What's Been Going On

An Acoustic April, 2019

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of April, 2019. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

The 17th, in the late afternoon, I decided to hit the old list of fiddle tunes and sharpen up on some tunes that I haven't played in a while and that would likely need some work. I get into a habit of playing a few select tunes in the various groups I'm in and forget about so many tunes that I genuinely like to play. So this afternoon I worked on "Windy City Rag", "Baker's Breakdown", "Shiloh March", "Dance With Me Kenny", "Missouri Road" in B Flat and in A (I mostly play this one in A for the benefit of the few mandolin players I pick with that may be a little uncomfortable in B Flat), "New Camptown Races", "Smokey Mountain Rag", "Indian Killed a Woodcock", "Roanoke", "Wheel Hoss", "The Old Mountaineer", "Dixie Hoedown", "Pickaway", "Pike County Breakdown", "Brown County Breakdown", "Gold Rush", "Laughing Boy", "Monroe's Hornpipe", "Big Mon", "Theme Time" and "Big Country" to name a few. It's amazing how rusty I can get in the lapse between playing these tunes and not playing them for a while.

Lately I've been playing "Missouri Road" (in A), "Angeline the Baker", "Lost Indian", "Arkansas Traveler", "Dance Around Molly", "Arab Bounce", "Banjo Signal", "Carroll County Blues", "Louisville Breakdown", "Dry and Dusty", "Faded Love", "Blue Ridge Waltz" and a few others to the omission of so many others.

A new one I'm slowly working on is a wonderful piece composed by Calvin Vollrath in his honor of his good friend (and an idol of mine), Byron Berline, titled "Byron Berline's Jam".
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 16th, a Tuesday morning I drove to Heber Springs to meet up with the rest of the band "The Sugarloafers" at Southridge Nursing Home where we performed from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Band members were: Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Joe Jaconczuk, banjo; Cloy Skinner, electric bass; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

From there, Stan and I hung out together for the day. We had lunch at Peggy Sues, a local restaurant, then we picked Bluegrass down at the Park in the older amphitheater for a few hours before having another bite to eat at King Buffet.

Then it was time to go to the home of the Jostons west of Heber Springs for the Tuesday night Bluegrass jam. Musicians present here were: D.L. Joston, mandolin and vocals; Mazelle Joston, guitar and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Cloy Skinner, electric bass; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Stan Caldwell, banjo and vocals; Troy Skinner, hand-built drum-type instrument; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. It was a long and beautiful day of Bluegrass.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, I drove out to Tommy Smith's for his weekly Monday night jam session. Musicians there were: Tommy, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Alison, mandolin; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Bobby Mc Adams, guitar and vocals; Jim Stimbo, guitar and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. We picked for over 3 1/2 hours and had a super time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13th of April: The weather map has been predominantly red-colored all day long here in central/northern Arkansas and so I canceled out of going to band practice today, but I sure didn't want to. It was all those tornado warnings that got me thinking. As it's turned out so far, it's just been a day of heavy rain....hopefully no tornadoes will materialize throughout the night. There are flood warnings posted on several highways around here.

I was so much looking forward to a few hours of Bluegrass with members of our newly-formed group that still doesn't have an official name...so I'm still calling us "The Heberbillys". When we finally do get a name, I'll have a lot of work to do to go back through all these posts and change the name. lol

The other day I started a band page for "The Sugarloafers" but I don't want to start one for the newest band yet because of technical problems with having to change the main page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 12th, I drove up to Heber Springs and performed on fiddle with the band "The Sugarloafers" at the Waychoff Senior Center. The audience was very receptive to our performance with a good round of applause after each number. It was nice to have Cloy Skinner return to playing bass after a brief period of health problems. Band members were: Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Joe Jaconczuk, banjo; Cloy Skinner, electric bass; and yours truly fiddle.

We performed there at the senior center from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. From there, Stan took me around Heber Springs and we stopped at the big park in the center of downtown where he and I jammed some Bluegrass for an hour in the older, smaller amphitheater before going over to the Triple A building for a "Heberbillys" (still haven't picked a suitable name yet) band practice from 3:30 'til 5:30 p.m. The practice involved Mary Lee Turney on upright bass and vocals; Kent Latch on mandolin and vocals; Stan Caldwell on guitar and vocals; and yours truly on banjo, fiddle and vocals. Steve James (resonator guitar) was absent due to having to work....he's not retired yet :(
It was a superb day of Bluegrass. I left the weekly Friday night jam session a little early after having played a total of 8 hours of Bluegrass throughout the day!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 11th, a Thursday, I sat in for my good friend Lonnie Collins who is recovering from knee surgery. Lonnie has played for some time now at the Country Corner store and gas station in Judsonia along with many of his friends. I was asked to take his place on the fiddle until he's able to return. I enjoy playing with the many musicians who attend.

Musicians in attendance were: Ron Ramsey, electric guitar and vocals; Mickey Roscoe, acoustic/electric guitar and vocals; Don Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Frank Myers, vocals; Gary ?, vocals; another man ?, vocals; Jody ?, vocals; Bobby Wright, electric bass, vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 9th, I drove up to Heber Springs and played fiddle in the band "The Sugarloafers" at the Seven Springs Nursing Home. Members of the band were: Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Joe Jaconczuk, banjo; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Cloy Skinner, who normally plays electric bass was absent due to not feeling well.

Staff members treated us each to a bag full of candy and a note and a pin thanking us for being volunteers. The large audience that formed in front of us also applauded loudly after each number and many shouted their "Thanks" to us for providing the live music for them to enjoy. I've always liked playing benefits for seniors and those in nursing homes. The smiles on their faces makes it all worth while.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 8th, I had a tooth extracted here in Searcy. It was 4:00 p.m. when it was pulled, so I didn't make it to the Monday night jam session on Panther Creek road. I hated to miss it, but I had to.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 6th, I drove up to Heber Springs to meet with other band members and ride with Stan Caldwell to Mountain View for a day of picking in the "Picking Park". We set up in the gazebo closest to the music store. It's kinda our favorite because it's close to where we park and close to the restaurant across the street.

Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; Kent Latch played mandolin and sang; Mary Lee Turney played upright bass and sang; I played banjo and fiddle and sang; and Steve James played his Adams resonator guitar. Steve is a big hit with the audiences that gather to listen. Especially when he plays "The End of the World". We were all well received and look forward to performing there again real soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I played Bluegrass at the Triple A building in Heber Springs with many of my Arkansas musician friends. As usual, it was a lot of fun. I arrived early and jammed with Stan Caldwell, Kent Latch and Mary Lee Turney (members of out newly-formed band, (Steve James was still working)) before the local musicians arrived. We had a chance to work on a couple of difficult numbers we're planning on doing as a part of our song list as we continue growing our band.

The evening was really a great time for me as I got to have lots of conversations with friends I've met here and there as I've been playing in Arkansas. Some of the many musicians present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Kent Latch, mandolin and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Heatcott, Dobro and vocals; Raymond Rawls, guitar and vocals; Dave and Cindy nelson, guitars and vocals; and a few others as well.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 4th, I performed at the Country Corner store in Judsonia with some of my Monday night Panther Creek musician friends who entertain here weekly. I was invited to play in Lonnie Collin's place while he recovers from knee surgery.

Musicians present were: Ron Ramsey, electric guitar and vocals; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Bobby Wright, electric bass and vocals; Frank Myers, vocals; Gary ?, vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 3rd, I drove up to Heber Springs to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Majewski for a practice session of the band "The Sugarloafers" in which I play fiddle and occasionally provide some vocals. It was a very productive practice and band members introduced lots of new material. We'll be performing next Tuesday morning at Seven Springs Nursing Home in Heber Springs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, I spent the early afternoon playing pool at "Pops Hideaway" with Ben and Tom Hensley, Jesse Crum, Vernon McFalls and George Cooper. We played 8-Ball to begin with and quickly switched to One-Pocket when enough One-Pocket players gathered.

Later, at home, I practiced the fiddle tune "Carroll County Blues" getting it up to speed for when the "Sugarloafers" perform at Southside Assisted Living again where I was asked by one of the residents there if I could play the tune. I told the lady I would learn it for the next time I saw her there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 1st, a Monday evening, I drove out to Rosebud to the home of Stan Caldwell and rode with him up to Heber Springs to pick up Steve James. From there we went to the home of Mazelle and D. L. Joston, where we played Bluegrass music for two hours. Mazelle played guitar and sang; D. L. played mandolin and sang; Jim Wilkerson played guitar; Steve James played resonator guitar; Stan Caldwell played banjo and sang; and I played fiddle.

It was a very enjoyable evening and I have a standing invitation to return when ever I can for their weekly Bluegrass session.

Making a Musical March 2019

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of March, 2019. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

The evening of the 29th, a Friday, I performed with the new band "The Heberbillys" in Heber Springs at the Community Center for the annual fish fry benefit for Waychoff Senior Center. What a blast.

There were around 600 people in attendance and we received huge applause for our tunes and songs each time we played. We all had a wonderful time. The public address system had eleven speaker columns and we had one monitor and 7 microphones. The hall was very large and the sound system performed marginally with so many folks eating dinner and talking among themselves......but in all, many folks were able to enjoy the music.

Our maiden voyage of this newly formed band was a huge success.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 28th, there's a practice for the newly formed band which I'm calling "The Heberbillys" until we pick another name. We're going to practice up in Heber Springs at the old Triple A building. I can't wait! I really enjoy picking with Stan Caldwell, Steve James, Kent Latch and Mary Lee Turney. More on this later....

We had a superb practice that lasted just over three hours without a break. It was intense and we covered a whole lot of ground. We selected about 30 songs and then set about to practice them. We've got enough tunes to perform for our first gig together at the Heber Springs Community Center for the annual fish fry dinner tomorrow evening (Friday the 29th).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 27th I drove over to Pops again and played pool with Joe Buzby, Ben Hensley, Thomas Hensley and just as I was leaving, got to see Vernon McFalls and Jesse Crum as they arrived at the pool hall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 26th, I didn't have to perform or jam anywhere and I decided to play some pool at "Pops" in Judsonia. I played pool with Vernon McFalls, Jesse Crum, and Thomas and Ben Hensley.

I also took Mary, my wife, to Bebbe, and Mary and Ashley, our daughter, out to KFC and later, Chillz. It was a fun day hanging out with family.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 25th, I am looking forward to picking on Panther Creek road with many of my musician friends from around the area. We play mostly Old Country with a little Bluegrass thrown in from time to time. I enjoy trying to fiddle along with the old classics. It's fun.

Musicians present at Tommy Smith's were: Tommy, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Allison, mandolin; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; yours truly, fiddle and vocals; Alvin Hearyman, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; and Lonnie Collins, electric bass guitar.

I turned down an opportunity to play Bluegrass this evening since I had already committed to picking on Panther Creek rd.

I am getting very excited about a newly-forming band taking shape the last few days. I've called the band "The Heberbillys" until we collectively come up with a suitable name....stay tuned on this one. It looks as though our first gig will be this Friday night at the Heber Springs Community Center.

This is fun and very similar to what I was doing in Tennessee. I was in several picking groups there and we all got along fine and had lots of fun. I played mostly fiddle in those groups with an occasional opportunity to pick banjo in a couple of groups.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm invited to a picking party today, the 24th, but I was also invited to a birthday dinner before that, so I'll miss the music today while having other types of fun.

I got to thinking about yesterday's newly-forming band practice and the tunes that I was able to do with the band and it was a lot of fun. Here are some of the tunes that I played when it came around to my turn each time: on banjo: Pickaway, Haskell's Stomp, Theme Time, Lonesome Road Blues, Bugle Call Rag, Fireball, Fireball Mail, Evalina, Jennifer's Waltz, Long Black Veil, Tall Pines, Georgia Rose, Earl's Breakdown, Washed in the Blood, Black Diamond, Bluegrass Breakdown, Sweet Dixie, True Love is too Sweet to Last, and a whole bunch of others, too.

When it was my turn and I had the fiddle in hand, I played: Laughing Boy, Missouri Road, Gardenia Waltz, Blue Mountain Waltz, Black Mountain Rag, and a whole bunch of other tunes, as well.

Kent Latch offered up some dandies as did Stan Caldwell and Mary Lee Turney. Steve James and I focused on lots of instrumentals to keep our fingers limbered up. What a super practice!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 23rd, I attended the newly-forming band's practice in Heber Springs. Stan Caldwell played guitar and provided vocals; Mary Lee Turney played upright bass and did vocals; Kent Latch played mandolin and did vocals; Steve James played resonator guitar; and I played banjo, fiddle and sang.

Our practice lasted for just about exactly 4 hours. We went through some really great stuff and were very tight in every thing we played. I had a swell time as did the others. These folks are wonderful to perform with.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 22nd, I played at the Waychoff Senior Center in Heber Springs with the band "The Sugarloafers". We consisted of the following members: Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Joe Jakonczuk, banjo; and yours truly, fiddle. Cloy Skinner was unable to make the engagement. The audience really enjoyed our music and everyone had a great time.

In the evening, I again performed in Heber Springs at the Friday night jam session at the Triple A building. Here, I got to see many of my musicians friends again after a long while up in Tennessee and away from them. It was fun reconnecting. During the day, I spent the time between gigs with Stan Caldwell who treated me to lunch at "Macks" and took me to the top of Round Mountain in his auto where we enjoyed the sights of Heber Springs and Greers Ferry lake from a much higher view.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 21st, Mary and I decided to go up to Batesville for breakfast at the Triangle Diner. From there we decided to drive over to Mountain View. From there: Heber Springs and then back to Searcy.

After I got Mary back home, I went over to "Pops Pool Hall" owned by Ben and Debbie Hensley there in Judsonia, and I played pool with my old buddies Jessie Crum and Vernon McFalls. (Ben was my partner against Jess and Vern). We played several games of One Pocket.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 19th, I traveled to Heber Springs to perform with "The Sugarloafers" at Southside Assisted Living from 10:15 'til 12:00 noon. We were very well received by a large audience of senior citizens. It was great to pick with The Sugarloafers again after having been in their absence for around 10 months or so. Everyone was in good health and we all really enjoyed playing together. Members of the band are: Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Joe Jakonczuk, banjo; Cloy Skinner, electric bass; and yours truly, fiddle.

After our performance, Terry, Stan and I went out to lunch at King's Buffet for a tasty Chinese lunch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 18th, I'm heading to Pangburn out on the Panther Creek Road to play Old Country and Bluegrass with many of my musician friends that I haven't picked with in a long time. More later............

What a fun evening picking with so many good friends I've met here in AR. Musicians present tonight were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar, electric bass and vocals; Mitch Rascoe, guitar and vocals; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; (Bobby McAdams was present but didn't play his guitar or sing vocals); Alvin Hearyman, harmonica, guitar and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; Lonnie Collins, electric bass, rhythm machine and guitar; Gary ?, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Tom Alexander, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning the 16th, at exactly 4:00 a.m., I left Tennessee for Arkansas. I drove 665 miles in 13 1/2 hours and got to Searcy in the afternoon. I had traded cars the previous Monday and the new Ford Fusion was a hit with my wife and others here in AR. It was a very comfortable ride and so I drove right on through. With the other Ford (Focus) I had to stop and stay overnight about half the way to my destination. Not my idea of comfort.

It's great to be back in Arkansas and I can't wait to get some pickin' in with so many of my buddies down here. I'm looking forward to a lot of Bluegrass.......especially up around Heber Springs and Mountain View.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday the 15th, I said my "goodbyes" to my many friends at the Clinchfield Adult Senior Center in Erwin and left early to continue packing for my trip back to Arkansas. After a while, I met Ron Duncan down at the Methodist church in Unicoi where the Ruritans (for a very reasonable price) were providing the community with a catfish supper with all the fixings. What a meal!

I shook hands with my best Bluegrass buddy in Tennessee, said our "goodbyes" and I headed home to load the car with all my stuff I'd need for an extended stay in AR. (I met Ron about 8 years ago and we have played in thousands of places since. And I've enjoyed every minute with him.) He's typical of what a southern gentleman is really all about.)

I didn't get a chance to say my "goodbyes" to Gordon Hoyle who has been in poor health of late. I sure will miss him and Ron while I'm gone. In fact, I'll miss all my Tennessee buddies, male and female while I'm away.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 14th, I drove up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store with Ron Duncan where we had a tasty meal before beginning several hours of Bluegrass music with good friends.

Musicians in attendance were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Gus Hopson, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Butch Rupp, Dobro and vocals; Ben Waddell, guitar and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 13th, I drove up to Chuckey, Tennessee with my dear friend Henry Barnett. We went to visit our good friend Keith Williams, fiddle maker.

I had Keith work on my 1834 fiddle and he improved the tone of it a lot by replacing the soundpost and the bridge. He does excellent, meticulous work and it's a real pleasure to have him work on instruments, knowing full well that when he hands it back to you, it's right. It's also a real pleasure just being around him and Henry, 'cause they're really nice guys.

Visit his page here on this site by clicking on this link.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 10th, I rode up to Gray to Ron Lane's studio with Ron Duncan. We met up with several members of the band "Rough Edges" and enjoyed a fine afternoon picking and singing.

Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright and electric basses; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and harmony vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

I'll be leaving for Arkansas soon and I'm not sure when I'll get to see all these wonderful musician friends again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 8th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan. After a short while I got my fiddle out and joined in with the group in the back room by the kitchen and settled in for some great Bluegrass. Musicians present for this jam session as far as I can remember were: Ernie Schaffer, guitar and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Dan Biegar, banjo and vocals; Yours truly, fiddle; Emily ?, fiddle; Clancy Mullins, banjo; and Todd Markwater, guitar.

After quite a while, I left this group and went to play in the middle room with the following musicians: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; Robert Wilder, Dobro; me, guitar and fiddle.

Musicians in the front room (I didn't get a chance to pick in there) were: Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Rufus' wife, Terry Thames, upright bass and vocals; Randy Singleton, Dobro and vocals; Steve Shipley, fiddle and vocals; Greg ? banjo; and another man with a banjo.

It was great to see so many friends again and to play music with them. I'll be leaving for Arkansas soon and I just don't know when I'll see them again.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 5th, I drove up to Abingdon Virginia to perform at the Community Center with Bill McCall and his band. Musicians present were: Bill, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin, harmonica and vocals; Chris Anderson, upright bass; Howard Bateman, Dobro; Mark Martin, harmonica; and yours truly, fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 3rd, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to the weekly band practice at Ron Lane's studio. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo and mandolin; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

We all had a super time picking, singing and visiting. We miss Jim Stidman who was unable to attend due to recent surgery. We all wish him a speedy recovery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday the 2nd, I pretty much stayed home and played the pedal steel and the fiddles. I did venture out for a little afternoon shopping but decided not to go anywhere in the morning or the evening hours.

I'm still learning lots of different chord arrangements on the pedal steel so that's keeping me quite busy from time to time and I've been composing several different fiddle tunes that I'm playing over and over to get better at fiddling through them. Tomorrow I hope to attend the private picking session in Gray along with Ron Duncan. We love going up to Ron Lane's studio and visiting and picking with so many of our friends there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 1st of March, I uploaded an original fiddle tune to the website. I named the tune "The Snobby Fiddle Rag". It's a catchy little tune and I enjoy playing it quite a lot.

The evening of the 1st, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan where we played in the middle room with several of our good friends there. Bill McCall played guitar and sang; Tom Antenucci played mandolin and sang; Terry Barnes played fiddle; Ron played guitar and sang; I played the fiddle; and Ernie Schaffer came in from the back room (which was loaded with musicians) and played guitar for one tune with us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Fun & Fantastic Fiddlin' February, 2019

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of February, 2019. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Tonight, the 28th, I rode up to Philadelphia, TN. with Ron Duncan to a private picking party. We were guests at the home of Bob and Alice Hensley where we played Bluegrass and fiddle tunes for several hours and had a wonderful visit with several good friends.

Musicians in attendance were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Terry Wade, upright bass and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Ben Waddell, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gus Hopson, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly banjo, fiddle, guitar and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 27th, Inspired by conversations on the internet with fiddling friends I've met there, I began composing a fiddle tune I'm going to call "The Snobbish Fiddle Rag". It's coming along nicely and I just need to polish up the 2nd part and then play it a hundred times or so all the way through so that I can be able to record it and post it online.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 26th, I played fiddle with Bill McCall and his band up in Virginia. The gig was at the Community Center in Abingdon, Virginia. We performed for an audience of around 70 people from 6:30 til 8:00 p.m.

The group consisted of: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Howard Bateman, Dobro; Chris Anderson, upright bass; Mark Martin, harmonica; and yours truly, fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 23rd, as I look back across the last week or so, I think all it's done was rained! Rained and poured and maybe let up to a sprinkle every now and then. Flood warnings abound. Rivers and creeks are about full to capacity.

I just haven't felt much like venturing out in this nasty weather to play Bluegrass or Old Time or Old Country, so I've pretty much stayed home and played instruments here.

I'll get back into the swing of things when the weather straightens out, for sure. I think I'll hang around the house again this morning rather than venture out into the pouring rain with my fiddles to go to Johnson City to the jam session at Kosher Pickles Deli. How about some nice weather for a change?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 17th, I spent most of the day composing a fiddle tune the title of which was suggested on the forum at Bluegrass Daddy. The title is "Bitten Finger Rag" and I wrote the tune in AEAC# tuning on the fiddle. I composed it in three parts like I did the tune yesterday that I composed and named "Maggots ate the Termite". I really like this tune "The Bitten Finger Rag". It's a blast to play and I especially love the third part I put into it.

Tomorrow, I will record it and upload it to this site, YouTube and Bluegrass Daddy.

In the afternoon, I drove up to Gray to practice with the band "Rough Edges" there at Ron Lane's studio. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Coleman, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 16th, I composed an original fiddle tune that I set out to reflect the title "Maggots Ate The Termite", an expression I heard from having a chat online at the Bluegrass Daddy fiddle site. I got to thinking about this a few days ago and this morning I decided I just had to come up with a fiddle tune with that title. After taking an hour or so to compose it and a couple of hours to get to where I could play it and then finally getting to record it, I now have it up on YouTube and intend to put it on my fiddle tune video page.

Here's the link to it: "Maggots Ate The Termite".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 10th, I learned the break to "Brown County Breakdown" in the key of B from the playing of Anysley Porchak. Later, in the evening, I learned a new waltz composed by Rob Randle and played by Patty Kusturok. This waltz is very pretty and in the beautiful key of F. Good fiddle stuff! They both may be viewed here on my website.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday the 9th in the early afternoon, I drove up to the 1st rest area in Tennessee on I-81 to play Bluegrass and old Western Swing with my dear friends Bill McCall and Tom Antenucci. They perform here the 2nd Saturday of each month. We were accompanied by the rest of Bill's group, too. Musicians were: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Howard Bateman, Dobro; Fred Staples, upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle.

We performed for a large audience that came and went throughout the afternoon as we played for a little over two hours.

After we wrapped up there, having just enough time to make it, I headed back to Kingsport, where I performed with "Third Day Resurrection" at the Masonic Lodge.

Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; and I played fiddle.

We finished up there at a little after 8:00 p.m. and I drove home to get some rest after a long, wonderful day of picking. I had planned on attending the morning Bluegrass/Old Country jam at Kosher Pickles in Johnson City, but just couldn't squeeze it in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 8th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan to pick Bluegrass. There were lots of musicians present. I'll list them here in no particular order and include those in both the back room and the middle room: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, fiddle and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Howard Bateman, Dobro; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Joe Thompson, guitar; Nathan Black, banjo; Yours truly, fiddle and vocals; Randy Singleton, uke bass and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Ernie Schaffer, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; and Jeff Webb, lead guitar. There may have been others that I missed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening the 7th, Ron Duncan and I went up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, TN. to jam with several of our musician friends who came out to play Bluegrass on such a warm and beautiful evening.

Musicians present were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Guy Hopson, guitar; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th of February, I rode over to Rock's Pizza Place in Johnson City with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. We enjoyed listening to our friends, the "Stem Winders" perform and we visited with many of our friends who also attended.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

39 years ago today, the 3rd of February, my brother and his wife, Debbie, were married in Cleveland, Ohio. Dave or "Grizz" as he is affectionately referred to has been a wonderful brother and best friend and I wish him and his lovely wife the very happiest of an anniversary day. Love ya Bro.

"Grizz" is a good guitar player/singer and can sound exactly like Willie Nelson when prompted. He's written lots of songs and has been popular on Reverb Nation and throughout the Cleveland area. When he was a young man living back east in upstate New York, he was a member of the "High Peaks Boys" and played guitar and provided vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 2nd, a Saturday night, Ron Duncan and I went over to Mike Honeycutt's music store where Ron purchased some strings and then we went next door to the Boones Creek Opry to watch the Unicoi County High School Bluegrass bands "Blue Devils" and "Blue Belles" perform. Both groups, the boys and the girls, did very well and were rewarded by thunderous applause after each number. Later, after they were finished, there were about six or seven different 3-song open mic acts that followed. We enjoyed the evening's performances very much. I was asked to perform with a couple of the acts, but declined, opting to just listen, instead.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 1st of February was a Friday night and I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and played Bluegrass in the back room with a group of seasoned musicians and had a superb time.

Those musicians were: Ernie Schaffer, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Steve Shipley, fiddle; George Jessee, banjo; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. At one point early on, Jim Stidman and Bill McClain played guitars and Bill sang. Ron Duncan played in the middle room with Bill McCall, Tom Antenucci, Charlie Ervin and others.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Journey Through January, 2019

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of January, 2019. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Today is the last day of January. The wind chill will make the weather seem like around five to ten below zero here in Limestone Cove. There's been a blast of cold air hitting many states for the past week or so. Some areas have had records broken on freezing temperatures.

I can't help but remember when I worked for Tri-Lakes Electric, in Lake Placid, New York back in the 70's. The company's owner had contracted with ABC Television to provide all the electric power for the 1978 World Cup skiing event and I had headed up the various electric crews needed for powering unit tractor trailers with their very expensive cameras, etc. From this project we moved right into getting ready for the 1980 Olympics. It was in the winter of 1979 that I worked on Whiteface Mountain one day when it was 50 degrees below zero! The snow was over 8 feet deep near the summit and had been packed by sno-cats where we worked so that we wouldn't fall deeply into the snow and become suffocated. It was an incredible project and being young, I loved every moment of it! (Now I nearly freeze to death scraping of the car's windshield). lol. (Old Forge, New York had temperatures that dipped to 52 degrees below zero the same day).

I'll be glad when this cold snap quits and winter takes a turn for the better. I'll be heading back to Arkansas when it does.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning the 28th, after shooting pool at the Senior Center, I headed home to wait out the winter storm coming my way. I've stayed home since then and this morning is Wednesday morning, the 30th. It's still bitter cold and there's snow in the driveway so I'll be here another day or two waiting for it to melt away.

So, while waiting for warmer weather, I've taken advantage of the idle time and learned quite a bit more on the pedal steel guitar. I've also practiced fiddle and banjo quite a lot.

I've also talked on the phone with a good friend of Haskell McCormick's (banjo picker for Lester Flatt years ago). He was looking for the banjo tablature for "McCormick's String Picnic" and found out through research on the internet that I had developed that tab and he e-mailed me and gave me his phone number. I sent him the tab to two of Haskell's tunes: "McCormick's String Picnic" and "The Haskell Stomp". He's going to visit Haskell this week and Haskell is excited to see his tunes written out as he has never seen them in tablature before.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 27th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to practice Bluegrass with the group "Rough Edges". Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo and mandolin; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, resonator guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals.

After we finished playing, Ron Lane accompanied Ron Duncan and me to the Mexican restaurant "La Carreta's" there in Gray, where we had a fine meal and shot the breeze before heading home.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Saturday morning, I usually go up to Kosher Pickles Deli on the outskirts of Johnson City and play Bluegrass and Old Country with a gathering of musician friends there. This morning I decided to stay home and catch up on a few things around the house.

Later in the day, I drove over to Johnson City to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry where I was scheduled to perform with "Bill and Tom". I got there early and so did the rest of the band and we practiced running through a few tunes before we went on. Bill McCall (age 93) played guitar and sang; Tom Antenucci played mandolin and sang; Howard Bateman played a Beard resonator guitar; Fred Staples played upright bass; and I played fiddle. We performed for slightly more than an hour and had a wonderful time. Bill and Tom were warmly received by the large audience.

After that performance, I remained on stage at the request of Vicki Shell to play twin fiddles with her as we backed up the duet from Boone, North Carolina, "Lou & Marlene". Lou Hodges played guitar and sang and Marlene Crosby played accordian and sang. Ed Bowman played upright bass; Vicki Shell, fiddle; Sara Beth Lovell played guitar; and I played fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 25th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan. We went to the Anderson House to jam some Bluegrass with our friends there. I settled in to a session in the middle room featuring Bill McCall, guitar and vocals (age 93); Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; another fellow on the fiddle who I haven't met yet; and Howard Bateman on Dobro. At one point, Jim Jones played guitar for a short while, too. I chose to play with Bill and Tom because we are performing Saturday night at the Boones Creek Opry in Johnson City....just the three of us.

Meanwhile, Ron Duncan played in the back room with quite a few other musicians. Some of them were: Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Ernie Schaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; and Clancy Mullins, banjo. I also saw Chuck Milhorn with his mandolin and banjo. Ron Lane was also there but I don't think he got to picking any. We all had a wonderful evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 24th, I attended the "Thursday Night Boys" band practice in Elizabethton at the Union Prescription building. I've been accepted by the many fine musicians there as their fiddler and they all like to have me attend and play the fiddle for them when they gather together on Thursdays.

I really enjoy performing with them. Tonight I learned that they are scheduled to perform there in Elizabethton at the covered bridge on Saturday, June 1st. They asked me if I would perform with them and I told them I would make every effort if I was in Tennessee at the time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the 20th up until the 23rd, I pretty much just hung around the house playing pedal steel, banjo and fiddle and watching YouTube videos. I also played pool down at the Clinchfield Adult Senior Center each morning with my friends there. The weather has been quite unpredictable lately and I just haven't felt like venturing out and about.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 19th, I drove up to Johnson City to Kosher Pickles Deli and sat in with the musicians who gather there each Saturday. Those present were: Pete Taylor, pedal steel guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Mike Sanford, guitar and vocals; Charlie Wiley, guitar and vocals; Norman ?, beginning electric bassist; (Charlie Ervin, although he didn't perform) and yours truly, fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan. There, we met up with a group of musician friends and settled in for a nice little jam session in the front small room. Those present were: Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Joe Thompson, guitar; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

In the middle room I saw Bill McCall, Tom Antenucci and a couple of others on my way through to get to the front room. In the back room, there was: Randy Singleton, U-Bass and vocals; Ernie Schaffer, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Frank Wing, banjo; Jim Woods, fiddle and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; and a few others.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 16th, I drove to Elizabethton and performed with a small group of musicians at the Sycamore Springs Retirement Home. We played from 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. for a group of seniors that truly appreciated our Bluegrass very much with generous applause after each and every piece.

Musicians were: Tricia Ann Eaves, U-Bass, mandolin and vocals; John Cooper, fiddle and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals. (Gail Evans was unable to attend). I really enjoyed performing with this fine group and I've been invited back for any Wednesday night that I can attend.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 15th, I drove over to Elizabethton to Jiggy Ray's to listen to my favorite regionally popular country band "Downtown Country".

I met Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle there and we sat together and ate slices of pizza and had a great time shooting the bull. After a short while three good friends came in and sat across from our table. They were: Norma Campbell who I haven't seen in over a year, and Gail Evans and Tricia Ann Eaves, both of whom are very talented musicians that I get to perform with on occasion. In fact, I'm performing with them and others the 16th in Elizabethton at a retirement home across from Sycamore Shoals Hospital.

I enjoyed listening to my good friends Pete Taylor playing his Sho-Bud pedal steel guitar, Mike Malone playing country lead guitar, and Carl Hazelwood playing his Martin guitar and singing. I haven't officially met the other three in the band but I assure you they are equally talented. Pete has been a big help in getting me started on playing my pedal steel.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 13th I rode up to Gray to Ron Lane's studio with Ron Duncan. Several of the musicians from "Rough Edges" were able to attend. Ron Lane played banjo and did vocals; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Butch Rupp played mandolin, guitar and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and sang. Richard Widdows, Terry Taylor and Jim Stidman were absent.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 12th, I drove up to Johnson City and played fiddle for a short while at Kosher Pickles before leaving to play at the Tennessee Welcome Center in Bristol.

At Kosher Pickles, I played with several musicians. They were: Mike Sanford, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Niles Onks, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Pete Taylor, pedal steel guitar. Norm ?, a beginning electric bassist also played some. Shortly after the session began I decided to head to Bristol and pick with some other good friends that I had promised to jam with.

After I left Johnson City, I drove up to the Welcome Center and played my fiddle with Howard Bateman, Dobro; Fred Staples, upright bass; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; and Bill McCall, guitar and vocals. We performed for over two hours, non-stop. I had a great time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 11th, I learned a new fiddle tune. It's a tune by the famous Andy DeJarlis and it's called "Top O' The Hill". It's in the key of A and it's fun to play. I learned it from the playing of Patty Kusturok on YouTube.

Tonight, I will go to Blountville with Ron Duncan and play Bluegrass with a group of friends there at the Anderson House.

Our good friend, Ernie Schaffer turned 65 years old today and his wife brought all kinds of goodies to the Anderson House for all of us to feast on.

In the smallest room at the front of the building, we set up a practice session with Ron Duncan on banjo and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. All four rooms were used with many musicians present. There were too many to name, but suffice it to say all the "regulars" and then some.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 10th, I played the fiddle in Elizabethton at a private music session. Musicians present were: Pete Taylor, pedal steel guitar; Jim Anderson, guitar and vocals; Dean Grindstaff, electric bass; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Shannon Morton, guitar and vocals; Bob Chatman, guitar and vocals; and several other men I haven't officially met yet but have performed with twice now and a couple that I have never performed with until tonight.

I really enjoy being a part of their musical evening as they are all very talented and very friendly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 8th of January (incidentally that's a great fiddle tune) I rode over to Rock's Pizza House in Johnson City with Ron Duncan to meet Butch Rupp there and the three of us listen to the band "Stem Winder". I got the message too late to bring my fiddle, but the group wanted me to play fiddle with them this evening. I would have enjoyed that very much as they are wonderful musicians.
The band consisted of Bob Minke on National resonator guitar, banjo, guitar and vocals; his wife, Pam on upright bass and vocals; and Shannon Morton on guitar and vocals. Dennis, the mandolin player was sick and unable to attend.

Butch, Ron and I enjoyed some pizza and bread sticks while listening to the band perform flawlessly. It was a wonderful evening. (I wish I'd have brought my fiddle, though.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 6th of January, I am going to ride up to Gray with Ron Duncan. We'll be jamming with several musicians from the group "Rough Edges" as we do nearly every Sunday afternoon. I always look forward to visiting these fellows because they're lots of fun and very talented.

It was a fun time playing Bluegrass this afternoon with the following musicians: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, Dobro, mandolin, electric bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals.

I also got to play Chuck's new mandolin, an Eastman 315, F-Style. It's a great looking and great sounding instrument.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 5th, I drove to Johnson City to jam at Kosher Pickles with some of my musician friends. Those present that I can remember are: Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, guitar, upright bass, fiddle and vocals; Pete Taylor, pedal steel guitar; George Bottcher, guitar and vocals; Mike Sanford, guitar, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

In the past few weeks I've met a substantial number of musicians and performed with them but have failed to get their names for my "Musicians List" page. I intend to ask these fine players for their first and last names and to include them in the list which has at this date reached 632 musicians I've met and played with here in the South since Mary and I came down here in 2011.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan. I chose to play in the middle room with my good friends Bill McCall (age 93) and Tom Antenucci. Joe Thompson, Ron Duncan, Charlie Ervin and Ed Dance (also all good friends) also played with us. Bill asked me to join he and Tom on January 26th as they perform at the Boones Creek Opry. I gladly accepted the honor.

The back room had the following musicians: Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Thames, Clancy Mullins, Jason Shaver, and Ernie Schaffer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd, I was invited to play my fiddle with a group of doctors and other professionals in Elizabethton to be a part of a jam session that has gone on for over twenty years every Thursday night. I was delighted and had a wonderful time playing the fiddle to a lot of music I had never heard. I got to meet quite a few musicians and will eventually learn all their names and post them on my "Musicians List" page. I was invited back which is a good sign that my fiddling went over well. lol.

