Blind Pig & The Acorn

Spotlight On Music In Appalachia - Ralph Peer, The Bristol Sessions, & Hillbilly Music

Today's guest post is written by Appalachian Historian Dave Tabler.

Ralph Sylvester Peer 

In 1984, the Tennessee General Assembly recognized the town of Bristol, with one foot in Tennessee and one in Virginia, as the “Birthplace of Country Music.” The Commonwealth of Virginia followed in 1995, with both the State Senate and the House of Delegates passing identical resolutions honoring Bristol.

The Bristol Sessions of August 1927 are commonly acknowledged as the event that gave rise to the professional country musician and recording star. Releases from the Sessions put both the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers on the country music map.

Ralph Peer, the Victor Talking Pictures A&R man responsible for organizing the Bristol Sessions, often gets the credit as the recording industry visionary who single handedly brought Appalachian music to a national audience. He was only too happy to promote that position himself; in a 1958 interview he stated bluntly “I went to New York and worked for OKeh Records. That’s where I invented the hillbilly and the nigger stuff.”(he didn’t join Victor till 1926.)

As it happens, three other records companies had held or were scheduling auditions to record musicians in Bristol concurrent with Peer’s trip.

Why Bristol? Along with Johnson City, TN and Kingsport, TN, it formed the Tri-Cities, then the largest urban area in the Appalachians. Ernest Stoneman, whom Ralph Peer had recorded on location in Asheville, NC in August 1925, was the one who’d recommended that Peer set up shop in Bristol; ironically from our point of view, Peer had blown through Nashville in 1927 before settling on Bristol, but had dismissed it as a location.

Nor was the Bristol undertaking the first attempt by the recording industry to codify and capture this (to the general public’s ears) new musical style.

So then, what was the precise moment hillbilly music began? Was it with fiddler Eck Robertson’s 1922 New York recordings? These were done at Victor, quite likely produced by Nat Shilkret, who was head of Victor’s Foreign Department.

Robertson relates his first encounter with a Victor manager (though he doesn’t name Shilkret): “He said `Young man, get your fiddle out and start off on a tune.’ Said `I can tell that quick whether I can use you or not.’ Well, I said back to him just as honest as I could `Mister, I come a long ways to get an audition with you. Maybe I better wait and come back another time. You seem like you’re in an awful hurry.’ `No,’ he said, `Just start off a tune…’ Well, I didn’t get to play half of Sallie Gooden; he just throwed up his hands and stopped me. Said, `By Ned, that’s fine!’ And just smiled, you know. Said, `Come back in the morning at nine o’clock and we’ll make a test record.”

Shilkret played piano on three of Robertson’s first recordings, July 1, 1922.

Perhaps we could argue that hillbilly music commenced with Fiddlin’ John Carson’s June 1923 Atlanta sides. This was a Ralph Peer undertaking while he was still at OKeh. The Carson Atlanta recordings were almost an afterthought: Peer was primarily in search of black talent for OKeh’s race records division.

“OKeh had never made any recordings outside the studio,” said Peer of the experience. “We went down to Atlanta, we looked around, found a small vacant warehouse…. I had gone down ahead and began scouting around for some talent. Now, I was dependent largely upon the [Atlanta] distributor of OKeh Records. Matter of fact, I hadn’t been to Atlanta, Georgia before—this was my first trip.

“So this fellow ran a furniture store, and he began scouting around, but, to my amazement, he didn’t know of any Negro talent…. So I began to switch off, and I said, ‘I better record a local dance band, I’ve got to do something about this.’

“And he went to the local Negro theater and he tried to find acts but nothing amounted to anything, so we did a sort of fill-in job on this first trip. We went down there to get Negro stuff … [but] I don’t think we picked up any Negro stuff of any importance….

“Finally there was the deal where he wanted me to record a singer from a local church. This fellow … had quite a good reputation and occasionally worked on the radio…. So we set a date with this fellow, and this boy’s father was ill in some other town—he just couldn’t make the date.

“So to take up that time, my distributor brought in [white fiddler] Fiddlin’ John Carson…. He said Fiddlin’ John had been on the radio station, and he’s got quite a following. He’s really not a good singer, but let’s see what it is. So the beginning of the hillbilly was just this effort to take up some time.

“He would never have recommended Fiddling John except that we had a vacant date and the time would otherwise have been lost. So I can’t claim there was any genius connected with it, not on my part, not on his part.”

Although OKeh held the Atlanta effort in low esteem, the record-buying public depleted the initial supply of 500 records within days, and company record-pressing facilities were rushed into service to fill back orders. When sales reached the 500,000 figure, the company greatly altered its assessment of Fiddlin’ John Carson’s abilities. Carson was called to New York to record more of the music from his considerable repertoire of old-time ballads and traditional fiddle tunes.

Frank Buckley Walker was the Artist and Repertoire (A & R) talent scout for Columbia Records’ Country Music Division during the 1920s and 1930s, and he was monitoring Peer’s activities closely.

After the success of Okeh’s recording with Fiddlin’ John Carson, Walker sent the word out to his record distributors that he was looking for similar talent.

In Atlanta Gid Tanner was recommended and Tanner brought blind guitarist Riley Puckett with him to New York on March 7, 1924 to back-up his fiddle. Puckett became Columbia’s and Walker’s first country star, and picked his way through “Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane” accompanied on fiddle by Tanner.

On the flip side Puckett yodeled on “Rock All Our Babies to Sleep,” introducing a technique that was destined to longevity in country music. Their disc was released on May 20 and was an immediate success.

Columbia viewed this new music style as niche music for poor southern whites, and didn’t want to alienate their existing base of both northerners and wealthier southerners.

Initially, says Walker, “The music was not understood by my own people, and they said under no circumstances could we put anything of that sort on the market. But after due pleading on my part they agreed to let me do it providing we not make mention of it in any way. We must not put it on any of our [advertising] hangers or anything.”

The year 1924 is noteworthy in country music’s history because it produced the first multi-million selling tune ever. For Thomas Edison’s recording firm that summer vaudeville singer Vernon Dalhart recorded a cover of a Henry Whitter railroad ballad accompanied by his own harmonica playing and Frank Ferara’s Hawaiian guitar. “The Wreck on the Southern Old 97″ (Edison Diamond Disc 51316) was issued in August, and a month later was dubbed for release on Edison Blue Amberol Cylinder 4898.

Neither disc nor cylinder made a special stir, but their good sales did help Dalhart persuade his Victor executives, one of whom was Nat Shilkret, to let him record the ballad for them. Dalhart now coupled “The Wreck of the Old 97″ with his cousin Guy Massey’s piece, “The Prisoner’s Song.” It was released on October 3, 1924 on Victor’s Olde Time label, and went on to sell more than seven million copies.

Nor were the big New York recording companies the only ones interested in the newly emerging country music market. Art Satherley had joined Wisconsin Chair Company’s new Chicago based record label, Paramount, in 1918, first in manufacturing, then as a salesman. Although the label was known mostly for its race records, Satherley recorded a large number of old time country artists.

