500th Post!

Wow hadn't even realised I'd got to this milestone, and rather appropriately it's Cripple Creek! Maybe it feel like 500 versions of Cripple Creek....

Cripple Creek

It's been a while since I've posted a version of this tune, but the other night we tried with just two banjos and it sounded OK - better than its sounded with the whole gang.

Crippled Creep

These are a couple of the odds and sods that have survived from the other night playing with Johnathan at the Toll Bar in Topcliffe. It's a bit of a pit of a place but its cheap and does have the advantage of having the Angel pub directly across the road!
Crippled Creep

The Alice Charmers - Cripple Creek

The national anthem of banjoworld preceded by some highly technical musical arrangement.
Cripple Creek

St Valentines Day Massacre

Got together with the boys - Carl, Mark, Mark and Johnathan and massacred a few standards for Valentines Day. Needles to say the ladies thought it was a very romantic gesture(not)!


Jesse James


Cripple Creek


John Henry


Cowboy Waltz


Foggy Mountain Breakdown


Whoop Song

End of Year Jam

Got the boys together last night for a jam, played for three hours only got through four songs!

John Henry


Jesse James


Cripple Creek version1


Cripple Creek version 2


Cowboy Waltz

End of Year Round up Part 1

It's getting towards the end of my first full year of blogging on NBB, so I thought I might do a round up of all the tunes I've learned this year. It's a good way to see how you've progressed. So part one is John Henry and Cripple Creek, mainly because these are the songs that I've started to sing. And even though my voice is sh*t it's a lot more fun when you do sign along - it's the whole point after all! And maybe next year I'll get a bit better.

John Henry


Cripple Creek

October Jam

Got together with the boys for a jam and here are the results.

Cripple Creek


Foggy Mountain Breakdown


Cowboy Waltz


Irish Washerwoman


John Henry

Cripple Creek - Sesame St version

This is about the best version of this song going - fantastic!

More Videos from the August Jam

Abbey Road - Stockton on Tees

First shots from the August Jam.
Carl, mandolin, bass, guitar
Mark, guitar, banjo
Andy, banjo
Bruce, lagerphone, camera

Cripple Creek

New Strings!

After 18 months I finally got around to getting some new strings for my banjo. I've been playing with the ones that it came with and they'd got a bit like old rusty cables (literally), but the new ones are... well, fine and shiny and light and they sound great.

Spanish Fandango


Cripple Creek

Songs What We Have (almost) Learned

After posting a pretty lengthy song list for last nights jam we only got through six, and one of them wasn't even on the list. They sound pretty rough and ready, but its only our second practice together. Highlights are MC Clawhammer's Foggy Mountain, Cowboy Waltz and Irish Washerwoman.

Old '97


Cowboy Waltz


Cripple Creek


Foogy Mountain Breakdown


Irish Washerwoman


Wildwood Flower

Saturday Morning Jam

Went to see Barrett, Broad and Rossiter last night and got inspired. This is me on banjo and Carlos the Jackal on guitar, recorded at 8am Saturday morning in the summer house in the garden.

Wildwood Flower


Cripple Creek


Worried Man Blues


Jesse James

Jesse James and Cripple Creek bluegrass stylee

Two more from MC Clawhammer.

Cripple Creek


Jesse James

Cripple Creek Back-up

This is the back-up banjo for Cripple Creek in G. It runs verse/chorus 3 times.
There's a version of the melody in an earlier post.

Cripple Creek back-up

more from the creek

MC Clawhammer sent in a version of Cripple Creek, tryin out a few bluegrass rolls..

Cripple Creek


I know a few people drop in and have a look at the blog, so if anyone has any audio they'd like to send in I'd really appreciate it. I realise we're no great shakes in the banjo stakes, but it's about sharing and learning.

NBB

Billy Connolly - Cripple Creek

I'd nearly forgotten about Billy Connolly's banjo playing during his stand-up act. What with the wurzels, it's becoming a bit of a 70s kitch-fest, but here's the big yin doing Cripple Creek.

Cripple Creek

This is a picture of me delivering this years cider harvest from the Sowerby Cider Collective.




Cripple Creek


...and this is the cider drinkers national anthem for Trafford, see you soon mate!

moving on

These are all tunes I recorded over subsequent weeks and months as a record of how I'm doing.

Boil 'em Cabbage Down (March 08)


Cripple Creek (March 08)


My First Tune (Sept 08)


Jessie James (Sept 08)


Goin down the Road Feeling Bad (Nov 08)