Burl Hammons' Shelvin' Rock

In east central and central West Virginia there are at least three tunes with this name.
It was several years after Burl Hammons first played this for me and I recorded it [1969]
that it dawned what might be behind the title.
Best I could tell via the old stories they told me over the years when we were neighbors,
this name referred to a shelf rock. A shelf rock was an overhang large enough for cover.
Some of these overhangs were large enough so there could be a living space underneath.
If the area was large enough, families could move in and live there for many years. The
opening then was boxed in with vertical poles plus using brush which could be stacked against them. A small fireplace for cooking could be built from whatever was available in the surrounding area - rocks, mud, sticks, etc. Alances for light would be a consideration.The ambient temperature would be moderated by the earth, rocks, and poles resulting in a steady temperatue being somewhere in the mid-50s F. So i am told.
Forget log houses which were hot in summer and terribly cold here in these mountains in winter. Plus, I count large fireplaces as one of the greatest heat extractors ever invented. A "Shelvin Rock" was possibly a pearl of great price for some folks here in these mountains. With 3 somewhat different tunes yet still having the same name, this might be a litmus test for its importance.

[@billc5060]

Very nice. As is Erynn and Candy's version on Tune Tramp. The Onlies also play a wonderful rendition on recent quarantine happy hour

[@kawaii301]

One of my favorites Dwight. Beautifully done. Thanks for saving this version of the song from obscurity!

[@yugio1971]

nice tune,great story..