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Old Jimmy Sutton/Jimmy Sutton
Old-Time, Breakdown; Widely known
ARTIST: From Ceolas- Andrew Kuntz
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes
DATE: 1928 (recording, Grayson & Whitter) The Journal of American Folk-lore; Page 93 by American Folklore Society, Project Muse – 1888 says, “The songs are typical hillbilly numbers: dance tunes ("Hop Up Ladies," "Western Country," "Old Jimmy Sutton," "Shoo Fly");
RECORDING INFO: 1. Ballard Branch Bogtrotters. Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 2., County 534, LP (1980), trk# B.05 [1937] (Jimmy Sutton); 2. Ball, E. C. (Estil C.). 39th National Folk Festival, NCTA NCTA 77, LP (1977), trk# A.05; 3. Blue Ridge Buddies. Close to Home, Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40097, CD (1997), trk# 23 [1957/08] (Jimmy Sutton); 4. Bogtrotters (Bog Trotters). Original Bogtrotters, Biograph RC 6003, LP (1968), trk# 5 [1937-42]; 5. Carlton, Gaither. Watson Family Tradition, Rounder 0129, LP (1977), trk# B.12 (Jimmy Sutton); 6. Carolina Tar Heels. Carolina Tar Heels, Folk Legacy FSA-024, LP (1965), trk# 14 [1962/08/11] (Jimmy Settleton); 7. Crooked Road. Generations, Spencer, CD (2004), trk# 1 (Jimmy Sutton); 8. Feldmann, Peter. How to Play Clawhammer Banjo, Sonyatone STI-104, LP (1975), trk# 8; 9. Grayson and Whitter. Going Down Lee Highway, Davis Unlimited DU 33033, LP (1977), trk# 14 [1928/02/29]; 10. Highwoods String Band. Dance All Night, Rounder 0045, LP (1975), trk# 8; Jones, Vester. Traditional Music From Grayson and Carroll Counties, Folkways FS 3811, LP (1962), trk# 6 [1960ca]; 11. Moore, Spence (Spencer). Sounds of the South, Atlantic 7-82496-2, CD( (1993), trk# 4.23 [1959/07ca] (Jimmy Sutton); 12. Paley, Tom. Hard Luck Papa. Old Time Picking Styles & Techniques, Kicking Mule KM 201, LP (1976), trk# 4 (Jimmy Sutton); 13. Reedy, Wade. High Atmosphere, Rounder 0028, LP (1974/field), trk# 19 [1965/11] 19. Robic, A; and the Exertions. Old Time Music Dance Party, Flying Fish FF-415, LP (1987), trk# 2a (Jimmy Sutton); 14. Siggins, Bob. Old-Time Banjo Project, Elektra EKL-7276, LP (1964), trk# 4 21. Smith, Glenn (Virginia). Traditional Music From Grayson and Carroll Counties, Folkways FS 3811, LP (1962), trk# 26 [1960ca]; 15. Stoneman, George. Clawhammer Banjo, Vol. 3, County 757, LP (1978), trk# 14 (Jimmy Sutton); 16. Trivette, Mr.. 1941 Old Fiddlers Convention, Galax, Virginia, Voyage Beyond, CD (200?), trk# 8 [1941]; 17. Ward, Wade. Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward, Folkways FA 2363, LP (1962), trk# B.06 [1961/07]; 18. Ward, Wade. Uncle Wade. A Memorial to Wade Ward, Old Time Virginia Banjo ..., Folkways FA 2380, LP (1973), trk# 3; 19. Watson, Doc; and Family. Treasures Untold, Vanguard CV 77001, Cas (1991), trk# 10 (Jimmy Sutton); 20. Weems, Ace; and his Fat Meat Boys. It's All Gone Now, Carryon 002, LP (199?), trk# A.05b (Jimmy Sutton) 21.(Sheep and Cows Walking Through the Pasture): Hart and Blech. Build Me a Boat, Voyager VRCD 354, CD (2001), trk# 18
RELATED TO: Sheep and Cows Walking Through the Pasture; Liner Notes- Hart and Blech: Sheep and Cows Walking Through The Pasture [key of D: banjo - aDADE] We learned this from a 1983 recording made by Andy Cahan of Roscoe Parish (1897-1904) of Coal Creek, VA, near Galax. Its phrasing and chord changes might drive you mad, but we love tunes like this. The title might lead one to think that it is related to a similarly-titled tune found on Buddy Thomas' Kitty Puss CD, Rounder 0032, but it is not. The other thoughts that would immediately come to mind include the lyrics to "Old Jimmie Sutton" (which we also play in a much more conventional manner), and in fact those lyrics scan very well if you've got the brainwaves to easily follow the contours of crooked tunes. In fact, they scan so well we now believe that this is a slightly fractured variant of "Old Jimmie Sutton." Lyrics to OJS are fairly commonplace, but particularly nice ones can be found in Thomas Talley's Negro Folk Rhymes.
