Freeny’s Barn Dance Band was one of the many great bands from Mississippi, including The Leake County Revelers, The Mississippi Possum Hunters, The Mississippi Sheiks, Narmour & Smith, and the Nations Brothers - just to name a few.

Fiddler William Leslie Freeny was from the Freeny community in Leake County, about five miles southeast of Carthage, Mississippi. He and guitarist A.F. “Fonzo” Cannon from Edinburg, began playing dances around 1913 and by the mid 1920’s they had been joined by cousins Charles H. Freeny and Samuel Carlton Freeny.

In 1930, Fonzo Cannon made arrangements for the band to audition for Jackson music store owner H.C. Speir, who was a talent broker for Victor, Columbia, Paramount, and Okeh Records. That November 21, 1930 audition resulted in a contract with Okeh.

Freeny’s Barn Dance Band recorded a total of six sides for Okeh, These tunes included “Sullivan’s Hollow,” “Don’t You Remember The Time,” “The Leake County Two Step,” “Croquet Habits,” and two numbers called “Mississippi Square Dance #1 and # 2.” All six were commercially released, and the band was paid a flat fee of $75 per side - about $8400 in 2024 money. Unfortunately, these records ended up competing for attention with several other Okeh artists’ releases, including Uncle Dave Macon, Sam Mcgee, and The Mississippi Sheiks. The simultaneous releases, combined with a Depression economy, made for poor sales, and as such, failed to make the band more widely known. The Freeny’s Barn Dance Band records are now considered collector’s items.

“Sullivan’s Hollow” is probably the best known tune from Freeny's Barn Dance Band. It is basically a single chord repeating melody with a reel tempo, but its precise timing and hypnotic nature make it very listenable. (ed. note: there is one quick chord change - don't blink!) A good back story also contributes, as Sullivan’s Hollow was an area so well known for its violence, fighting, and feuding that Mississippians at the time used the name as a synonym for lawlessness.

Around the end of 1930, Freeny's Barn Dance Band added more musicians, including trumpet, sax, drums, and piano. That version of the band was known as The Freeny Harmonizers, playing for fairs, large dances, and a local radio station. Carlton Freeny recalled those times, “We never made much money, but did have lots of fun.” Unfortunately, the larger group was never recorded, but a trio from the band took part in a session with other Vocalion musicians in 1935. Two cuts were selected for release under the Freeny Harmonizers name, “Podunk Toddle” and “Travellin’ Blues,” which featured the playing of fiddler Ira Ellis. 

No other Freeny Harmonizer recordings were made, but the band’s musicians continued to perform individually or in smaller combinations. Carlton Freeny was the last surviving member, continuing to play into the 1980’s, passing away in 1987. For those interested in more details on Freeny’s Barn Dance Band and other great Mississippi musicians, the book used as a source for this historical snapshot,  “Fiddle Tunes From Mississippi” by Harry Bolick and Tony Russell is highly recommended. Harry Bolick's website offers free downloads of many original source recordings. There are lots of other great Mississippi tunes that are frequently played. Check out "Possum On The Rail" from the Mississippi Possum Hunters.

Below are “Mississippi Square Dance part 1” and “Sullivan’s Hollow" from Freeny’s Barn Dance Band and “Podunk Toddle" from The Freeny Harmonizers. The mp3 file is “Mississippi Square Dance part 2,” which is basically their version of “Sally Ann.”