Old-Time TOTW #406: Birchfield's Sally Ann (Joe Birchfield) 4/5/26 #tennessee #fiddle

Old-Time TOTW #406 is Sally Ann from the playing of Joe Clarence Birchfield (13 April 1912--18 June 2002) of Roan Mountain, TN. He was the son of Nathan Birchfield (1896 or 1873-1940) and Vastie Ann Birchfield (1872 or 1875-1972). It appears that Nathan and Vastie were first cousins. Joe married Ethel McKinney (1912-1987) on 24 May 1937. There is some discrepancy with Joe’s year of birth. The 1920 and 1950 Census reports indicate he was born in 1914, and he gave his birth as 13 April 1914 when he registered for the draft in 1940. He is listed as “Clarence Birchfield” in the 1920 and 1930 Census. Sources: Ancestry, FamilySearch, and public documents. Joe’s father and uncles all played fiddle, banjo and/or guitar. He first started with banjo when he was between age 5-8. Joe learned to play fiddle around age 15-20, mostly from his paternal uncle. His father had made a cigar box fiddle for him, and he would spend weeks at a time at his uncle’s house at Shell Creek. They would chop and haul wood during the day, have supper, and play after. Joe’s paternal grandmother was a good fiddler. About an hour before she died, she was in her bed and asked for her fiddle. She played a few tunes, put the fiddle down, and died. His maternal grandmother was Polly Hughes (1845-?). He, eventually, got a German-made fiddle, but stopped playing shortly after being married and gave it away. He traded his guitar and $10 for a fiddle from a neighbor boy, but in his later years, he played on a Kay fiddle. His wife Ethel played harmonica, washboard and tambourine in the family's old time string band, the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. They recorded an album in 1981. The above biographical information comes from “A 1982 Interview with Joe Birchfield” (issue 45, spring 1989) in Tony Russell’s Old Time Music magazine. Here is the full interview: https://fieldrecorder.org/a-1982-inte... Birchfield’s version of Sally Ann is quite different from others. The tune has more in common with Elzic’s Farewell. Joining Down the Road Old-Time String Band (Paul Kirk, fiddle; Stephen Rapp, banjo; Mark McNulty, guitar; Michael Seiser, bass) is friend Allegra Whiting on cello (Rochester, NY). My book, Marion Thede and the Fiddlers of Oklahoma: The Fiddle Book, the Musicians and Their Tunes is now available from McFarland & Company: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/ma... I will be doing a series of house concerts of Oklahoma tunes which will include book signings and jams. Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in hosting such an event. My Patreon: www.patreon.com/paulkirk Subscribe to Stephen Rapp's YouTube channel: ‪@rappstephen‬ My book, Marion Thede and the Fiddlers of Oklahoma: The Fiddle Book, the Musicians and Their Tunes is now available from McFarland & Company: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/ma... I am planning a series of house concerts of Oklahoma tunes which will include book signings and jams. Please contact me at [email protected] if you are interested in hosting such an event. My Patreon: www.patreon.com/paulkirk **HOUSE CONCERT: Albany, NY, April 25, 2026, with Down the Road Old-Time String Band at the home of Janet Foster. Email [email protected] for details. June 10: Lecture and concert on Marion Thede and the Fiddlers of Oklahoma: The Fiddle Book, the Musicians and Their Tunes at Lakeside Chautauqua with Paul Kirk (fiddle) and Mark McNulty (guitar).