OTHER NAMES: Jimmy Sutton; Old Buck Ram
SOURCES: S. Judy Hyman (Ithica, N.Y.) [Phillips]. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 125. Folkways FS-3811, Vester Jones. Vester Ward – “Traditional Music From Grayson & Carrol Counties." Burke, John. Burke, John / Book of Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo, Amsco, sof (1968), p20; Carlin, Bob. Brody, David (ed.) / Banjo Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Fol (1985), p111b; Highwoods String Band. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p206; Muller, Eric. Muller, Eric & Barbara Koehler / Frailing the 5-String Banjo, Mel Bay, Sof (1973), p43b
NOTES: Bill took the gun, Bill went a-huntin'/Bang went the gun, down went the mutton, baa!" and similar verses about an inept farmer. Chorus: "Can't dance that, can't dance nothin'/I wouldn't give a dang for the old Jimmy Sutton, baa!" Bascom Lamar Lundford says Old Jimmy Sutton is a tune “played in the Piedmont North Carolina region” that is similar to “Walking in the Parlor.” The Journal of American Folk-lore - Page 93 by American Folklore Society, Project Muse – 1888 says, “The songs are typical hillbilly numbers: dance tunes ("Hop Up Ladies," "Western Country," "Old Jimmy Sutton," "Shoo Fly");
Some of the floating lyrics sung to Jimmy Sutton date back to the early minstrel era (1820s) such as:
Sheep an' hog a walkin' in de pasture,
Sheep says, "Hog, can't you go no faster?"
In the repertoire of Ozark fiddler Vester Jones, but the song also has currency with Blue Ridge regional musicians such as Fred Cockerham. Vester Jones calls Old Jimmie Sutton an old song from “the time of covered wagons.” As “Old Jimmy Sutton” the song/tune was in the repertoire of Grayson & Whitter who recorded it in the early 20th century (played in the key of G).
There is a similar song that uses sheep sounds titled, "Rise Up in Due Time":
"Rise up in due time, due time, due time. Rise up in due time. Baaa!" [McBride's magazine - Page 622 Language Arts & Disciplines - 1868]
Here are lyrics to Jimmy Sutton from Andrew Kuntz:
JIMMY SUTTON
These verses have been collected;
(sometimes a bleat or ‘Baaa’ is voiced at the end of the line):
Get out a rock as big as a button
Kill Jimmy Sutton as dead as mutton.
I like Sal and she likes chicken.
I'll keep Sal, all the time pickin'.
Sheep met a billy-goat going to pasture.
Sheep said "Goat, can't you go a little faster?"
Sheep fell down and skinned his chin
And, great God almighty, how the billy-goat grinned.
I like Sal and she likes mutton
And I hate to lose to old Jimmy Sutton.
If you can't dance that, you can't dance nothin'
And I wouldn't give a chaw to the old Jimmie Sutton
(sometimes used as a chorus)
Bill took the gun, Bill went a huntin'
BAM! went the gun and down fell a mutton.
Some of the verses are floating. Stacy Phillips points out that the lines:
Sheep met a billy-goat going to pasture.
Sheep said "Goat, can't you go a little faster?
were sung by Tommy Duncan on Texas fiddler Bob Wills' version of
“Sally Goodin,” and were followed by:
Sheep fell down, goat rolled over,
Goat got up with a mouth full of clover.
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