TOTW 11-22-2013 Rat’s Gone To Rest
I’ve chosen Rat’s Gone to Rest by Bath County, Kentucky, fiddler George Lee Hawkins (1904 – 1991) for this installment of TOTW. All the sources I researched for this narrative quoted Mr. Hawkins as having learned the tune around 1915, when he was eleven or twelve years old, from African-American fiddler Bill Trumbo. Trumbo, according to information unearthed in the 1920 Census by Joseph Scott, was born in 1892 and worked as a farm hand for Hawkins’ parents. Here is some additional biographical information on George Hawkins .
Musicologist Jeff Titon, in his book Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes, says Hawkins is the sole source of Rat’s Gone to Rest. Barbra Kunkle recorded Hawkins playing the tune for the Digital Library of Appalachia on March 23, 1974 and Mark Wilson and Gus Meade recorded him again two weeks later on April 6, 1974. The second recording seems to be more polished and of higher quality. In both instances Mr. Hawkins is accompanied on piano by his daughter Mary Hawkins Curry. Those recordings can be found on the DLA and Slippery Hill websites respectively.
An internet search returned ten hits for Rat’s Gone to Rest including this posting by our own J-Walk.
The young lady playing the banjo has a good clawhammer stroke on this performance by the Elm Street Alleycats and young Walter King plays a nice fiddle version here: Walter
This version by Kentucky Memories features a bluegrass banjo.
I was unable to find a tab for Rat’s Gone to Rest but the tune is simple enough in standard G tuning. The coarse part is a series of rolling hammers descending the scale and coming back up. You can get by on the fine part just playing chords in the first position. The Magnolia Serenaders posted this seven minute recording that gives plenty of time to learn the tune while playing along.
Those who read music may find this transcription from Titon’s book featuring standard notation helpful.
Rat’s Gone to Rest is easy to learn and fun to play. Your jam mates will appreciate your introducing it.
