Any group dedicated to the Pine Barrons should know this story if they do not already but thought it worth repeating. Samuel Gordon Giberson (1808-1884) was a man who grew up in the Pines, spending time chopping wood and making charcoal which was the typical Piney occupation. What he liked the most was playing his fiddle. He was a left-handed banjo player and could play the fiddle behind his back and dance the hornpipe at the same time. He would travel from different taverns and to special events, playing his fiddle. One night he told a group of people that he thought he could beat any competitor both as a fiddler and a dancer 'and', he went on, "I think I can beat the Devil". On his way home, Giberson met the Devil himself at a bridge. The Devil told him to play his violin, and while Giberson played, the Devil danced. Then the Devil played the violin while Giberson danced. Giberson was the kind of dancer of whom people said things like 'I seen him put a looking glass on the floor and dance on it' -- he was that light when he danced. But the devil danced even more lightly and beautifully than Giberson, and the Devil played the violin more sweetly. Giberson conseded defeat. "The Devil then said he was going to take Giberson to Hell unless he could play a tune that the Devil had never heard. Out of thin air, by Giberson's account, a tune came to him -- a beautiful theme that neither Giberson nor the Devil had ever heard. The Devil let him go. That is what Giberson told people on the following day and for the rest of his life. The tune is known in the Pine Barrons as Sammy Giberson's Air Tune. No one of course knows how it goes, but the Air Tune is there, everywhere, just beyond hearing. This story is from John McPhee's book called The Pine Barrons. People would come out of the woods, from Barnegat, Manahawkin, Tuckerton, Chatsworth to hear him. They called 'em - Backwoodsmen. I know this is more a legend rather than discussion but would enjoy reading other folktales. Thanks for letting me share.
Genie Giberson
Genie Giberson