Paramount’s first foray into the genre came in 1924 with harmonica and guitar player Walter C. Peterson on the budget “Broadway” label (catalog #33150), though his work was tucked into the middle of a pop dance catalog series. By the mid-1920s, after earning a reputation as an expert in the infant genres of hillbilly and race music, Satherley was spending more time scouting and recording talent than working as a salesman.

“He tried to do a job and he did do a job,” noted Ralph Peer about Satherley. “He was a good judge of what the market needed.”

In January, 1925, Columbia had enough folk material to begin a Columbia 15000-D series, Familiar Tunes – Old and New, paralleling its own 14000-D race offerings. “I created a special series number, as I remember,” said Frank Walker, “at Columbia called the 15000 series, and we would make a record and we would manufacture and release it and offer it quietly by a little letter to our various distributors through the South.”

At this time Okeh, like Paramount, was still releasing country material on pop labels. Hence, Columbia was the first company to see the possibilities in an exclusive white folk series. By October 1925, OKeh followed suit with a similar 45000 Old Time Tunes category.

The record companies hadn’t quite yet settled on the moniker of ‘hillbilly music’ for this new style of music: descriptions included “Old- Time Tunes” (OKeh), “Old Familiar Tunes” (Columbia), “tunes from Dixie” (Brunswick), and “Olde Time Fiddlin’ Tunes from the Sunny South” (Victor).

The term first appeared on an OKeh release from 1925, a recording of a string band from Watauga County, NC, who showed up at the New York recording studio without having decided what to call themselves. When Ralph Peer, who was supervising the sessions, asked for their names, one of the group’s members responded, “We’re nothing but a bunch of hillbillies from North Carolina and Virginia. Call us anything.” So Peer released the sides under the name “the Hill Billies.”

Jack Kapp’s father was a Chicago based salesman for Columbia Records, and young Kapp joined that firm in 1914 as a shipping clerk. He was hired by Brunswick Records (also Chicago) in 1926 to form a race record division, with initial releases on the Vocalion label.

By 1927 Brunswick’s “tunes from Dixie” series featured Vernon Dalhart (he of the 1924 ‘Wreck of the Old 97’ fame), Al Hopkins, Uncle Dave Macon, Dock Boggs, and Buell Kazee.  The Vocalion 5000 series featured Uncle Dave Macon, Am Stewart, Sid Harkreader, and Charlie Oaks.

“Kapp’s promotion follows a concrete survey of the country’s musical tastes, particularly in the Southern and Midwestern demands for ‘hill-billy’ and ‘race’ records,” Varietymagazine noted on March 21, 1928. “These two departments have been chiefly developed by Kapp and have contributed to Vocalion’s financial success.

“It was Kapp who taught the mountaineer music dealers to capitalize the hill-billy folks’ penchant for purchasing from 6 to 15 copies of the same record.  The mountain people don’t come down into the valley towns for months at a time, and their chief amusement is the constant repetition of their favorite record, wearing one out and playing a new one.”

Johnny Cash called the 1927 Bristol Sessions “the Big Bang of country music.” It’s a great sound bite, but it wildly oversimplifies the truth. Fiddlin’ John Carson, Uncle Dave Macon, Vernon Dalhart, Frank Hutchison, Ernest Stoneman, the Skillet Lickers, Riley Puckett and Charlie Poole were already established recording artists by the summer of 1927.

Victor Talking Pictures and its star producer Ralph Peer had plenty of competitors in the field, and while Peer’s contributions are many, he and Victor were far from being the only show in town.

Sources:  www.johnsonsdepot.com/oldtime/frankwalker_interview1.pdf
www.lib.unc.edu/mss/sfc1/hillbilly/HTML/ArchieGreen/greenSection_03.htm)http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/henry-whitter–1923.aspxwww.peermusic.com/aboutus/rsp02.cfm
www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Bristol-sessions
www.folklinks.com/bristol_sessions.html
www.mountainx.com/ae/2008/040208music
www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1994/7/1994_7_38.shtml
Recorded music in American life: the phonograph and popular memory, 1890-1945,by William Howland Kenney
Creating country music: fabricating authenticity By Richard A. Peterson
“Hillbilly Music: Source and Symbol,” by Archie Green, Journal of American Folklore 78:309 (July- September 1965)
Ralph Peer interview–Lillian Borgeson, 1958. Southern Folklife Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
www.oldtimemusic.com/FHOFEck.htmlhttp://foucaultstelevision.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/feder-dissertation.pdfwww.bluegrassmessengers.com/frank-walker–a–r-man-for-columbia.aspx
“The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records,” By Sarah Filzen
Wisconsin Magazine of History 82/2 ( Winter 1998-99): 104-127
Brunswick records: a discography of recordings, 1916-1931,by Ross Lairdhttp://www.duggcollins.com/legends.htm

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I hope you enjoyed Dave's informative post as much as I did. A couple of things that jumped out at me:

• Amusing how in the beginning, the recording studios had a hard time believing folks would actually like the old time sound and even went so far as to forbid any advertising of the records for fear they would offend the customers of their established artists
• I love what the string band from Watauga NC told Ralph Peer-sounds like something Pap would say about his music
• I liked the reference to mountain people playing their favorite song over and over until they ruined the record-been there done that.

Hope you'll leave a comment with your thoughts on the piece-and I'll make sure Dave Tabler reads them!

Tipper

p.s. Drop back by tomorrow-its time for Spread the Love.

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Spotlight On Music In Appalachia - Junior Appalachian Musicians

Ever heard of the JAM program for kids? Our local Elementary School has participated in the program for several years. I first heard about JAM when Guitar Man and Mandolin Man-my nephews-signed up for the free after school music lessons.

Over on the JAM website-they sum up what they're about better than I can-their Mission is stated as being: "Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc. helps communities provide opportunities for children to participate in the old-time and bluegrass music and dance traditions of the Southern Appalachians."

A few months ago I the pleasure of  interviewing JAM's founder, Helen White, about the program.

How long has JAM been around?

I was a Guidance Counselor for Sparta in Allegheny County in the spring of 2000. One day I went into a 3rd grade classroom to do a guidance session. The teacher was holding photos of instruments up telling the kids what they were. Sparta did not have a music program, so the only way the students could learn about the instruments was by looking at pictures. I offered to bring in my instruments for the children to see and the teacher agreed. The students enthusiasm about seeing real instruments gave me the idea to write a proposal for funding for a music program. The very next night I ran into a friend who was a folklorist and after I spoke to her about the proposal, my friend took the idea to the National Endowment for the Arts. It was like the program was meant to be from the start.

How many different communities take part in JAM?

Western NC has the lion's share of the programs mostly because the NC Arts Council took a real interest in the program. The Arts Council was able to acquire a grant that paid for 7 Counties in Western NC to fund a JAM Program in their area. Blueridge National Heritage also provided for 3 NC counties. A group from SC has started a YAM-Young Appalachian Musician program that is affiliated with JAM. There are also JAM Programs in Galax, VA and Grayson VA.

So it sounds like JAM continues to expand in all directions?

Yes, next year we will partner with The Crooked Road Music Trail in Southwest VA. They will give us the opportunity to introduce JAM to 19 counties across VA.

I know our local JAM Program 'loaned' the instruments to students at no charge-is that how it's usually done?

Each county handles the instrument issue in a way that best fits their area. Some charge a small rental fee while others don't.

