Cherokee Shuffle

A traditional-derived Old Time and Bluegrass breakdown in A major, generally credited to Nashville session fiddler Tommy Jackson, who transformed the earlier tune “Lonesome Indian”, recorded by fiddler Tommy Magness in the 1930s in the key of D, into “Cherokee Shuffle” in the key of A. Jackson added a distinctive second part. The tune circulates in two structural forms: a “square” version with A and B parts of equal length (eight bars each), and a “crooked” version with a ten-bar B part. Tommy Jackson recorded the tune on November 14, 1957, at Bradley Film & Recording Studio in Nashville, released on Dot Records (DLP-3085).