How China Poplin Won Galax: Old Time Banjo from South Carolina-"Mississippi Sawyer"

Mississippi Sawyer, played in the style of China Poplin (1904-1979) from Sumter, South Carolina. China had a unique two-finger old-time banjo style that’s related to the fingerstyle banjo traditions of the Carolina Piedmont and Sandhills, exhibited by folks like Marvin Gaster, A.C. Overton, Horace Helms, Glenn Davis, Bascom Traywick, Fisher Hendley, etc..

I learned this from Clint Barwick (1944-2023), who learned it from China. This was one of the tunes China played to win the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention back in 1966. He also recorded it on the Poplin Family's "Gwine Back to Sumter" album on the Melodeon record label (this album features China's sister Edna Poplin too).

Tuning: G C G B D

Original Recordings: China live at Galax (1966): https://www.slippery-hill.com/content/miss...

China on "Gwine Back to Sumter":    • Gwine Back To Sumter [1966] - The Poplin F...  

0:00 Tune
0:30 China Poplin, Edna Poplin, and the Poplin Family
2:26 Winning Galax Fiddlers' Convention 1965 and 1966
3:26 Old-time country style banjo
5:11 "A" part
5:27 Five count roll
6:19 In and out roll
8:25 Brush lick
9:14 "B" part
9:32 "Mississippi Sawyer lick" or single string lick
11:45 Clint Barwick's variations
12:58 China Poplin ending
14:29 China Poplin variation
15:38 Recording of China Poplin at Galax 1966 (?)

#banjo #oldtimemusic #twofingerbanjo #southcarolina #piedmont #sandhills #folkmusic