Musicians that I knew that were in attendance were: Pete Taylor, pedal steel guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; and Gene Honeycutt, guitar and vocals. Terry Barnes stopped in to visit and played a tune on a beautiful Taylor guitar and sang. He and his girlfriend left shortly afterwards. It was a very enjoyable evening.

December's Doin's

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of December, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Sunday afternoon, the 30th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan, to Ron Lane's studio for band practice. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass and electric bass; Jim Stidman, guitar; Butch Rupp, guitar, Dobro, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, Dobro and vocals.

We had a superb time as we always do.
----------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 29th, I drove up to eastern Johnson City, just past the "Motor Mile" (where many of the car dealerships are located) and stopped at "Kosher Pickles" for the Saturday Morning Old Time, Old Country and Bluegrass jam session. There were four fiddlers there: Niles Onks, Jim Woods, Terry Barnes and yours truly. While I played fiddle, Jim Woods played guitar and standup bass and sang and played some fiddle a little later on; Niles played guitar and fiddle and sang; Terry Barnes played guitar and sang and later a little fiddle; Pete Taylor played pedal steel guitar; Charlie Ervin played guitar and sang; Mike Sanford played guitar and sang; George Bottcher played guitar and sang; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; and another gentleman played guitar and sang. Also, behind us (because there was no room for him to sit in with us) was a fellow named Norman ? who played electric bass.

I was able to sit right next to Pete Taylor and pick up a few pointers by watching him play his pedal steel. He's really very talented and a pleasure to know and listen to.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 27th, I drove down to Hampton to the home of Gail Evans and participated in a wonderful Bluegrass music gathering of her select friends. I'm so honored to be a part of the get-together. Gail played upright bass and sang; Trish Anne Eaves played mandolin and sang; Daniel Houseright played guitar and sang; Dan Bieger played banjo and sang; Earl Miller played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 23rd, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan and played Bluegrass for several hours at Ron Lane's. Ron Lane played banjo and provided many of the vocals; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang harmony; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; Ron Duncan played mandolin and sang quite a few good old traditional Bluegrass numbers; and I played fiddle.

When we first arrived, Ron and I both got the chance to play the mandolin that Ron Lane has been building for many years. He's nearly finished with it now and it's a "hoss". What a beautiful, powerful, "woody" tone for being a new instrument. I can only imagine how great it will sound after it opens up from lots of playing.

We also got to play a mandolin that Jim Stidman and his uncle built quite a few years back. It, too had a nice sound and was finished with a beautiful color scheme. So we had a great time playing mandolins before we went in the studio to rehearse.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday the 19th through Saturday the 22nd, I practiced pedal steel guitar, fiddle, resonator guitar and banjo at the house and didn't venture out much other than going to the Senior Adult Center on weekday mornings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 18th, I rode over to Elizabethton with Ron Duncan to "Jiggy Ray's" to listen to my good friend, Pete Taylor play his pedal steel guitar. He's in the band "Downtown Country". This band is a group of very well seasoned professional "Old Country" musicians. They are a real treat to listen to and Ron and I enjoyed ourselves very much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 17th, I went to Hampton to Gail Evan's house and played Bluegrass with some very accomplished musicians and had an absolutely wonderful time. Gail played upright bass and sang; Trish Anne Eaves played mandolin and sang; Danny Key played guitar and sang; Dan Bieger played banjo and sang; Shannon Guitreau played banjo and sang; and I played fiddle. The harmonies were stunning. It was very enjoyable being a part of such beautiful music. I've been invited back when they all play again and I'm certainly looking forward to it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 16th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to Ron Lane's weekly "by Invitation Only" Bluegrass jam. There were ten musicians there and we all had a wonderful time. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Butch Rupp played guitar and Dobro and sang; Lori ? (a friend of Richard Widdows ((Richard was absent)) ) played guitar; and I played fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 15th, Saturday, I drove up to Johnson City on the "Motor Mile" to Kosher Pickles for the Saturday Morning Bluegrass and Old Country music jam. I played stand-up bass, mandolin and fiddle on and off for a little over two hours with several of my good musician friends and had a wonderful time. Jim Woods, Charlie Ervin, Ed Dance, Pete Taylor, George Bottcher and Niles Onks were among those that I've known for quite a while. There were several others that I don't know their names yet, but I eventually will get to know them, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 14th, I rode with Ron Duncan to the Anderson House in Blountville and played Bluegrass with a bunch of our friends there. We chose to play in the middle room while another group of musicians played in the back room adjacent to the kitchen. We all had a great time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 13th, I composed a fiddle tune in the key of A and named it "The Sundown Reel". It's a very catchy melody and I'll record it tomorrow and write it down so I don't forget it.

I spent several hours at the Senior Center today playing pool with several of my good friends there. It was nice to get out of the house for a while after being snowed in for 5 days.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, the 12th was the same as the few days before it and I stayed home rather than shovel the huge, long driveway. There just isn't anyone around to shovel for hire anymore. The neighbor's kids aren't there anymore and by the time someone came from Unicoi or Erwin, it would cost a fortune to have the drive plowed....so I just stay put and play music by the hour and watch YouTube on the computer. I'm beginning to think about getting a 4-wheeler with a plow and a salt spreader.....then let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I sure have had lots of fun digging into the old fiddle tunes that I haven't played in such a long while.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 8th, 9th and 10th, I was snowed in with the driveway having around 8 inches of snow covering the whole thing. Too much to shovel for my old bones. So I stayed put here at home and played my fiddles, banjos and my Dobro and watched YouTube waiting for the snow to melt and go away. Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow (the 12th), and I'll get out of here and see my buddies at the Senior Center and also start hitting the jam sessions, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 7th, I am planning on riding up to Blountville to the Anderson House Bluegrass jam session with Ron Duncan. I'm going to bring my fiddle.....more later......

Well, Ron and I had a wonderful time at the Anderson House in Blountville for the weekly Bluegrass jam session.

Here's a list of the musicians I knew who were in attendance: Joe Thompson, Rufus Thames, Justin Shaver, Ron Duncan, Randy Singleton, Rick Guinn, Troy Bennett, Mack Puckett, Alice Hensley, (Two banjo pickers I didn't know), Bob the Dobro player, Tom Antenucci, "Wild" Bill McCall, Charlie Ervin, Gary Barker, Jim Stidman, Nina Ketron, and yours truly. We filled both the middle room and the back kitchen area room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd, I rode over with Gordon Hoyle and Ron Duncan, to the "Down Home" in Johnson City to watch a few ETSU bands perform. The one we really wanted to watch was the 2nd one...the one with my friends Lincoln Hensley, banjo; and Hunter Berry, fiddle. We had a wonderful time visiting with Hunter and his lovely wife, Sally (one of Rhonda Vincent's daughters) and with Dan Boner, Director of the Bluegrass Program at ETSU.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to play some Bluegrass at the studio of our good friend, Ron Lane. Several musicians were there and we all had a super time.

Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Richard's friend, Lori, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Butch Rupp, bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, after a week of absolutely miserable weather, including snow, rain, thunder storms, ice, hard winds, power outages ( one that lasted over 4 hours) and you name it....I finally ventured out of the house on Saturday night, the 1st, to go to the Boones Creek Opry and listen to who ever was performing. I was very fortunate to have the lead attraction be some dear friends of mine, the "Norton Family".

The moment I walked in, Scotty Norman approached me and asked me if I would play the fiddle for them for their evening performance. I had to decline because I had not thought to bring my fiddle to the Opry and I don't like trying to get used to someone else's to play their's.

Scotty's band consisted of him and his wife, Renee and several young adults he had grouped together to make a makeshift band so that they could all perform. It was a wonderful sounding group and the patrons really enjoyed the evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November's Nuances

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and other adventures, too) throughout the month of November, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Well, I think I'm finally back on line. 11/25 18. Had to have the personal computer repaired. Today's technology is really something.

I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan today to play my fiddle at Ron Lane's studio at his weekly get-together. Musicians there were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. We all had a wonderful time playing, singing and visiting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 24th, I lost a truly wonderful fiddling friend who passed away early in life at only 66 years of age. He was a super friend and I will miss him so much. His name is John Gott. His funeral will be at the Oakley-Cook Funeral Home in Bristol, TN, Monday night from 5 - 7 p.m. Ron Duncan and I plan to attend.
------------------------------------------------------------------

The 19th, I kept thinking about "Red-Haired Boy", the good old fiddle tune, so I gave it a try. For some reason, I forget this tune so easily. But after a couple of minutes, I remembered it. I've been away for a while and have a lot to catch up on with the website here. More later............
------------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th, I created a non-sensical prose I call "Fiddler's Dream". Here it is:

Meanwhile, O’er at “Old Dan Tucker’s”, I run into “Bill Cheatham” and “Old Joe Clark”. They were acting like a “Bully of the Town” tryin’ to get “Black Eyed Suzie” to look at ‘em, but she was more interested in “Cottoneyed Joe” and told the boys “I Don’t Love Nobody”. He’d found a “Cuckoo’s Nest” in “Cripple Creek” and told “The Dusty Miller” about it, but by the time he come up from “Down Yonder”, it was “Done Gone”. I hollered “Get Up John”, but he was still in his “Golden Slippers” saying “Goodbye Liza Jane” when there come a “Hell Amongst the Yearlings” up on “Jerusalem Ridge”. I took some “Liberty” and cried out “Hop Light Ladies” while the “Little Beggarman” was shoutin’ “Don”t Let Your Deal Go Down” but “The Cattle in the Cane” chased “Billy in the Lowground” all the way up “Bitter Creek” under a “Georgiana Moon” around “Midnight on the Water”.

It was an awful “Fiddler’s Dream” to be sure! You don’t “Say Old Man”!
------------------------------------------------------------------

The week of the 4th through the 10th, I've just hung around Erwin and Limestone Cove and kept myself busy practicing fiddle, Dobro and banjo and continuing to learn the pedal steel guitar chords and pedal and knee lever copedents.

It's been cold weather-wise and the leaves have accumulated around the driveway so much it gets awfully slippery to drive on when it rains. There was snow covering the top of the Unaka Mountain range this morning (the 10th).
------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 3rd, I ran into Charlie Ervin at Hardee's in Erwin and he invited me to play music at "Kosher Pickles" near Piney Flats. I ran and got my fiddles and headed up there and made it in plenty of time. There's pickin' there every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. 'til 1:00 p.m. and has been for around twenty years, now. It's the first time I've been a part of it and I enjoyed it very much. I got to see my friend, Pete Taylor, a fabulous pedal steel guitarist and other friends, too. I saw Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, fiddle, guitar and vocals (Jim plays a hand-built fiddle made by my good friend Keith Williams); George Boetcher, guitar and vocals; and several other nice gentlemen who played guitars and sang.

Saturday evening, I went to the Boones Creek Opry and enjoyed "Sunshine", a gospel Bluegrass group, followed by Tennessee Senator, Phil Roe, guitarist and vocalist and an entourage of his close musician friends who entertained for a good while before the Open Mic started. I really enjoyed visiting with Dr. Roe.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night I started out for Blountville, but turned around and headed home when I reached Elizabethton. It was raining really hard and I knew it was going to be a wet, rainy evening, so I gave up. I hate doing that, but I guess it's alright once in a while.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 1st of November was a great way to start the month off picking and singing. I rode up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store and played Bluegrass with a wealth of good musicians. They were: Ed Lauderback, guitar and vocals; Paul Brummitt, guitar and vocals; Mike Ingram, guitar and vocals; Rob Campbell, mandolin and vocals; Scottie Norton, guitar and vocals; Renee Norton, vocals; Scott Knowlton, electric bass and vocals; Butch Fortune, guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; Mr. Shelton, guitar and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------------

October's Odyssey

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of October, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Wednesday night, the 31st, I stayed home and worked on the computer throughout the evening taking a break once in a while to play a musical instrument.
------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night, the 30th, "3rd Day Resurrection" has been asked to perform at the firehouse in Bluff City from around 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. I'll be playing fiddle.

Musicians in "3rd Day Resurrection" were: Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Gail Evans, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. We performed for about an hour and a half before Jerry Malone got another assembly of musicians to play on stage. They were: Tim Laughlin, fiddle and vocals; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Ronnie Rasnick, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Bobby Love, mandolin and vocals; and a few others.

In the afternoon, before heading to Bluff City, I composed a poem having to do with a cello. Here it is:

The Lonesome Cello's Lullaby.
Copyright 10/30/2018 by Frederick Warner

The olden cello sings its’ lonesome lullaby
The darker the strains, the more it seems to cry
Not a Siren from the seas nor an angel from on High
Can soothe the pains of its’ lonesome lullaby
Cry, oh mighty cello, cry your mournful song
Wail, oh mighty cello, wail the evening long
Not a Siren from the seas nor an angel from on High
Could e’er soothe the pains of your lonesome lullaby.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 28th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan. We went to Ron Lane's studio for our weekly get-together to play Bluegrass. Here is the list of musicians who showed up and played: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals (Jim even played a few tunes on the fiddle during one of our breaks); Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

We had a great time playing through a bunch of good old Bluegrass songs.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 27th, I drove over to the Boones Creek Opry in Johnson City to listen to the band "Zack Mc Nabb and the Tennessee Esquires". The three young men are very talented and performed for a sell-out crowd. I've never seen so many folks at the Museum. The employees had to borrow extra chairs from Honeycutt Music next door! The Opry/Museum is a growing business that is growing so fast it has already outgrown its' present building and has to wait at least another year before taking possession of the building it will eventually end up in over in Boone Creek.

I didn't stay long enough to see the whole show as I did what several others did, too....I gave up my seat to a newcomer who came late to see the show. But, what I did see I thoroughly enjoyed!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 26th, I rode up to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan and played Bluegrass for several hours. We got there a little later than we usually do and both the middle room and the back room were nearly full of musicians. I quickly opened the door separating the two rooms and could see a few of my friends in there playing and singing. A couple I remember seeing were: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; and Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals. There were probably a dozen or so more that were in there, too.

Meanwhile, in the back room where Ron and I settled in were: John Gott, fiddle; "Canjo John", fiddle; Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; Alice Hensley, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle and mandolin.

It's unusual to have so many fiddlers all show up on the same night and we all took advantage of it and had a blast playing various tunes and songs where we could compliment the arrangements with four fiddles. (I could also hear a fiddle in the middle room from time to time. A young man was switching between his fiddle and his banjo in there).
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 25th, I rode up to Philadelphia, TN with Ron Duncan and picked some Bluegrass there at the Old Pilot Hill General Store. Here's a list of the musicians I remember pickin' with: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Charlotte Snyder, vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, Dobro. We all had a fine time pickin' and singin'.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 22nd, I went to the Clinchfield Adult Senior Center at 8:00 a.m. and prepared to put on my Power Point slide show on "Bank Pool Shots". After I got the pool table all marked off where I wanted it, I shot a few games with "Red", Henry, Charlie and Donald. When 9:45 came, I held the slide show and all those in attendance were really impressed and entertained. I was happy that they all enjoyed it because it represented a whole lot of work on my part. Not everyone got a chance to see it, so I'll probably run the show again later on.

I chose not to go out and play Bluegrass tonight, opting to stay home and get some much needed rest as it seems I've been burning the candle at both ends lately.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 21st of October, I performed with an abbreviated membership of the gospel band "3rd Day Resurrection". Mike Laws and Randy Singleton did not attend the performance for reasons unknown at this writing. So Randy Carrier had to scramble a little to make up a band to perform for a nicely-sized audience in the Limestone Cove Christian Church. Gail Evans played upright bass and sang and her friend Trish Ann Eaves who was only attending the concert with her went in to action and played guitar (she's a very talented mandolinist). Randy stayed with his mandolin and vocals, and I ran back to my house (also in Limestone Cove) and grabbed my banjo and raced back to the church and played the 5-string for the concert. We were very well received and I was relieved when it was over. lol.

From there, I drove to Gray to the weekly Sunday afternoon Bluegrass session at Ron Lane's studio. Ron had some dear friends over who are also very good musicians. Burl Manis and his brother, Paul, both played guitars and sang. Other musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass and electric bass; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Butch Rupp, mandolin, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals. Jerry Coleman and Ron Duncan were absent.
----------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY TO WWW.FREDERICKWARNER.COM

Saturday night, the 20th, I drove over to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry in Johnson City to enjoy the main attraction and Open Mic held each Saturday night. The featured band was none other than my really good friend, Bill McCall (age 93 years old), guitar and vocals; and his side kick, Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; and their good friend and upright bass player and vocalist, Fred Staples. When they were done performing, Bill told me he wished he'd known I was coming, because he would have asked me to entertain along with them. This was a very nice thought as I really love playing with Bill and Tom.

After their (Bill and Tom) performance, the Open Mic performers had a wonderful time entertaining the many guests who made up the audience. Performers in various arrangements included Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; George Boetcher, guitar and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Randy Carrier, fiddle; Matt Ryan, guitar and vocals; Vicki Shell, fiddle and mandolin; Ed Bowman, upright bass; and Addie Keene, guitar and vocals. I was asked several times by various musicians to take the stage with them, but I declined and just sat back and enjoyed being an audience member....something I rarely do.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night I went to Blountville with Ron Duncan to play Bluegrass at the Anderson House. He played guitar and sang; Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin and sang; Joe Thompson played guitar; another man played upright bass and another man played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and banjo after Ron Lane left.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 18th, I had planned to go to the Old Pilot Hill General Store and play Bluegrass, but the weather took an awful drop and it became too cold for several of us, so we decided to forget about it and not freeze to death this early in the season. So, I played fiddle, banjo and Dobro around the house and still had a good time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke early Wednesday morning, the 17th, (about 10 minutes after 2:00 a.m.) and couldn't sleep. I got up, went on YouTube and listened to an album recorded back in 1975 that had a fiddler named Fred Hutchens playing an old tune called "Callahan". I did not realize that it's a very popular "Old Time" fiddle tune in which the fiddle is tuned AEAE. I like the way Fred Hutchens did it in standard tuning and going at breakneck speed much better. It reminds me a little bit of the opening riff for "Virginia Darlin'" and a little bit like the old tune "Dance Around Molly". And at first I kept getting these tunes all confused until I saw the patterns....then I was OK. I practiced it for a couple of hours and got it up to speed and now it's on my list of tunes to play.

Wednesday night, I performed with "3rd Day Resurrection" at Dewey Christian Church to a nearly full house. The congregation really appreciated our Bluegrass Gospel for their Revival Meeting. I played the fiddle. Chris Anderson played upright bass; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang. We all enjoyed playing for the audience very much.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 16th I delivered my Power Point slide show "Fire Safety in the Home" to senior citizens at the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center in Erwin. This program took about 45 minutes. After that, I played pool the rest of the morning and after a tasty lunch I returned to the pool room to referee a few games of the new 9-Ball tournament that's just starting. This one has 14 players enrolled and is a "race-to-five" double elimination contest.

Afterwards, in the evening, I drove over to Gap Creek and performed with "3rd Day Resurrection" at the Big Springs Christian Church of Christ. I played banjo tonight as our normal banjo picker had an important meeting and was unable to attend.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 15th, I went to the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center in Erwin to play pool with many of my friends there. The guys are having another 9-Ball tournament soon and have asked me to get the whole thing going. So I created a 14-player chart and mapped out who plays who to get the competition started.

During regular play, my dear friend Henry Barnett started feeling some dizziness and general discomfort with what seemed like vertigo and was taken to the hospital to undergo tests to get to the root of the cause. I visited him later in the hospital here in Erwin and doctors had at least determined it was not his heart or a stroke. This made us all feel better. We all wish him a speedy recovery. He's the "life of the party" there at the Senior Center and he's been a super dear friend of mine for going on eight years now.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 14th, I drove up to Ron Lane's studio in Gray. I usually ride with Ron Duncan, but today I had to take my own car because I had to leave that Bluegrass session a little early to get to Piney Flats and perform at the New Hope Christian Church with "3rd Day Resurrection".

Musicians present at the session at Ron Lane's were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Richard Widdows, Dobro, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals.

I left the studio at about 4:50 p.m. and took rte 36 down to Johnson City and drove out a few miles on the Bristol Highway to Piney Flats to the New Hope Christian Church and met up with fellow band members and performed there for a little over an hour from 6:15 until 7:20 p.m. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle. There was a nice-sized audience and we went over very well. I enjoyed visiting with the many folks who came up to me after our performance to thank me and to wish me a safe trip back to Arkansas on the 23rd and 24th.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 13th, I rode over to Rheatown to the Rheatown Market with Ron Duncan. There were many musicians present and the back room was too packed for me to get into any jamming in there as there was actually no room for another chair in the circle.

Many friends asked me where my wife, Mary, was and asked how she was doing. I told them she was keeping herself busy in Arkansas and that I couldn't wait to get back there and see her. Mary was always a "hit" at Rheatown and made many endearing and lasting relationships there and the folks really miss seeing her. I told them that I, too, miss seeing her and that I miss her great cooking. They looked at my belly and I could just tell that they were thinking that I wasn't suffering as much as I put on. lol! Not only the many friends at the various Bluegrass venues, but also the many friends she's made at the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center miss her and frequently ask as to her health and remind me to say "Hi" when I call her.

The front room developed into a nice laid-back session. At first there was Kenny Williams, fiddle and vocals; Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; and joined my Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; and another man playing guitar that I'm embarrassed to admit I've forgotten his name I haven't seen him in so long. In a short while this group was joined by Scotty Norton on guitar and vocals; and I joined in with my Dobro. Later, a new friend of mine, Tim Houser, joined in on his Dobro and accompanied with vocals. Butch Rupp showed up intermittently going from group to group and supplied wonderful vocal harmonies.

Here's a list of some of the musicians I remember seeing: Tim Houser, Dobro and vocals; Brett Powers, guitar and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Ryan Henard, guitar, mandolin, upright bass and vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo, guitar and vocals; and John Cooper, fiddle. Also, Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Kenny Williams, fiddle and vocals; Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; Scotty Norton, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, Dobro.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 12th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. It was decided that just a select few would jam some fiddle tunes and Bluegrass down in the very front room off to the right hand side. The Anderson House really has four distinct areas to jam.

Joe Thompson played guitar; John Gott played fiddle; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Ron Lane played banjo and sang; and I played fiddle and some guitar. Gordon chose to just listen and not play as he's been having trouble with certain muscles lately.

There were a few musicians in the middle room including Nina Ketron and Jim Stidman and others, too. The back room had a few musicians, too. I didn't get back there to see who all was there, but I remember seeing Rufus Thames and his wife and also Randy Singleton.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 11th was my wedding anniversary. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MARY!
She's in Arkansas, so I wasn't able to take her out for a nice juicy steak until I meet up with her the last part of this month, then we'll go out on the town!

I rode up to Philadelphia, Tennessee with Ron Duncan in the evening and went to the Old Pilot Hill General Store to play Bluegrass and some Old Country. Musicians present were: Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gus Hopkins, guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar; Ben Waddell, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Charlotte Snyder, vocals; and yours truly, Dobro.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 10th, while sitting around the house practicing Bluegrass, I received a call from my good friend Roger Messer. I hadn't seen or heard from him in a while and it was fun to catch up on all the "news". Roger plays several different instruments and also builds different ones. I've played a couple of different banjos he's made and they rival most others for sound quality, that's for sure.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 9th, I had the pleasure of picking banjo with the group "3rd Day Resurrection". I used to play 5-string with them for several years, a few years back before I kinda moved back and forth between Tennessee and Arkansas. This time when I came back to Tennessee for 5 or 6 months, I have been busy playing fiddle with them while my friend Randy Singleton plays banjo for them. He was busy for tonight's gig and so I got to do it. Like I say, it was a fun change from fiddling all the time. I have a blast picking those Gospel tunes.

We performed at the Brick Christian Church in Wautaga from 7:00 - 7:30. The congregation really enjoyed our music as a part of their Revival meeting. There were only four of us this time but I think we did a great job! Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played banjo.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 7th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to attend the weekly Bluegrass session at Ron Lane's studio. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, electric bass; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. Jerry Coleman and Terry Taylor were absent and missed by the group.

I'm planning on attending the next session, October 14th and another one the following week, October 21st, in which my good friend Burl Manis will be in attendance. After this, I'll be going back to Arkansas after having remained in Tennessee for approximately six months, pickin' an' grinnin'. It will be nice to visit and play music with my good friends in Arkansas once again.

After leaving the session at Ron Lanes, I hurried over to the Pine Crest Church in the Okalona area where Randy Carrier is the Pastor. A small abbreviation of his group "3rd day Resurrection" performed for the congregation for a short while. Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; Randy played guitar and sang; and I played banjo.
---------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MARY WARNER MY LOVING WIFE!
On the 6th, (Mary's birthday, Happy Birthday to her way out in Arkansas!), I drove up to Johnson City to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry to be a guest member of the gospel band named "Double Portion".

I had scheduled the evening to be in Rheatown with Ron Duncan, but around 5:00 p.m., he called and canceled. I had received a call about 3:00 p.m. from Gail Evans asking me if I could fill in as a banjo player this evening as their regular banjo picker, Chris Anderson, was unable to attend. After 5:00 when Ron Duncan had canceled out, I called Gail and told her I'd be there to help out. I had an absolutely wonderful time performing with this very talented gospel group. They are all very talented singers and musicians and it turned out to be a blast.

Members of the group are: Carol Love, guitar, auto harp and vocals; Melissa Chatman, mandolin and vocals; Connie Trivette, guitar and vocals; Trish Ann Eaves, mandolin and vocals; Gail Evans, upright bass and vocals; (Chris Anderson, banjo and vocals) and yours truly, filling in for Chris, banjo.

After our performance, I stayed and listened to the three performers who had signed up for the open mic. The first was Addie Keene, followed by Niles Onks, followed by Gail Randolph. They all did a nice job entertaining the folks in the audience. Some of the musicians accompanying them were: Randy Carrier, fiddle, Vicki Shell, mandolin and fiddle, Michael Little, Dobro, and Ed Bowman, upright bass.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, the 5th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan. We went to the "Anderson House" to pick some Bluegrass with many of our friends. It was great to see Clancy Mullins again. I hadn't had a chance to pick with him in over a month. It's always fun to hear him play one of his hand-built banjos. He turns 80 on the 6th of October which also happens to be my wife's birthday. Happy Birthdays Mary and Clancy.

In addition to Clancy, banjo, there was: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; and John Skelton, upright bass. I played fiddle. later, as Ron and I were leaving, Frank Wing came in to play banjo and rather than have three banjos going, Randy switched to Dobro.

In the middle room, Tom Antenucci played mandolin and sang; Nina Ketron played upright bass and sang; Jim Stidman and others played guitar and sang; I played a few fiddle tunes and Ron Duncan picked a little banjo and others were there playing, too. This is the second week that I haven't seen Bill McCall. I sure hope he's doing well.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 4th, I rode up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. Instead of performing on stage with many musicians who were already there and pickin, after hearing several Old Country songs, we decided to play Bluegrass out back up in the field near Butch Rupp's pickup truck. Butch played guitar, mandolin and sang; Ron played banjo and sang; and I played Dobro. Gordon just watched and listened as he was having shoulder pain and couldn't play.

We all very much care for the many friends we have there at the General Store and love going there. We simply love playing Bluegrass more than the Old Country. There are so many venues now open and attracting "Old Country" musicians that we're finding it more and more difficult to gather at places that play predominantly "Bluegrass". I'm certainly a stickler for just Bluegrass. I look at it this way: I play countless hours at home and out at these venues trying hard to improve my musical Bluegrass abilities. I work extremely hard at it. When I go through the effort to carry a heavy banjo, or a double-fiddle case or a heavy Dobro out to the car and go someplace to jam Bluegrass and all I run into is Old Country..............I'm faced with making a decision: give in and spend yet another evening of George Jones and Merle Haggard (both of whom I have great respect for) or play some Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Ralph and Carter Stanley, Bill Monroe, Red Allen, etc.....the stuff that attracted me to acoustic Bluegrass music in the first place!
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd, as is usual for each weekday morning, I played pool down at the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center in Erwin. I've now taken to counting the number of games I play and the number that I win and lose. On Monday the 1st, I played 27 games and won 21 for a 77.77 percentage of wins. Tuesday, the 2nd, I forgot to keep track. Today, the 3rd, I played 24 games and won 22 for a 91.66 percentage of wins. So for the two days that I remembered to keep track, I shot 48 games, winning 43 for an 89.58 % average. I wish I could keep that up, but some days I don't play nearly as well.

Later in the day, I spent the evening playing fiddle and banjo at the house.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 2nd, I drove the back way (a shortcut) to Bluff City and met up with Randy Carrier and performed on stage for a nice-sized audience. At first, Randy played mandolin and I played banjo and it was just the two of us. I enjoyed that especially since we went through a bunch of instrumentals that I rarely play out in public. Tunes like: "Black Diamond", "Sweet Dixie" and "Little Rock Getaway".

Shortly, we were joined by Charlie Powers on guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, resonator guitar and vocals; Gail Evans, vocals; and Ray Dearstone on ukulele bass and vocals. Randy played mandolin and provided vocals and I played banjo and sang one old tune by Flatt and Scruggs named "I'm Confessing".
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st, I pretty much hung around the house working on upcoming Power Point slide presentations for the Clinchfield Senior Adult Center and practicing musical instruments.

Sweet Sonorous September

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of September, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

The morning of the last day of September, I feel it important to once again thank my many friends from all over the world who visit this website; many of whom ask questions...some of which I have to use a translator application. 99% of the questions are about music theory, a subject I dearly love. Anyways, here's a compilation of the most-visited-from countries: I want to thank all of my friends and fans for their continued support, emails and friendship from such places as the United States, Egypt, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Denmark, The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Mexico, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Austria, The Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, South Africa, India, Saigon, Malaysia, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland, Islensku, Kuwait, Israel, Romania, Sweden, Norway and Finland. If I've accidentally left your country out, I sincerely apologize. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Today, the 30th, I am scheduled to play fiddle in Gray, TN with several of my close friends at Ron lane's studio.

Well, we all had a super time pickin' and grinnin' at Ron Lane's today. We had all the pickers there that are usually there. (I think we only missed Chuck Milhorn and Burl Manis). They included: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Butch Rupp, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and upright bass.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 29th, I left for Elizabethton to catch a ride with Randy Carrier to Mike Laws' house to ride up to Bristol with him. The band "3rd Day Resurrection" performed for 2 hours at a family reunion held at the beautiful Sugar Hollow Park. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Chris Anderson played upright bass and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.

Randy Singleton's daughter, Stephanie and her husband joined in with us for a few numbers. Wow, are they talented!

After this event concluded, I went to Johnson City to Honeycutt's Music, adjacent to the Boones Creek Opry, and visited with Mr. Honeycutt quite awhile before going over to the Museum.
---------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 28th, (Ron Duncan's birthday!), Ron and I traveled up to Blountville to the Anderson House for the weekly Bluegrass jam session. There were many musicians present and the old historical log cabin was filled with music.

Here's a list of those in attendance in the middle room that I know their names (There were many whom I do not know): Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Gary barker, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; John Farrell, guitar and vocals; a middle-aged woman, guitar and vocals; Bob, the Dobro player, Dobro; a man playing guitar; and a man playing fiddle. I also sat in for a while playing upright bass.

In the back room there were: Randy Singleton, Dobro and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Greg Green, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Jeff Osborne, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; Seth Jewett, guitar and vocals; Paul "T" Trianoski, mandolin and vocals; a woman playing upright bass; and yours truly playing fiddle.

We had a lot of fun playing and visiting with friends.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 27th, I rode out to Philadelphia, TN with Ron Duncan to the Old Pilot Hill General Store for the weekly Bluegrass session. There were a number of musicians in attendance that Ron and I had never met. In fact, the only two we knew were Jack Painter, guitar and vocals and Charlotte Snyder, vocals. We enjoyed the music after a tasty meal and went home having driven both ways in the rain.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The 25th and 26th I stayed home each evening and practiced Dobro, banjo and fiddle tunes.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The 24th, I went to the Senior Center and shot pool with my buddies. Later, I drove to Johnson City and took the trophy plate over to be engraved. It will say "10-Ball Tournament: 1st Place, Carlyle Love; 2nd Place, Fred Warner; and 3rd Place, Charlie McConnell".

In the evening hours I practiced fiddle, banjo and Dobro.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The 23rd, I practiced fiddle tunes at the house since the usual Bluegrass picking session was canceled in Gray for the day. I fiddled over 50 tunes from my practice sheet with another 75 or so to go. Perhaps I'll work on a few more of them tomorrow afternoon and evening. So in the last couple of days I have fiddled through both of my fiddle tune sheets and started over again and got quite a ways into page two. This is great practice!
--------------------------------------------------------------

The 22nd, I drove up to Bristol to visit with my good friend, John Gott. We played fiddles all afternoon and had a great time. Before I left, he let me take a book of waltzes titled "Catskill Mountain Waltzes and Airs" by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. What a book! I'll be studying this book and a few of my favorites for the next few days before I return it.

After leaving John's, I went to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry to listen to "Addie Keene & Friends" perform. They put on a very enjoyable performance. I was asked to play fiddle for one of the "open mic" performers but declined as there were enough fiddlers on stage already.

Later, when arriving home, as a way of celebrating my 68th birthday, I played 68 fiddle tunes before calling it quits for the day. I have a list of well over 100 tunes that I play from memory and often times will play through them to keep up on remembering them. It takes quite a while to fiddle 68 tunes! I was ready for bed after that!
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 21st, I drove to Blountville to the Anderson House and had a nice time playing in an intimate little group of musicians. Jim Stidman and Joe Thompson played guitars, John Gott and I played our fiddles, Ernie Schaffer played mandolin, and Nina Ketron played upright bass. We played from about 6:30 'til a little after 9:00 p.m.
--------------------------------------------------------------

(September 20th). My continuing interest in resophonic guitar playing has branched out to include a growing interest in the 10-string pedal steel tuned in E9. As I continue to teach myself the music theory behind the tuning and how it all fits together with the foot and knee pedals, it's all starting to take shape nicely.

For example, I've already learned that whatever fret I choose, there are three root chords associated with that fret straight across. The first (strings 10, 8 & 6) comprise a second inversion triad; the strings (6, 5 and 4) comprise a 1st inversion triad of the same chord; and the strings (5, 4 and 3) make up a 2nd inversion triad an octave higher that the lower 10, 8 & 6. The other four strings (9 & 7 and 2 & 1) comprise double stops one whole tone lower that the tonic triads. This system repeats itself on every fret from bottom to top. It's actually quite simple. Where the real skill comes in (imho) is when the foot pedals and knee pedals are employed for special conditions.

Oh well, back at it.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I drove up to Bluff City, had a delightful meal at the Bluff City Diner and went to the Emergency Squad Building for the weekly Bluegrass get together.

There were lots of musicians gathered there and soon a couple of groups formed; one on stage and the other on the lower level in the back room. I chose to play some fiddle tunes with my good friends John Gott (fiddle) and Joe Thompson (guitar). We played for several hours and wore out our fiddles and Joe's guitar before calling it quits for the evening. What a super time we had!
--------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 16th, I drove up to Gray to the home of Ron Lane for the Sunday practice of "The Original Rough Edges". Several of the fellows couldn't make it but there were enough to still have a really good time and drill down on some of the tunes deeply.

Ron Lane played banjo and did vocals; Butch Rupp played guitar and then mandolin and provided vocals; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry Coleman played upright bass and provided vocals; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; and I played fiddle and some lead guitar.

Jerry McCarty, Ron Duncan, Richard Widdows and Terry Taylor were all absent.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 15th, I drove to Johnson City to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry and performed three numbers with Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro; and Vicki Shell, mandolin. Dave also had Randy Carrier playing fiddle with me and Ed Bowman playing upright bass.

There were quite a few musicians there and everyone had a wonderful time playing and singing for the "sell out" crowd.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 14th, I drove up to Blountville to the Anderson House and played Bluegrass with a bunch of my friends there. In the back room, at first, Jim Stidman and Joe Thompson played guitars while I fiddled a whole lot of Kenny Baker tunes. Later, we were joined by Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; and Greg Green, guitar and vocals and John Gott, fiddle.

