Sweet Sunny South. Tune of the week 11/30/12
One of the first tunes I was asked to learn when taking banjo lessons was Sweet Sunny South. I loved the tune without even being aware of the lyrics. One of the first recordings I came across was on Tommy Jarrell’s banjo album on County Records, Come And Go With Me. It too is without lyrics, but is a great instrumental.
A pre Civil War poem later set to music, the song first seems to appear in print in 1853 as Take Me Home, published by Firth Pond and Co. W.L. Bloomfield is credited as composer and Edwin P. Christy (Christy’s Minstrels) as a performer who sings the song on stage. An 1856 cover published by Blackmore Brothers lists Bloomfield as the writer and Eugene Raymond as the arranger.
The song was, no doubt, performed in the minstrel tradition . In some much later recordings, a few of the lyrics have been changed to be more politically correct.
Two recordings were released in 1927. The first was by Red Patterson’s Piedmont Log Rollers and the other by Da Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters. Da Costa Woltz was mayor of Galax, Virginia and the group featured Ben Jarrell (Tommy Jarrell’s father) and Frank Jenkins (Oscar Jenkins’ father). The Southern Broadcasters is listed at Amazon.com and you can sample their version.
The Southern Broadcasters called it Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South and the Log Rollers used the Take Me Home title. I don’t know which of the two titles is more commonly used today.
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman’s recording on their Shady Grove album is probably my favorite.
I first learned this song in Open G tuning, but now prefer to play it in Sawmill on my fretless banjo. I don’t sing, so usually play it as an instrumental. I occasionally preform it with a friend whose vocal in the modal tuning is excellent.
Tommy Jarrell recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1RmAkwH4BY
Piedmont Log Rollers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r03kPNCfgh4&feature=youtu.be
Garcia / Grisman’s recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxfaFKEeZfA