"Shoot That Turkey Buzzard" - Up-Picking Banjo

Here's a beautiful tune which I learned on the banjo from the playing of Joseph Decosimo. This tune is better known and has various versions in tune structure, I've always known this version from fiddler Uncle Charlie Osborne (1890 - 1992) of Russell County, Virginia. Uncle is a title given to show respect for someone’s age, experience and mentorship of some variety, especially traditions, and I am not related to Uncle Charlie.

Tuning is fCFCD

Uncle Charlie was a master of Southwestern Virginia fiddle and played from the time He was a little boy until his death in 1992, one-hundred and one years of age. He was left-handed, played a right handed fiddle and learned to play from his father. In his twenties, he was drinking and rambling around with his friend, who was stupidly playing with a pistol, firing rounds at cattle. He accidentally shot Charlie in the eye and the bullet was never able to be removed from his brain, yet Uncle Charlie lived on, never suffered from led poisoning and continued to play, farm and raise a family. He made two records in the late 80's and early 90's with his Son and my Grandfather, Tommy Bledsoe.

Here's a link to Joseph Decosimo's version
   • shoot that turkey buzzard  

#fiddle
#oldtimefiddle
#folkmusic
#fiddlemusic
#folklore