Annotation:Sambo
SAMBO. AKA and see "Fire on the Mountain (1)," “Old Time Fire on the Mountain.” American, Reel (cut time). G Major (Phillips): A Major (Titon). Standard, GDgd or AEae tunings (fiddle). AABB (Titon): AAAABB' (Phillips). Versions have been collected from African-American fiddler John Lusk of Kentucky, and a similar version from fiddler Isham Monday (1879-1964) of Cloyd's Ridge, Rural Route 5, Tomkinsville, the county seat of Monroe County, south-central Kentucky, near the border with Tennessee (the county was named for President James Monroe, while Tompkinsville is named for his Vice President). Monday, who farmed all his life not far from where he was born, was recorded by folklorists D.K. Wilgus, John Newport and Lynwood Montll in the late 1950's. The African-American group John Lusk (fiddle), Murph Gribble (banjo) and Albert York (guitar) were recorded for the Library of Congress (AFS 08510 A) playing a tune they called "Sambo" in Campaign, Tennessee, in 1946, by folklorists Phil Jamieson, Margot Mayo and Freyda Simon. Lusk's version is hardly recognizable as a member of the "Fire on the Mountain" tune family, and is quite idiosyncratic.
The tune is a member of the “Fire on the Mountain (1)”/”Pretty Betty Martin”/”Hog-Eyed Man”/”Granny Will Your Dog Bite? (1)” family of tunes, and surprisingly, Monday had a tune in his repertoire he called "Fire on the Mountain," which is not related to this well-known tune family (see "Fire on the Mountain (6)."