“Chinquapin Hunting” in A major is the three-part version most widely heard at bluegrass and old-time festivals today. Its documented source fiddler is Norman Edmonds (1889–1976) of Hillsville, Virginia, whose playing set the model for the modern arrangement. The A and B parts follow the most familiar version; the C part shows slight variation across players, the kind of drift typical of tunes that circulate heavily in open-jam contexts without a single fixed recording as the reference anchor.
The chinquapin (Castanea pumila) is a dwarf chestnut tree, and the name — derived from an Algonquian word — points squarely to the Appalachian uplands where the nut was a common fall forage. The American chestnut blight, which reached full force in the early 20th century, largely eliminated the related species from the eastern forest, but the chinquapin survived and the name stayed fixed in the regional vocabulary. At least four distinct melodies travel under the “Chinquapin Hunting” name, the standard outcome for a well-traveled Appalachian title.
A notable recording is Bill Evans’s on Things Are Simple (2023). Evans is a leading figure in contemporary old-time mandolin; his arrangement stays close to the Edmonds three-part model while bringing his characteristic clarity of tone and rhythmic drive. The A-major setting sits naturally under open-string backup and is accessible to pickers of moderate experience — a good entry point to the denser three-part old-time repertoire.