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JIMMY JOHNSON BRING YOUR JUG AROUND THE HILL/JOHN BROWN’S DREAM/ LITTLE RABBIT
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; southwestern Virginia, western North Carolina.
ARTIST: From Ceolas
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1800's West Virginia fiddler Clark Kessinger recorded the tune in 1929 as “Johnny Bring the Jug ‘Round the Hill.”
RECORDING INFO: Jimmy Johnson Bring the Jug Around the Hill 1. Bird, Elmer. Bumble Bee Waltz, Hurricane --, LP (1985), trk# A.01 2. Cahan, Andy;, Laura Fishleder and Lisa Ornstein. Ship in the Clouds, Folkways FTS 31062, LP (1978), trk# 6 (Jimmy Johnson Pass the Jug Around the Hill) 3. Henry Reed; 1966/06/18; 1 minute, 44 seconds (titled incorrectly by Reed as "Paddy on the Turnpike" which is a different tune) 4. Meade: Jimmy Johnson; John F. Johnson Braxton Co., W. Va. 1947. 5. Jimmy Johnson; Dewey Hamrick Randolph Co. W. Va. 1947 5. “Johnny Bring the Jug ‘Round the Hill” Document DOCD-8010, Clark Kessinger.
RECORDING INFO- John Brown's Dream: Rounder 0032, Buddy Thomas (Northeast Ky.) "Kitty Puss: Old Time Fiddle Music From Kentucky." County 524, "Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters: 1927 Recordings" (the fiddler for this band is Ben Jarrell). County 713, Cockerham, Jenkins and Jarrell "Down to the Cider Mill." County CD2702, Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham - “Tommy and Fred: Best Fiddle-Banjo Duets” (1992). County CO-CD-2711, Kirk Sutphin - "Old Roots and New Branches" (1994). Document DOCD-8023, Da Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters (reissue). Folkways FA 2492, New Lost City Ramblers "String Band Instrumentals" (1964). Folkways FTS 31041, New Lost City Ramblers "Across the Great Divide." Kicking Mule 203, Art Rosenbaum "The Art of the Mountain Banjo." Marimac 9038, Dan Gellert & Brad Leftwich - "A Moment in Time." Roane Records RR-101, “Cedar Point String Band” (Franklin George et al. Appears as “Harv Brown’s Dream”). “Silvertone 5183B (78 RPPM), Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters (1927). Tennvale 003, Pete Parish "Clawhammer Banjo." Tradition Records TLP1007, Hobart Smith "Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians" (1956). Jim Taylor – “The Civil War Collection” (1996). Jim Taylor – “The Civil War Album” (1996. Learned from Sheila Adams who had it from Tommy Jarrell and Scot Ainsley). Austen, Seth; and Madeline MacNeil. Ye Banks and Braes, Roots and Branches RBR 002, LP (1981), trk# B.03d; Baugus, Riley (Alvin). Life of Riley, Yodel-Ay-Hee 038, CD (2001), trk# 3; Blevins, G.. Thede, Marion (ed.) / The Fiddle Book, Oak, Bk (1967), p 53 [1930s] (Give the Fiddler a Dram); Boiled Buzzards. Fine Dining, Marimac 9043, Cas (1991), trk# A.03; 5. Bradley, Hank. Tenino Old Time Music Festival. 1975 - 1976 - 1977, Voyager VRLP 321-S, LP (1978), trk# A.09; 8. Cockerham, Fred. Clawhammer Banjo, County CD 2716/701, CD/ (2002/1966), trk# 9 [1964/10] (Pretty Little Girl); Cockerham, Jarrell and Jenkins. Down to the Cider Mill, County 713, LP (1968), trk# 7; Creed, Kyle; and Fred Cockerham. 1st Annual Brandywine Mountain Music Convention, Heritage (Galax) 006, LP (1975), trk# 9; Crooked Road. Generations, Spencer, CD (2004), trk# 18a; 13. Dry Hill Draggers. 