Florida Blues – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 269

I used to play Florida Blues as a kid, but hadn’t thought of it for years, until I was at Weiser in June. I remembered that Gayla Tanaka Bollinger always played a cool version of Florida Blues. So, it made it onto you list of tunes to play and now you get to hear it.

That’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Florida Blues according to Fiddler’s Companion

FLORIDA BLUES. AKA and see “Tupelo Blues.” Old‑Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. USA; Missouri, Tenn. D Major. Standard tuning. One part (Lowinger): AABB (Brody): AA’BB’ (Reiner & Anick): ABAC (Beisswenger & McCann). A twelve bar structure, blues‑based tune composed by Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith (Tenn.) and recorded by him in 1937. Drew Beisswenger (2008) points out the tune is fairly challenging, and only played by the more accomplished Ozark fiddlers. The name Florida is the oldest European name in America and was given to the area by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. It was Easter time, which in Spain was called the feast of flowers, Pasque Florida, and as he gazed at the green land he thought it must be filled with flowers, hence Florida, the land of flowers (Matthews, 1972). Sources for notated versions: Buddy Pendleton [Brody]; Dean Johnston (1919-2007, Lamar, Barton County, Mo.) [Beisswenger & McCann]. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozark Fiddle Music), 2008; pg. 75. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 108. Lowinger (Bluegrass Fiddle), 1974; pg. 24. Reiner & Anick (Old Time Fiddling Across America), 1989; pg. 105. Ruth (Pioneer Western Folk Tunes), 1948; No. 92, pg. 33. BlueBird 6844 (78 RPM), Arthur Smith Trio. Caney Mountain CEP 212 (privately issued extended play album), Lonnie Robertson (Mo.), 1965‑66. County 546, Arthur Smith, “Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith and His Dixieliners, vol. 1.” County 705, Buddy Pendleton‑ “Virginia Breakdown.” Rebel 1528, Buck Ryan‑ “Fiddler on the Rocks.” Rounder 1016, Jim Eanes and the Shenandoah Boys‑ “Early Days of Bluegrass.” Rounder 1016, Vasser Clements‑ “Crossing the Catskills.” Rounder 0436, Dean Johnston – “Traditional Fiddle Music of the Ozarks, vol. 2” (2000. Various artists). Vetco 502, “Fiddlin’ Van Kidwell.” Voyager 316‑S, Vivian Williams and Barbara Lamb‑ “Twin Sisters.”