Since our local JAM Program only has music lessons-I didn't realize traditional dance could also be part of the program until I poked around your website. Is the music more common in the program than dance?

Yes there are more instrument/music JAM Participants than there are traditional dance. We started offering traditional dance instruction as an enrichment program. As the young musicians progressed in their ability it became obvious we needed 2 different levels of lessons. We needed something for the group level who wasn't in class at the moment to do. It was a natural thing to add dance and folk songs to the program.

Do most JAM Programs meet on school grounds?

More programs meet in an after-school setting on campus than not. Some meet at art councils. Most schools are receptive to the JAM Program being part of their extra curricular activities. And some schools even provide buses to get kids from the school to where their JAM session takes place if it is off campus.

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JAM has a great website-full of information, videos, and links. I encourage you to jump over and check it out. When my nephews were in JAM-I was pleased that our local community was encouraging our youth to value the traditional music of Appalachia-but once I realized the JAM Program existed beyond my county-even beyond my state I was totally blown away.

Not everyone is fortunate to grow up in a musical family like I did-and in today's tough economic times-most parents can barely afford the basics much less provide music lessons. I believe Helen and the rest of the JAM Gang are providing a valuable service to both the children and to the whole of the region by ensuring the music of Appalachia continues to thrive by exposing our youth to it.

Tipper

p.s. If you do jump over to the JAM site be sure to watch my nephews along with Pap and Paul pick out Buffalo Gals-which was one of the first songs their instructors, JD and Ted, taught them to play at JAM. The video is at the bottom of the JAM home page and is titled John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown.

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Spotlight On Music In Appalachia - Copperhill TN

 

Photo provided by Polk County News

Fiddling George Barnes, Last of the Copper Haulers 

By Ethelene Dyer Jones

A considerable amount of romance (meaning legend, mystery, adventure) is tied to the days of early mining and copper exchange in the Copper Basin. This is especially true of the men who were known as the copper haulers along the Old Copper Road. Perhaps none of them were as well known or had as many admirers as George B. Barnes.

We have perhaps heard stories of him, and if we have visited the Ducktown Basin Museum, we have seen displayed there the fine old fiddle that once belonged to this copper hauler, citizen and fiddle-player, George Barnes.

James Barnes (June 13, 1811-August 9, 1859) and his wife, Susan (maiden name unknown – September 23, 1813 – October 14, 1886) had five known children. Daughter Emaline (August, 1836 – July 9, 1885) married first, Enoch Farmer about 1854, and after he was killed in the Civil War, she married, second, John W. Headrick. George B. Barnes (March 20, 1840 – November 5, 1919) married Sarah Gassaway about 1860. They had a daughter, Amanda, who married William Leander Dalton. Nancy was born about 1842, but whether she lived to adulthood is not known. Martha Ann was born about 1844 and married Samuel J. Moore, Jr. in 1869. William C. Barnes, known as Billy, was born January 21, 1872. This younger brother worked with George in the copper mines and as a hauler.

Captain Julius Raht, who had a great influence on the economic growth of the Ducktown Basin area, purchased a fine violin on his travels to Cincinnati or elsewhere and made a gift of the violin to George B. Barnes. Endowed with a natural talent with music, and with the mountain gift of making the strings sing, George was much in demand as an entertainer and a fiddler at various parties throughout the Basin area.

Photo provided by Polk County News 

The copper haulers would often stop off at what was known as the Halfway House, about mid-way between Ducktown and Cleveland, Tennessee on their journey along the Old Copper Road. Mr. Roy G. Lillard, historian, in his book, Polk County, Tennessee, 1839-1999, gives a list of the men employed as copper haulers. There may have been more, but these were documented: George Barnes, I. A. Gassaway, James Rymer, W. C. Barnes (George’s brother), R. Boyd, W. P. Barker, A. J. Cloud, J. H. Williams, R. M. Cole, James Lingerfelt, John Lowry, William Center and W. A. Center. From time to time others joined in the hauls:  Major J. C. Duff, Taylor Duff, Parker Duff, Pen Jones, Jim Ingram, Asbury Blankenship, Joe Dunn, Joe Hasking, Reuben Carver, Samp Orr, Ephraim Woody, Jim Hughes, Jay Fry, Tom Bates, William Williamson, Quint Gilliland, John Hutchins, Posey Parker, Rev. W. H. Rymer, John Moody, Joe Cain and a Greer boy who lost his life along the route. (See Lillard, page 166).  These surnames read like a roster of present-day citizens still in the Copper Basin.

The load limit, strictly enforced, was no more than 500 pounds of copper per draft animal in the team. If a hauler had two mules, his cargo could weigh at 1,000 pounds. But four, six and eight mule teams were not uncommon, and give an idea of the weight of copper these haulers moved. The road was through rough terrain and of poor quality. It was not unusual for the wagon to sink into a rut, and with the grade difficult anyway, the poor mules would stall.

Some of the copper haulers, not as gentle and humane as George Barnes, would use a black snake whip to coerce the mules to move. Mr. Barnes was noted for getting out his violin to play music to soothe the mules. Legend holds that his method for getting the stalled team to pull the load out of the ditch and to get back onto the road worked every time.

At the Halfway House, guests never seemed too tired to hear George Barnes play his fiddle.  A little hoe-down never hurt anyone, and especially the copper haulers. Their spirits were lifted and the music made their stop-over more enjoyable. Captain Julius Raht himself purchased the Halfway House after the Civil War in 1866. He made it into a fashionable place to stop for overnight stays, to eat and to be entertained. Who knows but that it was during his period of ownership of this boarding house along the Copper Road that he gave the violin to Fiddler George Barnes.

The Greer boy who assisted the copper haulers, probably as a groomsman for the mules or a general helper, met his death while he was working as a hauler’s helper. He requested that he be buried along the road so he could see and hear the haulers as they passed by. Is it any wonder that legends evolved about this lad whose likeness could sometimes be seen at twilight, keeping his vigil along the mile-long stretch where his grave overlooked the Copper Road?

During or immediately after the Civil War, George B. Barnes met misfortune at the hands of the notorious John Gatewood, leader of the infamous gang of bushwhackers. Gatewood shot at Uncle George Barnes, hitting him in the eye area and permanently damaging his sight.  But Mr. Barnes was not killed by the blast. In fact, he was able to live for several more years, dying in 1919.

I recently had a delightful call from Mr. Pat Terry, former citizen of the Copper Basin and now a resident of Atlanta. He commented about Captain Julius Raht, and we went from that to talking about Fiddler George Barnes, his wife’s uncle. He knew the violin came as a gift from Captain Raht. Mr. Terry told me that the violin was damaged, its neck broken badly. Mr. Barnes got cherry wood and carved a new neck to attach to the old violin. The workmanship was so perfect and the mend so flawless that the violin looked as though it had never been damaged.

Fiddling George Barnes had the distinction of taking the last load of copper from Ducktown to Cleveland just prior to the change from mule-drawn freight to railroad shipping.

I wonder, during the cold December hauls, did Fiddling George Barnes play Christmas carols to soothe his mules stranded in the ruts of the Old Copper Road? Were the evenings near Christmas at Halfway House filled with strains of “Silent Night” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem”?  I like to think so. I can almost hear him now, making that violin talk.

