Annotation:Mike in the Wilderness
X:1 T:Mike in the Wilderness N:From the playing of John Morgan Salyer (1882-1952, Salyersville, Magoffin County, eastern Ky.) N:recorded at home 1941/42 by his sons on a disc player M:C| L:1/8 R:Reel Q:"Quick" N:AEae tuning (fiddle) D:Berea Sound Archives https://soundarchives.berea.edu/items/show/4260 Z:Transcribed by Andrew Kuntz K:Amix [A,2E2]a2 abae|[A,2E2]g2 gagd|[A,2E2]a2a2-a3b|aged cAB^G:| |:[A,2E2]"+"e2[A,4E]|cAcA BcB^G| E2"+"e2[A,4E4]|1gfed cAB^G:|2 gfed cAEF|| |:[A,2E2] cA B2 BB|A2 Ac BA^GE|[A,2E2]cA B2g2|fded cAB^G:|
MIKE IN THE WILDERNESS. Old-Time, Breakdown. USA, Kentucky. A Mixolydian. AEae tuning (fiddle). AABBCC. The tune is sourced to Kentucky fiddler Biography:John Morgan Salyer. The tune mixes mixolydian and dorian modes. It has been suggested (purely speculatively, as the assertion is without any supporting data) that the title refers to the brilliant and dashing Civil War era Brigadier-General Micah Jenkins (1835-1864), who perished in the battle of the Wilderness, 1864. Jenkins was from South Carolina, a graduate of the Citadel, and fought in many major campaigns during the war. He was wounded several times, and had to be transported to his last battle in an ambulance. Unfortunately, he was the victim of "friendly fire."
Salyer recorded the song on a home recording made by family members in December, 1941.