Old Joe Clark is a tune that just about every banjo picker plays at some time or another. It was known to have been sung by soldiers from Kentucky in WWI. There are written versions of the tune going back to 1918. The Joe Clark this song refers to actually existed back in the 1800s. He was a mountaineer, the story goes, and he was murdered. This song has an endless number of verses to it and has been recorded countless times. Boy was I surprised when I started listening to different versions and stumbled into one featuring an accordion. Here are the Callahan Brothers from a 1945 Western called Springtime in Texas, performing Old Joe Clark, Western Swing style.

Here’s Aubrey Atwater talking about and performing the tune….

By the way, Aubrey Atwater is quite a versatile performer. Check her out in the Atwater-Donnelly Trio performing The Spanish Lady, singing and playing mountain dulcimer/..

Back to Old Joe Clark, here’s a nice version with a different feel featuring Vivian Williams and Phil Williams