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I hope you enjoyed Ethelene's post as much as I did. A fiddle player that could sooth the mules-pretty neat uh? 2 things make me partial to Ethelene's subject matter-Chatter is learning to play the fiddle-and I was born in Copperhill, TN.

Remember a comment on this post gives you another entry in the guitar giveaway.

Tipper

p.s. The winners of the Kathy Chiavola giveaway are- Kim Campbell and Janice MacDaniels-send me your address ladies and I'll send you a cd. 

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Spotlight On Music In Appalachia - Interview With Kathy Chiavola

Paul first introduced me to the music of Kathy Chiavola about 7 or 8 years ago. From the beginning I loved her voice-loved her music. But once I heard her sing The Harvest-which immediately become one of my all time favorite songs-I became smitten with her for life.

After I successfully nabbed an interview with David Grier-I thought what the heck I'll ask her for an interview-and guess what she said yes too.

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Where did you grow up?

I was born in Chicago and raised in Kansas City.

Did you grow up in a musical family?

Yes, Mom played piano and violin and viola and Dad still sings very well. My three sisters play various instruments and sing.

How long have you been making music for a living?

Since I was 15.

How young were you when you started singing/playing/?

I began piano lessons at age 7 or 8, and began teaching myself guitar at age 12. I've always sung.

What was the first song you learned to play?

Probably Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Over the years, have you seen a decline in the popularity of old time, traditional, or bluegrass music?

No. Quite the contrary. The availability of the music via movies and the internet has popularized the music.

It seems folks who enjoy traditional, old time, bluegrass music are die hard fans-do you think the music speaks to them in a way other genres don't?

Yes, it's real music for real people.

Where can folks find your music?

www.kathychiavola.com, cdbaby.com, www.myspace.com/kathychiavola, itunes, rhapsody, www.youtube.com

Is there anything you'd like to let your fans know about?

I was awarded the prestigious Ragusani nel Mondo Prize in Ragusa, Sicily last September 4 in recognition of my musical career. You can see it on youtube: YouTube - Kathy Chiavola receives Ragusani nel Mondo award.

What is the funniest thing that ever happened at one of your performances?

Can't tell it!

When you think of music in relation to Appalachia what comes to mind?

Dance tunes, ballads, fiddle tunes, the melding of Celtic/English traditions with African music...The music tells a story, oral history, makes us dance, play and sing; the music expresses all emotion; and is the soundtrack to life; there is a timeless appeal of traditional music stemming from the heart and soul.

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Hope you enjoyed the interview. Kathy generously donated 2 cds for a giveaway. Leave a comment and you'll get a chance to win some of her fantastic music for yourself. Giveaway ends on Saturday the 14th. (don't forget a comment also gives you another entry in the guitar giveaway)

Tipper

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World Wide Bluegrass

I discovered World Wide Bluegrass shortly after I started the Blind Pig. From the start I was mesmerized by their streaming music-but once I got brave enough to enter their chat room and find out more about the organization I was totally blown away by their combined dedication to Bluegrass music-and to the artists who play it. The music itself is reason enough to be a fan of World Wide Bluegrass-but once you realize the djs playing the music are all volunteers who are spread out across the world-it takes on such a close knit family feeling that you cannot resit it.

 
Once the idea of having a series of posts on music in Appalachia started running around in my head-I knew World Wide Bluegrass should for sure play a role in the series. Gracie Muldoon, founder of WWB, suggested I interview Vicki Abbott-who has been with the organization from the start. The interview turned out great-hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Vicki can you tell us a little about WWB-how it started-what it represents-how it works?

WorldwideBluegrass.com has had quite a journey to where we are today.  It didn’t start as the WWB, but was one of several stations, which was the brainchild of a fellow who created one website with separate on-line radio stations of different genres consisting of shows that were broadcast live. After leaving one of our local terrestrial stations in the Cincinnati area, Gracie Muldoon discovered this newly forming network of on-line stations, became familiar with the owner, and he put her in charge of the bluegrass station. Being the sole DJ of this new bluegrass station, she immediately put out e-mails looking to recruit more volunteer DJs. To me, this all was still a very new concept. I remember the website owner used to tell us how, in the very near future, our on-line station would be available on cell phones and eventually on car radios. Each DJ broadcasts from their own home studio using their own computer. Getting the software set-up for broadcasting and trying to work out the bugs was very frustrating. Things didn’t work identically on every computer and stepping through the whole thing via telephone made it difficult not being able to visually see how things were supposed to look and act. I wasn’t the only DJ who nearly quit in the process. Most of us weren’t computer gurus, but we persevered, discovering and understanding things together as we went along. And every new DJ that came on board was able to contribute to our efforts, helping to make the workload of the station operations a little easier on the rest of us. After a very rocky, roller coaster year or so, the website started to fold, but the bluegrass station was thriving. We had several DJs and faithful listeners by this time and none of us wanted to see it lost. Since its inception, The WWB has always been volunteer-driven and listener supported. We’re grateful for the full support of the record labels and the artists. And we’re especially proud of the fact that we’ve been able to introduce to the world many regional bands who otherwise would never have had the opportunity to be heard by such a widespread audience.

How long have you worked for them?

I’ve been DJing for 4.5 years now. Gracie Muldoon was the station manager of the bluegrass radio station and was recruiting DJs. I didn’t have any DJ experience but she convinced me it was just like sitting in your living room and talking to folks and spinning your favorite bluegrass tunes. I was something like the third or fourth  DJ coming on right about the same time as Uncle Billy Dunbar.

Did you grow up in a family where music was important?

Actually playing music was not a part of my childhood, but my parents listened to the radio and albums and watched the Cincinnati TV program, "Midwestern Hayride" every weekend.  So the music was always around us. Names like Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin were familiar to me. When I was in 4th grade, we took a vacation and went down to the Grand Ole Opry. I remember seeing String Bean perform. Just recently, as we were helping my mother move, I found a cardboard fan with a picture of Jesus and sheep on it that my parents had bought for me on that trip. It had lines on the back of it for writing in the name of the performers. My mother had written the names of who we saw. I couldn't believe it included Bill Monroe! I'm really embarrassed to admit that I don't remember seeing Bill Monroe!  But I guess at 9 years old, String Bean's outfit made more of an impression on me! LOL I do remember being in about the fourth grade and hearing my classmates talk about current rock and roll music and I had no clue what songs they were talking about because we never listened to rock music at home. So for my birthday, I asked for my own radio to put in my room and I began listening to rock. It felt strange but soon became my music of choice.  And that’s about my earliest memories of listening to something other than country or bluegrass. But I still heard plenty of that anytime I rode in the car with my parents or as dad tinkered around the house. I don’t think I started listening to bluegrass again until the late 1990s when I happened to stumble upon a small, local public station that played all genres of music. The bluegrass/classic country shows were scheduled Monday through Saturday from 8:00am till noon, so that’s what I started tuning in to every day after getting the kids off to school. And that’s what really brought me back to bluegrass. So I’m still playing catch-up on all those years I missed out on, all of the history of the artists and the music.

Do you feel the popularity of old time-traditional-bluegrass music is on the rise or decline?

