam out in the field when at festivals.
Billy wrote a banjo book a few years back with his 100 hottest licks. I've volunteered to update his book with transcribing all his licks to music and banjo tab.
Billy is a truly wonderful man and a tremendous pleasure to know. He's in the band "Remington Ryde". Be sure and catch a Bluegrass festival where they're all playing. You'll be happy you did.
Billy wrote a banjo book a few years back with his 100 hottest licks. I've volunteered to update his book with transcribing all his licks to music and banjo tab.
Billy is a truly wonderful man and a tremendous pleasure to know. He's in the band "Remington Ryde". Be sure and catch a Bluegrass festival where they're all playing. You'll be happy you did.
New York and Northern States Banjo Pickers
Here are some of the many banjoists I've picked with:
Ricky Payro
Bob Gibeault
Roger Sprung
Gordon Stone
^Fred Pike
^Sam Tidwell
Billy Kimball
^Don Stover
^Don Reno (from TN, but met him and picked with him in Maine and New York)
Jimmy Cox
Billy Lee Cox
^Tiny Martin
Carol Bevins
^Lynn Williams
Herman McGee
^Bill Gokey
^Brian Mason
Dick Pelletier
Mike Van Alstyne
Steve Walker
Pat Ashley
^Cliff Erdman
Rich S. (Lake Luzerne, NY) aka ADK Rebel
^Richie Steenburn
^Carl Kithcart
Val McDonough
Eric Gibson
Stan Ink
Steve Light
Scott Hopkins
^Doug Knight
^Will Challet
Ted Lehmann
Ricky Payro
Bob Gibeault
Roger Sprung
Gordon Stone
^Fred Pike
^Sam Tidwell
Billy Kimball
^Don Stover
^Don Reno (from TN, but met him and picked with him in Maine and New York)
Jimmy Cox
Billy Lee Cox
^Tiny Martin
Carol Bevins
^Lynn Williams
Herman McGee
^Bill Gokey
^Brian Mason
Dick Pelletier
Mike Van Alstyne
Steve Walker
Pat Ashley
^Cliff Erdman
Rich S. (Lake Luzerne, NY) aka ADK Rebel
^Richie Steenburn
^Carl Kithcart
Val McDonough
Eric Gibson
Stan Ink
Steve Light
Scott Hopkins
^Doug Knight
^Will Challet
Ted Lehmann
Tennessee, Virginia & North Carolina Banjo Pickers
There are many banjo pickers that I've had the pleasure of meeting and picking with here in Tennessee and surrounding areas. As time goes on and I've had the opportunity to meet more, (and remember more of the pickers I've already met) I'll include their names here, too.
Some that I've already met and picked with are:
Ron Duncan
Terry Tester
Jason Skinner
Alan Shepard, Jr.
Mike Laws
Burl Mast
Clancy Mullins
Edison Wallin
Mike Hensley
Tim Decker
Grady Johnson
Bill Harris
Ron Lane
^Paul Greene
Mike Broome
Eddy Ray
Roger Messer
Bobby Hicks
^Mike Draughn
Chuck Poore
Tony Olivent
Larry Hartsell
Tony Mabe
Haley Stiltner
Isaac Mainer
James "Jimmy Lee" Clayton
Dan Troyer
Branson Hazelwood
Charlie Cobble
Eric Bowman
Dale Shelton
Teddy Morton
Terry Barnes
Dan Troyer
Jim Hady
Mike Broome
Dean Burchett
Russ Carson
Kody Norris
Paul Masters
Frank Wing
Greg King
Travis Fulton
Julie Blue
Bobbie Dier
Mike Reed
Keith Williams
Mina Belle Williams
Del McCoury
Frank Bailey
Ken Price
Mike Honeycutt
^Richard Bloustein
Rick Guinn
Lincoln Hensley
Mac Puckett
Paul Adams
Marvin Gladwell
Mathew Cruby
Johnny Adams
Jason Bales
Ron Bales
Brent Lamons
Bill Rasnick
Glen Rose
Will Parsons
Steve Ryan
Ryan Nickerson
Jeremy Babb
George Buckner
Bob Menke
Justin Carroll
Leroy Troy
Noah Johnson
Colton Powers
Tammy Staunton
Larry Bryant
Troy Boone
Craig Hensley
Jerry Foran
David Roller
Randy Singleton
Benjamin Bateson
Susan Taylor
Tyler Mullins
Brian Watts
Mart Macker
Kevin Horne
Dennis Sturgil
David Winters
Mike Calhoun
Caleb Coatney
Chuck Milhorn
Shannon Guitreau
Mark Marshall
Richard Widdows
Dalton Elliot
Jeff Foster
Jimmy Bennett
Steve Harrill
Brennan Ernst
John Jones
Anders Sterner
Ron Stewart
JP Mathes
Russell Farrel
JC Junior Watts
Tammy Perry
Larry Duncan
George Jesse
Brett Tiller
Nathan Black
Ron Des Jardins
Ryan Henard
Some that I've already met and picked with are:
Ron Duncan
Terry Tester
Jason Skinner
Alan Shepard, Jr.
