Annotation:Texas Quickstep (1)
TEXAS QUICKSTEP [1]. AKA and see "Black Jack (2)," "Cherokee Polka," “Rachael," "Rachael's Hornpipe," “Spanish Polka,” "St. Louis Quickstep," "Texas Galop." American, Reel (cut time). USA; Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona. D Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB (Thede): AA'BB' (Phillips). "Texas Quickstep" was recorded by fiddler Albert A.L. “Red” Steeley (1893-1969), from the Arlington, Texas, area, for Brunswick Records in Dallas, Texas, in October, 1928 (although not commercially released until April, 1929. Steeley, along with friend J.W. ‘Red’ Graham on banjo, were billed as “The Red Headed Fiddlers.” They were, however, originally from Alabama, Steeley having moved to Texas at around age 10. Steeley hailed from Scotsboro and his grandmother’s brothers were the famous Taylor brothers, Bob and ‘Alf’, fiddlers and politicians from Tennessee (one became Governor of the state). When the record was released in Canada (on both the Brunswick and Melotone labels), the duo was called “Les Deux Gaspesiens”, and “Texas Quickstep” re-titled “Reel de St. Urbain (Le).”
“Cherokee Polka” is a closely related tune, while “Rachel” is an alternate title. “Rachael” or “Rachael’s Hornpipe,” has been attributed to Rachael Jackson, wife of President Andrew Jackson, according to the Texas Old Time Fiddling Association’s website [1]. The two-step part of Lonnie Robertson’s “Hazy Hills Waltz” is a variation of “Texas Quickstep,” according to the composer.