Ebeneezer

     Ebeneezer is a really cool song with a mysterious origin.   According to the Fiddler's songbook, it was played only in western Virginia and West Virginia.  Weirdly, I can find no mention of why the song is called Ebeneezer.  Two famous Ebeneezers are the one from the Bible as well as Ebeneezer Scrooge, but there is no clear connection between the song and either of these two figures, as far as I can tell .  The tune was first recorded in the 1920's by  Kahle Brewer of Galax.  The same tune is known by other names as well, including West Virginia Highway (Earnest Stoneman), West Virginia Farewell (Charlie Higgins of Galax), Alabama Gals Give the Fiddler a Dream (Henry Reed of Virginia) , and  Professor Wise (Bob Hill). 

      The names of the song are totally unrelated, and moreover I'm not aware of any lyrics for any version of the song, either!  This song has no relationship to a hymn with the same name,  however.

     The lack of lyrics probably rules out an Irish or Scottish origin for the song, since almost all songs from the British Isles have lyrics.  The ragtimey sound also argues for an American origin. The regional popularity of the song leads me to think that the song must have originated in West Virginia or Virginia.

       I found a version from a jam at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown in 2009 (thanks to MandoGreg for filming it and sharing it).  It's kind of hard to see owing to the darkness, but I believe that I can see Richard Eddy, Rachel Eddy and Scott Radabaugh on fiddle, Bob Shank on banjo, Richard Pierce on dobro, and Ray Hicks on guitar, among a cast of thousands.  Please let me know if you can identify any of the others who were there. 

   

  Another nice version features a dulcimer lead from 13 year old Bonnie Russell and the Russell family from Galax...

Part A

G    G     G     D     

D    D      D     G

Part B

G    G     G     G     

D     D     D     G

   www.traditionalmusic.co.uk has a version that is a little more complex.