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Wild Bill Jones

from Mentor by William Ritter

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about

(Fiddle GDGD)
I did some research to attempt to track down a "real life" William Jones who had been murdered at the age of "23" or "21" (singers differ), but the effort bore no fruit. Jones is one of the most common surnames in the U.S., and likewise, William was a very common name. Wild Bill is fairly well known now, but most versions stem from one or two influential recordings. This version, also from Bobby's great aunt Mae "Maw Maw" Phillips, is set to a waltz-time rather than the more upbeat 2/4 time it's typically played in. Viney Norton provided a version with different text but a similar tune for Cecil Sharp. Additionally, Bobby recalled hearing Byard Ray perform "Wild Bill Jones" to almost the same tune. There's an unusual section where the song goes to the chorus melody and breaks up the A B A B pattern. Bobby actually came across a lyric from another obscure version that fits in between there, but I preferred to do the song the same way as Maw Maw and Bobby. In case you want to learn this version (and I hope you do), and feel like there should be another verse before the "He reeled, he rocked" verse--here is the lyric:

Wild Bill Jones was a very bad man
He carried two pistols every day
I beat him to mine, and killed him in time
and I blowed that boy away

credits

from Mentor, released September 23, 2022

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William Ritter Bakersville, North Carolina

William Ritter is a native of Bakersville, NC William plays banjo, fiddle, guitar, and other "string-ed things." He is particularly interested in old apple trees, family heirloom seeds, and mountain humor. In 2019, he received the *In These Mountains* Folklife Apprenticeship Grant from the NC Arts Council to study with ballad singer extraordinaire, Bobby McMillon. ... more

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