Well, judging from the amount of music we receive at WorldwideBluegrass.com, bluegrass is alive and well! I think like most genres of music, it has its niche. But to me, there’s an ability across generations to share the old time-traditional-bluegrass music that you don’t see so much other genres. There’s also a freedom in the playing of acoustic instruments vs. electric. It’s a music that invites the young and the old, the new and the experienced players to come together and share in the joy of playing together. So that sharing and passing on the tradition keeps it alive. Since I missed out on it during the time I was raising my kids, I’m hoping I’ll have an influence on my grandkids! I’m already wondering which one might do well at playing which instrument! I’m hoping we might even have a fiddle player.

It seems to me-that old bluegrass standards continue to be performed and recorded by the bluegrass artists of today-while other genres of music concentrate on newly written material. Do you agree? If so-why do you think this is true-I mean do the words of those old songs speak to us in a way that lasts through the changes of time?

Yes, there are lots and lots of old tunes that continue to be performed and recorded, but there’s a bunch of songwriters and artists out there who continue to crank out some really great new material. And that’s exciting. But if you attend very many bluegrass jams, it’s those older tunes that everyone is so familiar with that you’ll hear at every one of them.  And since I started playing bass a couple of years ago and attending jams, I've become even more aware of that. And that’s what enables folks who have never played together before to jam all night long. Plus, the fact that most bluegrass tunes consist of three chords makes it much easier to play with no written music. And that part amazes me, that you can create so many different songs that only use three chords and that folks can come together and play so many songs and sing so many words, all from memory. Totally amazing! And for those of us who are old enough to have experienced a simpler time, or who have had stories told to us by our parents or grandparents about their lives in a simpler, but yet harder way of life, yes, I think those older songs remind us of a different time, either personally or in knowing someone who remembers.

When you think of music in relation to Appalachia what comes to mind?

In my mind, I always see folks who didn’t have many of the finer things in life. I always think of folks who relied heavily on providing for themselves, because they had to. Lots of hard work to make sure food was on the table, and then spending the evening sharing in family time and music. Not that the music was a part of my family’s history, but for many, it was.  And a lot of that music was about the life they knew so well. It’s a great history lesson and also a great reminder of how far we’ve come. And I think there’s a sense of pride and inheritance for those of us who know that so many of these songs are about things that touched the lives of our own ancestors, if not ourselves.

Are there any up coming programs or news from WWB you'd like to tell us about?

Yes! We're very excited about a new program you can catch every month on World Wide Bluegrass. We're partnering with Bluegrass Music Profiles to present their monthly Top 30 Hot Singles. A different DJ will broadcast that about the third week of every month. Be sure to watch the home page for which DJ will be presenting the Top 30 program for that month. Also, check the “Interview” page. Several of our DJs do live and pre-recorded interviews. And while you’re there, stop into our family-friendly chat room. We have a fantastic group of frequent WWB listeners and chatters. So many of them have become like family. And you never know which bluegrass artists you might find there, too! Also, mark your calendar for August 12, 13 and 14 for our Fourth annual Grass Stock 2010 which will be held at Terrapin Hill Farm in Harrodsburg, KY, www.GrassStock.com.

WorldwideBluegrass.com is listener supported and this is our major fundraiser for the year.  Our entire staff is volunteer but we do have operating costs such as our internet streaming and hosting and our royalty fees. We already have 30 bands scheduled to appear at this year’s festival. And we’re really excited about this year’s raffle of a brand new Martin D-28 guitar, courtesy of Old National Bluegrass and TheMandolinStore.com raffle tickets are only 10$ a chance. This guitar is valued at $3,000 and will be awarded Saturday, August 14th at Grass Stock. The winner does not need to be present to win.  Check with one of our DJs or you can print off a ticket and mail it along with your check to Old National Bluegrass at the address listed on the ticket. Print ticket here: http://www.grassstock.com/

The programs at WorldWideBluegrass.com are as unique as their hosts. We're bluegrass 24/7, but we currently have 26 international hosts doing 30 shows and 68 hours of live programming each week. We hope everyone will take a moment to check the schedule and tune in some time soon!

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I hope you'll jump over and visit World Wide Bluegrass sometime-and be sure to tell all your bluegrass loving friends about them too. It's free to listen-you don't even have to subscribe-just click and open your ears to the great bluegrass sounds.

Don't forget a comment on this post gives you another entry in the Blind Pig & the Acorn's Guitar Giveaway.

Tipper

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A Musical Journey Of The Coalfields by Shirley Stewart Burns

Today I have a treat for you- Award winning Appalachian Author and Historian Shirley Stewart Burns has written a guest post about her musical history especially for the Blind Pig's Spotlight on Music in Appalachia.

Matthew, Shirley's husband, and I met because of our shared determination to preserve and celebrate our rich Appalachian Culture-it didn't take me long to realize Shirley held the same passion for our homeland.

It would take a while to list all of Shirley's accomplishments-both in the literary world and in the music world-instead I'll send you to her website where you can palpably feel the love she has for the Coalfields of Appalachia as well as see the rewards of her labor and hear a few of her songs to boot.

Shirley has recently had 2 cd releases-one her critically acclaimed Coalfield A Cappela cd the 2nd Coal Country Music where she graciously added her song Leave Those Mountains Down (Ode To The Mountains) to contributions of other artists such as: Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, John Prine, Kathy Mattea, Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, Jeanie Ritchie and others-to make a companion cd to the movie Coal Country. (Shirley has donated each cd for a giveaway here on the Blind Pig-read below to see the details)

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Musical Journey of the Coalfields by Shirley Stewart Burns

Greetings from the coalfields of southern West Virginia, the place I call home. I want to thank Tipper for inviting me to contribute a guest blog here on “The Blind Pig and the Acorn,” and thanks to all of you for taking the time to read my personal story about the music of Appalachia as seen from the heart of the coalfields. Appalachia is a place steeped in rich history and culture. Nestled into each corner of the region are wonderful stories and traditions that have been generations in the making. Singing and the passing of songs from one generation to another is one important part of our culture. I was lucky enough to be born into a family of storytellers and singers.

For as long as I can remember, music has been an important part of my life. My daddy was a first rate, top-of-the-line Southern Gospel singer. As soon as I could talk, I began singing along with Daddy’s gospel songs, old-time country and classic R&B, all of which were his favorites. My daddy sang in various gospel groups and toured all over our home state of West Virginia, as well as in all of the surrounding states and further south. I recall traveling along with my Daddy and Mom with the gospel groups, and would clap and sing along whenever they would rehearse or whenever they played in front of an audience. I remember at the age of 3, going with my Daddy, Mom, paternal grandmother and daddy’s gospel group to a huge singing convention down in South Carolina. It was reputed that only the best southern gospel singers would be there, and my daddy had been invited to be among them. His clear, strong voice had the crowd clapping along, jumping to their feet and shouting “hallelujahs.” Many a soul found their way to the Lord while listening to my daddy’s beautiful voice sing stories of Jesus, home and heaven. Around this same time, I honed my own showmanship by entertaining people when I would stand up in the middle of a room or sit on the laps of family friends and sing “This Little Light of Mine,” “Joy in the Morning,” or one of numerous gospel songs that I had committed to memory.

