Bluegrass Music and Artwork

Nathan Hicks Dulicmer

2011-12-29T08:10:00.000-08:00

Hi,

The photo (click to enlarge) is Nathan Hicks with his dulcimer c. 1935 from the front of "Beech Mountain Ballads" published by G. Shirmer in 1936. The mountain folk pronounced it "dul-ci-moor." This is probably my grandfather's dulcimer or another one just like it. It's a three string made circa early 1930s with the heart shaped cut-outs on the top. My father keeps it in the original bag with my grandfather's initials M.M. on it.

My grandfather Maurice Matteson used to play it in his ballad bagging concerts, so I figured I'd look at this dulcimer when I visited my folks during Christmas. When my father pulled it out of the bag I could tell the strings were very old- I'd say sixty or seventy years old. The frets are very short and can only be used to play one string- which is the bass string!

I couldn't tune the strings up without fear of damaging the instrument so I tuned it to G (melody string) then the second string G unison with the top string G an octave higher. It worked.

So I tried playing it- first with my finger to fret the strings, then with an emory board stick and lastly with half of an wooden clothes pin. The clothes pin worked the best. I didn't have a pick but I got one from Bob Hitchcock, my brother-in-law. I figured why not play some of Nathan Hicks songs and record them at Bob's little home studio. Kara Pleasants, my niece, loves to sing and Zach, my nephew, played the violin.

So I wrote out a couple of Hicks songs in G for Zach and we practiced a bit then recorded them the next morning. They did a gr8 job, so did Bob making the recording.

Here's one ballad: George Colon (collected in 1933 from Nathan Hicks):

Listen:
http://bluegrassmessengers.com/Data/Sites/1/avatars/02%20George%20Collon.mp3

Enjoy,

Richard

I'm back- back in black- on the black top studio- going nowhere fast

2011-11-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

******************

Hi,

Long time no post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The photo above was taken at my new studio!!! That's right- a parking lot on Payne Street in Louisville. I was driving to teach a lesson at Highland UMC and there was a marathon race being held- the roads were blocked off in every direction! I couldn't make it to my lesson. So it happened that my student Chris Sohl was stuck too, and he just happened to be stuck exactly where I was- we drove over to an adjacent parking lot and started picking!!!

This marks the annals of the most bizarre lesson I've taught and Chris, a very talented guy and gr8 sax player, took the photo above.

Thanks Chris!!!

Heine Brothers Coffee

2011-04-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My students and I do a regular gig at Heine Brothers on Herr Lane in Westport Village.

Jen Dye sent me some vids of our last performance April 23-

Snow by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show:

SNOW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76OPCrZGZdY&feature=related

WAGON WHEEL http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=30bANTf7N7I

Most of the songs I play with my students, they bring in the song they want to perform and the next week I have to learn it - haha! My band, Bluegrass Messengers, did a show with the Old Crow about 10 years ago in Winston-Salem- they are great, very popular too.

Coem out to the next Heine Brothers show featuring one of my bands and my students May 14th at 8:00 Westport Villiage- it's fun.

Richard

Kentucky Dance- Full view- Professional reproduction

2011-04-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left is the full-view of my new painting, Kentucky Dance (Click to enlarge). Hope you enjoy it. I've rekindled some of my interested in painting after taking off 6 months to do other things.

Richard

Kentucky Dance- Close up- professional reproduction

2011-04-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left (Click to enlarge) is a close-up of the dance and jam, the final professional reproductions of my new painting, Kentucky Dance. If you're interested in getting a copy- several people have expressed an interest- just email me at Richiematt@aol.com

At some point I'll go over the steps I took to create the painting and show you the original cabin in Kernersville, NC.

Richard

Kentucky Dance

2011-04-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi, On the left is my finished painting, Kentucky Dance. (Click to enlarge) The cabin is actually from Kernersville NC.

My only regret is there's no banjo in the painting- haha

Bluegrass Messengers Schedule March 2011

2011-03-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Here's the new schedule for March 2011. Come on out and see a show. Bring your friends!

The March 12 show will feature my students and other band members of my various bands.

BLUEGRASS MESSENGERS SCHEDULE

Friday March 4, 2011 8:00 Bistro 42; 6021 Timber Ridge Dr. Prospect, KY 40059 (502) 632-2552

Sun. March 6, 2011 at 6:00- 8:30 Bard's Town 1801 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40205 (corner of Bardstown Rd and Speed Avenue)

Thursday March 10, 8:00- 11:00 Gerstles 3801 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY info 502-742-8616

Sat. March 12, 2011 at 6:00 Heine Brother Coffee (Herr Lane) Westport Village (Other performers 7:00) Call (502)290-5090

Sat. March 13, 2011 at 3:00 (Private perf) Belmont Village Of St. Matthews; 4600 Bowling Blvd. Louisville, KY 40207

March 17, 2011 7:00- 10:00 Gerstle's (St. Patty's Day) 3801 Frankfort Ave Louisville, KY
March 18th, 2011 8:00- 10:30 Pirate's Cove Charleston IN

Sunday March 20, 2011 Epworth UMC (5:30 dinner/evening show 6:00) Louisville, KY

Fiddler Magazine article out: Clayton McMichen- Early Years

2011-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is my painting tribute to Clayton McMichen, "Pretty Little Widder." [click to enlarge]. The first part of my article Clayton McMichen: The early Years just came out in Fiddler Magazine. (Click to enlarge)

The article has interviews with Clayton's daughter Juanita (also Harry Bickle) and tells of his childhood, first band (Home Town Boys- with Lowe Stokes), up to the Skillet Lickers. It's a shortened version of my article which was about 25 pages long!! Hopefully they'll run the next part which features the last interview with Sim Byrant (who was 101 when I did a series of phone interviews with him), now deceased and the Louisville days with the Georgia Wildcats.

You can get info on picking up a copy from Fiddler Magazine:
http://www.fiddle.com/

McMichen moved to Louisville and was based here (in this area) for the rest of his life (around 1934 until 1970). He owned the Spring Street Bar and Grill a few houses away from my house on Spring St.

That's all for now,

Richard

Another Boring Night At Home

2011-02-23T20:49:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Everyone thinks I have an exciting life- playing music, writing books, doing research on the origins of songs, writing articles, teaching, doing artwork, researching performance and the subconscious mind etc. etc. etc.

It's time to look at the other side of a bluegrass picker, my home life. Here's a photo (Click to enlarge) of the little lady serving up a fresh plate of vittles- she sure likes to cook!!

After cooking up a hearty dinner she like to relax on the couch fer a spell. Here's another photo (Click to enlarge) of her- she sure looks a bit peaked after laboring in the kitchen all evening over a hot stove. Whew!

She's a good little woman, she can knit and sew my britches. I just wish she'd keep her shoes off the furniture (Click to enlarge). Here I caught her putting her foot on a chair!

Nothing much going on at the Matteson house tonight, that's for sure. Y'all come back now. Come on in anytime and set a spell. She can rustle up some vittles and I'll pick you a tune on my guitar. Hope she can keep her feet off the furniture!

Richard

Performance & The Subconscious Mind

2011-02-09T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On my DigiMusiCam blog
https://digimusicam.com/DigiMusiCam/wordpress/ I'm writing a series of articles about performance- how to perform and develop you ability to perform.

The latest series of blog articles are titled, "Performance & The Subconscious Mind." I've done an interview with Judy Rees from London and hope to line-up some other interviews from leaders in the science of the mind and how it works.

Again- you can check them out here:

https://digimusicam.com/DigiMusiCam/wordpress/

Till next time,

Richard Matteson

New 2011 Bluegrass Messenger Line-Up

2011-01-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is our new Bluegrass Messengers line-up:

(Click to Enlarge)

(Left to Right) Rob Mitchum (Mandolin) Roz Carothers (Fiddle) Richard Matteson (Guitar- Vocals) Roger Miller (Banjo- Vocals) Jim Zils (Electric- Stand-up Bass) Mike Grissom (Dobro)

We've got some talent and more than that we love playing music. We have about two sets of songs and we are working on new songs that we will be adding shortly.

For info email me at Richiematt@aol.com

We'll be playing around Louisville. Our next gig is Feb. 12, 6:00 pm at Heine Brothers Coffee on Herr Lane in Westport Village.

Come on out and set a spell,

Richard

Sleepy Marlin Dies

2011-01-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hi,

The great fiddler Sleepy Marlin, who was featured in an article I wrote for Old-Time Hearld last May/June, died last night- Jan 20th- at the age of 95. On the left is a photo of Sleepy and me after an interview last Spring.

I talked to Jase Marlin tonight and he said Sleepy passed away last night. Jase and the Marlins are performing in Florida. Jase played mandolin with my group Bluegrass Messengers at the Sleepy Marlin Tribute concert on May 8, 2010. You can see us on youtube and also an interview with Sleepy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suf-9rTZd5k

There is a viewing for Sleepy at Coot's Funeral Home in Jeffersonville Feb. 1 between 2-8 and a mass will be held at St. Augustine Catholic Church on Feb. 2 at 10:00 AM.

Sleepy was great man and led an active life both as a father and a performer. He was a founding member of the Drifting Pioneers along with country Music legend Merle Travis in the 1930s.

TY Sleepy for all you've given us- see you again someday in the great bye-and-bye,

Richard

Happy New Year- New Videos

2011-01-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Happy New Year!!!!

I've done two sets of videos with two great singers promoting my new Mel Bay book, Acoustic Music Source Book:

Richard Matteson with Kara Pleasants
Wildwood Flowerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO9Xde2bdwA

Paul & Silas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv5Tmaff9HQ

Meet Me By the Moonlight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gwzCZfnG64

Scarborough Fair
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbxMlz_DlI

Water is Wide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hZkxWs8gs

Richard Matteson with Jessica Kaster
Barbara Allen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX6PE80W4Pw

In the Pines
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOL9Id5TW4

Hop Along Peter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5kAzSQ__rU

Ain't Gonna Lay my Armor Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsBYRuT2_FU

Acoustic Music Sourcebook

2010-11-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Acoustic Music Source Book is out and is available from Mel Bay and Amazon.com

(click on cover to see larger image)

All the songs have melody lines, song notes, lyrics and guitar chords. Here are the songs:

After The Ball
Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down
Ain’t Gonna Study War No More (See: Down by the Riverside)
Ain’t Gonna Rain No More
Ain’t No Bugs On Me
Ain't Nobody's Business/T’Ain’t Nobody’s Buziness/Nobody’s Business
Ain't That Trouble In Mind (See: Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind)
Alabama Bound
Alabama Jubilee
Alberta (See: Corinna, Corinna)
Alexander's Ragtime Band
All My Trials Lord
All Night Long/Richmond Blues
All The Pretty Little Horses
Amazing Grace
Angel Band
Angelina Baker/Angeline, the Baker
As I Went Down to the River/Valley to Pray
At A Georgia Camp Meeting
Atlanta Blues (See: Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor)
Aunt Rhody
Baby Mine; (See: Banjo Pickin’ Girl/Going 'Round This World, Baby Mine)
Baby-O; (See: Whatcha Gonna Do With The Baby-O)
Baby, All Night Long (See: All Night Long/Richmond Blues)
Back Up and Push
Bald-Headed End of the Broom
Band Played On, The
Banjo Pickin' Girl
Banks Of The Ohio
Barbara Allen
Battle Hymn of the Republic (See: Pass Around the Bottle)
Battleship Of Maine, The
Beautiful Dreamer (Stephen Foster)
Been To The East Been To the West
Bell Cow (See: Old Bell Cow)
Bicycle Built For Two (See: Daisy Bell)
Big Ball’s In Town/Big Ball in Boston; (See: Roll on the Ground)
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Bile Dem Cabbage Down
Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?
Billy Boy
Billy Grimes The Rover
Bird in a Cage
Bird in a Gilded Cage, A
Birmingham Jail (See: Down in the Valley)
Black Dog Blues
Black Jack Davy (See: Gypsy Davy)
Blackest Crow, The (See: My Dearest Dear)
Blue-tail Fly (See: Jim Crack Corn)
Boatman Dance
Bottle Up and Go (See: Step it Up and Go)
Buck-eyed Jim
Buffalo Gals
Bugle Call Rag
Bully of the Town

CC Rider (See: Easy Rider)
Camptown Races
Can The Circle Be Unbroken (See: Will the Circle Be Unbroken)
Cannonball Blues/Solid Gone
Careless Love
Casey Jones
Cat Came Back, The
Cat's Got The Measles
Charley Is A Good Ol' Man
Chicken Reel
Chilly Winds (See: Lonesome Road Blues)
Cider/Cider Mill (See: Paddy Won’t You Drink Some)
Cindy
Climbing Up The Golden Stairs
Columbus Stockade Blues
Coming Round The Mountain (See: She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain)
Cotton Mill Blues
Cowboy’s Lament (See: Streets Of Laredo)
Crawdad
Cripple Creek
Crow Black Chicken

Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)
Dance All Night With A Bottle In Your Hand
Danny Boy
Dark Hollow
Darling Nellie Gray
Days of Forty-Nine
Delia
Derby Ram (See: Didn’t He Ramble)
Devilish Mary
Diamond Joe
Didn’t He Ramble
Down in the Valley/Birmingham Jail
Down on Penny’s Farm
Down to the River/Valley to Pray (See: As I Went Down To The River To Pray)
Down Hearted Blues
Don't Get Trouble In Your Mind
Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down
Down by the Riverside
Down Yonder
Drunken Sailor
Ducks On The Mill Pond RM (Lomax bk)

Easy Rider
Erie Canal

Fall On My Knees
Fifteen Cents (See: Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents)
Fishing Blues
Fly around My Pretty Little Miss (See: Pretty Little Pink)
Footprints in the Snow
Four Nights Drunk (Our Goodman)
Four Cent Cotton
Fox, The
Frankie and Johnny
Froggie Went A-Courtin'

Gambler’s Blues (St. James Infirmary)
George Collins
Georgia Camp Meeting (See: At A Georgia Camp Meeting)
Georgia Railroad
Gettin' Upstairs- (See: Such a Getting Upstairs)
Gideon’s Band
Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee, The
Give Me Back My Fifteen Cents
Give Me That Old Time Religion (See: Old Time Religion)
Go Tell Aunt Rhody (See: Aunt Rhody)
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (See: Lonesome Road Blues)
Going Down To Lynchburg Town
Going 'Round This World (See: Banjo Pickin’ Girl)
Going To Raise A Ruckus Tonight (See: Raise A Ruckus Tonight)
Golden Slippers (See: Oh, Dem Golden Slippers)
Goodbye Liza Jane (See: Mountaineer's Love Song)
Grandfather's Clock
Green Pastures
Gypsy Davey

Handsome Molly
Hard Times in the Mill (See: Cotton Mill Blues)
Hesitation Blues
He's Got the Whole World in His Hand
Home on The Range
Hop Along Peter
House Of the Rising Sun
How Long, How Long Blues
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat?

I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow (See: Man of Constant Sorrow)
I Am A Pilgrim
I Don't Love Nobody
I Gave My Love a Cherry (See: Riddle Song, The)
I Got A Bulldog
I Never Will Marry
I Ride an Old Paint
I Truly Understand
I Want A Girl
I’ll Rise When the Rooster Crows
I’ll Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms (See: Roll in My Sweet Babies)
I'm Alabama Bound- (See: Alabama Bound)
I’m Just a Poor Wayfaring Stranger (See: Poor Wayfaring Stranger)
I'm Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (See: Lonesome Road Blues)
I’m in the Jailhouse Now (See: In the Jailhouse Now)
I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World (See: Sittin' On Top Of The World)
I’ve Always Been A Rambler
I've Been Working On The Railroad
I’ve Got the Lovesick Blues (See: Lovesick Blues)
Ida Red
In the Good Old Summertime
In the Jailhouse Now
In The Pines
It Ain’t Gonna Rain No More (See: Ain’t Gonna Rain)

Jawbone
Jesse James
Jim Along Josey
Jimmy Sutton (See: Old Jimmy Suttton)
Joe Turner Blues
John Brown’s Dream (See: Little Rabbit)
John Hardy
John Henry
Johnny, Get Your Gun
Johnson’s Old Grey Mule (See: Thompson's Old Grey Mule)
June Apple
Just A Closer Walk With Thee

Katy Dear (See: Silver Dagger)
Kentucky Moonshiner
Keep On The Sunnyside
King Kong Kitchee
Kitty Alone
Kumbaya

Last Payday At Coal Creek (See: Payday at Coal Creek)
Letter Edged in Black
L'il Liza Jane
Listen To The Mockingbird
Little Brown Jug
Little Maggie
Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane
Little Rabbit
Little Sadie
Liza Jane (See: Mountaineer's Love Song)
Londonderry Air (See: Danny Boy)
Lonesome Road Blues
Lost John Dean
Lovesick Blues
Lulu Walls

Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
Mama Don’t ‘Low
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Meet Me in the Moonlight
Michael Row the Boat Ashore
Molly Hare (See: Old Molly Hare)
Moonshiner (See: Kentucky Moonshiner)
Motherless Children
Mountaineer's Love Song
My Dear Companion

New Prisoner’s Song (See: Meet Me in the Moonlight)
Nine Hundred Miles
Nine-Pound Hammer
Nobody's Business (See: Ain't Nobody's Bizness)
Nobody’s Darling on Earth

Oh Dem Golden Slippers
Oh Didn’t He Ramble (See: Didn’t He Ramble)
Oh Susanna
Old Aunt Peggy Won't You Set 'em Up Again (See: Pass Around the Bottle)
Old Bell Cow
Old Chisolm Trail
Old Dan Tucker
Old Grey Mare/Down in Alabam
Old Jimmy Sutton
Old Joe Clark
Old Molly Hare
Old Time Religion
On Top Of Old Smokey
Other Side Of Jordan, The (See: Jordan Is A Hard Road To Travel)
Our Goodman (See: Four Nights Drunk)
Out on Penny’s Farm (See: Down on Penny’s Farm)
Over the Garden Wall

Paddy Won’t You Drink Some Good Ol’ Cider
Papa's Billy Goat (See: Bill Grogan’s Goat)
Paper Of Pins
Pass Around the Bottle
Paul and Silas
Payday At Coal Creek
Peg and Awl
Penny’s Farm (See: Down on Penny’s Farm)
Peter Went Fishing (See: Georgia Railroad)
Policeman
Polly Wolly Doodle
Poor Wayfaring Stranger
Prettiest Little Girl In The County-O;
Pretty Little Pink
Pretty Saro
Prisoner’s Dream (See: Logan County Jail)
Prisoner’s Song (See: Meet Me In the Moonlight)
Putting On the Style (Jerry Silverman bk)

Ragged But Right
Railroad Bill
Raise A Ruckus Tonight
Red Apple Juice
Red River Valley
Richmond Blues ( See: All Night Long)
Riddle Song, The
Rise When the Rooster Crows (See: I’ll Rise When The Rooster Crows)
Rock Island Line
Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms
Roll On The Ground

Saint Louis Blues
Salty Dog Blues
Scarborough Fair
She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain
She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage (See: Bird in a Gilded Cage)
Shenandoah
Shine On Harvest Moon
Shorty George
Shout Mourner (See: You Shall Be Free)
Silver Dagger
Sing Song Kitty (See: King Kong Kitchee)
Solid Gone (See: Cannonball Blues)
Spike Driver Blues
Sporting Cowboy (See: Logan County Jail)
St. James Infirmary (See: Gambler’s Blues)
Stagolee/Stackerlee
Step It Up and Go
Stillhouse (See: Paddy Won’t You Drink Some)
Street’s of Laredo (Cowboy’s Lament)
Sugar Hill
Swannanoa Tunnel

T’Ain’t Nobody’s Buziness (See: Ain’t No Nobody’s Business)
Take A Drink On Me
Take Me Out To the Ballgame
Take This Hammer (See: Swannanoa Tunnel)
Tear It Down
Tell Old Bill
This Morning, This Evening, So Soon (See: Tell Old Bill)
This Train Is Bound For Glory
There Ain’t No Bugs On Me (See: Ain’t No Bugs on Me)
Thompson's Old Grey Mule
Tom Dooley
Train Forty-Five (See: Nine Hundred Miles)
Train on the Island

Uncle Bud- Version 1 (Mack McCormick)

Viola Lee Blues

Wabash Cannonball
Wade In The Water
Wagoner’s Lad
Wanderin’
Water Is Wide, The
What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor (See: Drunken Sailor)
What’ll I Do With The Baby-O?
When The Saints
When The Good Lord Sets You Free (See: You Shall Be Free)
White House Blues
Whoa Mule
Who Broke The Lock?
Wild Bill Jones
Wildwood Flower
Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Willie Moore HD

Yellow Rose Of Texas
You Shall Be Free

DigMusiCam

2010-10-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My new company DigiMusiCam will be launching this week. We are working on the on-line lesson part of the company first. The company is dedicated to promoting the teaching of my friend and mentor Aaron Shearer. I've also started a video series, explaining and organizing most of the information from Aaron that I've used and developed.

Here's more info from the site: DigiMusiCam.com

DigiMusiCam About Us

DigiMusiCam was founded to promote music education by facilitating the teaching of music lessons worldwide over the internet using a laptop, webcam or similar device.Guitarist and educator Richard Matteson organized the company in 2010. Matteson has published over a dozen guitar and piano books with Mel Bay Publications.

His latest book, "Acoustic Music Sourcebook" available from Amazon.com or Mel Bay, reflects Matteson interest in traditonal American music. His last book, "Bluegrass Picker's Tunebook" has the history, melody and lyrics of 213 bluegrass songs. Matteson's goal is to elevate the level of teaching by promoting the concepts of his teacher and mentor, Aaron Shearer, which include ADM (Aim Directed Movement), the Four Principles of Efficient Muscle Function and Performance Development.

Matteson is hosting a video series titled, "Secrets of Learning the Guitar" which use many of Shearer's systems. The trial Digimuiscam videos are being aired on YouTube. Richard's Mel Bay book, "Right-Hand Arpeggio Studies" explores many of Shearer's concepts including alternation and sympathetic movement. This book and 'Bluegrass Piccker's Tunebook" are still availble from Mel Bay. Matteson's other books are still in print because they have been reissued by Mel Bay in digital form through Amazon.com.

I'll be doing a series of posts on DigiMusicam,

Richard

Art Stamper

2010-09-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I just did an interview with Kay Stamper and will be doing an article for Old-Time Herald on Art and his father Hiram. I got a chance to meet Kay and jam with Art's grandson, who is already a good guitar picker.

Fortuately there are some folks around that knew Art well and played with him.

I'll be doing a few blogs on Art and Hiram in the next few weeks.

I'm also going to be giving you updates on my new business venture and will be providing you with some gr8 info about learning to play the guitar and other insruments.

Richard

Last Legend's Luncheon- Slim Bryant

2010-08-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the Left is country guitar legend Slim Bryant who died this summer. I've got an article coming out this fall in the Old-Time Herald featuring an interview with Slim I did last Fall & Spring.

Thomas Hoyt "Slim" Bryant (December 7, 1908 – May 28, 2010) was a country music singer/songwriter and guitarist born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the last living link to Jimmie Rodgers and also to the Skillet Lickers, a band he played with briefly in the early 1930s with Riley Puckett and Clayton McMichen.

My old-time country band Crossroads is playing Legends Luncheon on Wed. Aug 18 and from 11:00 to 1:00 Jefferson Park, Downtown Louisville [park is at the corner of Jefferson and 6th downtown]. Come on out.

I've got some new musical projects coming up soon. Look for updates,

Richard

Legends luncheon

2010-07-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My old-time country band Crossroads played Legends Luncheon on Wed. July 16, and we got a clip on WHAS TV. We will be playing the next show July 21 from 11:00 to 1:00 Jefferson Park, Downtown Louisville [park is at the corner of Jefferson and 6th downtown]. Come on out.

Please check out my new gospel research: http://bluegrassmessengers.com/traditional-and-public-domain-gospel-d-e.aspx

I'm 3/4 way through the D songs. Great songs!

