Mississippians W.T. Narmour and S.W. Smith cut about 50 sides between 1928 and 1934. Their most enduring contribution to the country music canon is this unusual fiddle tune, Carroll County Blues. One can safely assume that the titular Carroll County is their home Carroll County, Mississippi. The tune is credited to Narmour. Whether it originated with him or was learned from other local players, I can’t say.

The tune is interesting in a number of repects: the languid pace, the conspicuous flat thirds and sevenths, the use of a melodic sequence in the ‘a’ strain, the occasional added beats, the backbeat rhythm of the ‘b’ strain, more. It’s a wonderful performance, and the tune has long since been a standard among old-time musicians. It was recorded in Atlanta in March, 1929, for the OKeh label.