Salt Creek – Fiddle Tune a Day – Day 203

Salt Creek is a cool old tune – regardless of whether it’s played in a bluegrass or an old-time setting. And, it has some strong melodic similarities to Red Haired Boy.

A few days ago it was one of the tunes that came up when I was having a discussion with Erin and Amber Rogers of Scenic Roots about tunes that couldn’t be played too closely together (unless you want to have the disaster of starting on one song and finishing on the other – inadvertently.) Other tunes that made this list were Leather Britches with Sally Johnson, and Grey Eagle with Tom and Jerry.

After having a great day at Ty Burhoe’s Musical Universe Retreat, I got to hang out with my friends at the Avaiya headquarters in Boulder. It was so fun having the kids dancing around while I played Salt Creek. (And I think I just set a record for the most links I have ever put in a fiddle tune a day post.) 🙂

Get Sheet Music to Salt Creek

Learn to Play Salt Creek on Fiddle here

Salt Creek according to Fiddler’s Companion

SALT CREEK. AKA and see “Pateroller [1],” “Salt River” [2]. Old-Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. A Major/Mixolydian. Standard tuning. AABB. This may be mandolinist Bill Monroe’s bluegrass re-titling of “Salt River,” although there are reports that his record company, Decca, was responsible as Monroe’s last single had been “Big Sandy River.” The record company, the story goes, thought that confusion from the similarity in the titles might interfere with sales so they insisted on changing ‘river’ to ‘creek’. Monroe recorded the tune in the 1963, with Bill Keith on banjo. Alan Jabbour suggests that Monroe changed the title because “Salt Creek” was the name of a stream that ran by his Bean Blossom Festival site. He believes Monroe learned the tune from banjoist Don Stover (who knew it as “Salt River”). Hobart Smith called the tune “Pateroller,” although this is not the tune that usually goes by the name of “Pateroller,” “The Pateroller (Song) [2],” or “Run, N….r, Run” and variants. As “Salt River” it was recorded for Brunswick by the Kessinger Brothers in 1929. Drew Beisswenger (2008) points out that the names “Salt River” and “Salt Creek” are fairly interchangeable in the tradition, with bluegrass musicians tending to favor “Salt Creek.” Source for notated version: Henley Dykes (1920-1995, Greene County, Mo.) [Beisswenger & McCann]. Beisswenger & McCann (Ozark Fiddle Tunes), 2008; pg. 183. Lowinger (Bluegrass Fiddle), 1974; pg. 15. Musical Traditions MTCD321-2, Dent Wimmer (et al) – “Far in the Mountains, vols. 1 & 2” (2002). Rounder FHR‑017, Michael & McCreesh ‑ “Dance, Like a Wave of the Sea” (1978).

Salt River according to Fiddler’s Companion

SALT RIVER [2]. AKA and see “Salt Creek.” Old‑Time, Bluegrass; Breakdown. USA; West Virginia, Virginia, Texas. D Major {Krassen}: A Major/Mixolydian (Brody, Phillips, Silberberg). Standard tuning. AB (Krassen, Silberberg): AABB (Brody, Lowinger): AABBAA’B’B’ (Phillips). Popular in central and southern West Virginia (Krassen). Guthrie Meade thinks it reminiscent of an old tune called “Horny‑knick‑a‑brino,” but is “probably derivative of some Irish air.” In the headnotes to “Salt River” in the volume Country Music Sources, Meade mentions a ‘distant relationship’ to P.W. Joyce’s (1909) tune “Molly Maguire [1].” Charles Wolfe (1997) also believes it to be Irish in origin. Other writers have similar opinions: according to one source the West Virginia version bears a resemblance to “Red Haired Boy” (Gilderoy)—Gerry Milnes suggests that many tunes from that state (including “Jack o’ Diamonds” by Melvin Wine, Sarah Singleton, and others; “Guilderoy” by John Johnson; “Soldier with a Wooden Leg” by Lee Tripplet and others) and the many variants of “Red Haired Boy” all stem from the same root tune. Bayard (1981) believes the tune to be associated with sets of the American/Irish tunes “Ducks on the Pond,” “Molly Maguire [1],” “The Mills Are Grinding [1],” “Pigeon on the Pies,” “Paddy on the Turnpike [2],” “Down the Hill,” “The Flowers of Limerick,” “The Telephone,” and “A Rainy Day [1].” Hobart Smith called his variant by the name of “Pateroller,” although this is not the tune that usually goes by the name of “Pateroller,” “The Pateroller (Song) [2],” or “Run, N….r, Run” and permutations of that latter title. Mike Yates (2002) believes Kentucky fiddler John M. Salyer’s “Lonesome John” to be related to this tune family. Kerry Blech finds an untitled tune by African-American fiddler Williams Adams (AKA Will Adam) to be a variant (Adams was recorded by Mike Seeger in the early 1950’s in Kengar {now Kensington}, Maryland).

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An influential early recording was by Kanawha County, West Virginia, fiddler Clark Kessinger (1896-1975) as part of the Kessinger Brothers for the Brunswick label in 1929 (Kessinger later re-recorded the tune). West Virginia natives Doc White, fiddle, and Currance Hammonds on the banjo (played in a modal tuning) both had versions. Another West Virginian, Franklin George, said he learned the tune from northern Indiana fiddler John W. Summers, who told Joel Shimberg that he himself had learned it from an old friend, Judge Dan White, also from northern Indiana. “Salt River” was later separately recorded by bluegrass musicians Bill Monroe and Don Stover under the title “Salt Creek.” Sources for notated versions: Doc White (Clay County, West Virginia) [Krassen, 1983]; Frank George (W.Va.) [Krassen, 1973]; Kenny Baker and Benny Thomasson (Texas) [Phillips]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 249. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 37. Krassen (Masters of Old Time Fiddling), 1983; pg. 71. Lowinger (Bluegrass Fiddle), 1974; pg. 15 (appears as “Salt Creek”). Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 212. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 139. Brunswick Records (78 RPM), the Kessinger Brothers (1929). County 527, Clark Kessinger‑ “Old‑Time Fiddle Classics, Vol. 2.” County 733, Clark Kessinger‑ “The Legend of Clark Kessinger.” Decca 31596, Bill Monroe. Document DOCD-8055, The Kessinger Brothers (reissue). Front Hall 017, Michael and McCreesh‑ “Dance Like a Wave of the Sea” (appears as “Salt Creek”). Rounder 0087, Tony Trishka‑ “Banjoland” (appears as “Salt Creek”). Rounder CD 0418, Snake Chapman. Vanguard VSD 9/10, Doc Watson‑ “On Stage.” Voyager 309, Benny and Jerry Thomasson‑ “The Weiser Reunion: A Jam Session” (1993).