Richard

Gospel Song Research

2010-06-03T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's my new song research project: http://bluegrassmessengers.com/traditional-and-public-domain-gospel--c.aspx

Here's my C song list and I've added about ten more songs today:

Traditional and Public Domain Gospel -C

Cain and Abel- Spiritual (Different Versions)
Call Him by His Name- Spiritual- Lucille Barbee
Call on Me- Gospel song- Pilgrim Travelers 1949
Called to Foreign Fields- Sarah Gunning 1974
Calling Jesus- Christ Memorial Singers 1963
Calling The Prodigal- Charles Gabriel 1889
Calling Thee- Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Lacy 1925
Calvary- Dock Boggs 1968 Calvary- Sacred Harp (Two Versions)
Calvary- Spiritual- John Work; Modern versions
Camp A Little While in the Wilderness- Cas Wallin
Camp Meeting Jubilee- Little Wonder Records 1916
Can I Count On You?- Spiritual 1957
Can The Circle Be Unbroken? Carter Family
Can The World See Jesus in You? Leila Morris 1917
Can You Tell- Starlight Spiritual Singers 1951
Canaan- Hymn "Bound For the Land of Canaan"
Canaan Land- Spiritual- Gospel Songbirds
Canaan's Happy Shore- Revival Hymn 1860
Canaan's Land- Golden "Where The Soul Never Dies"
Canaan's Land- Shaped note "Oh for a Breeze"
Can't Cross Jordan- Brown Collection 1922
Can't Do Without the Lord- Spiritual
Can't Do Wrong and Get By- Jackson Gospel Singers
Can't Feel At Home- Carter Family 1931
Can't Feel at Home- Marie Knight 1956
Can't Hear Nobody Pray- W.P. Detherow 1952
Can't Hide Sinner- Spiritualaires of Columbia, S.C
Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus- Spiritual
Can't You Live Humble?- Spiritual- Work 1907
Careless Soul- James H. Stanley 1909
Carry Me- Spiritual- Ensley Jubilee Singers
Carry Me Down To The Burying Ground- 1952
Carry Me, Good Lord- Spiritual- Lomax
Carry Me Home- Shape Note- Jackson "Penick"
Carry Me Safely Home- Spiritual- Tartt Collection
Carry Me To The Burying Ground- Spiritual 1859
Carry Your Cross With A Smile- Ogdon 1916
Cast Thy Bread upon the Water- Red Sovine 1978
Certainly Lord- Spiritual
Changed Mah Name- Spiritual- Jennifer Bynum
Charge To Keep I Have- W.P. Detherow 1952
Chased Old Satan Through The Door
Chatter With the Angels- Spiritual- John Work
Cheer the Weary Traveler- Heavenly Gospel Singers
Cheer the Weary Traveler- Spiritual- Bryant
Cherokee Hymn- Brown Collection
Cherry Tree Carol- Traditional Folk Ballad
Child of the King- Buell & Sumner 1877
Children, Did You Hear When Jesus Rose?
Children Do Linger- Spiritual 1867
Children Go Where I Send Thee- Spiritual
Children of the Heavenly King- Wisdom Sisters 1926
Children of the Lord- Traditional Praise Song
Children Wade in the Water- Blue Jay Singers 1932
Children, We All Shall Be Free- Jubilee Singers
Children, You'll Be Called On- Jubilee Singers
Child's Desire- Bela Lam and his Singers 1927
Chillun Ob Duh Wilduhness Moan Fuh Bread
Chilly Water- Spiritual- Jubilee Singers 1883
Choose You A Seat 'N' Set Down- Spiritual
Christ Arose- Robert Lowry 1874
Christ Child's Lullaby- Ranald Rankin 1855
Christ Is Coming On The Cloud- Spiritual- Lomax
Christ Returneth- Turner 1878
Christ Was A Wayworn Traveler- Sarah Ogan Gunning
Christ Was a Weary Traveler- Brown Collection
Christ was Born in Bethlehem- Folk Hymn
Christ Was Born on Christmas Morn- Spiritual
Christian Home In Glory- W.P. Detherow 1959
Christian Band- Millennial Harp 1843
Christian Hold Out Your Light- Max Hunter Coll.
Christian Race- Revival hymn- C. G. Wells 1870
Christian Soldier- Sacred Harp
Christians Hold Out Your Light- R. E. Winsett
Christians, Hold Up your Heads- John Work 1907
Christian's Hope- Folk Hymn- William Walker
Christmas Anthem- James Denson, 1844
Christmas Holiday- Pug Allen
Christmas Is Coming- Traditional- Kingston Trio
Christmas Time Is Near- Stanley Brothers
Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over- Carson
Church Across the Way- W. B. Gray- 1894
Church At The Foot Of The Hill- Dixon Brothers
Church Bells- Spiritual- Kid Prince Moore
Church, I'm Fully Saved Today- Willie Johnson
Church in the Wildwood- Carter Family 1932
Church of God- Spiritual- Fenner 1874
Church of God is Right- Otis and Tom Mote
Circle Be Unbroken- Bluegrass Messengers -Matteson
City Called Heaven- Marian Anderson
City Called Heaven- Jessye Norman
City Four Square- Horton Barker
City of Refuge- Spiritual- Brown Collection
City of Refuge- Spiritual- Nick Cave
City of Refuge- Spiritual- Willie Johnson 1928
City of Refuge- Spiritual- Rev. C.J. Johnson
City On the Hill- Wade Mainer
Clear The Line Before You Call- Spiritual- Tartt
Clear Title to a Mansion- Mainer's Mountaineers
Climbing High Mountains- Spiritual
Climbing Jacob's Ladder- Vocal-Aires of Birmingham
Climbing Up All Day- Capitol City Four
Climbing Up the Hill O' Mt. Zion- Spiritual- Lomax
Climbing Up The Golden Stairs- Versions- 1800s
Climbing Up The Golden Stairs- Happy Four
Climbing Up The Golden Stairs- Hawker
Climbing Up The Mountain
Climbing Up To Glory- Putnam & Sawyer 1883
Climbing Up Zion's Hill- Wellborn Waters
Climbing Up Zion's Hill- Carter Family 1952
Clim'in' Up De Hills- Spiritual- Tartt Collection
Cloud and Fire- Ernest Phipps 1928
Clouds Gwine Roll Away- Jubilee Song
Coffin To Bind Me Down- Spiritual 1899
Cold Icy Hand- Spiritual- 1898
Come- Mrs. James Gibson Johnson
Come All Dear Brethren- Sacred Harp 1928
Come, All of God's Children- Jubilee Singers 1874
Come All You Friends and Neighbors- Brown
Come Along- Spiritual- Barton 1898
Come Along and Shout Along- Jackson 1933
Come Along Moses- Spiritual 1867
Come Along Sinners- M.H. Rosenfeld 1881
Come Along You Prayin' Father- Max Hunter
Come And Dine- Grandpa Jones 1975
Come and Go with Me to My Father's House
Come and Go with Me to That Land- Spiritual
Come and Jine- Also "Come and Join"
Come, Angel Band- W.P. Detherow 1952
Come By Here- Spiritual 1931 "Come By Yuh"
Come By Here- Spiritual- Blind Wonders 1953
Come, Come Ye Saints- William Clayton
Come Down- Spiritual- John Work 1907
Come Down, Angel, And Trouble The Water- Perkins
Come Down, Angels- Jubilee Singers 1874
Come Down, Sinners- Spiritual- Southern Workman
Come En Go Wid Me- Gullah Spiritual
Come Friends Go with Me- Shape Note Folk Hymn
Come Go With Me- Spiritual 1867
Come Here Jesus If You Please- Work 1940
Come Here, Lord!- Spiritual- Work- 1907
Come Home- Spiritual- John Lomax 1911
Come, Humble Sinners
Come In The Room- Hightower and Massey 1967
Come, Let Us All Go Down- Jubilee Singers 1874
Come Let Us Sing- Folk Hymn "Twelve Apostles"
Come, My Heart- Primitive Baptist hymn
Come Now My Dear Brethren I Bid You Farewell
Come On And Bow Down- James "Iron Head" Baker
Come on Board The Ship Of Glory- Clyde Maness
Come On Children, Let's Sing- Jackson 1960
Come On, Come On- Straight Street Holiness Group
Come On in This House- Spiritual- Fairfield Four
Come Out of the Wilderness- The Cathedral Quartet
Come On See About Me- Swanee Quintet
Come Over Here- Spiritual Singers for Christ 1951
Come Over Here- Mello-aires of Rochester, NY
Come Over Here- Starlight Gospel Singers 1954
Come Sinner, Come- Spiritual- Odum
Come, Sinner, Come- Witter and Palmer 1887
Come Tell Me Of Your Ship- Shape Note- Davis
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing- Brown 1924
Come to Jesus Just Now
Come Trembleing Down- Krehbiel 1914
Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy
Come Ye That Fear the Lord- James Montgomery
Come, Ye that Love the Lord- Watts & Lowry
Come, Ye that Love the Lord- Starlight Singers
Comfort In Heaven- Spiritual- Barton 1898
Comforter Has Come- Bottome & Kirkpatrick 1890
Coming Day, The- Spiritual 1867 Higginson
Companions Draw Nigh- W.P. Detherow 1952
Companions Draw Nigh- Randolph 1921
Condescension- Southern Harmony
Constantly Abiding- Anne S. Murphy 1908
Conversation with Death- "Oh Death"
Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray- Spiritual
Count Your Blessings- Oatman and Excell 1897
Coventry Carol- Traditional Folk Carol
Cross Me Over- Odum & Johnson 1925
Crossed Old Jordan's Stream- Bird's KCC
Cry from the Cross- Stanley Brothers
Cry Holy- Spiritual- Higginson 1867
Cryin' Holy Unto My Lord- Bill Monroe 1940

Update June

2010-05-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Close-Ups Pretty Little Widder

2010-03-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

Hi,

Here are close-ups of Pretty Little Widder (Click to enlarge)

The first is the pretty little widow herself!

Below is Clayton McMichen who learned the song from his father in 1908.

The last pic is "Black my boots and I'm goin to git 'er!"

Pretty Little Widder

2010-03-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My painting of Pretty Little Widder is done (Click to enlarge). It's a tribute to Clayton McMichen, the leader of the Skillet Lickers band. My article on Clayton will be coming out soon in The Old-Time Herald. For a few years he owned and operated the Spring St. Bar and Grill in Louisville which is less than a block from my house.

Hopefully we can get the Skillet Lickers in the Country Music Hall-of-Fame this year. We're planning a tribute May 8, to another Louisville fiddler, Sleepy Marlin, who played with Merle Travis in the Drifting Pioneers. Sleepy is another championship fiddler from this area.

More news on the concert soon- plus I'll have more pics of Pretty Little Widder!

Thanks all for now,

Richard

John Henry- Dying

2010-03-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

This is a close-up (click to enlarge). This is a touching powerful final scene. John's wife cradles his head as he lays dying with an onlooker kneeling behind.

CC Spencer an eyewitness described this scene and I painted it. The tunnel with a faint light leads John to the afterlife.

John Henry Full view

2010-03-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's the full view, 26 characters, 6 scenes. (Click to enlarge)

Then there's the background with the tunnel- the steam drill on the left and John Henry on the right.

John won the contest but lost his life.

New John Henry Pics- Steam Drill

2010-03-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here are the final pics of the finished painting- there's steam coming out of the steam drill now!

(Click to enlarge)

Anatomy of a Painting- John Henry: Captain Dabney

2010-03-04T07:00:00.001-08:00

Hi,

On the left is a photo of Captain Dabney, who according John Garst, helped organize the competition between John Henry and the steam drill.

The photo is taken of Dabney in 1857 almost 30 years before the contest with John Henry.

I decided to paint Dabney standing next to the steam drill operator. I used the photo as a basis for my portrait.

(click to enlarge)

John Henry; Anatomy of a Painting

2010-03-04T06:36:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is a photo of the Oak Tunnel in Alabama. The arrow points to the spot where legend has it that John Henry drove a steel into the rock that still remains.

So, after consulting John Garst, John Henry expert and reading about the Alabama location, I used the Oak Moutain tunnel as the background for my painting.

Whether the tunnel was completed when John Henry died is not important but having John Henry die on these train tracks would make a powerful image. C.C. Spencer claimed to witness John Henry's death and it is his description that I used to create the death scene in my painting:

(Click photo to enlarge) This touching scene uses the triangle
of three people- if you draw a line from each head you can see the triangle.

To compliment the scene there are three workers in the background. The workers watching from a distance also add perspective.

Here are some facts about the Alabama location quoted from John Garst:

Chasing John Henry in Alabama and Mississippi: A Personal Memoir of Work in Progress
Tributaries: Journal of the Alabama Folklife Association
Issue No. 5 2002 pp 92-129 Synopsis

In my opinion, the data gathered by Guy Johnson and Louis Chappell, and published in their books of 1929 and 1933, respectively, make it very unlikely that John Henry raced a steam drill at Big Bend Tunnel. These workers made a massive effort, focused on Big Bend, and failed to find anything definitive, despite the fact that they were able to interview about a dozen men who had worked on the construction of that tunnel.

Only one of these men claimed to have seen the race and his testimony was very weak. Others testified that it could not have happened at Big Bend - they would have known about it if it had. Johnson received letters from C. C. Spencer, F. P. Barker, and Glendora Cannon Cummings, all of whom placed John Henry and his race with a steam drill in Alabama during the 1880s.

Cummings stated that John Henry beat the steam drill and died at Oak Mountain in 1887, an event that her uncle witnessed. Barker said that John Henry was at "Cursey Mountain" while he, Barker, was driving steel on Red Mountain (which lies along the southeastern edge of Birmingham, Alabama). Spencer's letter was especially rich in detail, but Johnson was frustrated by the failures of his attempts to verify some of Spencer's facts. Spencer mentioned "Cruzee" Mountain, similar to Barker's "Cursey," which Johnson could never find, in Alabama or anywhere else. Spencer also named the railroad under construction as the Alabama Great Southern, which exists but does not go over or through a mountain with a name similar to "Cruzee" or "Cursey." These failures caused Johnson to abandon Alabama, in favor of Big Bend, in his unsuccessful pursuit of John Henry.

Spencer said that he personally witnessed John Henry's death. He described how John Henry fell into a faint near the end of the all-day contest on September 20, regained consciousness, said that he was blind and dying, and asked that his wife be summoned. His wife came and cradled his head in her lap. He asked, "Have I beat that old steam drill?" Measurements gave John Henry 27 1/2 feet and the steam drill 21. Further, he said that John Henry was an ex-slave from Holly Springs, Mississippi; that he took his former master's surname, Dabner; and that he was working for contractors Shea and Dabner when he died. Cummings gave the contractors' names as Shay and Dabney, and a "Jamaica" informant, C. S. Farquharson, gave them as Shea and Dabner.

In fact, Captain Frederick Yeamans Dabney was Chief Engineer for the Columbus & Western Railway Company during the construction of their line between Goodwater, Alabama, and Birmingham in 1887-88. He was a Rensellear-educated civil engineer who made a career of railroad design and construction. Captain was his Confederate army rank. He was born in Virginia in 1834/35; raised in Raymond, Mississippi, from about age one; and settled his family in nearby Crystal Springs, Mississippi, after the Civil War. Between Raymond and Crystal Springs lay Burleigh Plantation, which was owned by Captain Dabney's uncle, Thomas Smith Gregory Dabney.

In 1860 T. S. G. Dabney owned 154 slaves, while Philip Augustine Lee Dabney, Captain Dabney's father, owned eight. (Note: Since the publication of the article I have learned that one of P. A. L. Dabney's slaves was Henry, born in 1844. If this is John Henry, he would have been 43 years old in 1887. I'm told that this is a reasonable age for a champion steel driver. - JG) About 15 miles east of Birmingham the C & W line (later Central of Georgia and now Norfolk Southern) passes through Coosa and Oak Mountain Tunnels, which are two miles apart, portal to portal.

Obviously, "Coosa" was intended by "Cruzee" and "Cursey" in Spencer's and Barker's letters. "Coosa" is locally pronounced "Koo'see" and is even spelled that way in some old documents. The discoveries that Coosa and Oak Tunnels exist, that they have railroad tunnels through them, that these were built in 1887-88, that a Dabney was the engineer in charge of construction, that he was from Mississippi, and that his family owned slaves near Crystal Springs lend credence to the testimonies of Spencer, Barker, and Cummings.

Evidently Spencer simply got his Mississippi "Springs" towns confused when he mentioned Holly Springs, which, being near Memphis, is not very close to Crystal Springs, south of Jackson. In addition, there is a strong local tradition among Central of Georgia employees and around Leeds, Alabama, that John Henry raced a steam drill and died just outside the east portal of Oak Mountain Tunnel, between Oak and Coosa Mountain Tunnels. This tradition is as old and strong as that for Big Bend.

John Henry- Full View

2010-03-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is a photo I took of the whole painting (Click to enlarge). The quality of the photo isn't good but you can get an idea.

There are some gr8 scenes and in order to cram all this into one painting and add the lyrics- 9 verses, well- it wasn't easy.

Did I succeed? On some levels- yes. The individual scenes are good, not sure if I should have added the scenes in the rocks although they are more of an afterthought than a focus. I'm wondering if I should have added John Henry as a baby "sittin' on his Pappy's knee" with a piece of steel in his hand.

The overall seting is good- Oak Mountain. The trees and background above the tunnel are came out well. There's some light in the tunnel- making it a bit mysterious.

I tried do do a portrait of Col. Dabney next to the steam drill operator. It was a bit too small to do details, I don't have brushes small enough for this type of miniture.

Let me know what you think- check out the close-ups following,

Richard

John Henry- Steam Drill

2010-03-02T13:12:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here's the steam drill (click to enlarge) racing to beat John Henry. To the right of the steam drill is Captain Dabney, who organized the race- man vs. machine; John Henry vs. steam drill.

Behind them is the mechanic with a wrench who struggles to keep the steam drill going.

In the final painting you can see the steam coming out of the drill (this was taken several days ago).

Richard

John Henry Close-Up Left corner

2010-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here is the left-corner with ther lyrics (click to enlarge).

It simply shows John Henry with his hammer and the lyrics.

More to come,

Richard

John Henry Close-Up Right side

2010-03-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is a close-up (Click to enlarge) of my painting of John Henry. It shows John Henry with his shaker racing the steam drill (the steam drill is on the other side of the canvas).

Behind him a crowd has gathered. Several people in the background hold steels- the steel rod that John Henry is pounding into the solid rock.

The shaker turns the steel after every blow with the sledgehammer.

A family is gathered on the left side to watch.

More on John Henry to come,
Richard

John Henry: Preview

2010-03-02T12:42:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I just finished my painting of John Henry (click to enlarge). Here is a close-up of the center of the painting showing John Henry dying with a hammer in his hand. Behind him is the Oak Mountain tunnel in Alabama.

John Garst, John Henry researcher, helped me with details. John is writting a book about John Henry.

This is a large and complex painting with around 40 characters and 6 scenes- 2 of them hidden in the rock wall.

This is just one scene.

New Painting/Daily Country Bluegrass Trivia

2010-02-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is my new Bluegrass Series painting (Clixck to enlarge)

Today's country/bluegrass trivia questions are about my painting-a song about a river that recorded by Bill Monroe in 1936 with his brother Charlie- it begins, "I asked my love to take a walk..."

1) What is the title of the song about a river that the Monroes sang in 1936?
2) When was the song first collected?
3) Although the song seems to be a love ballad "in our home we'll happy be.." it's really what type of ballad?
4) When did Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys re-record the song?

Later today I'll post more close-up images,

C U,

Richard

Bluegrass Messengers Vids

2010-02-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hi,

My youtube video project is still going strong. Mainly I'm focused on providing new arrangements of traditional songs and my "Learning to Play" series where I show you how to play traditional songs.

I've started using Facebook to network and have around 4,000 friends. I'm doing a daily Country/Bluegrass trivia which I'll start adding here if people want to participate.

This is the latest set of videos on YouTube:

Blackberry Blosssom: Bluegrass Messengers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS4RxlcpJQ4

Glory To The Meeting House: Bluegrass Messengers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw6OwfSaEM8

Duck Chewed Tobacco: Bluegrass Messengers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw6x6udPZtg

Big Sandy River: Bluegrass Messengers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5qxb2sGPWQ

These are important versions because they are lyric versions of traditonally instrumental tunes. Hopefully other people will pick-up these versions and use them,

That's all for now,

Richard

Pretty Polly

2010-01-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is my painting of Pretty Polly (Click to enlarge). It features Pretty Polly, BF Shelton playing the banjo and one of the final scenes.

I've done a video of me playing the song; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASJjrxxCNmc

Recently got ther video of our band playing the old-time banjo version with Cari Norris:
Bluegrass Messengers Pretty Polly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV8fnwYm58I

They are completely different versions. Cari Norris learned her version from her grandmother Lily May Ledford of the Coon Creek Girls. My version features the lyrics found in my painting.

I want to thank Austin Wilder (who did the vid with Cari) and also Richard Blasi who has done about 20 videos for me now, for their gr8 work.

I'm planning on doing at least 50 videos and maybe more in the next few months. Mine are usually done in one take. I'm doing mostly learn to play videos now.

Hope you enjoy them,

Richard

Happy New Year!

2010-01-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Yes I'm late. I've been busy on my latest project- making youtube videos. On the left you can see my painting of Bury Me Beneath the Willow (Click to enlarge).

Now I've done a video demonstrating how to play the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tshjEAGnMWY

Plus here's a live performance of Bury Me Beneath the Willow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAUCTLXbm5U

My goal is do a series of videos to share what I know about the guitar and music. So I'm doing educational videos along with performances. Right now I'm mostly focusing on my old-time/bluegrass painting songs. I have 19 paintings and need to finish Banks of the Ohio which I will do this week.

I'll put more of the youtube links on in the next few weeks,

Richard

All The Pretty Little Horses MP3

2009-12-28T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On left is my first Bluegrass Series painting (Click to enlarge) titled- All The Pretty Little Horses. It was completed in 2006. This painting features several optical illusions as well as soem inventive tricks- the horses turn into the baby's face and the butterflies turn into the lamb. There are close-ups on my art site: MattesonArt.com

I'm combining music and art and this blog features an MP3 of my arrangement. It's based on the version Alan Lomax's collected that has the "way down yonder" bridge.

It's a beautiful lullaby and is sung by my niece, Kara. We did six demo songs last Saturday at my brother-in-law Bob's home studio.

I thought she did a great job learning the songs on the spot. I'd go over the melody a few times until she got it. Some of the six melodies we did were complex but this one is fairly simple- two parts with a slight variation on the second verse.

Click on the MP3 file:
http://bluegrassmessengers.com.temp.realssl.com/all-the-pretty-little-horses--bluegrass-messengers.aspx

Hope you like it,

Richard

Red Apple Juice MP3

2009-12-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here's another way to combine music and art,

my mp3 version of Red Apple Juice. Painting by Richard L. Matteson Jr. in 2009 (Click to enlarge)

I learned this version in North Carolina circa 1998. This is me singing Red Apple Juice and playing guitar done Dec. 2009 with my niece Kara singing harmony:

http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/Data/Sites/1/mp3%27s/04%20Red%20Apple%20Juice.mp3

Richard

New Videos, MP3's

2009-12-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

Hi,

My new series of videos has started and a few of them are on you tube:

Salt Creek (Live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLug7KVqXtA

Careless Love (Live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxF9w2WnIig

Bury Me Beneath the Willow (live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAUCTLXbm5U

Bird in a Cage (live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89CG1nqm4v0

These are some live performances playing at la Vida Java on Dec. 16, 2009. The performances aren't great because we are still learning the songs but other people can learn the songs from them- that's the main thing.

The first part of my project is- I'm doing videos of live performances of my Bluegrasss Series painting songs and additionally educational instructional videos.

The second part of my project is: I'm writing new lyrics versions of bluegrass/old-time fiddle tunes.

I also recorded some demos MP3's with my neice Kara, who has a great voice for these tunes. Even tho there are some small mistakes the demos are fine for listening to and learning the songs.

Richard

feature; news

2009-12-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left is a pic of me performing Red Apple Juice last Thursday at Quills.

Mom's Music, where I teach, did a feature of me on their blog. There's a photo of me and Chet at our concert in Sept. 1992.

http://momsmusiclouisville.blogspot.com/

I'm trying to get the educational video series going. The good news is that Cari Norris, Lily May Ledford's granddaughter will be sharing her talent and playing afew of my painting songs.

Come out and see us at Quills, on Baxter, around 8:30 Sat. Dec. 12. Some members of my band, Bluegrass Messengers, and I will be accompanying her.

See you there,

Richard

Bluegrass Videos- Performances

2009-12-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

Howdy,

I'm getting ready to start a series of educational videos that I'll be putting on YouTube. They will feature live-perfomances of songs by my band as well as solo clips of me talking about the history and showing how to play the songs on guitar.

We're doing a trial video tonite at Quills on Baxter around 8:20-10:00.

Tomorrow we're playing at Compound Art Gallery Trolley Hop Concert (Art and Music) at 7:00

Friday Dec. 4 6:00pm- 12:00
Compound Art Gallery 713 E. Main St. Louisville KY 40206
Admission: Donations

Band Schedule:
6:00 Cadillac Shack
7:00 Bluegrass Messengers
7:30 Exit 9
8:20 HeatherField
9:15 Honey Highway Country and Blues Show
10:15-12:00 Tattoo Babylon

The next video is scheduled Sat. Dec. 12 at Quills on Baxter 8:30 PM

Come on out!

Richard

Mac and Sleepy; Part 2

2009-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

Hi,

On the left you can see the cover of the 1939 Drifting Pioneers song folio. Sleepy was kind enough to give me a copy.

Featured are the Drifting Pioneers with their coonskin caps. From left to right: Walt Brown (mandolin); Merle Travis (guitar); Sleepy Marlin (fiddle) and Bill Brown (bass).

Merle left the Pioneers in spring of 1937 to join Mac's Georgia Wildcats. Then in the summer of 1937 he rejoined the Pioneers.

Sleepy and Mac crossed paths many times and he eventually ended up playing for Mac in the late 1940s. It didn't last long because Mac, a lifetime drinker, was hitting the bottle hard and Sleepy couldn't get along with him.

Sleepy did relate a story (second hand) about Mac and Natchee. Mac and Natchee were rivals in a series of fiddle competitions sponsored by Larry Sunbrock, even though the contestants were paid a flat fee they still tried to win the audience vote and the competition by fiddling their best.

According to Sleepy, Mac decided he would play a trick on Natchee and put soap on Natchee's bow hair before the big final. Of course Natchee couldn't make much sound with soap on his bow and confronted Mac who was never afraid of a fight. Sleepy said Mac who was only 5' 7" and weighted about 155 pound was no match in a fist fight with the 6' 2" indian. Sleepy said Mac took a beating.

Then in the late 1940s Sleepy started playing the state competition at the Kentucky fair held every year in Louisville. At the time Mac was playing with his big swing band at Howell's Furniture Store while Sleepy started his own band, The Wagoneers, then joined Randy Atcher's band on WHAS and was featured on the Hayloft Hoedown TV show.

Sleepy won the contest at least two times when Mac entered. According to Sleepy, "I beat him one year playing Bile Dem Cabbage Down , which was his contest song. Mac didn't like that much."

Sleepy played on WHAS in Louisville from around 1950 until 1962 on Randy's hit TV show. More on Sleepy later.

Richard

Mac and Sleepy: Part 1

2009-11-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Hi,

I just had lunch with Sleepy Marlin (photo on left), his son Jace, and the fiddle player in my bluegrass band Linda Starks. Sleepy was born in 1915 and was active in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky in his professional career which began around 1932.