After quite a while playing music with this group, I decided to go into the middle room and play with my dear old friend Bill McCall, guitar and vocals and play my fiddle in there. Others were: Jim Stidman, guitar; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; and two others that I haven't met yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 8th, I drove up to Johnson City to the Boones Creek Museum and Opry to perform with the band "3rd Day Resurrection". Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle. The audience had a great time and was very appreciative of our performance. We all enjoyed playing. I left directly after performing due to a really sore shoulder which bothered me during playing the show.
--------------------------------------------------------------

On the 7th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan. At first, he started playing banjo and singing and Joe Thompson played guitar, Chuck Milhorn played guitar and I played fiddle. But after a short while, Ron, Chuck and Joe went out on the porch to play banjos and I remained in the back room with Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Gregg Greene, guitar and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; (an unidentified man played banjo); Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Ernie Schaffer, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, Dobro.

Later on, I went outside and went around to the front of the building and played guitar a little with the following musicians gathered in the front room: Jim Stidman, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo, guitar and vocals; Gary Barber, guitar and vocals; and Joe Thompson, guitar.

Earlier in the evening, Bill McCall and Tom Antenucci played and sang with others in the middle room. They requested that I attend the Bluegrass and Old Country pickin' party up at the Tennessee Welcome Center on Saturday (tomorrow), but I think I'll skip it and give my shoulder a much needed rest for the morning and afternoon since I've got to perform at the Boones Creek Opry Satuday night.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 6th, I drove down to Erwin and rode up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, Tennessee with Ron Duncan. We met with our good friend, Butch Rupp, there and joined the session going on at the stage with these following musicians: Charlotte Snyder, vocals; Ben Waddell, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Guy Hopson, guitar; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Quinton Snapp, harmonica and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; and the three of us, Butch Rupp, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, Dobro.

We had a great time picking and singing.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I stayed home and practiced fiddle, banjo and resonator guitar. I went through myriad fiddle tunes that I hadn't played in a while in an ongoing effort to remember them as it's such a job to re-learn a tune after it goes by the wayside. I also went through a bunch of banjo tunes, especially those by Don Reno, that I've learned and don't want to forget.

I enjoy visiting Jason Skinner's YouTube channel where he does a wonderful job of teaching Don Reno tunes. I haven't yet taken any of his lessons but, still, I've learned a lot from just listening to him discuss the different tunes Don played. I also have very fond memories of playing on stage with Don in Skowhegan, Maine and again jamming with him almost all night in Fort Ann, New York, both times back in the early 70s. Don had made friends with some really good friends of mine and that's how I got to get close to him and jam with him and actually play on stage once and hang around his campsite at the festivals. He was good friends with Simon St. Pierre, Canadian fiddler and with Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell and the Kennebec Valley Boys (including Bob Denoncourt and Billy Kimball). He also knew Bob and Grace French, Tiny Martin, and Bob Paisley and all their band members, who I used to jam a lot with.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I drove up to Bluff City and practiced on stage with the band "3rd Day Resurrection". Gail Evans, upright bassist and vocalist was unable to attend this practice and Ray Dearstone (instrument builder) was kind enough to take her place with his ukulele bass and vocal harmonies. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Randy Singleton picked banjo and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.

It was a really active night for the area musicians and I saw a steady "herd" of people entering the building and dispersing to the various rooms to play Bluegrass. Here's a partial list of those that I can remember seeing: Terry Barnes, Steve Shipley, Steven Price, John Gott, Joe Thompson, Jim Jones, Randy Blevins, Dan Carty, Daniel Houseright, Tom and Beverly Horton, Tim Laughlin, Lincoln Hensley, Daniel Sifford, Matthew McLain, Charlie Powers, Hal Boyd, Jeff Dotson, and two or three banjo pickers that I haven't met or can't remember their names.
--------------------------------------------------------------

I need to be cloned! Today, the third of September, I got a call from my dear friend, Randy Carrier, director of the band "3rd Day Resurrection" asking if I could make a practice date set for this Tuesday night at Bluff City. I agreed quickly as I planned to be there ahead of time and had it written in to my musical schedule. The band is scheduled to perform this coming Saturday evening from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Boones Creek Museum and Opry. I've known this for quite some time and I've had the date written in for weeks.

Last Saturday night, I performed there with the band "Jeters & Friends" and had a great time doing so. Earlier last week, Galen Jeter had asked me if I could perform with his band up near Greenville at "The Farmer's Daughter" restaurant this coming Saturday. I told him that I doubted I would be able to since I was already booked. Here's where I need to be cloned. I'd like to play both venues. I have to go with where I first scheduled and I've always booked my gigs "first come, first served". Part of the attraction to perform at the restaurant is the wonderful meal they provide as a part of the payment scheme. I'm going to miss some great cooking and great fun with the Jeters and Friends!
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, a Sunday, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to pick Bluegrass at Ron Lane's studio. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; and I played fiddle. We all had a super time pickin' an' singin'.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of September was a great start for the month. I performed at the Boones Creek Museum and Opry in Johnson City with the band called "Jeters & Friends". Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Jeff Webb played lead guitar; Rick Guinn played banjo and I played fiddle. Galen had Ed Dance come up on our last number, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and play his mandolin. The audience really enjoyed our performance and let us know frequently with large outbursts of applause.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Acoustic Audio in August

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of August, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

On the 31st, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and played Bluegrass at the Anderson House. Ron played guitar and banjo and sang; I played Dobro and sang; Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Joe Thompson played guitar; and after a while we were joined by Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; and Gary Barker, guitar and vocals.

A Bluegrass Gospel band named "DownPour" showed up at about 9:00 p.m. and delighted us all with their very well-practiced harmonies and instrumental abilities. This band consisted of the following members: Tracy Dolen Taylor, vocals, upright bass and guitar; Steven Calvin, guitar and vocals; Brian Watts, banjo and vocals; and a fourth player that I didn't get to meet who played mandolin, sang and played upright bass. There may have been others playing music that were in and out that I've not listed here.
------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 30th, I rode up to Philadelphia, TN with Ron Duncan to the Old Pilot Hill General Store. There were lots of musicians there playing Old Country and Bluegrass and the stage area was crowded so Ron and I and our good friend Butch Rupp placed our lawn chairs beside our cars and the three of us started picking Bluegrass. Ron played his old Gibson banjo, Butch played guitar and I played Dobro. We had a blast playing through a whole bunch of good old Bluegrass tunes. We were joined by Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals and Ben Waddell, mandolin and vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 29th, I went down to the historical cabin in Unicoi for the Wednesday night jam session. It had been more or less a practice session each week for the "Midnight Grass" for a while, kind of evolving into a practice session for "The Jeters and Friends" with the continuing absence of Troy Bennett whose band is "Midnight Grass".

It seems to me that it is more and more becoming styled after the Monday night group which has now grown to accompany many, many musicians playing some Bluegrass and mostly Old Country. Folks are now coming in from all over to just listen to the live music.

I don't have a thing against Old Country, but much prefer playing Bluegrass and tend to go where the real old traditional Bluegrass is being played and avoid those areas where Old Country is taking over, a little at a time. I've seen it time and time again, until after a while, most of the evening can be taken up by folks singing and playing Old Country at a get-together that initially started as a Bluegrass get-together. Don't get me wrong, I think the world of those people who attend.....it's just that I prefer playing Bluegrass in what time I have to donate to each evening.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening hours of the 28th, I spent up in Bluff City with many musician friends of mine. Fiddlers present were: Tim Laughlin, Steve Shipley, Jeff Dotson, Rogee Richardson, Terry Barnes and yours truly. Mandolinists were Phil Shipley, Tim Laughlin, Terry Barnes, Dan Craty, and Rogee Richardson. Guitarists were: Charlie Powers, Daniel Houseright and Jeff Webb. The banjo pickers were Chad Love and Mark Marshall. Rogee played upright bass. I'm sure others showed up, but I left early on.
------------------------------------------------------------

The early morning hours of the 27th found me wide awake and playing the Dobro; working on "Evalina" and several other tunes and exercises. I also grabbed the banjo and worked out a real nice arrangement of "The Old Spinning Wheel" in the key of C. Richard Pruett had played the tune on his fiddle in Asheville the other night when we were picking there and that's when I discovered I had more or less forgotten the tune, so I now have it back fully and am enjoying picking it again.

During the evening hours, it kinda seemed funny not playing at some venue somewhere....just staying home and practicing picking. But, I need to practice daily, anyway, so on some Monday nights I get a chance to work through different numbers and refresh them a bit, or take the time to learn new tunes. I'm still continuing to learn Dobro tunes and I must have arranged a couple dozen or more tunes by now. It's fun practicing barring single notes and working with slants.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 26th, I rode over to Ron Lane's studio with Ron Duncan to practice Bluegrass with members of "Rough Edges". Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and mandolin and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and I played fiddle and sang.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 25th, I'll be riding down to Asheville, North Carolina with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. I am hoping to play with the "Candler Group" of musicians I performed with on July 14th. More later------------------

Skip and Charlie of the "Candler Group" were unable to attend but Jerry and Sonny were there and played lots of music. I played banjo the entire evening...didn't even take the fiddle out of the case. Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Jeter Rice played mandolin and sang; Richard Pruett played fiddle and sang; Doris Pruett played guitar and sang; Donald Gillette played guitar and sang; and Gordon Hoyle played mandolin. The attendance was in the thousands. We estimated about 5 thousand folks listening to the various groups playing. My original tune "Banjo Tuner Blues" was a hit and I was pleased about that. Kinda made me miss all my friends back in Arkansas who also love the tune and request it often.

I also had a wonderful time visiting with Bobby Hicks (he fiddled with Ricky Skaggs for 24 years) and catching up on the latest "news" and "gossip". I will always remember how much fun I had performing with him in Osceola, NY, and many times in Marshall, NC. Bobby's in his eighties and still fiddles up a storm!
-------------------------------------------------------------

The Evening of the 24th, I drove down to Erwin to the home of Galen and Katie Jeter and practiced with members of the band temporarily named "Jeters & Friends" (until we all think of an appropriate name for us). The Jeters had a wonderful cookout with burgers and hot dogs and all kinds of other stuff and then we settled in to a super practice time playing out under the carport. Members of the band are: Galen and Katie, Rick Guinn, Jeff Webb, Jerry Sams and yours truly. We'll be performing at the Boones Creek Opry on September 1st.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 23rd, "3rd Day Resurrection" performed at the Red Barn from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. following the band "Larry Wright and Friends" who quickly substituted for "Jonesboro Jim" who canceled on short notice before performing.

We had a super time performing and played a mix of Bluegrass Gospel and good old-fashioned hard-core Bluegrass. I really enjoyed fiddling with the group which consisted of Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Chris Anderson, upright bass and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

The audience was delighted with our show and gave us a rousing applause after each number.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 22nd, I went down to the historic log cabin in Unicoi and played some Bluegrass with the band "Jeters & Friends". Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Rick Guinn played banjo; Michael Little played Dobro; Jeff Webb played guitar and I played fiddle. Roger Messer was also there and played a little banjo and some guitar and sang "I Saw The Light". Richard Pruett showed up to visit for a few minutes but didn't stay long enough to play his fiddle.

There will be a practice session this coming Friday night in Erwin at the home of Galen and Katie Jeter in preparation for the "Jeters & Friends" performance at the Boones Creek Opry on September 1st.

Tomorrow night, the 23rd, a Thursday evening, I perform at the Red Barn with "3rd Day Resurrection" from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. I'll be playing fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 21st, I drove up to Bluff City and had a great time playing with John Gott, fiddle; Joe Thompson, guitar; and Gerry Brown, guitar; and Jim Jones, guitar. I played fiddle. We took the small room on the left at the foot of the stairs and went through a whole lot of fiddle tunes.

The stage area had several musicians present and so did the back room on the lower floor. I didn't even look to see who all was there I was so busy pickin' myself.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 20th, I stayed home and practiced fiddle, banjo and Dobro. I played the 1834 fiddle for about an hour and a half, running through a bunch of material I wanted to keep fresh in mind. Then, later, I grabbed the "Green Hornet" ( a custom built banjo called the "Dixie Belle" made by Clancy Mullins in 2010) and played for about an hour. I went through all the tunes I know where I use the Keith/Scruggs tuners. Then I played the Dobro for around 45 minutes practicing single note work with the slide bar and forward and backward slants shaping chords and familiarizing myself with what notes are where on the neck.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 19th, I drove up to Gray and had a Bluegrass session with several musicians. Ron Lane played banjo and provided vocals; Jim Stidman played guitar; Richard Widdows played guitar and provided vocal harmony; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and I played fiddle and provided vocal harmony, too. We spent most of the afternoon playing one piece right after another and before we knew it, the afternoon was over and it was time to go. Ron and I went to Food City and had a nice inexpensive dinner there and chatted awhile before parting ways 'til next time.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I drove over to Johnson City to the Boone's Creek Opry and played fiddle with three different performers and their groups. I started out with just going up on stage with Dave Mowry, Eddie Bowman and Charlie Ervin, but remained up there with several other musicians who were asked to back up Terry Barnes and Gail Randolph.

Musicians who performed on stage with the various artists were: Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Eddie Bowman, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Randy Carrier, fiddle; Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; Vicki Shell, mandolin; Niles Onks, mandolin; Gail Randolph, vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

The guest band that performed before the open mic section was "Rockingham Road". Charlie Tooley was playing his 1965 Gibson RB-250 "Bowtie" banjo, all original and sounding great! Bruce Haney sang a couple of originals along with several other tunes and other band members.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 17th, I stayed home and worked on a couple of slide shows I'm preparing for the Clinchfield Senior Center.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 16th, I drove down to the Red Barn and visited with several of my musician friends I hadn't seen in quite a while. I saw Grady Johnson, who played guitar and sang with the Red Barn House Band. I also saw Barbara King who Mary and I grew to love several years ago when she was with Frank Culler before he passed away. I also visited with Niles Onks, Terry Barnes and Dave Mowry. I was asked to perform with the House Band but declined as I was having too much fun visiting with so many others.

The House band consisted of Mike Mnich, Niles Onks, Page Powers, Terry Barnes, Grady Johnson, Dave Mowry, Bob Van Horn and John Kinsley. After they performed, the Bluegrass Gospel group "No Name but His" performed.

I will be performing at the Red Barn next Thursday evening with the band "3rd Day Resurrection" from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 15th, I drove down to Unicoi to the historical log cabin and played Bluegrass with the band "Jeters & Friends" and also with a few other friends who showed up to play. Musicians present were: Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Doris Pruett, guitar and vocals; Richard Pruett, fiddle and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Roger Messer, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; and yours truly, banjo (before Rick arrived) and fiddle.

It was a really nice evening for Bluegrass on the porch.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 14th, I decided to stay home and work on two different slide show presentations that I have promised to present at the Clinchfield Senior Center. One is on pool playing techniques which I titled "Bank Shots" and the other is on fire prevention and safety in the home which I haven't titled yet.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 13th I decided to stay home in the evening and catch up on practicing banjo, fiddle and Dobro. I created "breaks" for the Dobro for these tunes and songs: Faded Love, I Saw the Light, Haskell's Stomp, McCormick's String Picnic, Pickaway, Your Love is Like a Flower, Cabin Home on the Hill, and many others.

On the fiddle, I practiced Windy City Rag, Acoustic Toothpick, Baker's Breakdown, Shiloh March, Dance With Me Kenny, Missouri Road (in A and Bb), Faded Love and a bunch of others.

On the banjo, I practiced Pickaway, Haskell's Stomp, McCormick's String Picnic, Black Diamond, Little Rock Getaway, Sweet Dixie, an original of mine I call Top Notch Breakdown, and a bunch of other tunes and instrumentals. Sometimes it's good to just practice and not go out and perform.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 12th, I drove up to Gray to Ron Lane's studio to practice with other members of the group that Jerry Coleman affectionately calls "The Possum Creek Ramblers". Ron Duncan and Jerry Coleman were absent, one traveling and the other working.

The group consisted of Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Richard Widdows, guitar and vocals (he didn't play Dobro today); Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass and electric bass; Jim Stidman, guitar; and yours truly fiddle.

It was a very nice afternoon playing music and we all enjoyed it very much.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 11th, I performed at the Tennessee Welcome Center in Bristol. The band consisted of: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Gary Barker, guitar and vocals; Larry Kinsler, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
We performed for two hours to the delight of many, many folks.

When this gig was over, I drove directly to Rheatown (about an hour's drive) to play Bluegrass with several of my good picking buddies there. Musicians were: Travis Fulton, upright bass and vocals; Ryan Henard, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; and two other guitarists, a fiddler and a banjo picker that I hadn't met.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 10th, I drove up to Blountville and played the fiddle at the Anderson House. At first, I played fiddle with Joe Thompson, guitar and Jim Stidman, guitar. We played a bunch of good old fiddle tunes.

After a while, several musicians came in and we switched to Bluegrass. Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Doug Miller played banjo; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin; Greg Green played guitar and sang; Rufus Thames played guitar and sang and John Gott and I played the fiddles.

later on, I went into the middle room and played a few fiddle tunes with Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; and several others as well.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 9th, I rode up to Philadelphia to the Old Pilot Hill General Store with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. I brought my Mullins banjo but didn't play, just listened to many of my good friends pick and sing. Those present and performing were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Faye Perkins, fiddle and vocals; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar; Gus Hopson, guitar; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Bobby Taylor, guitar and vocals; Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; and Charlotte Snyder, vocals.
We had a very enjoyable evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 8th, I was already to go out the door to play Bluegrass down at the historic log cabin in Unicoi when a severe thunderstorm occurred at the house. It lasted just long enough that I decided I didn't want to drive the 13 miles to the cabin in such a downpour. I remained home and practiced several Dobro and fiddle tunes.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 7th, I drove up to Bluff City and performed on stage with the following musicians: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Gene ?, guitar and vocals; Will Baer, Dobro; and Ray Dearstone, bass and vocals. I played fiddle.

It was great to see Will Baer and "Cooter" Williams again after not seeing them both for 4 years.
-------------------------------------------------------------

This evening, the 6th, I play fiddle with the band "3rd Day Resurrection" at Pinecrest Christian Church, the church where Randy Carrier, mandolinist and vocalist is the Pastor. More later.....

"3rd Day Resurrection" had a different upright bass player this evening; one that I had never met. (Gail Evans had to work and was unable to play upright bass this evening). When I added her name, Chris Anderson, to my musicians list, it brought the list from just the South to the number 600. That's 600 musicians I've met here in Tennessee since I got here in 2011. When I add those I met in New York and other northern states and those I met in Arkansas, I'm now up to a total of 1,215 that I've played music with that I know their first and last names. I have played with a great deal more of musicians that I haven't a clue as to their names and probably will never know them.

The band had a wonderful time performing for the congregation.

-------------------------------------------------------------
The morning and early afternoon of the 5th, I performed with the "Possum Creek Ramblers" in Rogersville for the Lawson Family Reunion. The entire band was in attendance with the exception of Ron Duncan and Butch Rupp who didn't participate.

Band members were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass, Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. There were several other musicians present that were all related in one way or another to the reunion. Randy Manis played keyboard and sang; Ron Manis played guitar and sang; Gary Lawson played guitar and sang; Ralph Jones played guitar and sang; Ralph's son ? Jones played guitar and sang; and Kathy ? (Gary Lawson's sister) sang.

The meal provided by so many of the family members was so plentiful and so tasty. What a feast!
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I performed with the group "Nina Ketron & Friends" at the Boones Creek Opry and Museum. I rode there with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle who watched us perform for a full house. I also saw quite a few of my musician friends including Randy Carrier, Dave Mowry, Burl Mast, Charlie Edwards, Michael Little and several others.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd, Bill Fernald and I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan to pick some Bluegrass at the Anderson House. We first settled in the back room by the kitchen and Ron played his old pre-war banjo and sang a few old Stanley Brothers numbers. Ernie Shaffer played mandolin and sang; Terry Barnes played mandolin and sang; Bill McLain played guitar and sang; Rufus Thames played guitar and sang; Bill Fernald played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and sang.

I often like to play along with 93 year old Bill McCall in the middle room, so I took my fiddle in there and played the rest of the evening with him and the rest of the group. Musicians in this group were: Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antenucci, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; and a couple of others who left early.

This evening was the last evening of Bluegrass during my good friend Bill Fernald's stay here with me in Tennessee, as he has to return to Florida early in the morning. He got lots of pickin' in this trip and I sure enjoyed having him visit me.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 2nd of August, I learned to play "Evalina" and "Jennifer's Waltz" on the resophonic guitar (Dobro). I picked the guitar up yesterday from a wonderful friend who wanted me to take it over as his arthritis is getting too bad for him to play anymore.

Tonight I'm going to the Old Pilot Hill General Store with my buddies Bill Fernald, Gordon Hoyle and Ron Duncan. More on this later.

After having a delicious meal at the Old Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, Tennessee, Ron, Gordon, Bill and I went out to Scotty and Renee Norton's home in Bowmantown to play Bluegrass in their living room and enjoy their wonderful company. Their son, Daniel, was present and was a real treat to hear perform on the many instruments he plays and plays superbly. He plays in several high-quality Bluegrass bands in the Nashville area and just happened to be home for a few days coming off the road from touring all over the United States. What an instrumentalist! In all my travels, I can't remember ever hearing anyone any better at picking the banjo!
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of August, I drove down to the log cabin in Unicoi with my dear friend, Bill Fernald and we jammed Bluegrass for a couple of wonderful hours with the following musicians: Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Roger Messer, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

Jam Sessions and Journeys in July

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of July, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 31st, Bill and I went down to the Senior Center in Erwin and shot pool until lunch time and came back home to rest up before going pickin' for the evening in Bluff City. We had planned to attend the fiddle workshop in Blowing Rock, North Carolina that Dr. John Cockman puts on, but the weather forecast was for severe thunderstorms, so we decided against traveling through the mountainous terrain. More later.....

After a fine bite to eat at the Bluff City Diner, Ron Duncan, Bill Fernald and I played music in one of the lower rooms at the Bluff City Emergency Squad building. Another room held the members of the band "Duty Free" and the stage area held members of the band "3rd Day Resurrection". After Ron (played banjo and sang), Bill (played guitar and sang) and I (played fiddle and sang) finished playing, I went on stage with "3rd Day Resurrection" for a few numbers before we all called it quits for the evening. I'll be performing with them this coming Monday night at Randy Carrier's church in Pinecrest, where we practice at 6:00 p.m. and play at 7:00 p.m.

------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 30th, my dear friend Bill Fernald arrived from Florida to spend a few days visiting and pickin' Bluegrass with me. We visited, had a nice dinner down at KFC in Erwin and went to bed early.
------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 29th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to Ron Lane's studio to play some Bluegrass. Several of the weekly musicians were absent this week and there were just four of us to play. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar, mandolin and sang; Butch Rupp played guitar, mandolin and bass and sang; and I played fiddle, guitar, mandolin and sang. We had a great time playing some of the really old standby Bluegrass tunes.

------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 28th, I drove out to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass with many of my friends that usually show up there on a Saturday night. Musicians I picked with were: Travis Fulton, upright bass, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; Claude Smith, mandolin and vocals; Mike Wilburn, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Dave Henard, upright bass; Ryan Henard, guitar, mandolin and vocals; John Myers, fiddle and vocals; John Cooper, fiddle and vocals; and a young lady, guitar; and a middle-aged gentleman, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals.

In the front part of the store, playing Bluegrass were: Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals, his wife Vicki, upright bass and vocals; their son Shane,guitar; Ashley Davis, fiddle and vocals; and Shannon Guitreau, banjo and vocals.

I really enjoyed the evening visiting with friends and pickin' and singing.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today is Friday, the 27th. I expect to go up to Blountville this evening to play Bluegrass and visit with my many friends. Thinking of the word "visiting" reminds me of Bluegrass etiquette and an essay I wrote on that some time back. First of all, lately I've noticed some of the "rules" being broken. The essays may be found here. But, here are the rules and those highlighted are being broken time and time again:

The Ten Commandments of a Successful, Enjoyable Bluegrass Jam:

1. Thou shalt not break time, rhythm being the basis on which the session is built, nor shall the bass player ever forgive thee.

2. Thou shalt not stop the session to tune up. Tune thy strings beforehand, but giveth the banjo picker a chance to change keys.

3. Present not thyself in the center of the session. If in doubt, ask who wanteth thy backside in his/her face.

4. Hoggeth not the session. Giveth thy neighbor a chance. Unlikely as it may seemeth, they may be gifted as thee.

5. Forgeteth not to be helpful to the beginner, remembering thy days, yea even years, of clumsiness.

6. Bringeth forth no boring tales of thy troubles. Most others careth not and the rest are glad thou hast them.

7. The singer shalt select the key, an inalienable right.

8. Selecteth not unusual keys lest thy peers mistaketh thy genius for stupidity.

9. Thou shalt pass around the lead. Listening to others will not harmeth thee. Hogging the lead is sinful.

10. Tryeth not for excessive speed, nor yet draggeth slowly thy speed, remembering loudness is the poorest substitute for quality.

-------------------------------------------------------

More on Friday night in Blountville later......................

Ron Duncan and I went to the Anderson House to play Bluegrass tonight. I started out in the back room playing fiddle, but the music was so loud I could barely hear my fiddle with it tucked under my chin. (See Commandment #10 above).

Rather than endure the noise, I took my fiddle out on the porch and was followed by Joe Thompson and John Gott. There, we played many fiddle tunes for a couple of pleasant hours. Jim Stidman returned my 1834 fiddle after having repaired the separated neck. Now, I'll shape the new bridge I have for it and it'll be as good as ever. Jim does excellent work on instruments while repairing them and also building them from scratch. He showed us all a brand new guitar he had just finished building. It has exceptional tone and beautiful workmanship. It's gorgeous!

Musicians inside the back room were: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Mrs. Rufus Thames, upright bass and vocals; Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; and another banjo picker I hadn't met yet. There may have been others, too. I didn't see who picked in the middle room.

------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 26th, I rode out to Philadelphia with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. Once there, we had a wonderful meal of cheeseburgers before field picking next to Ron's car. The food here is excellent.

The stage was full of musicians so we decided to field pick. Some of the musicians playing on stage were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; another lady, fiddle; Gus Hopson, guitar; Melvin Saults, guitar; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Bill Dearstone, upright bass and vocals; and Vanessa Dearstone, vocals. There was another fellow playing guitar and singing, but I didn't catch his name.

Those of us that field picked were: Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Scotty Norton, guitar and vocals; Renee Norton, vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Bill Dearstone, upright bass; Melvin Saults, guitar; and yours truly, banjo and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 25th, I went to the log cabin in Unicoi to play some Bluegrass with the musicians who gather there on Wednesdays. Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Dave Mowry played guitar and sang; Roger Messer played guitar and banjo; Micheal Little played Dobro; Jeff Webb played guitar; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; and I played banjo for a couple of hours. The weather was perfect for picking on the porch.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night, the 24th, I performed for an hour and a half with "3rd Day Resurrection" in Bluff City at the Rescue Squad Building. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass for a couple of numbers and sang (she wasn't aware that we were going to perform and so she didn't bring her upright bass); Ronnie Rasnick played upright bass for the most part; and I played my "Old French" fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, Monday evening on the 23rd, I rode up to the Kingsport Welcome Center with Ron Duncan, to experience first-hand the music created by guests who participate in the twice-monthly gathering of acoustic musicians. There were around twelve players at several layers of musical aptitude, each contributing some genre of music with their instrument of choice. Ron and I preferred not to "crash" the party, especially me with my LOUD banjo, so we left early and called it a night.
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, Sunday the 22nd, I am scheduled to perform at the Hampton Christian Church with the band "3rd Day Resurrection" at 10:45. Directly after this performance, I meet up with Ron Duncan over in Unicoi to travel up to Gray to Ron Lane's studio to play there with a group of select musicians. It's always very enjoyable pickin' and grinnin'.

Our performance at the Hampton Christian Church was spot on and each of us in the band "Third Day Resurrection" handled our part with ease as we're all very used to performing in churches across the South. The audience was very appreciative of the old standbys and especially delighted with the original songs that Randy Carrier, Mike Laws and Randy Singleton presented. I am delighted to be a part of the band again because they really have a deep desire to play and sing well and to come off as a polished group. They're all seasoned musicians and a lot of fun, too.

The select group of musicians at Ron Lane's studio were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass; Jim Stidman, guitar; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Butch Rupp,
guitar, Dobro, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 21st, I rode out to Rheatown with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. I played in the back room with quite a few other musicians. Those that I can remember were: Ty Filler, fiddle; Travis Fulton, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Butch Rupp, Dobro and vocals; Mike Wilburn, guitar and vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; John Skelton, upright bass; Bill Mc Lain, guitar and vocals; Hunter Patterson, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo.

A little later on in the evening, a group formed in the front of the store. There were members from the back group included, too. This group consisted of: Vicki Austin, upright bass and vocals; Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals; Tommy and Vicki's son, guitar; Bill Mc Lain, guitar and vocals; and Hunter Patterson, guitar and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 20th, at the Anderson House in Blountville was a night to remember, for sure. It seems like just about everybody was there playing Bluegrass.

I started out in the middle room playing two fiddle breaks to Bluegrass songs with Bill Mc Call, guitar and vocals; Tom Antonoosie, mandolin and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Butch Rupp, Dobro and vocals; and perhaps a few others that I can't remember.

Next, I hit the back room with my fiddle playing with: Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Cynthia Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Butch Rupp, Dobro and vocals; Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Rick Guinn, banjo and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Dave Hensley, upright bass; and Ryan Hensley, guitar and vocals.

From there, I went outside to the side porch and played guitar and sang with Ron Lane, vocals and banjo; Joe Thompson, guitar; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Ron Duncan, guitar, banjo and vocals; Doug Miller, banjo; Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; Matthew McLain, mandolin and Gordon Hoyle, guitar.

From there, a small group of us decided to play in the front room. Those present for that session were: Joe Thompson, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 19th, I rode up to the Old Pilot Hill general Store with Ron Duncan and we played Bluegrass there for several hours. Musicians in attendance were: Scotty Norton, guitar and vocals; Renee Norton, vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; Gus Hopson, guitar; Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; Matt McLain, mandolin; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on banjo.

It was a wonderful evening of performing and having fun with our musician friends.
------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 18th, was a fun-filled day starting at the Clinchfield Senior Center. The pool tournament continued along very nicely with me coming out the winner of my first match but only after the match went hill-hill and then it was a grueling last game right down to the 9 Ball.

Later, in the evening, I rode up to Kingsport with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. After we returned from that journey, which included a very tasty meal at "Mama's House" on the John B highway, I stopped by the Unicoi log cabin to catch the last 45 minutes of Bluegrass with the following musicians: Tommy Wilson, Dobro; Jeff Webb, guitar; Rick Guinn, banjo; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Roger Messer, guitar and vocals; and me...fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday afternoon, the 18th, we started the 13 player pool tournament down at the Clinchfield Senior Center. I was appointed tournament director. It's a race to 7 tournament and the first two players to start off were T. J. Rice and Carlisle Love. Carlisle won the first match 7 to 1.

Later, in the afternoon, I learned the fiddle tune "Southwind", a slow air that's really beautiful. My good friend, John Gott plays this one often when I see him.

Then I performed with the band "3rd Day Resurrection" at Bluff City in the evening hours. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle. Ron Duncan and I had a wonderful time visiting with many friends there at the emergency squad building before heading home.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 15th, I went up to Gray with Ron Duncan to Ron Lane's studio to play Bluegrass with the rest of the group. Today the musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, upright bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, mandolin, Dobro and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

It's always such a wonderful time picking with these folks.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 14th, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and I rode down to Burnsville, North Carolina to explore the area for Bluegrass musicians and to find the place where area musicians gather on Saturdays during the day. We were unsuccessful in finding out the whereabouts of such a jam, even though we've been told several times that there was actually a Bluegrass jam taking place there each Saturday. We'll just have to keep digging for more accurate information.

When we left there, we drove down to Asheville, North Carolina to Patton Avenue where the "Shindig on the Green" is held on certain Saturdays throughout the summer months. There were at least 20 Bluegrass and Old-Time bands set up around the park and jamming away the hours. I was told several times there were over 6,000 people in attendance and I believe it...the audience was massive!

I performed with a group of musicians out of Candler, NC. (Jerry, Charlie, Skip, Sunny, Martin, and a couple of others). Afterwards, I found my friend, Bobby Hicks, and caught up on the past with him. I hadn't seen him in a while. He's still in good health, plays the fiddle just as good as he ever did, and still performs at Zuma's Cafe in Marshall, NC every Thursday night as he has now for eleven years. It was great to see him and visit with him again.

What a truly beautiful city Asheville is!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday the 13, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. We stopped at "Dolly's Diner" for a quick bite to eat before heading to the Anderson House to pick Bluegrass.

It was a very hot evening and the temperature inside was the same as outside, 83 degrees. It was too hot to play steady so we took lots of breaks and just shot the breeze with one another. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Joe Thompson, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antonoosie, mandolin and vocals; and maybe another 5 or 6 (maybe more) that I don't know their names.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 12th, Ron Duncan and I went up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store and played a whole bunch of Bluegrass with a whole lot of friends. Musicians present were: Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Gus Hopson, guitar; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; (another woman that I didn't meet, playing fiddle); Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; Brad Beavers, banjo and vocals; Scotty Norton, guitar and vocals; Renee Norton, vocals; Sarah Humbert, mandolin and vocals; Bill Dearstone, upright bass and vocals; Vanessa Dearstone, vocals; Paula Waddell, vocals; Matthew McLain, mandolin and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo.

What a super picking session we had!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 11th, I played Bluegrass down at the log cabin in Unicoi. Musicians present were: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Roger Messer, guitar, banjo and vocals; "Rattlesnake John", guitar and vocals; Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 10th, I traveled to Bristol with my buddies Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. We listened to the wonderful group named "Linda Lay & Springfield Exit.

Later, we went to the Bluff City Bluegrass jam where there were quite a few musicians playing in the lower room. We enjoyed the music for a while before heading home.
------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 9th, I learned the fiddle tune "Carolina Mountain Rag" as fiddled by my good friend Michael Feagan. I put the YouTube video of him playing the piece on my Fiddle Tune Video Page for further reference.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 8th, I learned the breaks to "Midnight Ramble"and "Mastertone March" on the fiddle and I also learned the fiddle tune "Bobby Van's Hornpipe".

In the afternoon, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan. We went to the studio of Ron Lane's where a private gathering of select musicians assembles each Sunday to play Bluegrass and work on specific songs and instrumentals. Ron Lane played his Stelling "Red Fox" banjo and provided vocals; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang harmony parts; Ron Duncan played mandolin and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and I played fiddle. I forgot to take any pictures for "Page 15" so I'll have to wait until next time.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 7th, I drove down to Erwin and rode out to Rheatown with Ron Duncan. We played Bluegrass for around three hours in the back room with some of our good friends there. Musicians picking with us were: Andrew Marshall, mandolin and guitar; Claude Smith, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Butch Rupp, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Ron Lane, vocals; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals.

I was asked to play fiddle out front by the gas pumps but chose to pick in the back room for a change. Musicians outside were: Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Hunter Patterson, guitar; and a couple of others that I didn't know. It was truly a great night for Bluegrass.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to pick some Bluegrass with friends there. Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played Dobro and sang; Ernie Schaffer played mandolin and sang; Joe Thompson played guitar; Jim Stidman played guitar; John Gott played fiddle; Winston Burdett played guitar and sang; and I played banjo and sang.

Gordon played in the middle room with three other musicians. Later the three of us went to Logan's Steakhouse. Yummy!
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 5th, I rode up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to pick some Bluegrass. We had the pleasure of performing with the band "East Tennessee Travelers" as well as several other musicians who were present. The band consists of Isaac Saults, guitar and vocals; Ryan Lewis, upright bass and vocals; Matthew McLain, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Sifford, guitar and vocals; and Seth Jewett, banjo. (Seth was not present, so I filled in with the banjo).

Other musicians in attendance were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; and Gus Hopson, guitar.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday afternoon, the 3rd, I practiced a whole bunch of fiddle tunes including an original tune composed by my guitar-playing friend, Jeff Webb. He named it "Tea and Cookies". It's in the key of D and I arranged the melody for fiddle and have a blast playing it. I hope he records it someday and has it available for ones' listening pleasure; it's a fun tune.

