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Sally Gooden

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David Dunn

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Dec 8, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/8/99
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Hi everyone,

I was listening to the song Thank God I'm A Country Boy today and I was
wondering who or what Sally Gooden is. Its a nagging trivia question
I've had for quite a while and it occured to me that someone here could
probably answer it.

Thanks in advance,
David Dunn


KJ

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Dec 8, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/8/99
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I believe it's a song title. Anyone else know for sure?

KJ


David Dunn <DJRc...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:6139-384...@storefull-284.iap.bryant.webtv.net...

OTTER

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Dec 9, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/9/99
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> I believe it's a song title. Anyone else know for sure?

Yes, it's an old tune normally played on a fiddle.

Best, Gloria

--
"The moment at hand is the only thing we really own." John Denver

ThisOldGuitar

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Dec 9, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/9/99
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> I was listening to the song Thank God I'm A Country Boy today and I was
>> wondering who or what Sally Gooden is.

"I'd play 'Sally Goodin' all day if I could, but the Lord and my wife wouldn't
take it very good" says the song "Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

"Sally Goodin" is an old time fiddle tune. It's quite popular at fiddle
contests, especially for beginners becaue it is a very familiar tune.

In my "Backpocket Bluegrass Songbook", it says that a fiddle solo of this tune
was recorded by Eck Robertson and has the distinction of being the first
commercially released recording of country music.

And, if anyone's interested, here are the words"

I had a piece of pie,
I had a piece of puddin'
I give it all away
to see my Sally Goodin.

I walked that road
'Till that road got muddy.
I hugged my Sally Goodin
'Til she couldn't stand steady.

Possum in the stump,
Rabbit in the holler,
Pretty girl at our house
As fat as she can swallow.

Can't fool a coon,
Can't fool a possum,
Can't fool a coon
On a huckleberry blossom.

I looked down the road,
Saw Sally comin',
I thought to my soul
I'd kill myself a-runnin'.


So, there you have it...the story of "Sally Goodin"

Pamela Beasley

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Dec 9, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/9/99
to David Dunn
David Dunn wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,

>
> I was listening to the song Thank God I'm A Country Boy today and I was
> wondering who or what Sally Gooden is. Its a nagging trivia question
> I've had for quite a while and it occured to me that someone here could
> probably answer it.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> David Dunn

Sally Gooden is an old time fiddle tune. The last little bit of
fiddling on Thank God I'm a Country Boy is from the song. Funny this
question should come up now. While we were in Georgetown, Rory Young
asked John Sommers about the song. He asked John if he could do the
whole song. John's reply that the only part of the song he could play
was the part that ended TGIACB!! We are got a laugh as Rory reminded us
of the line in the song about playing Sally Gooden all day!

Pam


Cheri057

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Dec 9, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/9/99
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>Subject: Re: Sally Gooden
>From: Pamela Beasley <pamela....@airmail.net>
>Date: Wed, 08 December 1999 08:39 PM EST

>Sally Gooden is an old time fiddle tune. The last little bit of
>fiddling on Thank God I'm a Country Boy is from the song.

>Pam

Oh THANK YOU, Pam!

Every once in awhile, this "trivia" question
has come into my mind also, but I always forget to ask about it!

Thanx for the info!

Cheri:)

tjschm...@gmail.com

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Jul 28, 2020, 1:25:35 PM7/28/20
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This same question has long been on my mind. I always thought John Denver was meaning that the name of his fiddle was Sally Goodin. Looks like I've been wrong all these years.

Birdie Bagwell

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Nov 9, 2022, 5:06:58 PM11/9/22
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On Wednesday, December 8, 1999 at 12:00:00 AM UTC-8, David Dunn wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I was listening to the song Thank God I'm A Country Boy today and I was
> wondering who or what Sally Gooden is. Its a nagging trivia question
> I've had for quite a while and it occured to me that someone here could
> probably answer it.
> Thanks in advance,
> David Dunn

"The tune was originally called “Boatin’ Up Sandy” (there are several tunes by this name) and was renamed during the American Civil War by Confederate soldiers attached to John Hunt Morgan’s unit of irregulars. The story, as Greene tells it, is that the company arrived at a point on the Big Sandy River in Pike County, Kentucky. A boarding house run by Sally Goodin was located nearby where she allowed the soldiers to camp and to play music. In appreciation of her hospitality the soldiers renamed the tune in her honor (Mike Yates, 2002). Stamper himself said that Sally's husband had been killed in the war, and that she opened up her home to soldiers passing through and took care of them."

https://tunearch.org/wiki/Annotation:Sally_Goodin
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