[fDGCD tuning]
Wild Bill Jones was first recorded by Eva Davis back in 1924 and since then has become one of the most popular songs in the Bluegrass and traditional Old Time repertoire. The earliest occurrence of the song is way back in 1916 at which time it was collected from a woman named Miss Viney Norton (Big Laurel, NC). From what I can tell, the prevailing version among pickers these days is based on the version played by the Stanley Brothers. I much prefer the different versions done by Granville Bowlin, Virgil Anderson, and Dock Boggs. The tab for this post is based on the playing of Dock Boggs – although he played it in open G tuning (gDGBD).
Check the .pdf and .mp3 sections for more material. Enjoy!
Here’s a link to a youtube sound recording of Virgil Anderson playing Wild bill Jones. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVs7UU6pr4c