Shoot That Turkey Buzzard- Version 2
Brown Collection

Shoot that Turkey Buzzard/Turkey Buzzard

Traditional Old‑Time, Breakdown. USA; east Tennessee, east Kentucky, north Georgia, North Carolina

ARTIST: From "The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society"

CATEGORY: Fiddle and Instrumental Tunes

DATE: Old melody; Lyrics from 1800’s;

RECORDING INFO: Shoot the Turkey Buzzard [Me IV-E 9]

Chancey Family. Rosenbaum, Art (ed.) / Folk Visions & Voices. Traditional Music & So...., Univ. of Georgia, Bk (1983), p168 [1979/11/11]
Chancey, Joe. Banjo Newsletter, BNL, Ser (1973-), 1982/12,p 9
Cunningham, Bill. Cunningham, Bill / Hoedown Fiddle in America (How to Play It), Ryckman-Beck, fol (1977), p46
Durham, Mel. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p178
Ebenezer. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p256
Fulcher, Bobby. Old Five String, Heritage (Galax) 039, LP (1981), trk# 13
Gaskin, Phyllis. Mountain Dulcimer - Galax Style, Heritage (Galax) 094C, Cas (1991), trk# 15
Hopkins, Al; and his Buckle Busters. Hill Billies, County 405, LP (1973), trk# A.04b [1928/12/20]
Jamieson, Stu;'s Boys. String Band Project, Elektra EKS 7292, LP (1965), trk# A.04
Kidwell, Fiddlin' Van. Midnight Ride, Vetco LP 506, LP (1975), trk# B.07
Mainer's Mountaineers. Good Ole Mountain Music, King 666, LP (196?/1946), trk# 9
Osborne, Uncle Charlie (Charlie N.). Relics and Treasures, June Appal JA 049, LP (1985), trk# 6
Roberts, Fiddlin' Doc. Fiddlin' Doc Roberts / Complete Recorded Works..., Vol 2. 1928-1, Document DOCD 8043, CD (1999), trk# 3 [1928/08/24]
Sapoznik, Hank (Henry). Brody, David (ed.) / Banjo Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Fol (1985), p149b
Schwarz, Tracy and Eloise. Our Kind of Music, Old Homestead 90092, LP (1978), trk# 2
Sprung, Roger. Ragtime Bluegrass, Vol. 2, Folkways FA 2371, LP (1964), trk# 2
Walker, John V.. Devil's Box, Devil's Box, Ser, 25/4, p21b(1991) 

OTHER NAMES: "Turkey Buzzard,"

RELATED TO: "Greasy Coat" "Davy Dugger" "Engine on a Mogull," "Greasy String," "Old Coon Dog," "Higher Up the Monkey Climbs." “Slide on down” Miller's Reel (Southern vers); Seneca Square Dance; Davie Dugger; Engineer on the Mogull

SOURCES: Kuntz: A Fiddler’s Companion; Ebenezer [Brody]: Any Old Time String Band (Ca.) [Kuntz]; Joe and Chesley Chancey (Boardtown Community, Cherry Log, Gilmer County, Georgia) [Rosenbaum]; Vivian Williams (Seattle) [Phillips];  Mel Durham [Silberberg]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 256. Kuntz (Ragged but Right), 1987; pg. 322. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), Vol. 1, 1994; pg. 221. Rosenbaum (Folk Visions and Voices: Traditional Music and Song in North Georgia), 1989; pgs. 168‑169. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 144. Arhoolie 4009, "Any Old Time String Band." Biograph 6007, Ebenezer‑ "Tell it to Me" (appears as "Turkey Buzzard"). County 405, "The Hillbillies" (appears as third tune of "Soldier's Joy Medley"). Folkways FA 2371, Roger Sprung‑ "Ragtime Bluegrass 2." Gennett 6775 (78 RPM), Doc Roberts (Ky.). Vetco 506, Fiddlin Van Kidwell‑ "Midnight Ride." Mudcat Discussion Forum

NOTES: There are in the Brown Collection three fragments of the song that bear
this title and another that might. One of them, in which with the turkey huzzard stanza is combined a memory of the Civil War, is dealt with under the title "Harness Up Yo' Horses' in the group of Martial, Political, and Patriotic Songs.

