Origins and early references North Carolina songster
Bascom Lamar Lunsford (1882–1973), recording his "memory collection" for the
Archive of American Folk Song in March 1949, suggested that "Cumberland Gap" may be a "sped up" version of the tune that once accompanied the ballad
Bonnie George Campbell. Lunsford recorded both songs on fiddle to show the similarities (although many folk tunes from the British Isles are very similar). One of the earliest references to "Cumberland Gap" (the song) was published by author
Horace Kephart (1862–1931) in his 1913 book,
Our Southern Highlanders. Kephart recalled taking part in a bear hunt that took place circa 1904–1906 in the
Great Smoky Mountains. While waiting for weather conditions to improve, members of the hunting party sang "ballets" to pass the time. Kephart transcribed the opening stanzas to several of these songs, including a version of "Cumberland Gap" sung by
Hazel Creek bear hunter "Little John" Cable: "L-a-a-ay down boys, Le's take a nap: Thar's goin' to be trouble In the Cumberland Gap" This last line would appear again in a 1933 field recording of the song by an obscure
Harlan, Kentucky fiddler known as "Blind" James Howard, and published by John Lomax (who conducted the recording) in his 1934 book,
American Ballads and Folk Songs.
Early recordings and performances The earliest known recording of "Cumberland Gap" was a 1924 instrumental version by Tennessee fiddler
Ambrose G. "Uncle Am" Stuart (1853–1926). The first singing and solo banjo version was recorded by Land Norris in August, 1924 by Okeh Records. Then, in September 1924, fiddle-and-guitar duo
Gid Tanner and
Riley Puckett recorded the song, and would re-record the song again in 1926 with their band, the
Skillet Lickers. Tanner's lyrics bear little resemblance to Fuson's, although Tanner's chorus uses the line "Me and my wife and my wife's pap," which resembles a line in one of Fuson's stanzas. In the mid-1940s,
Woody Guthrie recorded a version of "Cumberland Gap" for
Moe Asch's
Folkways label, containing the chorus, "Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap/Seventeen miles to the Cumberland Gap" and a stanza referring to the gap's distance from
Middlesboro, Kentucky. Folk musician and folk music scholar
Pete Seeger released a version somewhat similar to Guthrie's in 1954. Donegan's 1957 skiffle version, which reached No. 1 on the charts in the United Kingdom, also resembled Guthrie's Folkways version, although his chorus uses "fifteen miles" rather than "seventeen miles." In May 1925, at the Fiddlers' Convention in
Mountain City, Tennessee, fiddler
G. B. Grayson won first prize (although accounts vary) with his rendering of "Cumberland Gap", ousting rivals Stuart,
Charlie Bowman, and
Fiddlin' John Carson. Bluegrass banjoist
Earl Scruggs delivered a memorable performance of "Cumberland Gap" at the
Newport Folk Festival in 1959. The song has since been recorded and performed by dozens of bluegrass, country, and folk musicians, including the
2nd South Carolina String Band's rendition of the Civil War lyrics. ==Notable versions==