Description
From the collection of Wayne Howard
Sherman Hammons (1903-1988) played only two banjo tunes and told two stories on the LP albums that made his family well known in the old-time music world. His fiddling and his singing were not heard at all. As the selections on this disc for the FRC will make clear, Sherman was an accomplished singer in the traditional Appalachian style and a fiddler in a fine, archaic style reminiscent of his Uncle Edden’s fiddling. He spent a lot of time with Edden, played a number of tunes learned from him, and told a lot of stories about him. Although Sherman’s active fiddle repertoire was not large, he played in several different tunings. His banjo repertoire featured an even greater variety of tunings, partly because he played more tunes on the banjo but possibly, too, because he learned banjo pieces from a wider circle of musicians. In addition to “frailing” the banjo, Sherman played a few pieces in a three-finger upstroke style, represented here by his version of “Hot Corn, Cold Corn, Hand Around the Jimmyjohnny.” － Wayne Howard
Please note: Fiddle and banjo tunings for this recording are notated within the Track List tab below.
