Hi everyone,
This is a photo of Cari Norris standing in front of my painting of her grand mother Lily May Ledford- the original Banjo Pickin Girl. The photo (click to enlarge) was done at the Higgins Maxwell Gallery on Payne St. after a performance at the gallery last night. My art will be on display until Nov. 1 so if you're in the Louisville are a please stop by.
Cari has kept the family tradition going and plays her grandmother's banjo clawhammer style.
Cari is a musician and an artist and I got to play a few songs with her including Banjo Pickin Girl and John Henry.
She does authentic renditions of her famous grandmother's songs and has a good singing voice as well. It is kind of eerie to notice the resemblance of Lily May in my painting and Cari today. Hopefully she can come play again on Nov. 1 when I play the songs my paintings are based on.
I'm still trying to track down info on Clayton McMichen and Cliff Carlisle two country music stars of the past that lived in Louisville. McMichen owned a bar several houses from where I currently live and I talked with Chet Bell who knew Cliff Carlisle and met McMichen in the 1970s. He gave me some new info on Cliff Carlisle which I can add to his bio. McMichen's daughter lives in the area but I don't know how to get a hold of her yet. I've asked around and no one seems to know anyone that knew McMichen back in the 1950s when he owned the National Bar at 300 Spring St.
I'll have some more photos of the gallery at some point. It was great meeting Cari and playing Banjo Pickin Girl with her.
Richard
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