I went to Bristol with Ron and Sherri Duncan and we met up with Lee and Renee Liguore at a restaurant named "620 State" and enjoyed a fine meal before enjoying the band "Turkey Creek" at the outdoor music park on State Street. Later, we traveled to Bluff City for Bluegrass there. It was an enjoyable evening of friends and Bluegrass. (Turkey Creek consisted of Beverly and Tom Horton, Tim Laughlin, Mark Marshall, Mitch Bently and Eric McMurray and a special guest Terry Barnes.)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today, Sunday, the 1st of July, I went up to Ron Lane's studio with Ron Duncan and we met up with the rest of the group and played Bluegrass for around three hours. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

A Jamming June

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of June, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 30th, I stayed around home all day and into the evening, too. I adjusted the head on my banjo with a caliper and a parallel bar and fine-tuned that a little and I'm delighted with the outcome. I was happy enough before but with the caliper I just had to give it a try. The banjo head is even all the way across to about .003 or three ten-thousands! I think I prefer a drum dial because it's less work, though.

Once I had the head dialed in, it was time to play a bunch of banjo tunes in the different keys and test all the frets for buzzing, etc. Everything checked out ideally so I finally set it down for a while and picked the fiddle up. I didn't tinker with that though as I have it set up just about the way I like it most. I may, at some time later on, file down the ebony nut a little more to improve string travel for playing in B Flat, but I'm not in any hurry because tunes in B Flat are sounding good just the way the fiddle is right now. There's good intonation just the way my good friend Jim Stidman set it up.

I was planning on going to Rheatown, but decided against it as it got too late to go.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 29th, I attended the funeral service of a good friend that I met several years ago at the Clinchfield Senior Center. Otis Ray passed away June 23rd from complications after heart bypass surgery the day before. Otis was always smiling and enjoyed his friends at the Senior Center very much. I really liked him a lot and I will miss him. He was such fun each and every time I saw him. He was 78 years of age.

When Ron Duncan and I left the funeral home, we traveled to Blountville to the Anderson House to play Bluegrass. It was 96 degrees outside in the sunlight and nearly that temperature in the building with the HVAC system not working. So we set up our picking chairs outside under the shade of a big old tree and had a blast playing music.

Later, after a few tunes, I opted to go inside and play Bluegrass with a few friends who wanted to play Bluegrass more than the Old Country that was being played by the group under the tree. The group I picked with inside stayed together until after 10:00 p.m.

Musicians playing outside under the tree were: Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar and vocals; Paul Manis, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Alice Hensley, fiddle; John Gott, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle. Charlie Ervin and a couple of other musicians were present but not playing at the time.

Later on, inside the building and in the back room were: Ernie Schaffer, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; and yours truly on fiddle. In a while we were joined by musicians drawn to our sounds emulating from the building to their finely-tuned ears where they heard the unforgettable sounds of traditional Bluegrass. They couldn’t take it…they had to come in to the fold. Lol. John Gott, Charlie Ervin, Ed Dance and others joined us for a good picking session. Later on, Rufus Thames came in and joined us and he, Ernie, John, Alice and yours truly played for quite a while hitting on many old favorite fiddle tunes and songs. By then, I had switched to banjo.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 28th, I had it scheduled to play in Philadelphia at the Old Pilot Hill General Store but at the last minute, so to speak, canceled those plans and decided to stay home. There had been a few intermittent thunder storms around the Limestone Cove area and I reasoned that the total musicians and audience alike would be greatly reduced due to weather conditions so I chose to remain home.

I occupied my time playing fiddle and banjo tunes. I enjoyed practicing some of the more difficult pieces on the fiddle like "Windy City Rag" and "Gardenia Waltz". On the banjo, I practiced tunes like my originals "Trip to Mountain View", "Banjo Tuner Blues" and "Top Notch Rag".
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 27th, I played Bluegrass fiddle down at the old historical cabin in Unicoi with the band "Midnight Grass". Rick Guinn played banjo; Jeff Webb played lead guitar; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Michael Little played Dobro; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle and sang. Later in the evening, Troy Bennett arrived and played guitar and sang. It was nice to see the "gang" again.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 26th, Ron Duncan and I went to Johnson City to the grand opening of the Boones Creek Museum and Opry. We watched the ribbon cutting ceremony, tasted many fine finger foods and visited with many friends and new acquaintances, including a few musicians who were performing. I've created a Boones Creek Museum and Opry page which I will be adding to each time I visit there.

From there, we went to Bristol with the hopes of watching the band "Cedar Valley" at the Bristol Mural Park on State Street, however, it had been canceled due to the rain. So we turned around and headed for Bluff City where we usually go on Tuesday nights. I enjoyed playing fiddle with a group on stage when I first got there. In addition to a fiddle and a mandolin, there were three banjos and several guitars, but somehow it all seemed to be tempered into a pleasant sound.

After a short break, I headed down into the lower level and sat in with another group that I greatly admired and played my fiddle with them. This group included Tim Laughlin, fiddle; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Steve Shipley on fiddle; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; another man on guitar; and myself on fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 24th, Ron Duncan and I attended the private picking party at Ron Lane's in Gray. Musicians in attendance were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Richard Widdows, resonator guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

After a few hours of excellent picking and singing, the two Ron's, Richard and I went to the Chinese restaurant in Gray for a pleasant dinner.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 23rd, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and yours truly traveled to the Liberty Free Will Baptist church in Chuckey to take part in the celebration of Bob and Alice Hensley’s 50th wedding anniversary. What a beautiful celebration!

The company was fabulous, the food fine and the music fantastic. I played banjo while Ron played mandolin and sang. We were joined by Alice on her fiddle, Butch Rupp on Dobro, guitar and vocals; Jack painter on guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults on guitar; Rufus Thames on guitar and his wife on stand up bass; and by many others, as well.

From there, we traveled over route 351 to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass. I was immediately asked to join in on a group playing outside the market, so I grabbed my fiddle and sat in. Later I was asked to play banjo in the back room session and remained there until closing.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight the 22nd, I'll be going up to Blountville to the Anderson House, a historical log cabin dated from way back in the late 1700's. There's a Bluegrass jam session there every Friday night and has been for a good many years. I'll ride up with Ron Duncan and meet John Gott and Joe Thompson when we get there. Also we hope to see Jim Stidman and Ron Lane.

We saw Jim Stidman, but we didn't see our good friend Ron Lane. There were very few musicians who played in the middle room. I was busy in the back room and didn't get a picture of those in attendance elsewhere in the building or on the porch.

Musicians present in the back room were: Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Ernie Schaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals;; Joe Thompson, guitar; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Debbie Locke, upright bass; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Greg Green, guitar and vocals and yours truly, fiddle. We played for around four hours before calling it quits for another Friday night. Ron, Gordon and I went to Johnson City to Logan's Steakhouse for a late-night snack.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 21st, I play at The Red Barn with the band "Midnight Grass". Troy Bennett will provide the vocals and guitar; Gary Taylor will also provide vocals and upright bass; Rick Guinn will play banjo; Jeff Webb will play lead guitar; Jerry Sams will provide vocals and rhythm guitar; and I will play the fiddle. We have the closing set from 8:00 'til 9:00 p.m.

It was a wonderful evening performing at the Red Barn. I got to see so many good friends that I hadn't seen in such a long while. First off, I saw Burl Mast, the owner of the Red Barn and got a chance to visit with him. The I saw many others including, Norma Campbell, Niles and Lena Onks, and ..... well actually too many folks to mention.

"Midnight Grass" had a guest musician tonight: Mike Laws of the band "3rd Day Resurrection" who accompanied Troy Bennett with vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 20th, I'll play with the band "Midnight Grass" at the Unicoi Historical Cabin. I'm looking forward to picking with them again as we'll practice a little bit in preparation for Thursday night's performance at the "Red Barn" on the Sciotha road.

The principle lead players gathered at the Cabin to practice instrumental tunes. The bassist and vocalist both were absent but the lead players had a great practice session. Jeff Webb played lead guitar while Jerry Sams provided rhythm backup. Rick Guinn played banjo and I played fiddle. We practiced for several hours before calling it quits and heading home. It was a very productive evening of music.
------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 19th, I went down to the Clinchfield Senior Center and played pool like I do most every morning while staying here in Tennessee. Usually I partner up with my dear friend Henry Barnett and he and I take on the team of "Red" Hovatter and Charlie McConnell (or if Charlie's absent, Dan Lewis) in a morning full of the game "1-15" also known as Alabama Eight-Ball. When there aren't four of us to play, we usually play singles Nine-Ball, which is what we did this morning.

I had a lot of fun later in the morning when Red and I played "One-Pocket". We played three games and it felt great to play it again since I haven't played it since I left Arkansas. I've been wanting to get the gentlemen to play this game and they're all reluctant to start learning a "new" game since they're all so good at "1-15", and "9-Ball".

Tonight, I'll meet my good friend, John Gott, up in Bluff City where we'll play fiddles together and might be ably accompanied by our good friend, Joe Thompson on guitar, depending on how he's feeling. I'm looking forward to the time I spend with these fellows as they're good musicians and a real pleasure to be around.

When I got there I performed with the band I'm in here in Tennessee, the "Midnight Grass". We played on stage for about an hour and a half. Musicians in the band "Midnight Grass" present tonight were: Jeff Webb, guitar; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; and yours truly, fiddle; (Jerry Sams and Gary Taylor were absent). (Galen and Katie Jeter were also absent). John Gott sat in with us up on stage and performed very well playing his fiddle.

Musicians in the other session rooms were: Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Tricia Ann Eaves, mandolin and vocals; Hunter Patterson, guitar and vocals; Steve Shipley, fiddle; Jeff Dotson, guitar and vocals; Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; and several others that I haven't met yet. Also there but not playing were Joe Thompson, guitar and Mike Little, Dobro.
------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 17th, I practiced a whole bunch of fiddle tunes, many of which I haven't been playing much lately. Tunes like "Old Dangerfield", Monroe's Blues", "Louisville Breakdown", "Sugar Tree Stomp", "Baker's Breakdown", "Brown County Breakdown", "Forked Deer", "Devil's Dream", "Panhandle Rag", "I Wash My Face in the Morning Dew" (I love the way Heather Berry sings this one), "Windy City Rag" and several others.
------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 16th, inspired from the playing of Frank Wing on the evening preceding, I arranged a version of the popular fiddle tune "Angeline Baker" on the banjo using the tuners. I now have 11 tunes I can perform with the tuners. I hope to be able to play this arrangement tonight in Rheatown.

Well, I didn't play my new arrangement of "Angeline Baker" this evening, but I sure played a lot of banjo tunes. I set up outside near the entrance to the market. The back room had so many musicians there just wasn't any way I was going to get in there and pick. It would have added to the chaos to have another banjo going; there was already two banjo pickers playing and a fiddle and a couple of mandolins and several guitars and a bass.

Ron Duncan started playing mandolin and singing with me on the steps of the entrance while I played banjo and Butch Rupp played guitar and sang. Before long, we were joined by Mike Wilburn on upright bass and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; and Marvin Gladwell on guitar and vocals. Later, Mike Wilburn played guitar and Travis Fulton played upright bass and sang and Charlie Phillips sang. We played for several hours and everyone had a great time. The harmonies were superb and the picking was first class.

------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th saw me getting back on track doing the things I love most here in Tennessee. First, I went down to the Senior Center and played pool with my buddies for 4 hours, had lunch, played a few more games and went home to get ready to go playing music for the evening.

My buddies present at the pool hall were: Henry Barnett, Wayne "Red" Hovatter, Dan Lewis, Otis Ray, Charlie McConnell, Carlisle Love, Fred Burrell and Terry Shealy. It was great to see them all again. Each and every one of them are very accomplished pool players and I really enjoy the friendly competition.

While I was at the Senior Center playing pool, I heard from my great friend, Stan Caldwell, from back in Arkansas. He wanted to know how I was doing and if I had a safe trip. He was getting ready to jam Bluegrass in Heber Springs at the Triple A building tonight. I asked him to be sure and say a great big "Howdy" to all my friends back there and to tell them I miss them and always enjoy picking with them.

Later on, at 5:00 p.m., I rode to the Methodist church in Unicoi with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle for a catfish dinner with all the fixings. Unbelievably good!

From there, we went to Blountville to the Anderson House and picked Bluegrass until 10:30 p.m. before heading home. The musicians in the room by the kitchen that played music with me were: Joe Thompson, guitar; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Ray Dearborn, guitar and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; yours truly, banjo and fiddle; and Ron Duncan for a short while playing guitar and providing vocals.

Out on the porch there were: Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jimmy Bennett, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Ron Lane, banjo, guitar and vocals; and others that I didn't see or hear about. The main room was also full of pickers but I didn't venture in there because I was too busy where I was. But I do remember seeing Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; Tom Antonoosie, mandolin and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; and several others, too.
------------------------------------------------------------

Early the morning of the 14th, I started out from the motel in Wynne and drove all the way through to Limestone Cove, Tennessee, unpacked the car, hooked up the computer and I'm back online and raring to see my buddies down at the Senior Center tomorrow morning and go picking tomorrow night in Blountville.

What a beautiful sight seeing those majestic mountains as I left I-81 and headed toward Greenville on 11-E. There's just something magical about the mountain ranges here. (It's 635 miles from our place in Arkansas to our place in Tennessee. Quite a trip in one day, I know that! Although I drove 60 miles of the trip on Wednesday night.)
------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 13th, I worked out a way to use the Keith/Scruggs tuners on the tune "Grandfather's Clock". This now makes 10 different tunes in which I use the tuners.

At about 8:00 p.m., I left Searcy and headed for Tennessee. I didn't get very far before I became very tired. I got to Wynne, Arkansas and holed up overnight in a motel.
------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th, I've taken a closer look at the weather and I think I'll leave Arkansas on the morning of the 14th. So I won't be playing at the old Pilot Hill General Store the evening of the 14th, because I'll be way too tired after driving 635 miles.
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 11th, it's beginning to look as though I'll be leaving for Tennessee about the 12th or 13th, depending on the weather forecast. I should end up in eastern Tennessee on or about the 13th in late afternoon and be ready to play some banjo in Philadelphia at the General Store Thursday night if it all works out.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 8th, I drove up to Heber Springs and played Bluegrass with many of my good friends up there. Musicians present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Rick Gardner, upright bass and vocals; Kent Latch, upright bass, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Alvis Alford, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Dennis Seymore, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Honeycott, Dobro and vocals; Kendall Roberson, guitar and vocals; Don Wooten, Dobro; Janice Kendall, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals.

I performed my original piece titled "Banjo Tuner Blues" for the audience at the request of Mary Lee Turney with a very loud applause at the end. I was happy to hear such a response and also happy that Stan Caldwell, Steve James, Kent Latch and Dennis Seymore assisted me so well after only hearing it once during warm ups before 6:00 p.m.

I said my "Goodbyes" just in case I leave early for Tennessee and don't get back there to pick and sing with my good friends again for a while. I'll sure miss all of them a lot. They're a wonderful group of people united in friendship with a common purpose of sharing their love of Country and Bluegrass music.
------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 6th, I played my fiddle for quite a while. I haven't been playing fiddle much lately as I've been so busy with the banjo. I can tell I've been away from some of the tunes in my repertoire by the amount of muscle-memory forgetting going on. lol
Gotta get practiced up for when I return to Tennessee where I'll be fiddlin' a whole lot more.
------------------------------------------------------------

This morning (Tuesday the 5th) while playing my new banjo tune for Mary and getting her approval, we decided that I would drop my name off of the title. So it's no longer "Fred's Banjo Tuner Blues"; it's now "The Banjo Tuner Blues". I agree with her, it sounds better that way.

I broke a string rehearsing the tune over and over. It broke right where the string goes through the nut. I loaded the nut up with graphite in an effort to lubricate the area against all the friction of using the tuners so much. Hope it works well for the new string. It's a pain changing strings and resetting those pesky tuners.
------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 4th, I went over to Tommy Smith's and played fiddle with quite a few other musicians playing guitars and mandolins.

Those present and playing music were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Allison, mandolin; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Bobby Mc Adams, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Junior Stimbo, guitar and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

Each time we went around the circle and it became my turn to play, I played a fiddle tune. Throughout the evening, I played "Blue Mountain Waltz", "Dry and Dusty", "Lost Indian" and "Happy Acres Two-Step" as well as "Faded Love" and "Silver Wings" during others' turns. I played for three hours before going home and had a wonderful time.
------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 3rd of June, I continued working on my new banjo tune titled "Fred's Banjo Tuner Blues". I added a second part which features the tuners even more and I'm glad that I didn't settle for the way I first wrote it and went ahead and added the variations to it. (It's more to have to remember but it's worth it.)

I thought about driving up to Mountain View today but decided it was just too hot so I hung around the home place instead.
------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday afternoon, the 2nd of June, I composed a banjo tune using the Keith Tuners (which allow the strings to de-tune and re-tune accurately while playing) and I titled it "Fred's Banjo Tuner Blues". I'm having a blast with it and can't wait to perform it for my picking buddies as I know they'll quickly figure out bluesy breaks for their instruments. It's in the key of D, so it's another tune I can play in D Tuning using the tuners. Alright!
------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 1st of June, I drove up to Heber Springs with my long-time friend Bill Fernald along for the fun. We took part in the weekly jam session held at the old Triple A building. Many of my musicians friends were in attendance and Bill got to pick and sing and visit with a lot of them. We had a blast.

Musicians present were: Tim Sturch, guitar and vocals; Lyndell Quick, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Dennis Seymore, harmonica, guitar and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Cloy Skinner, guitar and fiddle; Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin, upright bass, guitar and vocals; (Kent's friend ? on guitar and vocals); Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Honeycott, Dobro and vocals; Kendall Roberson, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals. There may have been others, too.

A Musical May

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of May, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Thursday afternoon, the 31st, Bill and Sally and I went up to Heber Springs and met up with Stan Caldwell and Kent Latch at the old triple A building and jammed Bluegrass for a couple of hours. We had a super time doing so.

We were originally headed for Mountain View to see if there were any musicians in the park, but after me calling Stan, he suggested we meet in Heber Springs and jam there which is thirty miles closer to home. After we played for a couple of hours or more, Bill and Sally and I went to King Buffet there in town and enjoyed a nice Chinese meal before heading back to Searcy.
------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 28th, Bill Fernald and I went over to the weekly Monday Night Jam Session at the home of Tommy Smith on the Panther Creek Road. Quite a few musicians were present and Bill got to meet and play music with them. We had a great time picking and singing.

Musicians present were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar, mando-guitar and vocals; Don Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Allison, mandolin; Mike Smith, mando-guitar; Johnathan Poole, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; Alvin Hearyman, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 26th, I drove up to Heber Springs and rode into Mountain View with Stan Caldwell and Steve James. The Park was very busy with two gazebos already filled with musicians and listeners. We were able to eventually find a parking spot and carry our instruments to our favorite gazebo which was still vacant.

We played there for several hours and considerable sized audiences gathered and dispersed all morning and into the early afternoon. We then took a break and had a nice lunch and decided to start picking again over by the music store at which point our good friend Lonnie Collins joined in with his ukulele bass. We played for several hours and entertained a great many folks. Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; Steve James played resonator guitar; Lonnie Collins played bass and I played banjo and sang. We had a wonderful day. There were hundreds of folks wandering around the park listening to the various groups that had formed.
------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 25th, I drove up to Heber Springs for the weekly jam session. As usual, I had a wonderful time. All the folks there had a celebration for Stan Caldwell's birthday which was the previous 22nd of May.

Musicians present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Rick Gardner, upright bass and vocals; Alvis Alford, harmonica, guitar and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin, guitar, upright bass, fiddle and vocals; Dennis Seymore, guitar and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Honeycott, resonator guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Raymond Rawlings, guitar; Ken Roberson, guitar; Gerald ?, guitar and vocals; a talented woman singing and playing guitar; and yours truly, banjo.
------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 21st, I was able to attend the weekly Old Country/Bluegrass jam session at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Smith on the Panther Creek road near Albion.

Much to my surprise, when I arrived there were around thirteen cars in the yard and yet no one in the garage. I heard sounds of laughter coming from the house and opened the door to a fish-fry party with a superb assortment of all kinds of foods and desserts. Guitarist, Gary Veach, had supplied the Buffalo fish and others had cooked and baked a variety of the best tasting foods I've had in a long while. Southern cooking and Southern hospitality done right!

Later, after every one had had their fill, we retired to the garage to play music. many of the usual musicians were there, including: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, lead guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, lead guitar and vocals; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, ukulele bass; David Davis, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; Mike Smith, guitar; Dewey Townsend, guitar; Bobby McAdams, mandolin; another young man playing guitar; and yours truly on fiddle. Junior Stimbo and John Allison were present but didn't play while I was there.
------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 20th, I learned a new fiddle tune titled "Sugar Tree Stomp" from a Kenny Baker video. It didn't take too long to learn as I think I've played along with this tune over the years with my banjo. I got the idea to learn it after I called my good friend John Gott back in eastern Tennessee to inquire about his health. When we got to talking "fiddle", it wasn't long before Kenny Baker came up and then this tune. It's a great tune that has three parts, all of which are easy to play along with.

In the afternoon, I learned how to play "Banjo Chimes" in the key of A. I knew how to pick this tune many years ago but had totally forgotten it. I found a version that my friend from long ago, Bobby Lundy, did on YouTube and learned it from him. So today I added a fiddle tune and a banjo tune to my list of tunes. Yes!
------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 19th (International Fiddle Day!) I was invited to perform with a group of musicians for a family homecoming in the little community of Higden, just north of Heber Springs by about 1/2 hour drive.

The group consisted of Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Kent Latch, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gary Potter, mandolin and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; and yours truly on banjo, fiddle and vocals. We played for several hours and had a wonderful time entertaining the many folks who turned out for the reunion. When we took a break to partake of the wonderful foods that had been prepared, I got to taste some really fabulous home cooking.
------------------------------------------------------------

On Friday night, the 18th, I drove up to Heber Springs for the weekly jam session at the old Triple A building. Lots of musicians turned out for the jam. There was also a beautiful, tasty cake provided to celebrate Kent Latch's retirement from well over thirty years at the Heber Springs Water Department.

Musicians present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Stan Caldwell, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Cloy Skinner, fiddle and guitar; Kent Latch, mandolin, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Dennis Seymore, guitar and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Gerald ?, guitar and vocals; Joe Giroir, harmonica and vocals; Norma Lee Townsend, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and mandolin.
-----------------------------------------------------------

I missed my Monday night weekly Old Country and Bluegrass jam session on the 14th, as I watched the pool hall for my good friend, Ben Hensley, while he was doing errands, etc. I'll be busy the following Monday night, too, but it won't be too long and I'll be back fiddlin' up a storm over there with my buddies on the Panther Creek road.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 12th, I met Stan Caldwell and Steve James in Heber Springs and rode up to Mountain View with them to spend the day playing Bluegrass.

When we arrived and got set up and started playing, it was only a short while before a new friend showed up and sat in playing upright bass with us. His name is Chuck Kimsey. Chuck's a very talented musician and a delight to pick with. He's from Missouri and he and his wife drove over here to play music in the park. Later on, Clint Lowery showed up and played fiddle with us and later, after Chuck left, Don Norman took over playing upright bass. We started pickin' at 10:45 and save for a quick lunch, we picked all the way through 'til 4:30 p.m.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 11th, I drove up to Heber Springs to the old triple A building for the weekly Bluegrass jam. When I first got there, I jammed with Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; and Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals. Later the following musicians arrived: Eddie Heatcott, Dobro and vocals; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Steve James, Dobro; Richard Gardner, upright bass and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin and vocals; Dennis Seymore, guitar and vocals; Destiny ?, guitar and vocals; Joe Giroir, harmonica and vocals; and two other women (one playing guitar, the other mandolin, and both providing vocals). I played banjo and sang.

I played my new arrangement of "Faded Love" in D Tuning using the tuners. I actually played it twice due to a request to hear it again.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 10th, I composed an instrumental in the key of G for the 5-string banjo. It employs both Keith tuners in a unique pattern that's actually quite difficult to work through but so far I've got it. I just hope I don't forget it until it becomes second nature, which could be quite a while the way my memory is going lately. lol. I also hope the tuners hold out while I'm learning to master them! I'm thinking I'll name it "The Trip to Mountain View".

--------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 7th, I worked out a real catchy arrangement of the famous old fiddle tune "Faded Love" on the 5-string banjo in D Tuning using the 2nd and 3rd strings by tuning and de-tuning them. It's a lot of fun to play. It took quite a few tries to get the melody chords just right but I kept after it until I got it.

This gives me quite a few tunes that I can now play in D-Tuning using the tuners. Here's the list so far: "Reuben", "You Are My Sunshine", "Home Sweet Home", "Red River Valley" and "Faded Love". I intend to keep working on different songs and instrumentals until I get a bunch of them.

I'm looking forward to playing my fiddle at Tommy Smith's tonight on Panther Creek road near Pangburn, Arkansas. The last time I was a part of the weekly Monday Night jam session here was on the evening of March 12th, less than a week shy of two months ago.

It was a packed house (actually it was the garage) at Tommy's tonight. There were many musicians who turned out to play Old Country and Bluegrass. Here's a list of those I knew: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, mandolin and vocals; Mike Smith, guitar and vocals; Tracy Smith (Mike's wife), guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, ukulele bass and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; Alvin Hearyman, guitar and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; two other young men who played guitar and sang; and yours truly, fiddle. John Allison and Bobby Mc Adams were there but didn't play.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 5th, I drove up to Heber Springs and met Stan Caldwell and Steve James there and we all rode up to Mountain View to pick in the park.

Stan played guitar and sang; Steve played Dobro; Don Norman played upright bass; and I played banjo. I played my "Green Hornet" banjo, a Dixie Belle model built by Clancy Mullins of Johnson City, Tennessee. I just love the sound of it. It's coming in to its own now after me having played it for countless hours vibrating that gold-plated bell brass, JLS pre-war-style tone ring.

There was a Corvette convention going on around the court square with many beautiful cars coming and going. It was a super enjoyable day all the way around. We had a very large and appreciative audience for most of the time we played.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Friday evening, the 4th, I drove up to Heber Springs for the weekly jam session at the old Triple A building. Many of the musicians I've come to know were there and picking up a storm. Those present were: Stan Caldwell, guitar, vocals and banjo; Steve James, Dobro; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Kent Latch, mandolin, bass and vocals; Cloy Skinner, guitar; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Honeycott, Dobro and vocals; Raymond Rawls, guitar; Leonard Lynn Uecker, Dobro and vocals; Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Alvis Alford, harmonica; Dennis Seymore, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 3rd, I arranged a version of "Red River Valley" in D Tuning on the banjo. I've played it for years in standard G Tuning and thought while I'm fooling around in D Tuning, I might as well give it a go.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 2nd, I continued practicing the tunes I worked on yesterday. I also learned a new banjo tune (new for me that is) titled "Bully of the Town". I learned it in standard G Tuning and came up with a cool arrangement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 1st of May, I worked on several banjo tunes that I hadn't picked for a while. I tuned the banjo down to D Tuning ADF#AD (5th to 1st) and fine tuned the playing of "You Are My Sunshine" and "Reuben". I also made up an arrangement of "Home Sweet Home" using the Keith-Scruggs tuners like I do in "You Are My Sunshine".

An Acoustic April

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of April, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Today, Saturday the 28th, I will drive to Heber Springs and park my car at the Triple A building and ride up to Mountain View with two of my favorite Bluegrass musicians here in Arkansas; Stan Caldwell and Steve James. These fellows are very talented musicians and a delight to jam with. It's forecast to be in the high 70s and sunny, so I'll bet there will be lots of musicians and listeners gathering in the Park to take part in a day of wonderful music.

I've returned from a super day of super picking with some great musician friends. Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang and even played some banjo for a while. Steve James played Dobro (actually it's an Adams resonator guitar). We were accompanied by a very talented hammer dulcilmer player named Bruce Warren who played excellent Bluegrass right along with us. We were also joined by Jim Shelton on guitar and vocals and Don Norman on upright bass and vocals. Also, Sammy Lawrence stopped by and sang "You Are My Flower" and picked it on guitar. We had a very large audience around us that thoroughly enjoyed our playing. I also saw Jay Kaffka and Raymond Rawls but they weren't picking music today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 27th, I have to perform at the Waychoff Senior Center in Heber Springs this morning from 10:00 until 12:00 noon. Then I have to hurry back to Judsonia to perform at a private birthday party (surprise) for a good friend, Vernon McFalls, who will turn 82 today.
Tonight I planned to perform again in Heber Springs at the old Triple A building for the weekly Friday Night Jam but at the last hour or so decided against it and decided to meet Stan Caldwell and Steve James in Heber Springs Saturday morning and drive to Mountain View and perform there.

We performed to nearly a full house and had a wonderful time. Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; Terry Majewski played mandolin and guitar and sang; Cloy Skinner played bass; and I played banjo and sang. It's so much playing for elderly folks who enjoy our music so much.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The 26th, again I visited my friends at the pool hall. Later I practiced banjo and helped Mary around the complex where we live. She manages all these townhouses and stays exceptionally busy keeping everything in order.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The 25th, I visited my friends at "Pops Hideaway" owned and operated by my good friend, Ben Hensley. It was great to see the following friends again: Ben, Jessie Crum, Vern McFalls, Joe Busby, George Cooper and Kevin Ball. We all played One Pocket and had a great time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The 24th, I left Clarksville TN and drove up to Eddyville Kentucky and headed southwest to Missouri then into Tennessee and finally Arkansas and to home in Searcy. Total mileage from Unicoi, TN ended up 775 miles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The 23rd, I turned off from I-81 and went up 25E through a tunnel and into Kentucky. I drove as far north as London and turned and headed west to Bowling Green and headed down into Tennessee to Clarksville to visit Mary's son, Seth at Fort Campbell where he's stationed in the Army. I spent the night at his home.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon on the 22nd, I rode up to Ron Lane's with Ron Duncan for what will probably be my last jam session with the fellows until possibly as late as next October. There was a good turnout for the jam. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Jerry Mc Carty played upright bass; Terry Taylor played mandolin and guitar and sang; Jim Stidham played guitar; Burl Manis played guitar and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang and I played the fiddle.

I sure am going to miss these guys. They are a super amount of fun to hang out with and their musicianship is top shelf!
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 21st, Ron Duncan and I traveled out to Rheatown for the weekly Bluegrass jam sessions. I decided to just play my banjo and left the fiddles in the car. We started picking outside where the weather was beautiful. Ron Duncan played guitar, mandolin and sang; Butch Rupp played guitar, mandolin, Dobro and sang; Peewee ? (Butch's friend) sang; Eric Bowman played guitar, banjo and sang; Andrew Marshall played mandolin; Travis Fulton played guitar and sang; John Skelton played upright bass; and I played banjo and sang.

Other musicians that were scattered about picking were: John Cooper, fiddle; Maynard Shelton, mandolin and vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Dave Henard, upright bass; Ryan Henard, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; and probably a couple more that I missed.

NOTE: It was with a great deal of sadness that I learned this evening of the passing of my very good friend, Charlie Booher. Mary and I first met Charlie at Rheatown. He was a very talented bassist having played for Jimmy Martin in years gone by. He was a true friend as was his dear wife, Wanda, who preceded him in death by a year or so. We saw Charlie lots with his wife and then after her passing he got sicker and sicker until he wasn't out and around that much. I saw him just this past March 27th up in Bluff City at the emergency squad building where he came to see his friends and listen to Bluegrass. He had quite a collection of standup basses. I'll miss him a great deal. What a friend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 20th, I rode up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. Lots of musicians showed up and there were three rooms busy picking Bluegrass. The room Ron, Gordon and I settled down in also had the following musicians: Michael Little, Dobro; Debbie Little, spoons and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Chalrlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; Ron Lane, vocals; Jim Stidham, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Gary Barker, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

The back room consisted of the following musicians: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Whitehead, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Mrs. Rufus Thames, upright bass and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; and perhaps a few more that I missed. The middle room had Bill Mc Call, guitar and vocals; Tom Antonoosie, mandolin and vocals; John Farrell, guitar and vocals; and others that I missed out on seeing.

It was a fun-filled, music-packed evening that we all enjoyed!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 19th, I traveled up to Boone's Creek with Ron Duncan and had Clancy Mullins adjust the neck on my newest banjo. It was built by Clancy a few years back and was the first of only three green-colored banjos he's ever built. It's styled after the Gibson "Style 6" with Hearts & Flowers inlay and gold-plated hardware including Keith/Scruggs tuners. A "Mullins" banjo is a very professional banjo in every aspect and his banjos are sought after the world over. I'm honored to own one and to be a good friend of Clancy.

Later in the evening, we picked up Gordon and headed for the Old Pilot Hill General where we performed for several hours to a nice-sized audience. We always enjoy playing for Donnie and Denise.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday night, the 18th, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and I traveled to Kingsport to make a few stops and enjoy the music scene there.

Our first stop was at the Appalachian Mountain Music Museum which was closed at 5 p.m. although we were told they would be open until 6 p.m. The next stop was at Tennessee Sounds where we met Vic Jenkins, the owner. He specializes in acoustic instruments and I tried out several fiddles, bows and a couple of the banjos available.

The next stop was the "Gypsy Circus", a craft beer and cidery. There we saw our good friends Corey Jeter and J. C. Radford performing music. The next stop was the "Woodstone" bar and grill which features an open mic on Wednesday nights. There we got to hear Pete Salstrom, guitarist and vocalist originally from the Chicago area.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 17th, I traveled up to Bristol with Jerry Sams where he and I joined the rest of the band "Midnight Grass" to perform for several hours at a private setting in a beautiful estate home out in the country. Gary Taylor played upright bass; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Jeff Webb played guitar; Troy Bennett played guitar and sang; Rick Guinn played banjo; and yours truly played the fiddle. We all enjoyed ourselves very much and the wonderful folks we entertained enjoyed our music and conversation as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 15th, I rode up with Ron Duncan to the Sunday Bluegrass session at Ron Lane's studio in Gray. Musicians present were Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. We had a very professional, tight-sounding musical afternoon. It was one of those days when everything just plain came out near-perfect. We all loved the music today. It was tight! I love it when it gets like this!
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night I went with Ron Duncan up to Rheatown for the weekly Bluegrass jam session at the Market. What a great musical evening it was.

Musicians present were: Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Travis Fulton, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Eric Bowman, upright bass, banjo, guitar and vocals; John Skelton, upright bass; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Bill Mc Clain, Dobro and vocals; Butch Rupp, Dobro and vocals; Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals; Vicki Austin, upright bass and vocals; Hunter Patterson, guitar and vocals; Alan Hughes, guitar and vocals; and three other guitarists and one other fiddler that I did not know.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 13th, "Midnight Grass" will be playing in the back room over at the Johnson City Moose Lodge. I'll be playing fiddle with the group. I have a standing invitation to perform with them when I'm in Tennessee and I sure do appreciate it when we all get together and pick. Tonight I expect the group will consist of Gary Taylor, upright bass and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Rick Guinn, banjo; and yours truly on fiddle. More later...........

We had a super picking session drawing many encores from the audience. I think we had five encores that we addressed and another one we just had to refuse so that we could leave and go home! To put it mildly, we were a hit!
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon, the 12th, I began learning another Jay Ungar waltz. This one is titled "Mountain House". It's in the key of A and it's quite simple, yet beautiful as so many of his tunes are. I probably would never have heard it if it wasn't for my good friend, John Gott, playing it for me on Tuesday night at the Rescue Squad building where we played along with Joe Thompson and Ron Duncan.

Tonight, I'll meet Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle in Erwin and we'll go up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store for their weekly Bluegrass/Old Time fiddling/Old Country music get together. We usually meet Bob and Alice Hensley, Melvin Saults and Jack Painter there along with several others and have a great time sharing tunes and songs. More later......

We all had a fun jam session to a full house. All the tables were filled with dining guests who really enjoyed the Bluegrass and fiddling. While Gary Taylor was in attendance, he fiddled a number of old favorites before leaving early. Charlotte Snyder also had to leave early but managed to sing several good old Country standbys. Quinton Snapp played harmonica and sang and also left early.