He also played with Merle Travis in their Drifting Pioneers Band which formed in early 1937. They were in Evansville, Indiana when Merle got word via a telegram that Clayton McMichen wanted him to play guitar for the Georgia Wildcats.

The Pioneers didn't want to keep Merle from his chance with a big-time band so Merle headed out in the Spring of 1937, during the late stages of the Flood of 1937, to play with McMichen. Merle didn't stay long with McMichen returning to The Drifting Pioneers in July 1937. Travis would play with Sleepy until 1942 when World War II broke up the band.

Sleepy was one of the premiere contest fiddlers in the nation for many years. He beat McMichen several years at the Kentucky state competition in Louisville the 1950s. He also played with Mac for about 6 months.

Sleepy is in good shape and his sons now carry on the tradition in several bands including "The Marlins," a nationally known cover band and his son Jack's band "The Marlinaires." I'm planning to do an article on him for the Old-Time Herald.

More on Sleepy to come,

Richard

Mac and Curly: Curly Fox

2009-10-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left is a photo of Curly Fox. Curly was a fiddler who crossed paths with Mac many times. Fox along with his wife, Texas Ruby, became Country Music stars in the late 1930s and 1940s from their appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.

Fox was first inspired to become a professional performer when the Skillet Lickers came to Graysville TN for a road show. Curly, who played fiddle and guitar, was used by Mac and Bert to fill in on guitar for Riley Puckett.

Larry Sunbrock used Curly to play in his staged fiddle contests in the mid 1930s against Natchee the Indian and sometimes against Mac or both. [see last blog]

Curly was a fiddler strongly influenced by Mac and Lowe Stokes. Bert Layne, who was a better teacher, also helped Curly learn new tunes. Here are two bios on the early years:

Arnim Fox grew up in the East Tennessee community of Graysville learning to cut hair and play fiddle from his father the town barber. He also learned some fiddle techniques from James McCarroll of the Roane County Ramblers, one of the truly great fiddlers of the roaring 20’s. Fox served something of an apprenticeship with McCarroll’s band. Curly also got an early taste of professionalism by joining an “Indian” medicine show run by a “Chief White Owl” with whom young Arnim journeyed as far north as Indiana.

According to one familiar story, the youth yearned for a professional career in music from the time Gid Tanner’s Skillet Lickers came through Graysville playing a show and stopped in the elder Fox’s barbershop. Not long afterward, Curly set out for WSB Atlanta, where he joined Claude Davis and the Carolina Tar Heels (not the Victor recording act), acquired the nickname “Curly” and later started his own band called the Tennessee Firecrackers.

About 1934, the Shelton Brothers came to Atlanta and Curly joined forces with them, going to WWL New Orleans. He remained with the Sheltons long enough to do a pair of Decca sessions in 1935 and 1936, including six sides recorded under his own name. Leaving the Sheltons in 1936, Curly traveled for a while with promoter Larry Sunbrock, who staged a series of fiddling contests featuring Curly, Natchee the Indian (aka Lester Vernon Storer), and other noted fiddlers. At the Texas centennial celebration in 1937, Curly met the husky-voiced, cowgirl singer known as Miss Texas Ruby.

The following biography was used when Texas Ruby and husband Curly Fox appeared onstage as Grand Ole Opry guests on November 8, 1947.

Arnim Leroy "Curly" Fox grew up in the hill country of southeast Tennessee, where he worked at everything from saw mill to genson gathering. The evenings were spent making music at the barber shop. Besides learning to play the guitar and fiddle, Curly also got to be right handy with the razor and shears as an apprenticed barber. He followed the trade at various times in the following years, since making a living sawing a fiddle was a tough row to hoe in those days. On rare occasions, traveling string bands would come through the little town, pick and sing a few tunes, and pass around the hat to get a few nickels for gas and eats. Of course, they could always bunk up with the country folks who were glad to have them stay and play a few more tunes.

One evening while Curly and his dad were having one of their regular sessions of tune picking and singing, an old T-model Ford thundered up and came to an abrupt halt in front of the barber shop. Emerging from the steam and dust stirred up by the spitting Tin Lizzie were several dusty but otherwise well-dressed men carrying some of the finest looking banjos, guitars, and fiddles the Foxes had ever laid eyes on.

The men came into the shop flashing those personality smiles and talking freely. They proceeded to wipe the dust from their instruments, all the while insisting that Curly and his dad fiddle a tune or two. This they did without delay, and right proudly, too, since they were called the very best by the natives. Both Curly and his dad played either fiddle or guitar. So, since the old man happened to have the fiddle, he put if up against his chest and flogged a couple of hoe downs, squeaking loud and long in the smoke-filled room. At the end of the self-styled rendition, Curly insisted that the strangers play one. So, they proceeded to play with skill and tone, the likes of which Curly and his dad had never heard before.

The newcomers turned out to be one of the greatest string bands of all times, "The Skillet Lickers," famous for their recordings and later for their radio shows. Watching these professional music makers gave Curly food for thought. Immediately, he stopped holding the fiddle against his stomach as he sat cross-legged, and began holding it under his chin and standing erect. In the years that followed, through hours of practicing, he developed a double stop style of noting and unique bow movement. These have been copied by many and mastered by very few. Today, Curly Fox is without doubt one of the nation's most colorful fiddlers and versatile entertainers.

Mac: More on Sunbrock and Natchee

2009-10-31T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I've found a bit more about notorious promoter Larry Sunbrock and Natchee the Indian.

On the left is a photo (click to enlarge) of the Skillet Lickers in 1931 when they appeared on WCKY Covington. This was the group Larry Sunbrock promoted and managed that led him into music/event promotion.
From left to right: Bert Layne, Riley Puckett, Clayton McMichen and Slim Bryant.

Even though the Skillet Lickers had broken up (Gid Tanner and McMichen never played after the last 1931 Columbia session), for promotion purposes the Skillet Licker name was used on WCKY on radio and by Larry Sunbrock for road shows. After all, Bert, Mac, and Riley were three former members. The Skillet Licker name was used again for the 1934 Bluebird recordings even though Mac didn't play.

As I said in my earlier blog Natchee the Indian's real name was Lester Vernon Storer. Storer was a trick fiddler that played "arranged" fiddle competitions against Clayton McMichen, Curly Fox and other fiddlers. Larry Sunbrock was the promoter for the arranged contests and the first prize was awarded based on audience approval. Sunbrock would place his hand over the head of each finalist and whoever received the loudest response won. Whether they won or lost the fiddlers received a flat fee from Sunbrock.

The contests, held in the 1930s, were promoted on radio and drew huge crowds. Merle Travis reported a crowd of around 5,000 at one contest between Mac and Natchee. Larry Sunbrock reported that in St. Louis they drew 24,000 people in one day.

Curly Fox said Natchee the Indian had a "capitivating style but he only knew ten tunes." Not much is known about Natchee (Lester Storer). Records indicate that Lester V. Storer died Dec. 21, 1970 in Santa Clara. What he was doing or how he ended up in California I don't know.

In the 1930 census Lester V. Storer's home was Springfield, Clark County, Ohio. He was 16 and his birth year was 1913 or 1914. He lived with his mother Anna L. who was 61 (born about 1869) and his older brother John E. Storer who was 19. At the time Lester was a laborer in pump shop. His father, George V. Storer must have died by 1930 or left the household.

In the 1920 census his name is listed as Lester T Stoves [Lester V Storer]. The middle intial should be a V and the last name was illegible. They lived in Bratton, Adams County, Ohio. Lester was 6 years old and his brother John was 10. His father, George V. was 46 and his mother, Anna L. was 50. Both parents were born in Ohio. A Charles E, Messinger, who was 16, lived with the family.

Clearly Sunbrock, who reported that Natchee (Storer) was 3/4 Apache, was doing this as a publicity stunt. In 1947 Nachee was still being promoted by Sunbrock. [See: Billboard‎ Magazine - Jan 25, 1947 - v. 59, no. 4] Banjo Murphy teamed with Nacthee and his Arizona Indians, a show being managed by Larry Sunbrock. They traveled from coast to coast, putting on fiddle, yodel, banjo and singing contests. Members included Cowboy Copas and Red Herron.

Natchee drifted around after the 1940s and little is known about him. He reportedly lived in Chicago in the 1950s and turned up in Kentucky- dirty, broke and hungry- at Bert Layne's house [Juanita Mcmichen Lynch]. According to John Harrod, Natchee had a son that lived in California and he moved out there. He died there in 1970. Anyone that has more info let me know.

Lawrence Henry Sunbrock AKA Larry Sunbrock was born around 1912. Records show Larry divorced his wife Georgia Sunbrock in 1952 in Orange County. Sunbrock, who was based in Orlando Florida promoted rodeo shows, circus shows, rock concerts, sporting events, race track events, country concerts, country jamborees and fiddle contests.

I have a copy of Robert Shelton's 1966 The Country Music Story which has one of the few printed reports from Sunbrock about his role in promoting country events on page 221:

One of the old-timers in country music promotion is Larry Sunbrock, now based in Orlando, Florida. He wrote me:

"In 1930, I was running, at eighteen, The Metropolitan Theater in Cincinnati and starving during the Great Depression, taking in about $20 a night at the movies. Then I heard of the skillet Lickers playing at WCKY [McMichen, Layne, Riley Puckett, this was in 1931] I booked them into the theater and grossed $400 a night for three nights. I took them on the road as manager and we played theaters, armories etc. for several years. In 1933 Natchee, the Indian (whom I named) played a fiddlers' contest against Clayton McMichen and Natchee won. I lined them up again in Louisville, Nashville, Cincinatti, Atlanta and elsewhere and made a barrel of money and friends. In St. Louis I had 24,000 people turn out for two shows in one day of a band, fiddlers' and yodelers' contest.

From such sucesses I started barn dances all over the midwest, but never had enough sense to capitalize on it. In 1935 Cowboy Copas joined me and Natchee and we then used Curly Fox as a fiddling champion against all comers.

I was the first to take hillbilly music out of the barns and put it in auditoriums. Oscar Davis and Joe Franks all followed me."

It was Sunbrock's promoting skills that led to Mac, Bert and Slim landing a better paying position at WLW in Cincinnati. For a short time there were two Skillet Licker bands playing at rival radio stations- Mac, Bert and Slim (with Johnny Barfield) playing at WLW and Riley and Gid Tanner playing at WCKY.

Sunbrock went on to promote many different events. He seemed to become entangled in legal disputes wherever he went.

Billboard Magazine Dec. 13, 1947: Larry Sunbrock was brought up for trial in Special Sessions Tuesday in a caase stemming from the short-lived Big Top Circus he promoted here (Orlando) in 1943. [Sunbrock filed bankruptcy papers to avoid paying the debts he incurred. After negotiations he was ordered to pay $10,000]

Here's a report from an Orlando Paper dated Sept 1959 (perhaps date should be Sept 1948)

[[• An Attorney representing Lawrence H. Sunbrock said there was “no Florida law on which to base a misleading advertising charge” on the Orlando promoter.

The claim was made by attorney Harry H. Martin in motions filed in Criminal Court to quash two charges brought against the 48-year-old Sunbrock by the Duval County Solicitor’s Office.
The charges against Sunbrock alleged that on the past Dec. 30 he caused to be published in local newspapers advertisement of the public performance of a rodeo which contained “untrue, deceptive and misleading assertions.”

Sunbrock was arrested the night of Dec. 31 shortly before his widely advertised “national championship rodeo” was slated to open a four-night run with three afternoon performances at the Gator Bowl (now Municipal Stadium).

Local authorities did not allow Sunbrock to present the show whose performers were to include Dennis Weaver, who played “Chester,” Marshal Dillon’s sidekick, on the television series “Gunsmoke.”

Martin’s motions to quash included a ground that the charges were not founded on any Florida criminal law. In other words, he explained, there was no Florida statute covering the situation alleged in Sunbrock’s case by the County Solicitor. Martin also said the charges written by the solicitor failed to allege what claims in the newspaper advertisement were false. ]]

I'm currently trying to gather more info on Larry Sunbrock. I know he owned some property in the Orlando area (Rodeo Ranch). According to Billboard‎ Magazine - Aug 18, 1956 - "Off the road for the first time in 25 years, Larry Sunbrock, veteran rodeo and thrill show owner, is now operating two speedways in Florida."

If anyone has info on Sunbrock please email me.

Richard

Mac and Slim: Decca 1937

2009-10-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left is copy of a Decca 78 recorded by Clayton McMichen in 1939 at the last Decca session. This medley of fiddle tunes is one of six fiddle tune medleys (18 tunes) all done at the last session.

In 1937 McMichen landed a recording contract with Decca. On July 27, 1937 The Wildcats headed for New York where they recorded Farewell Blues; In The Pines; Chicken Don’t Roost Too High; I Want My Rib; Georgiana Moon; Bile Dem Cabbage Down; Sweet Bunch Of Daisies; Frankie and Johnny; Under The Old Kentucky Moon; and Yum Yum Blues.

According to Merle Travis and Charles Wolfe he was present at the recording session. Merle said that his first recording session was playing guitar on McMichen’s recording of “Farewell Blues.” According to Rich Kienzle article on Slim Bryant: Slim, Loppy and Kenny Newton reunited with Mac that summer. Gary Cinell and also Tony Russell do not list Travis as being part of the session.

In my last interview I told Slim the songs on the session he said, "I played on all them." When I asked Slim about Merle he said, "Merle wasn't there." [Juanita confirms: She was with Mary Jane (Slim's wife) who was sick with euremic poisoning, while Mac and Slim were in NYC recording.]

Several songs from this session have become old-time standards. McMichen's "Georgiana Moon" is a fiddle standard today. According to Mac: "It was one of the most beautiful tunes I ever wrote in my life. We were going to get rich off it- huh! We didn't sell enough to pay for the first pressing. I got about 75-80 cents for writing it."

Mac and Slim also wrote lyrics for the tune and included them in their 1934 songbook. I also used Georgiana Moon as of the melodies I selected to arrange and record for my Mel Bay book, "American Fiddle Tunes for Acoustic Guitar." The book features fingerstyle arrangements of fiddle tunes.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim Split- The Grand Ole Opry 1936

2009-10-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left you can see the performers on the 1936 Grand Ole Opry (click to enlarge). I'm not positive but it look like Mac is on the front row (Third from far right) seated with his fiddle.

Slim Byant and McMichen briefly parted ways in fall of 1936. With Mac's blessing he took Loppy, Jack Dunigan, Kenny Wallace, and another fiddler and dubbed themselves Slim, Jack and the Gang. Slim went back in St. Louis and appered on KWK radio.

According to Slim the group went briefly back to Louisville, then in early '37, Slim's band returned to Pittsburgh and KDKA. In Pittsburgh they teamed up with singer/fiddler Kenny Newton then returned to Louisville during the summer.

Meanwhile McMichen reorganized the Wildcats with bassist Bucky Yates, a highly talented young fiddler from Kokomo, Indiana named Carl Cotner and guitarist Blackie Case. By the fall of 1936 McMichen and his new Wildcat line-up which was now, Carl Cotner, Red Penn, Joe Bowers, Blackie Case were in Nashville where they landed a spot on the Grand Ole Opry.

"The Opry didn't pay much," said Juanita McMichen Lynch, "so they had to do road shows and hurry back to the Opry to play on radio. It wasn't long before Daddy gave up on it- he was losing money playing there."

Juanita remembers moving to Nashville and going to school there in the fall. The Wildcats were headquartered in Nashville until the Spring of 1937 when the Ohio River flooded. In 1937 a young guitarist named Merle Travis joined the group. They moved to Covington, KY across the river fron Cincinnati where they appeared on WLW. [See: earlier blogs on Merle Travis]

More to come,

Richard

Eight More Miles To Louisville- Mac and Slim

2009-10-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Hi,

By 1934 Mac and Slim were heading back to Louisville:

Eight more miles and Louisville will come into my view
Eight more miles on this old road and I'll never more be blue
I knew some day that I'd come back, I knew it from the start
Eight more miles to Louisville, the home town of my heart.

The Georgia Wildcats moved for the second time to Louisville in 1934, which would eventually become McMichen's home base, and were featured on WHAS. They acquired a new stand-up bass player, Slim's younger brother Raymond "Loppy" Bryant.

"Mac went on a vacation back to Atlanta," said Slim Bryant. "When he came back he brought Loppy with him. I ended up teaching him bass and he took right to it."

When the Skillet Lickers regrouped in 1934 at the request of the Bluebird label who were trying to record all the Country stars of the 1920s, McMichen did not participate- he was busy playing with the Georgia Wildcats on WHAS. The 1934 line-up of Georgia Wildcats included McMichen and Slim Bryant, Jack Dunnigan guitar and singer, Pat Berryman on banjo, violin, and mandolin and Loppy Bryant on bass. Foster Brooks was the announcer, sometimes Dave Durham played Sax and trumpet.

In 1934 Mac and Slim published their songbook, Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats with Hoyt 'Slim' Bryant Folio of Songs. The 20 songs include two instrumentals, two songs they called traditional country songs like "Careless Love" and "Johnson's Mule" (really Thompson's Mule by Westendorff) and the rest they claim to be original but clearly "In The Pines" and "Riding On A Humpbacked Mule" should be considered traditional.

Their "In The Pines" version opens with the traditional chorus but uses different verses so it's clearly a rewrite. Their two biggest hits are included: Slim's "Mother of My Heart' and Mac's "Peach Pickin' Time." The songbook includes a lyric arrangement of Mac's great fiddle tune "Georgiana Moon" titled "Dreamy Georgianna Moon," a song I've never heard sung on a record.

In 1935 The Georgia Wildcats did a short stint at KMOX in St. Louis. "We performed the Uncle Dick Slack Show from a furniture store," recalled Slim. The experience paved the way for McMichen's later shows at Howell's Furniture in Louisville.

Alabamian promoter Joe Frank was Gene Autry's manager at WLS Chicago where McMichen and his Wildcats played for about a year until the fall of 1933. Frank moved to Louisville in early 1935. Joe lived at 3rd and St. Catherine and McMichen lived around the corner. Frank brought Gene Autry to Louisville on March 18, 1935 while they waited for Gene's first western movie in Hollywood to begin. Autry was in Louisville for a five weeks then left for Hollywood.

Pee Wee King, who later penned the immortal Tennessee Waltz, played accordion for Gene Autry briefly then followed Frank to Louisville after Joe organized a band and called King down to play. King joined The Log Cabin Boys and they played on WHAS along with McMichen's Georgia Wildcats.

WHAS also featured The Callahan Brothers; Bob Atcher and the Atcher family; Cousin Emma; Asher Sizemore and Little Jimmy. Dale Evans was even there in 1935.

"When Mac lived in Louisville, he owned the town," said Pee Wee. "Everybody loved him and his music." According to King, McMichen's shows on WHAS used slapstick comedy, animal noises and hee-haws between musical numbers.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim- The Windy City Part 2; Back to NY

2009-10-18T19:51:00.001-07:00

Hi,

Here's one for the Guinness Book of Records: First live performance from an airplane!

Yes, Mac and Slim were there. Here's the promo photo for the event from WLS. Mac and Slim are in their checkered shirts Slim is seated and Mac is behind him. Jack Dunnigan is on right with guitar. Also on the flight was future country star Red Foley (standing with guitar on left).

On opening night of the Chicago World's Fair in 1933, Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats broadcast a segment of the WLS "Barn Dance" from an airplane circling Chicago. A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago, Illinois from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial which opened on May 27, 1933.

"We were the first musical group to play from an airplane," explained Slim. "We played and so did Red Foley. It was broadcast down to the stage on the Eighth Street Theater."

"In the Fall of 1933," said Bryant, "the fairs were closing down and the bookings at WLS had dried up so we (Georgia Wildcats) headed for NY landing a job at WGY in Schenectady. Jack Dunnigan and I think Bert Layne stayed on in Chicago for a while, I was offered a job at WLS but I went to NY with Mac."

In 1926, WGY became an early affiliate of the NBC Red Network, and after the split of the sister NBC Blue network into today's ABC Radio, WGY remained with NBC radio until it folded in 1989.

"We stayed at WGY through the winter and then we went to the Village Barn in NY," said Slim. "We were guests a few times on what they called the 'Yankee' radio network (WMCA)." "Dick Powell was the MC in NYC," remembered Juanita, "and Alice Faye was a showgirl trying to make it. Dad said NY was was too tough with a family; cost too much to live."

The Georgia Wildcats headed back south; to the city that would eventually become their home: Louisville.

More to come,

Richard

Mac And Slim- To the Windy City

2009-10-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi,

In our last segment the Slim and Mac where in NYC cutting records Odie McWinders and Bob Miller as the Georgia Wildcats.

After an exciting stay in NJ and NY Slim and Mac ended up in Louisville and WHAS in the fall of 1932. "Then in October Mac went to WLS Chicago with the idea that he would bring us up in the spring after he got established," said Bryant. "We stayed behind still playing as the Georgia Wildcats."

In 1933 WLS (World's Largest store), known as The National Barn Dance, broadcast from the large stage of the Eighth St. Theater in Chicago. Sears moved to the Eighth St. Theater in 1932 so they could do the popular show "live" for paying customers. They had a 50,000 watt clear channel station that could broadcast from coast to coast and be heard in Canada.

WLS featured a large number of groups including Hoosier Sod Busters, Prairie Ramblers with Patsy Montana, and Girls of the Golden West. Gene Autry, who first met Mac in New York was there and making a name for himself. By the spring of 1933 McMichen had brought Bert Layne, Jack Dunnigan and Slim Bryant to Chicago where they performed as the Georgia Wildcats.

[See photo above (click to enlarge) from left to right Bert Layne, Clayton McMichen, Jack Dunnigan, and Slim Bryant)]

The Wildcats formed about the time John Dillinger was on his bank-robbing spree in May 1933. Chicago was and exciting town and WLS was one of the top country radio stations on the planet.

Bill and Charlie Monroe were hired by WLS as part of a dance troupe. In the early 1930s Bill was working in East Chicago cleaning 55 gallon oil drums in a dirty Sinclair "barrell house." Bill lived with his two brothers and two sisters when thye were discovered in 1932 by Tom Owen of WLS who hasd set up a series of dance exhibitions on the Saturday night show. So Birch, Charlie, Bill and a friend, Larry Moore became part of the WLS dance troupe. Bill still worked his Sinclair job but his contact with the performers at WLS changed his life.

Bill Monroe: "Years ago people played a little on the mandolin just to fill-in or be playing. But to have heard really good fiddle players back in the old days- Clayton McMichen and people like that- and to really get on a mandolin and play the old-time notes that's in a fiddle number, has really helped to create an original style on the mandolin."

Gene Autry and Bill Monroe weren't the only future stars impressed with McMichen. A young guitar player at WLS named Lester Polfuss (Rubarb Red AKA the late great Les Paul) kept hanging around watching Slim play guitar. In a 1959 interview Mac said, "Les Paul spent more time in the rehearsal room with Slim than Slim did rehearsing with the Georgia Wildcats." Les has acknowledged Slim as a major influence on his guitar playing.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim and Jimmie- Part 2 In The Big Apple

2009-10-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hi,

On the left is a photo of The Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. Here's a guy dying of tuberculosis and he's smiling, thumbs up. Rodgers was a good singer, and yodeler. Whatever talent Rodgers lacked as a musician could be overlooked because of his courage.

In 1932 and for the second time in his career, Clayton McMichen was working for Jimmie Rodgers. The biggest opportunity for Mac and Slim Byrant was Jimmie wanted to record some of their songs.

"I got a royalty check last week," said Slim Bryant. "Every Mother's Day the country stations play it. It's been recorded by 178 different artists and the first was Jimmie Rodgers."

The song Slim wrote that Rodgers recorded was "Mother Queen of My Heart." It became Slim's biggest hit and Mac's song "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia" was also recorded by Rodgers in that session and became Mac's biggest hit.

Here are the stats for the Victor sessions in Camden NJ: Aug. 10, 1932 Jimmie Rodgers recorded "In the Hills of Tennessee" (unissued) with Clayton McMichen fiddle, Dave Kanui- steel guitar; Oddie McWinders- banjo; Slim Byrant- guitar, George Howell- stand up bass; Recorded Aug 11: “Mother, the Queen of My Heart” (Victor 23721); “Rock All Our Babies to Sleep” (Victor 23721); “Whippin’ That Old T.B.” (Victor 23751); “No Hard Times” (Victor 23751). Recorded August 15: “Long Tall Mama Blues” (Victor 23766); “Peach-Pickin’ Time Down in Georgia” (Victor 23781); “Gambling Barroom Blues” (Victor 23766); “I’ve Only Loved Three Women” (Bluebird 6810)

McMichen had a short fiddle solo on Rodgers' version of St. James Infirmary, a rewrite Rodgers titled, "Gambling Barroom Blues." Mac also contributed two songs. The first one was recorded as “Prohibition Has Done Me Wrong” but not issued possibly because of copyright conflicts with Columbia. According to Juanita McMichen Lynch, Peer thought it was "too contoversial for the times." The master was put aside and then accidentally lost. A similar version was done later by Ernest Tubb. The second song Mac contributed was the popular “Peach Pickin’ Time Down In Georgia,” a song that was recorded a year earlier with Hugh Cross that McMichen copyrighted.

While in the New York area McMichen, Byrant and McWinders played a few vaudeville gigs and contacted Bob Miller, author of “Twenty-One Years” and sometime recording director with Columbia. Through Miller they were signed to record some twenty-four sides for Crown, an independent cut-rate label for Victor owned by Peer’s competitor, A & R man Eli Oberstein.

The sides for Crown include some great old-time songs. The Crown songs were: Georgia Wildcat Breakdown; Hog-Trough Reel; Wreck of the Old 97; Singing an Old Hymn; Way Down In Carolina; Back In Tennessee; Arkansas Traveler; Old Hen Cackled; Give The Fiddler A Dram; Ider Red; Blue Hills Of Virginia; Down The Ozark Trail; Counting Cross Ties; Log Cabin in The Lane; Where The Skies Are Always Blue; Bummin’ On The I.C. Line; Red Wing; All I’ve Got Is Gone; Down In Old Kentucky; Yum Yum Blues; Smoky Mountain Home; I Don’t Love Nobody; Old Joe Clark; When The Bloom Is On the Sage.

