Pa's Fiddle - Charles Ingalls, American Fiddler
Produced by Joe Weed, Dale Cockrell, and Matt CombsBack to Recordings

Overview

The autobiographical Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) are rich in references to music, with 127 songs embedded in the narratives. In fact, there may be no books of comparable standing that document frontier American family music-making so thoroughly. The source of most of the family's music-making was Charles "Pa" Ingalls, a born entertainer who missed few occasions to sing and play his fiddle, an instrument that accompanied the Ingalls family through times good and bad and came to symbolize the endurance of the family unit in a threatening frontier world.

Courtesy of the Little House books, Charles Ingalls is perhaps the 19th-century American fiddler about whom we know most. We know the names of many of the tunes and songs he played, where he played them, for whom, and often, why he chose them.

The tunes offered here draw from when Pa Ingalls is chronicled playing his fiddle alone. Pa ranked among the old-time fiddlers whose music is foundational to so much in American music.

1. Buffalo Gals (2:59)
2. Jesus Holds My Hand (2:54)
3. When Johnny Comes Marching Home (2:42)
4. Polly Put The Kettle On (2:43)
5. My Sabbath Home (23:25)
6. Let Us Cherish/All The Blue Bonnets medley (3:21)
7. Golden years Are Passing by (1:20)
8. Boatmen's Dance (2:31)
9. Mary of the Wild Moor (2:29)
10. The Campbells Are Coming/Haste to Wedding medley (3:21)
11. Golden Years Are Passing By (reprise) (4:31)
12. My Sabbath Home (reprise) (1:03)
13. Yellow Heifer (3:11)
14. Life Let Us Cherish (reprise) (1:04)
15. The New Year's Come (0:53)
16. Jesus Holds My Hand (reprise 1) (3:28)
17. Jesus Holds My Hand (reprise 2) (2:01)
Pa's Fiddle
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14 beloved tunes from the 19th century, all played on acoustic instruments.

Featuring:
Bryan Sutton: guitar
Matt Combs: fiddle
Matt Flinner: mandolin
Buddy Green: harmonica
Jeff Taylor: accordion, piano, whistle
Dennis Crouch: bass
Shad Cobb: fiddle, banjo
Joe Weed: guitar, fiddle

Additional playing by:
Joe Weed: fiddle, guitar
David Grier: guitar
Derek Jones: bass

Recorded by Joe Weed at Mark Howard's Signal Path Studios, Nashville, TN
"Boatman's Dance" recorded by Jon Stinson at Cliff Goldmacher's Studio, Nashville, TN
Mixed and mastered by Joe Weed at Highland Studios, Los Gatos, CA

Graphic art design: Terri Morris of McClearen Design Studios, Nashville, TN

For additional copies or information on obtaining other recordings by Joe Weed, please contact
Highland Records PO Box 554
Los Gatos, CA 95031-0554
joeweed.com