Charley Kahana’s Prettiest Girl in the County - Devon’s Tune of the Day 053

Here’s a special treat for Tune of the Day! This setting of “Prettiest Girl in the County” comes from 19th Century WA State fiddler Charley Kahana! Charley was half Lummi and half Hawaiian, and a fiddler on San Juan and Orcas Islands in the 1870s. But he learned his dance tunes from two French-Canadian fiddlers in the San Juans, Joe Ladabouche and Edward Gagnon! Pretty cool to have those three worlds, NW Native, Hawaiian, and French-Canadian, all interacting in our own backyard! Charley’s tunes were mostly 19th century parlor dance tunes but he had a great, rough way of bowing them that I’ve tried to learn. Charley was recorded in the early 1850s I think but his tunes are in an archive now.
For more info on Charley Kahana:
folkways.si.edu/voyager/arNWF...
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/ devonlegertunes

[@warrenhuff7349]

An excellent tune with an excellent background, and beautifully played by both!

[@pattibossert718]

That is really cool! I learned a variation of this tune from Brad Leftwitch who learned it from Tom Fuller (1974) from Oklahoma/Texas area - very far away from San Juan islands!

[@devonleger7469]

@@pattibossert718 oh cool! I love Brad’s playing!

[@makaelakroin7776]

What brought you to that beautiful location? :-P

[@devonleger7469]

Hahah thanks Makaela we were playing tunes in the WA State Parks and big thanks to the Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission for inviting us out to do that!