Bluegrass Rollin’ on the River

fiddlin' on the river

I’ve been getting educated in matters bluegrass this year, courtesy of Doc Bluegrass, Bibey, that is.

Seeing a card in my mail for a local event, the Three Sisters Music Festival, I recognized some names that are on the Good Doctor’s Approved list, including the Grascals.

With a name like that, I like them already. Must give a listen to them on the internet. And in person two weeks and a few days hence.

The festival takes place in a riverside park with wide expanses of green space, a bandstand, restaurants and shops nearby. Across the Tennessee River another riverside park with a carousel of  hand-carved horses provides more to see and hear, if the music of the festival is not enough.

Looking forward to it. Oh, and I just listened to some samples of the Grascals off their website; if they were any closer in harmony they would be one person. With an awesome voice.

Y’all come.

Bluegrass on Starr Mountain

I just read today’s blog entry by the country doc, bluegrass musician and writer Dr. Tom Bibey. He describes a bluegrass jam some years ago held in a field somewhere in North Carolina, the Bomb Shelter – a  “you can’t get there from here” sort of place. Wonderful description of arriving at night for the session:

We parked the truck in the field, and walked down towards the Shelter.  Jack and the boys had a bonfire going in a fifty gallon drum.  The fire crackled and the sparks drifted up and disappeared in the night air.

Makes you feel you are there. Good writing. Doc is looking for a publisher for a book he has written, The Mandolin Case, a book I hope to buy and read someday. His blog entry today reminds me of a memorable time in my life, listening to bluegrass in a similar place – I have no skill at music, just enjoy the results of those who have worked to perfect their talents. My own efforts to play anything were sad, but did result in my sister taking over the Martin guitar I had bought in an overly enthusiastic moment; she did the guitar proud.

Banjo – Scruggs Style

Years ago I had an album of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, the title escapes me, but I played it a lot.

Earl Scruggs - Two albums

Most of the famous numbers were there, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Martha White (I listened to the radio for them, also) and the Beverly Hillbillies theme.

I liked the Foggy Mountain Boys, and Mr. Flatt’s vocals, but the playing of Earl Scruggs impressed me the most. So when I came across this extended CD at the library, I brought it home. Two albums combined, Earl Scruggs  – Dueling Banjos, and Earl Scruggs with the Earl Scruggs Revue – Live at Kansas State provide a variety of music. The Dueling Banjo selections are more traditional, while the Kansas State cuts include songs by Bob Dylan  and Joni Mitchell. On the “Dueling Banjos” piece, famous to most folks for its inclusion in the movie Deliverance, at the Conference on Southern Literature last month, we met the Bluegrass Doc, Tom Bibey, who told the story of a dispute between the producers of the movie and the man, Arthur Smith, who wrote the music that so defines Deliverance for the public. Seems the producers were reluctant to pay anybody but Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell, the musicians who arranged the piece for the movie – Eric Weissberg played the banjo part from behind the young actor who seemed to be playing, Weissberg’s arms extending through the actor’s sleeves. Smith sued, eventually winning his suit, royalties and credit. Doc said Smith answered a question from a friend about how much he was getting by saying, “Everything.” Good on him.

Anyway, I have been listening to some good music, revisiting it after thirty years. Thanks for the story, Doc.

Reprise: Shannon Whitworth

Last year I posted on this singer/songwriter who impressed us at a local tavern. Recently my appreciation for bluegrass has been given a boost by encountering the Country Doc/bluegrass mandolin picker/writer Dr. Tom Bibey. Among other facets of Shannon Whitworth’s music is a strong bluegrass streak. Whitworth lives south of Asheville, NC, in Brevard, a few hours east of here, up in the mountains, a good place for the arts in general.

Picking

She picks a mean banjo, as well as an acoustic guitar. Her band last year used electric guitars and a pedal steel, so the music is eclectic, with a bluegrass flavor.  On her MySpace page she has some audio tracks from her last album, No Expectations, which I downloaded from iTunes and have been playing since last year, more often recently. She also has a Facebook page. I lifted a picture of her working out on her banjo, left.

I see on her page that she will be back here on May 8 at a local venue for drama, alternative music and other good things, the Barking Legs Theater. I  have been meaning to check this place out for years, maybe we can drop in for this fine music.

I don’t believe there will be a golf match on TV to compete, this time, unlike last year.

I also need to check out the Mountain Opry on Signal Mountain, another venue I have been meaning to try for a long time. Odd how you neglect places in your own neck of the woods and then travel elsewhere to be entertained, but that seems to be pretty common, with other folks as well as with me. Live music has a lot to offer, and we are blessed in Chattanooga with quite a bit of it.

Bluegrass Kind of Night

Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers at the Ryman

I have had this CD for a long time – it was released in 1992, recorded at the Ryman in 1991. I dug it out  last night from boxes still unpacked from my recent move into my beloved new wife’s house. I went looking for it because of meeting a mandolin picker name of Tom Bibey, whose day job is as a medical doctor,”country doc,” he would say.

Cover Art

He has written a book about picking bluegrass and related adventures, which he hopes to have published soon. We sat at table with this gentleman at the recent Conference on Southern Literature during the Saturday lunch, where he regaled us with talk about music, writing, bluegrass and related fields. He and Clyde Edgerton, another North Carolina boy who writes a bit, were probably the only people there carrying mandolins. Dr. Tom showed me his mandolin, a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. He didn’t play, being a little restrained by what he called the “church-like” atmosphere of rarefied literary discourse. We enjoyed his company immensely.

He has a blog, Stories of the Bluegrass Road, where his wit, wisdom and tall stories are to be found.

But back to the Emmylou Harris Ryman recording. A wide-ranging mix including bluegrass, folk, country and rock, Emmylou backed by an acoustic band, the Nash Ramblers. Bill Monroe was present, patron saint of the Bluegrass, and a couple of his many songs were featured. In the liner notes, Emmylou tells of an old Martin guitar she has, given to her by a friend who had lived hard and shared his pain with the guitar, marked with a cigarette burn, among other indignities. Efforts to persuade her to repair the guitar Emmylou has resisted. That guitar is seasoned well. I listened to the Ryman record last night, along with some other wonderful music. Sipped a little brown liquor to warm the clear, bright sounds. Seasoned Well. Life is good.

A couple of more selections I have picked up to add to my bluegrass-style music list on iTunes:

Ralph Stanley, Man of Constant Sorrow, a compilation put together following the release of the Coen

Cover Art for Sorrow

Brothers’ movie, O, Brother, Where Art Thou? and the great success of its soundtrack, which featured Ralph Stanley’s performance of O, Death. This compilation among other musicians features the late Keith Whitley on the O, Death track. On the movie track, the song is sung a capella by Stanley alone.

Cover art for Brand New Strings

Ricky Skaggs with Kentucky Thunder, Brand New Strings. I read that Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley were added to Ralph Stanley’s band after they opened for the Clinch Mountain Boys at some venue or other. Lots of wonderful music on this disc, I can see why Ricky Skaggs has such a reputation for quality and traditionalism.