Susan Graham Pepper - The Cuckoo

2. The Cuckoo: vocals/gourd banjo. “The Cuckoo” is actually an old unaccompanied ballad that used to be commonly sung in the Old World (England, Ireland, Scotland) but became a lyric folk song typically performed with banjo in the US. “The Cuckoo” is notable in that it was commonly included in the repertoire of Black as well as White banjo players in the South. While most contemporary versions are based on Tennessee players, Tom Clarence Ashley’s rendition of the song, this performance is based on a slightly different version from Beech Mountain, North Carolina.