Peer set up another Rodgers session with another group of NY musicians. Because of Byrant’s innate ability to follow Rodgers, who played his own rhythm, Peer said of Bryant “he’s our regular guitar player.” Mac didn't play on the session.

About Byrant's last NY session with Rodgers on Aug. 29 he said, "We'd go over the songs for a while until Jimmie was ready. They were done in pop music style." The four songs produced were “In the Hills of Tennessee” (Victor 23736) written by Billy Hill; “Prairie Lullaby” (Victor 23781); “Miss the Mississippi and You” (Victor 23736); and “Sweet Mama Hurry Home (or I’ll Be Gone)” (Victor 23796). "Jimmie asked me and Mac to go to England on a tour," said Bryant, "but he was so sick the doctors wouldn't let him go. It was a shame I was looking forward to going. After Rodgers went back to Texas he send me a one penny postcard, thanking me. I still have that postcard."

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim and Jimmie- 1932

2009-10-18T10:04:00.001-07:00

Hi,

On the left is a picture of Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music. Rodger became famous in 1928 with a series of hit songs- starting with his megahit, "T for Texas" also known as Blue Yodel Number 1. Jimmie was largely a blues oriented pop singer. He wrote or reworked blues and pop songs attaching his famous blues yodel as a fill at the end of the verses.

Rodgers was one of the few musicians still able to sell records in the Great Depression. By 1932 he was still one of the biggest stars in music and the biggest in country music. The problem was- he was dying of TB. Ralph Peer, who managed Rodgers and the Carter Family, tried to have Rodgers record regularly for Victor. Ralph had a deal with Victor- he received no salary for managing their 'country music' division, but instead got the royalties from record sales.

In the late 1920 Peer was receiving royalties of $250,000 a quarter which today translates to a figure around $60 million a year. Peer needed Rogers to do a session in the summer of 1932 so Rodgers called his good friend and pal Clayton McMichen to join him in Victor's Camden Yard studio located in a revamped church in New Jersey.

When Rodgers called Mac on the phone they briefly discussed some of the recording details. Mac wanted to bring the Georgia Wildcats but Jimmie didn't think Peer would pay for the whole band. Peer had already arranged for session players including banjoist Oddie McWinders. Since Mac had played had on Jimmie's 1929 winter tour Peer and Rodgers just wanted Mac to play the fiddle- not the band. Mac finally asked if he could bring Slim, his guitar player. Rodgers, who played guitar, but not well, was slated to play the guitar and sing.

Jimmie wrote to Mac: “Mr. Peer says he wonts [sic] me to do at least 10 numbers so if you have anything of your own be sure to bring it along because I'm pretty sure I can get several of your songs recorded.” Regarding Bryant, Rodgers wrote: “I will pay his expenses if he cares to come along with you and takes a chance on working with us.”

In August 1932 Clayton brought Bryant with him and they met Jimmie in Washington, DC. After being chauffeured to Victor studios in Camden, New Jersey, the men rehearsed with Oddie McWinders (banjo) Dave Kanui (steel guitar) and George Howell (string bass). They tried to record "In the Hills of Tennessee" but when the first session produced no suitable takes, Ralph Peer dismissed Kanui and Howell.

[Banjoist Oddie McWinders, whose real name was Odie Winders, was born in Todd County, KY on March 9, 1887 to Susie Bell Rager. Nothing is know of his father whose last name was Winders. Oddie was nationally recognized for his banjo picking and owned one of finest banjos. He also recorded the Crown sessions with Mac and Slim. He died shortly thereafter on Sept 24, 1933. One song in his repertoire was "Bound To Ride" which has become a bluegrass standard.

I have a copy of Jimmie's letter, dated July 27th, 1932 to Mac. Here's what Jimmie says about Odie: "I am planing to have a good banjo player to go with us. You may know him, his name is Oddie McWindows (sic). And boy can he play a banjo? I'll say he can. Mac, he plays a banjo old style and also plays all the popular stuff. I mean takes solos and plays leads. He beats any dam thing I ever heard of playing a banjo- baring no body... ]

Rodgers was so sick he could only play the guitar for short periods of time. When the pain from his TB got bad, Mac gave him shots of morphine. Even when he was feeling well Rodgers played his own rhythm on the guitar. Jimmie would leave out beats and add them whenever he felt like it much as the traditional bluesman of the day. Playing with him was not easy.

Slim just listened and whenever Rodgers changed chords Slim would change. Slim became so good at following Rodgers that Jimmie called Slim, "his guitar player." A month later when Mac and Slim were still in NYC recording a session for Crown Records, Peer called Slim to do another session with Jimmie, this time without Mac. Peer had lined-up some New York session players. Peer asked Slim if "he could keep up with these New York players?" Slim replied, " I can play with anyone."

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim: On the Road Again-Georgia Wildcats

2009-10-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Hi,

By May 1931 Slim Bryant had quit his electrician job in Atlanta. He was now a professional musician first briefly at WCKY in Covington, and then at WLW Cincinnati. McMichen had formed his Georgia Wildcat band with Slim (Guitar), Bert Layne (fiddle), Pat Berryman (banjo), and Johnny Barfield (Guitar). Bert Layne, Mac's brother-in-law didn't stay long in Cincinnati.

In the above picture taken in late 1931 or early 1932 at KDKA. The Georgia Wildcat line-up was (left to right) Pat Berryman, Clayton McMichen, Johnny Barfield and Slim Bryant.

By the fall of 1931 McMichen and Bryant were back in Atlanta making records. On Oct. 26, 1931, McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats with Slim Bryant and Bert Layne did a session for Columbia. The cut their jazzy western number "When the Bloom is On The Sage" and Slim's "Yum Yum Blues." Two days later they cut one of Mac's favorite fiddle compositions, "Wild Cat Rag" with a nice guitar solo by Slim and "Sweet Florene."

In between the Wildcat sessions, Mac (as Bob Nichols) cut 4 sides with Riley Puckett: "Devil's Dream," "Durang's Hornpipe," "Longest Train (In the Pines)," and "That's No Business Of Mine (Nobody's Business)." Possibly because of the economy, they were never issued.

One song Mac claimed he wrote and Slim as well, was "In The Pines." Slim and Juanita McMichen Lynch (Mac's daughter) are still getting royalties for the song. To be fair- they did a rewrite on the song, changing most of the lyrics. Mac regarded it as his and Slim's song. It was first released as "Grave In The Pines" done by Clayton as Bob Nichols, vocal with a simple guitar accompaniment (by Slim?), in 1930.

Surely Clayton knew of other versions existed before his "Grave in the Pines." Dock Walsh recorded "In The Pines" in 1926 for Columbia, hence Clayton's title. Somehow even Bill Monroe credits Clayton for the song even though Monroe doesn't use Clayton's lyrics. ["In the Pines/Longest Train", also known as "Black Girl" and "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?," is a traditional American folk song which dates back to at least the 1870s.]

Later in 1937 Mac recorded the song with his Georgia Wildcats as "In the Pines" and it appears in his 1934 songbook. For more info and lyrics: http://bluegrassmessengers.com.temp.realssl.com/in-the-pines--version-2-clayton-mcmichen.aspx

After the session in Atlanta and just before Christmas in 1931, the Wildcats we moved to Pittsburgh's KDKA, the first radio station in the country. After a brief stay at KDKA (see photo take above) the Wildcats played at Cleveland's WTAM in 1932 before getting the call from Jimmie Rodgers in the summer of 1932.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and Slim: On the Road Again

2009-10-17T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hi,

By 1931 the Great Depression had brought the record industry to its knees. People just didn't have money for records. They did listen to the radio, and the radio needed music- back then there was only live music. WSB, the Atlanta station, didn't pay their old-time performers. Mac's band, The Home Town Boys, would continue to play on WSB off and on until 1931. According Clayton from Clayton McMichen Talking: "We kept playing up there [WSB], goin' up there, and we got tired of playing for nothin'. We'd quit and then go back."

Slim and Mac decided to try their luck elsewhere. They headed for Cinncinati Ohio and WLW, a station that paid a salary to their performers. "We knew that there was money in radio so we started looking for work," explained Bryant. "In early 1931 McMichen, Bert Layne, a singer named Cox, and me went to WLW in Cincinnati. They didn't have a place for us right then because they had just signed Otto Gray and his Oklahoma band. So we went back across the Ohio River and auditioned at WCKY in Covington, KY."

WCKY was interested in hiring the band, if they could bring popular Skillet Licker singer Riley Puckett. Cox, who already had a good job in Atlanta, dropped out and Riley agreed to go. So a new band was formed, named "The Skillet Lickers" with three original members; Bert Layne (fiddle), Mac (Fiddle), Riley (guitar and vocals) and Slim Bryant (guitar). Junaita gave me an original silver point photo on the WCKY Skillet Lickers.

At WCKY The Skillet Lickers got a weekly salary and a percentage of the money they earned playing shows around town. The station owner had several theaters and they played any venues they could find. At one show in Cincinnati there was a line of people three blocks long waiting to get in. Word of the sold out show got back WLW Cincinnati management and they offered The Skillet Lickers an opportunity at WLW for more money and a better percentage of our receipts.

Because they had a contract with WCKY they hired a lawyer and Mac agreed to leave Riley Puckett at WCKY. Gid Tanner and Bill Helms came up to play with Riley and WCKY kept the Skillet Lickers on their station. Slim, Bert and Mac went on to WLW. Mac picked up banjoist Pat Berryman and guitarist Johnny Barfield for the WLW show.

According Mac from Clayton McMichen Talking: "Gid and Riley couldn't do what Clayton and Bert and Slim could do. We's on WLW and they's on WCKY. And oh we gave em a lickin'."

With two Skillet Licker groups playing on the radio Mac changed his band permanently to The Georgia Wildcats.

Mac and The Skillet Lickers- Part 5

2009-10-17T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is my last installment for now of Mac and The Skillet Lickers.

On the left you can see a photo of Slim Byrant who became Mac's guitarist for most of the 1930s. Here's a trivia question for you: When did Slim Byrant first play with the Skillet Lickers?

You can check some of the great articles on Slim by Rich Kienzle but you won't find the answer there. I actually found it out from Slim, himself.

The year was 1929 and Slim was invited by McMichen to do a road show with the Skillet Lickers. Slim had met Mac through Mac's uncle Elmer. Elmer and Slim cut one record for Okeh on March 15, 1929. This is what Slim related to me about the Birmigham show: "The deal was we'd all go down the Birmingham and divide up what ever money we made. So I took off work on Wednesday and Thursday and we played at this big festival. All the Skillet Lickers were there, Uncle Dave Macon and the McGees. I had to go back to Atlanta to play a baseball game, so I left. I never got paid a dime for the show."

Besides the Skillet Lickers, members of the Skillet Lickers played and recorded with any number of spin-off bands. Mac's main two bands were McMichen’s Home Town Boys and McMichen’s Melody Men (Usually a trio with Riley Puckett; sometimes Bert Layne as McMichen- Layne String Orchestra or Lowe Stokes). Mac did several duo projects usually under the alias of Bob Nichols: Riley Puckett and Bob Nichols (Clayton McMichen); Claude Davis and Bob Nichols (Clayton McMichen); Bob Nichols (Clayton McMichen) and Hugh Cross. Mac played with the Georgia Organ Grinders (1929 featuring McMichen- Fiddle; Bert Layne- Fiddle; Lowe Stokes- Organ; Fate Norris Banjo; Melvin Dupree- Guitar; Dan Hornsby- vocals) and also
Oscar Ford (McMichen, Bert Layne, Riley Puckett).

When Mac started playing with Slim, he found his perfect playing partner. Slim played jazz, knew modern chord comping and could play old-time country. By now it was 1930 and the record industry which was king in the mid to late 1920's was quickly slowing down. On Bryant's birthday, Dec. 7, 1930, Slim was included in his first recording session with Mac cutting a jazzy version of "When The Bloom is on the Sage." McMichen used his nickname as the new band name that weekend. "He called us McMichen's Georgia Wildcats with Slim Bryant," recalled Bryant. "I never asked him to put my name in there—he just did it."

The Skillet Lickers were over as far as Mac was concerned. Columbia, reeling from the depression, turned once more to their cash cow- the Skillet Lickers- hoping they could save the company. Mac, who was well paid for his sessions, couldn't turn down the kind of money they offered. He had a family to feed. On October 24, 1931, the original Skillet Lickers (with Clayton McMichen) made their last recordings: “Miss McLeod’s Reel,” “Four Cent Cotton,” “Molly put The Kettle On,” “Sleeping Lulu,” “McMichen’s Breakdown,” and “Whistlin’ Rufus.” The Skillet Lickers would record one last time in 1934 but not with Mac.

The band was still famous and the individual members, mainly Riley Puckett and Mac would form bands that would be called the Skillet Lickers. At one time in 1931 there were two bands with original members named the Skillet Lickers that played at rival radio stations: WCKY (Riley and Gid) and WLW (Mac with Slim, Barfield and Berryman). So Slim played on the radio on two bands named the Skillet Lickers, first at WCKY (Mac, Riley, Layne, Bryant) and then at WLW.

This prompted Mac to finally adopt his earlier band name, The Georgia Wildcats, based on Mac's nickname.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and The Skillet Lickers: Part 4- The Music

2009-10-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This Blog we'll look at some Mac and the Skillet Lickers complete songs. Then we'll look more closely at Mac's two favorite fiddle contest songs.

On April 17, 1926 Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers cut their classic first eight sides: “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane,” “Bully Of The Town,” “Pass Around the Bottle,” “Alabama Jubilee,” “Watermelon on the Vine,” “Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan,” “Ya Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around” and “Turkey in The Straw.” Their first single, “Bully of the Town,” backed by “Pass Around the Bottle,” was a huge hit, selling over 200,000 units and causing the Skillet Lickers to eclipse Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers as Columbia’s hottest Country artists. Other songs from that session, "Soldier's Joy" and “Turkey in the Straw,” sold well and “Watermelon on the Vine” became another hit.

Here is a complete list of their recording under the name The Skillet Lickers, I've included the 1934 session even though bert Layne and Clayton were no longer present and the band actually split up in 1931.

Complete Songs recorded by the Skillet Lickers: Alabama Jubilee; Baby Lou; Back Up And Push; Be Kind to a Man When He's Down; Bee Hunt On Hill For Sartin Creek; Big Ball in Town; Billy in the Lowground; Black Eyed Peas and Cornbread; Black-Eyed Susie; Boil 'Em Cabbage Down; Boll Weevil Blues; Bonepart's Retreat; Broken Down Gambler; Buckin' Mule; Buffalo Gals; Bully of the Town; Bully Of The Town No. 2; Cacklin Hen and Rooster Too; Carroll County Blues; Casey Jones; Charming Betsy; Chicken Reel; Cindy; Coon From Tennessee; Corn Licker Still in Georgia (skit; Part I- Part XIV); Cotton Baggin'; Cotton-Eyed Joe; Cotton Patch; Cripple Creek; Cumberland Gap (On A Buckin‘ Mule); Dance All Night with A Bottle In Your Hand; Darktown Strutters Ball; Day At The County Fair; Devilish Mary; Dixie; Dogs on a Coon Hunt; Don't You Cry My Honey; Don't You Hear Jerusalem Moan; Down Yonder; Drink 'Em Down; Everyday Will Be Sunday, By & By; Fiddlers' Convention In Georgia; Flatwoods; Flop Eared Mule; Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss; Football Rag; Four Cent Cotton; Four Thousand Years Ago; Georgia Man; Georgia Railroad; Georgia Waggoner; Giddap Napoleon; Girl I Left Behind Me; Git Along; Going Down Town; Goodbye Booze; Hand Me Down My Walking Cane; Hawkins’ Rag; Maple Leaf Rag; Hell Broke Loose in Georgia; Hen Cackle; Hinkey-Dinkey-Dee; Hog Killing Day; I Ain’t No Better Now; Ida Red; I Don't Love Nobody; I Got Mine; I Shall Not Be Moved; It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'; I'm S-A-V-E-D; I'm Satisfied; It's A Long Way To Tipperary; Jeremiah Hopkins Store At Sand Mountain; John Henry; Johnson's Old Grey Mule; Just Give Me the Leavings; Keep Your Gal At Home; Kickapoo Medicine Show; Leather Breeches; Liberty; Man In The Woodpile; Miss McCleod's Reel; Mississippi Sawyer; Molly Put the Kettle On; Nancy Rollin; Never Seen the Like Since Getting Upstairs; New Arkansas Traveller; Night in Blind Tiger; Old Dan Tucker; Old Grey Mare; Old Joe Clark; Old McDonald (Had a Farm); On Tanner's Farm; Original Arkansas Traveller; Pass Around The Bottle And We'll All Take a Drink; Please Don't Get Offended; Polly Put the Kettle On; Polly Wolly Doodle All The Day; Possum and Taters; Possum Hunt On Stump House Mountain; Practice Night with Skillet Lickers; Prettiest Little Girl in the County; Pretty Little Widow; Prohibition, Yes or No; Prosperity And Politics; Ricketts Hornpipe; Ride Old Buck to the Water; Rocky Pallet; Rock That Cradle Lucy; Roving Gambler; Rufus; Run Jimmie Run; Rye Straw; Sal's Gone (Down) to the Cider Mill; Sal, Let Me Chaw Your Rosin Some; Settin' In The Chimney Jamb; She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain; Shortenin' Bread; Show Me The Way To Go Home; Skip To The Lou My Darling; Sleeping Lulu; Smoke Behind the Clouds; Soldier's Joy; Soldier, Soldier (Won't You Marry Me); Streak O' Lean, Streak O' Fat; Sugar In The Gourd; Sweet Bunch of Daisies; Taking The Census; Tanner's Boarding House; Tanner’s Hornpipe; Tanner's Rag; There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight; They Gotta Quit Kicking my Dog Around; Tra-Le-La-La; Turkey in the Straw; Uncle Bud; Watermelon Hanging On the Vine; Where Did You Get That Hat; Whoa, Mule, Whoa; Wild Horse; Work Don't Bother Me; Wreck Of Old Ninety-Seven; Ya Gotta Quit Kicking My Dog Around.

Let's look at two of the songs that were important to Clayton throughout his career that he recorded with the Skillet Lickers.

Bile Them Cabbage Down recorded by the Skillet Lickers in Oct. 1927. This was one of Clayton's show pieces. He used the song to win many of his competitions. Curiously he doesn't includes it in his 1934 songbook. Then he says in his 1959 interview that Bile Dem Cabbage Down was one of his songs, indicating that he wrote it. He said he wrote it in 1938 or 39 when he was refering to his Georgia Wildcats recording for Decca in 1937. Somehow, the fact that he recorded the song with the Skillet Lickers was completely erased from his memory. He had been bitter for many years about the Skillet Lickers- it was his band and Gid somehow got all the credit.

Mac's attachment to the song is similar to other early country artists like the Delmore Brothers who, once they recorded a song, it was their property, even if they didn't write it. Sometimes by writing a new verse or two that was enough for them to feel like they'd written the song.

The sense of ownership was strong. I heard, and this is not substantiated, that Mac wouldn't let other performers play or record Bile Them Cabbage Down and was even in some verbal and legal scuffles over the song. [Hannah Boil Dat Cabbage Down was published by Sam Lucas in 1878] The surprising thing is Mac, who was friends with Fiddlin' John Carson, must have know Carson recorded the song in 1924. Other Atlanta performers like Earl Johnson played and recorded it. This was a song the top fiddlers in Atlanta knew- so it's hard to understand Mac's lapse.

Pretty Little Widow was recorded by the Skillet Lickers in 1928 when Lowe Stokes was aboard. This is another of Mac's show pieces and contest numbers. In the 1959 interview he relates that it was one his father's songs. He taught it to Mac circa 1910 when the youngster would accompany his father and family to the local dances. Mac, his father and uncles played fiddle and his mother played straws. His grandmother used to play banjo but she was getting older now and didn't play publicly anymore.

In the interview Mac relates how the folks in Nashville [Hank Garland and Red Foley] copied his father's song and called it "Sugarfoot Rag." Mac bemoans the fact that even if he raised hell there's nothing that can be done about it. [The song was first recorded by Fiddlin' John Carson in 1925 as "Old Frying Pan and Old Camp Kettle."] The Skillet Licker's excellent version includes some banter at the beginning and verses sung by Riley Puckett. [For a complete transcription see my web-site: http://bluegrassmessengers.com/pretty-little-widow--version-1-skillet-lickers.aspx ]

Pretty Little Widow- Skillet Lickers 1928
Mac to Bert: Well Zeke, how're you doing with the little widder now?
Bert as Zeke: Oh boy fine, fine.Mac: They tell me you're gettin' up quite a case up there is that so?
Bert as Zeke: You bet.
Mac: I just learned a new tune called the "Little Widder," I'm gonna play it for you and her. Riley you sing it now.
Riley: Let's go

(Fiddle)

Lawd Lawd, what a pretty little widder,
If I was a young man I'd go and git 'er.

(Fiddle)

Lawd-- what a pretty little widder,
Black my boots and I'll go and git 'er.

(Fiddle)

Mac and the Skillet Lickers- Part 3 Corn Licker Still

2009-10-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hi,

The famous “Corn Licker Still in Georgia” series of fourteen skits (fourteen sides; seven 78s) originally recorded between 1927 and 1930 consisted of rural humor and social commentary at its best mixed with great fiddling by Clayton McMichen, Bert Layne, Lowe Stokes, and Gid Tanner, the popular crooning of Riley Puckett, and the banjo of Fate Norris and sometimes Gid Tanner. According Clayton from Clayton McMichen Talking: "The Corn Licker Still was Bert Layne and my idea. We had a brother-in-law down there in Georgia that did actually make liquor."

According to Mac, Wilber C. "Bill" Brown, an A&R man with Columbia Records, took the idea and wrote our scripts for the band members. Another contributor was recording engineer, part-time vocalist Dan Hornsby, who appeared as Tom Sly. Frank Walker, head of the division, also had a hand in the scripts.

Corn Licker Still in Georgia became the Skillet Lickers biggest selling series, reportedly selling over a million units. Not only were the skits funny with great music but they were crafted on personal experience. Clayton McMichen and Bert Layne were two of the Skillet Lickers who actually made money from running moonshine. It must have been doubly funny to them.

According to Juanita McMichen Lynch (Clayton's daughter) it was a family operation; her uncles would make it and Clayton would help with the supplies and sell it. Bert Layne told Stephen Davis in an interview, "Me and Mac would go out there (to the still) and buy it, you know. We'd give him $4 for a gallon and we'd take it to Cartersville and sell it for $8." On one trip Clayton was forced to carry two one-gallon jugs to Cartersville under his sister's large overcoat. One jug went to a restaurant and another to the 5-and-10 cent store!

According to Juanita, "Clayton used to even sell moonshine to the policemen. But they always had to worry about revenuers." Bert Layne said one day their car, which was loaded with moonshine, slipped off the road and was stuck in the mud. A revenue officer happened by and Clayton, fearing the consequences of getting caught, lifted the car right out of the mud- by himself. Later Clayton remarked, "My boot tracks was in that clay for six months afterwards!"

Here is an example of the dialogue found on the skits:

As the routine opens, Riley Puckett is leading a few of the Skillet Lickers in an old lament called "Rye Whiskey." A sharp knock at the cabin door brings the music to an abrupt halt. " Hear, hear! We can't have all that fuss around here," protests fiddler Clayton McMichen. "If we're going to make this liquor, why, let's make it and get through with it. You go up there on the hill and bring that thumper keg down here and bring that rye paste with you."

After the still has been assembled, the distilling begun, a customer satisfied, and a few fiddle tunes played, the inevitable happens. "All right, you boys, stick 'em up, there, we got you covered!" a revenue officer barks. "Who's running this place?"

"I'm running it myself," McMichen answers in a slow, sly drawl. "What kind of a run you got started?" "We got about five hundred gallons done run off."

"I'm sorry," says the officer, "we'll have to bust you up and take you down to Gainesville."

But the wily McMichen is ready for him. "Well, looks like there's some way to get out of this," he says, offering the officer a taste.

Though he refuses at first, the revenuer is finally obliged to comment, "Well, that is pretty good liquor, I'll admit that! What's all these instruments doing around here?"

"All right boys, come on play him a little tune," McMichen exhorts. "Whoop it on up. It's either play or go to jail." After more product demonstrations and a rousing rendition of "Pass Around the Bottle," the officer is won over.

"Tell you what I'm going to do, Mac," he proposes, "I'm going to let you off this time if you'll give me about ten of those cans. Can you do that?"

"I'll give you a hundred if you want," McMichen replies happily.

"I want you to keep quiet from here on," the officer warns. "Good luck to you boys!" Of course, the narrow escape calls for a celebration and the band strikes up the old fiddle tune "Katie Hill."

The next time they come in contact with the law, the moonshiners aren't so lucky, and for a while they find themselves on the chain gang. Nevertheless, a public letter-writing campaign gets the popular string band paroled.

"Now you boys go home," the warden tells them, "and remember, don't make any more corn liquor."

"We're through for good," McMichen promises. Back home in the mountains, however, the musical moonshiners distill some potent economic theory. "We got about five, six hundred bushels of corn out yonder in the crib that's going to ruin if we don't do something with it, " McMichen observes.

"I don't think there's no use to try to farm no-how as long as Prohibition's in effect," banjoist Fate Norris comments.

