Sleepy Marlin Honorary Concert May 8

Hi,

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

SLEEPY MARLIN HONORARY CONCERT

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

DATE: Sat. May 8, 7:00 PM

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

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

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




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

Close-Ups Pretty Little Widder

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

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

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

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

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

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)