American Primitivism, also known as American Primitive Guitar, is the guita… Read Full Bio ↴American Primitivism, also known as American Primitive Guitar, is the guitar music genre started by John Fahey in the late 1950s. Fahey composed and recorded avant-garde/neo-classical compositions using traditional country blues fingerpicking techniques, which had previously been used primarily to accompany vocals. Other famous early proponents were Leo Kottke, Robbie Basho and Peter Lang who all played at one time or another on Fahey's Takoma Records label.

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Ted LucasTed Lucas

Venus in CancerRobbie Basho

The Happiest Times I Ever IgnoredHayden Pedigo

The Cloud of UnknowingJames Blackshaw

The Magic BridgeRichard Dawson

Salvador KaliSir Richard Bishop

The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick: Live at The Matrix San Francisco, California 1968/1969John Fahey

Orange Co. SerenadeDaniel Bachman

Christmas AlbumJohn Fahey

RiverDaniel Bachman

Raag ManifestosJack Rose

Wayfaring Strangers: Guitar SoliVarious Artists

Crashes To Light, Minutes to the FallCul de Sac

The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party And Other ExcursionsJohn Fahey

Reinventions - The Best Of VanguardSandy Bull

Song of the StallionRobbie Basho

After the BallJohn Fahey

The Voice of the EagleRobbie Basho

Sewn the NameOld Saw

The Falconer's Arm IRobbie Basho

Still Valentines Day, 1969: Live At The Matrix, San FranciscoSandy Bull

RailroadJohn Fahey

THE HEART'S WASHJoshua Chuquimia Crampton

goblin's gateThy Courage Quail

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01Sunflower River Blues John Fahey

John Fahey

02Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker John Fahey

John Fahey

03Blind Willie Sonny Sharrock

Sonny Sharrock

04Tell Her To Come Back Home John Fahey

John Fahey

05Ambiguity David Thomas Broughton

David Thomas Broughton

06Juvenescence Yasmin Williams

Yasmin Williams

07Execution David Thomas Broughton

David Thomas Broughton

08Unmarked Grave David Thomas Broughton

David Thomas Broughton

09The Great Pacific Northwest Glenn Jones

Glenn Jones

10Uncloudy Day John Fahey

John Fahey

11Ever Rotating Sky David Thomas Broughton

David Thomas Broughton

12messen #7 Caroline

Caroline

13Cathedral et Chartres Jack Rose

Jack Rose

14zilch Caroline

Caroline

15Natural death Caroline

Caroline

16Fare Forward Voyagers John Fahey

John Fahey

17Funeral Song for Mississippi John Hurt John Fahey

John Fahey

18Blue Crystal Fire Robbie Basho

Robbie Basho

19The Vile Stuff Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

20Judas Iscariot Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

21When the Fire and the Rose Are One John Fahey

John Fahey

22Reel Around the Fountain James Elkington

James Elkington

23Roadrunner Papa M

Papa M

24Green River Suite Robbie Basho

Robbie Basho

25Variations on Easter Robbie Basho

Robbie Basho

26Leaf in the Wind Robbie Basho

Robbie Basho

27Nothing Important Richard Dawson

Richard Dawson

28Waterways Sarah Louise

Sarah Louise

29Toomsuba Matt Marble

Matt Marble

30Summertime John Fahey

John Fahey

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Sunflower River Blues
John Fahey Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Sunflower River Blues' by these artists:

J. Bo It´s early in the morning in the Canadian woods I´m sitting…
R.C. Smith I’m leavin’ town tomorrow Get my breakfast in the sky Well, …

We have lyrics for these tracks by John Fahey:

Blueberry Hill I found my thrill On Blueberry Hill On Blueberry Hill Whe…
Boddle Am Shake Boodle am, boodle am, boodle am, boodle am, boo Toodle am,…
I I wish I knew how It would feel to be free I…
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear It came upon the midnight clear That glorious song of old Fr…
Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning Fred: Well, keep a-your lamp Annie Mae: (Trimmed an burni…
Layla What'll you do when you get lonely And nobody's waiting by…
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town I just came back from a lovely trip along the…
Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
St Louis Blues I hate to see that evening sun go down I hate…
The Christmas Song Chestnuts roasting on an open fire Jack Frost nipping at you…
The Little Drummer Boy Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum Our newborn King…
Tulip I met you in a garden in an old Kentucky…
Will The Circle be Unbroken I was standing by my window On one cold and cloudy…
You On and on she'll walk this earth Her face like a…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

Comments from YouTube:

@matthewcoombs3282

3y↑93

I love how Fahey created his own universe with his music. It is a place I want to live in forever.