"What's the use to try and sell corn for two dollars a bushel in the ear when you can get $20 for a can?" asks Riley Puckett.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and The Skillet Lickers- Part 2

2009-10-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is the second installment of Mac and The Skillet Lickers. If you listen to Clayton in his 1959 interview with Bob Pinson and Fred Hoeptner, McMichen essentially viewed the Skillet Lickers as his band. This is perfectly understandable- Riley Puckett was a member his Hometown Band, Fate Norris played with Mac's Lick the Skillet Band, Bert Layne was Mac's brother-in-law and played in many of Mac's bands. Only Gid Tanner was not part of Mac's bands.

So the Skillet Lickers was Mac's band with Gid Tanner added. When the band was called Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers by Frank Walker, I'm sure Mac hated it. The listening public figured that fiddler Gid Tanner was the lead fiddler and leader of the group. Riley Puckett's name was tacked on to make it: Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers with Riley Puckett. Even Riley became an afterthought and Gid Tanner was the name associated with the group. Mac considered Gid a "fair country comedian" but not much of a fiddler.

On April 17, 1926 Gid Tanner and his Skillet Lickers cut their classic first eight sides: “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane,” “Bully Of The Town,” “Pass Around the Bottle,” “Alabama Jubilee,” “Watermelon on the Vine,” “Don’t You Hear Jerusalem Moan,” “Ya Gotta Quit Kickin’ My Dog Around” and “Turkey in The Straw.” Their first single, “Bully of the Town,” backed by “Pass Around the Bottle,” was a huge hit, selling over 200,000 units and causing the Skillet Lickers to eclipse Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers as Columbia’s hottest Country artists. Other songs from that session, "Soldier's Joy" and “Turkey in the Straw,” sold well and “Watermelon on the Vine” became another hit.

The Skillet Lickers were one of the few groups with three fiddlers. Usually Mac and Gid would play the melody and Bert Layne a lower harmony part. Gid would sometimes play a high harmony part and sing in falsetto. Even though Tanner was regarded as an accomplished old-time fiddler, McMichen was more versatile, played louder, and was more dynamic. According Clayton from Clayton McMichen Talking: "I could play louder than the rest of 'em. I played the old man's fiddle. They brought it over from Italy- Antigino Fierini made in Bologna, Italy, in 1723...played it on all them Skillet Lickers records." [Clayton's father, Mitchell was a trained violinst and fiddler, who played Viennesse waltzes as well as standard fiddle repertoire]

When Layne dropped out in 1928, Frank Walker wanted to add another fiddle to match their early sound so they stopped the recording session until Mac located Lowe Stokes. In the new Skillet Licker line-up Lowe played lead and Mac high harmony while Gid doubled or played another part. Riley Puckett was the lead singer but also shared some of the vocals with Tanner. Gid, the clown of the group, sometimes added a high falsetto over Riley’s vocal lead.

Richard Nevins, who wrote about the Skillet Lickers in 1973 when he wrote the song notes for the County Records reissues, credits Stokes for Mac's new longbow style. He says the addition of Stokes "who employed the finest gliding bow strokes" makes the last Skillet Licker sessions the best.

When Bert Layne recorded with the Lickers and Stokes was in the line-up, the trio of fiddles consisted of Stokes (lead); Mac (high harmony) and Bert Layne (Low harmony). Fate Norris wasn't present and Gid Tanner filled in on the banjo. The three fiddlers used organized harmony part plus their bow strokes were in the same direction, making this some of the finest fiddle music in early country music.

More to come,

Richard

Mac and the Skillet Lickers- Part 1

2009-10-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Clayton McMichen was one of the founding musicians in the early country music supergroup, The Skillet Lickers.

In the photo from left to right: Gid Tanner (fiddle); Clayton McMichen (Fiddle); Riley Puckett (seated with guitar); Fate Norris (Banjo).

Missing from the photo is Bert Layne (fiddle) who played on the first sessions.

In the early 1920s Atlanta was the "country music" capital of the world. There was Georgia Old-time Fiddler's Convention that drew huge crowds was held yearly in Atlanta. WSB radio began broadcasting local country musicians; Fiddlin John Carson was featured on the first broadcast and Clayton's "Home Town Boys" on the second broadcast. Riley Puckett joined Clayton on subsequent broadscasts and the Home Town Boys became one of the featured and most requested stars on WSB.

Then Okeh Records and Ralph Peer sent Polk Brockman to Atlanta with a portable recording system in 1923. They waxed several songs by Fiddlin' John Carson and to Peer's surprised scored a huge hit with Carson's "Little Old Log Cabin in The Lane." The floodgates were open, other record companies started searching for "country music" talent.

Columbia Records hired Frank Walker to head up their "old-time songs" or "songs from the hills" country music division. Walker knew Riley Puckett was one of the biggest starts on radio station WSB so he sent for Riley to come to New York.

McMichen wrote John Edwards on Jan 5, 1958 that Columbia had wanted the duo based around him and Puckett but McMichen was out of town at the time they scheduled a session with Riley so Gid Tanner went instead.

On March 7 and 8, 1924 Gid Tanner and Pucket waxed their first sides for Columbia in New York City. Among the songs were "Chicken Don't Roost Too High," "I Don't Love Nobody," and Black Eyed Susie." When these songs were successful they were called back to NYC in Sept. 1924 and recorded 14 more sides.

Walker meanwhile obtained a portable recording system similar to Ralph Peer's at Okeh and started making trips to Atlanta to do field recordings. While in Atlanta in April 1926 Walker scheduled McMichen and Puckett to do a session and decided to combine the best Atlanta musicians in one group. That group included his recording stars Tanner and Puckett while adding McMichen (fiddle) and Fate Norris (banjo).

McMichen, who was never satisfied with the playing of Gid Tanner, brought in his brother-in-law Bert Layne. McMichen was used to playing with Layne, who played a lower harmony part to Mac's lead. Layne occasionally played lead on waltzes but for the most part he played lower harmony.

Because Mac had cut some recorded for Okeh with his Home Town Boys in 1925 he was under contract with them at the time of the April 1926 Skillet Lickers' recordings. Putting Mac's name could jeopardize the session so Walker named the group, Gid Tanner and His Skillet Lickers with Riley Puckett.

The 1926 session scored a string of hits eclipsing anything Columbia has done up to this point- even Charlie Poole's huge hit, "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down." Mac became very unhappy that his name was not on the records and that Gid Tanner was getting credit for the fiddling.

At his insistance his name was included in the next session but according to Mac, the damage was already done. He would remain bitter about this for years and later commented, “Two or three in there couldn’t play” and that he didn’t like playing with Gid Tanner and Fate Norris because “they was just thirty years behind us in the music business.”

McMichen came up with the name The Skillet Lickers, a variation on the name of his earlier Lick the Skillet Band which was based on the earlier local assemblage with Fiddlin' John Carson known under the Lick Skillet Orchestra name. Fate Norris played with Mac in that early group. The name "skillet lickers" refers to the impoverished rural settlers where the skillet had to be licked clean in order to feed everyone.

It's important to note that Columbia paid musicians a flat fee to record while at Okeh, Ralph Peer gave the musicians a cut of the royalties. Okeh recording star Ernest Stoneman was making $6,000 in royalties alone by 1927 which was more than triple the wages a normal working job at the mill. Okeh's Henry Whitter got rich from the "Wreck of the Old 97." The record reportedly topped seven million units and according to Whitter, his royalties exceeded “twenty-three thousand dollars,” a huge fortune at that time (approximately $400,000 today). Henry, who didn't even write the song, bought a brand new car and quit his job. He was now a recording star.
When Columbia's Charlie Poole had a huge hit with "Don't Let Your Deal Go down" he received a flat fee of $75 which he split three ways- his take, $25. The record sold 102,000 units, making a huge profit for Columbia (the average record sold 5,000 units). Naturally Poole wasn't too excited to record again- he realized how much money Columbia made from him on that one record.

McMichen was on hire by Columbia Records from 1926 until 1931 when the depression stopped making records profitable. He was paid a larger than average flat rate (Layne in an interview gives $1,000 as a figure but this is surely wrong and was just given by Layne as an example of the flat fee which varied among artists) and made good money recording.

More to come,

Richard

Juanita McMichen Lynch

2009-10-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Juanita McMichen Lynch was born in 1924 and is the eldest of two daughters born to Clayton McMichen and Daisy Satterfield McMichen. Junaita, pictured holding Clayton's fiddle, lives near Battletown, KY with her husband Clifford Lynch and their little dog.

Daisy Satterfield (Mac's wife) was Aline Satterfield's sister. On Sept. 17, 1920 fiddler Bert Monroe Layne married Aline Satterfield. "Uncle Bert and Daddy used to play together all the time," said Juanita. "Now Aline Satterfield, his wife, we called her Aunt Dooley. We'd have big dinners over at the house for all the musicians and Aunt Dooley would cook." Bert Layne, known as "Uncle Bert" to Juanita and others, was born Dec. 14, 1889 in Arkansas and died 0ct. 22, 1982 at Juanita's homestead in Battletown, Kentucky.

I interviewed Junaita several times for my upcoming article on Clayton in the Old-Time Herald. She and her husband Clifford were very helpful. Giving me access to boxes and boxes of Clayton's newspaper clippings and articles. I even has some of her manuscript that she started writing about her famous father. Clayton was recently proclaimed fiddler-of-the-century by National Traditional Country Music Association. Even though Clayton was a great fiddler, the award is a little over the top. He's certainly one of the top old-time fiddlers of all time.

I became interested me in Clayton when I moved to Louisville, a stone's throw from the bar Mac owned in the 1940s. Mac moved to Louisville more or less permanently around fall of 1937. He lived in Louisville until around 1968 when he moved to Battletown KY. Mac died in 1970. Juanita, who has lots stories about her dad and his friends, graduated from High School in Louisville in 1942.

"Daddy married my mother, who was Aunt Dooley's sister, when she was just 16 years old." Now Bert Layne was Mac's brother-in-law. Mac and Daisy had two daughters, Daisy "Jaunita," born Dec. 24, 1924 and Nina "June," born Jan. 31, 1926.

Because of Mac's restless nature and his search for new radio positions the McMichen's moved frequently. "I was daddy's little girl," said Juanita. "I went everywhere with him. June usually stayed home with Mama but I went with Daddy. We moved 22 times by the time I finished high school."

The family dinners in Atlanta were attended by the hosts- Layne and McMichen and many of the local musicians including Fiddlin' John Carson, Riley Puckett, Gid Tanner, Hugh Cross, Earl Johnson, Lowe Stokes, Slim Bryant, Kasper Malone, and Boss Hawkins.

Slim Bryant, who became Mac's guitarist in his Georgia Wildcats Band (and for a short time he was a Skillet Licker in 1931 at WCKY) first met Mac at one of the dinners around 1929. I also interviewed Slim who is now over 100 years old.

Hell Broke Loose in Georgia: Lowe Stokes and Mac

2009-10-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's a photo of Mac's Hometown Boys (click to enlarge) a band he started in the early 1920s. Was it the first country swing band?

On July 7, 1925 McMichen’s Home Town Boys recorded their first sides at Columbia’s Atlanta studio. Above is a photo of the performers (from left to right): Mac (fiddle); Lowe Stokes (guitar) Bob "Punk" Stevens (banjo) and Bob Stevens Jr (clarinet).

The songs were "Alabama Jubilee," "Bully Of The Town," "Silver Bell," and the song that became McMichen's first solo hit and one he would become identified- "Sweet Bunch Of Daisies." The song was a tribute to Clayton's wife, Daisy, and became his theme song on his radio shows in Louisville.

Over a month later on August 25, tragedy struck. Bob Stevens Jr was killed in an auto wreck while Mac was driving, bringing an end to the band. "They were going to a show and got in a bad car wreck," said Juanita. "At first they got out of the car and thought no one was badly hurt but turned out young Bob had a broken neck and he just dropped down and died on the spot. His dad went back home, he never got over it." [Juanita McMichen/Lowe Stokes].

Lowe Stokes was not a regular performer in Mac's Hometown Boys. Lowe was playing guitar for Mac because they were friends and at one time roomates for a year. In fact, Stokes was one of the best fiddlers- period. No one portrayed the tune "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia" better than Stokes. The wild and wooly Stokes was crazy as hell and loose in Georgia. According to Bert Layne, Lowe had more "nerve" than any man he knew.

Lowe Stokes born May 28, 1898, was the sixth of seven children born to Jacob Stokes, who was a fiddler and farm laborer, born in 1848. The Georgia Old-Time Fiddlers' conventions has been credited with launching his career when he defeated Fiddlin John Carson to win the coveted 1924 fiddle competition. To prove that was no fluke, Lowe won the next year.

Whne Stokes beat Carson in 1924 he won playing Carson's tune "Hell Broke Loose in Georgia." Many credit Lowe with inspiring the Charlie Daniels’ song "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" which is reportedly loosley based on the famous competition.

After poet Stephen Vincent Benet read a 1924 article in the Literary Digest describing Stokes victory, he penned his 1925 poem, "The Mountain Whippoorwill" (Or, How Hill-Billy Jim Won the Great Fiddlers' Prize) which begins:

Up in the mountains, it's lonesome all the time,
Sof' win' slewin' thu' the sweet-potato vine.
Up in the mountains, it's lonesome for a child,
Whippoorwills a-callin' when the sap runs wild.

Stokes learned the long bow style from Joe Lee then moved from Cartersville to Atlanta. He met T.M. "Bully" Brewer who invited Lowe to stay with him. Brewer, an accomplished guitarist and singer, wanted to learn the fiddle. "You can come on home with me," said Brewer, "and teach me to play the fiddle and you can stay with me forever."

Although Stokes lived with Brewer for three years, he began his recording career with fellow fiddle genius Clayton McMichen, who quickly became Lowe’s regular sidekick, his roommate for one year and protege. Lowe, who also hung around Mays Badgett's fiddle repair shop, probably met Mac there. Mac began visiting the shop in 1916.

In 1928 he replaced McMichen’s cousin Bert Layne and became the third fiddle in the Skillet Licker band. Frank Walker, Columbia's A & R man, started a Skillet Licker session with two fiddles instead of three. Walker knew something was missing so he sent Mac to find Stokes. With the talented Stokes in the line-up, Stokes played lead and Mac the high harmony.

Charles Wolfe wrote that "Often Stokes used a mute on his bridge to better match McMichen's sound; [Stokes] also said that this idea of [McMichen playing a close harmony to the individual notes of the melody] came from his listening to jazz fiddler Joe Venuti, who was then in his heyday." [Charles Wolfe: The Reluctant Hillbilly]

By 1930 Stokes was married and lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was offered a retainer by Brunswick to back up any singer or group that need a little punch. [Charles Wolfe: Classic Country]

On one tour around 1930, the trouble-bound Stokes was stabbed perilously near the heart as the nasty consequence of a love triangle, then in a drunken altercation at a bootlegging joint a few days later was shot in the upper arm while still healing from the earlier wound. "Lowe knocked him clear out of the place and onto the ground out there," said Layne, "and he'd shot Lowe. It hit him about here in the arm so Lowe he liked to beat him to death with his own gun."

The Skillet Licker session of December 7, 1930 was Stokes last as a leader, and it was almost his last, period. On Christmas Day that year he was involved in a shooting incident near Cartersville, Georgia. Stokes never cared to talk about it afterwards.

According to Juanita, "Lowe was a ladies man. He was always getting into a scuffle over some woman. He was with some woman when her husband come home and pulled out his pistol. Lowe tried to grab the gun but the gun went off and blew off most of his hand. When Daddy heard about it he went to Lowe's house in Cartersville to find Lowe sitting in chair in his front yard drinking whiskey- while the doctor was taking the rest of his hand off!"

According to Bert Lane, after hearing the news, Bert hurried to Cartersville and found Stokes "sittin' up in a barber chair getting a shave! I never saw a man with such a nerve in all my life." Within a year or so he was playing again, using a prosthetic metal attachment devised for him by McMichen.

More to come,

Richard

You Are My Sunshine; Mac and Bud

2009-10-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
You make me happy...

For years "You Are my Sunshine" was the theme song for the Governor of Mississippi, Jimmie Davis. For years Davis, a recording artist, guitarist and singer claimed he wrote the song. Would he lie to us? What does Jimmie Davis have to do with Clayton McMichen?

"Mac" and "Bud" were good friends once. This was in Atlanta, Georgia in 1921. Mac was the secretary and Bud was the president but they weren't politicians like Davis. They started a rival competition to the Georgia Old-Time Fiddler's Convention.

On Sept. 29, 1921 the Atlanta Journal reported: On the eve of the opening of the 1921 old-time fiddlers' convention, it is announced that a rival organization was formed on Wednesday night which purports to be the real thing and says the existing bunch of fiddlers will not be recognized by them as the 'Old-time fiddlers' of Georgia. "John Carson and Gid Tanner can't hold a light to "Bud" Silvey and "Mac" McMichen," said J.J. Owen stated Thursday morning.

According to one report, Lowe Stokes (and Mac through Lowe) was influenced by long-bow fiddler Joe Lee but there's another Atlanta area fiddler who was an influence. That's right--- Bud Silvey.

Beginning in 1913 and running until 1935 the Georgia Old-Time Fiddle Contest was the premiere old-time event in the country. The annual fiddlers' conventions were held in the old Atlanta City Auditorium (the lobby and front offices of which later became Georgia State University's Alumni Hall) at the corner of Courtland and Gilmer streets.

A typical convention began on a Thursday and ended the following Saturday night. The Thursday and Friday night programs were exhibition, or warm-up, programs and featured string bands, comedians, dancers, singers, and other types of entertainers in addition to the fiddlers. The contest, held on Saturday night, was usually followed by a square dance in the auditorium's Taft Hall (later Veterans' Memorial Hall). Crowned state champions included J. B. Singley (1913), Fiddlin' John Carson (1914, 1923, 1927), Shorty Harper (1915, 1916), John Silvey (1917), A. A. Gray (1918, 1921, 1922, 1929), F. B. Coupland (1919), R. M. Stanley (1920), Lowe Stokes (1924, 1925), Earl Johnson (1926), Gid Tanner (1928), Joe Collins (1930), and Anita Sorrells Wheeler (1931, 1934).

John H. Silvey, who I assume was related to the 1917 winner, had one son born in 1874- Rufus Marion Silvey. John fought in the Civil War when he was young man and was injured in the battle of Manassas. Rufus Silvey's son, nicknamed Bud was named after his father. Bud was born on Oct. 9, 1892 in Rome, Georgia.

The huge Georgia competition was dominated by Fiddlin' John Carson, A.A. Gray and Gid Tanner, the older crowd favorites. There's a record of McMichen entering the contest two times: In 1915, two weeks after his 15th birthday, McMichen placed 8th in the fiddle competition out of 75 entries. In 1922 he won 2nd place for his rendition of Arkansas Traveler.

The confident and brash young McMichen felt that he was among the top fiddlers yet the top prize was going to the most popular fiddler- not the best performer. No one knows what happened to the rival fiddle contest Bud and Mac organized for one year in 1921. Their fledgling competition couldn't compete with the huge popular contest.

Bud Silvey married the Rice Brother's mother when they were both young. He encouraged them to become musicians, taught them, performed with them and shaped their careers. From the Rice Brothers, Jimmie Davis got the song, "You Are My Sunshine." He paid Paul Rice for it in 1939. Curiously, the Rice Brothers didn't even write the song.

The following is from: The Rice Brothers Hillbillies With Uptown Ambitions By Wayne W. Daniel

Hoke Rice was born January 8, 1909, some 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia, in Hall County. Four years later, on July 23, 1913, while the family was still living in the same Chestnut Mountain community near Gainesville, Paul was born. Their father, a preacher and cobbler, repaired soles during the week and saved souls on Sundays. From their mother, who played five-string banjo, fiddle and piano, the Rice brothers inherited their musical talent.

Around 1920, when Hoke was 11 years old and Paul was about seven, their parents separated. Mrs. Rice later married a textile mill mechanic and part-time musician named Rufus M. "Bud" Silvey. He subsequently encouraged and helped shape the musical development of his two stepsons. In pursuit of his textile trade, Silvey and his family lived in several small towns in Georgia. Silvey's musical enterprises, which later included Hoke and Paul encompassed a wider circuit and took them to small towns in several Southeastern states.

In his late teens, Hoke took guitar lessons from a classical and pop-oriented guitarist, thus laying the foundation for the jazz and pop stylings that characterized the music of his professional career. By 1929, after having served his musical apprenticeship with his stepfather, he was making a name for himself in the Atlanta area as a solo performer. Into the early 1930's he was a sought-after guitarist by record company executives who brought their portable equipment to the city to record local artists. He recorded with both blues and hillbilly performers and fronted his own band as a vocalist on several records. In addition, he could be heard regularly on Atlanta radio stations.

Paul Rice, like his brother Hoke, also broke away from his stepfather in an attempt to establish an independent career. In the 1920's he worked on WSB and recorded with Fiddling John Carson and with Gid Tanner. In Gainesville, Georgia, while working in a textile mill, he organized his own band to play at dances for mill employees.

Sometime in 1939, Hoke and Paul returned to Shreveport, Louisiana, where they became regular performers on KWKH. They performed on the popular KWKH Saturday Night Roundup, staged in the larger towns around Shreveport, such as Monroe, Louisiana; Dorado, Kansas; and Lufkin, Texas. For a while Hoke and Paul also appeared daily over KTBS on a mid-morning program sponsored by Southern Maid Donuts. For this show they were billed as The Southern Maid Donut Boys.

While in Shreveport they became associated with country singer, recording artist and politician Jimmie Davis, two-time governor of Louisiana. Paul may have wished later that they hadn't. As the acknowledged composer of "You Are My Sunshine," Paul sold the song to Davis for whom it became a hit record and tremendous money-maker. According to a story in the Shreveport Times of September 16, 1956, Paul sold the song to' Davis and his partner Charles Mitchell for $35, money he needed to pay his wife's hospital bills. The Rice Brothers' bass player, Reggie Ward, told writer Louise Hewitt that "they asked me to sign as a witness the typed document transferring all rights to Davis and Mitchell."

Larry Sunbrock, Natchee The Indian & Mac- Part 3

2009-10-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well that's show biz!

You can see from my last blog that Clayton "Mac" McMichen wasn't above having a little fun and making a little money. Same with Sunbrock. He staged a huge fiddle competition extravaganza in West Virgina with Clark Kessinger later that year (1937). Dubbed by True Magazine "the greatest cowboy conman," Sunbrock's ill-fated rodeo and swing concert at Municipal Stadium in 1939, with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra, was, no doubt, one of the most unusual jazz gigs in Cleveland history.

I asked Juanita McMichen Lynch if Sunbrock had ever scammed Mac. "Why heavens no," she replied. "Larry knew Mac would kill him. They were always straight with each other."

Larry continued promoting his circus and wild west thrill shows through the 1940s and 50s, offering his "rubes" a thousand dollars if they could stay on a Brahma bull named "Big Sid" for ten seconds.

In the 60s Sunbrock turned again to music promotion, sponsoring shows with the Dick Clark Unit, which featured leading artists like Bobby Vee. He even held a rock n'roll extravaganza with rock bands sandwiched around a 20 minute poetry recitation by Cassius "I Am the Greatest" Clay (Muhammed Ali). Clay traded "good-natured banter and insults" with the sold-out audience. Of course his all-time great promotion occured in 1965 (see first Sunbrock blog), when he promoted an all-star country music show in Birmingham, Alabama, faked a heart attack, fled with the proceeds in a hired ambulance, and never paid the artists, including country music legend Red Foley.

Was Natchee a real Apache Indian? Larry Sunbrock would never confess. You can read his newspaper article in the last blog. Perhaps I should shed some light on this mystery man.

Natchee the Indian was born Lester Vernon Storer around 1913 in Peebles, Ohio. He was an old-time musician whose tricks included loosening the bowstrings and playing with the bow on back side of the fiddle and the strings against the fiddle strings. The trick fiddler was popular in West Virginia and southern Ohio in the early 1930s before being hired by Sunbrock to play against the top fiddlers including McMichen, Curly Fox and Clark Kessinger.

In the mid-1930's Natchee and guitarist Lloyd "Cowboy" Copas traveled with promoter Larry Sunbrock, whose staged fiddle contests were fixed (most of the fiddlers were paid a flat fee by Sunbrock regardless whether they won or lost. Curly Fox was paid a fee of $250). There is some doubt that Natchee, who dressed as an indian, was even an Indian; he was rumored to be either Italian or Greek.

To add to the confusion, he worked on radio with "Indian Bill and Little Montana" (Bill and Evalina Stallard). He also worked around Dayton and Cincinnati with Emory Martin and with Jimmie Skinner. Aside from all rumors, people who saw Natchee remembered him for his showmanship. By the 1950s was found living in Chicago.

Juanita McMichen Lynch, Clayton's daughter knew him. When I asked her about Natchee she handed me a photo of him (see last blog) and related how Natchee turned up broke and dirty at Bert Layne's door. Dooley (Bert's wife, who was her mother's sister) let him in- he hadn't eaten or bathed in days. After he showered and ate they turned him loose, never to see or hear from him again.

It was a far cry from his hey-day in the 1930s when thousands and thousands of admiring fans cried his name...

All the good times are passed and gone,
All the good time are o'er.

Larry Sunbrock, Natchee the Indian & Mac- Part 2

2009-10-09T18:25:00.000-07:00

What do you mean we, Kemosabe?

If you look at the photo on the left you will see Cowboy Copas, Natchee the Indian and an unidentified bassist. (Click to enlarge)

According to Merle Travis, Natchee the Indian did not talk so he couldn't have utter the immortal line above- it must have been Tonto.

If you got to know Natchee The Indian you could just call him by his nickname, The Indian.

Here's how promoter Larry Sunbrock presented Natchee. This is from an actual newspaper article circa 1936:

Times were hard in the 1930s. Sometimes performers had to play anywhere just to survive. Maybe we should just let Merle Travis tell the story of McMichen and Natchee, after all he was there in 1937, playing with the Georgia Wildcats.

