Dram County by Molly Tenenbaum

DRAM COUNTY IS
Colin Harris - fiddle
Molly Tenenbaum - banjo, singing
Dan Tenenbaum - guitar, singing

INSTRUMENTS
Colin’s fiddle: Assembled/made by Clyde Davenport, who carved a new top for an existing
broken fiddle.
Molly’s banjo: 1991 Kevin Enoch 12-inch.
Dan’s guitar: 2001 Collings C10SB.

ABOUT THE BAND
Siblings Dan and Molly (Seattle) met Colin (Bellingham) at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA around 2001, and subsequently enjoyed playing together at parties and gatherings. One day at Clifftop a few years later, Dan & Molly asked Colin, “Want to be a band?” Colin said, “Yes!” and so we were. For the band name, we got interested in one-syllable words. SHIM may have been one of the contenders. But despite that none of us drink much (except upon occasion!) we chose DRAM, and liking the regional references in the names of many earlier old-time bands, we added COUNTY. Thus followed a dreamy drammy few years of playing around the Northwest for dances, weddings, community gatherings, and, of course, for fun.

In 2006, we decided to make a recording, which our pal David Cahn (and Molly’s bandmate in The Queen City Bulldogs) was kind enough to engineer in his home recording studio. But life got busy before we finished working with it. Now in 2023 we are still busy, but thanks to the musical and digital expertise of Paul Elliott (Downtown Mountain Boys, Sons of the Pioneers), we are happy to share with you these freshly mixed historical recordings.

Dan and Molly still live in Seattle and play together frequently; Colin moved to Minneapolis in 2008, so we don’t play as often, but we reunite whenever possible!

 
SONG NOTES

Jenny Put The Kettle On: From Gusty Wallace of Metcalfe County, Kentucky.

Jack's Creek Ridge: From Charles Hoskins via Bruce Greene of Burnsville, NC.

Ladies on the Steamboat: From Clyde Davenport of Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky, who heard it as a child played by Leonard Rutherford and Dick Burnett, also of Monticello.

Little Boy Working on the Road: From J.W. Day of Catlettsburg, Boyd County, Kentucky.

Gilda Roy: From John Morgan Salyer of Salyersville, Magoffin County, Kentucky.

Getting Upstairs: From John Morgan Salyer, Salyersville, Magoffin County, Kentucky.

Going Across The Sea: From John Lusk, Murph Gribble, and Albert York of Campaign, Warren County, Tennessee.

Red Mountain Wine: By Floyd “Gib” Guilbeaux, as covered by the Kimble Family of Laurel Fork, Virginia.

Cookhouse Joe: From Estill Bingham of Bell County, Kentucky.

No Corn on Tygart: From Clyde Davenport of Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky.

Big Fancy: From Edden Hammons of Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

You Play The High Card And I'll Play The Ace: From Burl Hammons of Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

Yew Piney Mountain: From Lester McCumbers of Nicut, West Virginia.

Buffalo Gals: Colin learned this from the playing of Polo Burguière at the Clifftop festival, and we believe Polo adapted it from Edden Hammons of Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

Farewell Princeton: From Clyde Davenport of Monticello, Wayne County, Kentucky.

Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes: From Pat Kingery of Nobob, Barren County, Kentucky as filtered through Bruce Greene of Burnsville, NC.

Old Bald Eagle: From Jean Ritchie of Viper, Perry County, Kentucky, with additional lyrics adapted by Molly from Christina Rossetti.

Sally Ann: From J.P. Fraley of Denton, Carter County, Kentucky.
 
THANK YOUS:
Many thanks to David Cahn, Paul Elliott, Jane Harris, Kim Sherman, Grace Phelan, David Harris, Bill and Janet Bush, Jean Tenenbaum, and to honorary Drammer Amy Hofer.

DEDICATION
In memory of Bill and Janet Bush.

Molly Tenenbaum has been playing old-time banjo since she was a teenager, and has since performed around the Pacific Northwest with bands including The Queen City Bulldogs and Dram County. She has taught at camps including American Banjo Camp and Festival of American Fiddle Tunes. She lives in Seattle, teaching privately and at Dusty Strings Music School.

mollytenenbaum.com