@bustermot

2y↑5

Be careful

@alcoholya

2y↑2

@@bustermot temper expectations with alcohol...

@TheSludgeMan

2y↑1

Nicely put

@nbafan7260

2y↑2

its called america

@skronked

1y↑1

Yessir

1 More Replies...

@bleachneech

41w↑29

I love how the person who uploaded this is still liking comments 12 years later🫶🏼🫂

@TheBootywest

33w↑1

Because some pieces of great music will be passed onto generations to come.

@vvoof2601

30w↑3

Not yours though.

@bleachneech

30w↑5

@@vvoof2601 sadly. I tried lol

@richardburt9812

3y↑50

Learned it in college, 1973. Incredibly beautiful harmonic effects. Fahey's attack and the way he raises the volume for some parts and then lowers again for the foundational parts are unique. Even the sound of his fingerpicks on the guitar strings.

@guitarmuse2

What was the tuning on this song? I am guessing it isn't standard.

@girmonsproductions

2y↑1

@@guitarmuse2 it is open C

@VintageFLA

2y↑1

He loved classical music, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he picked this up from the dynamic change rules used in repetitive phrases of classical compositions.

@totallyrufus

2y↑2

It must be nice to be old and not have much time left on this crazy earth. I'm only 32 and have a long time left. I don't want to be in this woke world. I want to live how people did in the old days when things weren't so politically correct.

@BlindArthurBlake

1y↑2

@@totallyrufusI am 54. Creating your own reality exclusive of the dull bars and hammers of society is a survival skill. Trends come and go. To thine own self be true, and all that.

And work on learning some songs in open C tuning. It's fun to swim around in once ya get the hang of it

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@blatantlocalism1041

13w↑2

This song gets me all choked up. So beautiful

@johnmcleod8961

1y↑9

beautiful...the music that he's able to create out of these alternatve tunings is truly inspiring.

@mikesaundersnyc5200

2y↑17

John Fahey : #35 on the Rolling Stone list of top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

@lenfantdestoises3048

11y↑128

I love when that tune comes in at the end of dogfight, it's such a great movie.

@Ralphoifyful

7y↑10

Such a pity they didn't use it for any actual scene in the film, but it was still a great surprise to hear it

@heymoe70

4y↑7

I just finished watching it and had to hear this song again. Wonderful! 😍

@nottavictim5

4y↑6

Just saw it! Had to shoot right over. Powerful version

@riverbanzachamploo9725

4y↑2

me too.

@mikehawkertz9237

4y↑1

Check out Elizabeth Cotton - Vastopol. I believe John ripped off that song

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@cherylmillard2067

27w↑4

I saw Fahey in Bellingham in the early eighties, he was epic.

@baxterwilliams9290

1y↑14

I would not be surprised if this song inspired some of Going to California has a similar feel

@A_Pa-Plainjane

6y↑49

glad to hear this, and glad Mr. Fahey is being remembered.

@mikehawkertz9237

Pretty sure he may have ripped this song off of Elizabeth Cotton - Vastopol

@BlindArthurBlake

1y↑3

He may have borrowed a harmonic idea here and there perhaps in the same way Elmore James would use parts of Robert Johnson songs. But the major difference is this song is in an open C tuning and Elizabeth Cotten's Vastapol is in open D. The chord fingerings are different. Also, they aren't exactly identical when you listen to them back to back

Who wrote the Midnight Special? Was it Leadbelly because his is famous? Or Crying Sam Collins because he recorded it first?

I think there's room enough in the world for interpretation

@A_Pa-Plainjane

@@BlindArthurBlake been listening and enjoying blues and jazz for about six decades. Dad had a fair amount of jazz records which i benefited from greatly. I started my record collection with Leadbelly and i think he remains very relevant today ( wash dc is a bourgeoise town- i lived there, and his Titanic echos down the years, with the latest victims to arrogance being the teflon bullet, the Titan, which self imploded within the last two years killing 5.).
No one totally invents music; everything rests on what came before.

There's an interesting 2 min youtube video Donovan put out a couple of years ago, remarking on the genesis of music from his area (Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England), making the journey to America, becoming American country and folk (blues on a separate track), then all of the above being rolled into the British invasion, and rolled back to England and the rest of the world. I think his point is well taken. I always respect the originators and those that play their hearts out, even without getting famous. But we all borrow. Mostly the writers remain obscure, and an artist may receive extra credit. But i would ask if the music comes from us, or from some place beyond us.

@vvoof2601

30w

@@mikehawkertz9237 Welcome to the blues, first time here?

@vvoof2601

30w

@@BlindArthurBlake This guy gets it.

