The mystery continues . . .
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Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator
As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie
Book Miller's Song or Bookmiller's Tune
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Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator
As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie
A friend called Corky Wolf (in the second video) and she says it's called "Rocking My Baby Through The Sugarcane."
I have not found out anything about the tune called by many "Bookmiller's Tune" but I have found out some background info about the person that the tune in question is attributed to.
Bookmiller Shannon (1903–1985) was born Carlos Marvin Shannon January 16, 1908 on Cow Mountain, Stone County, Arkansas. BTW Cow Mountain is 1237 feet high. I have no idea how he got the nickname "Bookmiller", that is how he referred to himself, and so that's how I am referring to him from hereon out.
Bookmiller died on June 28, 1985 in Mountain View, Stone County, Arkansas.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II for about three and a half years.
As far as I can ascertain he had no dulcimore connections other than some dulcimer players like to play the song called Bookmiller's Tune .
Bookmiller was a traditional American folk musician and old-time banjo player from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas who acquired fame in folk circles and with his recordings for Alan Lomax. His father was a fiddler, named Andy Shannon. Bookmiller played fiddle with fellow Stone County native Jimmie “Driftwood” Morris and others in the Stone County area.
In October 1959 in Timbo, Arkansas, Bookmiller recorded several banjo tunes for Alan Lomax and was the only performer recorded during the North Arkansas sessions not born in the 1800s. His recordings were also a part of a 1972 recording by National Geographic. He also played around the country to include a concert at the University of California at Berkeley and he was a member of the delegation of musicians and businessmen who traveled to Washington D. C. to entertain and lobby for the funds for the Folk Center in Mountain View.
A song he played, titled "Down In Arkansas Among The Sticks" is recognizable if you are familiar with the TV show, Hee Haw. https://archive.culturalequity.org/field-work/southern-us-1959-and-1960/timbo-1059/down-arkansas-among-sticks
In the 1970s Bookmiller made an appearance in a couple of movies. He had a small, non-speaking role as an extra in the 1970 film "Bloody Mama," starring Shelley Winters as Ma Barker. In this movie he played his banjo alongside other musicians from Stone County, Arkansas and several local residents were hired as extras. The movie was partially filmed in northern Arkansas.
It is said he also was used as an extra or other minor role, along with other locals from Timbo, in the 1974 film Bootleggers. This movie was filmed entirely in Arkansas, and starred Slim Pickens and Jaclyn Smith.
Despite his war service, his recording with Lomax and the two movie roles he lived a very simple life. In an interview conducted at the Timbo schoolhouse on April 18, 1970 with Gary Wormbrod of the Southwestern Folklore class Bookmiller related, "...I was born on this mountain between here and Mountain View, that's on the right as you go down there, called Cow Mountain. My home then was on the east side, west side of it. Most of my life, only what time I spent 3 1/2 years in the service; I was away then." When asked what his occupation was he replied, "I don't have much occupation. I'm a truck farmer and gardener and so on, is all I do. I'm kind of knocked out, disability, draw a little disability check. . . . Social security started now, I'm 62, so it's just barely started. It's a poor living, but I'm getting by."
@david-bennett, I tabbed out Corky Wolf's version. Send me a personal message with your email or contact me at www.rivercitydulcimers.com and I'll share it with you.
--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator
As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie
David, there was a banjo player from Arkansas named Carlos "Bookmiller" Shannon. Alan Lomax recorded some of his tunes in the late 1950s.
My guess is that someone learned a tune from Bookmiller but couldn't remember the name and just started calling it "Bookmiller's Tune" or something like that.
I just looked on Spotify and the only tune by Bookmiller Shannon is "Eighth of January." But those Lomax recordings must be around somewhere. Maybe there's some other stuff, too.
P.S. I could probably tab it out based on the recordings, but I won't be able to get to it for a couple of days.
--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator
As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie
updated by @dusty: 04/07/26 09:16:40PM
Do any of you know a dulcimer song by the name of Book Miller's Song or Bookmiller's Tune?
I am looking for a friend who first heard it at a jam in Mountain View, Arkansas several years ago. He is wanting to know the background/history of the tune and where to get the tabs.
I did find this on YouTube "Bookmiller's Tune" which my friend is the song he is looking for:
This may or may not be the same tune, I can't tell because I can't get the volume loud enough to hear
https://soundcloud.com/omareastwind/bookmiller-39-s-tune
Any info would be appreciated.