About a year after our South Carolina trip, we were at a gospel sing at an old time church way up in a holler in West Virginia. I don’t exactly remember the location, but I do recall it was far off from home and was out of the coalfields. I especially remember this trip not because of the music that was being performed there, but because of something I hadn’t before witnessed. You see, the old time church didn’t have indoor plumbing and furthermore, for refreshments they had a water bucket with a lone dipper in it. If a person got thirsty at the church, then you just walked up, got a dipper of water and drank it right out of the dipper. There was well over a hundred people there that evening, so you can imagine how many people shared the dipper. I remember it was a long trip from our home and it took quite a bit of time to arrive there. When we did arrive, I was very thirsty. I wanted some of that water. Mommy told me before we got out of the car not to ask for any of that water because “we do not drink after others.” Nothing would do me. To me, it looked like great fun so the first thing I did after getting out of the car was run straight for that water dipper. Mom saw me heading for the water bucket and caught up with me just as I was about to take a drink from that cool dipper. After that, Mommy kept a very close watch on me the rest of the evening and kept me close by her side. Traveling from place to place, watching and listening to my daddy and others sing, was how I spent most of my weekends for the first eight years of my life.

When daddy wasn’t performing with his gospel groups, weekends at home often revolved around our extended family visiting and gathering around the piano where we would sing old hymns and other southern gospel favorites. I grew up singing and listening to others sing – and sing well. I was ten years old before I realized that not everyone could sing. While spending the night with a friend, a very strange and onerous sound escaped from her mouth. I looked at her in a puzzled manner and asked her what she was doing, I was just sure that she was carrying on like some sort of animal. Imagine my surprise when she told me that she was singing. I was still not sure that she wasn’t carrying on, so I innocently said, “No you’re not. That’s not singing.” I was shocked when she looked at me indignantly and told me that she was, indeed, singing. I just couldn’t believe it. I very nearly had an emotional crisis when I discovered that, indeed, not everyone could sing! Before that time, I had never heard someone sing that could not, at the very least, “carry a tune.” I went home and told my Daddy and Mommy about the horrible sounds that came from my friend, and how she actually said she was singing. Well, they both burst out laughing until mommy finally confirmed for me, “Honey, not everyone can sing.” As I got older, and my circle of friends grew, it became very revealing about how special those family sing-alongs really were.

My Daddy was a coal miner by vocation, he worked as a brakeman on the motor and he would sing while he worked. He would regale his co-workers with all of his favorites and take requests from them. I have had men that worked with my daddy come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed working with him, especially his singing, and how he brightened the working conditions in the mines with his voice. Years later, after my Daddy came out of the mines, my brother found himself working alongside some of the men that used to work with Daddy. They recognized him because he looked like a more youthful version of our daddy. These men would tell my brother how much they enjoyed hearing our daddy sing and they figured that my brother had inherited Daddy’s gift, so they asked him to sing for them. Well, as my brother puts it, a first few verses out of his mouth soon alerted them that he had not inherited Daddy’s gift. To be fair, though my brother cannot sing as well as Daddy, I can honestly say that both he and my other brother can in fact, “carry a tune.” 

My Daddy’s family grew up singing together. It was a way that the struggling family could be entertained for free. Blessed with an abundance of good voices, the entertainment could last into the wee hours of the night. It is how they coped and entertained themselves, and it was something that my Daddy willingly passed on to his children. Daddy would sing to us the stories of “Barbara Ellen,” “Rose Connely,” and how it was “Dark as a Dungeon way down in the mine.” Then there were the spirituals. Stories of “Old Noah” and “Run on” -- “Let me tell you God almighty’s gonna cut you down.” Daddy would sing songs of faith, hope, redemption and warning. I always sat back in amazement at the crystal clearness of his voice and the various emotions it could convey.

When my Daddy joined the Army in the 1950s, it was popular for soldiers to record messages for family back home on a phonograph recording. This was during a time when anyone could record a song or a letter on an LP. On one side of the album, my dad had recorded a letter telling his family when he would be in on furlough. On the other side he had recorded my grandmother’s favorite song, “Roomful of Roses.” The family enjoyed hearing the message that Daddy had recorded for them, but everyone loved hearing Daddy’s beautiful voice again, and they played the recording of him singing “Roomful of Roses.” They sang along with him, just like he was home with them. I still have that recording, and it is among my most prized possessions.

I remember Daddy spending years trying to teach me how to harmonize with him. In fact, in the days leading up to his final open heart surgery, Daddy was still trying to teach me the intricacies of that fine art. I always seemed to fall for the same trap when it came to harmonizing; I always kept going into the same key as the other singer. To help me along, Daddy told me that he would harmonize with me, rather than me trying to harmonize with him. But of course, I went right into singing in the same key as him, again and again. After a few hours of this, daddy just patted me on the back and told me to keep at it and eventually it would come to me. Years later, when I finally mastered the art of harmonizing, I remembered those countless hours of practicing with Daddy. I just knew that he would be very proud of my accomplishing that feat.

After high school, when I went off to college in Morgantown, West Virginia, I discovered that the churches up there were different than the ones we had at home. Until that time, I just didn’t know that the culture in the coalfields wasn’t the same as everywhere else in the country. The way church members worshiped was less demonstrative than the churches of home, and the way they sang hymns was far, far more reserved. Even though Morgantown is still in West Virginia, there were stark differences with the churches up there and the churches of home. Now, there wasn’t a thing wrong with the Morgantown churches, I just found them to be different than what I was used to. For example, even the way they sang “Amazing Grace” was different. That was probably the thing that stood out to me the most. In Morgantown, “Amazing Grace,” I later realized, actually sounded like the way it was transcribed in the hymn books. The “Amazing Grace” that I had grown up with had a bending of the notes and a swelling of the chorus that was just not present in the Morgantown churches. Years later, I would find myself recording an acapella version of the song the way I had always sang it. When I sang the first line of the song, the producer of my CD thought I had started the song too low and asked me to begin again. I did. Twice. He kept saying I was starting out too low. Finally, I asked him to just let me sing the first verse of the song, and see how it sounded. When I began to sing the song, he shrugged his shoulders, looked a bit shocked, and with a smile on his face, motioned for me to continue. We finished it with one take!

Continuing Daddy’s rich musical legacy, I myself began writing songs at the age of 10. Those first few songs I wrote were about the people who were closest to me. As with most writers, I wrote what I knew. My gift of songwriting came in especially handy one year when I was attending college. That year I found myself in a situation where I couldn’t afford to buy Mommy a Mother’s Day gift. I really wanted to give Mommy a gift to show how much she meant to me and how much I appreciated her. Since Daddy had died, I had grown especially close to Mommy, and it really weighed heavy upon my mind that this would be the first year that I wouldn’t be able to give her a gift. Then one evening, about a week before Mother’s Day, while I was still trying to figure out a way to get mommy a gift, a tune came into my head, followed by some words. The words quickly came and kept coming, so I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote them all down. In short time, I had written my mom a Mother’s Day song. I had some connections with a fellow who owned a local music studio, so I went in recorded it for her. Although I couldn’t play an instrument, when I wrote the song I could clearly hear the instrumentation in my head, so I knew how I wanted it to sound. The end result was quickly accomplished, and it was complete with a haunting mandolin, acoustic guitar and some drums. “I Thank God for Mamas” was loved by my mother and all who heard it. Folks particularly like the chorus,

“I thank God for Mamas. God’s gentle helping hands.

