About this tune

Golden Slippers (first published in 1879) is one of several late 19th and early 20th Century US popular song melodies that are employed extensively by Island fiddlers as square dance tunes. Some others include Darlin’ Nelly Grey, Red Wing, When You and I Were Young Maggie, and Wreck of the Old Number 9.

Of particular interest:

- Pat Doucette’s version on “the cans”: two tobacco tins with a guitar string suspended in between. The string is plucked with a flatpick, and pitch is altered by pulling on or relaxing one’s grip on the tins, which in turn changes the length of the string.

- Dave Thomson’s twin fiddle version (Thomson actually plays harmony, or second fiddle; the melody is played by Alan MacRae).