“Old Grimes” is a traditional American reel in D major whose origins have not been traced to a named composer or a documented 19th-century source. Guitarist Chris Eldridge learned the tune from mandolinist Jesse Cobb while on tour with the Infamous Stringdusters; Cobb had it from earlier players, and the oral chain beyond that point is unknown. The tune is described as “likely generations old” by the musicians who recorded it, and its structural simplicity and melodic strength support that characterization, even without an archival confirmation.
Before Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge included it on Mount Royal (2017), their Grammy-nominated guitar duo album, “Old Grimes” was, in the words of Acoustic Guitar magazine, “an obscure fiddle tune” known primarily among dedicated old-time pickers. The Mount Royal recording arranged it as a dialogue between the two guitars — unison melody opening, Eldridge’s arpeggiated backup under Lage’s lead, then the roles reversed — and the album’s wide circulation substantially changed the tune’s status in the repertoire.
The album was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and produced by Tucker Martine. The combination of jazz-influenced original compositions and traditional material defined the record’s particular kind of acoustic fluency, and “Old Grimes” is the traditional-repertoire anchor of the set — a piece that gains from the company it keeps.
