“Ida Red” is a traditional American song and fiddle tune of uncertain origin. No single source can be traced for it; the song most likely coalesced from floating verses scattered through the rural oral tradition, and it spread widely as both an instrumental breakdown and a sung dance number across the South and the Midwest.
The earliest known recording came in 1924, by Fiddlin’ Powers and Family — the Virginia fiddler James Cowan Powers with his children — one of the first recordings of a family string band in country music. The tune’s bright, repeating phrases and easy verses made it a square-dance and string-band staple.
“Ida Red” reached wide fame in a swinging 1938 version by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, a recording so influential that it became the direct model for Chuck Berry’s first hit, “Maybellene.” The version heard here is by the Lonesome River Band, from their 2017 album.
