John Bill’s name became associated with “Rickett’s Hornpipe,” aka “The Manchester Hornpipe” and “The One-Eyed Fiddler” somewhere along the line. The tune first appeared in print in 1781 in Alexander McGlashan’s “Collection of Scots Measures.” I’m not clear about which name was used. Along with its contemporaries, Durang’s and Fisher’s Hornpipes, Rickett’s Hornpipe has been retained in the folk tradition on both sides of the Atlantic as a favorite among fiddlers of all stripes, sometimes slow, as Hornpipes were originally meant to be, and sometimes up to square dance tempo. Bill Yohey’s stellar fiddling shows it off as a prime dance tune. By the way, a painting of John Bill Ricketts hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The artist, Gilbert Stuart, also painted a portrait of John Bill’s friend, fan and (possibly) relative, George Washington, which you might notice any time you spend a dollar bill. Thanks once again to Andrew Kuntz atwww.ibiblio.org, Wikipedia, and to Phil Williams for sharing Art Nation’s 1962 recording of the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers at the Seattle World’s Fair. Oh, and don’t forget that you can click on the link below to listen to this tune.