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Thread: Crossing the Cumberland?

  1. #1
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    where can i find a recording of "crossing the cumberland?" does anyone have an .mp3 i could listen to? i found the midi on mandozine but would like to actually here it before trying to play it from the midi. i couldn't find any of monroe's albums that had it on it but i only looked at like twenty of his 65.
    Everybody has to believe in something, and I believe I'll have another beer.

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    ..Butch Robins...one of Monroes banjo players had a record out years ago called "The Fifth Child"...its on there with Sam Bush doing th honors....

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    i searched for that one but couldn't find anything about it. it might not be around anymore. i'll keep looking though. thanks scotti.
    Everybody has to believe in something, and I believe I'll have another beer.

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    Sally Van Meter used to play a great version of it with The Good "Ol Persons, with John Reischmann on mandolin...
    I've got a couple live versions with that lineup...

    It's on the Monroe box set ('59-'69) too...

    Also, the "Cumberlands" is indeed plural, which may aid you in your Google searching...

    Nice choice of tune, BTW...

  5. #5

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    ..Ive got the record somewhere....I can make a cassette copy of it....Ive got to buy some blank tapes tho....

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    Spruce is right on with the mention of Sally VanMeter and Good 'Ol Persons. I think that rendition is the best out there, even if they didn't write it they sure seem to 'own' it. It's on either "Can't Stand to Ramble" or "Part of a Story", both great albums. The ones I have are vinyl but I think they are available on CD.

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    County records has a compilation called
    "Bill Monroe: American Traveler". Almost all of
    the songs are instrumentals and they all have
    a place, a state or a river in their names:
    Roanoke, Texas Gallop, Salt Creek, Kentucky Mandolin, etc.
    Crossing the Cumberlands is on that CD.

    I bought my copy from amazon.com, and I believe
    Elderly Instruments stocks it.

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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Here's an attempt at this tune...


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  11. #9
    Purveyor of Sunshine sgarrity's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Great tune and nice picking!! That mando sounds great too. Is it a Passernig?

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    Registered User evanreilly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    I thank my good buddy and pickin' friend John B. for getting me to think about this obscure Bill Monroe banjo instrumental again. I have the Good Ole Persons version somewhere around, and thought that was the best version out there.
    But, ahem, there is the definitive banjo version of it....
    and when I find it, I'll post it....

  13. #11
    Purveyor of Sunshine sgarrity's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    The Nashville Bluegrass Band recorded it as well as David Grier on solo guitar

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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Thanks for the compliment, mando is indeed a 2006 Passernig.

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    Registered User Russ Jordan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    I like the version on the Cracker Barrel cd Bluegrass Highway---Mike Compton on the mandolin.
    Russ Jordan

  16. #14

    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Nice version! Thanks for posting- alwasy wanted to learn that one- maybe now I will.
    Teri LaMarco
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    The Nashville Bluegrass Band has a good version with Mike Compton playing a solo on it. This is on their Twenty Year Blues CD from 2004. It's great.

  18. #16
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Here is the original banjo tune....
    Kind of an 'angry' mandolin break, tho....
    I think Bill thought it should be played slower, maybe?
    Attached Files Attached Files
    Last edited by evanreilly; Mar-05-2010 at 10:26am.

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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    That is a bit of a surprise when it first starts after Bill saying it was a slow banjo number. Any idea who was playing the banjo on that? I see what you were saying about the "angry" break. Kind of curt sounding. People applauded anyway to the break.

  20. #18
    Registered User evanreilly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    I think it sounds like Rowan on guitar & Vic Jordan on banjo, maybe???? Might be Lamar, tho.....
    The banjo player out-runs himself in a few places.

  21. #19
    Registered User Earl Gamage's Avatar
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Nice job jhbaylor. This is a great tune.

  22. #20

    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Does anyone else think the song Crossing the Cumberlands sounds like a slowed-down version of Kitchen Girl?

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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    It is similar. How bout that. But listen to the fiddle breaks on NBB's 20 year blues or Butch Robins recording of the same. They bear very little resemblance to Kitchen Girl. So like A LOT of fiddle tunes it is just similar to another tune.
    Pontification:
    We have to be careful on all tunes to find what notes and rhythms are essential the melody. I have made some real boo boos on fiddle tunes. Like mixing up Gray Eagle and Soldiers Joy on a recording project for a fiddler.

  24. #22
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Peter Ostroushko recorded it on Mandolin Chronicles
    Stormy Morning Orchestra

    My YouTube Channel

    "Mean Old Timer, He's got grey hair, Mean Old Timer he just don't care
    Got no compassion, thinks its a sin
    All he does is sit around an play the Mandolin"

  25. #23
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Bill Monroe & the BGB feat. Lamar Grier, 1967:


  26. #24
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    I found many versions of C the C on Spotify, and I think it's free if you're using the desktop version and not downloading anything.

  27. #25
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    Default Re: Crossing the Cumberland?

    Here you will find two renditions.

    https://www.mandohangout.com/myhango...ch.asp?alpha=C

    One ( CtC II) is a quartet version with banjo and bass, the other a duo. I play the guitar and mandolin on both. Version II follows Vic Jordan's treatment with Bill Monroe fairly closely -- we recorded it in 1969, the year Monroe's recording was issued on EP. The mando backing consists of long tremoloes. Note the beautiful and subtle variation of the theme on the second banjo chorus.

    The duo version was recorded much later. Most of it is improvised. There's some split string tremolo towards the end. On the quartet version I split the down stroke on almost all the triplets. I was *very* fond of that technique 54 years ago!


    Here is a truly remarkable Irish style re-interpretation of the tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRrcGWbCJ14

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