My fiddle tune The Wild One has had its own remarkable life — it’s been recorded 15 or so times by different groups, including one I only recently discovered, a Scottish band called CherryGrove. They released a 4 track EP in 2015 called No Time Like Now (enhanced edition), where the first track paired Midnight Cruise to Inverie by Patsy Reid with my piece The Wild One, in a rousing rendition — very fun! 

https://projects.handsupfortrad.scot/folkwaves/wild-one-by-cherrygrove/

I wanted to find out how these musicians knew about my tune, so after some intensive google research I was able to send off emails to a couple of the members of that group (by finding their names associated with other groups!).

I suggested a tune exchange, and sent them Into the Light. Well I heard back early this last week from Grant McFarlane, the accordion player, who liked my Wild One tune very much and also enjoyed Into the Light. The tune he sent me was a big delight, a jig called Paisley Welcomes the Royal National Mod 2013. 

Turns out Grant found out about The Wild One when someone brought the tune to the Accordion Orchestra in Paisley, and he then brought that tune to other groups he played in. So I’m thinking the connection must be with another accordion player, David DiGiuseppe from North Carolina, who I jammed with several times back in the 1980’s in Ithaca at Marty Blodgett’s house. David first recorded The Wild One and also Roly Poly in the late 80’s or very early 90s. Later on he did another version of it in his group Contrazz (yes, a combo of contra and jazz, with a saxophone player and drums added to the mix!).

May The Wild One continue to have a musical life out in the big world!