Texts A and C certainly, and B probably, are dance songs (See Version 2 for Brown's lyrics). C is a stanza from 'Jump Jim Crow' and has already been reported (with some slight differences) from North Carolina (ANFS 163). South Carolina (JAFL XLiv 428). and New Orleans (TNFS 127).

Turkey Buzzard' was communicated by Thomas Smith from Zionville, Watauga county, probably in 1915; the tune was obtained a few years later frum Mrs. N. T. Byers. In her singing, the first line of "each stanza is sung three times, which makes one suspect that the text of the first stanza is not correctly reported. Mr. Smith calls it a jig and says that it is "very popular among mountain musicians."

From Kuntz, Fiddler's Companion, http://www.ceolas.org/tunes/fc SHOOT THAT TURKEY BUZZARD  G Major. Standard. AB (Silberberg): AABB (most versions). It has been identified as an east Tennessee tune name, however Rosenbaum (1989) believes it to have been widespread in the Georgia Blue Ridge. The piece is in the repertoire of Montecello, Ky., fiddler Clyde Davenport, who learned it from his father, a Tennessee fiddler. There are various verses sung to the tune.

John Lomax published similar fragments as found in the Brown Collection. Lomax published Some Ballads of North Carolina in July 1911. Here is an excerpt:

The negro songs that have come to me from North Carolina are mainly religious. A number of interesting fragments of secular songs were, however, given to my wife by Mr. Fred A. Olds of Raleigh, N. C. These fragments are fairly illustrative:

Shoot That Turkey Buzzard; from Brown:
"The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore; the folklore of North Carolina, collected by Dr. Frank C. Brown during the years 1912 to 1943, in collaboration with the North Carolina Folklore Society"

105 Turkey Buzzard

There are in the Collection three fragments of song that hear this title and another that might. One of them, in which with the turkey huzzard stanza is combined a memory of the Civil War, is dealt with under the title "Harness Up Yo' Horses' in the group of Martial, Political, and Patriotic Songs, below. Texts A and C certainly, and B probably, are dance songs. C is a stanza from 'Jump Jim Crow' and has already been reported (with some slight differences) from North Carolina (ANFS 163). South Carolina
(JAFL XLiv 428). and New Orleans (TNFS 127).

Turkey Buzzard.' Communicated by Thomas Smith from Zionville, Watauga county, probably in 1915; the tune was obtained a few years later from Mrs. N. T. Byers. In her singing, the first line of "each stanza is sung three times, which makes one suspect that the text of the first stanza is not correctly reported. Mr. Smith calls it a jig and says that it is "very popular among mountain musicians."

1) Shoot that turkey buzzard
Come flopping down the hollow.
Come flopping down the hollow.

2) Shoot old Davy Dugger dead;
He eat my meat and stole my bread.

3) Shoot old Davy Dugger,
Take his wife and hug her.

4) Oh, that gal with a blue dress on,
She stole my heart and now she's gone.

B 'Old Turkey Buzzard.' Contributed probably in 1924 by Carl G. Knox, student at Trinity College, as a "banjo song." With the music. Four lines only :

Old turkey buzzard.
Lend me your wings
To fly across the river
To see Sally King.

C No title. Contributed by Flossie Marshbanks of Mars Hill. Madison county. It is a stanza from T. D. Rice's famous 'Jump Jim Crow.' For its use as a play-party song, see the finding list, SFLQ viii 213. Other texts show that "grub and hoe" in the last line should be "grubbin' hoe," a familiar instrument in Southern agriculture.

'Where you gwine, turkey buzzard,
Where you gwine, crow ?'
'Gwine down in the new ground
To get the grub and hoe.'