Tombigbee Waltz

Traditional American waltz in G major, named for the Tombigbee River in Mississippi and Alabama; some sources trace the title back to a minstrel-era song, “Tom Big Bee River” (also known as “Gum Tree Canoe”), credited to S.S. Steele and A.F. Winnemore and printed in 1909, though the melody is described as older still. In its old-time instrumental form the tune is strongly associated with Alabama fiddler James Bryan, who learned it from Tom Jackson and recorded it on Lookout Blues (Rounder, 1983); it’s frequently played cross-tuned (AEae or GDgd) even though most printed settings use standard tuning. The tune also traveled into British folk repertoire, reportedly carried to Northumbria by the Boys of the Lough after they learned it from Bryan.