When Ron Duncan and I started to perform, we played with the following musicians: Gary Taylor, fiddle; Charlotte Snyder, vocals; Quinton Snapp, harmonica and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Guy Hopkins, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals. Gordon Hoyle elected to sit and listen rather than play his guitar.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday afternoon, the 11th, I went over to Johnson City and had a wonderful visit with my good friend, Roger Messer. Roger now owns two "Sams" guitar, both built by my good friend, Jerry Sams. He had me play them both and I really liked the tone and ease of playing on both of them. Jerry prefers a larger sound hole than traditionally-sized holes and I think they provide for more volume and perhaps a little deeper tone. While there I also played a Chinese guitar made by Luna called a D-50. I also played a 1999 Martin recently repaired by Jerry Sams and another guitar that I can't remember who built it.

I also played two hand-built banjos that Roger made and he did a fine job making them. I also played an older Epiphone banjo and another one built by Clancy Mullins about 10 years ago. Also, I played a couple of Roger's fiddles and even another one that I sold him a couple of years back called the "E. Monheimer". It was a lot of fun seeing Roger again.

I thought there might be a jam session tonight at the log cabin in Unicoi but it must have been too cold as I didn't receive a call to come and pick. I'll be glad when the weather finally warms up enough when there's picking every night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday afternoon, the 10th, I worked on my favorite fiddle a bit more. I had adjusted the tailpiece last Friday, the 6th, and I liked the resulting tone so much better I decided to adjust it again. This time I moved it all the way back to where the edge of the tailpiece was even with the edge of the fiddle. This allows maximum tension on the bridge while allowing the fullest of vibration of the bridge which in turn allows more vibration to the sound box. The tone has increased incredibly as has the volume. (This month's photo inset shows a fiddle with the tailpiece too far forward which has the effect of dampening a lot of the vibration).

Tonight, I'll be traveling to Bluff City along with Ron Duncan to meet John Gott and Joe Thompson at the Bluegrass session. More later....

Ron and I stopped at the Bluff City Diner before going to the jam session and it's one of the finest country diners I've been to.

I met a banjo picker from Massachusetts named Ron Des Jardins who was playing a Nechville 5-string. He did a wonderful job picking it while playing Bluegrass with some other friends he had met in St. Augustine, Florida. There were three groups tonight. I chose to play fiddle tunes with John Gott and Joe Thompson while the other two groups were Bluegrass.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday afternoon I composed a new fiddle tune and lacking the imagination to properly title it, I simply named it "The Afternoon Reel". It's in the key of A (3 sharps) and it zips right along. I don't have it up to the speed that I will eventually settle on but I'm getting closer every trip through it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 8th, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan and played Bluegrass with several of our good friends at Ron Lane's studio. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry Coleman played upright bass and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro, guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. Later, Ron Duncan, Ron Lane and I decided to have some Chinese buffet there in Gray before calling it quits for the evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 7th, I opted to stay home and practice fiddle and banjo. It was just too cold to venture out with the ominous threat of snow in the forecast. After midnight it actually did snow!
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon, the 6th, I'll leave for Blountville to play fiddle and banjo up at the Anderson House ( a two-story hewn log building where early commissioners and justices stayed for business at the Sullivan County Courthouse during the Revolutioary days) where my good friends Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and I will meet many of our musician friends. more later.............

It was a busy night in Blountville at the Anderson House. The back room was full to the brim with pickers as was the center room. Musicians in the back room were: Randy Singleton, banjo, ukulele bass and vocals; Clancy Mullins (he chose not to pick his banjo and left early); Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Joe Thompson, guitar; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Ben Waddell, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

Musicians in the center room were: Bill Mc Call (age 92), guitar and vocals; Tom Antonoosie, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; and several others that I don't know the names of yet.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon, the 5th, I practiced fiddle and banjo for a while after returning home from the Clinchfield Senior Center. I visit there every weekday morning to play pool with my good friends Henry Barnett, Wayne "Red" Hovatter, Dan Lewis and Charlie McConnell. Other friends that are often there playing pool on the other table are: Carlisle Love, Otis Ray, Earl Hopkins, Russell Bracken and John Harris.

Tonight, I will ride up to Philadelphia to the Old Pilot Hill General Store for the weekly jam session that just started up again after the winter months. It's lots of fun playing "Old Country" and "Bluegrass".

We all had an excellent Bluegrass session with the following musicians attending: Ed Lauderback, guitar and vocals; Rob Campbell, mandolin and vocals; Scott Knowlton, bass and vocals; Butch Fortune, guitar and vocals; Quinton Snapp, harmonica and vocals;; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Guy Hopson, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 4th, I took a while in the afternoon to relocate the tailpiece on my "Great Aunt Julia" (1834) fiddle. While I had the strings off, I changed them. The Zyex strings had been on for around a year of heavy playing and yet they were still sounding good. I kept them for spares and re-strung the fiddle with Helicore mediums I got on sale for $29.00 a set.

Moving the tailpiece back more toward the end pin helps increase the volume and establish better tone; more resonance. It seems like there are more overtones coming into play.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 3rd, I learned a Byron Berline version of "Huckleberry Hornpipe" on the fiddle and am practicing getting it up to speed to perform it this evening when I go to Bluff City to play Bluegrass.

I had a great time at Bluff City tonight jamming with several of my close friends. I rode up there with Ron Duncan who played mandolin, guitar and sang some Bluegrass numbers. He and Joe Thompson also provided rhythm guitar backup for a number of fiddle tunes that John Gott and I performed. John played several well known waltzes like "Over The Waves", "Oopic Waltz", etc., and some reels like "Buffalo Gals", etc. I provided harmony fiddle for him and later I played some tunes to have the fellows try. Tunes such as: "Huckleberry Hornpipe", "The Logger's Breakdown", "Miller's Reel", "Tennessee Rag" and "Windy City Rag". I got too busy to take any pictures tonight, unfortunately, because I love to have a record of who all was jamming. Hopefully next time.

Earlier, before I went in the little room at the bottom of the stairs to play with my close friends, I sat in on a couple of tunes with some other friends in the bigger "middle room". Musicians present there were: Ray Dearstone, Ann Eaves, Daniel Houseright, Phil Hensley, and a few others I didn't know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 2nd, I continued practicing around the house fine tuning several fiddle tunes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 1st of April there was no picking at Ron Lane's studio due to most of the guys celebrating Easter. I practiced around the house most of the day.

A Musical March

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of March, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Saturday, the 31st, I went up to Rheatown along with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle for the weekly Bluegrass jam that's been going on for over 50 years. There was good attendance and we all had a great time playing old-time traditional Bluegrass. The group I picked in for most of the time while there was: Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Bill McClain, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

Before leaving, I played my fiddle out in the front of the store with the other group comprised of: Trish Ann Eaves, mandolin; Terry Wade, upright bass and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 30th, I learned what I thought was the fiddle tune "Tennessee Rag" as played by famous fiddler Benny Martin. What a great tune and it zips right along. This is a good tune to have in the instrumental Bluegrass arsenal. Hopefully I'll have it up to speed (almost there) by tonight so I can perform it in Blountville when I play there. It's surprising how much the first part of this tune resembles the first part of "Dance Around Molly" and the second part of the tune has striking similarities to the second part of "Bill Cheatum". Well, after searching the internet, I found out the tune was "Grey Eagle". So, I then had to learn "Tennessee Rag" from an old video of an older man playing it. This tune isn't much like "Dance Around Molly" at all. Lots of records had improper tune labeling in the olden days as fiddlers and record producers would mix up tune titles. Oh well, I learned two tunes, anyway. lol.

I'll be going up to Blountville this evening to the Anderson House with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to play some Bluegrass. It'll be great to see many of my friends up there.

Well, I picked banjo from 6:30 until 10:00 without even taking a break. We all played one tune right after the other. It was Bluegrass "heaven". Randy Singleton played ukulele bass and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar and sang; Joe Thompson played guitar; Jim Stidman played guitar; Paul Brummitt played guitar and sang; Ernie Schaffer played mandolin and sang; and I played banjo and sang and at the very end of the evening, a couple of tunes on the fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 29th, I'm attending the Bluegrass jam at Old Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, Tennessee. This is their first night of starting up after having the winter off due to cold weather. I'll ride up there with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle and we'll pick some good old Bluegrass for sure.

Musicians present were: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Larry Mc Neese, guitar and vocals; Charlotte Snyder, vocals; Guy Hopson, guitar and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; Melvin Saults, guitar and vocals; and Ben Waddell, guitar and vocals. I played the banjo. We all enjoyed the evening a whole bunch.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 28th, I'll be playing my fiddle at the Unicoi Log cabin. I've been looking forward for a long time to play with these "Wednesday Night Pickers" ( a name I just invented, lol). Fiddle tunes I'll perform will include these: G: Roanoke; A: Missouri Road; Bb: Logger's Breakdown; G: Acoustic Toothpick; D: Long Bow; D: Mountain Strings; A: Virginia Darlin'; A: Blue Mountain Waltz; A: Laughing Boy; C: Stone's Rag; Em: Southern Flavor; A: Dance With Me Molly; A: Arab Bounce; E: Dry and Dusty; F: Smokey Mountain Rag; A: Devil's Dream; D: Forked Deer; and Dm: Lonesome Moonlight Waltz.

Well, the evening is over and I had a superb time playing fiddle with these fine musicians. It's really a flow experience to pick with them. Those in attendance were: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Troy Bennett, rhythm guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Tom Wilson, guitarist, showed up but without an instrument and decided just to listen and enjoy.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 27th, I learned an old Canadian fiddle tune called "Quebec Reel". I used to listen to Simon St. Pierre fiddle this tune and I'd play along with my banjo many years ago up in Skowhegan, Maine when the Kennebec Valley Boys would jam around their bus after their performances were finished for the day. Boy, those were fun days and nights. I never thought about learning the tune on the fiddle until this morning and picked it up quickly this afternoon. Cool!

Tonight I'm going over to Elizabethton and then up to Bluff City, so I'll be playing fiddle quite a bit. More later........

At Ziggy Rays, in Elizabethton, Ron and I enjoyed the Old Country band called "Downtown Country". I recognized three of the six members in the group. They were: Jim Woods, guitar and vocals; Pete Taylor, steel guitar; and Carl Hazelwood, guitar and vocals. I didn't get the chance to meet the others. The band members are very talented and I sure did enjoy listening to them.

From there, we drove up to Bluff City to the emergency squad building for the Tuesday night Bluegrass jam. The place was absolutely packed with my musician friends and I got to visit with quite a few before settling in to a room and jamming for several hours.
Here's a partial list of who I saw: Ron Duncan, Charlie Booher, Joe Thompson, John Gott, Charlie Ervin, Ray Dearborn, Phil Shiplett, Terry Barnes, Daniel Houseright, Randy Carrier, Mike Laws, Gail Evans, Trish Ann Eaves, Dave Wilhoit, Phil Hensley, Charlie Powers, Kenny Love, Bobby Love, Hal Boyd, Paul Adams, Tim Laughlin, Randy Rasnick, Tyler Wiseman, Randy Singleton, Steve Shipley, Joshua Williams, and many others. What a night!
------------------------------------------------------------------

Early on the morning of the 26th (about 4:45) I started learning the fiddle tune called "Miller's Reel". I've heard this tune played for years but never had the urge to learn it until now. The 1st part is easy and the 2nd part offers a little more difficulty. But it's a great tune to have in the arsenal. So now I have two more tunes to add to the list; "Logger's Breakdown" and "Miller's Reel".
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 25th, I met Ron Duncan down in Unicoi and rode up with him to Ron Lane's studio for the Sunday pickin' session. It was absolutely great to see my pickin' buddies again after being away for a couple of months or more. We had a super Bluegrass jam going over a whole bunch of our favorites and shooting the breeze, too. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass; Richard Widdows, Dobro, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo (for a short while before he had to leave early), and yours truly, fiddle and banjo. (I played Richard's "Dixie Belle" banjo built by Clancy Mullins). We missed Terry Taylor who had a playing engagement elsewhere and was unable to be with us. Next Sunday there will be no jam session as it's Easter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of March 24th, I learned a new fiddle tune called "Logger's Breakdown" in the key of B Flat. It's a catchy tune probably from Canada. It just sounds Canadian the way the melody goes. In a way it's similar to the first half of "Durham's Bull" but the second half varies quite a bit from "Durham's Bull" so I guess they're only distantly related.

I'm looking forward to the Sunday afternoon jam session tomorrow. Maybe I'll fiddle this tune for the fellows and see what they think.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 23rd, I arrived in Limestone Cove, Tennessee, unloaded the car and hooked up my old computer. 635 miles was enough of a drive for one day. It's great to be back among the gorgeous mountains which, incidentally, are still snow-covered. More later.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 21st, and it looks as though I'll be leaving the morning of the 23rd. This will assure me dry roads to travel on with no snow to have to deal with.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 20th, I drove up to Heber Springs to the Southridge Nursing Home where I performed for the elderly with the rest of the band "The Sugarloafers". Cloy Skinner played bass; Joe Jakonczuk played banjo; Terry Majewski played guitar and sang; Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.

We had a nice and tight sound for most of the performance with a couple of deviations where we attempted tunes and songs that we had not sufficiently practiced. But we heard no complaints from the wonderful audience that gathered for about two hours to listen to us with nice rounds of applause after each number. I bid farewell to fellow band members until we all meet again when I return from Tennessee.

We're all supposed to perform at the Waychoff Assisted Living Center in Heber Springs this Friday morning and I planned to be in Tennessee by then but now I'm not sure that I'll leave Thursday morning because there's a lot of snow forecast for Unicoi County. I may actually wait and go Saturday morning which would mean I'll be available to perform at Waychoff's. I'll just have to keep a close eye on the weather and any changes that might affect my travel plans.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 19th and the last Monday night for quite a while that I'll be available to play music with my many friends at the Panther Creek jam at Tommy Smith's. Tomorrow morning will be my last performance with "The Sugarloafers" for quite a while, too, since I'll be in Tennessee for some time playing music up there.

This afternoon, I picked up the fiddle to think about what I was going to play this evening at the weekly jam session and I thought of a tune I haven't tried in probably three weeks to a month, called "Windy City Rag" in B Flat by Kenny Baker. I didn't have it up to speed then and I sure don't now. It's a wonder I haven't forgotten it all together, but I managed to remember the whole tune once I got going on it again, but needless to say, I won't be attempting it tonight. It's a crooked tune requiring some fancy fingering and fancy bowing and it's one of those that needs a whole lot of practice to break through and get to the level required to "master" it. Not tonight!

Well, the evening's over and we all had a great time getting together. I'm going to miss these guys. They're a blast to be around. Musicians there tonight were: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Don Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, Bobby Mc Adams, John Allison, Jim Scarborough, Lonnie Collins, Junior Stimbo, Gary Veach, Martin Palmer, Dewey Townsend and yours truly. Silly me, I forgot to take pictures of the gang so I could post them on "Page 15". I'll just have to wait until I get back this way "pickin'" again.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The morning and afternoon of the 18th, I found it was a great day to hang around and just practice some banjo tunes. Tunes like: "Roanoke", "Talk of the Town", "Dixie Breakdown", "Little Rock Getaway", one of my originals called "Top Notch Breakdown", "Banjo Signal", "You Are My Sunshine" in D Tuning with the Keith-Scruggs tuners, "Hamilton County Breakdown", "Pike County Breakdown", "Theme Time", "Pickaway", "Black Diamond", "Haskell's Stomp" and "Mc Cormick's String Picnic". Later on I guess I'll practice some fiddle tunes.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of March 16th, I played fiddle, banjo and stand up bass at the weekly jam session held at the old Triple A building in Heber Springs. There were quite a few musicians present and we all had a super time. We all signed a get well card brought in by Alvis Alford for Mary Lee Turney who has been suffering from diverticulitis in a local hospital.

Those in attendance were: Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; Cloy Skinner, guitar and fiddle; Trent Whitehead, guitar and vocals; Dennis Seymore, guitar and vocals; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Eddie Heathcott, Dobro and vocals; Tammy Haile, vocals; Connor Haile, ukulele, guitar, stand up bass and vocals; Kent Latch, stand up bass, mandolin and vocals; Steve James, Dobro; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Joe Giroir, harmonica and vocals; and I also saw Alvin Alford and Richard Gardener who probably played some after I left.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 13th, I performed with the band "The Sugarloafers" at Seven Springs Nursing Home in Heber Springs. Joe Jakonczuk played banjo, Terry Majewski played guitar and sang, Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang and I played fiddle. We all enjoy playing for the elderly very much.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, I played my fiddle over at Tommy Smith's weekly jam session on Panther Creek road near Pangburn. Many of the regular attendees were there and we all had a great time. Tommy Smith, Mitch Rascoe, Jim Scarborough, Ron Ramsey, Don Ramsey, Martin Palmer, Junior Stimbo and Alvin Hearyman all played guitars and sang; Dewey Townsend played guitar; Lonnie Collins played ukulele bass; Bobby McAdams played mandolin; and I played fiddle. Later on, after Lonnie left, Ron played electric bass.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 11th. and I've been practicing "Little Rock Getaway" on the banjo quite a bit lately as it's really starting to come together. At some point, I'd like to get my friends Stan Caldwell, Terry Majewski and Steve James to be able to play it, too. I would like to have Steve take a break on it on his Dobro and the others play rhythm to it with their guitars.
It is such a catchy tune I just can't put it up!
----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 9th, I drove up to Heber Springs and played the fiddle at Waychoff Senior Center on Trailwood Drive. Terry Majewski played guitar and sang; Stan Caldwell also played guitar and sang; and Joe Jakonczuk played banjo. We performed from about 9:45 until 12:00 noon. The residents all enjoyed our music very much and we all enjoyed playing for them.

After that morning gig, Stan invited me to a day of traveling around to parts of Arkansas I had yet to experience. He drove me down to Conway where we had a nice lunch at China Town in a large shopping center there (one of three huge shopping centers). We came back a different way and stopped at his home in Rosebud where we had a guitar and banjo jam session before heading back to Heber Springs for our weekly Bluegrass/Old Country jam. Several of the core group pickers were present and we all had a great time singing and picking and shooting the breeze.
----------------------------------------------------------------

I played the banjo a lot this afternoon, the 8th. I'm looking forward to picking tomorrow with my good buddy Stan. First, I'll perform with The Sugarloafers at Waychoff's Senior Center in Heber Springs and then play music with Stan Caldwell for the afternoon in Rosebud before attending the Friday night jam session in Heber Springs.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday morning, the 6th, I drove up to Heber Springs to the Southside Assisted Living place and joined my friends in the band "The Sugarloafers" and performed for the older folks from 9:50 'til 12:00 noon. Joe Jakonczuk played banjo; Terry Majewski played guitar and sang; Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; and I played my fiddle and sang.
We had a great time and so did all the folks gathered there in the dining room. I so much enjoy playing for the elderly who rarely get out to enjoy good Bluegrass.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I went over to Tommy Smith's on Panther Creek road and played my fiddle with many of my musician friends there.

Musicians present were: Guitarist and vocalists: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Don Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, Jim Scarborough, David Davis, Martin Palmer, Junior Stimbo, Tom Alexander and Dewey Townsend; Bobby McAdams played mandolin; Lonnie Collins played ukulele bass; and I played fiddle. We all had a great time.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 3rd, I had a nice conversation with Gary Taylor, standup bassist from the Johnson City area in eastern Tennessee and also with Jerry Sams, guitarist, singer and guitar builder from Unicoi, Tennessee. They've expressed a desire for me to join their band and travel around with them this coming summer playing fiddle for all their Bluegrass gigs.
I am quite interested as I enjoy playing with such talented individuals and I sure do love the Tennessee mountain folks. More on this later.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 2nd, after running all around town doing errands, I sat down at the computer and converted 20 WMA files to MP3 files to accommodate visitors listening to the audio files for the "Advanced Banjo Book, Volume 1". I now have 20 WMA and 20 MP3 files available and the instructions for those who have Mac computers.

The files have caused a lot of traffic to my site since I posted them on banjo hangout and this is a lot of fun for me. I've been working on this book since I first started transcribing banjo tunes directly from the records back in 1973.

Tonight, I'll drive up to Heber Springs and play music with many of my good friends there. I'm excited to be going as I've been absent the last two Fridays waiting for those with the flu to get well and start jamming again.

It was great to play music with so many of my friends at Heber Springs tonight. There were quite a few friends in the audience, too. The flu has pretty much had its course and folks are starting to venture out now. It's probably too early to count the flu out entirely, but at least many of the folks are better now. Best wishes to Cloy Skinner and his wife who are both still down with it.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of March I ran a classified advertisement in Banjo Hangout letting my fellow banjo pickers know that I finally had the tablature ready for download after many years of working on the book. The Book is called "Advanced Banjo Book, Volume One". I decided to break it up into individual Tabs for sale rather than have someone have to purchase the entire book which is quite expensive $40.00 plus S&H. This way, they can order one Tablature for $1.99 of the tune they select. More info at this link.

It's been fun because I've heard these computerized audio files so much lately that I decided to re-learn (after many years of forgetting how to play them) the tunes "Roanoke" (a tune employing a lot of melodic runs) and an original of mine (in G Minor tuning) named "Alder Brook" I first released back in the early 90's on a cassette titled "Headwaters". There are several others I want to relearn as well, as time permits. (I first recorded "Alder Brook" in B Minor. I had the banjo capo-ed at the fourth fret, the guitars tuned in B Minor (F#, B, D, F#, B and D) and played the fiddle part in standard tuning, B Minor.)
---------------------------------------------------------------

A Fun-Filled February

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of February, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

Today, the 28th, is the last day of February. All in all, I didn't play out that much during the month. There was just too much flu and poor weather to justify wandering around with my fiddles.

It reminds me of last year during February. Not much picking. Mary and I visited our friends in Tennessee before coming back to Arkansas and it was about the same there, too; everybody sick and the weather terrible.

Oh, well. Maybe March will be better. I sure hope so. I miss my friends and I love fiddlin' Bluegrass!

Anyway, it is the day that I have launched an opportunity for banjo fans and enthusiasts that visit this website to take advantage of one heck of a deal. I've been working on an advanced book of banjo tunes for thirty some years including really professional printing of very highly detailed music and tablature including precise fingering for a number of tunes both original and in the Public Domain. It is now possible to listen to a computerized version of the tune and email me to order a PDF file of the tablature file that you'll be able to print or simply view on your computer desktop. The fee for each tune is set at $1.99.
------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 26th and I'll go playing my fiddle tonight at Tom Smith's on Panther Creek Road, just north of Searcy toward Pangburn.

I finally got around to calling my good friend Jim Stidman, today. Jim lives in Tennessee and is a regular member of the Sunday afternoon jam session held at Ron Lane's studio in Gray, TN. I haven't shot the breeze with Jim in quite a while and called him to see what instrument he was now building.....a guitar! Alright. I can't wait to see it when I get back to TN in late March and early April. He's an excellent instrument builder. I shall forever be indebted to him for his excellent repair of my 1834 fiddle that I play almost exclusively anymore.

I also called my good friend, Donnie Perkins, up in northern (almost into Canada) New York state. He and I gabbed for quite a while about all kinds of stuff. He and another friend, Earl Southmayd, have both been sick with pneumonia and are just starting to recover to the point where they'll start out playing music again.

I've just returned from fiddling at Tommy's and here's a list of those who attended: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, Bobby McAdams, Jim Scarborough, Lonnie Collins, Alvin Hearyman, Gary Veach, Martin Palmer, Junior Stimbo, Dewey Townsend and yours truly. We all had a great time picking Old Country.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 24th and 13 counties in Arkansas have experienced severe flooding from all the endless rain we've received over the last week or so. More rain is expected and there is even talk of tornadic activity. Many roads are closed.

The flu has also been widespread and I've stayed clear of getting out in the public too much even though I've had my flu shot. I don't want to be a carrier and bring it back home with me.

I'll be happy when the weather gets back to normal and the flu dies down. Then, I'll start playing Bluegrass again. Meanwhile, I'll just have to be content playing around the house.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 19th, after having shot billiards in the morning and fixed a small plumbing leak with Mary after lunch, I settled down to play through a bunch of fiddle tunes and found myself drawn to some old tunes I haven't played in a while. I had a blast playing through them and recalling their melodies. They were: Angus Campbell, Little Burnt Potato, The Irish Washerwoman, The Woodchopper's Reel, Big John McNeil and Cricket on the Hearth. I also taught myself how to play The Flop-Eared Mule in the keys of F and C. I've always played it in G & D or D & A or even C & G, but never tried it in F & C until I heard a Wade Mainer fiddle album online and heard him fiddling it in those keys.

Tonight I'll go to the Monday night picking session and maybe play a couple of the old gems.

I've just returned from the Old Country and Bluegrass jam session at Tommy Smith's on the Panther Creek road. There were quite a few musicians who showed up to play this evening. Here are the guitarists/vocalists: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Gary Veach, Jim Scarborough, Junior Stimbo, and Martin Palmer. Guitarists: Dewey Townsend; Guitarist, vocalist and harmonica: Alvin Hearyman; mandolinist: Bobby Mc Adams; ukulele bassist: Lonnie Collins and fiddler: yours truly. It was a fun-filled evening enjoying really good sounding music from polished musicians.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 16th, I received a call from my good friend and fellow musician, Stan Caldwell, informing me that the Friday night jam at Heber Springs had been called off because so many are sick with colds and types A & B flu. Coming towards spring of the year seems to be when the flu hits the hardest, not in the dead of the winter like many would think.

It's a shame so many are sick because we all love to get together and visit and play Bluegrass.
Well, I guess before we know it we'll all be back to picking and grinning.

I'll just stay around the house and practice the fiddle and banjo in preparation for the next time out. I've been learning a new tune from Kenny Baker called "Cross-Eyed Fiddler" so I might just as well get to practicing it.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 14th (Happy Valentine's Day, Mary!) I began learning a new fiddle tune while I was killing time around the house waiting to go shopping and out to dinner. The tune is an old Kenny Baker tune called "Cross-Eyed Fiddler". It's in four sharps, the key of E and it's a fun tune to fiddle. It resembles lots of Celtic sounding tunes at least in its structure, but has some of the famous Baker licks strewn throughout. I'm enjoying learning it and when I've got a little more time, I plan on nailing it down.
---------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 13th, the "Sugarloafers" were scheduled to perform at the Seven Springs Nursing Home in Heber Springs from 10:15 'til 12:00 noon. But, at about 7:00 a.m. I received a text from Terry Majewski explaining that he was not feeling well and had canceled the playing engagement. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery from his cold. There seems to be a lot of sickness going around this winter. It sure is a wise and prudent thing to do to cancel and not bring the cold to the elderly in the nursing home. Cloy Skinner, our bassist is also not feeling well, so here's wishing him a speedy recovery, too. And also Mary Lee Turney, a fine bassist and vocalist.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 12th of February is my youngest son's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABE !

Tonight I went over to Tommy Smith's place on Panther Creek Road and played my fiddle for a couple of hours. Other musicians who attended were: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, John Allison, Bobby Mc Adams, Jim Scarborough, Lonnie Collins, Alvin ?, Junior Stimbo, Gary Veach, Martin Palmer and Dewey Townsend.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 10th of February. It's the 43rd anniversary of my dear father's death. He lived to 54 years of age, just 1 month to the day from an early retirement. He passed away from a series of heart attacks. Back then (1975) there were no bypass surgeries available.

Dad loved playing the fiddle. He came from a line of fiddlers but he was self-taught. I can remember so vividly him playing Devil's Dream, Darling Nellie Grey, and Pop Goes the Weasel. He knew many tunes and about once a week he would take his fiddle out on an evening around the house and play a few tunes before heading for bed. He always went to bed early because he got up so early to head for work. We miss him dearly.

In the afternoon, I learned a new fiddle break to the Josh Graves Dobro tune called "The Road To Aspen". It's in the key of G and goes into the relative minor a couple of times. It's a real catchy tune. I'm sure my buddy Steve James plays it. Can't wait to pick it with him.
---------------------------------------------------------------

I drove up to Heber Springs this morning (the 9th) and played with the band "The Sugarloafers". I'm now a member of the group and very happy to be included. We performed at the Waychoff Senior Center to a nicely-sized audience and we all had a blast.

After our performance finished, Stan and I went to King Buffet for a nice Chinese-style lunch. I was quite impressed with the quality and assortment of food.

Tonight, I'll return to Heber Springs for the weekly Friday Night Bluegrass jam session held on South 11th Street at the old Triple A building.

Tonight's jam was a lot of fun and I got to see a lot of my musician friends there. There were also a couple of very talented guitar-picking vocalists who had excellent "Country" singing voices. I didn't get their names yet, but I hope to by next week. I posted some pictures that I took. They're on Page 15.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow morning, the 9th, I will drive up to Heber Springs and play music for the Waychoff Senior Center residents along with my friends Terry, Stan and Cloy. We'll perform from 10:15 until 12:00 noon. Then later in the day, I'll return to Heber Springs and play music with them and other friends at the old Triple A building for the weekly Bluegrass jam session.

Today, the 8th, I practiced banjo and fiddle and hung out with family and friends.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 5th, I'm looking forward to jamming Old Country and Bluegrass with many of my musician friends at Tommy Smith's place on the Panther Creek road.

I had a great time this evening at the jam session. Musicians present were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; Bobby McAdams, mandolin; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, ukulele bass; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; Junior Stimbo, guitar and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

I got a couple of "atta boys" (recognition for tunes well played) from the gang tonight. The tunes receiving the accolades were: "The Happy Acres Two-Step" and an original Celtic-sounding tune of mine I named "Jay Mountain". I really enjoy pickin' with these fellows.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 4th, I practiced playing the banjo for a good length of time and later in the day, practiced the fiddle about the same amount. I touched up the tunes "Little Rock Getaway", "Limehouse Blues" and others on the banjo and "Acoustic Toothpick" and "Dance With Me Kenny" on the fiddle in anticipation of playing these with my good friend, Steve James this coming Friday evening in Heber Springs at the weekly Bluegrass jam session.
---------------------------------------------------------------

On February 2nd, I elected not to go to Heber Springs and jam Bluegrass with many of my friends there as Mary and I were working on some plumbing issues here at the townhouse. It's amazing how persistent a pesky little drip, drip, drip can be until it's fixed.

A Journey Through January, 2018

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of January, 2018. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs.

This afternoon, the 31st, I drove up to Heber Springs and played Bluegrass with a few of my good friends who all met at the home of Mr. and Mrs.Terry Majewski. Joe Jakonczuk played banjo, Terry sang and played mandolin and guitar, Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang, and I played fiddle. We had a wonderful time playing for several hours.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 29th, I went over to Tommy Smith's Bluegrass and Old Country jam session on Panther Creek Road out towards Pangburn, Arkansas. It was great to be back and pickin' and visitin' with so many friends I've made here at this jam session held every Monday night.

Musicians I got to see and hear again were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; Bobby Mc Adams, guitar and vocals; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; David Davis, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, ukulele bass and vocals; Alvin ?, harmonica, guitar and vocals; Junior Stimbo, guitar and vocals; Dewey Townsend, guitar; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 26th, is my oldest son's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE!.

In the morning into the early afternoon, I played pool over at "Pop's Hideaway" in Judsonia and visited with Ben Hensley, the owner/operator and his son, Thomas. Several of my dear friends came in and I got to play One Pocket with them. I love the game and have been missing it having been in Tennessee where my friends there don't play the game (except Terry Shealy who loves to play it with me). I was on the team with my partner Vern Mc Falls and we played against the team consisting of Jessie Crum and Joe Busby. Later, when I was leaving, my good friend George came in and took my spot.

I'm going to go up to Heber Springs tonight and play some Bluegrass with many of my friends up there and I sure am looking forward to it.

I've returned from an absolutely wonderful night picking with my dear friends up in Heber Springs. What a fun-filled picking time it was. Here's a list of those I can remember that were playing music tonight: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass, vocals; Stan Caldwell, banjo, guitar and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar, ¾ guitar, ban-tar (banjo/guitar) and vocals; Eddie Heathcott, resonator guitar and vocals; Vernon Romine, guitar and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Raymond Rawls, guitar; Tim Sturch, guitar and vocals; a man I've yet to meet, guitar and vocals; Dave ?, (another I haven't met yet) guitar and vocals; Steve James, Dobro guitar; Kent Latch, mandolin and vocals; Rick Gardner, upright bass and vocals; Alvis Alford, guitar and vocals; Stan’s daughter, Tammy Haile, vocals; Stan’s grandson, Connor Haile, ukulele, upright bass and vocals; Kendall Roberson, guitar and vocals; Don Wooten, resonator guitar; another man with guitar; Cloy Skinner, fiddle and guitar; yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. There were probably others that I just can't recall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I arrived in Searcy, AR about 11:00 a.m. on the 24th and it sure was nice to be home with Mary, my wonderful wife. After settling in for a while, I had her hook my internet service up to my computer and now I'm back on the "air" !
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I left early in the morning on the 23rd and drove 327 miles to Dickson, TN before retiring for the evening and resting up for the 2nd leg of the trip.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 22nd, I drove into town real early and went to Walmart's and purchased a birthday cake, paper plates and plastic forks. I had the decorator write "Happy Birthday Henry" on the cake and then I headed over to the Senior Center to shoot pool with many of my friends there. We started playing pool at 7:55 a.m. and played until about 10:30 when enough of the gang was present and accounted for. We stopped briefly, cut the cake and had a celebration for our dear friend, Henry Barnett who turned 87 years old today and then returned to pool.

Pool players there in time to celebrate were: Henry Barnett, Wayne "Red" Hovatter, Charlie McConnell, Otis Ray, Earl Hopkins, Carlisle Love, Russell Bracken, Sherryl ?, Fred Burrell, Terry Shealey, and yours truly. Henry was so pleased to have special recognition. He and I are always partners when we play teams.

The afternoon and evening were spent packing and cleaning and preparing for the long trip back to Arkansas in the morning (with an occasional fiddle tune thrown in from time to time to help maintain some semblance of sanity.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 21st, I rode up to Ron Lane's in Gray, TN., with Ron Duncan. We picked there for several hours before quitting and going to the China Luck Buffet with Ron Lane for a nice dinner. It'll be a while before I see both Rons again and so we decided to have a little treat and visit a spell.

Musicians present were: Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro, banjo and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Jerry Coleman was absent due to a head cold. Thanks to Richard's girlfriend for taking the pictures on Page 15. I normally take the pictures and that's why I'm not seen in the group photos, but this time since I'd be gone for awhile, I had her take the photos so I could be in them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 20th, a Saturday night, I first ran out to Rheatown to pick one more time with my good friends out there before I head back to Arkansas this coming Tuesday morning. As usual, it was great seeing so many of my friends there; both listeners and performers.

Musicians present were: Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Ty Filler, fiddle; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Dennis Crawford, Dobro and vocals; Dennis's daughter, Regina Crawford Holsclaw, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; another guitar player who showed up just as I was leaving; and of course, myself playing fiddle.

When I left there, I drove to Erwin to play along with "Midnight Grass" at a private birthday party on Gay Street at The Brambles. Musicians present were: Rick Guinn, banjo; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 19th, I hit the same fiddle list and practiced a good portion of the day. I added a few more
tunes which brought the total up to 95 tunes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The 18th, I went through my fiddle tune practice list. It took me a long time, but I played 92 tunes from memory. It's good to keep these tunes fresh in the event that someone starts one of them going and looks over at me. I don't want to have that deer-in-the-headlights look, so practice, practice, practice.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, the 17th, I awoke to a couple of inches of snow blanketing the entire yard and every inch of our very steep driveway. I decided to wait the storm out, play my fiddle, watch some TV and wait for the sunshine to melt the drive before venturing out. It's been a long boring day but I've managed to keep busy regardless.

I took advantage of the time I needed to practice "Windy City Rag". I've been playing it along at .75 speed and it's getting smoother every time through. At this point in time, I just don't see me playing it at the speed Kenny Baker or Patty Kusturok play it, but maybe eventually.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 16th, I hung around the house not venturing out after a quick run to Unicoi early in the morning. There's a snowstorm expected and I'll just hunker down 'til it passes. These narrow roads can be treacherous to drive on, so why take the chance.

