Phoebe Ice - Joe Coe, fiddle

90 year old Fairmont,W.Va. fiddler Joe Coe stopped by and played a bit with me at the Prickett's Fort Christmas Market this past weekend. I asked him to play a few of the unusual tunes he knows. This one, called "Phoebe Ice" is named for a woman who lived in the area in the 1800's.

There are several verses sung to this; I'll try to get video of someone singing it soon.

Joe remembers his father, Charles Coe, playing this tune many years ago, and also a friend theirs named Charles Satterfield. Chuck Satterfield played on Fairmont's WMMN radio station.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• West
• Virginia
• old
• time
• fiddle
• WMMN
• Fairmont
• Barracksville

[ottlakerambler]

I've enjoyed this one so much I decided to learn it in the last two days. My playing is a bit different esp. in the A part (John Hartford said one's style is based upon limitations, and, if that's true, then boy I have lots of style!).

Anyway, there aren't many fiddlers here in the Upper Peninsula. But I can say this: Me, my daughter, and Fiddlin' Phil May have brought these great WV tunes up here. We are the only fiddlers in the county -- if not across the region -- who play WV tunes.

[YewPiney]

It wouldn't take much for there to be more fiddlers playing Phoebe Ice in the UP than WV. The dulcimer players that have learned this tune (and some other nearly extinct tunes) from Patty Looman have pretty much kept it alive here.

[ottlakerambler]

Unbelievable!!!

[YewPiney]

Joe is great. He brought a couple of his homemade violins with carved heads to show me that day and played them for me out by his truck. I'll try to post that soon.

[NotSoBigScioty]

Yew-

can you get me Joe's #?

I am also a Coe, from Nicholas County.

I'd like to know who Joe's ancestors are.

[YewPiney]

My replies to this keep getting thrown out, so I must be including something not allowed. Send me a message though my channel.

[GreenSpeakDotOrg]

No, I don't, but I'd love to hear it and the story. Jane might has it in her field recordings of Melvin.

[YewPiney]

BJ, I recorded a couple of tunes last weekend. I've been wanting to get some of these down for quite a while.

Do you know the tune "Moon Behind the Hill" that Melvin Wine played? And his story about learning it? It ties in with this.

[GreenSpeakDotOrg]

Oh, I like this tune a lot! I think I'll have to work on it. Thanks, and tell Joe thank you. Also, ask him if there are any other old tunes nobody else plays anymore that he knows and can share with us.

[YewPiney]

Hi Gretsch'n. I'm glad you came by; it reminded me that I had something in the works with you in mind that I forgot about when I was at Elmer Rich's this weekend.