Mike Laws
Burl Mast
Clancy Mullins
Edison Wallin
Mike Hensley
Tim Decker
Grady Johnson
Bill Harris
Ron Lane
^Paul Greene
Mike Broome
Eddy Ray
Roger Messer
Bobby Hicks
^Mike Draughn
Chuck Poore
Tony Olivent
Larry Hartsell
Tony Mabe
Haley Stiltner
Isaac Mainer
James "Jimmy Lee" Clayton
Dan Troyer
Branson Hazelwood
Charlie Cobble
Eric Bowman
Dale Shelton
Teddy Morton
Terry Barnes
Dan Troyer
Jim Hady
Mike Broome
Dean Burchett
Russ Carson
Kody Norris
Paul Masters
Frank Wing
Greg King
Travis Fulton
Julie Blue
Bobbie Dier
Mike Reed
Keith Williams
Mina Belle Williams
Del McCoury
Frank Bailey
Ken Price
Mike Honeycutt
^Richard Bloustein
Rick Guinn
Lincoln Hensley
Mac Puckett
Paul Adams
Marvin Gladwell
Mathew Cruby
Johnny Adams
Jason Bales
Ron Bales
Brent Lamons
Bill Rasnick
Glen Rose
Will Parsons
Steve Ryan
Ryan Nickerson
Jeremy Babb
George Buckner
Bob Menke
Justin Carroll
Leroy Troy
Noah Johnson
Colton Powers
Tammy Staunton
Larry Bryant
Troy Boone
Craig Hensley
Jerry Foran
David Roller
Randy Singleton
Benjamin Bateson
Susan Taylor
Tyler Mullins
Brian Watts
Mart Macker
Kevin Horne
Dennis Sturgil
David Winters
Mike Calhoun
Caleb Coatney
Chuck Milhorn
Shannon Guitreau
Mark Marshall
Richard Widdows
Dalton Elliot
Jeff Foster
Jimmy Bennett
Steve Harrill
Brennan Ernst
John Jones
Anders Sterner
Ron Stewart
JP Mathes
Russell Farrel
JC Junior Watts
Tammy Perry
Larry Duncan
George Jesse
Brett Tiller
Nathan Black
Ron Des Jardins
Ryan Henard
Arkansas Banjo Pickers (also other southern states not listed above)
Joe Jaconczuk
Randall Wyatt
Stanley Caldwell
Dean Hinesley
Ben Kuglin
Kiersten Gracey
Curtis Stuck
Lou Hendrix
Lucas Pool
Rebecca Pool
Gracie Stormont
Doug Carter
Tom Winn
Joshua Kimball
Richard Roberts
Kurt Stephenson
J. C. Bonds
Ron Ramsey
Lonnie Collins
Randall Wyatt
Stanley Caldwell
Dean Hinesley
Ben Kuglin
Kiersten Gracey
Curtis Stuck
Lou Hendrix
Lucas Pool
Rebecca Pool
Gracie Stormont
Doug Carter
Tom Winn
Joshua Kimball
Richard Roberts
Kurt Stephenson
J. C. Bonds
Ron Ramsey
Lonnie Collins
1963 Gibson Bowtie Flathead
Below are some pictures of my 1963 Gibson Bowtie.
Ronnie Shelton, Eddy Ray & Fred Warner