Here’s one of my favorite C tunes played by Rafe Brady: Pallet on the Floor
The tune is from his Heritage Album recorded in the late 70’s I think it was. I got asked to play on this album but had a conflict and couldn’t do it. I think Tom Mylet is on banjo, Bobby Patterson on guitar, and Dale Morris on bass. Jenny and I lived in Grayson County from October or 1980 until March of 1984. At some point during that time Dale Morris and I visited him in Carroll County and played some tunes with him at his trailer and later in Mt Airy on WPAQ in the studio and also ‘live’ on stage at the Hometown Opry. I also got to witness his creative fiddling at Mabry Mill and in the field late one night at Mt Airy.
I not heard other recordings of this tune so if any one has this same tune by another fiddler or group then please share. If not then please share another tune/song with this name. It would be fun to compare them.
Mac
Response from Kerry Blech
This is the first of two emails with attached recordings of “Pallet”. It also was recorded by African-American musicians in the 1920s through the 1940s. Gus Meade wrote that the earliest mention of this tune he found was in the “Journal of American Folklore” in 1911.
The first attached recording here is from Arkansas fiddler (but playing guitar here) Lon Jordan, recorded in 1941 by Vance Randolph.
The second track attached is from Mississippi’s Leake County Revelers in 1928.
The third track is a 1936 recording on the Decca label by Alabama’s Stripling Brothers.