"Cumberland Gap" (Roud 3413) is anAppalachian folk song that likely dates to the latter half of the 19th century and was first recorded in 1924. The song is typically played onbanjo or fiddle, and well-known versions of the song include instrumental versions as well as versions with lyrics. A version of the song appeared in the 1934 book,American Ballads and Folk Songs, by folk song collectorJohn Lomax.Woody Guthrie recorded a version of the song at hisFolkways sessions in the mid-1940s, and the song saw a resurgence in popularity with the rise ofbluegrass and theAmerican folk music revival in the 1950s.^[1] In 1957, the British musicianLonnie Donegan had a No. 1 UK hit with askiffle version of "Cumberland Gap".^[2]

The song's title refers to theCumberland Gap, a mountain pass in theAppalachian Mountains at the juncture of the states ofTennessee,Virginia, andKentucky. The gap was used in the latter half of the 18th century by westward-bound migrants travelling from the original 13 American colonies to the Trans-Appalachian frontier. During theU.S. Civil War (1861–1865),Union andConfederate armies engaged in a year-long back-and-forthstruggle for control of the gap.^[3]

North Carolina songsterBascom Lamar Lunsford (1882–1973), recording his "memory collection" for theArchive of American Folk Song in March 1949, suggested that "Cumberland Gap" may be a "sped up" version of the tune that once accompanied the balladBonnie George Campbell. Lunsford recorded both songs on fiddle to show the similarities (although many folk tunes from the British Isles are very similar).^[4]

One of the earliest references to "Cumberland Gap" (the song) was published by authorHorace Kephart (1862–1931) in his 1913 book,Our Southern Highlanders. Kephart recalled taking part in a bear hunt that took place circa 1904–1906 in theGreat Smoky Mountains. While waiting for weather conditions to improve, members of the hunting party sang "ballets" to pass the time.^[5] Kephart transcribed the opening stanzas to several of these songs, including a version of "Cumberland Gap" sung byHazel Creek bear hunter "Little John" Cable:

"L-a-a-ay down boys,
Le's take a nap:
Thar's goin' to be trouble
In the Cumberland Gap"^[5]

Kephart simply wrote that the song was of "modern and local origin."^[5] Kentucky ballad collector H. H. Fuson published a lengthy version of "Cumberland Gap" in 1931, with the first three lines in the opening stanza reading "Lay down, boys, an' take a little nap" and the last line reading "They're all raisin' Hell in the Cumberland Gap," somewhat echoing the lyrics transcribed by Kephart a quarter-century earlier. Fuson's version also mentions key historical events in the Cumberland Gap's pioneer period and the battle for control of the gap during the Civil War. His last stanza ends with the line "Fourteen miles to the Cumberland Gap."^[6] This last line would appear again in a 1933 field recording of the song by an obscureHarlan, Kentucky fiddler known as "Blind" James Howard, and published by John Lomax (who conducted the recording) in his 1934 book,American Ballads and Folk Songs.^[6][7]

The earliest known recording of "Cumberland Gap" was a 1924 instrumental version by Tennessee fiddlerAmbrose G. "Uncle Am" Stuart (1853–1926). The first singing and solo banjo version was recorded by Land Norris in August, 1924 by Okeh Records. Then, in September 1924, fiddle-and-guitar duoGid Tanner andRiley Puckett recorded the song, and would re-record the song again in 1926 with their band, theSkillet Lickers.^[1] Tanner's lyrics bear little resemblance to Fuson's, although Tanner's chorus uses the line "Me and my wife and my wife's pap," which resembles a line in one of Fuson's stanzas.

In the mid-1940s,Woody Guthrie recorded a version of "Cumberland Gap" forMoe Asch'sFolkways label, containing the chorus, "Cumberland Gap, Cumberland Gap/Seventeen miles to the Cumberland Gap" and a stanza referring to the gap's distance fromMiddlesboro, Kentucky.^[8] Folk musician and folk music scholarPete Seeger released a version somewhat similar to Guthrie's in 1954.^[9] Donegan's 1957 skiffle version, which reached No. 1 on the charts in the United Kingdom, also resembled Guthrie's Folkways version, although his chorus uses "fifteen miles" rather than "seventeen miles."

In May 1925, at the Fiddlers' Convention inMountain City, Tennessee, fiddlerG. B. Grayson won first prize (although accounts vary) with his rendering of "Cumberland Gap", ousting rivals Stuart,Charlie Bowman, andFiddlin' John Carson.^[10] Bluegrass banjoistEarl Scruggs delivered a memorable performance of "Cumberland Gap" at theNewport Folk Festival in 1959.^[11] The song has since been recorded and performed by dozens of bluegrass, country, and folk musicians, including the2nd South Carolina String Band's rendition of the Civil War lyrics.

Pre-war commercial recording details are from Rusell (2004)^[12]

"Cumberland Gap" is most commonly played on fiddle, guitar or banjo. The banjo tuning,f#BEAD, used by Dock Boggs, Hobart Smith, and Kyle Creed, is sometimes called the "Cumberland Gap tuning". It allows banjo players to play the tune in D, the same as a fiddler would, by extending the bass range of the instrument.^[14]

David Rawlings, together with his musical partnerGillian Welch, wrote and recorded a song with the same name and inspired by the traditional,^[15] for his 2017 albumPoor David's Almanack. It was also used in the 2019 filmThe Gentlemen.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit recorded a song with the same name for their 2017 albumThe Nashville Sound.

• List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1950s

• Juneberry78s.com — Luther Strong's 1937 Library of Congress Recordings – includes a crude recording of "Cumberland Gap" byHazard, Kentucky fiddler Luther Strong

• Culture of Appalachia
• Appalachian folk songs
• Cumberland Gap
• Music of East Tennessee
• Woody Guthrie songs
• UK singles chart number-one singles
• Okeh Records singles

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