The love He stores inside their hearts is hard to comprehend.

But, I thank God for Mamas, A precious gift to see.

But most of all I thank Him for the mom He gave to me.”

Even today, I get requests to sing that song at church nearly every Mother’s Day. It still holds special meaning to both me and Mommy, as it represents the love we have for each other and our special connection.

On another occasion, I wrote a song about my Grandmaw Minnie, who was my Daddy’s mother. Grandmaw Minnie passed away about a year before Daddy did, and I titled this song, “I Remember Grandmaw.” The entire family truly enjoyed the song, and I was especially happy when they told me that it really captured her warm spirit. The chorus says:

 “I remember Grandmaw and how she used to smile.

She could light up a room and make the day worthwhile.

 I remember Grandmaw and now I understand that love

Was the most important thing to Grandmaw.”

In the mid-1990s, I began writing songs about what was happening in my beloved home in the coalfields of southern West Virginia. I also wrote ballads based on family stories that I had heard throughout my life. Today, many people would say my songs are activist or protest songs, and I suppose some of them could be depicted that way; however, they are quite simply songs about what I have seen and how me and my family have lived and continue to live. It just so happens that the most pressing issue in the coalfields today deals with mountaintop removal coal mining, so many of my songs represent what I have seen firsthand and what my family has experienced.

One night I was awakened from a sound sleep with words and a melody in my head. I quickly jotted down the words to “Leave Those Mountains Down (Ode to the Mountains),” sang a few words into the tape recorder I kept beside of my bed, and as quick as that, I fell back to sleep. The next morning, I thought it was a dream and wished I could remember the words. However, there by my bedside was a piece of paper with the scribbled out words on it, and when I listened back to the tape recorder, there was the tune. I began the song with the chorus, and followed it with the first verse that goes:

 “Leave those mountains down, boys, leave those mountains down.

Don’t tear up what the heavens bore, and leave those mountains down.”

“My Daddy was a miner, and my Granddad’s too,

They crawled inside the bowels of Earth

Digging coal and paying Union dues

They’ve long since died for King Coal,

Lay buried in the ground.

But if they were here they’d tell you

Leave those mountains down.”

To this day, I consider that song a direct gift from above. Years later, I was receiving an award at Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for my academic work. The emcee at the function was a friend of mine who knew of my musical passion. So, as I finished my acceptance speech, he asked me to sing a song for the audience. With the sparkling marble and gilded opulence of the music hall surrounding me and a larger than life statue of Andrew Carnegie behind me, I sang “Leave Those Mountains Down”. I could literally feel the presence of my daddy with me as I sang that song in a building built by an industrial baron. Several dreams were realized that day. The dreams of two parents who told their baby girl who grew up in the coalfields that she could be anything that she wanted to be, and the dream that a coal miner’s daughter could perform a song about destructive coal mining practices in one of the most respected musical venues in the country. The audience gave me a standing ovation, and that experience remains one of the highlights of my life.

Other songs that I have written reflect the hard realities that my family has experienced in the rugged mountains of home. “Ode to a Miner (Song for my Father)” and “Ode to a Miner’s Wife (Song for my Mother)” were both inspired by my parents. In “Ode to a Miner” I asked myself what my daddy – and really, so many men like him -- would say if he could talk to us again. It took around 5 minutes for me to write the answer in the lyrics of my song. The chorus to it goes:

“Black lung, black lung, black lung’s took my life.

Now I leave behind my children and wife.

I tell all you young ones don’t go underground,

‘Cause if the minin’ don’t kill you black lung’s still around.”

Each verse of the song tells his story. From his youth and early marriage to the time he first became sick and to the time he died. It is really a story song, let me share with you the first and last verses of the song to further illustrate that:

“When I was a young man, seems just yesterday,

Two choices I had were to leave or to stay.

My kin lived and died here, left one choice for me,

To go underground, coal mining it would be.”

(chorus)

This is followed by the last verse, which shows the progression of Daddy’s life after working in the mines:

“I can’t walk in the valley, the mountain is too high,

Every breath that I take seems to be a goodbye,

My life’s all but over, and what do I show,

But 30 years of hard labor and this Hell that I know as.”

Around this same time, I decided it was only fitting that I write a song where I attempted to see things from my mother’s point of view. When I first sang “Ode to a Miner’s Wife” for my mom, I was very nervous. I didn’t want her to think that I thought her life was entirely melancholy. She understood what I was trying to do and really loved the song. “Ode to a Miner’s Wife” remains a favorite to many who have heard it. Please allow me to share a few verses with you.

 Verse 1:

“I came to this valley forty years ago,

a young miner’s bride to have and to hold.

I was barely 16 so scared was I,

To leave Mommy and Daddy, my family behind.”

Chorus:

“It’s a lonely life, to be a miner’s wife

Such a lonely life, to have and to hold goodnight.”

Verse 3:

“I watched as my Neely gasped for his breath,

His lungs were infested, the pain in his chest.

We’d grow old together he told me once,

But the mining did kill him, dead at 51.”

As most people are aware, coal is an integral part of the reality in central Appalachia. So naturally, it would be the songs of the coalfields and the coal culture of home that I would record for my latest CD, “Coalfield Acappela.” My music has continued to tell the stories of what I see around me and the stories I grew up hearing. For example, though my mother’s daddy, my Grandpaw Dave, worked in the mines his whole life, it was known in the family that his lifelong dream was to be a farmer. I was lucky to capture the story of Grandpaw Dave in my song, “Long Time On This Mountain,” which begins, 

“I’ve been a long time, on this mountain,

And I’ve been a long time, in the mines,

And the dreams, I once did have them,

But they grow dim, as time goes by.”

Though Grandpaw Dave was never able to fully realize his dream of being a farmer, he was able to keep a few horses and they were his passion. His responsibility to his family prevented full-time farming, as the song says in the lines, “but mining paid when farming didn’t, so my dreams began to fade.” The song progresses as Grandpaw Dave grew older, and looked back upon his life in the next verse.

“Now, I’m old and I’m through with mining,

But how I long to still till the land,

Those faded dreams, they still can haunt me,

These choices made, by which I stand.”

Appalachian songwriters – and the best storytellers -- find their inspiration in what they know best. For me, that is family and home.

Rooted in the musical heritage of my Daddy, my songwriting and singing are merely a continuation of the tradition of writing and singing about what you know best and what you have experienced. These traditions have been passed down to me through generations of my family who have lived and died in these rugged mountains of the southern West Virginia coalfields. Putting stories to song is what I have always done and is what I will continue to do for as long as I am able. For me, this naturally means my musical legacy will be one of home, of faith and of family. Through music, we have the ability not only to entertain, but to tell the stories of the people, places and events that have meant so much to us. Just as my Daddy gave me the gift of music, a gift that he got from his mother, and a gift she got from ancestors long since passed into the hills of yesterday, I hope to someday continue this rich heritage by giving these gifts to my children and grandchildren. And, if along the path of my musical journey, I’m able to share with some folks the stories and unique culture of the people and places of home, then that is just icing on the cake.

