Billy In the Lowground

    I was first introduced to "Billy in the Lowground"  when my Dad brought home an LP record of live performances by Doc Watson and his late son Merle (Doc Watson on Stage, which you can still buy from  online from your favorite retailer ).

Billy in the Lowground Doc and Merle Watson

   According to Nigel Gatherer, Billy in the Lowground may derive from some Scotch-Irish tunes such as Braes of Auchtertyre ( http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/tab/tab8/bauch.html ), Belles of Tipperary, Beaus of Albany, and O Dear Mother Minnie What Shall I Do?

     In its present form, Billy in the Lowground dates back to at least the 1920's in Kentucky, and was sometimes known as Billy Lost in the Lowlands or Billy in the Lowlands, according a  cording to Andrew Kuntz in The Fiddler's Companion ,  It dates back to Kentucky in the 1920's and perhaps earlier, and was sometimes known as Billy Lost in the Lowlands. 

      Cuje Bertram, Leonard Rutherford (Monticello, Ky.), John Salyer,  and Doce Roberts were among the 1920's Kentucky fiddlers who played the song (see Titon, Old Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes, 2001).  The song was also known as  “Billy Lost in the Lowlands” (Darley Fulks)  and “Billy in the Lowlands.”  I found a pretty fair version of Rutherford's version on Youtube:

Billy in the Lowground Rutherford

Outside of Kentucky, versions of the tune were played by  Bob Wills and Uncle Jimmy Thompson (Texas), Fiddlin' Cowan Powers  (Virginia), and  Monkey Brown and D. Dix Hollis (Alabama).  North Georgia fiddler Lowe Stokes recorded “Billy” in 1930 with Riley Puckett. Other early recordings include Georgia’s Fiddlin’ John Carson (1923) and Clark Kessinger  (1929). 

Clark Kessinger

     Just for good measure, here is a version from Morgantown's Elmer Rich. 

Billy in the Lowground--Elmer Rich

  And here is a mando and guitar tab. 

TAB: Billy in the Lowground (traditional, arr. Joe Carr, TAB by Bo Parker,
bo_parker@fbpmac.msfc.nasa.gov)


Pick-up measure
  N/C        
  |   |   |   |    
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|---------0---2---|
|-----3-----------|

Part A
  C                                   Am
1 |   |   |   |   2 |   |   |   |   3 |   |   |   |   4 |   |   |   |   
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------------0-|-1-0-1-3-1-----1-|-1-----1-1-----0-|-1-----1---------|
|-----------0-2---|-----------2-0---|/2-------2---2---|---2-0---2-0-----|
|-------0-2-------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------2-0-|
|-3-2-3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  C                                   Am                C           G
5 |   |   |   |   6 |   |   |   |   7 |   |   |   |   8 |   |   |   |   
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------------0-|-1-0-1-3-1-------|-1-----1-------0-|-1---------------|
|-----------0-2---|-----------2-0---|/2-------2---2---|---2-0-----------|
|-------0-2-------|-----------------|-----------------|-------3-2---0---|
|-3-2-3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------3---2-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  C                                   Am
9 |   |   |   |  10 |   |   |   |  11 |   |   |   |  12 |   |   |   |   
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------------0-|-1-0-1-3-1-----1-|-1-----1-------3/|/5---1-----------|
|-----------0-2---|-----------2-0---|/2-------2-------|---------2-0-----|
|-------0-2-------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------2-0-|
|-3-2-3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

  C                                   Am                C
13|   |   |   |  14 |   |   |   |  15 |   |   |   |  16 |   |   |   |   
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------------0-|-1-0-1-3-1-------|-1-----1-------0-|-1---------------|
|-----------0-2---|-----------2-0---|/2-------2---2---|---2-0-------0---|
|-------0-2-------|-----------------|-----------------|-------3-2-------|
|-3-2-3-----------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|


Part B
  C                                   Am
17|   |   |   |  18 |   |   |   |  19 |   |   |   |  20 |   |   |   |   
|-3-------3-------|-0-----0---------|-5-------5-------|-5-----5---------|
|---------------3-|-----4---3-------|-----4-------4-5-|---4-5-----------|
|*----0-------5---|---5-------5-----|-----------------|-----------------|
|*----------------|-------------7---|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

                                                      _1________________
  C                                   Am              | C
21|   |   |   |  22 |   |   |   |  23 |   |   |   |  24 |   |   |   |   
|-3-------3-------|-0-----0-----3-4-|-5-3---0---------|-----------------|
|---------------3-|-----4---3-------|-----4---1-------|-1---------------|
|-----0-------5---|---5-------5-----|-------------2-0-|---2-0----------*|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------3-2------*|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

_2________________
| C
32|   |   |   |   
|-----------------|
|-1---------------|
|---2-0-----------|
|-------2---------|
|---------3-------|
|-----------------|