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Red Haired Boy

from Fun Guy by Scott Cooper

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about

“Red Haired Boy” is a reworking of a traditional fiddle tune by the same name. But the fiddle tune doesn’t have lyrics and the groove is obviously different from mine. It’s my re-working, a la what Hunter & Garcia did with “Stagger Lee” or “Duprees Diamond Blues.” I wrote the lyrics, and gave it a JGB-type groove. I also intentionally used players who were not familiar with the fiddle tube so they could play over the changes with a fresh approach. Garret Deloian from Jerry’s Middle Finger plays the rhythm guitar, my bandmate from the China Cats plays lead guitar, Jeremy Hoenig (currently playing with Melvin Seals and JGB) lays down a great drum track and adds some shaker, while former JGB bassist Rob Wenig lays down the low end. The organ was played by Dale Ockerman, formerly of the Doobie Brothers and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Originally I had a gospel organist from St. Louis set to play but he passed away before I got to tracking.

lyrics

Whatever happened to the red-haired boy
Not sure I’d like to know
Never played a lick of Soldier’s Joy
On his fateful fiddle and bow

Nobody seen him since the moon has waned
Nobody heard his tune
Enough to make a grown man go insane
One note could mean your doom

And the fate that came
Just to hear his name
Just to hear him cross his bow
Nobody mess with the red-haired boy
And his fateful fiddle in tow

Nobody writes about the red-haired boy
Tell you what I read
when his fatal fiddle is deployed
somebody's gonna wind up dead

Cause the song he played
And to rest you’d lay
Was the fate that you would know
Never want to cross that red-haired boy
And his deadly fiddle and bow

now you know the story of the red haired boy
now that you've been warned
better look out for the real McCoy
you'd wished you'd never been borned

And the song he played for the widow it made
Was the one that took her life
Oh to never hear the red-haired boy
And the song that took his wife

credits

from Fun Guy, released July 24, 2023
Scott Cooper - lead vocals, percussion
Matt Hartle - lead guitar
Garrett Deloian - rhythm guitar
Dale Ockerman - organ
Jeremy Hoenig - drums/percussion
Rob Wenig - bass

Vince Sanchez - engineer/mastering

melody - traditional; lyrics and arrangement by Scott Cooper
Produced by Scott Cooper
BMI
Stubdog Publishing

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all rights reserved

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Scott Cooper Santa Cruz, California

- Bay Area jam band veteran
- "A Leg Trick" reached #5 on Relix radio charts in 2012
- Has performed with members of the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia Band, Galactic, Doobie Brothers
- Toured with blues legend Johnny Shines
- Taught guitar at UC-Santa Cruz
- Plays in the China Cats, Rosebud, Gary Gates Band, and others
- Good person ... more

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