"Johnny Don't Get Drunk", also known as "Johnny Johnny Don't Get Drunk", "Don't Come Home Drunk
Johnny", "Jimmy Don't Come Home Drunk."
is an American reel in 4/4 or cut time in D Major.
The parts are played AB (Silberberg) or AABB (most versions).
The melody is known as a Missouri tune; however, it is widely
disseminated throughout the 'greater Appalachian' and Mid-west
regions. There are some similarities between this tune and the Irish reel
"Miss Monahan/Miss Monaghan’s Reel".
Jeff Titon (2001) believes the tune may have been derived from a temperance song. It was printed in R.P. Christeson's Old Time Fiddler's Repertory, vol. 1 (1973), The Devil's Box, vol. 12, No. 4, Dec. 1978, Milliner &Amp; Koken's Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes (2011), Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 1 (1994), Silberberg's Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern (2002) (appears as "Johnny Don't Get Drunk"), Songer's Portland Collection (1997) (appears as "Johnny, Johnny, Don't Get Drunk") and Titon's Old-Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes (2001) (appears as "Johnny Don't Get Drunk"). It was recorded by John Ashby on John Ashby and the Free State Ramblers: Old Virginia Fiddling (1970), Art Stamper on The Lost Fiddler (c. 1982), Owen "Snake" Chapman on Fiddle Ditty (1990) and Seedtime on the Cumberland (1992), Pete McMahan on Ozark Mountain Waltz (1987) and Cyril Stinnett (1912-1986) on Plain Old Time Fiddling. |