Frank Proffitt, 1962, Peter Feldmann, photo<\/p><\/div>\n

While I was working in Chicago at the Field Museum in 1962, Frank came up north for a 4-day visit and a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music<\/strong>. I got to spend these four days with him, taking him on tours and learning a little about the way he picked banjo, guitar, and dulcimer. \u00a0Frank was a very gracious guest and especially enjoyed the Field Museum’s huge collection of wild animal skins from around the world, house in two large rooms on the 4th floor of the building, far away from the general public. \u00a0There was even a rinocerous skin, folded into a bale-sized lump and stiffend to woodlike hardness from the time it was contributed to the museum by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906. \u00a0Frank talked about using groundhog skin for his banjo heads, saying it was pretty good but that cat skin was by far the best — though his wife refused to let him use it! \u00a0Anyways, the story goes that Tom Dula<\/em>, recorded by Proffitt via collector Frank Warner<\/strong>, was found by the Trio and used as a basis for their hit. \u00a0Alan Lomax also published the song in his “Folksongs of North America”.<\/p>\n