Friendly Spirits in the Band Room

A lot of ghosts stalk our rehearsal room nowadays, but to a man they are a happy bunch of haunts.

We have table set aside for photos of all our band mates who have passed on. But more than mere pictures, it’s their music that keeps our old comrades alive.

Here, for example, from a recent rehearsal is our current take on one of the late David Peyton’s favorite tunes, with Charlie Bowen and Randy Hamilton handling the vocals and solos by Sam St. Clair, Jack Nuckols and Danny Cox.

The tune — “Georgie Buck” — has never left The Flood band room since Peyton first brought there 20 years ago.

About the Song

As reported earlier, “Georgie Buck” is one of the “play party” tunes that Dave learned from his old friend Aunt Jennie Wilson, the famed clawhammer banjo picker who was born in 1900 in Logan County, WV.

Jennie learned tunes from family members and other musicians in her coalfield community. David always theorized that she learned this one from African American musicians who came to Logan County in the 1920s to work on the railroad and in the coal mines.

Nowadays it is well-documented that “Georgie Buck” in particular — like other mountain music and dance — was influenced by black traditions of rhythmic dance and songs.

A version of the same song, for instance, found its way onto the 2006 debut album by The Carolina Chocolate Drops, whose members reported learning it from the great African-American string band fiddler Joe Thompson.

“Georgie Buck” also was in the repertoire of Chapel Hill, NC, guitarist and banjo player Elizabeth Cotten who, at 67, taught the same song to a 19-year-old Taj Mahal.

An earlier Flood Watch article provided a fuller backgrounder on this good old number. Click here to read that.

Now Let’s Hear from the Haunts!

Before we leave, we really need to give our spirited spirits a turn at the tune.

“Georgie Buck” was featured on Joe Dobbs’ last Flood album, Cleanup & Recovery, recorded in 2013 in Bud Carroll’s Live at Trackside Studios. It showcases Joe’s fiddling and Dave’s lead vocal and soloing, as well as solos by Doug Chaffin and Sam St. Clair. and Michele Hoge singing harmonies with Charlie. Click the button below for that track: