I'd like to introduce you to one of the most famous Gospel songs ever-Pap even wrote it. Well not really. I mean Pap did write it-but it's not famous-but it should be.
Pap has written well over 100 songs-most of them he sings for a while, then lets them slip back into the guitar case of time to be forgotten. He wrote The Mountain Burned With Fire a few months ago. From the first time we heard it-we LOVED it. For weeks I've went to bed with the tune rambling around in my head-and awoke to find it's still there.
I like the phrases Pap used-the trumpets sounded long and loud; fate was the fear they could not endure; now you need not fear; made it plain in all the land; publish now to all the Earth. They remind me of the old hymns I love so much. But the tune of the song is nothing like a hymn-it's new, interesting, catchy, and man is it fun to play on the bass.
I dare you to listen to the song-and see if I'm right-see if you agree it should be a famous gospel song sung throughout the world. (don't forget to stop the player at the top right of the page and if you can't see the video-click here to jump over to youtube)
This is the view from my favorite sitting spot on our front porch. Summer has arrived in Appalachia. I see green wherever my eyes look-my world is hot-I hear birds tweeting, bugs bugging, and bees buzzing.
I'm not sure what it is about summer-but it always takes me back to childhood-makes me feel like I'm a skinny barefoot girl again (me and Paul in the pic above). There is just something magical about summer here-it's as if the outdoors beckon you like a seducing siren. The woods-the land simply comes to life. I'm sure others feel the same calling the same awakening in other parts of the country-but I can only speak of what I know-and summer in Appalachia is something I know.
The word summer makes me think of- barefeet, slamming screendoors, being sent to the garden for something, sending someone to the garden for something, katydids, lightning bugs, warm tomatoes, canning jars, hard work, swimming, sunning, watermelons, blackberries, flip flops, cotton night gowns, warm dirt, baseball, sun kissed faces, corn on the cob, fried squash, fresh cucumbers, guitar picking on the porch, clotheslines, honey bees, orange day lilies, red hot pokers.
For this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot- Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow Tree. The first song The Carter Family ever recorded-in 1927. Even though the old bluegrass standard is about an unfaithful lover-somehow it shouts summer time to me. (don't forget to stop the music player before you start the video)
Hope you enjoyed one of my favorite summer time songs. What does summer make you think of? Is there a song that shouts summer to you?
Tipper
p.s. There were some outstanding comments left on the post about the economy and education if you didn't read them-you should-click here to read them.
Blackberry picking time is almost here-the berries are still green on the brambles around my house-but before long they'll be turning that luscious deep dark black color.
Folklore surrounding Blackberries I've heard all my life...
Blackberry Winter- a cold snap occurs each spring about the same time the Blackberry Blossoms appear. Happened this spring just like it always does. (kinda like our Dogwood Winter) Medicinal Remedies- Blackberries or Blackberry juice is supposed to help any kind of stomach aliment-diarrhea, dysentery, ulcers. The roots and leaves of the Blackberry are used to make a tea which is said to relieve sore throats, thrush in babies, mouth ulcers and gum irritations.
This morning I Googled Blackberry and found the following info-which totally surprised me.
*Blackberry is often called Bramble in other countries
*Blackberry briars are thought to protect your house from evil-especially from Vampires. Seems if you put the briars around your doors and windows-the Vampires can't cross over without first counting all the briars-which if your familiar with Blackberries, you know is almost impossible. (makes me wonder if the idea for The Count on Sesame Street came from this piece of folklore.)
*Native Americans used Blackberry stems to make rope/twine.
*Some folks think the Crown of Thorns was made from Blackberry Briars-and the berry itself is so dark to symbolize Christ's Blood.
*Some folks think when the Devil was cast from heaven-he fell into a Blackberry patch and therefore the fruit is cursed-and it's black because the Devil spit on it.
