This week's tune is Oklahoma Rooster.
From Fiddler's Companion:
Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA, southwestern U.S. D Major. Standard tuning. AA'BB'. The tune appears in Gems of the Ballroom (c. 1890's) as the fourth change of "Ten Strike Quadrille.”The tune was in the repertoire of the late Disney, Oklahoma, fiddler Uncle Dick Hutchison. Source for notated version: Joe Hermann with the Critton Hollow String Band (W.Va.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), vol. 1, 1994; Rounder 0128, The Backwoods Band ‑ "Jes' Fine" (1980. learned from Mingo Barnez).
When tracking down the origins of the tune, this article is a good place to start: Ten Strike Strikes Again! (unfortunately, this page just recently disappeared, so the link goes to archive.org). The article contains embedded MP3s of Chirps Smith and Les Raber, each playing "Ten Strike." There's also an MP3 of Uncle Dick Hutchinson playing "Oklahoma Rooster." There is definitely a similarity. By the way, that's the same Dick Hutchinson recording that's at the Slippery-Hill site (tune #666).
For the record, here's a more traditional-sounding recording of Tenstrike Quadrill Fig 4, by James & Loretta McKinney.
Uncle Dick Hutchinson played Oklahoma Rooster in C, and the guitar player on the recording uses these chords:
C/// C/// G/// C/// C/// C/// G/// C///
Am/// Am/// G/// G/// F/// Em/// G/// C///
The Em chord sounds strange to me, but I guess it's just a way of descending down the scale one additional note.
I first heard this tune about 3-4 years ago on Steve Rosen's Old-Timey Giants CD (which was originally released on an album called Nail That Catfish to a Tree). It was only recently that I dug up some other versions -- and I realized that Steve Rosen's version is quite a bit different from the original Dick Hutchinson recording. For example, Steve plays it in the key of D. He also uses a different phrase to end the A part, and the melody omits some prominent phrases in the B part. And finally, Rosen's version has a completely different feel because it doesn't use any minor chords. This version might best be described as festival jam style. My experience with this tune demonstrates why it's a good idea to listen to original recordings when learning a tune.
Other recordings:
- Jerry Correll (on the Headin' Up Elk Creek album). This is very true to Dick Hutchinson's recording. It's in the key of C, and uses that E minor chord.
- Barb Schmid, posted at the Fiddle Hangout. She learned it from Jerry Correl and plays it in C. It's very true to Dick Hutchinson's recording.
- Critton Hollow String Band (on the Young Fogies album). This is in the key of D, and played a much faster tempo. No minor chord.
- The Gritpickers (on the Harmony Grits album). Played in D.
- Buffalo Creek Stringband (on the Weary Woman Blues album), played in D.
- The Backwoods Band (on the Jes Fine album). Kind of a bluegrassy rendition, in D.
- All Volunteer String Band, posted by Michael Diaz at the Fiddle Hangout. This version is in D.
When the tune is played in D, the chords are often these:
D/// D/// A/// A/// D/// D/// A/// D///
B7/// B7/// A/// A/// G/// D/// A/// D///
Note the B7 chord at the beginning of the descending run in the 2nd part -- which gives it a slightly jazzy feel (you may prefer a B major chord).
You'll find several version of this tune on YouTube -- including a fine rendition by Mark Johnson.
Here's my quick and dirty recording of the tune.