According to Travis in his The Clayton McMichen Story 1982: "We played lots and lots of major theaters, the biggest halls in many towns. A man named Larry Sunbrock was doing the bookings. They called them "Fiddlin' Contests" but they were nothing more than today's country Music Spectaculars.

They had worlds of people who were famous on the radio. Records didn't mean alot they couldn't be played on the radio. Records were something you did now and then. We would go to one big city, say Cleveland- Larry Sunbrock would buy an hour each day on two different radio stations.

One hour was taken by Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats. The other was taken by Natchee The Indian and his band which was fronted by a young feller who called himself Cowboy Copas.

"We were all friends but you'd never know it by listening to our radio programs. We'd play our show and all week this is the way things would go. McMichen would say in his nasal Georgian accent: Howdy, howdy howdy. I hear there's an Indian in town playing on another station that thinks he can beat me fiddlin'. If that indian Natchee beats me Sunday, I'll eat my fiddle on the stage."

"On the other show Cowboy Copas, doing the talking for Natchee the Indian (Natchee never talked on the radio) would say: I'm just a country boy from Oklahoma. This Indian Natchee is my friend. There's a man named Clayton Mcmichen that says he can beat my Indian friend fiddlin' but come down Sunday afternoon and we'll send this braggin' Georgian back down south were he belongs."

"This was the way Larry Sunbrock wanted things to go. There'd be arguments, fist fights and hair pullin' to show faith in their favorite fiddler. Pepole would line up for blocks, they wanted to get in and root for their fiddler to win. The way of judging was to hold a hand over each fiddler's head and judge from the applause. McMichen got a nice response but when the hand went over Natchee the Indian they almost tore the house down- Natchee was the winner.

Clayton McMichen went to the microphone and delivered this classic speech: Ladies and gentlemen, all of you who applauded for me, much obliged.. and the rest of you can just go to hell."

Larry Sunbrock, Natchee the Indian, & Mac- Part 1

2009-10-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Hi,

The circus is in town! Two if the most colorful and bizarre characters to ever invade old-time hillbilly music are here: promoter Larry Sunbrock and Natchee the Indian.

What does this have to do with Mac? You say Clayton McMichen wouldn't stand for this foolishness...

Don't tell me Merle Travis is involved, what! Clark Kessinger you say...noooooo. Curly Fox was there, I don't believe it! Red Foley, nah. Even Hank Jr. and Tammy Wynette, no way.

It's true- I swear, and if you don't believe me ask Larry, he will tell you the truth...

Well, let the show begin!!! Here's an article about Larry, somehow still alive in '65. Who'd o' thunk it:

Sting of Stings? By David Vest

This is the story as I watched it unfold, and as those who could get into rooms I couldn't enter shared it with me. Most of it I know to be true, the rest I have on good authority.

The year was about 1965. It was the biggest country music show to hit Birmingham in many years. As a matter of fact, it was so big it made no sense. All over town, music professionals were shaking their heads. Even if he sold out the Municipal Auditorium, filling every seat, how was the promoter, a man named Larry Sunbrock, planning to cover his expenses and pay all the high-priced talent he had booked?

Surely Sunbrock knew what he was doing. He had been a successful promoter at least since the 1930s, when he used to stage wildly popular fiddling contests. But if you did the math, multiplied the ticket price ($3 or $4) by the number of seats in the old Albert Boutwell Municipal Auditorium (well under 5,000), you couldn't see how Sunbrock was going to break even, much less make a profit.

The legendary Red Foley topped the bill. Then came Sonny James, followed by The Wilburn Brothers (Teddy and Doyle) and young Hank Williams, Jr., plus a busload of veteran Nashville musicians including Don Helms on pedal steel guitar, and a special appearance by the reigning Miss World.

As if this weren't enough, local musicians' union rules required Sunbrock to hire a local back-up band on top of everything else. The best-known local outfit was the Country Boy Eddie Show Band, which featured Wynette Byrd (later known as Tammy Wynette) on vocals and yours truly on piano.

The show had everything but fire-eaters, so Country Boy Eddie brought one along. The thing to consider is that in those days any one of these major acts might have filled the hall unaided. Red Foley, famous for songs like "Smoke on the Water," "This Old House" and "Old Shep," was something like the Bing Crosby of country music, not to mention Pat Boone's father-in-law. Sonny James was a local favorite and major crossover artist with a string of pop hits. The Wilburn Brothers had their own syndicated television show out of Nashville. Hank Williams, Jr. was only 14 or 15 but had his first hit record on the charts ("Long Gone Lonesome Blues") plus his famous father's name and his mother's road managing skills (yes, Audrey Williams was on the show, too).

No doubt about it, Birmingham was excited. Country Boy Eddie had Sunbrock on his program all week, giving him free air time for promotion. Homer Milam gave him the run of his recording studio to tape radio spots, feeling it was good for business just to be associated with an event of this magnitude. Milam later said that Sunbrock ran up a sizable long distance bill on the studio phone.

As the Country Boy Eddie band took the stage, just before the curtain opened, Hank Williams, Jr. appeared at the piano with a guitar and said, "Gimme an E." I had barely played the note for him when his mother appeared, glaring at me and telling Hank, Jr., "Don't be talking to him!" as she pulled him away. I have no idea what that was about. I asked Red Foley about it and he said she was keeping the boy on a tight leash and not letting him out of her sight.

The people in the audience probably had no idea that the opening act included someone who would become one of the greatest stars in country music history. The artist not yet known as Tammy Wynette sang her number and joined in background vocals. It was a strange assembly. The band included Whitey Puckett, an Albino clarinet player (not every country and western act had one of those); Butterbean Flippo, who painted speckles on his face with a magic marker and played electric bass; Johnny Gore, a lady's man who played hot electric guitar but tended to solo all the way through every song; Mickey, the fire-eater; Mason "Tex" Dixon, Lee Hood and Bill Compton on acoustic guitars; a steel player whose name I don't recall; me on piano; and Country Boy Eddie on fiddle and spontaneous (and highly realistic) mule noises.

We played our tunes and got offstage, returning later to help back up The Wilburns and Red Foley. At one point Miss World came out and I was asked to dance with her while the band played "The Twist."

I walked out into the audience to watch Hank, Jr. Everyone in the business had been talking about him. In those days he sang nothing but his father's material, but he was damned effective in doing it. You could feel the goosebumps rising in the crowd. Hank, Sr. had been dead only about 13 or 14 years, and many of the audience had seen him perform.

Shortly before Red Foley was to go on, there was a commotion backstage. A stretcher appeared, and the promoter, Sunbrock, was on it. Someone whispered that he had suffered a heart attack. I got close enough to see that his usually pink skin was pale. There was a white line around his mouth.

Red Foley leaned over to him and said, "Larry, this is awful. I'm so sorry. Obviously we'll send everyone home right now and attend to you."

"No," said Sunbrock, "no, never mind me." And, painfully trying to lift himself, he said, "the show must go on."

"I can't go out there now, under these conditions," said Foley. "I couldn't live with myself, and you like this."

"Please, Red," said the man on the stretcher. "Please. For me."

"All right, Larry, all right." You could practically feel the lump in Foley's throat as he promised the fallen promoter that he'd say nothing to the audience and fulfill the commitment.
So we went back onstage and played "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy" and "Old Shep" and the other favorites. The crowd roared its approval.

Later someone came backstage and announced that the gate receipts were missing. It was rumored that a satchel of money had been carried out on the stretcher, under the sheet. Calls were made. None of the local hospitals had admitted a Larry Sunbrock. Someone claimed to have seen Sunbrock's assistant driving the ambulance, heading out of town.

A few months later I visited Red Foley in his office, in Nashville. He told me that none of the artists had been paid for the Birmingham show. "I understand that Sunbrock put on a rock and roll show the next night in Mississippi," he said. And a gospel show in Louisiana soon after.

I thought it best not to mention that, unlike the famous people, and unlike Homer Milam, I had been paid for my night's work. Musicians Local #256 had required the money up front for the local players' services.

Whether it was the sting of stings or just a bizarre misunderstanding, it was one hell of an experience.

Jimmie Rodgers and Clayton McMichen

2009-10-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's a photo (Click to enlarge) of Jimmie Rodgers and Clayton McMichen in Tupelo, Mississippi, in December 1929 that's displayed in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

By 1929, Jimmie Rodgers had experienced a meteoric rise from obscurity to stardom similar in many ways to the later experiences of Hank Williams and Elvis Presley. By summer he was making in excess of $1,000 a week in royalties.

On top of this, according to Rodgers, he made "$1,500 a week" playing the R-K-O’s Interstate Circuit tour and Loew’s vaudeville circuit. By 1929 he was a millionaire; he built a house in Kerrville Texas, bought a fancy new Buick, new clothes and had all the trappings of success.

So Jimmie was planning a some concerts during the winter of 1929. Who did he select to play fiddle? One of the best: Clayton McMichen.

"Everybody knows McMichen" said a concert poster advertising a concert featuring Jimmie Rodgers and McMichen in Chattanooga which was part of Rodger's tour across the south and southwest. Rodgers considered Mac his "good pal" and in 1932 would call on Mac to help him with his recordings.

Cccording to the 1977 book, Jimmie The Kid: "Clayton McMichen, the Georgia fiddler, with whom Rodgers later recorded, claimed he introduced Rodgers to Ralph Peer in Atlanta in 1926 or 1927."

This claim seems unlikely for many reasons. We know from the two photographs of McMichen and Rodgers (the above dated Dec. 1929 and another dated 1930 that's clearly early in the year) and the Chattanooga concert poster that Mac was part of the winter tour. When they met is uncertain. According to the book Jimmie The Kid, Gid Tanner met Rodgers in Atlanta so it could be assumed Rodgers met Mac in Atlanta as well.

More on Jimmie and Mac later,

Richard

Clayton McMichen Story- Cont'd

2009-10-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hi,

For all you music triva buffs: Who was Clayton McMichen's first fiddle teacher? If you look on the web you'll probably see that his father and several uncles who played fiddle taught the youngster fiddle tunes.

The photo (click to enlarge) is a PR photo for WLS in 1933. From left to right, Bert Layne, Clayton McMichen, Jack Dunnigan and Slim Bryant.

When Clayton was a young boy he did learn to play the fiddle from his uncles and his father, a trained violinist. His father Mitchell played Viennese waltzes at the uptown hotel "crinoline" dances. But his father wasn't his first teacher!

According to Juanita McMichen Lynch. "Mitchell was a concert violinist and wouldn't let my dad touch his violin. So Mitchell hid the fiddle under his bed so no one could mess with it. When he would go out my Dad would take it out from under the bed and sneak out to Mitchell's saw mill."

Clayton befriended an old black gentleman who the family fondly called, "Uncle." Clayton loved Uncle and spent as much time as he could with him. Whenever Clayton disappeared, they knew to go to Uncle's house first. Uncle encouraged Clayton to play the fiddle and taught him his first song, Sally Goodin. Young Clayton played it "over and over" until he almost drove his sisters and mother crazy "see-sawing back and forth." [The McMichen Family by Joann T. Allen]

Clayton took his father's fiddle everyday when he went to work and put it back when he heard him coming home. One day his father came home and heard young Clayton playing by accident. When asked what he thought he was doing the 6 year old Clayton replied "Trying to play this durn thing." When Bertha, his oldest sister, asked if he could play Sally Goodin, he tuned his fiddle and rendered the tune perfectly. Grandpa was so amazed at how well the boy could play he got him his own fiddle and told him he'd help him any way he could." [Unpublished Manuscript on her father by Juanita McMichen Lynch]

That's all for now,

Richard

Who Yer Daddy? Part 2 Clayton McMichen Story

2009-10-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's the only photo I have of Clayton McMichen's Georgia Wildcats with then 18 year-old Merle Travis. (Click To Enlarge)

Clayton has arm around Merle, after all he was Merle's mentor and briefly his father, at least for one day!

That one day, according to Travis was in March 1937. Merle told Clayton he and his fiance were under age and couldn't get married and Clayton replied:

"The hell you are, son. Right now I'm your pappy. I'll tell the justice of peace I'm your father."

So it came to pass that Clayton McMichen and Bert Layne (who posed as the girl's father), former members of Skillet Lickers and two of the most famous fiddler's in the world married off Merle and Mary Elizabeth Johnson.

At the time Juanita McMichen Lynch, Mac's daughter who lived in an old house in Covington with Mac and the Wildcats added, "We had a honeymoon from Merle back at the house."

According to legend Juanita added, "The preacher that married them recognized Mac and turned to him and asked, 'Do you expect me to believe that you are this boy's father?' Mac reassured the preacher and the ceremony went on."

In 1982 at the end of his life Merle did a tribute to Mac, a recording titled "The Clayton McMichen story." Mac died in 1970 but Merle wrote Juanita:

"I only wish we could have made this album half as great as your Dad was-

Your friend,

Merle Travis 1982"

Merle died later that year. His tribute to his mentor was the final musical act of his great career.

Who's Yer Daddy?

2009-10-06T16:24:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's a photo (click to enlarge) of one of the all-time great country guitarists, Merle Travis. I never got to meet Merle but I did meet Thom Bresh, Merle's son. Bresh is an outstanding thumbpicker/fingerpicker like his dad.

Not everyone knows that Merle got his start in the big time with fiddler Clayton McMichen. One of the last albums Merle made was "The Clayton McMichen Story" in 1982, which was a tribute to his mentor McMichen.

Was Clayton McMichen Merle's daddy? He sure was...at least for one day! And Uncle Bert Layne was Merle's wife-to-be's daddy? Alton Delmore is right: truth is stranger than fiction.

Merle tells the story best and when I have time, I'll include here. Juanita McMichen Lynch has a good version. It's also told in the following from an interview in 1960 by Ed Kahn (it's at the end of the excerpt). Ed gets most of the info right but-

Merle's birthdate is Nov. 29, 1917

Both Doc Watson and Chet Atkins named children after Merle but Chet named his daughter Merle.

Merle claims he played guitar, his first recording, on Clayton McMichen's Decca session in NYC. Tony Russell credits Slim Bryant, who was in Pittsburgh in early 1937. Did Slim come back by the summer? Rich Kienzle said he did. I called Slim today and told him the songs and he assured me he was there. Was Merle there? Not according to Slim who said he only met Merle once. This is mystery to me.

Did Merle meet Mac three times before he started playing with him. Maybe so, but I know of two... and the third?

Merle Travis (1917-1983) occupies a unique position in the history of country music. In a career that spanned nearly a half acentury, he participated in the transformation of country music from a regional to a national style and introduced his Western Kentucky style of guitar playing to the whole world. He made a mark for himself as a singer, guitar stylist, song writer, performer,and actor. He also pioneered the design of the solid body guitar, now widely used by electric guitar players of every genre. Few musicians have been so influential.

Both Doc Watson and Chet Atkins credit Merle as their inspiration. *Both men named their sons after Travis. Today, Merle’s style shows up as a main ingredient in pop, rock, and country music. Attesting to his greatness, countless musicians who have never heard of Merle Travis have unknowingly incorporated his influence into their music. His influence has become mainstream. In recognition of his contributionto country music, Merle was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1978. But his influence was considerably wider than just country music.

The earliest days of country music were dominated by performers who, for the most part, took their home grown music into the recording studio. They were simply performing into a microphone rather than before a live audience. These musicians provided the foundation upon which a second generation of musicians built their careers. Merle was part of this next generation. He consciously entered into the music business. While there was little precedent for people making their living in this area, Merle never doubted that he could. Merle Travis was born on November 17, 1917.

“I was born in Rosewood, Kentucky, which is...in Muhlenberg County. They raise tobaccer up there. My dad raised tobacco and my older brother, Taylor, he moved to Muhlenberg County and got a job in the mines, so he went back to Rosewood and told dad, said,‘Pappy, you’re crazy raising this tobacco,’ said ‘you could godown to the mines and really make some money.’ So Dad spent the rest of his days after going to the mines in Browder, Kentucky,and then of course eventually to Beach Creek where heworked sixteen years. Dad always said, I wish I’d a stayed on the farm,’ you know, but I think he kind of liked coal mining.”

Merle was the youngest of four children. His father worked outside the mines, never venturing underground. In time, Merle’s next oldest brother, John, took a job in the mine. Merle knewbefore the end of the eighth grade, his last year of school, that he had no intention of working in the mines. Rather, he reasoned,he could make a living with his guitar.

Merle lumped all musical things together: “I was always fascinatedby things about music...our talkin’ machine and...the fiddle and the guitars and things, had a smell all its own—smelled so musical, you know...now we had a neighbor, his name was Maynard Matterley, and they had a guitar hanging on the wall, and I remember that somebody, and I don’t know, maybe Mr. or Mrs. Matterley played the guitar and it smelled so good. You know, it had the round hole and it had a musty sort of smell.”

As a kid, he absorbed the rich musical culture of his region. “There was music in the home, of course...then there was a fellow named Colie Addison who played the fiddle and he played the guitar and the old ‘tater bug’ mandolin, and that just sounded the purtiest that I ever heard, to me. And of course in home, whymy dad was a five string banjer picker. But he didn’t have a banjer and he talked about the old time banjer players...I remember he used to talk about a guy named Jim Winders who was a great banjo player. So finally my dad’s brother, named John, Uncle Johnny Travis, he got a five string banjo and Dad traded him outof it and brought it home and Dad, he’d play... pick it, you know, had two different ways, he called it knockin’ the banjer and then pickin’ the banjer. He’d sing songs...he’d sing ‘Jenny Weaver,’and a song about Jeff Davis swore when the cruel war begun,

I wouldn’t be the Union man and carry the Union gun,
But I’d rather be the Union man and carry the Union gun
than to be the rebel, the rebel had to run.

“That was the words to the song he sung. And of course he sung some little old verses to ‘Ida Red’ and a bunch of stuff. Just a world of things he’d pick on the banjer and sing ‘em. And evenmy mother played a little bit. She played what they call...we call it ‘Hot corn.’ Now you’ve heard ‘Green Corn?’ ‘Green Corn,’Hot Corn,’ I’ve heard it called two or three different things sinceI’ve growed up, but she called it ‘Hot Corn.’ And that’s the first thing I ever learned to play was ‘Hot Corn’ on the banjo.

And of course all kids make instruments. I used to make banjers out of carbide cans, you know, just cut the bottom of the round can off and put a neck on it and strip a screen wire..that’s where I got my strings and oh, I’d just pick it. I wish I had an instrument that would sound as good today...My dad always talked about the banjos without a fret...he lived until the early forties and he always talked about the banjers, you know, he saw some awfully good ones, because I was working on a radio station at the time he passed on, but until his dyin’ day he said ‘No banjer sounds as good as the kind that Jim Winders used to play made out of a hickory rim, and a groundhog hide for the head, and they didn’t have no frets on them.’ Dad said they’d gotten away.”The Travis family had a phonograph in their home. His father loved to order records from the Sears catalog. Each time they put in an order from the catalog, his father would add a record or two to the order. He especially liked Vernon Dalhart’s ballads. In addition to Dalhart’s music, his dad loved to listen to the string band music of Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers and of Clayton McMichen and his groups.

“And ninetime out of ten, it would be a song that, in the case of my dad, he’d say, ‘I’ve knowed that song all my life.’ So he was meetin’an old friend as well as hearing some awful good fiddlin’ andbanjo pickin’, you know. So that, no doubt, was the appeal.”

At an early age, Merle’s musical interests focused on the guitar. There were lots of excellent guitar pickers in his area. Histwo favorite musicians, however, were Ike Everly — father of the Everly Brothers, Don and Phil — and Mose Rager. These men were strongly influenced by the guitar style of Arnold Shultz, a black itinerant musician from Ohio County, Kentucky. Shultz,who died in 1931, traveled the area and worked along the Green River, which separates Muhlenberg County from Ohio Countyand flows on to the Ohio River. [Paradise by John Prine] Just where he got the style is unclear, but his influence extended not only to these Muhlenberg County musicians, but also to Bill Monroe who recalls seeing Shultz and credits him as being a major influence on his music.

By the time Merle Travis was a teenager, he was already awhiz on the guitar. He hung around all the musicians of his area and credits a number of the young men with influencing the Travissound. Kennedy Jones, Raymond McClellan, and Lester“Plucker” English were names that Travis often mentioned. Traviswas like a sponge. Mose Rager affectionately recalled that wheneverhe would play, young Travis would get up as close as he could and before Mose knew it, Travis would have stolen a chordor lick.

One of the things that set these Muhlenberg County musiciansapart was their interest in a wide range of music. They were fascinated by harmonies and chords. Arnold Shultz not only played blues, but jazz and popular tunes of the day. These Muhlenberg County musicians all loved musical complexity. Merle once commented that he was more interested in learning new chords than new songs.

By the time Merle was fifteen, he was on his way out of town. His first journey away from home was to join the Civilian Conservation Corps. The arrangement was that part of the money earned was given to the youngster and the rest was sent home to the parents. Shortly after his time in the CCC, Merle rode a freight train to Evansville, Indiana, where his brother, John, had gone towork in the Servel Refrigerator plant. Merle asked his mother for the $65 that he had earned in the CCC. He promised that he was going to buy clothing with the money.

John Travis recalls Merle’s trip to Evansville. Merle slipped out on the first day and bought a new guitar. When John questioned Merle about this, Merle replied that he was going to enter a talent contest and win prize money that would pay for the clothing. Merle reasoned that he could make money with the guitar, but not with clothing. Merle entered the contest that night and came in third, behind a little girl who did an acrobatic dance, and a dog who walked a tightrope. When John challenged Merle that he had not won, Merle replied that he had. When John pointed out that the little girl had won, Merle replied that he was the highest ranking musician! Merle recalled another early trip and contest, saying that he had stepped up to the microphone and played “Tiger Rag” as much like Mose Rager as he could.

Merle soon left home for good. He teamed up with a bunch of young musicians and played the local area. Next, he teamed up with the Walt and Bill Brown and Sleepy Marlin to form the Drifting Pioneers, a group that he worked with off and on for years. [fiddler Morris "Sleepy" Marlin still lives in the Louisville area.]

In the middle of his Drifting Pioneers years, in late 1936 or early ’37, old time fiddler Clayton McMichen invited him to join his band. Merle met McMichen three times before he was asked to become a member of the group. He recalls getting a letter from his mother saying that he had a telegram from Clayton McMichen: “I quit the Drifting Pioneers and took off and found a way of catchin’ the boat across the Ohio River at one of themost flooded parts down there and then I caught a freight train down through Kentucky and got home, which is some hundred miles or so and there was the telegram, which said ‘Meet me in Columbus,’ which was about four days from then, so I started gathering up money, you know,...friends that had a dollar or two...and I bought a railroad ticket to Cincinnati and when I got to Cincinnati, why, they hadn’t left yet, so I went on to Columbus, Ohio, and that’s when I joined Clayton McMichen and his Georgia Wildcats. And boy I was in hog heaven then. And we allwore yellow checkered shirts and everything... and that was a great experience, you know, because we had records at home and I’d look at McMichen and think. ‘There is a man who actually made a talking machine record.’ And he sold ‘em too in his day, you know. So I was with them some eight months or something and finally we...the band sort of starved out, you know, and I went back to Evansville and got my job back with the Drifting Pioneers.”

In any case, he joined the band and says that his first recording session was playing guitar on McMichen’s recording of “Farewell Blues.” McMichen named Travis Ridge Runner. Clayton McMichen’s daughter, Juanita, recalled to me that during the time Merle was with McMichen, she would always see him in his room playing the guitar. He practiced constantly. During his stint with McMichen, he married for the first time. His bride was Mary Elizabeth Johnson, his teenage sweetheart. Because neither Merle nor Mary were yet 21 and didn’t havetheir parents’ consent, McMichen posed as Merle’s father while old time fiddler, Bert Layne, posed as Mary’s dad so the young couple could get married.

Clayton McMichen

2009-10-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Howdy, Howdy Howdy,

The next several blogs will feature Clayton McMichen, the lead fiddler for the Skillet Lickers and Georgia Wildcats. Here's a photo of Clayton when he appeared on Pittsburgh's KDKA radio in 1932 (Click to enlarge)

I'm writing an article for the Old-Time Herald and I'll feature excerpts and new facts about his life and the musicians he encountered.

I've interviewed Slim Bryant, the Georgia Wildcats first guitarist, and Juanita McMichen Lynch, his daughter. I think I have most of the facts right but some details may never be fathomed.

Fiddler of the Century
Bob Everhart, President of the National Traditional Country Music Association bestowed a new award on the fiddler from Georgia. "We just finished our 34th festival of old-time music in LeMars, Iowa," said Everhart, "and Juanita McMichen was on hand to accept the proclamation we made, making her father the "Fiddler of the Century" for our upper Midwest area. Clayton McMichen was an incredible fiddler."

Mac's Influence
The number of musicians Mac played with and influenced are enormous. Beside the long list of talented musicians in his main bands, the Skillet Lickers and Georgia Wildcats, McMichen recorded with country music's first superstar Jimmie Rodgers. There are a host of fiddler's indebted to McMichen- the short list includes Carl Cotner, Cliff Gross, Curly Fox, Chubby Wise, and Bob Wills. Two of the best country guitarists got their start with Mac- Slim Bryant and Merle Travis. The first concert Ralph Stanley saw as a young man was Clayton McMichen's Georgia Wildcats, who shared the bill with The Delmore Brothers.

More to come,

Richard

A House Divided: Close-Ups

2009-09-23T08:35:00.001-07:00

Hi,

Here's a close-up of the speech (Click to enlarge)

The location is the Moir Bank which was located on what is now Schuyler St. and 2nd St. (Schuyler St. was Main St.)

To the left of Lincoln is SS Phelps, then seated is a reporter for the Oquawka newspaper and next to the flag, standing on a chair is Barrack Obama.

There are many stories about SS Phelps who founded the town of Oquawka along with his two brothers. SS was nicknamed 'hawk eye' by the Blackhawk Indians because he was an excellent marksman and hunter.

The Burlington newspaper, The Hawk-Eye, is named after him as well as the state of Iowa- "The Hawk-Eye State."