The eating is what I enjoy most about Blackberries-but coming in a close second is hearing them. Yes, I said hearing them-give this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot a listen and you'll see exactly what I mean-the tune-Blackberry Blossom-is so catchy you'll find yourself humming it for the rest of the day. (don't forget to stop the player in the top right corner of this page)
Hope you enjoyed the Blackberry lore-and the outstanding picking by Paul and Mandolin Man.
Memorial Day was created to honor fallen soldiers of the Civil War-and was originally called Decoration Day. John L. Logan is largely responsible for organizing the day, and in 1868 declared:
The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
As time-and wars-went by-people began honoring all fallen soldiers on the day-no matter when or how they had served their country. In 1971 Congress officially declared Memorial Day to be an official holiday occurring on the last Monday in May-to honor all those who have given the ultimate sacrifice serving in the Armed Services of The United States of America.
This week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot is dedicated to all fallen soldiers. (Don't forget to stop the player in the top right corner of this page before you start the video.)
Hope you enjoyed the song-hope you enjoy this Memorial Day Weekend-and I hope you give thought to those who've fought and died for our freedom.
Tipper
p.s. If you subscribe to the Blind Pig by email click here to see the video.
As folks cut back on expenses during these difficult economic times-often the first thing to change is money spent on entertainment. Movie theaters and satellite/cable tv service are at the top of the cut back list. By the time our family of 4 goes to a movie, buys popcorn and drinks-we could have paid half our grocery bill for the week. Needless to say we don't go to the movies much. A few cheaper viewing options:
Drag out those movies you haven't watched in a coons age-and watch them.
Have a swap/borrow party with friends and family. These days most everyone has a video collection of some type-this is a good way to view movies you haven't seen before without having to spend any cash.
Join one of new movie services like Netflix. A much cheaper alternative than visiting a movie theater.
For all of you have that glorious unlimited high speed internet service-watch shows/movies online-for FREE.
Visit your local library and check out movies for FREE.
The downturn has given board games a new life. Folks across the country are pulling the games out of the hall closet and remembering how much fun it can be to sit around the table with friends and family-just enjoying time spent together. My 2 favorite games from childhood-Sorry and Clue. Recently me and the girls were introduced to Apples To Apples-a very fun game if you've never tried it before-you should.
Book reading is a hobby many people share-as you can see from our messy bookshelf-3 of us are avid readers. Books can be expensive to buy-but there are sometimes alternatives for paying the price:
Easiest-visit your local library.
Share/trade books with friends.
Find a used book store that works as a kind of exchange-they buy your books-then you use the money to buy more books from their store.
Use an on line trading service such as Paperback Swap.
I'm hoping and praying the economic situation improves rapidly-I think I've shared with you before-I lost all 3 of my part-time jobs back before Christmas. I believe the one upside to the downturn is-it has caused many people to rethink their lifestyles-forced them to spend more time with the people they love-caused them to reconnect to the family and friends who need them.
As you all know-the Blind Pig & The Acorn Family's main source of entertainment-is making music. For this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot another old Louvin Brothers Song Seven Year Blues. If you watch the video you'll see how much we just enjoy making music-about half way through the boys stop-realizing some rhythms they just found sound good-they talk/yawn a little and start again. You can see the pure joy they get from music-and you can hear some mighty fine pickin' and grinnin' too.
(don't forget to stop the player at the top right of the page)
Hope you enjoyed the song-and the entertainment tips. So what have you and your family been doing for entertainment?
Tipper
p.s. If you subscribe to the Blind Pig by email-and want to see the video-click here.
As long as I can remember, I've been surrounded by music-I'm the little girl in the picture above. Pap is in the chair and my cousin Ricky is sitting on the edge of the porch. The setting-Sunday after church at my Granny, Gazzie's, house.
My first musical influences came from 2 places-church-and folks sitting around making music just for the pure enjoyment of it-like in the photo above.