I'll just practice fiddle throughout the day.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, I practiced fiddle a good portion of the daytime and evening hours, continuing to work on "Windy City Rag". I'm coming along steadily making improvements on the V7 chord noting and I've even improvised a part an octave lower for the Bb and F7 repeating riffs that show up throughout the piece.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 14th, I drove to Unicoi, parked my car and rode with Ron Duncan up to Gray to the home of our good friend, Ron Lane, where we met up with others and played Bluegrass music all afternoon. Ron played mandolin, guitar and sang; Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Richard's friend, Kim also sang a few songs; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; Jim Stidman played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.

We've all played together so much now, the music is very tight, including harmonies. It's a real treat to play music with this group and I always find myself looking forward to our next get-together.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Not wanting to drive on wintry roads tonight (I was planning all week to go to Rheatown, but the snow storm messed up my plans) I decided to learn a new-to-me fiddle tune called "Millenburg Boy" of an old Bill Monroe album (Body and Soul) I listened to on the internet. What a great tune in the key of C. It zips right along and has a chord pattern that "goes around the horn" which I really like. Then I learned another fast tune in the key of G. It's called "Lucky Lady" and it, too, is a blast to fiddle. So now, between practicing "Windy City Rag" and these new ones, I'll be busy for a while. You can find the YouTube video here on this page.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to play some music at the "Anderson House". Ron and Gordon chose the center room to pick in and I chose the back room where I knew there would be strictly Bluegrass.

Bluegrass musicians playing along with me in the back room were: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Ernie Schaffer, mandolin and vocals; Justin Shaver, mandolin and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Mrs. Rufus Thames, upright bass; Joe Thompson, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

Some of the instrumental tunes we played are listed here: Welcome to New York (I think this one's a Bill Emerson tune), Ashoken Farewell ( a waltz by Jay Ungar), Angeline Baker, Road to Columbus, Big Scioty, Blue Mountain Waltz, Monroe's Hornpipe, Jerusalem Ridge, and a bunch of others I simply can't recall, including a catchy one played by Justin Shaver. We also played a lot of traditional songs, too. All good Bluegrass!

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of those in the middle room but there were quite a few musicians that showed up to play. Ron played mandolin and Gordon played guitar. Ron handed an old "Terada" A-Style mandolin in dire need of repair to Jim Stidman to take back to his shop and work on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 11th, I learned the tune "Windy City Rag" from a YouTube video of Kenny Baker playing it for some television show many years back. It's a real catchy tune in the key of B Flat. It'll take a while to get it up to speed, but I can already play it along at .50 -.75 speed. Kenny had so many wonderful tunes he played. Many were just slightly different than others that drew a close resemblance. How he kept them all sorted out I'll never know. I'll keep at it and eventually have it up to speed.

Tonight I'll ride up with Ron Duncan to Philadelphia (near Chuckey) and be a part of a private jam session with my good friends Alice Hensley, Jack Painter and Gary Taylor. This will be a fun experience since I've never jammed with them at the Hensley home.

The Bluegrass picking party at the home of Bob and Alice Hensley was an absolute fun night in which I got to play banjo and meet some new musicians. I met Butch Rupp, Melvin Saults, Ben Waddell, Nancy Clayburn and Guy Hopson. Other musicians present were: Alice Hensley, Gary Taylor, Jack Painter, Ron Duncan, Gordon "Skaggs" Hoyle, and yours truly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 10th, I finally got around to writing down my arrangement of a fiddle break I heard on Phil Ledbetter's Dobro rendition of a Tut Taylor original named "Acoustic Toothpick". It's such a catchy, fun-to-play tune that I didn't want to forget it and knowing myself well enough, I figured it was sure to happen. So, the solution is to write it down ahead of the memory failure for future reference when needed. Yes!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 9th, I learned a new up-the-neck Western Swing arrangement for the popular tune "Faded Love" using beautiful double stops. This is a tune I love to play when I can "jazz" it up, or put the "Blues" right to it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 8th: I've been very busy lately and unable to keep a running tab of my whereabouts and doings. But, I'm back now and ready to work on the website again. It's always such a pleasure working on the site and answering emails. I actually get quite a few questions regarding music theory which still is my busiest page.

While I'm at it, I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I would like to thank those from all over the world who have e-mailed me with comments and questions. They're from places like this: the United States, Egypt, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Denmark, The United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Mexico, France, Hong Kong, Singapore, Austria, The Czech Republic, Belgium, Switzerland, South Africa, India, Saigon, Malaysia, Spain, New Zealand, Ireland, Iceland, Islensku, Kuwait, Israel, Romania, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

Who would ever imagined 8 years ago when I started this web site with the help of my wife (then girl friend) Mary, that it would be such a busy place.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 7th, I heard from my good friend, Andrew Marshall, whom I met at Rheatown Store Bluegrass jams way back in 2011. I haven't picked with him in several weeks. I love playing music with him and Claude Smith, Mike Wilburn, Marvin Gladwell, Charlie Phillips, Eric Bowman, Paul Trianowski, Charlie Cobble, Dale Shelton and a host of others there at Rheatown. Andrew loves traditional Bluegrass, like me, and we get along super playing the old Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Brothers & Bill Monroe stuff and keeping it alive for another generation while much of the younger enthusiasts trend toward the more "modern" stuff.

I'm planning to stop over to the Rheatown Market on Saturday the 13th and jam with Andrew and the gang.

A Tennessee December, 2017

Snow on the Unaka Range, Unicoi, TN

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of December. Be sure to check out the most recent photographs here.

The evening of the 15th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. It was great to see many of my musician friends there and to pick and grin and visit.

I hadn't seen David Wilhoit in over a year and I always enjoy his humor, singing and picking. I met a man from Culpepper, VA, named Jesse Jenkins who is an avid Bluegrasser knowing many of the old traditional ballads and singing and playing guitar very well. Some of the folks I normally see there were: Ernie Shaffer, Daniel Housewright, Clancy Mullins, Phillip Hensley, Cindy Ellmaker and Daniel Whited. I mostly played in the back room adjacent to the kitchen area, but did spend some time picking in the middle room with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle and a banjo picker I met for the first time named Nathan Black. Jim Stidman and Joe Thompson were there visiting along the border of the room. Several others that I had picked with in earlier times were also present. I saw my good friend Ron Lane for a short while but he didn't stay long.

Randy Singleton, Rufus Thames and Jason Boone picked in the front room. Many of my picking friends were absent. It was a cold night and lots of them are elderly and probably didn't want to venture out into the cool night air.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 10th, I rode over to Ron Lane's in Gray with Ron Duncan. Musicians present at the Sunday afternoon private Bluegrass jam session were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. We all missed Richard Widdows and his Dobro. It sure felt good to pick with all these fine fellows again.

I mostly played one of Ron Duncan's fiddles; the one he recently had Jim Stidman set up. It's a fine fiddle and I enjoy playing it. I also played Sherry Duncan's fiddle on a few tunes and I like that one, too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 9th, having been "snowed in", I browsed through YouTube videos and found an old album called "Paul Warren, America's Greatest Breakdown Fiddle Player" and gave it a good listen all the way through. I had to stop at one tune that really got me, though. The tune, "Hoedown in Hickman County". I spent a few minutes learning the tune and within a short while I was able to play it up to speed with the album. I can't wait to play this tune around the various jam sessions. It's a dandy! I wrote it down and posted it here. Give it a try you fiddlers out there in internet land.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 8th, I awoke very early and fiddled the first 50 fiddle tunes of my daily practice list before 7:00 a.m. before heading down to Erwin to the Clinchfield Senior Center to play pool with Henry Barnett, Red Hovatter and Charlie McConnell. Later in the morning when I returned home, I fiddled the rest of the list. It's been snowing here all morning and there's been an accumulation of over 4 inches by 3:00 p.m. What better time to stay in and practice, practice, practice.

Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and I had planned to attend the Bluegrass jam session at the Anderson House in Blountville this evening, but were discouraged by the nasty stormy weather and we all decided to hunker down until the roads and driveways are clear. Darned old winter storm....I wanted to jam some Bluegrass with my friends up there. Oh well, at least the snow-covered landscape is beautiful to view.
------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 7th, I added a whole bunch of old fiddle favorites to my ongoing practice list. I quickly realized there are too many tunes to practice each day, so I'll spread them out by a couple of days. Here's the complete list now:

G    Acoustic Toothpick
G    Banjo Signal
G    Dance with Me, Kenny
G    Shiloh March
G    McCormick String Picnic
G    Haskell’s Stomp
G    Hamilton County Breakdown
A    Devil’s Dream
A    Sweet Journeys Waltz
A    Maiden’s Prayer
D    Faded Love
D    Saint Anne’s Reel
D    Ragtime Annie
G    Shucking the Corn
A    Washington County
A    Cherokee Shuffle
E    Dry and Dusty
Em Southern Flavor
G    Louisville Breakdown
Dm   Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
F     Smokey Mountain Rag
G    Baker’s Breakdown
G    Katy Hill
G/C Denver Belle
A    Virginia Darling
A    Big Country
A    Laughing Boy
A    Blue Mountain Waltz
Bb Missouri Road
D    Panhandle Rag
G    Indian Killed a Woodcock
G Muleskinner Blues
D    Forked Deer
A    Dance around Molly
D    Mountain Strings
D Whiskey before Breakfast
A    Durham’s Bull
G    Gardenia Waltz
G    Ground Speed
G    Dixie Hoedown
G Temperance Reel
C    Grassy Fiddle Blues
C    Ashland Breakdown
C Billy in the Low Ground
B Rebecca
B Train 45

A    Scotland
Am Jerusalem Ridge
G    Wheel Hoss
A    Gold Rush
D    Lost Indian
A    Bill Cheatum
G    Red Wing
D    Soldier’s Joy
A    Sally Goodin
A    Salt Creek
A    Uncle Pen
C On My Mind
A Across the Big Sandy
E Dogs among the Bushes
A    Goodbye Liza Jane
D    Angeline Baker
G    Rocky Top
A Pike County Breakdown
A A Cajun Tune
C    The Boston Boy
G    Shelby Rock
A    Monroe’s Hornpipe
G    The Old Mountaineer
D    The Long Bow
G    The Cincinnati Rag
G    Big Sciota
Bb New Camptown Races
A    Charmaine
G    Roanoke
E Brown County Breakdown
E Footprints in the Snow
C    Panhandle Country
C Boston Boy
A    Shenandoah Breakdown
C    Stone’s Rag
Bb The Backwoods Reel*
A Theme Time
G Pickaway
C Happy Time Waltz
C Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
A Emergency Break (composed by Lincoln Hensley)
D Liberty
D Silver Bells
D Hoedown in Hickman County
B Train 45
B Rebecca
Bb Daley's Reel


My French Fiddle (tuned AEAC#):
A    Black Mountain Rag
A The Green River Blues*

This is a partial list of my active tunes, but its an accurate list of those I want to remember for awhile. If I don't keep playing them, I find I forget the intros and that makes it harder to eventually remember how to get them started. These are tunes that are being played with the various groups I jam with. This is only a small sample of the many tunes the various musicians I jam with frequently play, but they are tunes I need to be able to play at a moment's notice.
------------------------------------------------------------
About noon time on the 5th, I heard a beautiful waltz, "Happy Time Waltz" fiddled by Kenny Baker on a YouTube video and I knew I just had to learn it. So, I learned it and it's now a part of my waltz repertoire. I've placed it on my fiddle tune video page here.

I'm having lots of amusement practicing a few tunes over and over as I get used to how much fun they are to play. One tune that I'm really favoring is "Acoustic Toothpick" by Tut Taylor. This tune is a blast to play on the fiddle. Another one is my break to an original tune by my friend, Lincoln Hensley. He named it "Emergency Break" and it really is a great tune, well written and fun to play.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd, I received an email from my good friend, Steve James, a Dobro player from Heber Springs, Arkansas. The email had a couple of nice YouTube videos of Dobro tunes, one of which was a tune by Tut Taylor called "Acoustic Toothpick". It's a real catchy tune and whoever did the fiddle break certainly caught my attention and I decided to sit down and learn the tune. After a while I was playing it up to speed and I can't wait to pick it with Steve when I return to Arkansas.

Steve always seems to come up with some great Dobro tunes. I still play "Shiloh March" and "Dance with me Kenny" every day as a part of my list of things to practice. So now I've added another great tune. (Note: I realize Dobro is a certain make of resonator guitar. Steve plays an Adams resonator guitar but I don't think most folks would know what I was talking about if I called these tunes Adams tunes.) lol.

Later on, in the evening hours, I arranged a catchy fiddle break to a nice original tune "Emergency Brake" written by a good friend of mine named Lincoln Hensley who lives in the Flag Pond area around Erwin, Tennessee. Lincoln has become a very talented banjo player in the last several years under the tutelage of regionally popular banjoist, Edison Wallin and others and all the while displaying a creative style of his very own. He's been able to attract the finest musicians around the area and it's a real treat to listen to them all perform. Here's a video of him performing locally. Just scroll down to the beginning of December 2017. Lincoln is accompanied by Terry Barnes, Gary Wayne Laws and Tom Bullen; all fine area musicians. His tune "Emergency Brake" starts at about 8:25.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, I decided to add another couple of fiddle tunes to the daily practice list...the tunes by Kenny Baker named "Smokey Mountain Rag" and "Baker's Breakdown".
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of December I hung out at the home in Limestone Cove and played fiddle and banjo on and off throughout the day. My cold's gone but I still don't want to pass it to anyone else so I'll lay low for a while more.

I decided to add a few more fiddle tunes to my daily practice list. See December 29th.

A November To Remember

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of November. Be sure to check out the most recent pictures here.

The 30th was pretty much a repeat of the 29th.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 29th, almost fully recovered from a nasty head cold, I stayed around all morning practicing these fiddle tunes:
G Banjo Signal
G Dance with Me, Kenny
G Shiloh March
G McCormick String Picnic
G Haskell’s Stomp
G Hamilton County Breakdown
A Devil’s Dream
A Sweet Journeys Waltz
A Maiden’s Prayer
D Faded Love
D Saint Anne’s Reel
D Ragtime Annie
G Shucking the Corn
A Washington County
A Cherokee Shuffle
E Dry and Dusty
Em Southern Flavor
G Louisville Breakdown
Dm Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
F Smokey Mountain Rag
G Baker's Breakdown
G Katy Hill
G/C Denver Belle
A Virginia Darling
A Big Country
A Laughing Boy
A Blue Mountain Waltz
Bb Missouri Road
D Panhandle Rag
G Indian Killed a Woodcock
D Forked Deer
A Dance around Molly
D Mountain Strings
A Durham’s Bull
G Gardenia Waltz
G Ground Speed
G Dixie Hoedown
C Grassy Fiddle Blues
C Ashland Breakdown
G Acoustic Toothpick

French Fiddle (tuned AEAC#)
A Black Mountain Rag
A Greene River Blues*

And these Banjo tunes:

Cm Cowboys and Indians
C Nashville Skyline Rag
C Sweet Dixie
C Little Rock Getaway
C Black Diamond
D You Are My Sunshine
D Rueben
G Earl’s Breakdown
G Flint Hill Special
G Ground Speed
G Randy Lynn Rag
G Dixie Breakdown
G Banjo Signal
G Limehouse Blues
G Banjo Double
G Remington Ride
G McCormick String Picnic
G Haskell’s Stomp
G Hamilton County Breakdown
A Shenandoah Breakdown
A Theme Time

In the evening hours, I grabbed the fiddle and the banjo and played through several of the tunes again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday was pretty much spent indoors where I couldn't spread my cold to anyone. I just played banjo and fiddle and stayed out of sight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 27th, I called my buddy, Henry Barnett at 8:00 a.m. at the Clinchfield Senior Center and let him know I wouldn't be playing pool until my head cold went away. It would be an awful thing to visit the senior center and make a bunch of old folks sick just so I could play pool. Eventually this nasty old head cold will run its course and I'll be back to playing pool and music. I can't wait.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 26th, I realized I had picked up a doozie of a head cold and called Ron Lane to tell him I wouldn't be attending his Sunday afternoon jam session. I sure would liked to have gone, but I didn't want anyone else to catch this cold. Then I called Ron Duncan because he was planning on going and giving me a ride up. I'm not sure how the jam worked out, but I'm sure sorry I had to miss it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The late afternoon and evening of the 25th, I went up to Rheatown to the market where there's been Bluegrass jam sessions every Saturday night for over 50 years. I got there at 5 p.m. and already there were quite a few musicians present. I picked the banjo in the back where all the listeners were seated and had a super time playing with Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Dennis Crawford, Dobro and vocals; Dennis's daughter, Regina Crawford Holsclaw, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo, upright bass and vocals; Maynard Shelton, mandolin and vocals; Ty Fillers, fiddle and mandolin; Mike Wilburn, upright bass and vocals; and another gentleman playing a bowed psaltry.

In the front room were many more of my picking buddies plus some other folks I've never met. I saw Mr. and Mrs. Dave Henard, their daughter Amber and their son Ryan who was playing mandolin and singing. He was playing with Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Annie ? played mandolin and sang; Tim Carter played guitar and sang; another lady played banjo and a gentleman played fiddle and someone else played upright bass. I left early because I started sneezing and coughing being possibly allergic to something.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 24th, I rode up to Blountville with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to pick Bluegrass at the Anderson House. The middle room had a lot of musicians singing and picking as did the back room.

In the middle room: Jim Stidman did a fine job of singing "Amazing Grace". He's got a nice singing voice and he needs to sing more when we all get together. Gordon Hoyle played guitar and a couple of other fellas also played guitar but I'll be darned if I can remember their names. One fella played the Dobro. Ron Lane picked Ron Duncan's Washburn banjo and did a fine job picking and singing some good old Bluegrass numbers. Ron Duncan played the mandolin. Nina Ketron played the upright bass and I played my fiddle.

Earlier, in the back room: Randy Singleton picked banjo; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin; Clancy Mullins played guitar and banjo; John Gott played fiddle; Joe Thompson played guitar; Cindy Ellmaker played mandolin and sang; and Danny Whited played guitar and sang. I played fiddle.

There was some confusion noted during the back room jamming as to whose turn it was to take a break during the pieces being played. What happens is one person taking a break "steps on" another doing the same and there ends up two breaks at the same time. This gets difficult to understand and takes away from the "flow" of the tunes. I was guilty at one point of stepping on another's break, so after the tune was finished, I suggested we take breaks in order of the way we are seated, just as we often do back in Arkansas at the Heber Springs jams. This system is organized and everyone who wants to take a break gets to and the overall tune doesn't "suffer" the din associated with everyone playing breaks all the time over one another at the expense of the music.

Polishing up these methods and techniques really adds a bit of professionalism to each piece and creates an atmosphere where the deeper meaning of the song can be felt and understood. This type of session is elusive and sought after by those who have developed an artistry to their playing. I love being involved in jam sessions of this high caliber, though indeed, they are rare.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I awoke at 4:30 a.m. (23rd) and set about to learn a really nice rendition of a Joe Sullivan tune called "Little Rock Getaway". I've already learned it on the banjo but I hadn't attempted the fiddle break until this morning. I selected a nice recording from an album of David Naiditch's music. The fiddler is Christian Ward. What a catchy fiddle break!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 22nd, I met several friends down at the Unicoi Log Cabin and jammed some great Bluegrass. Musicians present were: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Jerry Sams, rhythm guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. (I also played a tune on Ed's Sam Bush model Gibson mandolin). It was great to see them all again and to play music with them.

One of the aspects I like about playing with this group is that they play old-fashioned fiddle tunes that I grew up hearing my father play. Tunes like: "The Devil's Dream", "Snow Deer", "Forked Deer", "Saint Anne's Reel" and a host of others. Then, we'll switch to more Bluegrass-y tunes like "Salt Creek", "Louisville Breakdown", "Indian Killed a Woodcock", "Dry and Dusty". "Bill Cheatem", "Washington County", etc.
Of course, the bulk of the music is actually Bluegrass songs which is the core sound of the group.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early, early on the morning of the 21st, I had the tune "Shenandoah Breakdown" going on through the old noggin and finally jumped out of bed at 5:45 a.m. and got the fiddle out and figured it out. Now I've got another fine-sounding fiddle tune to play at the various jams I attend. I find it's really a good time of day to catch on to music before the humdrum and bustle of the day catches up.

Later, in the evening, I rode up to Bluff City with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. We had a great time listening to the many musicians who attended the jam session. I played fiddle in one of them. Musicians I jammed with were: Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Housewright, guitar and vocals; Annie ?, mandolin and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; a young man attending the music school at ETSU, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

Musicians in the front room stage group were: Tim Laughlin, fiddle and vocals; George Jesse, banjo and vocals; Ronnie Rasnic, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; and Jeff Dotson, guitar and vocals.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 20th, after having breakfast at Hardee's with my friend Otis Ray, I shot pool with many of my pool buddies at the Clinchfield Senior Center. Players present were: Henry Barnett, "Red" Hovatter, Charlie McConnell, Earl Hopkins, John ? and others. I got to play a few games of 1-15 on the new Brunswick table (donated by Fred Burrell) when I first arrived. After that I went over to the old Brunswick table and played 9-Ball for over three hours.

In the evening, after dinner, I learned the banjo tune called "Shenandoah Breakdown" and can already play it up to speed. Alright! It's a tune I've been meaning to learn for some time now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 19th, I'll be attending a Bluegrass band practice/jam session in Gray, TN at my good friend Ron Lane's studio. I always enjoy playing the fiddle with these guys as they're such fine musicians. More on this later......

I've returned from playing music at Ron Lane's up in Gray. Many of my good friends were present and pickin' up a storm. I rode up with Ron Duncan, who sang and played guitar at the jam. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar and sang; Chuck Milhorn, picked banjo and sang; and I played banjo for a couple of tunes along with Ron Lane and mostly played fiddle. We all very much enjoyed playing and visiting again. I played a fiddle belonging to Ron Duncan that Jim Stidman had repaired and set up properly. What a nice fiddle to play and to listen to. Jim just works his "magic" on musical instruments.

After the music was over, Ron Duncan and I went to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City to partake in the Thanksgiving spread provided by the Moose. What a wonderful meal hosted by the fine folks there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I decided to learn the fiddle break to a Don Reno tune called "Banjo Signal". I had already learned the banjo part the other day and decided that since I knew several banjo pickers who play this tune, I had better learn the fiddle part so I'll be able to play along when the occasion arises.

During the day I had a wonderful chat with my Tennessee buddy Ron Duncan and later on with another Tennessee buddy, John Gott. In the evening, I had a good text-back-and-forth with my good buddy back in Arkansas, Stan Caldwell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 17th...I made it! I left Searcy at 3:50 a.m., drove 635 miles and reached Limestone Cove, Tennessee at 3:30 p.m. (the time zone changed and I had to advance the clock by 1 hour). I made really good time.

After I arrived and finished unloading the car, I grabbed the leaf-blower and blew the driveway clear of leaves. Then I hooked up the computer, had a nice dinner and relaxed listening to old Charlie Moore recordings on YouTube. It's great to be back in sunny Tennessee. I can't wait to see my buddies and do some Bluegrassin' with 'em!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 16th, I re-learned the tune "Haskell's Stomp" on the banjo after having not played it for quite some time. It's a wonderful tune and I've always loved playing it. After that, I decided I liked the fiddle break to it, so I went ahead and learned that. I had never tried it on the fiddle and it's truly a lot of fun to saw through this tune (especially up to speed).

Well, I've got to get back to packing the car for a trip to Tennessee to pick music with my buddies up there. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning bright and early.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 14th, I practiced banjo almost all day long. I must have gone over and over a dozen or more tunes smoothing them out and increasing their speeds to that of the popular recordings on You Tube. I also talked to my great friend, Henry Barnett back in Tennessee who filled me in on the Clinchfield Senior Center and the new pool table they received as a gift from Fred Burrell in honor of his brother Frank who was a long-standing member but now is in a local nursing home. What a wonderful gift!

I sure miss my buddies back in Tennessee and I long to play pool with them and pick Bluegrass with them. I'll get back there as soon as time, local activities and weather allow.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 13th, I took a while and learned the Don Reno style banjo tune called "Banjo Signal". It's a cool tune that I've been thinking about for some time now and finally took the time to learn it. It's actually a very simple tune built around a specific roll.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 11th, I rode out to Heber Springs to the building where many of us jam Bluegrass on Friday nights and I parked my car there and rode up to Mountain View with Stan Caldwell and Steve James.

After a delicious lunch at Kin Folks, we started picking over in Washington Picking Park. In no time flat we had an audience of around 75 folks who applauded after (and during) each song and instrumental. We were joined by some musicians we hadn't picked with before. They were: Mike Smalley, guitar and vocals; John Carter, guitar and vocals; Sandy Taurone, mandolin, upright bass and vocals; and Dennis Elliott, Dobro and vocals. There was another man who came and played a couple and left without introduction. Also, we had Gerald Gordy play upright bass with us and he had played with us a few weeks back. Stan played guitar and sang; Steve played Dobro and I switched back and forth between Stan's Gibson Mastertone and my Gibson/Epiphone with the Keith-Scruggs tuners installed.

We were the only group playing music in the park as colder weather is upon us now and only the very hardy stick it out to play outdoors this time of year.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 10th, before I headed to Heber Springs, I sat down for a couple of hours and learned (memorized) the tune "Little Rock Getaway" on the banjo. I can play it through, but not up to speed yet. The tune is mostly melodic in style and not much on Scruggs licks, so it takes a little more time to learn the intricate little note clusters and chord shapes.
More on Heber Springs later..

I've returned from the jam session which went very well. I had a super time picking banjo and playing fiddle. Musicians present were: Tim Sturch, guitar and vocals; John Springer, guitar and vocals; Gerald ?, guitar and vocals; Raymond Rawls, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar; Eddie Heathcott, Dobro, guitar and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Stan Caldwell, banjo, guitar and vocals; Barry Bradford, mandolin; Steve James, Dobro; Kent Latch, guitar, mandolin, upright bass and vocals; Rick Gardner, upright bass and vocals; Larry Poff, harmonica and vocals; Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly fiddle and banjo. Sherlin Martin stopped by but didn't play.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th, Monday night, I went over to Tommy Smith's to jam Old Country, fiddlin' and Bluegrass. Musicians present were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Allison, mandolin; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, ukulele bass and Dobro; Junior Stimbo, guitar and vocals; Bobby Wright, ukulele bass and vocals; Martin Palmer, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Dewey Townsend was present but did not play.

We all had a wonderful time pickin' and grinnin'. They're all so much fun to play music with. I really enjoy Monday nights.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th, I arrived an hour early to perform at the Pioneer Village celebrations and so I played the fiddle solo for nearly an hour. It began to sprinkle and I got worried about my fiddles, so I stopped just before the rain stopped and the band showed up. Lonnie Collins played fiddle, Jim Scarborough played guitar and sang, Tom Alexander played guitar and sang, and Bobby Wright played ukulele bass and sang. I took a break and walked around taking pictures and enjoying a small strawberry cone.

Meanwhile, at the Civil War encampment, my good friend Joe Jakonczuk and his friend played music in front of their tents. See the pictures here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 4th, I drove up to Mountain View and met Stan Caldwell and Steve James for lunch at Kin Folks. We then started pickin' at noon and stopped at 4 p.m. We got to meet a couple more talented musicians: Dr. Bill Galloway, mandolin and vocals; and Ben Kuglin, banjo and vocals. We had a very large group of listeners around us from the very start right through to the very end when we packed up the instruments. What a fantastic time we had.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd, I went up to Heber Springs and played music with my friends there at the old Triple A auto parts store which is now solely dedicated to Bluegrass music. While there I got to pick with many of those who usually show up. The ones present that I can recall were: Larry Poff, harmonica; Tammy Haile, vocals; Connor Haile, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Sherlin Martin, guitar and vocals (Sherlin didn"t play, though); Cloy Skinner, fiddle; Lyndel Quick, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin and vocals; Steve James, Dobro; Stan Caldwell, guitar, banjo and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Eddie Heathcott, Dobro and vocals; Jim Wilkinson, guitar and vocals; Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Raymond Rawls, guitar and vocals; Kendall Roberson, guitar; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals. We all had a wonderful Friday evening pickin' and singin' and visitin'.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st, in the evening hours, I learned another Don Reno tune called "Dixie Breakdown" on the banjo. I now have "Limehouse Blues", "Remington Ride" and "Dixie Breakdown" in my arsenal of Reno tunes. Other tunes I now practice when I pick up the banjo are tunes like: Ground Speed, Randy Lynn Rag, Earl's Breakdown, Flint Hill Special, You Are My Sunshine, Reuben, Cowboys and Indians, Nashville Skyline Rag, Sweet Dixie and many others.

When I pick up the fiddle, I usually practice tunes like these: Baker's Breakdown, Dance With Me Kenny, Shiloh March, Mountain Strings, Ground Speed, Shucking the Corn, Dance Around Molly, Virginia Darling, Louisville Breakdown, Panhandle Country, Panhandle Rag (in the keys of G, D & E), Gardenia Waltz, and a host of others.

October's Bluegrass

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of October, 2017. Be sure to check out the most recent pictures here.

The 31st, discussions took place thru emails regarding adding another day/night to out picking schedules. Time will tell as to whether we all start picking a little more Bluegrass during the week. I'm in favor of playing lots more, because I super love pickin' !
------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 30th, I went over to Tommy Smith's place on Panther Creek road to play some Old Country and Bluegrass. Lots of musicians showed up to play and we all had a great time picking and singing. Dewey Townsend was there but didn't play as his arthritis is too painful anymore. Musicians present were: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, John Allison, Mickey Rascoe, Jim Scarborough, Lonnie Collins, Bobby Wright, Bobby Mc Adams, Junior Stimbo, Martin Palmer and yours truly. I really enjoy the humor of these fine folks. It's truly a lot of fun to be a part of the group.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 29th, I learned how to pick Jim Mill's arrangement of the banjo tune called "Cowboys and Indians". It's a simple tune but it's fun to play. The 4th string drops to a low C to accommodate the tune notes. Now, I've got to get busy and learn the fiddle part, which, to me, seems a lot harder. I've got it started but there's a long ways to go yet.............

Later in the morning, I learned the fiddle break to "Hamilton County Breakdown" played by Byron Berline on an old Diliards album on YouTube. It's a great breakdown and will be a fun tune to play with the guys.

I've spent the afternoon playing my banjo that was recently repaired by my good friend, Joe Jakonczuk, owner of Arkansas Banjo Company in Beebe. Joe replaced the 1st and 2nd frets with stainless steel frets and re-seated the 12, 13 and 14th frets to stop the buzzing on the 4th string. He also replaced the nut and raised the string action by .030 inches. And to top it off, he adjusted the top coordinator rod. The banjo is working about as fine as I've ever seen it perform.

I spent a while this afternoon repairing the Keith tuners which were already installed when I got the banjo. They had gotten dirty and weren't working worth a hoot and I knew I was going to have to take some time and tear them apart and clean them. Wow! They're working like brand new ones now. I guess the old saying "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" would certainly have applied here
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 28th, a Saturday, I drove up to Mountain View to play music with my many friends and endure the bitter cold snap that settled in for the weekend. It was 39 degrees when I got there and 46 degrees when I left. I picked with Joe Jakonczuk, Stanley Caldwell, Steve James, Terry Majewski, Lonnie Collins and a new musician who played one tune with a recorder and another tune with a harmonica. His name is David Cardwell. It was very cold but being die-hard Bluegrassers, we stuck to it and played for several hours. There were thousands of people in attendance and I had an absolute blast.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 27th, I went to Heber Springs to jam some Bluegrass with my many friends up there. Tonight was the last night that my friend Eric Derrickson will play with us as he is moving to Missouri. We'll miss him as he's a good singer and guitar player. I played upright bass for a couple of tunes and enjoyed it, thanks to Mary Lee Turney for letting me use it for a while. I played banjo, and Cloy played fiddle while the others (Raymond Rawls, Vernon Romine and Eric) played assorted guitars. Terry Majewski and Barry Bradford played mandolins. Don Wooten and Steve James played Dobros.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 26th, I held a banjo lesson for a young man who has an amazing zest for playing the banjo and learns very quickly. It's his second lesson and he is already playing many of the hot licks in the Earl Scruggs 3-finger roll style. I find great pleasure in passing what I've learned to others. It's a great way to keep the culture of Bluegrass alive and well.

After the lesson, I drove over to Pop's Pool Hideaway in Judsonia and shot some pool with Vern, Ben, Roger and George. What a wonderful way to pass the afternoon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 25th, I was invited to play Bluegrass at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Majewski in Heber Springs. Terry builds guitars and mandolins under the name Crystal Forest Hand-Built Instruments. Terry sang and played mandolin and guitar. Cloy Skinner played guitar; Stan Caldwell played guitar and sang; Joe Jakonczuk played banjo; Joe's wife, Charlotte played upright bass and I played fiddle. We played for nearly three hours before leaving for home. I enjoyed our jam session very much and sure appreciated being invited.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 23rd, I went out to Tommy Smith's to play my fiddle and enjoy the fellowship with those that come to pick Old Country and Bluegrass. Those present were: Tommy, Ron, Dewey, John, Jim, Lonnie, Martin, and Bobby. Later in the evening, David Davis showed up and sang and played his guitar. We all had a nice time pickin', singin' and visitin'.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 22nd, while searching the internet for interesting tunes to learn, I found a dandy from an early recording (1961) of Don Reno, Red Allen, Frank Wakefield and others. The tune is called "Mountain Strings", in the key of D. I've got the fiddle part worked out and I'll be making that a part of my standard tunes to play. It's real bluesy and zips right along.

I spent the better part of the afternoon remembering and playing up to speed a few banjo tunes. "Nashville Skyline Rag" in the key of C, by Bob Dylan and popularized by Earl Scruggs after he left Flatt & Scruggs, was the first tune I practiced until I got it up to speed. The next tune was "Ground Speed", another Earl Scruggs tune that's a lot of fun to pick. The third tune was an old Flatt & Scruggs number I used to play with the New York state band "Cedar Ridge" called "Polka on the Banjo". Flatt & Scruggs used to play it in the keys of C and F and so I re-learned it there and then re-learned it the way I used to play it with Cedar Ridge, which was in the keys of G and C.

Whoops, wait for it, a few more: These with the tuners. "Randy Lynn Rag", "Earl's Breakdown" and "Flint Hill Special". Yes!

It's been a lot of fun recalling these banjo tunes I haven't played in so long.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 21st, I drove 62.2 miles up to Mountain View and arrived at about 11:15. There were two groups of musicians already picking and singing in Washington Park. I listened for quite a while before going over to Scott Pool's music store and visiting with him. About noon, Stan Caldwell and Steve James showed up and we immediately set out to pick in our favorite gazebo in the park. Shortly after starting, we were joined by Jim Morrison on mandolin, John Burris on guitar and Gerald Moore on guitar.

After a while, we (Stan, Steve and yours truly) broke for lunch at Kin Folks. When we reassembled, we did so at the little ice cream shop across from Kin Folks and then moved to the music store porch where we were joined by Larry Cross, mandolin and Gerald Gordy on upright bass. We picked until about 6:00 p.m. when I decided to head for Searcy and call it a day. What a wonderful day of Bluegrass.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 20th, I went up to Heber Springs for the weekly Bluegrass jam session and I had a ball. Musicians present were: Richard Gardner, Gracie Stormont, Kent Latch, Steve James, Kiersten Gracey, Stan Caldwell, Terry Majewski, Eddie Heathcott, Vernon Romine, Regina Limber, Kendall Roberson and a couple of others I haven't met, yet.

I played mostly banjo but later picked up the fiddle. During the time that I played fiddle, I played "Dance With Me, Kenny" and "Shiloh March" with Steve James (Dobro) and the rest of the group and the tunes came out very nicely.

Happy Anniversary (8th and counting) to this website. Today, the 20th, marks 8 years.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 16th, I practiced "Limehouse Blues" enough so that I an now play it up to speed. Alright!

The evening hours brought an Old Country/Bluegrass jam session held at Tommy Smith's garage on Panther Creek road. Musicians present were: Tommy, Ron, Mickey, John, Jim, Junior, Bobby Wright, Bobby McAdams, Lonnie, Martin Palmer and yours truly. Dewey Townsend was present but didn't play.

