Author Description

When Wayne Howard moved from Owensboro, Kentucky, to Marlinton, West Virginia, in 1970 to teach high school English, he met Dwight Diller who introduced to the Hammons family. Wayne befriended that family and between 1971 and 1974, and again in 1977 and 1980, he spent a good deal of time recording Lee, Sherman, Burl and Maggie Hammons playing music and telling stories. As a fan of bluegrass and old-time music, Wayne learned to play fiddle and banjo tunes from the Hammonses during his years in West Virginia. For decades afterward, he consulted his field recordings when he felt the urge to try his hand at a tune from their repertoire. This book describes that journey and also presents clawhammer banjo tabs and audio files for nine of the tunes. These include: Cluck Old Hen, Cripple Creek, Dead Man’s Piece, Greasy String, Muddy Roads, Peeping at the Windows, Sandy Boys, Stony Point, and Walking in the Parlor. Also included is Wayne’s extensive list of banjo and fiddle tunings and the many tunes that use the tunings. This ebook is viewable with the Kindle app on a desktop or laptop PC, a tablet or a smartphone. The 9 tablatures are best viewed on a desktop, laptop or tablet.