Richard

A House Divided

2009-09-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

A House Divided- Lincoln in Oquawka

I just finished a commission of my painting of "Lincoln in Oquawka." (Click to enlarge) Lincoln was in Oquawka, Illionois in Oct. 1958 to give a speech in his election campaign for the Illinois senate seat. Running against Lincoln was Douglas who didn't make the Oquawka stop. Here's the report:

Saturday, October 9, 1858.Oquawka, IL and Burlington, IL.
Escort with brass band meets Lincoln at Oquawka Junction (now Gladstone) and takes him to home of S. S. Phelps. At 1 P.M. he is escorted to stand in business section, where he speaks for hours. After meeting he leaves for Burlington, Iowa, for evening speech at Grimes' Hall. Oquawka Spectator, 4 October 1858; Burlington Hawkeye, 11 October 1858; J. W. Grimes to Herndon, 28 October 1866, William H. Herndon Papers, Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, CA.

The site where Lincoln spoke was the Moir Bank in 1858 and is now the Oquawka Diner:

[Starting from the levee that was once the abandoned railroad bed we come to the Oquawka diner, owned and operated by George Olson, Jr. In 1952 George and Ida Olson along with their children, George Jr. and Donna, started this small riverside restaurant. Small, because at the time they opened, it was just a small place with very good food. About a year later they enlarged by moving what used to be an old city boat or warehouse and later the Jim and Harry McOlgan fish house, to the east side of the Diner, thus giving a much larger seating capacity for the patrons. George Jr. is still running the Diner today. In an earlier day yet, just east of the Diner was the Hodson Canning Factory. It has long since been gone. Just two years ago in 1984 the old brick structure that used to be the quarters of the Moir Bank that Abe Lincoln stood in front of and gave his part of the Lincoln-Douglas debate, had to be torn down because of deterioration. During its past useful years it was known as the Blue Goose Tavern.]

In 1827, Dr. Isaac Galland erected a log cabin and began trading with the Indians at the site now known as Oquawka. In 1828 Stephen Phelps of Lewistown, IL purchased the claim for his son, S.S., who made his home there. Oquawka was laid out by Alexis Phelps and his brother, Stephen Sumner Phelps on July 9, 1836."Oquawka" was derived from an Indian word Oquawkiek meaning "Yellow Banks".

This is what I came up with. Rosie Melvin, who helped commission the piece suggested I do a young Lincoln. In 1858 Lincoln had no beard. I thought that besides the protrait I'd need to have Lincoln giving the speech. So he's on a platform in front of the Moir Bank with the "Yellow Banks" and Mississippi River in the background. I figured it would appear something like this in 1858. It proved to be difficult to say the least. The front right spectators are loosley drawn and painted.

I used an earlier sketch I found on-line as the basis for the speech. I added S.S. Phelps and Barrack Obama. I'm sure S.S. Phelps was there and since Lincoln's speech directly influenced events that led to President Obama, I figured it would be fitting to include him also.

I'll have some close-ups next blog,

Richard

Walter Cronkite

2009-09-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Hi,

It's been a while since I posted anything. Basically I'm swamped and working hard on my Bluegrass Lyrics page: http://bluegrassmessengers.com.temp.realssl.com/bluegrass-lyrics.aspx

Walter Cronkite passed away on July 17, 2009 in New York City. I was watching CNN today and saw Winton Marsales playing some jazz at the memorial ceremony, then President Obama.

I played for Cronkite and his family back in the 1980's. Walter Cronkite's sailboat, which in 1986 he named Wyntje, was a 48 foot, 50,000 pound, custom built ketch. The ketch was built to Cronkite's specifications, and he enjoyed it for eleven years. Cronkite would sail up and down the the east coast in his sailboat.

When I was in Beaufort, SC in the mid 1980s, I played classical/pop music on a classical guitar every Sat. night at the John Cross Tavern on Bay St. for the dinner crowd. One Saturday, the owner, Harry Chikades, came upstairs and announced, "Walter Cronkite is coming upstairs to eat." Harry rushed around preparing the staff and waiters/waitresses. He came over to me while I was playing and whispered,"Don't do anything to upset him, just play quiet."

I wasn't worried-- but Harry sure was. Walter Cronkite came in with his wife, son and two other people. They were casually dressed after a day of sailing. I was sitting about 12 feet away from their table and clearly Walter was interested in music. They ordered and listened. Walter's son requested a number then Walter asked me if I played Malaguena.

I said, "Sure," and ripped through my flamenco arrangement. Suddenly, his son hopped up on a chair and did some form of dance while clapping his hands. Harry came rushing out and saw that the commotion was made by Cronkite and his party. He smiled embarrassed and disappeared to the kitchen.

Later, as I was leaving, I went over to Walter and got him to write a note to my grandmother, since I knew she was a big fan. He wrote the note and I gave it to her- she was impressed. My grandmother Matteson was hard to impress, she'd been a professional pianist and performer and had met a number of famous people in her life.

She died about 8 years later and now- Walter's gone.

Richard

Pretty Polly close-ups- Click to enlarge

2009-07-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Pretty Polly: the Professional Pics- Whole painting

2009-07-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's the finished painting of Pretty Polly, professionally digitized (click to enlarge).

I'll have some close-ups tomorrow.

Hope you like it,

Richard

Pretty Polly- finished

2009-07-19T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,

My painting of Pretty Polly is finished. I took some rough photos with my camera; Click to enlarge.

I'll enclose one close-up Pretty Polly "yonder she stands"

I'll have some better shots professionally done soon. Hope you like it,

Richard

Cripple Creek Painting

2009-07-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I got the profession digital pic back on Cripple Creek (Click to enlarge).

I'll have copies (or the original available next week). Please email me at richiematt@aol.com if you're interested.

Here are the painting lyrics:

Cripple Creek

I've got a gal and she loves me,
She's as sweet as she can be.
She's got eyes of baby blue,
Makes my gun shoot straight and true.

Goin’ up Cripple Creek, goin’ in a whirl,
Goin’ up Cripple Creek, to see my girl.
Goin' up Cripple Creek goin' in a run,
Goin' up Cripple Creek to have some fun.

My gal lives at the head of the creek,
I go up to see her ‘bout twice a week.
She’s got kisses sweet as any wine,
Wraps herself ‘round me like a sweet pertater vine.

Cripple Creek's wide and Cripple Creek's deep,
I'll wade old Cripple Creek before I sleep.
Roll my britches to my knees,
I'll wade old Cripple Creek when I please.

Cripple Creek: Rough Pics

2009-06-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I finished my painting of Cripple Creek last night. Here are some rough pics I shot with my camera (click to enlarge). I thought the painting would be easy but it wasn't. I had to include a banjo picker and singer in the background yet not disturb the main scene. I'll have some good pics in a few weeks that really show the colors. Hope you like it.

The main scene above features, "Goin' up to Cripple Creek Goin' in whirl, Goin' up to Cripple Creek to see my girl." The other verse is, "Roll my britches to my knees, I'll wade ol' Cripple Creek when I please."

Below is the full painting (click to enlarge):

Salty Dog Final pic Full-view

2009-06-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Salty Dog C 2009 by Richard L. Matteson Jr.

Here's the full view professionally photographed. Click to enlarge:

Salty Dog professional close-up pics

2009-06-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I just got my profession close-up digital pics of Salty Dog: Here are the close ups (click to enlarge):

Salty Dog: Close-ups

2009-06-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I just finished my painting of Salty Dog Blues. On the left is a close up (Click to enlarge) Sitting on the corner with the lowdown blues, great big hole in the bottom of my shoes.

This is a wild painting featuring a variety of scenes including a little girl lifting the ocean to get her ball- the ocean turning into a giant wave and then becoming a green pasture with a wild hog running on it. A hunter standing on a giant hot dog and lifting his gun, has a finger on his trigger and an eye on the hog. Two old maids are sitting in the sand...each one is wishing the other was a man. It also features cameos of Miss California and Mel Gibson as well a hog running above a meat grinder! What did I leave out???

Here's the hunter standing on a hot dog, finger on the trigger and an eye on the hog. It looks the like the hog better be careful; he's running above the meat grinder!

More wild images! Two old maid sitting in the sand, each one wishing the other was a man. The little girl is lifting up the ocean to get her ball! The ocean turns into a green field with a hog running across.

Bluegrass Messengers

2009-05-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'm revamping my group, the Bluegrass Messengers. We are practicing once a week and are performing on Friday May 29 at 6:00 at Ahoy Fish Hutt on 2902 Bardstown Rd. Louisville, KY 40205

Call (502)451-5508 for info.

We just about got a full band now that Roz has joined on fiddle and Wayne will be playing dobro and some on banjo.

I'm still working on the lyric section- http://bluegrassmessengers.com.temp.realssl.com/bluegrass-lyrics.aspx and have made it to letter H-I on the fiddle tunes and have started the Bluegrass Blues and Jazz Lyric section A-B.

Only a few thousand hours to go lol....

Richard

Driftwood Series

2009-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I'm working on painting Salty Dog this week. I got back my image of one of my new Driftwood Series paintings (Click to enlarge):

Mona Lisa: C 2009 Richard L. Matteson Jr.

For more info check my art web-site and blog:

http://www.mattesonart.com/blog.aspx

Hope you like it,

Richard

Train on the Island: History

2009-05-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's some information about the song I used for my painting (see painting in last blog):

Train on the Island

Train on the Island is an old-time/bluegrass banjo and fiddle tune originally found in North Carolina, Virginia and Tenessee. The first recording was a field recording made in a make-shift studio in Bristol, Tenessee by Ralph Peer for Victor records during the famous 1927 Bristol Sessions (Victor 21070) on August 1, 1927 of J.P. Nestor (J. Preston Nestor, banjo) and Norman Edmonds, fiddle.

Nester and Edmonds:
John Preston Nester (J.P. Nestor) was born Nov. 26 1876 Hillsville in Carroll County Virginia (died in 1967). Norman Edmonds was born Feb. 9, 1899 in Wythe County, Virginia (died in 1976). Both men played together many year before the recording session. With the release of the now famed Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music featuring "Train on the Island" many scholars and collectors became aware of a valuable cross-section of great folkmusic masterpieces recorded during the 1920s and 1930s by commercial record companies.

However, as happens with any art form, some pieces among this collection (six LPs’ worth) of great pieces stood out above others. Among these standouts was a tune played and sung with fiddle and banjo. This tune, “Train On The Island,” has been considered a classic in every sense of the word by collectors. The singer played great mountain-style banjo and sang with much fervour. His name was J.P. Nestor, and this is the only name to be found on the original 78, and consequently, on the LP reissue. Little has been learned about him other than that he died a few years ago, and his middle name was Preston. He apparently went by the nickname of “Pres.” After recording four numbers on August 1, 1927, in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Victor company, Nestor and the accompanying fiddle-player were offered paid transportation to New York City to make more records [another account says they were offered a chance to record again when Peer came back to Bristol]. Unfortunately, Nestor flatly refused to leave the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Hillsville, Virginia, area, and was never recorded again, Thankfully, two of the songs recorded at the 1927 session were released. These were “Train On The Island” and “Black Eyed Susie,” released on Victor 21070. There has been some speculation that the remaining two songs recored at this session, “Georgia” and “John, My Lover,” were damaged – the masters – in shipment from Bristol to Camden, New Jersey.

Fortunately, the fiddle-player who recored with Nestor in 1927 presents a different picture from the one just painted for Nestor himself. The fiddle-player was Norman S. Edmonds. Since the original recording Norman (or “Uncle Norm” as he is called by his many admirers and friends) has appeared at numerous old fiddlers’ conventions in the Virginia-North Carolina area. Several of the tunes performed by Norman and his band The Old Timers have been featured on LPs made at these events. Norman Edmonds was born February 9, 1889, in Wythe County, Virginia (the Hillsville-Galax area). His fiddling is done in the true mountain style, holding the fiddle on his chest rather than under the chin. His repertory includes a vast number of tunes, most of which are traditional classics. However, a number of them are little known, and a few have been heard only seldom outside the Galax-Hillsville area. A great deal of this rich tradition has been preserved over the years by Mr. Edmond’s son Rush. According to Rush Edmonds, Norman’s fiddle-playing was learned from his father, who, in turn, learned from his father. Norman, therefore, represents 100 years or more of traditional mountain fiddling. It is interesting to note that his grandson, Jimmie Edmonds, although only 15 years old is already a very talented fiddle-player, thus carrying on the fiddling tradition of the Edmonds family.

Jimmie took up the fiddle when he was about five years old, which is about the same age his grandfather began to learn to play. Following the death of Uncle Charlie Higgins, Jimmie took over the position of fiddler with Wade Ward’s well known Buck Mountain Band. Recently, after Wade’s untimely death, Jimmie has formed this own group and is actively carrying on the tradition of Blue Ridge Mountain Music that has been a part of his family for such a long time.
Although Norman Edmonds is now in his 80s he is still an active fiddler. He was a special guest at the 1970 Galax Old Fiddlers Convention, and one of the best fiddle-players to appear even though he played solo. The song he played, “Monkey On A String,” was strong, well played, and a fine example of the knowledge gained in over 75 years of fiddle-playing.

Other Recordings
In 1927 Crockett Ward and his Boys also made a recording. Ward used the melody of June Apple, which also borrows lyrics from Train on the Island. Other recordings include:
String Band/Country: The Iron Mountain String Band (FW 2473c); Tommy Jarrell (CTY 778d); The Kimble Family (RND 0057a); Walt Koken (RND 0337c); Velma Nester (LC recording AAFS1343B1); The New Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters (HRT 109d); The New Lost City Ramblers (FW 2496c, VF 9003a); Matokie Slaughter (RND 0331c, MMC 9028d); Stephen Wade (CTY 2721c); The Ward Brothers (FW 3832c); The Wildcats (MMC 9015d).
Bluegrass: as Train on the Island: Ash and W (REB 1686c); Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard (SF 40065c, FW 31034c); Todd Phillips (Gourd Music 122d)).
Folksong revival: as Train on the Island: Atwater and Donnelly (Beacon 10133c); The Mother Bay State Entertainers (ELK 292a); The Double Decker String Band (MMC 9021d); Joe Hickerson (FL 39d); Peggy Seeger (His Masters Voice 1174 a).

From Folk Index: Duncan, Josh & Ethel Raim (eds) / Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 96 Davis, Luther. Old Time Way, Heritage (Galax) 070, LP (1986), trk# 8 [1981/03/09] Double Decker String Band. Evolution Girl, Marimac 9021, Cas (1988), trk# 11 Edmonds, Norman. Train on the Island, Davis Unlimited DU 33002, LP (197?), trk# 2 Flat Mountain Girls. Flat Mountain Girls, Flat Mountain --, CD (2003), trk# 13 George, Franklin/Frank. Reflections of the Past, Roane RR 104, Cas (1995), trk# 1.02 Harold and Abe. Cornbred, Molasses and Sassafras Tea, Heritage (Galax) 023, LP (1978), trk# 1 Hart and Blech. Devil of a Row, Swing Cat 1618, CD (199?), trk# 9 Hazel And Alice. Won't You Come and Sing for Me, Folkways FTS 31034, LP (1973), trk# 6 Hickerson, Joe. Joe Hickerson, Folk Legacy FSI-039, LP (1970), trk# A.07 Jarrell, Tommy. Pickin' on Tommy's Porch, County 778, LP (1984), trk# 10 Jarrell, Tommy. Appalachia, The Old Traditions, Vol. 2, Home Made Music LP-002, LP (1983), trk# B.05 [1983/05/15] Kimble, Taylor. Old Originals, Vol. 1, Rounder 0057, LP (1978), trk# 22 Koken, Walt. Banjonique, Rounder 0337, CD (1994), trk# 5 Molsky, Bruce; and Big Hoedown. Bruce Molsky and Big Hoedown, Rounder 0421, CD (1997), trk# 14a Mother Bay State Entertainers. String Band Project, Elektra EKS 7292, LP (1965), trk# B.06 Nestor, J. P.. Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian/Folkways SFW 40090, CD( (1997), trk# 82 [1927/08/01] Nestor, J. P.. Round the Heart of Old Galax, Vol 3., County 535, LP (1980), trk# A.02 [1927/08/01] New Lost City Ramblers. Rural Delivery No. 1, Verve/Folkways DW-90705, LP (197?/1964), trk# 9 Sampson, Harvey; & the Big Possum String Band. Flat Foot in the Ashes, Augusta Heritage AHR 004, LP (1986), trk# 1.08 Slaughter, Matokie; and the Back Creek Buddies. Saro, Marimac 9028, Cas (1990), trk# 10 Slaughter, Matokie; and the Back Creek Buddies. Old Time Music on the Air, Vol. 1, Rounder 0331, Cas (1994), trk# 13 Wild Cats. Galax International, Heritage (Galax) 067, LP (1988), trk# B.04 [1987/03/22] Train on the Island Prausnitz, Stephanie. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not.., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p199 J.P. Nestor Recorded Bristol, TN: August 1, 1927-J. Preston Nestor, banjo; Norman Edmonds, fiddle Originally released on Victor 21070 RECORDING INFO “June Apple”: Brody, David (ed.) / Guitar Pickers Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1984), p 87 Alterman, Ned; and Richie Mintz. Alterman, Ned; and Richie Mintz / Bluegrass Bass, Oak, sof (1977), p55 Baugus, Riley (Alvin). Life of Riley, Yodel-Ay-Hee 038, CD (2001), trk# 6 Biehl, Chuck. Some for Love and Some for laughs, Biehl END 201, LP (1983), trk# A.04a Buck Mountain Band. Devil's Riding Horse. 44th Annual Old Time Fiddler's Convention, Union Grove SS-2, LP (1978), trk# A.07 Burris, Otis; and Fortune. Otis Burris and Fortune, Heritage (Galax) 073C, Cas (1989), trk# 9 Camp Creek Boys. Camp Creek Boys, County 709, LP (1967), trk# 7 Cockerham, Jarrell and Jenkins. Down to the Cider Mill, County 713, LP (1968), trk# 3 Crabtree, David. Fourteenth Annual Old Time Fiddlers' Contest, Green Mountain GMS 1056, LP (1976), trk# 21 Cutler, Marty. Brody, David (ed.) / Banjo Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Fol (1985), p 88 Dutch Cove Old Time String Band. Fiddler's Grove. Old Time Fiddler's & Bluegrass ... 1975. Vol. 6, Galaxie, LP (1975), trk# 31 East, Earnest; & the Pine Ridge Boys. Old Time Mountain Music, County 718, LP (1969), trk# 10 Feldmann, Peter. How to Play Clawhammer Banjo, Sonyatone STI-104, LP (1975), trk# 4 Fink, Cathy; and Duck Donald. Kissing Is a Crime, Likable 01, LP (198?), trk# B.04 (Train on the Island) Flippen, Benton. Old Times, New Times, Rounder 0326, Cas (198?), trk# 12 Flippen, Benton. Old Time Herald, Old Time Herald, Ser, 5/1, p42(1995) Gellert, Dan; and Shoofly. Forked Deer, Marimac 9000, Cas (1986), trk# A.04b Haas, Brittany. Brittany Haas, Ook CD 001, CD (2004), trk# 7 Hellman, Neal. Dulcimer Player News, Dulcimer Player News, Ser, 2/1, p21(1976) Herald Angels. You've Been a Friend to Me, Herald Angels HA1001, Cas (1994), trk# 9 Higgins, Uncle Charlie; and Wade Ward. Southern Journey. Vol. 2: Ballads and Breakdowns, Rounder 1702, CD (1997), trk# 8 [1959/08/31] Humphreys, Pete. Old-Time Banjo Anthology, Vol. 2, Marimac AHS 5, Cas (1991), trk# 14 [1989/07] (Wooden Legs) Jarrell, Tommy; and Kyle Creed. June Apple, Mountain 302, LP (1972), trk# 1 Krassen, Miles. Krassen, Miles / Appalachian Fiddle, Oak, sof (1973), p34b Levenson, Dan. Light of the Moon, Buzzard 2001, CD (1997), trk# 1 Marion, Carlie. Going Across the River to Hear my Banjo Ring, Marimac 9018, Cas (1988), trk# 4 Mearns, Molly. Hellman, Neal / Dulcimer Songbook, Oak, Sof (1977), p40b Michels, Amy. Fowl Farmer, Michels, CD (2002), trk# 12 Muller, Eric. Muller, Eric & Barbara Koehler / Frailing the 5-String Banjo, Mel Bay, Sof (1973), p74 Parrish, Pete. Galax International, Heritage (Galax) 067, LP (1988), trk# C.04 [1985/08] Perlman, Ken. Perlman, Ken / Fingerpicking Fiddle Tunes for Finger Style Guitar, Chappell, Sof (1978), p30 Pine River Boys with Maybelle. Wild Hog in the Woods, Heritage (Galax) 021 (XXI), LP (1978), trk# B.03 Pleasant Family. Old Time String Band, Pleasant --, CD (2005), trk# 15 Prisland, John. Hellman, Neal / Dulcimer Songbook, Oak, Sof (1977), p81b Red Clay Ramblers. Brody, David (ed.) / Fiddler's Fakebook, Oak, Sof (1983), p153 Reeltime Travelers. Reeltime Travelers, Yodel-Ay-Hee 034, CD (2000), trk# 14 Rizzetta, Sam. Dulcimer Player News, Dulcimer Player News, Ser, 31/1, p45(2005) Roth, Kevin. Kevin Roth Plays the Dulcimer, Folkways FA 2367, LP (1975), trk# 6 Sapoznik, Hank (Henry). Brody, David (ed.) / Banjo Picker's Fakebook, Oak, Fol (1985), p 87 Silberberg, Gene. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not.., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p 99 Sisco, Carthy. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not.., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p 99 Smith, Glen (West Va). Say Old Man, Marimac AHS 3, Cas (1990), trk# A.04 Smith, Glen; & the Mountain State Pickers. Fiddler, Bluetick BTR 101, LP (197?), trk# A.04 Smith, Hagger. 1941 Old Fiddlers Convention, Galax, Virginia, Voyage Beyond, CD (200?), trk# 10 [1941] (Red June Apple) Smokey Valley Boys. Smokey Valley Boys, Rounder 0029, LP (1974), trk# 11 Smokey Valley Boys. Brandywine '83. The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Brand..., Heritage (Galax) 054, LP (1984), trk# 15 Trischka, Tony. Trischka, Tony / Melodic Banjo, Oak, Sof (1976), p109 Tuttle, Jack. Fiddler Magazine, Fiddler Mag., Ser, 1/4, p33(1994) Ward, Wade. Clawhammer Banjo, County CD 2716/701, CD/ (2002/1966), trk# 1 [1964/10] Ward, Wade. Banjo Songs, Ballads and Reels from the Southern Mountains, Prestige International INT 25004, LP (196?), trk# 7 [1959] Ward, Wade. Uncle Wade. A Memorial to Wade Ward, Old Time Virginia Banjo ..., Folkways FA 2380, LP (1973), trk# 13 Ward, Wade. Burke, John / Book of Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo, Amsco, sof (1968), p18

RELATED TO: June Apple (melody of Ward versions); Wooden Legs;

OTHER NAMES: Train on an Island; June Apple (melody of Ward versions);

SOURCES: Ceolas; Mudcat Forum; Rec.music old-time; Prausnitz, Stephanie. Silberberg, Gene (ed.) / Complete Fiddle Tunes I Either Did or Did Not.., Silberberg, Fol (2005), p199; Duncan, Josh & Ethel Raim (eds) / Anthology of American Folk Music, Oak, Sof (1973), p 96.

JUNE APPLE SOURCES: Red Clay Ramblers (N.C.) [Brody]; Uncle Charlie Higgins (Galax, Va.) [Krassen]; Allan Block and Andy May [Spandaro]; W.B. Reid/M. Gaponoff [Silberberg]; Carthy Sisco [Silberberg]. Brody (Fiddler’s Fakebook), 1983; pg. 153. Johnson (Old-Timey Fiddle Tunes for Hammer Dulcimer, Fiddle, etc), No. 2, 1982/1988; pg. 6. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pg. 34, 35. Phillips (Fiddlecase Tunebook), 1989; pg. 24. Phillips (Traditional American Fiddle Tunes), 1994; pg. 130. Silberberg (Tunes I Learned at Tractor Tavern), 2002; pg. 79 (two versions). Spandaro (10 Cents a Dance), 1980; pg. 37. Chubby Dragon CD1008, Brad Leftwich, Bruce Molsky et al – “Mountairy.usa” (2001). County 713, Cockerham, Jarrell, and Jenkins"Down to the Cider Mill" (Tommy Jarrell learned the tune from his father, Ben Jarrell). Folkways FTS 331038, Roger Sprung and Hal Wylie "Bluegrass Blast." Heritage 054, Smokey Valley Boys "Brandywine '83: Music of French America" (1984). Marimac AHS #3, Glen Smith – “Say Old Man” (1990. Learned from Tommy Jarrell). Marimac 9000, Dan Gellert & Shoofly, "Forked Deer" (1986. Learned from Tommy Jarrell). Tennvale 002, Red Clay Ramblers "Galax '73."

NOTES: “Train On The Island” by J. Preston Nestor (banjo and vocal) and Norman Edmonds (fiddle) from Hillsville, Virginia (Galax area) is a compelling and intriguing old-time breakdown. "Train on the Island" has become a favorite tune in the Virginia/North Carolina region largely due to the influence of Nestor's recording. One of the Child ballads "Mattie Groves" or "Little Musgrave" is well known in the region and is similar in form and melody to “Shady Grove” and Nestor’s “Train on the Island.”