The Louvin Brothers were also a musical influence on my early childhood. Pap was-and is-a huge fan of theirs. They sang in the classic brother duet style. I grew up hearing about them-like they were folks who lived just down the road. Stories of how Ira used to hold Charlie between his legs and force him to sing when they were kids-of Ira's notorious temper and how he smashed Mandolins on a regular basis-of the tragic ending of the brother duet that occurred when Ira and his entire family were killed in a car accident. I've always felt like I knew the Louvin Brothers personally-even though I've never met them-but Pap did meet Charlie.
Pap and his brother took off to Nashville in the late 60's-they wanted to make contact with someone to see if they had a chance at making music for a living. Since Charlie Louvin was a hero of theirs-that's who they sought out for advice. He treated them right-gave them some advice-which included "Boys you can never make it in this business and cut pulpwood too-you gotta make a choice." He even tried to get them to stay and perform on his Grand Ole Opry Show (seems they were pretty good musicians). But they didn't. Their first excuse- they didn't have their instruments-(who goes to Nashville and doesn't take their guitars!!!). Charlie said they could use 2 of his. Their second excuse-they didn't even have enough money to buy a hamburger on them.
I used to wonder-if Pap had played on the Grand Ole Opry would my life be any different-you know would it have altered the course of Pap's life by jump starting a musical career for him and my Uncle Ray? Who knows?
The Louvin Brothers-gave so much to Country and Gospel music-they were not only tremendous musicians and vocalists-they wrote some of the best songs ever recorded. I don't think their music gets the credit it deserves.
A couple of years ago one of their songs was given a new lease on life "How's The World Treating You". Allison Krauss and James Taylor did a cut of the song for an album dedicated to The Louvin Brothers-but in a weird turn of events-most of the credit is given to Krauss and Taylor for their version-while The Louvin Brother's original version is overlooked.
For this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot-Chitter and Chatter give the old song a try-the girls were inspired by the Krauss and Taylor version-but they've been given a detailed lecture on The Louvin Brothers from their Momma.
(don't forget to stop the player at the top right of the page before you start the video)
Hope you enjoyed the song-so what was your first musical influence?
I Shall Not Be Moved is a song I grew up singing in church-one I always enjoyed. I knew it was old-but never gave it any more thought than that.
Reading up on the song-I discovered it is very old-some folks believe it is a Negro Spiritual-hailing from the slave camps. But, no one really knows who wrote it-another one of those songs that was passed down through the generations by the family circle of music until someone recorded it to paper.
Another tidbit about the song-it has been used as a political anthem of sorts during periods of unrest in our nation. The song was used by activists of the Labor Movement as well as the Civil Rights Movement-even Aunt Bee used the song to protect the trees of Mayberry.
As so many other old songs-the words are simultaneously meaningful, easy to understand, and catchy-so it's easy to see why I Shall Not Be Moved has lasted through the years.
To wrap up my series on Spring Water-this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot features I Shall Not Be Moved-a toe tapping song about water. (don't forget to stop the player at the top right of the page before you watch the video-and don't forget to listen for me playing the bass-you can only see the back of the bass and my arm-we didn't have anyone to hold the camera that day)
Hope you enjoyed the toe tapping-and I hope you've enjoyed the series on Spring Water. You know I want to know how my Bass sounded-so please leave me a comment!!
Tipper
p.s. If you subscribe to the Blind Pig by email-but would like to hear the song-just jump over to the site www.blindpigandtheacorn.com so you can!
I have special treat for this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot. Paul and Pap's show aired on Carolina Crafting this week. I thought it would be part of their next series of shows-but they squeezed Paul and Pap in to finish out their season.
The podcast turned out really nice they sing a song written by Pap and one written by Paul. Some thoughts that came to mind as I watched the show:
Wow they are really good!
Do Paul and I have the same eyes? His looks bigger than mine.
Wonder where they got the extra footage of the churches and river?
Why in the world don't Mandolin Man SMILE? He looks like one of The Darlins.
Jackie made Pap blush and me laugh out loud.
I wish Pap could "be young" forever.
Hope you'll watch the show and tell me what thoughts cross your mind. Click here to see it.
