Annotation:Watchman Ring that Bell

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WATCHMAN RING THAT BELL. AKA - "Click Go the Shears," "Strike the Bell." Old-Time. An up-tempo song air in the repertoire of Ernest Stoneman and Roscoe and Leone Parish. It is a version of "Ring the Bell Watchman" by American mid-19th century songwriter Henry Clay Work. Stoneman recorded the tune for Victor Records in 1928 with his wife Hattie (Ernest played guitar and Hattie played fiddle). He recorded it, with vocals and playing harmonica, a year later for Gennett with Eck Dunford on fiddle, Fields Ward on guitar and Sampson Ward on banjo; unfortunately, the side was rejected by the record company.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources:

Recorded sources: County CD 3510, Ernest V. Stoneman - “EdisonRecordings--1928" (1996. This instrumental, fiddled by Hattie Stoneman, was the last recording that the Stoneman band {from Carroll County, Va.} did for Edison).

See also listing at:
Hear Ernest Stoneman's recording on youtube.com [1]
Read the Mudcat thread on the song and its variants [2]

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