Lonnie surprised me with a bow he had re-haired for me. I wasn't expecting it for another week or so. After all, he's just barely getting over heart bypass surgery. What an excellent job he does re-hairing violin bows. I had him re-hair my old Heddon aluminum bow which is still as straight as an arrow after being built in the early 70's.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 15th. I've finally learned a banjo tune that a number of friends and others have continually requested. I've learned "Limehouse Blues", a Don Reno-picking style 3-finger piece that's actually a lot of fun to play. My friend up in Mountain View, Andy Nichols, has asked me a couple of times lately if I picked it. I like picking with him a lot, so today I set out to learn it and where better than to get my friend in eastern Tennessee, Jason Skinner, to teach me on one of his many You Tube videos.

I met Jason several years back and grew to respect his talents very much. He's also a great teacher for anyone out there who would like to learn the Reno method of banjo picking.

I've also learned the fiddle breaks to several tunes lately for my good friend Steve James who plays the resonator guitar very well. He's asked me to learn "Shiloh March", "Dance With Me, Kenny", and "Cutting the Grass", which I've done.

Having so many friends and so many requests keeps me on my toes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday the 14th, I went to Mountain View to see who all was jamming Bluegrass. Stan Caldwell and Steve James were busy and couldn't make it. Shortly after arriving and listening to some musicians in the park, I went over to Kin Folks to grab a bite to eat. While I was enjoying my soup beans and cornbread, Ron Ramsey and his wife, Donna, walked in. We had lunch together and then Ron and I started playing over at the music store on the porch. Soon we were joined by Clifford Tucker, upright bass. Shortly after he arrived to play, Andy Nichols came into the group and played mandolin and sang along with Ron and me. Later on when Clifford left, Jay Kaffka came and played upright bass for us. We had a super Bluegrass afternoon for several hours before breaking up to go home.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, Friday the thirteenth, I'm driving up to Heber Springs for the evening Blugrass jam session. I'm looking forward to trying a couple of fiddle breaks to Dobro tunes that Steve James will play. The first is "Shiloh March" and the second is "Dance With Me, Kenny". I've been working real hard to play the latter one up to speed and I think I've finally got it, so I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I always enjoy the Heber Springs musicians so much. Everybody has such fun!

Well, I'm back from a wonderful evening of Bluegrass with my friends in Heber Springs. There were fourteen musicians and one more counting me. Those present were: (playing guitar and providing vocals): Lyndel Quick, Cloy Skinner, Stan Caldwell, Vernon Romine, Kendall Roberson, Tim Sturch, and Eric Derrickson; Eddie Heathcott played Dobro and provided vocals; Steve James played Dobro; Kent Latch played mandolin and provided vocals; Barry Bradford played mandolin; Raymond Rawls played guitar; Rick Gardner and Mary Lee Turney took turns playing upright bass and both provided vocals; Lyndel also played some mandolin and Stan also played some banjo and Cloy played some fiddle. I played fiddle, banjo and provided some harmonies for Stan's songs.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th is a Thursday. There's Old Country music being played every Thursday night at the Corner Gas Station in Judsonia. The reason I don't attend is simple....there's no room. It's a tiny little venue and there are plenty of musicians in attendance already, so I just skip this one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 11th is Mary and my anniversary! Happy Anniversary, Mary!

I gave a banjo instruction lesson at Riverside Park in Searcy from noon 'til 1:00 p.m. and then met with Ashley, Okey and Mary at Mazzio's Pizza in Searcy for a great lunch.

Later on, I practiced fiddle tunes in preparation for Friday night Bluegrass in Heber Springs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 9th, I met a couple of fellows I hadn't seen before over at Tommy Smith's jam session on Panther Creek Road. They were Irving and James (James played bass and guitar). The usual musicians present were: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, Jim Scarborough, John the mandolin player, Bobby Mc Adams, Bobby Wright, Martin Palmer the guitar player, and Lonnie Collins. I played fiddle. A super time was had by all. It's amazing how professional we all sound with everyone working for the good of the music. I really enjoy picking with these musicians.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 8th, Mary and I were guests of the Castle's for a birthday party thrown for Mary at their lovely home in Searcy. After watching horse races and enjoying an afternoon of wonderful conversation, we returned home where I set out to learn two new fiddle tunes, both by Kenny Baker. The first one is called "Dance With Me, Kenny" and I learned it from a YouTube video of Kenny Baker and Josh Graves performing the tune on Austin City Limits years ago.

The second tune was also from Kenny and Josh and it is named "Shiloh March". They're both in the key of G and aren't particularly difficult to learn. So now I've got a couple more fiddle tunes I can play along with my good buddy, Steve James, the Dobro player from Heber Springs. He's the one who emailed me the videos and asked me if I could play them....so I learned them so we could jam on them next time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 7th, I drove up to Mountain View to spend the day jamming Bluegrass with my friends Steve James, Dobro, and Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals. We met a couple of other musicians who played briefly with us. They were: Lou Hendrix, banjo and vocals; and Gene Bratcher, guitar and vocals. We played over six hours and didn't come anywhere near running out of songs and tunes. We received many compliments from the huge crowds that would gather to listen. It was a ton of fun and we're all looking forward to the next session.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th, Mary's Birthday, Ashley, Okey and I took her to Fuji's, a Japanese restaurant in Searcy for lunch. Wow! What a wonderful place to eat. She was inundated by cellphone calls and messages on Facebook wishing her a Happy Birthday. She's very, very popular to say the least. Then, for dinner, we went to "Tacos For Life", a new fast-food joint on Race Avenue. We were all favorably impressed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I brought Mary over to the pool hall in Judsonia where she was absolutely surprised at her many friends who showed up for her surprise Birthday Party thrown for her by Debbie and Ben Hensley and Mary's daughter, Ashley, her husband, Okey, and yours truly. It was hard to keep it a secret but we all managed to pull it off.

Others present were: Revel "Pops" Moore and his wife Tina, Dawn, Mike, and Ben and Debbie's son, Thomas and a dear friend of Mary's named Nikki. We all sang Happy Birthday and ate pizza, cake, ice cream and soda pop. Then, many of us shot pool for a while before heading home. Happy Birthday Mary!
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, I went to Tommy Smith's and played music with my friends there. Tommy played guitar and sang; Ron Ramsey played guitar and sang; Mickey Rascoe played guitar and sang; John played mandolin; Jim Scarborough played guitar and sang; David Davis played guitar and sang; Junior played guitar and sang; Lonnie Collins played bass ukulele; Martin Palmer played guitar and sang; Gary played guitar and sang; Charlie played guitar; and I played fiddle and played the guitar and sang one song: "Let Those Brown Eyes Smile at Me".
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of October I checked the graphs to see how many visitors I had here on the website from September 1st to September 30th: 16,241 !!!!! Most of the visitors were interested in the Music Theory Page and while they were onsite, they looked through hundreds of photos, mostly (99.9%) by my wife, Mary, the photographer for this site. Well over 500 visitors per day studying music theory. Wow!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

A Bluegrass September

Here's an accounting of our musical adventures (and others, too) throughout the month of September, 2017.

Saturday, the 30th of September, I drove the 62 miles to Mountain View to play music for the day. While on the drive I thought of several good old Bluegrass tunes to sing that I hadn't performed in a while. Songs like "Let Those Brown Eyes Smile at Me", "I'm Changing the Words to My Love Song of You", and My Deceitful Heart".

I arrived at the same time my friend Terry Majewski did and we chatted for about 15 minutes before Stan Caldwell and Steve James came. The four of us began playing by 12:00 noon. Terry played his hand-built mandolin and one of his hand-built guitars and sang; Steve played Dobro, Stan played a hand-built guitar by Terry and provided lead vocals, and I played banjo and sang harmonies and some lead vocals. Later, we were joined by Ade Butler from Texas who played upright bass and sang.

After a short break to get a bite to eat, we started up again. Terry left for home and Ade left, too. Stan, Steve and I were then joined by Marsha Haley on upright bass and Clint Lowry on fiddle. This made up a tight-sounding group and we played for a few more hours before splitting up around 6:30 p.m.. What a day!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 29th, I'll be going up to Heber Springs to jam some Bluegrass with a group of my good musician friends there. More on this later..............

What a great time I had playing music with my friends in Heber Springs tonight. I got to meet two couples who play and sing. The first couple both played resonator guitars. They were: Lynn and Pat Uecker. The next couple did a fine job of harmony singing (as did the first), . They were: Carol and Bob Pearcy. There were a couple more musicians there that I didn't get to learn their names, but maybe next time we jam I'll get a chance.

Musicians present that I knew were: Mary Lee Turney, Kent Latch, Steve James, Barry Bradford, Stan Caldwell, Terry Majewski, Vernon Romine, Raymond Rawls, Don Wooten, Jim Wilkinson, Lynn and Pat Uecker, Tim Sturch, Joe Giroir, another man with a harmonica, a mystery mandolin player, Alvis Alford, and another upright bass player who I've played with several times but don't know his name yet (edit: Rick Gardner). I played banjo the first half of the evening and then was requested to play some fiddle tunes, so I finished up with the fiddle.

Several of the folks are going picking in Mountain View tomorrow. We'll all meet in Washington Park at noon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 25th, I went over to Tommy Smith's to jam some "Old Country" and "Bluegrass" with some of my musician friends. It was great to see them again after having been absent for around three weeks. As well as I can recollect, those musicians present were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Lonnie Collins, bass; Junior, guitar and vocals; Martin, guitar and vocals; John, mandolin and guitar; Charlie, guitar and vocals; Jim, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Bobby and Dewey were present but didn't play. I always enjoy the fellowship of these fine people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 24th, a Sunday, Mary and I were invited out to dinner at the Western Sizzler in Searcy, by our good friends Ben and Debbie Hensley. We enjoy their company so much as it's always a fun time to hang out with them. Later, I decided to practice my fiddle for a while since I've been playing mostly banjo these last few sessions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 23rd,I'm going up to Mountain View to play music. I've been invited to pick in an RV park (Mountain View RV Park) not far from the Courtsquare Picking Park and Washington Picking Park. I'm looking forward to a day of music fun with my Arkansas buddies. More on all this later when I return.......

I met Stanley Caldwell, guitar, Martin Palmer, guitar, and Steve James, Dobro in Mountain View at the Mountain View RV park and we picked Bluegrass, non-stop for 4 hours before quitting to get a hot dog over at Kin Folks Bar-B-Q at downtown. ( I usually pick with Martin each Monday night at Tommy Smith's on the Panther Creek Road near Pangburn). Directly after that we played music for another 2 1/2 hours in the Washington Picking Park and were guested by Jay Kaffka on upright bass and Andy Nichols on the mandolin. We had an audience of around 85 -100 people gathered listening to us and I felt bad having to quit early and bust up the group, but I needed to be rested enough for the 75 minute/62 mile drive home to Searcy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The 22nd, (my Birthday) I traveled up to Heber Springs to take part in the Bluegrass music played each Friday night. When I got there I was offered to play banjo and I remained playing the banjo until I left.

Musicians in attendance were: Kendall Roberson, guitar; Joe Giroir, harmonica; Barry Bradford, mandolin; Lyndel Quick, guitar; Cloy Skinner, guitar; Steve James, Dobro; Kent Latch, mandolin and vocals; Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Joe Giroir, harmonica and vocals; Tim Sturch, guitar and vocals; Eric Derrickson, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and vocals.

I also saw Alvis Alford, Don Wooten and got to meet a wonderfully interesting man named Nelson Teagarden, who was a very close friend of Bill Monroe's many years ago. I had a great time listening to Nelson's stories of he and Bill Monroe.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 21st, I was back home in Arkansas. Yahoo!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 20th, in the afternoon I started for Arkansas and got as far as Harriman, TN before stopping to rest for the night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 19th was a busy day for sure. I rode up to Bluff City with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle and had a super time chatting about all the news, etc. When we got to the emergency squad building and started jamming, Ron played fiddle, Gordon played mandolin, Roger Messer played guitar, John Gott played fiddle, Joe Thompson played guitar and I played fiddle. It was cool to have three fiddles going at the same time. There were some real pretty harmonies.

Later, I went down into the first lower-level room to take pictures (they will be posted later on) of all the musicians. They were: Daniel Houseright, Randy Singleton and another banjo player that I don't know his name, Phil Hensley, Annie ? (mandolin and voice), Jeff Sharpe, and Steve Shipley.

The far room over was also filled with musicians. They were: Dan ?, Hal Boyd, Tim Laughlin, Tom and Beverly Horton, Charley Powers, Phil Shipplett (luthier and mandolinist), and yours truly. I sang "Cabin Home On The Hill" with Tom and Beverly while the rest of the group did some mighty fine pickin'.

Later, Ron, Gordon and I stopped at Applebee's in Johnson City and had a great time on the way home.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 18th, at the Senior Center in the morning I met with the following friends: Henry Barnett, Red Hovatter, Charlie McConnell, Charlie Edwards, Russell Bracken, Carlisle Love, Roy Hovatter, John Harris, Earl ?, Otis Ray, Ray Edwards and Terry Shealy.

Later on I went to Jerry Sam's home for an evening band practice with "Midnight Grass" where I played the fiddle for several hours. Musicians present were: Jerry, Galen and Katie Jeter, Rick Guinn, Troy Bennett and Jeff Webb. We all had a wonderful time getting into some serious pickin'. Very polished picking!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 17th, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I attended the weekly Bluegrass jam at Ron Lane's for their band practice. What a wonderful time I had seeing my many friends and playing music with them. Here's who was there: Ron Lane, Jerry Coleman, Jerry McCarty, Terry Taylor, Rita (Jerry McCarty's friend), Richard Widdows, J. D. Lay, and yours truly.

I had a chance to play an old banjo that Jim Stidman and his uncle built back in the early 60's - it sounded great! - and I also played a new mandolin that Jim had just finished building. It's an F-5 model with great tone and workmanship. I was also quite favorably impressed with a ($39.00 fiddle from EBay???) that Jerry McCarty had Jim fix up. I thoroughly enjoyed fiddling on it.

It was sure nice to pick with these folks again. I had been looking forward to this day for a long while.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 16th, Saturday, in the morning before leaving for the day, I learned a good fiddle break for the tune Interstate Rag in the key of D. I also learned Panhandle Rag in the key of E. (I already play it in the keys of D and G).

In the evening, I went to Rheatown to the general store for the Bluegrass pickin' that's been going on there for over fifty years. Due to a whole lot of other festivals going on, I wasn't able to pick with a lot of my musician buddies who were performing elsewhere. But, I did get to play with the core of the group who I met back in 2011 and absolutely love pickin' with: Andrew Marshall, Claude Smith, Marvin Gladwell and Mike Wilburn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, I played pool with Henry Barnett, Red Hovatter, Roy Hovatter, Charlie Edwards and others before heading home to get ready for music in the evening hours.

In the evening I met up with my good friend, John Gott, fiddler, at "Dolly's Restaurant" in Blountville where we both had a delicious meal and then went over to the Anderson House to play music. Musicians in attendance were: Ron Lane, Jim Stidman, Joe Thompson, John Gott, John Farrell, Winston Burdette, Gary Barber, Bob Wilder, and Nina Ketron, the bass player.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

14th, I left at 3:30 a.m. for Limestone Cove, TN, a distance of 635 miles. I arrived in the late afternoon and hung around the home resting up and getting ready to go to the Senior center in Erwin Friday morning to meet up with many of my great friends down there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 12th, I received the new A string I ordered in a hurry from Amazon. It's a D'addario Zyex aluminum wound and it sounds great. It's just taking its sweet time playing in, that's all. I ordered it from Amazon not because it was the cheapest but rather the fastest delivery and I need to play this string in before I get to Tennessee. There are few things more aggravating than playing in a violin string so I want to be ready when the jammin' starts.

I learned the other day that my good friend Frank Culler from Unicoi, Tennessee has passed away and I've been thinking of the many fun times we had together. I enjoyed him very much and had a blast being in "Third Day Resurrection" with him, too. I wish the very best for fellow band members Mike Laws and Randy Carrier who were friends a good many more years than I was with Frank (I met Frank in 2012). My sincere condolences go out to Franks significant other, Barbara King, who Frank was with around twenty years or so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The 11th, I got a call from my dear friend Jim Stidman back in sunny Tennessee. I shall be forever indebted to Jim for the incredible work he did on my 1834 violin to restore it to perfection, playability and pureness of tone. In just a few short days I'll be able to visit with him and play some Bluegrass when I meet with him and the rest of the Sunday afternoon gang: Ron Lane, Jerry Coleman, Richard Widdows, Jerry McCarty, Terry Taylor and perhaps some others, too. I'm very excited about this as it's been quite a while since I've seen any of them.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, today, the 10th of September, after putting probably thousands of hours of playing use on a Zyex A String, it finally gave out and unraveled. I quickly ordered a replacement from Amazon and it will be delivered in time for me to put it on my 1834 fiddle and head for Tennessee. Talk about timing....whew! There's nothing worse than breaking in a new string at a jam session..........well I guess it would be worse to not have an A string at all..

I've been using Helicore on the French fiddle and Zyex on the 1834. Both types are made by D'Addario String Company. I use mediums for both fiddles. Yesterday at Mountain View I didn't play the fiddle at all. I started with the banjo and picked it for the 5-hour jam we had. (I didn't know I had a fiddle string going bad, either.) Some of my friends online are using Zyex now and they love them, too.

Around the evening hours, I received a call from Bill Fernald letting me know that he and his wife Sally were doing fine and had weathered the hurricane in Florida just fine. Lots of damage everywhere but they're fine. I've known Bill and Sally for 30 years or so...way back from the Bluegrass days at the Pelletier Picking Party in Kents Hill, Maine. Bill and I are like brothers. Mary and I can't wait to see them again. We didn't have the chance to see them this summer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 9th, I drove up to Mountain View and met my friends Stan Caldwell and Steve James there at the Courtsquare Pickin' Park and we jammed for around 5 hours holding a huge audience the entire time. We also had our good friend Jim Wilson playing rhythm guitar and a new friend/musician from Mississippi, David McCoy, playing mandolin and providing wonderful vocals. We took a short break to go across the street to Kin Folks Bar-B-Q, owned by Mike and Beth Carroll, and then went right back at it picking up a storm. The audience waited for us which I thought was very nice.

(NOTE: While all this was going on, this website received 2,078 Visitors for the day of the 9th ).

The more I play music with Stan and Steve the more impressed I become with their vast musical abilities. I won't get to pick with them now for a short while as I'll be in Tennessee picking with my many Bluegrass friends there before I return.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, the 8th, I'm heading up to Heber Springs to play some Bluegrass. I got telephone calls from my good friends Henry and John (both from TN) today wondering when I was due to arrive in TN. It was great to hear from them.

What a wonderful, Bluegrass-filled evening it was! I got to meet an old friend of my friend Steve James. His name is Andy Stark and Andy is a very talented mandolinist, fiddler and vocalist. (I didn't get a chance to hear him play the fiddle, but I'm sure he's very talented at it). I also got to meet Don Wooten and Eric Derrickson. Don plays Dobro and sings and Eric plays guitar and sings. Others in attendance were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Stan Caldwell, banjo, guitar and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Cloy Skinner, guitar and fiddle; Eddie Heathcott, Dobro; Raymond Rawls, guitar; Steve James, Dobro; a talented young man playing upright bass (edit: Rick Gardner); and a talented middle-aged woman playing guitar and singing. I played fiddle for the first 1 1/2 hours and played banjo for the next 1 1/2 hours. I really enjoy these Arkansas musicians here in Heber Springs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today is the 5th and I'm excited to be invited to a private Bluegrass jam party in Rosebud, AR. this afternoon.

I've just returned from a three-hour Bluegrass jam session held at my good friend Stan Caldwell's in Rosebud, AR. I got to meet and pick with a couple more Arkansas musicians named D. L. and Mazelle Johnston. D. L. plays mandolin and sings and his wife Mazelle plays guitar and sings.

Also present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Steve James, Dobro (resonator guitar); Cloy Skinner, guitar and fiddle; Stan Caldwell, banjo, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. We picked for 3 hours without so much as a break at all and I loved every minute of it! What a wonderful afternoon. (Pictures on Bluegrass Pictures Page #14.)

I played a fiddle belonging to Cloy that had a sticker in it indicating a "Cremona" style. It had a good sound and was fairly easy to play (it always takes a little getting used to a different fiddle to really do it justice). The bow he had had been recently re-haired by Kent Latch and Kent did a fine job. I also played a fiddle that belonged to Stan and I liked that one, too. I also played three gorgeous guitars of Stan's. The 1st was a guitar built by Terry Majewski, the 2nd a Furch from overseas and the 3rd a 1971 Martin D-35. I had a blast picking guitar as it's been a while since I've done so. I super enjoyed pickin' Stan's 1980 Gibson 5-stringer.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th was the night of the weekly jam session on Panther Creek Road just south of Albion. I was unable to attend but no one expected me anyway as I had told them I was leaving for Tennessee and wouldn't be there. My schedule changed and I would have been able to play the fiddle after all but I couldn't make it anyway. I hate missing that jam session because everyone is so nice and they all play well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

September 3rd:
Here's the latest schedule change on heading to Tennessee:

14th: Leave Arkansas, travel all day to Tennessee
TENNESSEE:
15th: Blountville Bluegrass. I play fiddle
16th: Rheatown I play fiddle
17th: Sunday Bluegrass jam session at Ron Lane's studio in Gray, TN. I play fiddle.
18th: Possible jam session with TN friends ???
19th: Bluff City Bluegrass
20th: Unicoi Log Cabin Bluegrass
21st: Leave Tennessee for Arkansas, travel all day.
RETURN TO ARKANSAS.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 1st, I practiced a couple of fiddle tunes trying to get them up to speed. I've got "Dance Around Molly" up to speed, but I'm still having to work on "Daley's Reel" in Bb. It's just the way I want to note this particular passage that makes for a little trickier fingering than the standard way. I like a more "Canadian" way of playing it....kind of similar in a way to the way I learned "President Garfield's", also in Bb.

In the evening hours, I traveled to Heber Springs to the Friday night Bluegrass jam session held in a large building on S 11th Street. Musicians present were: Mary Lee Turney, upright bass and vocals; Kent Latch, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Tim Sturch, guitar and vocals; Steve James, resonator guitar; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Joe Jakonczuk, banjo; Eddie Heathcott, Dobro and vocals; Vernon, guitar and vocals; one other fellow on guitar who also sang nicely; and a fellow playing harmonica. Also another man played the upright bass for a short while and a young woman named Gracie Stormont played drop-thumb banjo, fiddle and sang.

Joe and I got to perform "Dance Around Molly" and the audience enjoyed it very much.

I stayed 'til the jam was over and had a superb time playing and visiting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pickin' in August, 2017

Here's an accounting of our musical (and other) activities throughout the month of July and August, 2017.

This morning, the last day of August (31st), I learned a new fiddle tune named "Dance Around Molly". It's in the key of A and I like it played really zipping along but learned it at an average speed played on an old-time fiddle tune site. This will be a great tune to play when I'm playing with musicians that are unfamiliar with many-chorded fiddle tunes because this one only has a couple of chords in it. My friend Joe "Arkansas Banjo" Jakonczuk knows this one on the 5-string and I can't wait 'til we jam again. He and I both love the sound of a fiddle and a banjo picking the melody together.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 29th, Mary and I headed up to Mountain View for lunch, but we took a different route than we'd ever taken before. We went through Quitman up to Clinton, to Shirley, Rushing and then into Mountain View. This region is a very scenic part of the state with some pretty mountains and streams.

While in Mountain View, we went over to the gift shop at the Folk Center. We also had lunch at the little restaurant across from the music store. While there, Andy Nichols came in with a couple of friends for lunch and we got to visit with them.

When we left, we drove through Heber Springs to Pangburn and back to Searcy. 200 miles and a super day!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 28th, I'm planning on attending the jam session at Tommy Smith's on Panther Creek Road near Pangburn, AR. More later.

I'm back from the jam at Tommy's and I had a great time. When I arrived I saw Lonnie's Mustang out front and heard sounds of him playing the bass in the garage and was delighted to have him back in attendance after having had 6 heart by-passes a couple of weeks back. He seems to being doing very well.

Others in attendance were: Tommy. Junior, Bobby M., Lonnie, Bob Wright, Martin, Charlie, John, Jim, Mickey, Ron, and yours truly.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 26th, I drove up to Mountain View to meet my friends Steve James, Stan Caldwell and Joe Jakonczuk and picked some Bluegrass in the park. We had a really good session going and were joined by two other good Bluegrass musicians by the names of Mark Normand (from Lafayette, LA) and Craig Wilbanks (from Corinth, MS).

I played fiddle all the while that Joe was picking his beautiful "Arkansas" banjo. He builds them...they're fantastic! Stan played his "home-built" (built by Terry Majewski) guitar and provided lead vocals. Steve James played Dobro excellently like he always does. He's got a really great body of material to draw from and I love picking with him. Mark Normand played mandolin and provided lead and harmony vocals and fit in with the rest of us perfectly. Craig Wilbanks played guitar and sang some great Bluegrass numbers and provided great rhythm when Stan would take lead breaks on the guitar. We had an audience gathered nearing one hundred or so folks who were enjoying our music very much judging by the rounds of applause we received after each tune.

Later, before I left for the evening, I ran into another new-found friend, Andy Nichols, who was just arriving and getting ready to play. I was too tired or I would have loved to hang back a while and pick with him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

The solar eclipse barely was noticeable here in Searcy but Mary and I enjoyed making viewing boxes out of discarded cereal containers, etc.

Later, the evening of the 21st, I went over to Tommy Smith's for the weekly jam session where I truly enjoyed playing fiddle and singing.

Musicians present were: guitarists/vocalists: Tommy Smith, Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, David Davis, Gary Veach, Junior Stimbo, Charlie Jacobs and Jim Scarborough. Darrell ? played guitar but didn't sing, Mandolin players were: Bobby Mc Adams and John Allison. Bassist was Bobby Wright who also sang. I played fiddle and just before I left for the evening I sang "Confessing" by Flatt and Scruggs. As always, I had a great time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

It's Monday, the 14th, in the evening and I'll be leaving shortly to play fiddle over at Tommy Smith's.

I've been thinking about how much fun it will be to see my Tennessee friends again when I leave here for around three weeks on September 2nd. It'll be nice to jam in Unicoi at the log cabin; in Bluff City at the emergency squad building; in Blountville at the Anderson House; in Rheatown at the general store; and at my good friend Ron Lane's studio in Gray, TN. I'll also be playing with the band "Midnight Grass" as a member. They all want me to be in their band and play fiddle and I sure do love playing with Troy, Rick, Gary, Jerry and Jeff.

Musicians in attendance were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey, guitar and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals, John, mandolin, Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Bobby, guitar and vocals; Charlie, guitar and vocals; Gary, guitar and vocals; Junior, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. We all had a superb time playing music and visiting with each other.

I was pleased to learn that several of the musicians present had visited this website and had positive comments to offer about pictures and other info.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning, the 12th, I drove up to Mountain View to see if I could get into a jam session with area musicians and sure enough, I did just that. I met an older man named Dean Hinesley and he was a very talented banjo picker and singer. He was picking with another older man named Andy Nichols, who was playing a guitar and singing. They were accompanied by a younger man who played mandolin nearly as well as Jesse Mc Reynolds what with his ability to cross-pick and who also sang; his name is Clinton Johnson. Then there was another older gentleman who played a 1937 stand-up bass and sang; his name is Don Norman. I went and moved the car closer to them, (they were picking in the shade next to Kin Folks BBQ) fetched my fiddle and sat in with them for a couple of hours and had the time of my life playing good old hardcore Bluegrass!

When I first arrived I listened to a foursome of folk singers who sang and played very well. They were seated in the middle gazebo. I also ran up to the Folk Center to see how the fiddle contest was coming, but they were way behind time and I left. I didn't enter this year because the rules forbid any Bluegrass from being played....strictly Old-Time. I like Old-Time, but I much prefer Bluegrass and I didn't want to spend the time away from jamming Bluegrass at the Park to enter the contest and play Old-Time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 11th, I drove up to Heber Springs and attended the Friday Night Bluegrass jam session. Several of my new-found friends were there and lots of musicians I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting or pickin' with. I had a super time and I'm looking forward to going back.

I had the opportunity to play Stan Caldwell's old Gibson banjo again and to visit and play music with him. He's a great guy and one heck of a musician. He's got his banjo set up just exactly the way I love a banjo to sound. He's also a very sound Bluegrass rhythm and lead picker on his hand-built guitar made by Terry Majewski.

I also got to pick with my new friend, Steve James, who is a very talented resonator guitar player and a real nice guy. I also met an older gentleman named Cloy Skinner who plays the fiddle and guitar and is very enjoyable to converse with.

I met a lot of people and also got to see Vernon, Jim and Eddie again. I'll put some pictures on Page 14, soon. When I do, I'll provide a link from here.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday and Wednesday, the 8th and 9th, I've been practicing for the fiddle contest this coming weekend up in Mountain View. I placed Third back in 2015 and didn't get a chance to enter for the year 2016. Not sure I'll enter because I'd rather jam over at the Park, but we'll see what happens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 7th, I played my fiddle at Tommy Smith's "Old Country" jam on Panther Creek Road, just north of Searcy, AR. As usual, I had a lot of fun picking with so many of my new-found friends. Each and every one of them contribute so much to the overall sound and ambiance. I enjoy playing fill-in licks and taking breaks to the countless Country songs we all play. I'm so impressed with the talent in the room.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 6th of August was the one year anniversary of composing my fiddle tune named "The Backwoods Reel".
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 5th, I drove up to Mountain View and immediately got into a Bluegrass jam that lasted all afternoon into the evening hours. I picked with Joe Jakonczuk, banjo; Stan Caldwell, guitar and vocals; Terry Majewski, guitar and vocals; another gentleman on mandolin and vocals; Steve James on resonator guitar (very talented musician, too); and several others who came and went throughout the day.

At the very end of my visit, I stayed a while past my intentions and fiddled for a married duet named "Freddy and Phyllis". They are a very talented twosome playing just about any kind of music the crowd asked them to perform. I enjoyed meeting them and wish them well in their travels. They're a lot of lively fun.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday the 3rd, I learned that earlier in the week, my friend and fiddler, Lonnie Collins underwent 6-bypass heart surgery including work on one of his heart valves. He is resting comfortably in St. Vincent's hospital in Little Rock and Mary and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Lonnie is an excellent musician and a wonderful guy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PICKING IN JULY, 2017

Monday night, the 31st first of July, I spent the evening playing my fiddles at Tommy Smith's garage on the Panther Creek road on the way to Pangburn from Searcy. There were many musicians in attendance and we all had a wonderful time. We all missed not having Lonnie Collins there to play bass, but John played some before handing it over to David Davis who later turned it over to Ron Ramsey. Lonnie is so spot on with his playing - being the great musician he is - that he's very much missed when he's absent.

Musicians present were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsey (underwent eye surgery today but still came to play music tonight), guitar, bass and vocals; Mickey Rascoe, guitar and vocals; John Allison, mandolin and bass; Jim Scarborough, guitar and vocals; Bobby Mc Adams. guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gary Veach, guitar and vocals; David Davis, guitar, bass and vocals; Tom ?, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddles.

I've been invited to play in Mountain View this coming Saturday with David Davis and others and I'm looking forward to doing so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 24th, I jammed with my musician friends at Tommy Smith's on Panther Creek Road. As I can recall, there were: Tommy Smith, guitar and vocals; Ron Ramsay, guitar and vocals; Gary, guitar and vocals; John, mandolin; Jim, guitar and vocals; Bobby, guitar and vocals; Charlie, guitar and vocals; Lonnie Collins, bass; Junior, guitar and vocals; Martin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, Dobro and vocals.

Mickey Rascoe, Dewey Townsend and Booby Wright were absent tonight. We all wish Bobby a speedy recovery from his recent heart surgery bypasses.

I played for around three hours before leaving and as usual, I left early. The other musicians often times will pick much later.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 19th, Mary and I went up to Mountain View for lunch at our favorite little restaurant across from the music store near the court square. We browsed around the music store and of course I just had to have another fiddle book. We also got T-shirts across from the music store. Later we went to the Ozark Folk Center and browsed through the gift shop there.

We enjoy going to Mountain View quite often.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 18th, I traveled out to Heber Springs to the Tuesday Night Bluegrass Jam sponsored by the Heber Springs Christian Church at the corner of Sunny Meadow and Broadway streets. I met a whole lot of musicians in different stages of musical development and I enjoyed playing my fiddle along with so many of the folks gathered there. There were two banjo pickers, a mandolin player, a harmonica player, a fiddler (besides me) and many guitarists, some electric but mostly acoustic and a Dobro player, too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 17th, I enjoyed playing fiddle at Tommy Smiths garage jam session. Tonight there were quite a few pickers. From my right to my left were: Martin, vocals and guitar; Junior, vocals and guitar; Lonnie, bass; Charlie, vocals and guitar; Bobby, vocals and guitar; Jim, vocals and guitar; John, mandolin; Mickey, vocals and guitar; Ron, vocals, guitar and Dobro; and Tommy, vocals and guitar. I alternately played both fiddles, the one tuned in standard and the one tuned in the "A" chord. When my turn came around, I played such tunes as: "The Green River Blues" (I composed this tune the other day), "Dry and Dusty", "Golden Slippers", "Lost Indian", "Black Mountain Rag", and some others.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday the 12th, I began composing a "Rag" tune on my French fiddle that I keep tuned in C#AEA. I'm going to call it "The Green River Blues". It's coming along nicely and I hope to have it playable by next Monday night's jam session. ( I thought about naming after the Little Red River, a river in Arkansas, but I've since changed my mind. The Little Red River has three forks that converge in Greer's Fairy Lake in Heber Springs and one river flows out of the bottom of the dam there and runs into the White River at Georgetown, AR). I just like the sound of "Green River" better and I rarely get a glimpse of the Little Red River that it doesn't appear green anyway.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday afternoon, the 11th, Mary and I rode up to Heber Springs while exploring the local area. We found a music store called "The Red River Music Store" and enjoyed visiting with Alvin, the music instructor. It's owned by Charlie, a guitarist for Winona Judd. From there we went to Eden Isle, a beautiful place on Greer's Fairy Lake. We learned of a Tuesday night and a Friday night Bluegrass jam held in Heber Springs, so I'll probably have to give them a try one of these times I'm visiting this area.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 10th, I jammed over at Tommy Smith's garage on Panther Creek Road. Tommy played guitar and sang. Also playing guitar and singing were: Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rascoe, Junior and Jim. Others playing guitar were: Bobby and Dewey. John played mandolin, Lonnie Collins played bass and I played fiddle. I enjoy playing with these musicians a lot and look forward to Monday nights.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mary and I went to Mountain View on the 6th and spent the day up there hanging out with musicians, having a superb lunch and visiting the music store (I can always use another fiddle book...). We love Mountain View! We met a very nice gentleman in the park named Tom Winn, who plays guitar, banjo and sings.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 5th, I went over to Ron Ramsey's home in Kensett, AR., and spent the afternoon picking banjos, mandolins, fiddles and guitars that Ron has collected throughout the years. What a wonderful collection, indeed!
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd, I played my fiddles over at Tommy Smith's Monday night jam session on the Panther Creek Road towards Pangburn, AR. As usual, I had a super time with all the wonderful musicians and friends I've had the pleasure of meeting and picking with.

June's Journeys

Here's an accounting of our musical (and other) activities throughout the month of June, 2017.

25th: I've been learning a few more fiddle tunes as time permits. Not a lot of time lately to devote to fiddling, but still, enough to learn some new lines. Here's a few tunes I'm working on: "A Truagh Clog Dance", "John Joe McElroy's Fling", "Paddy O'Brien's", and "The Standing Abbey".
------------------------------------------------------------

June 19th, I went over to Tommy Smith's and jammed Old Country and Bluegrass with a group of Arkansas friends that I enjoy being with. Tommy played guitar, as did Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rasco, Bobby, Jim, Junior and Dewey. Lonnie Collins played the bass, John played mandolin and I fiddled. I stayed for over three hours and had a super time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

June 17th, I played the fiddle and the banjo at Pops Hideaway for the patrons who had gathered as special guests of the Hensleys. The "regulars" who were shooting pool also enjoyed the pickin' and singing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

June 12th, I played my fiddle at Tommy Smith's on Panther Creek Road near Letona, AR. I had a superb time pickin' with my many musician friends there. I played tunes like "Beaumont Rag", "Stone's Rag", "Smokey Mountain Rag", "Missouri Road", "Laughing Boy" and others.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

June 5th: The evening, I went to Tommy Smith's to the weekly jam session. I played fiddle for several hours and just before leaving, I played Dewey Townsend's old Gibson acoustic guitar and sang an old Flatt & Scruggs number " I'm Confessing".