@DwainDwight

6y↑37

Simply unbelievable. Endless tone & emotion in his playing.

@kamacazi8

5y↑32

Dogfight movie, saw it in full for the first time today. I saw it twice in a row. Never done that with a movie, finish it and start it again.. at least not as an adult haha. Pure passion and love, leading with your heart and eventually finding an opposite attraction. luck and passion in it's purest form, may we all be so lucky in this rare form.

@riverbanzachamploo9725

4y↑6

me too. i first saw it 2 days ago. time. i watched it three times, then went to sleep, then woke up again and watched. it's my new favorite movie.

@kamacazi8

4y↑1

@@riverbanzachamploo9725 Better late then never!. Some things speak to us, in our own timeframe. The art/material is timeless, just depends on us when we soak it up

@riverbanzachamploo9725

4y↑2

@@kamacazi8 Agreed

@keithpopko2540

4y↑1

I just saw it on TCM a couple of days ago for the first time ever. When it first came out I passed on it because I didn't care for the premise, but I gave it a shot when I found it on TCM. Wow, great movie with great acting and chemistry between River Phoenix and Lily Taylor. It will remain in their archives for a couple of weeks. I've seen it four times in the last two days.

@SamGulliver

6y↑34

What a mood

@adbksl

3y↑6

One of my favorite films. The soundtrack is very nostalgic and on point with the Era and scenes.

@rubenskiii

12w

Wonderful beyond words.
Warm greetings from the Netherlands🇳🇱.

@Epiclater

4y↑10

Sends me chills

@jonathanzielke2280

6y↑35

I am currently trying to learn some Fahey pieces to do a tribute show. So influential for me.

@TheVikingBlues

6y↑1

Grab the best of fahey tab pdf from delta slider blog.. It's so good man. This is the first song in the book.

@hausofvishy8695

3y↑11

So groovy like pastoral folk like youth and summer

@jureysprudence

8y↑32

The Sunflower River flows next to Indianola, Ms. where BB King reigned.

@loontil

Riiiight...

@paulgraves8302

3y↑7

Love it , the part where he go's down kind of sounds like the Led Zeppelin song "Poor Tom "

@Spencerxo

12y↑13

beautiful

@hausofvishy8695

4y↑7

Jiimmy Page , Elizabeth Cotton and Mississippi John Hurt are dancing to this i feel

@nathanael8612

4y↑1

I agree with Elizabeth an John, I really like the photos of them together they seemed like they got along well. John is a sweet man an Elizabeth a sweet woman:)

@nathanael8612

4y↑1

Also this is very reminiscent of honey babe your papa cares for you, that one certain part you can hear it

@hausofvishy8695

@@nathanael8612 Sure is

@ronnieparker4311

1y↑6

I can hear where jimmy page got his acoustic licks ! Very led zeppelin ish !!!! Fahey 🤘 space ace ron ⚡️⚡️⚡️

@coatlennon

6y↑17

First Fahey tune i learned, open C, and there's a great bit where you don't have to fret and you can slide your finger along the the low E string which is now tuned to C

@jeffsech

5y↑6

Open C, the poor man's 12-string!

@donwilkie

3y↑1

I love open C I have even tuned my bass into open C for that really low sound

@andersonbispovieira7937

7y↑11

Simplesmente maravilhoso

@ericjhaber

6y↑17

This scene in Master of None always makes me cry

@TheVikingBlues

6y↑1

Guess I'm gonna have to rewatch it.

@jonathanmauldin8801

Which scene???

@ambieofilms

5y↑1

@@jonathanmauldin8801 Season 2 episode 9 Storm King Art Center

@havefunbesafe

19w

Clockwork Fahey 🥳

@lambertroberts

10y↑5

The Yellow Princess !!!

@ivantg4028

4y↑29

I can't help but imagine Jimmy Page being influenced by this.

@JPhil1961

4y↑7

He was on the 3rd album Led Zeppelin 3

@PimBataille

4y↑9

Bron-Yr-Aur always makes me think of John Fahey personally

@JPhil1961

@@PimBataille same here

@MaxSabbath666

4y↑1

@@JPhil1961 there are parts of this that sound like "poor tom"

@bradleykb

First thing i thought of too!

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@maestaspg

3y↑4

For Eddie Birdlace and Rose!

@icydelon

2y↑1

holy damn

@everyday316

7y↑6

Excellent

@Klaus312

5y↑2

Good stuff

@donniemaxwell6864

10y↑4

Oh yeah...

@paullevine1813

10y

No denying that 12 string, You can hear where Leo borrowed some licks, not to mention the rest of us...

