Poplar Bluff

Poplar Bluff is an old-time reel in D major (with mixolydian elements) from the repertoire of northeastern Kentucky fiddler Ed Haley (1885-1951). While often attributed to Haley as a composition, the attribution lacks firm documentation, though he appears to be the sole source for the melody. The tune is technically demanding, requiring shifts to higher positions on the fingerboard and featuring numerous accidental notes that create shifting tonalities. It was recorded by Ed Haley on Rounder Records 1134, “Grey Eagle” (1997), and appears in the Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes. Modern interpreters include clawhammer banjoist Adam Hurt and fiddlers Bruce Molsky and George Jackson.