Train on the island, since I heard it squeal
Go tell my true love, I can’t hold the wheel
I can’t roll the wheel, love,
it’s I can’t hold the wheel. [JP Nestor]

The stark image of a train on an island symbolizes a journey that is restricted. A train can’t go far on an island. The singer also has no control over the train and “Can’t hold the wheel.” The other recording from 1927 by Crockett Ward is sung to a different melody- “June Apple.” The mixolydian melody harkens to a Scottish lineage but the tenor of the lyrics is still one of isolation: Train on the island don’t you hear it blow, Go tell my darlin’ I’m homesick and can’t go. [Ward Version]From Paul Brown’s Liner notes: Train on the Island is a tune that surfaces primarily in the area between Hillsville, VA., Galax, VA. and Mt. Airy, NC. Tommy's version is similar to that recorded in 1927 by J.P.Nestor and Norman Edmonds of Galax - reissued on the Smithsonian Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music (SFW CD 40090) and Yazoo CD 2028 - though different from the version that was once played by Wade Ward and his family, who were also from the Galax area. In this latter case, Wade Ward and his family set the words to what was basically the tune for June Apple (see the version played by Benton Flippen on this CD set). Matokie Slaughter plays a good version on Marimac CD 9028.

J. Preston Nestor recorded four songs in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927 and never recorded again. Not much is known of him other than he was already dead by the 1970s when the fiddler on this track, Norman Edmonds, was interviewed by Stephen Davis and Robert Mobley (Old Time Music 9 (1973)). Nestor was invited to a second session in New York, but refused to leave his Hillsville, Virginia home. His fiddler, Edmonds, (1889-?) did continue to play. Nicknamed "Uncle Norm," he played with The Old Timers, a string band from the Galax, Virginia area. "Train on the Island" has become a favorite tune in the Virginia/North Carolina region due to the influence of Nestor's recording. Both June Apple (which uses floating lyrics from "Train on the Island" and “Cindy”) and Train on the Island date back to the late 1800’s and the term "Train on the Island" might have been from an older unknown song. “Edden Hammons, who recorded “Train on the Island” was born about 1874. Louis Watson Chappell recorded him in mid-August 1947, making him about 73. Note that the birth year is an approximation.” Kerry Blech

From Ceolas: Old-Time, Breakdown and Song. USA, western North Carolina, southwestern Va. (Galax, Round Peak). A Major (not D Major as has been said of Nestor and Edmonds' version): G Major (Kimble/Molsky). AEAE (Tommy Jarrell) or DGDG (Taylor Kimble, Bruce Molsky). AABB. A common "band tune" characteristic of Carrol and Patrick Counties, southwestern Va., say Tom Carter and Blanton Owen (1976), who remark, "this piece surfaces in the space between Hillsville and Meadows of Dan." J.P. Nestor, an early source for the tune who recorded it for Victor in 1927, lived near Laurel Fork, Carroll County, southwestern Virginia. In his book When We Were Good, Robert Cantwell suggests the name of the tune was adapted (by Nestor?) from the Irish reel "Lady of the Island." The title has become "distressed" among a few fiddlers, and has been heard as "Training Island."

NOTES “June Apple”: A Mixolydian. Standard or AEAE (Tommy Jarrell). AABB. A June apple is an early ripening variety of apple, maturing in the Spring in the southern United States. It tends to be smaller and more tart then later-ripening apples. The lyrics associated with “Cindy” are sometimes sung to the 'B' part. Tommy Jarrell learned the tune from his father, Ben Jarrell. Joel Shimberg points out that the lyrics to “Train on the Island” scan for the “June Apple” melody and are sometimes sung to it as ‘floating verses.’

Here are the lyrics to “Train on the Island” by J.P. Nestor:

TRAIN ON THE ISLAND J.P. Nestor

Train on the island, since I heard it squeal
Go tell my true love, I can’t hold the wheel
I can’t roll the wheel, love,
it’s I can’t hold the wheel.

Thought he heard it blow love,
He thought he heard it blow
Train on the island, since I heard it blow
Go tell my true love, sick and I can’t go………sick, and I can’t go, (instrumental) and I can’t roll the wheel

Train on the island,
since I’ve heard it squeal
Go tell my true love,
how happy I do feel

Thought he heard it blow, love,
Thought he heard it blow

Train on the island,
since I‘ve heard it blow
Go tell my true love,
long as I can go
Long as I can go ord,
he thought he heard it blow.

Train on the island,
since I‘ve heard it blow
Go tell my true love, sick and I can’t go
Sick, and I can’t go, love,
sick and I can’t go

Thought he heard it blow, love,
Thought he heard it blow

Train on an Island: Full View

2009-05-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Here's Train on an Island: Full View (Click to enlarge)

Train On The Island (Painting Lyrics)

Train on the island, hear the whistle blow,
Go and tell my true love, I'm sick and I can't go.

Train on the island, heading to the west,
Me and my gal we fell out, perhaps its for the best.

Train on the island, listen to it squeel,
Go and tell my true love, how lonesome I do feel.

Bring me a drink of water, bring it in a cup,
Me and my gal we fell out, we ain't makin' up.

Train on the island, Hear the whistle blow
Go and tell my true love, it's as far as I can go.

Above you can see the full-view of my painting Train on an Island. Reproductions are now available. Just drop me an email if you are interested in this or any of my paintings: richiematt@aol.com

On the right you can see Norman Edmonds with his fiddle- his fiddle bow is also the tree branch. Directly above the girl is J.P. Nestor playing the banjo.

I'm also writing a series of bluegrass articles for World Wide Bluegrass on-line.

Take care,

Richard

Better: Train on an Island Close-ups

2009-04-26T08:08:00.001-07:00

Train on an Island: Close-ups

2009-04-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some close-ups of my new painting: Train on an Island

Close-up 1: This shows the steam engine similar to one that would be found in the 1920s when the song was first recorded. The engineer who "can't hold the wheel" can clearly be seen looking down from above at his true love who is walking on the other track. The train is going over a railroad bridge (coming) from an island. The colors are poor as this is taken in the shade.

Close-up 2: Depicts J.P. Nestor rising from the smoke and ashes to sing "Train On An Island." He's in the smoke cloud above the engineer. This shot was taken in the shade.

Close-up 3: Here's the full smoke picture

Close-Up 4: This was take in the direct sunlight so the colors are much brighter. This shows fiddler Norman Edmonds, who recorded the song in 1927 with J.P. Nestor, appearing magically from a bush on the bank of the island shore. Crazy, I know!

Close-up 5: This shows a girl walking down the track looking wistfully over her shoulder. Above her the engineer looks down. The lyrics can be seen at left- the porportion of the train is skewed becaue of the camera angle but you get the basic idea.

Close-up 6: the lyrics

Update: Train on an Island

2009-04-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I've posted about 100 blogs on my new art site MattesonArt: http://www.mattesonart.com/
There's some good research on Rene Magritte, one of the artists featured on my site.

I'll be back to the Carter family someday.

The good news is I've finished my painting "Train on An Island." It features J. P. Nestor playing the banjo in the sky forming from a cloud of black smoke and Norman Edmonds, magically emerging from a bush, playing fiddle.

Nester and Edmonds made the first enigmatic recording on August 1, 1927, in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Victor company and Ralph Peer. Ironically it was the same session that the Carters and Jimmie Rodgers did their first recordings.

I'll have some pics soon.

Take care,

Richard

New Happenings

2009-03-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hi,

As usual I'm getting a bit overloaded. Lauching four new web-sites is challenging! I've entered some detailed info and research on Rene Magritte, one of my art heros on my art-site blog:

http://www.mattesonart.com/blog.aspx

Some other news... I'm getting rolling on my next Mel Bay book, Acoustic Guitar Source Book, a collection of old-time and bluegrass songs. It's being engraved and should be out later this year if all goes well.

My blues/old-time/rock band Crossroads is still playing some and I've got a solo gig next week. Things are going better with my teaching at Mom's music.

I'll be writing a few more bluegrass articles later this month for an on-line publication and I'll get back to the Carter Family soon, promise.

Take Care,

Richard

Updated Bluegrass Research

2009-03-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I've started 4 web-sites in the last week and altho I'm have a few technical problems with mojoportal operation system now, I've still managed to put a lot of info on my updated site:

http://bluegrassmessengers.com/

Check out my roots section with biographies:

http://bluegrassmessengers.com/roots.aspx

In the biography section there is song research too:

http://bluegrassmessengers.com/original-carter-family-songs--alphabetical-order.aspx

I've got a start on the details of the Carter family songs and will be putting lyrics and song details.

Don't forget about my new bluegrass art site:

http://www.mattesonart.com/bluegrass-series.aspx

That's all for now,

Richard

McMichen in Louisville

2009-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Hey,

On the left is a photo circa 1948 of Pappy McMichen's place (click to enlarge).

I moved to Louisville in June 2008. The house I bought is on Spring St. just a few houses from the Spring St. Bar and Grill which was previously owned by Clayton McMichen.

Who was Clayton McMichen? Clayton, nicknamed Pappy, was from the Atlanta region. He was probably the all-time greatest fiddler in Country music. He was a founding member of the Skillet Lickers one of the most popular string bands in the 1920s.

Pappy moved to Louisville in 1932 and his bands featured some of the best musicians in the country including Merle Travis.

More later,

Richard

New Art Site, MattesonArt Is Up

2009-02-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Hi,

My new art site: MattesonArt is finally up and running. I'll be adding all my paintings eventually. All 14 of my Bluegrass Series paintings are on the site.

Now you can purchase them directly from me through PayPal with a creditcard.

Here's the link: http://www.mattesonart.com/ Check it out!

Richard

Crow Jane Blues: Close-ups

2009-02-09T09:01:00.001-08:00

Hi,

(click to enlarge all images)

1) Is the full painting

2) Is the long barrell revolver with two empty shell casings on the grass.

3) Spirit of Crow Jane releasing a crow, symbolizing her spirit being released.

4) A crow looks at the body of Crow Jane.

5) A bluesman sings in front of his cabin where the Red River runs to his back door.

The History of Crow Jane Blues

2009-02-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hi,

In my last blog you can see my new painting of Crow Jane Blues, a traditional song dating back to the early 1900's (circa 1918). In this blog we'll look at the history of the song.

PIEDMONT BLUES

Crow Jane has roots in the Piedmont (North and South Carolina, Virginia) and the song is said to have been a favorite among the best bluemen. Certainly many early versions can be traced to the Greenville, SC area and was in the repertoire of Greenville bluemen Blind Willie Walker and Rev. Gary Davis both born in 1896.

Other Piedmont bluemen such as Josh White did the song as "Blood Red River" in 1933 and Blind Boy Fuller as "Bye Bye Baby Blues" in 1937. It's also been done by John Cephas (Cephas and Wiggins) and Skip James. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee later did versions.

Crow Jane Blues was first recorded in 1927 for Victor by Julius Daniels (b. November 20, 1901 in Denmark, South Carolina; d. October 18, 1947), a Piedmont bluesman originally from Greenville, SC. His song "99 Year Blues" appeared on the box set Anthology of American Folk Music and his "Can't Put the Bridal on this Mule," an early version of "This Morning, This evening Right Now" are important contributions to old-time country blues genre.

Although he only recorded a few tunes, Daniels plays an important role in the history of Piedmont blues. One of the first black artists to record in the Southeast, Daniels inspired future bluesmen with his mix of finger-picked blues, sacred and country music. Recording for the first time, in 1927, Daniels was accompanied by the guitarist Bubba Lee Torrence, with whom he shared billing. During his second recording session, Daniels was joined by the guitarist Wilbert Andrews.

Daniels lived in Pineville, in Berkeley County, between 1912 and 1930. Relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1930, he lived the rest of his life there, working in a variety of jobs, including as a firefighter.

Another Piedmont blueman sometimes credited with writing Crow Jane is Virginia bluesman Carl Martin, who was born near Stone Gap, VA, on April 1, 1906 (died in Pontiac, MI, on May 10, 1979). His main instrument was mandolin but he also mastered the guitar and fiddle. Martin recorded Crow Jane Blues for Bluebird in 1933.

He performed solo, and also spent much of his career in a trio featuring Ted Brogan (guitar) and Howard Armstrong (violin). The trio enjoyed a career that spanned five decades and was known under several different monikers, including the Four Keys, the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, and the Wandering Troubadours. They traveled all over the south entertaining at medicine shows, county fairs, on the radio and would play for tips in local taverns. Around 1940 they went to Chicago and eventually broke up briefly reuniting in the early '70s fo the folk and blues festival circuit.

In "Guitar Styles of Brownie McGhee" by Happy Traum (1970) Brownie said he heard his father sing this song first, and lists only one verse of it: "Crow Jane, Crow Jane, don't hold your head so high, Remember Crow Jane, you gotta lay down and die." Here's a link:

http://www.clinko.com/music/Sonny_Terry/Crow_Jane/

RED RIVER- Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

Which way, which way, that blood red river run?
Honey, from my back door to the risin' sun.(let me tell you, boy)

I hate to see that risin' sun go down.
Makes me feel just like I'm on my last go round.

Well that stomper, Oh Lord (What'd he say, boy?) will send me six foot of clay. (Why?)
Well that blood river rising six feet every day. (Let me tell you)

Willis run into the camp, tell my brother Bill,
Well the woman that he's loving, sure gonna get him killed. (What was her name boy?)

Crow Jane, Crow Jane, honey don't hold your head so high.
You realize darlin', you're gonna lay down and die. (Play me some blues there, boy)

(Harmonica break)(Do it one more time)(Harmonica break)
(Let me play a little guitar for ya) (guitar break)

Well I heard, heard a mighty rumblin', Sonny and then I looked around.
Well that Northern and the Southern, tearin' that old depot down.

If you see me comin' babe, honey Oh, put your man outdoor.
Honey I ain't goin' explain yo-- Sonny may have before.

(Brownie: Let me tell you somethin' 'fore I play this)
(Sonny: Go ahead, tell me now)

If you see, see me comin' babe (Sonny: yeah) heist your window high,
If you see me leavin' little girl, hang your head and cry.

DOWN IN THE DELTA

Joe Williams was born in Crawford, Mississippi, on October 16, 1903. He remembered one of his early songs, "Crow Jane Blues," as being about a neighborhood woman named Jane Tripley.

Big Joe Williams was known for his characteristic style of guitar-playing, his nine-string guitar, and his bizarre, cantankerous personality. The song was part of his repertoire by 1920 when he began wandering across the United States busking and playing stores, bars, alleys and work camps. In the early 1920s he worked in the Rabbit Foot Minstrels revue and recorded with the Birmingham Jug Band in 1930 for the Okeh label.

In 1934 he was in St. Louis, where he met record producer Lester Melrose who signed him to a contract with Bluebird Records in 1935. He stayed with Bluebird for ten years, recording such blues hits as "Baby, Please Don't Go" (1935) and "Crawlin' King Snake" (1941), both songs later covered by many other performers. He also recorded with other blues singers, including John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Robert Nighthawk and Peetie Wheatstraw.

CHORDS & FINAL NOTES:

Since no one is sure where the song originated but it clearly is traditional. The song is one of many 8 bar blues (Key to the Highway; Dryland Blues; Jim Lee Blues; How Long Blues) usually it's played in E with the chords: E B7 A A E B7 E B7. Etta Baker does a great instrumental version and you can listen to Skip James on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytVww5r4Nk0 He uses a TAG at the end of each verse.

CROW JANE- Skip James 1967

Crow Jane, Crow Jane, Crow Jane Don't you hold your head high
Someday baby, you know You got to die
TAG: You got to lay down an - You got to die, you got to -

You know, I wanna buy me a pistol, Wants me forty rounds of ball
Shoot Crow Jane, just to see her fall
TAG: She got to fall, she got to - She got to fall, she got to-

That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, so high
Someday baby, you know You got to die
tAG: You got to lay down an -

When I dug her grave, With a silver spade
Ain't nobody gon' take, My Crow Jane place
TAG: You can't take her place, No, you can't take her -

That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head, too high
Someday baby, you know You got to die
You got to lay down an -

You know, I let her down, With a golden chain
An ev'ry link I would call my, Crow Jane name
Crow Jane, Crow - Crow Jane, Crow -

You know I never missed my water, 'Till my well went dry
Didn't miss Crow Jane Until the day she died
'Till the day-ay-ay-ay she -

That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head too high
Someday baby, you know you got to die
You got to lay down and - You got to die, you got to -

You know, I dug her grave, Eight feet in the ground
Didn't feel sorry, Until they let her down
They had to let her down Had-a - They had to let her down

That's the reason I begged, Crow Jane Not to hold her head too high
Someday baby, you know you got to die
You got to lay down and -

Crow Jane

2009-02-08T16:50:00.000-08:00

Hi,

The next several posts will be looking at my new painting: Crow Jane Blues. An image of the painting is above (click to enlarge).

This song, although not a bluegrass song, sure could be adapted. I've played it in different styles from uptempo bluegrass to fingerstyle blues.

It was originally a Delta blues and uses a standard 8 bar format. Several versions use a tag (added measure or two) by repeating the last line once or twice similar to skip James version.

There aren't many good lyric versions and the song itself is fairly obscure (although Derek Trucks did a slide version). I love the second verse which as I remember is from Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee but is found earlier in different versions from many of Piedmont bluesmen in the 1920 and 1930s.

Here are my lyrics (from traditional sources):

Crow Jane Blues

CHORUS: Crow Jane, Crow JaneDon't you hold your head so high,

Cause someday baby, you know you’re gonna die.

Which way, which way, Does that blood red river run?

From my back door, to the Risin' Sun.

I'm gonna buy me a pistol, Long as I am tall,

Shoot Crow Jane just to see her fall.

I dug that woman’s grave Eight feet in the ground,
Didn’t feel sorry, ‘til I laid her down.

I dug her grave, With a silver spade,
Ain't nobody, gonna take my Crow Jane’s place.

They laid her down, With a golden chain
And every link would cry Crow Jane’s name.

Little Maggie Close-Ups

2009-02-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here are the close-ups of Little Maggie (Click to enlarge):

1) Full painting

2) Close-up of Little Maggie with a dram glass in her hand. She is standing on a deck, courtin' an unseen man.

3) Close-up of the sky, Little Maggie's face and eyes (stars), quoting this verse: "How can I ever stand it? For to see those two blue eyes, They're shinin' like the diamonds, Like the diamonds in the skies."

4) Close-Up of "marching down to the station."

5) Close-up of the lyrics

Hope you enjoy it. Reproductions are now on sale for only $40- with foamcore backing- ready to hang on the wall, no frame needed.

Email me richiematt@aol.com or you can buy them with a credit card on ESTY.

Richard

Little Maggie: History of the song

2009-02-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Here's some information about the history of "Little Maggie." See my painting in my last post.

“Little Maggie” is part of the “Darling Cory/Corey” family of “white blues” songs that include “Country Blues/Husling Gamblers” which were found in the Appalachian region in the late 1800’s.

“Darling Corey” shares words with "Country Blues" as well as “Little Maggie”. Dock Boggs recorded 'Country Blues' in 1927 and had learned it from Homer Crawford of Tennessee probably about 1914 under the title "Hustling Gamblers." Boggs added verses of his own. In his notes to the Revenant reissue of Boggs' complete early recordings, Barry O'Connell suggests that this "lyric and tune family" (Hustling Gamblers, Darling Corey, Country Blues etc)"has been around in the southern mountains for over a century." He went on to say: "The family of tunes probably originates late in the 19th century and belongs to the then developing tradition of white blues ballads.”

The melody of Little Maggie is distintly different from "Darlin Corey" though the mixolydian mode and chord progression are sometime played the same: G G F F G D G G.

“Listening to the Shelton version (of “Darling Cory”) again, it is interesting that, early in the song, 'highway robbers' are coming to 'tear the stillhouse down' - 'revenue officers' only make an appearance later in the narrative. 'Highway robbers' seems more of an English than an American idiom - another instance of an English survival in a mountain song? If so, that may be another reason for believing it is quite old.”

“Little Maggie” was recorded by the Stanley Brothers in 1946, when their music was more old-time than bluegrass in style. Mt. Airy, North Carolina, fiddler Tommy Jarrell remembered the tune "going around" the Round Peak area (where he grew up) around 1915 or 1916, and became quite popular with the younger folk. A tragedy occurred about the same time when his 14 year old cousin, Jullie Jarrell, was tending a fire in the kitchen stove and, thinking it was out, poured kerosene over the wood to renew it which suddenly caused flames to flare and severely burn her. Tommy related:

I was coming from the mill on horseback carrying a sack of cornmeal and all at once I saw the smoke and heard the younguns come running towards me crying, 'Jullie's burnt up and the house is a-fire.' I jumped off the horse and ran as fast as I could to the house--later I though about how much faster I could have gotten there by throwing the meal off and riding the horse, but you don't think clear at times like that. When I reached the door I saw Aunt Susan kneeling on the floor above Julie, weeping, her hands all blistered from beating out the fire with a quilt. Jullie was laying there crying, but there wasn't much we could do for her so we ran to the spring for water to put out the fire in the house. They put Jullie to bed right away--her whole body was burned up to her chin, and at first she cried in pain but after a while she didn't feel anything at all. That evening as she was laying there she asked me to get my banjo and sing "Little Maggie" for her. That was the only thing she wanted to hear--it had just recently come around and everyone seemed to take to it. I expect I played it the best I ever had in my life, with the most feeling, anyway. It seemed to comfort her and pick up her spirits a little, but by the following morning she was dead. (from Richard Nevins)

The song also titled "Little Maggie With a Dram Glass In Her Hand" appears to have been played in neighboring Grayson County, Virginia, a generation earlier, according to Richard Nevins, which points out how isolated the mountainous regions were around the turn of the century.

Here are the lyrics to “Little Maggie” from the earliest recording by Grayson and Whitter in 1928:

LITTLE MAGGIE Grayson and Whitter

(Fiddle Intro)

Oh yonder stands little Maggie,
With her dram glass in her hand.
She's passing by her troubles,
An’ a courtin' some other man.

How can I ever stand it?
For to see those two blue eyes,
They're shinin' like a diamond
Like a diamond in the skies.

(Fiddle break; Spoken: Little Maggie)

Now march me down to the station,
With my suitcase in my hand.
I’m goin' away for to leave you, little girl,
I’m goin' to some far distant land.

(Fiddle break; Spoken: yee-hoo)

I would rather be in some dark holler,
Where the sun could never shine
Than to know you’re another man’s darling,
And no longer a darling of mine.

(Fiddle break;)

Sometimes I have a nickel,
And sometimes I have one dime.
Sometimes I've got ten dollars
Just to pay little Maggie's fine.

Pretty flowers were made for bloomin'
Pretty stars was made for to shine
Pretty girls were made for boys to love
Surely Maggie was made for mine.

(Fiddle Break; Spoken: I hope so anyway)

(Extended Fiddle solos)

Little Maggie

2009-02-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hi,

After the ice storm here in Louisville I finally got my painting of Little Maggie done. (click to enlarge)

It's the first night painting in the Bluegrass Series and we really need some close-ups to see some of the details.

Here are the lyrics:

Little Maggie

Oh yonder stands little Maggie,
With a dram glass in her hand.
She's passing away her troubles,
And a-courting some other man.

How can I ever stand it?
For to see those two blue eyes,
They're shining just like diamonds
Like the diamonds in the skies.

Now march me down to the station,
With my suitcase in my hand.
I’m going away for to leave you, little girl,
I’m going to some far distant land.

Pretty flowers were made for blooming
Pretty stars was made for to shine
Pretty girls were made for loving
Little Maggie was made for mine.

Go away, go away little Maggie
Go and do the best you can.
I’ll get me another woman;
You can get you another man.

The lyrics are basically the standard lyrics from the 1920s while the last verse is a more recent addition.

Next blog I'll go into the history of the painting.

Till we meet again,

Richard

Last Carter Songs Titled with Letter L

2009-01-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hi,

My last Carter family post was so long it wouldn't let me include the last two L songs: Lover's Return and Lulu Walls.

Lover's Return is a tradtional folk song usually called "Too Late" or "Too Late You Have to Come Back to Me." It was recorded by the Carters in 1934 after ten previous recordings including one by Ernest Stoneman in 1928. The song is known in ballad index as The Last Farewell (The Lover's Return):

"So at last you have come back Since time at last has set you free...." The singer recalls his old love for the other -- but concludes that it is all over now: "No, no, you must not take my hand; God never gives us back our youth...."

Versions include: Randolph 761, "The Last Farewell" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 495,496 "The Last Farewell" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 761A)
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 152-153, "And So You Have Come Back to Me" (1 text)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 33-34, "Too Late" (1 text, 1 tune)

Lover's Return- Carter Family

And so you have come back to me
And say the old love's growing yet
You've tried through all these weary years
You've tried too vainly to forget.

CHORUS: No, no I cannot take your hand
God never gives us back our youth
The loving heart you slighted then
Was yours my friend in perfect truth

Farewell farewell now we must part
You never meant to do me wrong
God sent this anguish to my heart
To teach me to be brave and strong

Farewell I think I love you yet
As friend to friend God bless you dear
And guide you through these weary years
To where the skies are always clear

Lulu Walls is a song I included in my book, Bluegrass Picker's Song Book. I combinend the Carter's version with Bascom Lamar Lunsford's. The song is from the 1800s bu an unknown author ( Meade). It appears in the Jan. 1888 edition of Wehman's Collection of Songs. It was recorded by the Carters in 1929 and 1935.

Lulu Walls- Carter Family

One evening getting dark, we first met at the park
Sitting by the fountain all alone;
I lifted up my hat, and then began to chat
She said she'd love to see me at her home

Such a star I've never seen, she's as pretty as a queen
She's as perfect as an angel from above, I
f she'll only be my wife, I'll live happy all my life
With that aggravating beauty, Lulu Walls

If she were only mine, I would build a house so fine
Around it so many fences tall,
It would make me jealous free, that no one else but me
Could gaze on that beauty, Lulu Walls

One evening getting late, I met her at the gate
I asked her if she'd wed me in the fall,
She only turned away, and nothing would she say
That aggravating beauty, Lulu Walls

That's about it. We'll eventually go through all the orginal Carters songs,

Richard