Old Billy Hell

I first became acquainted with this catchy (and slightly crooked) tune from Clare Milliner and Walt Koken's recording on their "Just Tunes" CD. Not much detail in the liner notes -- just that the source is Kentucky fiddler Estill Bingham. If, for some reason, you don't have this album, here's a short excerpt.

(Estill Bingham photo hot-linked  from Don Borchelt's site, in a blatant case of bandwidth theft)

Recordings

Here's a link to two recording of Estill Bingam playing Old Billy Hell, both made by Bruce Green in 1989 (the year before Estill Bingham died):

• Old Billy Hell at Digital Library of Appalachia.

Besides the original recordings and the Milliner/Koken track, the only other recordings I've run across are:

• Sheesham and Lotus, from their "Everytime!" CD
• A recording by BHO member blanham (Bob Lanham)
• A recording by Michael Sawyer (Clawhammer Mike)
• A jam recording by Bigfoot from Clifftop 2010 (excellent!)

Videos

Videos of people playing the tune:

• Sheesham and Lotus (harmonica and gourd banjo)
• David Margolin & Yigal Zan (fiddle and banjo)
• The Deleuran Enevoldsen Duo (fiddle and guitar)

Details

So what key is this tune in? Take your pick.

The Estill Bingam recordings are in the key of approximately D. 

But, in the book, Old Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes, Jeff Todd Titon has the tune notated in G (see below). Titon cites a field recording of Estill Bingam made by Bob Butler (which I haven't found). So, it's possible that Estill Bingam played it in either D or G, depending on his mood.

For the record, Margolin & Zan play it in D, as does Michael Sawyer. Sheesham and Lotus play it in F – but their version features a harmonica lead and gourd banjo, so that could explain the unusual key. The other recordings and videos I mentioned above are in G.

Playing it in G works out much better for banjo, I think, because the B part is played high rather than low. And playing that part high is what I like best about the tune.

In the Milliner/Koken recording, the chords might go something like this (played AABB -- or AAB per the notation above):

A Part:
G/// G/// C/ D/ G///

B Part:
G/// G/// G/// G/ D/ G

Tablature

For those who like tab:

• Banjo tab by Yigal Zan is available here. It's arranged for Double D tuning, and the notation (also in D) is part of the file.
• And if you play mountain dulcimer, Butch Ross has some tab for you (also in D)

Who/What is Billy Hell?

It's sometimes interesting to know the origins of a tune's name. I found this, which isn't very helpful:

"Raise hell" means to protest or reprimand someone angrily. To "raise Old Billy Hell" is to raise hell of the intensity of the devil (Old Billy).

Perhaps it's from this 1901 Creek Indian poem (which is about a fiddle): Fus Harjo and Old Billy Hell.

We'll probably never know. In any case, it's a tune worth knowing.

Post yours

Give it a try and post your interpretation. And then, spread it around in your jams.

I play this tune in G, using standard tuning. But I started working it out on a low-tuned banjo in Double G tuning (dGDGA). In this tuning, I play the A part high and the B part low (in Yigal's tab, the A part is played low). I posted a recording. As you can hear, it's still pretty rough.

Bonus Estill Bingam stuff!

No extra charge.

• A video of Estill Bingam playing Old Granny Blair.
• A collection of his recording at the Digital Library of Appalachia.
• And a photo of his grave.