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You are here: Home / Fiddling / Fiddle Tune a Day / Jerusalem Ridge – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 199

July 21, 2012

Jerusalem Ridge – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 199

A few days ago, I debuted my new Think Geek Electric Guitar T-Shirt, and I opened up a contest for the first person to name the tune I played on the Electric Shirt.

Glenn Gunderson won the contest, and the prize was to get to pick my next fiddle tune a day. And Glenn picked – Jerusalem Ridge, which I thankfully hadn’t played yet. 🙂

Jerusalem Ridge is one of the most famous Bill Monroe tunes. It’s my understanding that he wrote it, and named it after Jerusalem Ridge, Kentucky. There’s a great recording of Kenny Baker playing Jerusalem Ridge with Bill Monroe on the Fiddling TV program that Aly Bain did for BBC in the 80’s.

 

YouTube video

 

Jerusalem Ridge according to Fiddler’s Companion

JERUSALEM RIDGE. Bluegrass, Breakdown. USA. A Aeolian (Am). Standard tuning. AABB’CC. Composed by bluegrass mandolinist Bill Monroe (Ky). Jerusalem Ridge is an area in the hills around Monroe’s birthplace near Rosine, Kentucky.  His Uncle Pen, a mentor, used to play his fiddle late into the evening up on Jerusalem Ridge. The tune has similarities to “Glory in the Meeting House,” an old fiddle tune collected from several eastern Kentucky sources, which may be a model or precursor. It is possible it influenced Monroe and/or Baker. Baker, however, was careful to give credit to Monroe for the composition. According to him, the band was staying in a motel in Kentucky back in the early to mid 1970s, when Monroe invited Baker to come to his room to work on a tune that Monroe was trying to fashion. The mandolinist would play a section and then would ask the fiddler to play it back, and then modify it. This process took some time, but in the end “Jerusalem Ridge” emerged. Source for notated version: Kenny Baker [Brody]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 147. Acoustic Disk Records, David Grisman, John Hartford & Mike Seegar – “Retrograss.” County 761 & County CO-2708-CD, Kenny Baker‑ “Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe.” Green Linnet Kevin Burke – “Up Close” (1984). Ridge Runner RRR0018, Bob Black – “Ladies on the Steamboat” (1979). Sugar Hill Records, Tony Rice – “Church Street Blues.”

Article by Vi Wickam / Fiddle Tune a Day, Fiddling, Videos / aly bain, contest, Day, fiddle, fiddle tune, geek, guitar, jerusalem ridge, mandolinist bill monroe, rosine kentucky 15 Comments

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Comments

  1. Jeanne Palmer says

    July 24, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    For Philip M. Sussman. Here's one of your favorites!

    Reply
    • Philip M. Sussman says

      July 24, 2012 at 11:55 pm

      If only I could play the darn tune!

      Reply
  2. Irene Snihurowycz Conley says

    July 25, 2012 at 12:23 am

    A fave fiddle tune. After all these years, I just assumed it was an old trad or "public domain" tune. Bill Monroe. I should have known : ).

    Reply
  3. Nathan Bingham says

    March 10, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    I remember the first time I heard that song, Time-Life had some kind of collection and it was there. Such a soul-full song, it goes right to your backbone and makes you want to hear it again and again. Thanks so much for offering this wonderful song.

    Reply
  4. Vi Wickam says

    March 10, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    You're welcome, Nathan. It really is a great tune. Kenny Baker wrote lots of great tunes and contributed so much to fiddling. My appreciation for him grew substantially during Fiddle Tune a Day.

    Reply
  5. Vi Wickam says

    March 10, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    You're welcome, Nathan. It really is a great tune. Kenny Baker wrote lots of great tunes and contributed so much to fiddling. My appreciation for him grew substantially during Fiddle Tune a Day.

    Reply
  6. Francis Meador says

    May 11, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    Absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
  7. Francis Meador says

    May 11, 2014 at 2:39 pm

    Absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
  8. Vi Wickam says

    May 13, 2014 at 3:57 pm

    Beautiful bluegrass? You can thank Bill Monroe and Kenny Baker for this great tune. 😉

    Reply
  9. Francis Meador says

    May 13, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    Yes, but I thank you for sharing your talent and playing so well. (sorry to sound argumentative). Nice.

    Reply
  10. Vi Wickam says

    May 19, 2014 at 7:35 pm

    You're welcome. I was just teasing. 🙂

    Reply
  11. Michael Friedman says

    June 30, 2014 at 11:55 am

    Lovely tune !

    Reply
  12. Vi Wickam says

    July 1, 2014 at 3:51 pm

    Agreed. Kenny Baker really knew what he was doing.

    Reply
  13. Rella says

    October 23, 2019 at 5:26 am

    Sounds a bit Irish. Like it. Toe tapping!

    Reply
    • Vi Wickam says

      October 23, 2019 at 9:18 am

      Thanks, Rella. It definitely has some of that Celtic vibe to it. 😀

      Reply

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