Cripple Creek
"Cripple Creek" is an Appalachian old-time tune and song, and it is often the very first tune a banjo player learns. Its words are probably not much older than 1900, but the melody may be older still.
- Origin
- Appalachian United States; tune origin unknown
- Roud number
- 3434
- First recordings
- Sam Jones (Stovepipe No. 1) and the Skillet Lickers, both 1924
- Usual key
- A on fiddle; banjo in open A, or open G with a capo
Where is Cripple Creek?
Nobody knows for certain. The best-known Cripple Creek is the Colorado gold-mining town that grew up after gold was found there in 1891. Many traditional musicians in Virginia, though, believe the song is about Cripple Creek, Virginia, much closer to the mountains where it was played.
History
A version of the words was noted in 1909 and printed in the Journal of American Folklore in 1915. Cecil Sharp collected two versions in Kentucky in 1917. The first recording came in 1924 from Sam Jones, a Black one-man band who performed as Stovepipe No. 1, and the Skillet Lickers recorded it later the same year. The Library of Congress recorded Luther Strong singing it in 1937.
Later versions show how far the tune travelled: Buffy Sainte-Marie recorded it in 1964, Tony Saletan played it on banjo on Sesame Street in 1969, and Leo Kottke made a fingerpicked guitar arrangement in 1971.
We describe this song rather than print its words: versions differ widely from singer to singer, and the best-known ones come from particular recordings.
Why banjo players learn it first
The melody is short, repeats a lot and fits naturally under the fingers in open tuning, so it teaches the basic right-hand patterns of both clawhammer and bluegrass picking. If you are just starting, our banjo guide covers tuning and first steps.
Chords in A
A part: | A | A | E | A | | A | A | E | A | B part: | A | D | A | E A | | A | D | A | E A |
Fiddlers usually play it in A. On a banjo tuned to open G, a capo at the second fret puts you in A.
More tunes: Soldier's Joy · Old Joe Clark · all folk songs