"Turkey in the Straw"

[Eric Burke]

Having a hard time mapping this one out on the banjo, especially the chorus. I was wondering if someone might shed some light on both the history of the song itself (and the original lyrics) and also if its truly an authentic song for a Western Federal to know.

Also, if anyone has tab for the tune, I'd be much obliged if you might share.

Thanks!

[John Peterson]

Eric,

There are folks MUCH more knowledgeable than me but I believe "Turkey in the Straw"'s first incarnation was actually "Ol' Zip Coon." As a character, Zip Coon was a later counterpart to Jim Crow. Jim was a poor southern blackman - Zip was supposed to be a northern black dandy. If you want to get a good peek at period sheet music for Zip Coon go to:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mussm&fileName=sm2/sm1834/360000/360780/mussm360780.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?mussm:3:./temp/~ammem_KWO1::&linkText=0
This is an item from the truly impressive collections of sheet music in the Library of Congress American Memory site:
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/collections:@field(SUBJ+@1(Performing+Arts)):headi ng=Topics%3a+Performing+Arts
I have recently started plunking away on a banjo and would like to find tablature for a period setting of "Ol' Zip Coon", myself. I think you might find it in one of Bob Flesher's collections:
http://www.drhorsehair.com/bookbag.html but I would be very happy to hear of other available collections. (Better yet, I should just get off my lazy bottom and learn to read real sheet music...)

Good luck!

John Peterson

[Eric Burke]

AH! Thank you John! I know the lyrics to Ol' Zip Coon by heart, but had totally forgotten that they went to Turkey in the Straw simply because its been so long since I heard the song. Thanks for the help!

[michael01612]

Hi Eric,

Some additional information on this tune from "Tim Jumper's Banjo Player's Songbook".... "one of the most familiar of all the old misntrel tunes....published in 1834 and authorship claimed by both Bob Farrell and George Washington Dixon".

In the Tim Jumper book...it is tabbed out in gCGCE tuning.....too high of course for a gut-strung fretless of the period. Of course this could be stepped down. But there is still the issue of the unusual tuning. Bob Flesher's minstrel books list the high-bass and low-bass tunings....no mention of this tuning that I know of.

There is a 2nd banjo tabulature of this song that I am aware of....in Dick Kimmel's Fishing Creek Blues. A much livlier tabulature...but in double-C...so same issues as above. ( My wife Cindy and I have a recorded version of this song with this tab at this URL: http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=3240&alid=-1 although it is on a steel-strung banjo circa turn-of-the-century so this version is not historically accurate but might give you some idea of the tabulature.) It is lively tab...and the fretting hand is moving around quite a bit...and on a fretless this is a bit of an issue for me ...much moreso on a fretless...as I tended to get lost without the reference points provided by frets when my hand moves up the fretboard to say...find a note where the 10th fret would be. Much of the tab in Flesher's book the left hand stays stationary in 1 position...which might be an indication of the challenges fretless minstrel players face.

An excellent rendition of this song...(Old Zip Coon actually)...as well as historically accurate version that you might want to check out is done by the 2nd South Carolina String Band. This is a fiddle/drum/fife/bones/minstrel banjo band that performed in Ted Turner's Gods and Generals. The movie may have had issues...but this band doesn't and Bob Flesher describes their music as historically accurate. I have their video where they play in costume at Gettysburg in camp scenes and it is just fantastic. Their URL is http://www.civilwarband.com/index.shtml I also have 1 of their CDs titled "Southern Soldier" and it is excellent as well...this is the CD with Old Zip Coon. But the video is so excellent you might want to try that too.

Hope this helps,

Michael Foley

[va-yank]

Isn't Turkey in the Straw also known as The Arkansas Traveler?

[paulcalloway]

http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/minstrel/zipcoonfr.html

Listen to Zip Coon online, as performed by:

ARTISTS:
Japher's "Original" SANDY RIVER MINSTRELS (http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/minstrel/japhers.html)
FIDDLE: Jack Nuckols; BANJO & VOCALS: Mark Meadows;
TAMBOURINE: Stephanie Meadows.

RECORDED at Landmark Recording Studio
1082 Rosslyn Road
Chesapeake, Ohio (740 867-5594)
Steve Hoffman, Production Engineer

<HR width="25%">© Copyright 1998
by Japher's "Original" SANDY RIVER MINSTRELS,
All rights reserved.

[El Dorado]

There is a tab for "Old Zip Coon" in Joseph Weidlich's book "Minstrel Banjo - Briggs' Banjo Instructor" published by Centerstream Publishing. Briggs' Banjo Instructor was first published in 1855.

Centerstream also has Joe Weidlich's second tab book of the series "More Minstrel Banjo - Frank Converse's Banjo Instructor" of 1865. The third and largest book of the series they tell me will be ready at the end of this month.

Best regards,
Chris Ownby

[Old Cremona]

Centerstream also has Joe Weidlich's second tab book of the series "More Minstrel Banjo - Frank Converse's Banjo Instructor" of 1865. The third and largest book of the series they tell me will be ready at the end of this month.

Best regards,
Chris Ownby[/QUOTE]

Chris, Do you know which banjo primer the new Weidlich book will be transcribing?

[mladair]

I'll second that question! The thought of another manual has be drooling!

[El Dorado]

Centerstream also has Joe Weidlich's second tab book of the series "More Minstrel Banjo - Frank Converse's Banjo Instructor" of 1865. The third and largest book of the series they tell me will be ready at the end of this month.

Best regards,
Chris Ownby

Chris, Do you know which banjo primer the new Weidlich book will be transcribing?[/QUOTE]

Carl,
I don't think that it is a primer but just alot of early minstrel songs that we son't have tabs for yet. I might be wrong. The person that can give you that information is Ron. He is at Centerstrm@aol.com

He can also tell how much it will costs with S&H. I sent him a check a couple of weeks ago. He told me that I will have it by the end of this month. Is there any chance that I could get a copy of the tabs that you have? Also, when is your CD going to be ready?

Matt, I feel the same way about another book as you do, I can't wait.

Take care,
Chris

[fidlr1]

Isn't Turkey in the Straw also known as The Arkansas Traveler?



No, no no! Two entirely different pieces (of course, if a fiddler plays badly enough it's hard to tell 'em apart :wink_smil )