The words are from a song, The Hills That I Call Home written by Bob Amos. Paul and Pap have been singing the song for years-and from the first time I heard it-I loved it. The song gives me a sense of belonging-one of those songs you feel so strongly about-you feel as though you could have written it yourself.
Funny I should feel such a connection with the song-because it isn't about my beloved Appalachia. The chorus tells you the song is about "the land of Ethan Allen where the sugar maples grow" in other words well north of here.
I believe Bob Amos knew people who were not from the land of Ethan Allen would relate to his song too. Part of the 2nd verse:
Yet I found no peace within me till the day that I returned For there's two things you can count on as the troubled world we face Every season has an ending and every person has a place.
The Southern Highlands of Appalachia are by no means perfect-there are problems the folks who live here face-but it's my home-it's my place.
Listen to this week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot-The Hills That I Call Home-afterwards-please leave me a comment about your place. Maybe it's the land of Ethan Allen maybe it's the plains of the midwest or like me-maybe it's a holler in Appalachia.
Hope you enjoyed Bob Amos' great song. Don't forget-leave me a comment about your place.
This week's Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Spot features The Dream Of The Miner's Child. A song I grew up hearing-and assuming it was written by someone from the Coal Mines of Appalachia. Actually it's an old English Ballad. The song never caught on in England-but once it was introduced to the coal mining camps in the USA it spread like wild fire.
The song tells the story of a little girl, whose dream foretells a mining accident. As her father is leaving for the mines, she cries out for him to stay home-because dreams have so often come true.
I've never had a dream that predicted the future-but two foretelling dreams come to mind-both about my Papaw.
The first:
Throughout my Papaw's long illness he wanted to be at home. We took turns staying with him doing what we could to comfort him. Several times during the months preceding his death we thought his departure was imminent-and the whole family gathered to his bedside-but somehow he would last beyond what we thought were his final minutes.
He died one morning at about 10:30-Pap's Sister, one of his Brothers, a niece, and I were there-everyone else was at work or school. Pap's younger brother worked close by and arrived quickly. Pap drove an oil truck-who knew where in our large county he was. I couldn't bear thinking that we were gathered together-but he would get the news of his father's death from someone working in a gas station-however,that isn't exactly what happened. A few days after Papaw's funeral Pap shared his experience with us.
Several nights before Papaw died, Pap dreamed he could see his father in a gulf of water-kind of like there were sides with the gulf between them. Papaw was in the water with his arms reached high into the air. The morning Papaw died, Pap was working in the lower part of our county in an area called Hiawassee Dam. Pap said as he drove across the dam, seeing the water, he realized that was his dream and his father had passed away-when Pap arrived at the next station-they confirmed it for him. Pap said even though the events were strange-the dream was a comfort to him.
The second dream occurred after Papaw had been dead many years:
Lee called Pap one evening, he wanted to tell Pap about a dream he had-a dream he couldn't get off his mind. Lee is a local preacher and has been a friend of our family as long as I can remember.
In his dream-he was preaching-standing on the front steps of a white farm house that he could not recall being at before. The old house was surrounded by corn fields and the yard was full of people listening to his sermon. Lee noticed someone coming across one of the fields at a fast pace-it was Papaw. Lee said Papaw walked straight through the crowd and came right up on the steps and said "Lee there's a storm coming and it's at the second railroad trestle" then Papaw turned and went back the way he had come.
Lee wanted Pap to help him discern if the dream meant anything-like the profound dreams in the Bible. Lee said he just couldn't quit thinking of the dream-couldn't quit seeing Papaw's piercing eyes looking into his. At the time-I thought of all kinds of things that might fit the "coming storm". Now, looking back, the storm that came to our family was one I could never have foreseen.
Listen to this great old song-and see if it jogs your memory about any "foretelling dreams" you've had or know about.
Hope you enjoyed the Dream of the Miner's Child-and don't forget to leave me a comment about your dreams.
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