Update June

Hi,



On the left (standing) is Sleepy Marlin. (Click to enlarge)
On the right stand is Merle Travis with the Brown Brothers in between. My article came out in the Old-Time Herald

It's been busy. The Sleepy Marlin concert on May 8 was a success. We made a Sleepy Marlin DVD with him playing the fiddle and I narrated it. Bod Rucker did a great job on it. There was a good crowd and good music.

Special thanks to Whistlin' Rufus, John Harrod, Jase Marlin and most of all Sleepy. Sleepy really enjoyed it even though he wasn't feeling great.

Here my band playing Louisville Two Step in honor of Sleepy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EONKwilrm_0

I put up several clips of our segment of the concert plus and interview with Sleepy himself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suf-9rTZd5k

I did a show with some of my students where I played everything from the White Stripes to Cage the Elephant. Here's me and Wil playing "Ain't no Rest for the Wicked."
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=393606493563

I did several performances with my paise band, Stand on the Rock and we recorded a CD this weekend- it was a "live" CD- no overdubs.

I'll give

Sleepy Marlin Honorary Concert May 8

Hi,

On the left is a pic of me and Sleepy Marlin. We're playing a concert this Saturday in his honor and he'll be there. Come on out and meet Sleepy- one of all-time best fiddlers!

SLEEPY MARLIN HONORARY CONCERT

Featuring Whistlin' Rufus; Bluegrass Messengers; John Harrod; Jase Marlin and other special guests. Sleepy Marlin will be attending!

DATE: Sat. May 8, 7:00 PM

LOCATION: Highland United Methodist Church 1140 Cherokee Rd. Louisville, KY 40204

ADMISSION: Donation at the door; **part of the proceeds with go Highland Community Ministries

RECEPTION: Meet Sleepy Marlin, one of the all-time great fiddlers, at the reception following the concert.




SLEEPY MARLIN: Born in 1915, Sleepy Marlin was one of the top contest fiddlers in the United Sates and Canada from the 1930s until the 1970s. His band from the 1930s and 40s, The Drifting Pioneers featured guitarist and Country Music Hall-of-famer Merle Travis. They were featured on John Lair's Renfro Valley radio show. Around 1948 he moved to Louisville and joined the WHAS house band featuring Randy Atcher. He was featured on one of WHAS-TV's most popular shows "the Hayloft Hoedown" in the 1950s and 60s. Marlin regularly won the Kentucky State Fair contest in Louisville and began entering the Canadian National contests in the 1950s winning the top prize in the novelty division 6 years in a row. He performed and worked with some of the top old-time musicians including Clayton McMichen, John Lair, Mills Brothers, Curley Fox, Tex Atchison, Carl Cotner, Lily May Ledford and the Coon Creek Girls, Charlie Linville, Wesley Tuttle, Hank Penny, Cowboy Copas, Merle Travis, Red Foley, Slim Miller, Whitey Ford, Aunt Idy and Little Clifford; Sugh Fisher and Hugh Cross; Pa and Ma McCormick, Ranger Riders (Guy Blakeman and Roland Gaines) and toured for a year with Bradley Kincaid. In 1969 Sleepy even played with Fiddlin' Arthur Smith in what was one of Arthur's last informal performances.