52nd Annual Old Fiddlers Convention Galax, Va 1987, Heritage (Galax) 704, LP (1988), trk# 1; Flat Mountain Girls. Honey Take Your Whiskers Off, Flat Mountain Flat S002, CD (2005), trk# 9; Gellert, Dan; and Brad Leftwich. Moment in Time, Marimac 9038, Cas (1993), trk# A.04; Haas, Brittany. Brittany Haas, Ook CD 001, CD (2004), trk# 13; Heartbeats. Living Black and White, Marimac 9048, Cas (1991), trk# 1; Herald Angels. You've Been a Friend to Me, Herald Angels HA1001, Cas (1994), trk# 3 (Brown's Dream); Holt, Bob. Got a Little Home to Go To, Rounder 0432, CD (1999), trk# 5; Jarrell, Tommy; and Kyle Creed. June Apple, Mountain 302, LP (1972), trk# 8; Jarrell, Tommy. Clawhammer Banjo. Vol 2 [More Clawhammer Banjo], County CD 2717/717, LP (2003/1969), trk# 7; Juggernaut String Band. Greasy Coat, Wildbeest WB 004, LP (198?), trk# 12; Leftwich, Brad. Tribute to Tommy Jarrell, Heritage (Galax) 063, LP (1986), trk# 12; Mates, Tony. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not.., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p 94 ; Mill Run Dulcimer Band. Sunday at the Mill, Lark LRLP 3094, LP (1980), trk# A.03; New Lost City Ramblers. String Band Instrumentals, Folkways FA 2492, LP (1964), trk# A.07 New Lost City Ramblers. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p148; Osborne, Uncle Charlie (Charlie N.). Relics and Treasures, June Appal JA 0049, LP (1985), trk# 1 (Brown's Dream); Osborne, Uncle Charlie (Charlie N.). 100 Years Farther On, June Appal JA 0064C, Cas (199?), trk# 7 (Brown's Dream); Pine River Boys with Maybelle. Wild Hog in the Woods, Heritage (Galax) 021 (XXI), LP (1978), trk# B.05; Robic, A; and the Exertions. Old Time Music Dance Party, Flying Fish FF-415, LP (1987), trk# 6c; Rosenbaum, Art (Arthur). Art of the Mountain Banjo, Kicking Mule KM 203, LP (1975), trk# 2.01; Smith, Hobart. Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians, Tradition TR 1007, LP (196?), trk# 9 [1956/07ca]; Smith, Hobart. Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), trk# 1.26 [1959/07ca] (John Brown) ; Smith, Hobart. In Sacred Trust. 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes, Smithsonian SFWCD 40141, CD (2005), 6 [1963/10]; Smith, Ralph Lee. Dulcimer; More Old-Time and Traditional Music, Skyline DD-106, LP (1975), trk# 1; Smokey Valley Boys. Smokey Valley Boys, Rounder 0029, LP (1974), trk# 12; Sutphin, Kirk. Old Roots and New Branches, County CD 2711, CD (1994), trk# 2; Sutphin, Kirk. Masters of the Banjo, Arhoolie CD 421, CD (1994), trk# 4 [1993/11/12]; Woltz, DaCosta;'s Southern Broadcasters. DaCosta Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, County 524, LP (1972), trk# A.01 [1927/05ca]
RECORDING INFO- Little Rabbit: Clarke, Greg. Solo, Clarke GC 1001, CD (2005), trk# 2b; Greene, Richard. Duets, Rounder 0075, LP (1977), trk# 7; Hall, Kenny; and the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band, Vol. 2, Bay 103, LP (1973), trk# 1; High Strung. High Strung, Loose Noose ASM-489, LP (1981), trk# A.04c; Mabus, Joel. Clawhammer, Fossil 491C, Cas (1991), trk# 12; Michael, Walt; & McCreesh, Tom. Dance Like a Wave on the Sea, Front Hall FHR-017, LP (1978), trk# B.03; Old Scratch Band. Old Scratch Band, California Condor CCLP-2, LP (197?), trk# B.04; Paley, Tom. Hard Luck Papa. Old Time Picking Styles & Techniques, Kicking Mule KM 201, LP (1976), trk# 3; Pickin' Around the Cookstove. Pickin' Around the Cookstove, Rounder 0040, LP (1975), trk# 3; Smith, Hobart. Southern Journey. Vol. 6: Sheep, Sheep, Don'tcha Know the Road, Rounder 1706, CD (1997), trk# 3 [1960/04/28] (Devil's Dream); Welling, William B. (Will). Welling, William B. / Welling's Hartford Tunebook, Welling, Fol (1974), p 3a; Whiskey Creek String Band. On the Rocks, Farmers MF 105, LP (1978), trk# B.01
