Annotation:Sweet Bunch of Daisies (2)
X: 1 T:Sweet Bunch of Daisies [2] M:3/4 L:1/8 K:D A2 ^G2 =G2||: "D"F6 | "A7"G4 ^G2 | "D"A6 | "D7"f6| "G"e3 def | "E7"d4 (3BdB | "D"A6 | "A"A2 ^G2 =G2| "D"F6 | "A7"G4 ^G2 | "D"A6 | "Bm"f6| "E"e6 | f4 ^ef | "A"e4-ed | cA-A2 G2| "D"F6 | "A7"G4 ^G2 | "D"A6 | "D7"f6| "G"e3 def | "E7"d4 (3BdB | "D"A6 | "D7"A2 ^G2 A2| "G"B6 | "E7"d4 e2 | "D"f6 | "Bm"d3 cd^d| "E"e4 (3fed | "A"c2 B2 A2 |1 "D"d6 |"A" A2 ^G2 =G2 :|2 "D"d6-|d2 z4 |]
SWEET BUNCH OF DAISIES [2]. American, Waltz (3/4 time). G Major (Phillips): C Major (John Summers): D Major: B Flat Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). One part: AB (Phillips). "Sweet Buch of Daisies [2]" was an extremely popular and widely known song originally written in waltz time by Anita Owen and published by Wabash Music, her own company, in Chicago in 1894. Anita was still in her teens at the time, living at home in Brazil, Indiana, near Terre Haute. She was savvy enough to maintain control over many of her songs, becoming quite well-off with royalties from "Sweet Bunch of Daisies" and other songs. She contracted with publishing houses in Chicago, where she moved, and later in New York, and although successful, none of her subsequent material achieved the success of "Sweet Bunch of Daisies." By the end of World War I tastes had changed and her songwriting career waned. In 1917 she married a dentist and moved to Connecticut, and around 1920 she ceased publishing. Anita died in 1932 at the age of 57 after a bout with pneumonia.
The earliest citation for this tune is in fiddling literature from Arizona fiddler Kenner C. Kartchner who learned it as one of his first tunes, in 1898 (Shumway). It was remembered by north Georgia fiddler Lowe Stokes (1898-1982) as having been fiddled by his father. “Sweet Bunch of Daisies” was recorded in 1924 for Gennett and in 1929 for Columbia by fiddler Jess Young (Chattanooga, Tenn.), and apparently popularized by him among fiddlers (C. Wolfe, The Devil's Box, Dec. 1981, vol. 15, #4). It appears in the repertoires of both the Stripling Brothers (Ala.) {who recorded it in 1934 for Decca although it was not issued}, and Freeny's Barn Dance Band (twin fiddle band from Leake County, Mississippi), 1930. Tommy Magness (1911-1972), born in north Georgia near the southeastern Tennessee border, knew the tune and recorded it for Roy Acuff on a home recorder in 1948.
See "Sweet Bunch of Daisies (1)" for the 2/4 time bluegrass version popularized by fiddler Kenny Baker.
