Bun Wright's Fiddle Band - Soldier's Joy

[TruegrassBoy]

Boy - I sure wish I had some of those fiddles and banjos. I wonder how many are still around?

[PlayinBanjo]

I just found this clip, among others of similar interest, in the video "times ain't like they used to be" - which is available on Netflix (streaming or dvd).. 

[FiddlinMikeRolland]

Thanks for posting this! There's no way I could have found this video anywhere else.

For all those fiddle players who want to learn this tune, I teach this tune for fiddle on my channel. I threw in a bunch of advanced bluegrass licks too. I post a new lesson for fiddle, guitar, and mandolin there every single week! You can also get the full lesson and the sheet music on my website.

[jaredwblack]

Is that a harp guitar???

[pamieinmiami1]

Bun Wright is my great grandfather....we don't have this live video...so thanks so much I have already shared it with many in my family.

pamieinmiami1

[violinneophyte]

Bun Wright is my late Grandfather's uncle. FDR had definitely heard the tune before. Bun Wright was known as FDR's favorite fiddler, as he visited Warm Springs often for treaments. Bun's Violin is on display at the Little White House in Warm Springs.

[jojutlamoon]

disarmingly good

[Persoff]

The New Lost City Ramblers used a still from this film in the liner notes to their record "Songs of the Depression". This is at Warm Springs, Georgia. I would guess that it is from a newsreel.

FDR (born 1882) was not a commie bastard -- he was one of our greatest presidents. And while it's impossible to know whether he ever heard of Soldier's Joy, old time music was not unknown even among the upper classes in those days.

[noisydope]

he wanted them to play that? FDR looked totally uninterested.

[ComradeMorshu]

So many cool styles and instruments. One of the banjo guys is playing clawhammer, the other guy is playing two-finger. The fiddlers are epic, and the Gibson harpguitar is amazing. Great video.

[coy0te9]

regional legend has it that Bun Wright may have been, not only FDR's favorite fiddler, but also his moonshine connection.

[woudboerderij]

That "crazy"guitar is a Gibson Style U harpguitar

[bcatgrappler]

This is awesome. Look at those banjos. What is that crazy guitar?

[Gorbachenko]

As if that commie bastard had ever heard of ''Soldier's Joy...''

[Horsemanray]

Whats Leni Reifenstahl doing there?

[gypsies0]

The guy in the striped shirt is a woman. I wonder if it's FDR's daughter ...

[SuckerPunchTV]

I wonder why FDR doesn't get up and dance.

[nicodagger]

@SuckerPunchTV HAHA! Before i read your comment, I was thinking the same thing! I like how your mind works!~

[sazji]

@SuckerPunchTV Evil. :)

[TBoomTV]

@SuckerPunchTV He could at least tap a foot! How rude.

[Abbigael]

Seriously, whats with the guy in the striped shirt? Where did he come from and where did he go?

[ockteby]

Have you noticed the person in the striped shirt miraculously popes into the film clip out of nowhere? :-)

Frank

[christiancowboy1]

Wow! What a neat guitar the fellow to the left of FDR has! I'll bet it's worth a pretty penny now!

[Horsemanray]

A jug band with its own Roosevelt! Tarnation!

[ceroeck]

That's FDR allright...

[rblaustein]

In this newsreel clip from 1/26/33, newly elected US President Franklin D. Roosevelt vacationing at his Little White House in Warm Springs, GA requests a local string band to play his favorite fiddle tune. Perhaps the very oldest and most widely distributed of all fiddle tunes, "Soldier's Joy" is known through North America and Europe and has been dated back to 1760. Now that's old time music! (The musician seated at FDR's left is playing a Gibson harp guitar).

[Dulcilady1]

Excellent historic recording. Glad this is available for everyone to share!

[georgepickow]

Hail to President Roosevelt! What a treasure this is- thank you.

[Barefootlarry]

This is one that Merle Haggard, and everyone else who's played at The White House should watch.

As Crocodile Dundee might put it: "Playin' For The President??? Naaah! THIS is Playin' For The President"