The Crow

The Crow
The Crow is the song that started this whole project
Tony Trischka asked if I would like to play on his album, “Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular.” I responded that there were at least five hundred banjo players better than me that could score on traditional tunes, but that I did have a few of my own. He came over for a listen and liked “The Crow,” and we recorded it. The song had a surprising afterlife, appearing on the bluegrass charts, making it my first hit single in thirty years. (The other was “King Tut.”)

The song came to me after listening to Tony Ellis’ great banjo tunes, many played in C or double C tuning (also known as C modal), and I started looking at that tuning again. “The crow” came easily; it just seemed to flow from the finger tips.

Tony Trischka contributed a great harmony banjo part, and helped me figure out the chords (meaning I watched while he told me what the chords were). The sensational break in the middle is exclusively his, and Béla Fleck, when we played it on the David Letterman show, came up with a dynamic section that Tony plays at the end of his break, which leads back nicely into the main theme.
Thanks to all!