Little Burnt Potato
Notation:
Standard Notation
ABC Notation
Mandolin Tablature
Violin Tablature
legacy / American
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Standard Notation
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Colin Boyd
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Transcription: by Darryl D. Bush
"Little Burnt Potato", also known as "Burnt Potato" or "Frank's Two-Step" is a<br> Canadian, American, English, Irish jig in D Major. The parts are played AB (Begin),<br> AABB (Brody) or AA'BB' (Barnes, Bayard, Carlin, Messer, Miller & Perron, Perlman,<br> Phillips).<br> "Little Burnt Potato" was popularized by Canadian Maritime radio and TV fiddler<br> Don Messer. The tune has been characterized as Irish in origin, although in fact<br> it is the composition of Canadian fiddler Colin J. Boyd, who was himself of<br> Scottish descent. Boyd was born in West Lakeville, Nova Scotia, in 1891, and<br> learned to play the fiddle as a child, inspired by his uncle Hughie MacGillivary<br> (whose fiddle he inherited). Like many in the community, he learned and spoke<br> Gaelic. Due to a declining ecomony, Boyd found work in 1909 in Ontario, then<br> moved to Boston for the years 1911-1916 where he studied violin and learned to<br> read music. It was during his Boston years that he composed "Little Burnt Potato".<br> Boyd had the distinction of being the first Nova Scotian fiddler to record in 1932,<br> in Montreal for the Brunswick label. He later settled in Ontario, and passed away<br> in 1975. <br> "Little Burnt Potato" is Boyd's adaptation of an old Scottish jig passed on to<br> him by Dan “The Ridge” MacDonald, formerly of Mabou, Cape Breton, and then<br> Antigonish, Nova Scotia.<br> It was printed in Barnes' English Country Dance Tunes, vol. 2 (2005),<br> Bayard's Dance to the Fiddle (1982),<br> Begin's Fiddle Music in the Ottawa Valley: Dawson Girdwood (1985),<br> Brody's Fiddler's Fakebook (1983),<br> Carlin's Master Collection (1984),<br> Messer's Anthology of Favorite Fiddle Tunes (1980),<br> Miller & Perron's New England Fiddlers Repertoire (1983),<br> Miskoe & Paul's Fiddle Tunes of Omer Marcoux (1994),<br> Perlman's The Fiddle Music of Prince Edward Island (1996) and<br> Phillips' Traditional American Fiddle Tunes, vol. 2 (1995).<br> It was recorded by Don Messer & His Islanders (1943),<br> The Fireside String Band on Square Dance Tunes for a Yankee Caller (1976),<br> Rodney and Randy Miller on Castles in the Air,<br> William Santoson Ole Time Fiddling 1976 and<br> Colin J. Boyd on Pioneer Scottish Fiddler (1979). <br>
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