The Silver Spire

The tune is older than its name. Long Island shipbuilder and fiddler Isaac Homan wrote it down as "Nelson's Chase" in 1851, minstrel banjoist James Buckley printed it as "Bennett's Favorite" in 1860, and Ryan's Mammoth Collection had it as "Great Eastern Reel" in 1883.

The "Silver Spire" title first shows up on Sligo fiddler Paddy Killoran's New York recording in the early 1930s. One guess is that it was named for the Chrysler Building, finished in 1930 with a silver spire on top, or the Empire State Building. Another is that it is a garbled "Silver Spear." Tommy Peoples' version is also much admired.