"The Ballad of Kidder Cole" Appalachian Road Show (Official Performance Video)

This latest, The Ballad of Kidder Cole, is a perfect demonstration of why this group has won a legion of fans from their three recordings and many live shows over the past few years. First-rate storytelling and top-level musicianship in service to driving bluegrass music… how can you miss? Fiddler Jim Van Cleve explains a bit about this song, written in the early 20th century by Felix Eugene Alley, describing a dance where his cousin stole away the attention of one Kidder Cole. Alley went on to become a prestigious attorney and judge in North Carolina. “He was from Haywood County, NC where I grew up. I didn’t know about Mr. Alley until we set about working up this song. He wrote a tale about a girl named Kidder Cole, who he tried to dance with and win the affections of for the entire song. Felix was relatively unsuccessful with Ms. Cole, it would seem, but the whole thing has such a fun tongue-in-cheek vibe about it, and the way we ended up arranging it, it just has a lot of fun moments. The backdrop for where the story takes place is square dances back in the barn dance era in Appalachia, so we took some of the classic dance and fiddle tunes and weaved them into and around the melody of that song,. It’s so much fun! We hope folks have as much fun listening to it as we do playing it!” Appalachian Road show is Barry Abernathy on banjo and lead vocal, Van Cleve on fiddle, Zeb Snyder on guitar, Darrell Webb on mandolin, and Todd Phillips on bass. Listen to the new ARS album #Jubilation here - ffm.to/ars_j   / appalachianroadshow     / appalachianroadshow   Verse My name is Felix Eugene Alley I got a gal in Cashiers Valley, She’s the joy of my soul, how I love that Kidder Cole. Verse I don't know but it's all by chance late last fall when I went to a dance. The boys and girls all fell in line, but Charlie wright had beat my time. Verse Well, I may never win a fight But I can’t stand that Charlie Wright. Just because, confound his soul, He danced all night with Kidder Cole. Chorus Hey Kidder Cole’s the prettiest girl I know I’ve seen in this wide world She’s the joy of my soul How I love that Kidder Cole. Verse I went to the valley about half tight, Kidder wouldn’t dance at all that night. Yeah, I went to the valley about half lit, That girl wouldn’t dance a doggone bit. Verse Well, I called on her and I lit right in, Kidder said, “Now, don’t begin”. But I’ma going back to the valley and I’ll dance with Kidder through every set. Chorus Hey Kidder Cole’s the prettiest girl I know I’ve seen in this wide world She’s the joy of my soul How I love that Kidder Cole. Verse It’s all hands up we’ll play big ring the fiddle’ll squall and the banjo ring. I never saw a prettier thing than kidder Cole come jigs and swings Chorus Hey Kidder Cole’s the prettiest girl I know I’ve seen in this wide world She’s the joy of my soul How I love that Kidder Cole. Chorus Well, Kidder Cole’s the prettiest girl I know I’ve seen in this wide world. She’s the joy of my soul, Oh, how I Love that Kidder Cole. "The Ballad of Kidder Cole" Appalachian Road Show (Official Performance Video)