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I hope you enjoyed Shirley's post as much as I did. Coming from the Southern Highlands of Appalachia-I know nothing about the coalfields of WV-but through Shirley's work I've learned much about the hardships the area faced in the past-and continues to face today. Don't forget to visit her website-http://www.shirleystewartburns.com/home for more information about Shirley-both her literary and musical works.

If you'd like a chance to win one of her cds-leave a comment on this post. The giveaway ends on Saturday July 17th. (don't forget a comment on this post also gives you another entry in the guitar giveaway)

Tipper

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Slim Bryant

Today's guest post was written by John Trout. John hosts an outstanding radio show-Traditional Ties on WYEP FM 91.3 Pittsburgh PA (you can even listen online-go here to find out the details) John started his great show way back in 1985, and it's been a huge hit ever since.

When I first approached John about writing a guest post for me, I told him to pick his topic-since I was sure he knew more about the history and importance of music in Appalachia than I did. A few days later, John told me he'd like to write about one of the most remarkable men he knew-Hoyt "Slim" Bryant-and the importance his amazing musical career had on traditional country and bluegrass music. When John wrote the piece below-Slim Bryant was 101 years old-sadly he died 2 days after John sent me the piece.

(photo by Vintage Guitar)

Hoyt "Slim" Bryant by John Trout

The musical heritage of the western Pennsylvania area has been greatly influenced by traditional country and bluegrass artists. During my formative years, the late 1940s and 1950s it was typical for county and community fairs as well as area amusement parks to feature artists from the nearby, Worlds Original Jamboree in Wheeling West Virginia.

During that period you might see Hawkshaw Hawkins, The Osborne Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper or Doc & Chickie Williams at at your local event.

One such entertainer Hoyt "Slim" Bryant, came to Pittsburgh in 1940 to do a daily show for KDKA radio. Unlike many artists, who would move on after the demand for public appearances faded in a year or two, Slim's radio show continued until 1959 at KDKA. The early morning show was music sandwiched between news and farm reports.

Slim and his band, The Wildcats appeared on Pittsburgh's first live TV broadcast in 1949. The station was WDTV, later to become KDKA TV.

Slim, an Atlanta native had a distinguished musical career before arriving in Pittsburgh. He was originally a member of Clayton McMichen and the Georgia Wildcats, leaving in 1940 to come to Pittsburgh.

Also a songwriter his “Mother the Queen of My Heart,” was recorded by Jimmy Rodgers in 1932, Slim played on that recording and is the last surviving artist to have recorded with Rodgers.

Slim's music was progressive for it's time taking the music in a jazzy direction. “Music with a beat” is Bryant's description. Band members in addition to Slim on lead vocal and his 1936 Gibson L5 guitar included; Ken Newton, fiddle; Jerry Wallace, banjo; Al Azzaro, accordion; and brother Raymond 'Loppy' Bryant, bass and vocals. All but Slim are deceased.

Due to arthritis he doesn't play much any more, but only gave up teaching guitar a few years ago. In 2007, Slim issued his first CD, 31 of his vintage recordings. At the age of 100 in 2008, he renewed his driver's license, he limits his driving to his neighborhood during daylight hours.

Asked to comment on today's country music, he's been quoted as saying, “It's all Rock and Roll, no guitar player in his right mind would buy a guitar with three pickups.”

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After reading John's interesting post-one can see both the influence and the longevity of Slim Bryant's musical career. I like his quote about today's country music-cause it's very similar to Pap's view on the subject.

To find out more about John Trout-check out his blog John Trout's Bluegrass World. And if you can find the time-I highly encourage you to check out his radio show Traditional Ties-I know you'll be glad you did.

Tipper

p.s. Don't forget-a comment on this post gives you another entry in the guitar giveaway-click here for more details.

 

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When To Make Kraut - And Blooper Winners

 
Most of the cabbage seeds I planted way back in early Spring have survived their journey and are growing into some dandy heads of cabbage.

My family-and The Deer Hunter's family always make Kraut when the signs are in the head. Next Monday and Tuesday-July 5th & 6th the signs go into the head-and we'll be making Kraut. We use the traditional method of making kraut in a crock-in much the same manner that we make Pickled Beans and Corn.

To make Kraut the way we do-you need a crock, cabbage, and salt-either pickling salt or un-iodized table salt. Optional-peppers. The Deer Hunter likes to add banana peppers to our Kraut.

If you'd like to make it with us-I'll try to post directions as early as I can on Monday-hopefully by dinner time. Or you can see how we do it-then wait till August 1st and 2nd when the signs go back into the head again to make your own.

Thanks to all who entered the Blooper giveaway! The winners are #23 Lynn,

#13 Rick Crisman,

and #5 Terry! Each winner-pick 12 songs from the music player in the top right of this page-making sure the songs you pick are by the Blind Pig Gang-they'll have Paul Wilson in the artist area under the title. (you can scroll down through the list to find the songs) Email me your list at tipper@blindpigandtheacorn.com along with your address and I'll send you a cd!

Tipper

p.s. If you have any questions about the Kraut-leave me a comment or email me at tipper@blindpigandtheacorn.com

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Pickin' & Grinnin' In The Kitchen Bloopers And A Giveaway

The Blind Pig gang usually hangs out at Paul's every Sunday afternoon. Along with the pickin' and grinnin' there's lots of talking and sometimes lots of laughter-especially when we take time to laugh at our mistakes and mess-ups.

We all joke-that we can pick any song and play it straight through the first time-and even do a pretty good job on it-unless the camera is running. Some how when we know that camera is filming us we all get a little goofy-as you can see from the video below. (don't forget to stop the music player in top right of this page before you start the video)

I hope you enjoyed our silliness! Today's post is a Spotlight on Music in Appalachia post-so if you comment-you get an entry into the Guitar Giveaway.

In addition-today's post is a giveaway itself-3 folks can win. To be entered-all you have to do is a leave me a comment and tell me which clip from the video above was your favorite. Oh-and what do you win? A cd of the Blind Pig Gang-you even get to pick out the songs yourself. Each winner will get to pick 12 songs from the music player on this site-you can scroll down the player to see/hear more songs. Just make sure to choose songs that are by Paul Wilson, Paul Wilson and Mark Wilson, or Paul Wilson and The Pressley Girls. This giveaway ends on Saturday-June 26th.

If you'd like to see what we do when we're really silly-click here.

Tipper

p.s. To leave a comment look just below this post-below the 3 small pictures in a row. You'll see Posted At.... in Black then a bunch of other words in orange-click on the word 'comments' and fill in the info-all you need is a name and an email (no one will be able to see your email-except me). Or if you landed here through a direct link-the comment form will already be open-just scroll down till you see Post A Comment.

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David Grier CD Winners

A big thank you to everyone who entered the David Grier cd Giveaway. The first winner was number 11 who is Rachelle.

The second winner was number 8 who is Nancy Wigmore!

Nancy-and Rachelle-please send your addresses to me at tipper@blindpigandtheacorn.com and I'll send you each a David Grier cd.

More music related giveaways are on the way-so be on the look out for them!

Tipper
 

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