@MrFloopy99

+paul levine in America yes but not here

@budzugan

2y↑2

some parts remind me of Led Zeppelin´s Poor Tom so very much

@xenophonon123

4y↑4

whfs 102.3 bethesda, maryland brought me here. (marhalo, cerphe )

@donnlarossa9173

9y↑10

John had that Leo Kottke style maybe before Leo Kottke? lol Early i was playing him and Jansch and Renbourn and Joe Pass and Grant Green and Gabor Szabo licks ...big influences

@donnlarossa9173

9y↑1

Wow cool thanx...

@rhymeocerous

7y↑2

Fahey & Jansch were both such absolute originals.

@pboyfan

5y↑3

Fahey discovered Kottke.

@wavepainter

4y↑1

Leo Koke, playing a Fahey song, said onstage..."...John Fahey made my life. The best friend I ever had."

@peanisface3950

3y↑3

isnt this the same as Poor Boys Long Way From Home?

@karlshrader6997

3y↑1

You can hear Kottke's Busted Bicycle in there

@deenibeeniable

4y↑10

I'll get flamed if I say how much more soul I think Fahey has than Kottke, so I won't say it.

@stephstilley1305

3y↑4

i agree so hard with this lol my dad gets pissed off at me whenever i say the same thing

@deenibeeniable

3y↑3

@@stephstilley1305 And I truly hate it when Kottke sings, lol.

@whiskeyman2112

3y↑1

Soul? Who cares? Both great pickers in the same league.

@deenibeeniable

@@whiskeyman2112 If you think soulfulness has nothing to do with what makes good music "great", you're either an android or fucking stupid. Get out more. It'll help.

@SuzieKew

I don't hate it when Kottke sings (his voice is way better than he describes it!) but it just turns him into any old singer-songwriter where the guitar is downgraded to mere accompaniment, and doesn't show what he can really do. So it's a waste of space on his albums.

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@danielromano7615

eestupendo unico,,

@scottgall8383

It's alright

@cresentsun4

8y↑20

Master of None

@warriorroad5076

8y↑2

jeff tweedy brought me here

@cwmiller2006

2y↑3

Dog Fight brought me here

@NoneofUrbusiness-p9w

1y↑1

I hear a lot of Fleetwood Mac in this.

@saki14james

30w

You mean Lindsey Buckingham?

@NoneofUrbusiness-p9w

30w

@@saki14james sorry no, I was thinking of Peter Green.

@anapaulavilla2839

2y↑2

Dogfight! <3

@mikehawkertz9237

4y↑2

This sounds ALOT like Vastopol by Elizabeth Cotton who is a lot older I believe... did He rip that song off ??

@Oliv3rb

4y↑17

vestapol is an old tune. elizabeth cotton didnt write it either. I dont think john fahey ever claimed ownership of it. though there is obviously the dirty history of rich white artists taking old folk tunes of unknown origin, played by black blues artists, and recording them thereby acquiring copyright. I dont think thats the case here. it comes from a tune called the Siege of Sevastopol about the crimean war. john faheys 'Poor Boy Long Way From Home' is also a take on Vestapol I believe.

@poopadoopalis

4y↑1

@@Oliv3rb Obviously it had nothing to do with musical talent and professionalism.

@frog9695

The section after the main riff sounds an awful lot like Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash while we're on the topic

@SuzieKew

Yes, 'Poor Boy' has a lot in common with Vestapol, not least for being in the same open tuning, usually known as Vestapol tuning. But Sunflower River Blues is quite different, in Open C, where the low string is a C, giving it a really deep bass feel, and the intervals between strings are different to Open D/Vestapol.

@jessbowden8874

9y↑3

My Michelle, guns N roses intro???.......

@albertscott9305

Open G again...yaaaaawn

@alantracy6757

36w↑1

It’s actually open C CGCGCE

@TheHarmonicaBarge

15w

not quite...... yawn

@seeky907

Total ripoff of Poor Tom by Led Zepplin.

@andrewlight

2y↑18

Fahey released this long before Zep

@warrenponder

2y↑6

Yeah, nice try. This came out in 63, zep in the 80s. So poor Tom is the rip off. I love zeppelin but they ripped off a lot of other artists

@terr777

35w↑1

I see you've already been schooled twice, so I'll just say, yeah, what these two said.

@clarissasamina900

16w

Total ripoff of Elizabeth Cotten's 'Vestapol', too. Wait, she admits she learned it from others. Could be a ripoff of "Poor Boys Long Way From Home' by Mississippi John Hurt, which sounds awfully similar to this. Poor Boys, Poor Tom, just who ripped who off here?
or are they just evolving the song...?