About This Song

Big Country is an instrumental by Jimmy Martin and Vernon Derrick. Martin's Sunny Mountain Boys recorded it on November 22, 1966 at Bradley's Barn in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, with J.D. Crowe on banjo, Derrick on mandolin, Buddy Spicher on fiddle and Bill Yates on bass. In 1967 Decca put it out as a single and also made it the opening track of the LP Big and Country Instrumentals. Later recordings include Adam Steffey's on his 2001 album Grateful, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Rich Rainey and The Bluegrass Cousins, and Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition have covered it too. The band Big Country Bluegrass took their name from it.

Count carefully, because the parts aren't square. The A part is 10 bars and has two half bars: one on A in the fourth bar, and one on E just before the last bar. The B part is 9 bars and has one half bar on E right before it ends. The B part also climbs from D to A, then hits a B7 before the E, so be ready for that B7.