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For some of us, the name Roscoe is forever linked to this guy:
For those of you who weren’t between the ages of 5 and 10 in the early 1980s, this Rosco (in his case, there was no “e” at the end) was the feckless sheriff of Hazzard County, Georgia, the one whom Duke boys were always getting the better of.
In that time of my life, no week was complete without seeing the Duke’s orange Dodge Charger, affectionately known as the “General Lee,” launch through the air (a previously unknown to me part of the show’s pre-history: the Duke boys had used the Charger to run moonshine!).
Anyhow, that’s THE Roscoe. At least in my mind.
He’s the platonic ideal against which all other Roscoe’s must be compared.
But that’s not the Roscoe that this tune is about. And so far as I can tell, the Roscoe for whom this tune is about still remains a mystery (if any of you folks can solve it, chime in!)
Unidentified main character aside, this remains a really fun tune. From what I could find, this tune is traced back to the repertoire of Kyle Creed, the last known source from which it then spread.
That’s also one reason why it makes for a great “jambooster” (i.e. – the opposite of a “jambuster”). Even folks who are unfamiliar with it will likely acclimate to its basic structure after a few go rounds.
Roscoe
gDGBD tuning, Brainjo level 3
Notes on the Tab
Notes in parentheses are “skip” notes. To learn more about these, check out my video lesson on the subject.
For more on reading tabs in general, check out this complete guide to reading banjo tabs.
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