RELATED TO: “Pretty Little Gal,” "Pretty Little Miss," “Johnny Bring the Jug Around the Hill,” "Little Rabbit,” “Red Steer,” ” “Table Mountain Road,” “Stillhouse Branch," “Rabbit Where's Your Mammy?” “Stillhouse Branch,” “Brownlow’s Dream,” "Brown's Dream," “Brownstream,” "Herve Brown's Dream," “Stillhouse Branch,” “Jeff Davis' Dream,” "John Brown's Dream," "Little Rabbit,"
OTHER NAMES: "Johnny Bring the Jug around the Hill (Kessingers)," "Jimmy Johnson," "Jimmy Johnson Pass the Jug Around the Hill"
SOURCES: Sources for lyrics Ceolas; Henry Reed on-line; Kerry Blech;
NOTES: “One of a family of tunes that includes "Brown's Dream,” “Brownstream,” “Herve Brown’s Dream,” “Jimmy Johnson Pass That Jug Around the Hill,” “John Brown's Dream,” “Little Rabbit” “Pretty Little Gal ,” “Table Mountain Road” and others. The tune family is a common a popular one in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where it probably originated but has since been disseminated. West Virginia fiddler Clark Kessinger recorded the tune in 1929 as “Johnny Bring the Jug ‘Round the Hill.”
Library of Congress on Henry Reed: This three-part tune is well-known through the Upper South and seems to have as many titles as localities--"John Brown's Dream," "Little Rabbit," "Jimmy Johnson Bring the Jug around the Hill," and others. See The Hammons Family (Library of Congress, AFS L65-66) for another West Virginia set ("Jimmy Johnson") and citations of other variants. It is of a form that appears occasionally in Henry Reed's repertory, where the strains seem to be half the usual length but are often varied on repetition (compare, for example, his sets of "The Route"). This tune has turned up elsewhere in West Virginia with this title, but "Paddy on the Turnpike" is usually the name of a famous Irish and American reel that has no musical resemblance to this tune.
Online site: That evening, John Hartford nestled a fiddle under his chin and played tunes Milt and Green would have played: "Brownlow's Dream," "Hell Up Coal Holler," others as old. Titles tend to shift from tune to tune, says Hartford. "Some tell a story. A favorite of mine is:
Old Jimmy Johnson Bring Your Jug Around the Hill;
If You Can't Bring Your Jug Bring The Whole Damn Still."
Kerry Blech: However, in most of West Virginia, when you hear these melodic strains, the piece usually is called Jimmy Johnson (Bring the Jug Around the Hill), which someone from Glenville, WV once told me should be the state anthem. Clark and Luches Kessinger recorded this as Johnny Bring the Jug ‘Round the Hill for Brunswick in 1929, and which can be heard on Kessinger Brothers Volume 1 (Document CD 8010). One state westward, in Kentucky, we found Lewis County native Buddy Thomas (1937-1976) playing Stillhouse Branch, which he also knew as Brown Stream, both his titles alluding to moonshine. Buddy told Mark Wilson that he felt that the Brown’s Dream title was a corruption of the title he knew. He learned it from his cousin, Perry Riley (1893-1973). You can hear Buddy play on his CD Kitty Puss (Rounder 0032).
Here are the lyrics to Jimmy Johnson Bring Your Jug Around the Hill- Kuntz:
JIMMY JOHNSON BRING YOUR JUG AROUND THE HILL- Andrew Kuntz
Jimmy Johnson bring your jug round the hill.
If you can’t bring the jug bring the whole damn still.
Jimmy Johnson bring your jug round the hill.
If you can’t bring the jug bring a ten dollar bill.
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