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Riley and Spencer/ Ryland Spencer/Raleigh and Spencer
Old-Time, Breakdown. USA; western North Carolina, southwestern Virginia.
ARTIST: from Fields Ward.
CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes DATE: early 1900s (1920s by Jarrell)
RECORDING INFO: Alden, Ray. Old Time Friends, Marimac 9009, Cas (1987), trk# 12 (Ryland Spencer)
Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), trk# B.06
Gellert, Dan; and Brad Leftwich. Moment in Time, Marimac 9038, Cas (1993), trk# B.07 (Ryland Spencer)
Hurricane Ridgerunners. Hurricane Ridgerunners, Topaz TLS-1231, LP (1981), trk# A.04 (Reilley and Spencer)
Jarrell, Tommy. Sail Away Ladies, County 756, LP (1976), trk# B.08 (Raleigh and Spencer)
Jarrell, Tommy. Music of North Carolina, Heritage (Galax) 024 (XXIV), LP (1979), trk# A.04
Lewis, Laurie. Fiddler Magazine, Fiddler Mag., Ser, 1/1, p32(1994) [1990] (Raleigh and Spencer)
Ward, Fields. Traditional Music on Rounder, Rounder 0145/SS145, LP (1981), trk# 16
Ward, Fields and Wade. Country Music - Fields and Wade Ward, Biograph RC 6002, LP (1968), trk# 1
Whiskey Puppy. Love Storm, Whiskey WP 002, CD (2003), trk# 8 (Raleigh and Spencer)
White, Earl; and Adrienne Davis. Portland Old Time Music Gathering, Bubbaguitar --, CD (2005), trk# 13 (Raleigh and Spencer)
OTHER NAMES: "Riley and Spencer," "Ryland Spencer."
SOURCES: Thede; Ceolas; Folk Index; Laurie Lewis [Fiddler Magazine]. Fiddler Magazine, Spring 1994; pg. 32. Biograph 6002, Fields Ward (Galax, Va.). County 756, Tommy Jarrell (Mt. Airy, N.C.) - "Sail Away Ladies" (1976). Flying Fish 515, Laurie Lewis - "Singin' My Troubles Away" (1990). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly - "Forked Deer" (1986. Learned from Tommy Jarrell and Mike Seeger).
NOTES: D Major. Standard or DDAD. One part. This tune was learned in the early 1920's by source Tommy Jarrell from his brother-in-law, guitarist Jim Gardner, who learned it from a black guitarist named Jim Raleigh). The tune had some currency among white musicians, especially guitarists, in the Galax (Va.)/Mt. Airy (N.C.) region. The melody is named for two towns in West Virginia.
The "Raleigh and Spencer" was long a pretty famous rail line in central NC. Spencer had huge railyards and a big roundhouse. I suspect the original "Raleigh and Spencer" that's done gone dry was a barrel house or some such establishment along that line, most likely in Spencer, NC.
The song first came to us via Tommy Jarrell of Toast, North Carolina just outside of Mount Airy. There were several black families in Mount Airy one of which was named Rawley and another named Spencer. There were three musicians by the name of Rawley, two of whom are buried in the graveyard close to Tommy Jarrell's old home place in Toast. Info from "Strings of Life" by Kevin Donleavy. There is even a photograph of Jim Rawley and in the book the song is referred to as "Rawley and Spencer."
Ryland Spencer is found in on a cut on "Jake Krack - One More Time" Wisekrack Records 1221 Jake Krack-fiddle; Dwight Diller-banjo; Danny Arthur-guitar; Dara Krack-guitar on "Stack 'Em Up in Piles."
"Raleigh And Spencer" from Lewis:
As sung by Laurie Lewis & Grant Street, "Singing' My Troubles Away," 1990 Flying
Fish
Raleigh and Spencer are burning down
Lord, there ain't no liquor in town
No, there ain't no liquor in town
What you gonna do to wet those lips
When this whole darn world's gone dry?
When this whole darn world's gone dry?
I've been all around this whole wide world
I've been down to Memphis, Tennessee
I've been down to Memphis, Tennessee
I've played cards with the king and the queen
Shot them dice with old Jesse James
Shot them dice with old Jesse James
I can eat more chicken than any one gal can fry
I can tell more lowdown lies
I can tell more lowdown lies
I can tell more lies than the stars in the skies
I'll never get to heaven when I die
No, I'll never get to heaven when I die
I've pawned my shoes for a bottle of booze
I drink it, I lay down and die
I drink it, I lay down and die
You can stomp down the flowers that grow round my grave
But they'll rise and bloom again
Yes, they'll rise and bloom again
Raleigh and Spencer are burning down
Lord, there ain't no liquor in town
No, there ain't no liquor in town
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