A Musical May

Here's an accounting of our musical (and other) activities throughout the month of May, 2017.

22nd: After playing pool all morning, I practiced my fiddle for awhile this afternoon before heading over to Tommy Smith's tonight to play music. Lots of the usual pickers were in attendance and I had a super time playing fiddle. From my left, all the way around to my right were: Tommy, Ron Ramsey, Mickey Rasco, John, Jim, Bobby, another Bobby, Lonnie Collins, Junior, Dewey Townsend, David, and then yours truly.
--------------------------------------------------------

21st: Mary and I went up to Batesville today and had lunch at the Triangle Restaurant before taking the back road over to Mountain View to check out the musicians on the porch of the music store. There were 3 guitar players and an upright bassist picking and singing and we enjoyed their talents for a while before heading to Pangburn and Hickory Flat to have dinner with Ben, Debbie and Thomas Hensley before heading home. What a wonderful day.
--------------------------------------------------------

17th: Remaining inspired for playing fiddle tunes, I finished up what used to be a daily practice list (counting what I fiddled yesterday. The rest of the tunes on the list that I sawed through today are:

Back Up and Push, Billy in the Low Ground, Redwing, Happy Acres Two-step, The Devil’s Dream, Soldier’s Joy, The Dreamer’s Waltz, Ashoken Farewell, Silver Bells, St. Anne’s Reel, Snowflake Breakdown, Sally Goodin, Old Joe Clark, Ragtime Annie, John Hardy, Salt Creek, Katy Daley, TN Waltz, Kentucky Waltz, Sally Johnson, Uncle Pen, Dig a Hole in the Meadow, Across the Big Sandy, Buffalo Girls, Earl’s Breakdown, The Red-haired Boy, Fireball Mail, Fireball, Dogs Among the Bushes, Red Apple Rag, Angeline the Baker, Mayor Gordon’s Coat*, Cherokee Shuffle, Smokey Mtn Rag, Dry and Dusty, Growling Old Man and Growling Old Woman, The Old Mountaineer, Old Dangerfield, Monroe’s Hornpipe, Ground Speed, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Sally Ann, Katy Hill, Cricket on the Hearth, The Long Bow, Soppin’ the Gravy, Big Country, Big Sciota, Flannery’s Dream, Charmaine, Scotland, The Temperance Reel, Brown County Breakdown, Watson’s Blues, Blue Mountain Waltz, Daley’s Reel, Chuck-a-Luck, San Antonio Rose, The Sunday Morning Breakdown*, The Alabama Waltz, Waltz for Dad, and The Mississippi Waltz. (Over 60 tunes!)

That makes 100 tunes I played from memory in the last 2 days. Yay! (Now if I could only remember to come in out of the rain!)
-------------------------------------------------------------

16th: Wow! What an inspired day to practice fiddle tunes coming after such a wonderful night last night playing music with my friends on Panther Creek Road.

I must have played near to 40 tunes:

Gold Rush, Lost Indian, Galway Reel, Arkansas Traveler, Bill Cheatum, Cuckoo’s Nest, Faded Love, Maiden’s Prayer, Shanty Brook*, Shucking the Corn, Washington County, Wheel Hoss, Goodbye Liza Jane, East TN Blues, Ashland Breakdown, Dry and Dusty, Jerusalem Ridge, Boston Boy, Southern Flavor, Shelby Rock, Grassy Fiddle Blues, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Denver Belle, Big Tilda, Cincinnati Rag, New Camptown Races, Dixie Hoedown, Laughing Boy, Missouri Road, Baker’s Breakdown, Roanoke, Virginia Darlin’, Panhandle Rag, Panhandle Country, Durham’s Bull, Twinkle Little Star, Indian Killed a Woodcock, Tennessee Wagoner and, The Beaumont Rag, The Orange Blossom Special and some others. (40 tunes!)

Monday night, May 15th, I played my fiddle over at Tommy Smith's and had a real good time. Here's some pictures.
------------------------------------------------------------

On Mother's Day, the 14th, Mary and I were invited to a late lunch at the home of Ben and Debbie Hensley and their son, Thomas, in Hickory Flat, Arkansas. I was asked to bring along my banjo and fiddle and provide some entertainment after a wonderful meal and so I gladly accepted and did so.

We had the great opportunity to meet Ben's father, 89-year old Shelby Hensley. We took an immediate liking to him and had a wonderful afternoon conversing with him about so many interesting topics having to do with area musicians and local history.
-------------------------------------------------------------

May 8th: I played my fiddle for several hours over at Tommy Smith's on Panther Creek Road, near Pangburn, AR. Quite a few of my musician friends were present and we all had a super time pickin' an' singin'.
-------------------------------------------------------------

May 6th: I played my banjo and fiddle at "Pop's Hideaway" to entertain the folks who had gathered to play pool and/or to listen to me perform. I had a lot of fun picking and those in attendance enjoyed the live music.

Mary and I have both been shooting quite a bit of pool over at "Pop's Hideaway" in Judsonia. While there, we love to visit with many of our friends, including Ben and Debbie (the owners), their son Thomas, and Russell, Gabriel, Nikki, Kyle, and others.

An Acoustic April

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout the month of April, 2017.

The 24th, I spent the evening at Tommy Smith's jamming "Old Country" and "Bluegrass" with quite a few of my Arkansas musician friends. There were: Tommy, Ron, Mitch, Jim, Bobby, Lonnie, Dewey, and several others present. I had a wonderful time playing fiddle.
-----------------------------------------------------

Today, the 19th, we finished up our Donnie Perkins CD order and we'll ship them first thing in the morning by UPS to Chazy, NY. Donnie had four CDs restocked after having sold out. They were: "Don Perkins, North Country Fiddler", "Don Perkins With His Fiddle", "Donnie Perkins, Riding the Fiddle Bow", and "Don Perkins, Bits & Pieces". What a great collection of fiddle tunes preserved forever in these wonderful CDs.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Much of my time ( and Mary's time, too) has been focused on a huge CD order from our dear friend Donnie Perkins from upstate New York. We are racing to fill an order for a large quantity of 4 of his various CDs. Aside from printing problems, ink-ordering problems, computer programming problems, etc., everything is going fine. We're happy with the product and will be shipping very shortly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 17th, I again visited the home of Tommy Smith where I took place in a wonderful "Old Time Country Music" get-together with lots of my new friends from Arkansas. I really enjoy picking, singing and visiting with these people.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, April 10th. I went out to Panther Creek Road, near Letona, Arkansas, to the home of my friend Tommy Smith for his weekly Monday Night Jam Session. It was great to see so many of my musician friends again. I hadn't been there in quite a while. I played fiddle for a couple of hours before leaving for home. In addition to seeing Lonnie Collins and Ron Ramsey again, I also got to see Dewey, Bobby, Gary, Mitch, Martin, and about 10 others, too.
------------------------------------------------------------------

April 1st thru the 9th: I've been fast at work developing CD artwork for an upcoming re-issue of four CDs of the NYS Fiddlers Hall of Fame fiddler, Donnie Perkins. He has nearly sold out of many of his CDs and I've been very busy re-desiging cover and tray cards, etc. to meet his order from my studio, "The Sound Mill", now running here in Searcy, AR.

Musical March

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout the month of March, 2017.

March has been fairly uneventful with regard to playing music here in Arkansas during the winter months. I still continue to practice my fiddle nearly every day, but playing with others has been quite limited due to mostly weather and different folks being sick.

28th: Mary and I took a break from our busy lives here in Searcy and went out to Kensett tonight to enjoy the talented Bluegrass band "Arkansas Edition". It was great to see the band members and their significant others again. It's been quite a while since we've all visited.
-----------------------------------------------------

25th: Mary and I returned from Tennessee today and we look forward to catching up with our Arkansas friends shortly. This evening, after resting a while after unloading the car from our trip, we went over to Pop's Hideaway and shot some Snooker with our good friends Debby and Ben Hensley. They're the new owners of Pop's Hideaway, having recently purchased it from our good friends Revel and Tina Moore.

-----------------------------------------------------

24th & 25th: Returned from Tennessee to Arkansas.
-----------------------------------------------------

22nd: Mary and I attended the Bluegrass jam session held each Wednesday evening at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi, TN. There, we met up with our old friends and had a great time and later, after playing music for several hours, we went to Mexican food with the usual gang.

Musicians present were: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katy Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Cory Jeter, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Ed (sorry Ed?); guitar and vocals; and yours truly, Fiddle, guitar and vocals. (Thanks to Ron Duncan for the use of his fiddle to play since I did not bring one with me on this quick trip to Tennessee.

------------------------------------------------------

19th: I went to the studio of my good friend Ron Lane for a wonderful jam session and good old visit with some of my dear friends who play Bluegrass in the Gray, TN area. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry Mc Carthy, upright bass; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. Many "Thanks" to my good friend Jim Stidman for allowing me to use one of his hand-built violins (my favorite - the Blonde/Honey one). What a great tone!

I'll miss pickin' with these fellows when I leave out on the 24th.
------------------------------------------------------

Mary and I will be returning to Tennessee soon for a quick visit and hopefully I'll get a chance to play some music with my friends up there.

Fiddling February!

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout February, 2017.

Note: The remainder of February was rather uneventful music-wise as each Monday evening that rolled around I was faced with either being sick, the weather being bad, or having other plans that didn't include playing the fiddle at my friend Tommy Smith's place on Panther Creek road near Letona, Arkansas.

The afternoon of the 16th, Mary and I leave for Arkansas. We'll probably stay overnight somewhere along the route. I'll be off the computer for a few days while arranging for internet service in our new location.

We'll sure miss our friends here in eastern Tennessee. We didn't get a chance to see anywhere near all of them on this trip back "east" and it's sad to leave without getting to visit with so many wonderful people.

I sure would have liked to play more times with my dear friends on Sunday afternoons. I didn't even see my friends at Blountville, Bluff City and Rheatown this trip. Here's hoping for a longer visit next time through. Mary didn't get to see several of her good friends, either.

When we arrive back in Searcy, AR., we have lots of friends there, too, and it will be good to see them as well. We'll be spending a lot more time there than in TN this time, so hopefully we'll get to see all our Arkansas buddies.

I'm looking forward to picking a lot more up in Mountain View. Actually, I'm planning on entering the state-wide fiddle championships in August, so I'll need to practice quite a bit to come up from 3rd place a couple of years ago to maybe 2nd place this time (???) lol.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 14th, (Happy Valentines Day) I decided to practice a few fiddle tunes I haven't been playing lately. Tunes like: Smokey Mountain Rag (F), Panhandle Rag (D), Stone's Rag (C), Panhandle Country (C), Big Country (A), Bull Durham (A), Missouri Road (Bb), New Camptown Races (Bb), Cheyenne (Bb), Beaumont Rag (F), Forked Deer (D), Brown County Breakdown (E), Ground Speed (G), Shucking the Corn (G), The Old Mountaineer (G), and several others. A while back, I transposed Alabama Waltz to Bb from A and liked the sound of it much better there, so I practiced that tune, too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 12th, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABE WARNER!) I play the fiddle up in Gray, TN. I've been looking forward to today for quite some time. Last Sunday was the Super Bowl and we didn't play and the Sunday before that was stormy weather. Today, near record warm temperatures are expected.

In the afternoon, I drove up to Ron Lane's private picking party in Gray and had a super time playing music with some really good friends up there. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarthy, upright bass; Richard Widdows, Dobro, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and Dobro.

Ron did a great job playing banjo when one considers his recent accident where he nipped the ends off from two fingers on his left hand on December 18th while using a table saw. Jim Stidman was absent due to recent surgery on one of his heels. He's been in pain with it for over three years and now finally is getting some relief. Ron Duncan was also absent.

It was the last Bluegrass jam session I'll have with these fellows for quite a spell since Mary and I will be returning to Arkansas in a few days.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 11th, Mary and I had lunch with Norma Campbell at Wayne & Nancy's Restaurant in Elizabethton. About half way through, we were joined by Gail Evans, bassist and vocalist for "Mountain Laurel". I told Gail about Mary and I moving back to Arkansas and that I would no longer be able to play in the band. She agreed to tell Janet Calhoun and Denny Key the news. I've sure enjoyed playing with these fine musicians. They've become wonderful friends, too. Perhaps when we return for a couple of weeks in June I might get to play with them somewhere.

It's always so much fun hanging out with Norma. We both love her so much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 10th of February marked the 42nd year since my father's death. When I was a young lad he was always hopeful I would continue the family tradition of playing the fiddle. Back in those days I was much more interested in playing electric lead guitar to the bands "The Cream", "Steppingwolf", "Jimi Hendrix", "B.B. King" and so many others that I really didn't want to learn the fiddle. But I did and it sure did make him happy.

Today, I played many of the old fiddle tunes Dad used to play and he was in my thoughts a great deal.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 9th, I learned the fiddle tune "Forked Deer" so that I could play it along with the band Midnight Grass tonight when we perform in Johnson City at the Moose Lodge. It's a fun tune to play.

Playing the fiddle for Midnight Grass was a lot of fun and I sure did enjoy the challenges presented. For instance: I'm used to playing Big Spike Hammer in 5 #'s, the key of B and this band performs it in 3 #'s, the key of A. That required some quick thinking and transposing. It was fun! Another: They play Fox on the Run, Salty Dog and Rocky Top in A and I've always played them in G.....again, that was fun figuring those out on the fly. There were several other chances to improvise quickly and I enjoyed every one. As far as playing Forked Deer, we didn't get a chance to play it for a live audience, but we did play the tune backstage when we were warming up.

The audience really liked our performance and applauded for every piece we played.

Many "Thanks" to Jerry Sams for inviting me to perform with the band Midnight Grass.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 8th, I will fill in for Lisa Pattison, fiddler, who is unable to make it for an upcoming gig. I will practice at the Moose Lodge in Johnson City. The band members of "Midnight Grass" are: Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Gary Taylor, upright bass and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo; (Lisa Pattison, fiddle and vocals); and yours truly, fiddle (standing in).

Practice went very well and I'm looking forward to the show tonight from 7:30 - 11:00.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On February 7th, Mary and I visited two of our dear friends who were both patients at Hill View Rehabilitation Center in Elizabethton. Roger Young has been a patient there for several months as he recovers from an amputation. He's doing much better and is expected to be released tomorrow. Burl Mast (of Red Barn fame) is recovering from a knee replacement and a couple of accidents while in the hospital recovering from the knee surgery. Namely, a fall which caused a broken foot and another fall which caused a severe sprain of the opposite ankle. He is doing quite well considering all he's been through.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of February 1st, Mary and I went down to Unicoi to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin and visited with several of our Bluegrass music friends.

Musicians present were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly playing fiddle.

Sherry Duncan, Kathy Sams and Mary Warner had a wonderful visit and caught up on all the "news" while the rest of us "picked".

After we finished playing music, we all went to Los Jalapenos for Mexican food.

Journeying and Jamming Through January, 2017

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout January, 2017. Happy New Year !

The morning of the 26th (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAKE WARNER!!!), I went to the Clinchfield Senior Center and shot billiards with several of my friends. Henry Barnett, Red Hovatter, Roy Hovatter, Charlie Mcconnell, and Otis Ray were there. Later, Terry Shealy showed up to play for a short while. We all had a blast.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 25th, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY CASTLE!!!) Mary and I returned to Tennessee after a visit to Arkansas where Mary stayed from the middle of October and I visited frequently.

There's picking tonight at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi and we can't wait to see many of our dear friends.

Well we had a great time picking and visiting. Here is a list of the musicians who were there: Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Ed Milsap, upright bass and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. Mary and Sherry Duncan had a wonderful time visiting and catching up on all the news.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 23rd, I visited Tom Smith's garage music jam held each week in the Letona area in Arkansas. There were nine guitar pickers, two mandolin players, a bass player and then there was me on the fiddle.

I said my "Goodbyes" to all in attendance as I'm leaving for Tennessee the afternoon of the 24th. They sure are a wonderful group of musicians and friends. I look forward to playing with them again next January or February when Mary and I get back over that way.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 7th, I was listening to a YouTube video of Chubby Wise playing "Stone's Rag" on his fiddle and decided to learn how to play it. It didn't take very long to do so as it's a simple tune.......simple, and catchy! So, now I've got another tune to add to my growing list.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I went down to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Wednesday Night Jam. Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo, guitar, mandolin and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar, banjo and mandolin; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle; and Sherry Duncan took pictures.

It was great to see the core group of musicians again after being away from them all for so long. I'm looking forward to plenty of picking when I return from Arkansas with Mary later on toward the end of January.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 2nd, I went to Carlisle Love's place and shot pool with him and Henry Barnett for several hours. The weather was nice and we were quite comfortable out in the shed where the pool table is located. We played nine-ball and one-pocket and I used my new break-jump cue that Mary got me for Christmas. It's so easy to jump balls with it compared to the cheaper cue I've been attempting to jump with.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jan. 1st: Happy New Year! I started the New Year off by playing music with several of my good friends in Gray, Tennessee. I'm in Tennessee for around one week and so I went up to Ron Lane's for his private, invitation-only weekly Sunday afternoon jam session.

It was great to see the fellows and pick with them again. Musicians in attendance were: Ron Lane, vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass and electric bass; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and I played the fiddle. Richard Widdows, Chuck Milhorn, Matt Mullins, Burl and Paul Manis and Ron Duncan didn't attend and were missed by us all.

December to Remember

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout December, 2016.

Today, the last day of the year 2016, I took an inventory of the fiddle tunes I am playing regularly at the close of the year. It's actually quite an impressive list of slightly over one hundred tunes, by my standards anyway. Tunes followed by this mark * are my originals. Here they are:

Angus Campbell, The Liverpool Hornpipe, The Woodchopper's Reel, Gold Rush, Lost Indian, Galway Reel, Arkansas Traveler, Back Up and Push, Billy in the Low Ground, Bill Cheatum, Redwing, Happy Acres Two-step, The Devil’s Dream, Soldier’s Joy, Cuckoo’s Nest, The Dreamer’s Waltz, Ashoken Farewell, Faded Love, Maiden’s Prayer, Silver Bells, St. Anne’s Reel, Snowflake Breakdown, Sally Goodin, Shanty Brook*, Alder Brook*, Old Joe Clark, Ragtime Annie, Boil the Cabbage Down, Cripple Creek, Goin' Up Caney, The Orange Blossom Special, Shucking the Corn, Washington County, John Hardy, Salt Creek, Katy Daley, Tennessee Waltz, Kentucky Waltz, Sally Johnson, Uncle Pen, Dig a Hole in the Meadow, On My Mind, Across the Big Sandy, Buffalo Girls, Wheel Hoss, Earl’s Breakdown, The Red-haired Boy, Fireball Mail, Big Mon, Dogs Among the Bushes, Goodbye Liza Jane, Red Apple Rag, Angeline the Baker, Mayor Gordon’s Coat*, East Tennessee Blues, Cherokee Shuffle, Ashland Breakdown, Smokey Mountain Rag, Dry and Dusty, Growling Old Man and Growling Old Woman, Jerusalem Ridge, Boston Boy, Southern Flavor, Shelby Rock, Grassy Fiddle Blues, The Old Mountaineer, Old Dangerfield, Monroe’s Hornpipe, Ground Speed, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Sally Ann, Katy Hill, Denver Belle, Cricket on the Hearth, Big Tilda, The Long Bow, Soppin’ the Gravy, Big Country, Cincinnati Rag, Big Sciota, New Camptown Races, Flannery’s Dream, Dixie Hoedown, Laughing Boy, Charmaine, Scotland, Missouri Road, The Temperance Reel, Baker’s Breakdown, Roanoke, Brown County Breakdown, Virginia Darlin’, Watson’s Blues, Blue Mountain Waltz, Panhandle Rag, Chuck-a-Luck, Panhandle Country, San Antonio Rose, The Sunday Morning Breakdown*, The Backwoods Reel*, The Alabama Waltz, Durham’s Bull, Twinkle Little Star, Indian Killed a Woodcock, Waltz for Dad, Tennessee Wagoner, Mississippi Waltz, and, The Beaumont Rag, etc., etc., etc.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 30th, I went down to the Clinchfield Senior Center and shot pool with several of my dear Tennessee friends. Henry Barnett and I made up one team and our opponents were Wayne "Red" Hovatter and Charlie McConnell. Later on, Terry Shealey and Carlisle Love came in to play along with Sherrill and Earl.

At 11:30 a.m., Charlie, Red and I went over to Elizabethton to visit Roger Young at the Hillview Nursing Home where he is undergoing therapy to recover from recent surgery.
Roger is a dear friend to us all and we all wish him a speedy recovery. After our visit, we went to Dino's Restaurant in the old part of town for some tasty burgers and fries.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the early morning of the 29th, at 12:30 a.m. I left for Tennessee where I will be staying for approximately one week before returning to Arkansas for the better part of January.
I traveled over 650 miles to get back and it took around thirteen hours. Phew!

It sure is beautiful to see these spectacular mountains again!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 19th, I visited Tom Smith at his music jam session in his garage out towards Letona, Arkansas. There were many musicians present and I played fiddle for about 2 1//2 hours before leaving to return to Searcy.

I enjoy jamming at Tom's each Monday where I get a chance to build friendships with many very nice people who gather for their love of music, friendship and community.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, I went over to Tom Smith's garage for his weekly Monday Night Jam. Many of my new Arkansas friends were there playing their guitars, etc.

I met Tom's son, Mike Smith. I'll try to remember who was there and what instrument they were playing: Tom, guitar and vocals; Ron, guitar and vocals; Mike, guitar; John, mandolin; Junior, guitar and vocals; Darryl, guitar; Mickey, guitar and vocals; Charlie, guitar and vocals; Bobby, guitar; Bob, ukulele bass and vocals; Lonnie, ukulele bass and then mandolin and vocals; Jim, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

9th: (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETH HUDSON!!!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

November Noodlings

Here's an accounting of our musical activities (noodlings) and adventures throughout November, 2016

Today (30th) is the last day of the month and I sure do miss my Bluegrass buddies back in eastern Tennessee. I miss the pickers at the Wednesday night jam in Unicoi; the Thursday night jam at Pilot Hill in Philadelphia, TN or jamming at Burl Mast's Red Barn also on Thursdays; the Friday night jam in Blountville; the Saturday night jam in Rheatown; the Sunday afternoon jam at Ron Lane's home in Gray; the Monday night jam at the Flag Pond rest area on I-26; and the Tuesday night jam in Bluff City; plus I miss picking with Keith Williams at his violin making shop; Henry Barnett at his home in Erwin; and Larry Odham in Boone's Creek at his home.
------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 28th, I again visited the home of Tom Smith where I spent a few hours playing Bluegrass and Old Country with many of my newly acquired friends. Many played guitars while others played mandolins and a fiddle and a bass ukulele. I played fiddle and had a super time jamming.
------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !
------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 21st, I was invited to a music jam session on Panther Creek road towards Letona from Searcy. I visited the home of Tom Smith who hosted about fifteen musicians in his garage. There was coffee, soda, tea, donuts and other refreshments and music galore. I was invited to attend by my good friend, Lonnie Collins, fiddler for "Arkansas Edition".

Lonnie began the evening playing a bass ukulele and when Bobby arrived, he switched to playing guitar. Lonnie's the kinda guy that can play anything and play it well. I got to meet around ten new musicians that I had never seen or picked with before and it was a real treat. I played fiddle the whole time I was there. I've been invited back as a standing invitation each and every Monday night that I'm in Arkansas.
------------------------------------------------------------------

It's the 12th and we're finally back online after a lengthy delay on moving in and getting internet service. Mary's been very busy getting moved in while I've been hanging at at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia, the next town north of here.

I've already seen Dr. Kilmore, Roger, Russell, Vern, Jesse, Greg, Joe, Shane and a few others and played pool with them all.

This past Tuesday night Mary and I went to the Country Kitchen in Kensett and listened to our favorite Arkansas Bluegrass band "Arkansas Edition".
------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, Mary and I completed packing the car for our trip to Arkansas. We'll be leaving early in the morning. We'll be staying for approximately three months before returning to Tennessee.

I'm looking forward to seeing my pool buddies at Pop's Hideaway and Mary's looking forward to reuniting with her friends where we stay there in Searcy. We also look forward to seeing our friends in the band "Arkansas Edition".

This website will probably be inactive for a few days while we move and get adjusted and get our utilities connected. Be back online soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd, Mary and I went out to dinner with Norma Campbell over at the Red Ginger China Buffet in Elizabethton. Later, after returning home, I spent the evening playing the fiddle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd was a Wednesday and again I chose to stay home rather than go out anywhere to jam Bluegrass. I continued practicing Bluegrass fiddle tunes to play at jam sessions coming up at a later date.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st, instead of traveling up to Bluff City, I decided to stay home and practice fiddle tunes. I've learned several "new" tunes lately and it's important to continue playing them to make sure I can get up to speed with them and hit the right notes at the right time.

October in the Mountains

"Mountain Laurel"

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout October, 2016

Today, the 31st of October, marks the one year anniversary of me re-hairing my Tourte violin bow. I've used this bow almost exclusively for the past year and with very few exceptions, every day. It's held up really well with only three or four hairs breaking. I purchased the hair from Ken at International Violin and I have been very happy with it. My Tourte octagon pernambuco bow is my go-to favorite.

I just realized that I have composed over 60 fiddle tunes throughout the years. Here are the ones I have sheet music for scattered throughout the house under nook and cranny on this hard drive and that hard drive, etc., etc.:

Alder Brook; Braw Birks; The Green Pepper Rag; The Old Man in the Woods; Saddleback Jig; The Regal Hornpipe; Jay Mountain; The Muddy Old Pig; Effy Ellen; The Old Tin Can; The Jolly Old Man; The Gathering; Laird Mc Nichols; Gowan O' the Strath; Shanty Brook; The Pastor Stomped His Collar; The Rue Castle; 39 Today; Knob Lock Brook; January Thaw; Another Hair Gone; The Saint Regis; Rock Cut Brook; Dance of the Field; Monroe Chilson; Beard Hair on the Fiddle; The Decipious Fiddler; The Valley Road Jig; The Woodland Jig; The North Country Reel; That Fair-Haired Lass of Mine; The Highlands Fiddler; My Autumn Waltz; Elibridge Balsam; Reuben Sanford's Still; The Twin Pond Reel; Scratch My Back in the Shower; The Round Pond Reel; The Hazelnut Reel; Mary's Oe'r to See Her Nephews; The Wells Hill Boar; The Wells Hill Reel; Primrose in the Vale; The Windy Barn; The December Hornpipe; Fill the Tire Check the Gas; Grassicalli; Top Notch Road; The Unicoi Bounce; Mayor Gordon's Coat; The Clinchfield Line; The Piney Grove Hornpipe; The Blue-Nosed Mule; The Road To Top Notch; The Top Notch Waltz; Off to the Ozarks; The Farewell Reel; The Razorback Reel; The Backwoods Reel; and The Sunday Morning Breakdown.
(I've underlined those fiddle tunes that I still can play from memory).
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 30th, I jammed Bluegrass up in Gray, TN., at Ron Lane's. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry Mc Carthy, upright bass and electric bass; and yours truly, fiddle.

In addition to many songs and tunes that we all played today, I got to play "Tennessee Wagoner" right up to speed with the group. It's a great jam tune.

Today was the last time I'll get to play music with these wonderful friends for some time as I'll be heading to Arkansas with Mary very shortly and we'll be there for several months. But the fellows will be waiting to play music with me again and I'll be waiting to play with them again. We just love pickin' together. I really enjoy these friends.

After we finished playing music, Ron Lane and I went to the China Buffet in Gray and had a superb meal and a good old visit before heading out. I'm gonna miss old Ron. He's a super guy! (and a good banjo picker, too :)

October 30th, 2014, two years ago, I wrote the tune "Off to the Ozarks". Happy anniversary!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 29th, I spent learning how to fiddle the tune "Tennessee Wagoner". Once I got it up to speed I realized the version I picked from the internet wasn't as "busy" as I'd like, so I spent a couple of hours making it more "noteworthy". I've entered the composition on my fiddliferous page for any of you fiddlers out there in internet land to play through.

Later, in the first part of the afternoon, I learned the very simple fiddle tune "Shenandoah Breakdown". It's a nice tune and zips right along.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 28th, was the night of the Bluegrass jam in Blountville at the Anderson House, an historic log cabin in the heart of town. I always look forward to this jam as I do several others because I get to pick with some good musicians who care about being in tune and in time. Timing is so dad-burned important, even if the instruments are slightly out of tune. Without adhering to the proper meter, one never knows where the tune is.

Another reason that I have a few favorite jam session places to frequent is that the fellow musicians (they've all become good friends, too) allow me to play fiddle tunes in the Bluegrass genre......even tunes I've composed in that genre! They are all very willing - in fact, eager - to try my original fiddle tunes. They love a new challenge!

Many jam sessions will have fiddlers playing tunes like "Turkey in the Straw", "Rag Time Annie", "Whiskey Before Breakfast", "Devil's Dream" and many, many others that are not anything like Bluegrass fiddling, but are commonly accepted tunes to play at a jam session. The tunes I prefer to play are "Gold Rush", "Laughing Boy", "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", "Big Mon", "Brown County Breakdown" and zillions of tunes like that, but if I know it and someone asks, I'll try to play one of the not-so-Bluegrassy type tunes. There's an absolute wealth of Bluegrass fiddle tunes available without having to play Old-Time tunes. It's amazing, sometimes, how some seasoned Bluegrass veterans know so little about playing Bill Monroe, Kenny Baker, Curly Ray Cline, Byron Berline, Paul Warren, Art Stamper, etc., fiddle tunes that are such an embodiment of the Bluegrass tradition. But I just happily go along with what the mood of the group dictates and remain perfectly content. In fact, I have been quietly, peacefully going along with whatever the group has wanted to play for over 5 years now.

I like to jam where Bluegrass fiddling is welcome. If I feel unwelcome, I pack up and leave....no sense ruining the evening for everyone else. When it comes back to me through the "grapevine" that playing my original tunes is unwelcome (even though they're composed in the Bluegrass tradition) that's enough for me to leave the session. When it's made clear to me that I'm not adding to the group, then I must be subtracting. I don't like dividing groups in the middle of their multiplying. lol.

At least I felt welcome tonight at the Anderson House, as I always do there and in Bluff City and Rheatown, surrounded by banjo pickers, mandolin players, and guitarists galore that requested fiddle tune after fiddle tune, both in the Bluegrass tradition and Old-Time. They appreciate my talents and the feelings are mutual. When I first arrived tonight, I played "Indian Killed a Woodcock", "Blue Mountain Waltz", "The Alabama Waltz" and "Waltz for Dad" with my good friend, guitarist Joe Thompson. The first three tunes were Kenny Baker tunes and the last was a Curly Ray Cline tune. Clancy Mullins provided catchy backup on one of his hand-built banjos.

Musicians in the group I picked with were: Rick Guinn, banjo; Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; Justin Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin; Joe Thompson, guitar; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Johnny Profitt, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on fiddle. I also got to see and visit with Ron Lane, Jim Stidman, Dave Mowry, Linda Jordan and Wild Bill Mc Call.

I said my "goodbyes" to all my friends there until probably February or March when I see them again after wintering in Arkansas. Mary and I will be leaving soon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early in the afternoon of the 27th, I learned an old waltz off an LP album of Curly Ray Cline's from Rebel Records, The title of the LP is "Bread and Water" and the title of the tune is "Waltz for Dad". It's a great tune and I'm happy to have it on my list of waltzes to play out when I go to jam sessions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 25th, I drove up to Bluff City to play some Bluegrass. I had a super time. Musicians were plentiful. The middle room had quite a few musicians within. Some were: Ronnie Rasnic, guitar and vocals; Tim Laughlin, fiddle; Bobby Love, guitar and vocals; Chad Love, banjo and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; and many others.

The stage area contained: Ray Dearstone, resophonic guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; (also, not pictured on Bluegrass Pictures, Page #13, were: Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; and several others.) I also visited a while with Charlie Booher and Joe Thompson, both experienced musicians who showed up to listen and see old friends.

I chose to play in the larger room way off to the right with a small group. At first, there were just 4 of us and we got into some serious picking. Those were: Rick Guinn, banjo; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. Later, shortly before I left for home, we were joined by Tyler Williams and Chuck Sheets, both on guitars and with vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 23rd, instead of going to Gray for our usual Sunday afternoon jam, we all went to Blountville to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Stidman to play Bluegrass there. Mrs. Stidman cooked soup beans and cornbread and fed us all and then gave us a wonderful dessert of pecan cobbler and home made vanilla ice cream. What a feed it was!

Many of the Stidman's friends and neighbors showed up to partake in the meal and to listen to the "band" perform. Musicians present were: Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin ( he played a mandolin built by Jim Stidman) and vocals; Jerry Mc Carthy, upright bass and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, tenor guitar (built by Jim Stidman) and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 22nd, I went up to the Rheatown Store to play Bluegrass fiddle with some of my musician friends. Those present were: Paul Trianowski, upright bass and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Homer Ball, guitar and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; and lastly, yours truly, fiddle. We had a super time!

I probably won't get back up to see my good friends there before Mary and I leave for Arkansas, so I said my "Goodbyes" until the Spring when I hope to play Bluegrass with them all again. This week, I'll try to visit Bluff City, Blountville and Gray Station jam sessions and say my proper "Goodbyes".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 21st, I decided to remain home rather than going out on a rainy night to Blountville to the Anderson House which I had planned to do earlier. Instead, I learned a new fiddle tune that Joe Thompson has asked me several times if I knew. It's called "Indian Killed a Woodcock" by Kenny Baker. It's not a difficult tune to play and it's in the key of G, so it came quickly into my list of playable tunes. Next Friday, when I jam with Joe and John Gott, we'll be able to saw out this tune.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my "www.frederickwarner.com" Website! Today we are celebrating our 7th full year of being online! Mary and I thank you all so very much for all the interest shown to our website for so many years now.

The afternoon and evening of the 20th, I practiced a bunch of fiddle tunes and breaks. To continue burning these tunes into my memory bank (which seems to be low on currency lately, lol), I go over and over quite a few numbers. Tunes like: "Devil's Dream", "Done Gone" ( a Kenny Baker tune in Bb), " Missouri Road", "Alabama Waltz", "Durham's Bull", "Twinkle Little Star", "Baker's Breakdown", "Chuck-a-Luck", "Dixie Hoedown", "Silver Bells", "Denver Belle", "Grassy Fiddle Blues", "The Old Mountaineer", "Ashland Breakdown", "Jerusalem Ridge", "Washington County", "Laughing Boy", "Gold Rush", "Sally Goodin", "Temperance Reel", "Brown County Breakdown", "Mississippi Waltz", "Southern Flavor" and a bunch more.

It's lots of fun and it sure helps to keep me musically active.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I drove up to Bluff City to the emergency squad building for the weekly Bluegrass music jam sessions. There I met with Joe Thompson and John Gott and the three of us took the little room at the bottom of the stairs on the left and settled in for an evening of fiddle tunes. We busied ourselves playing tunes like: "Buffalo Gals", "Southwind", "The Norwegian Waltz", "Roxanna's Waltz", "Ashoken Farewell", "Turkey in the Straw", "Panhandle Rag", "Panhandle Country", "Billy in the Low Ground", "Lost Indian", "Boston Boy", "The Lonesome Moonlight Waltz", an original tune of mine in Bb named "The Backwoods Reel", and another original named "Sunday Morning Breakdown" plus a bunch of other tunes in various key signatures and timings.

The other rooms were packed with area musicians as was the stage, but we were content in our own little world running through a zillion tunes including waltzes, reels, breakdowns and hornpipes. Joe played guitar and John and I took turns playing harmony lines on our fiddles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 16th was spent at Ron Lane's in Gray. There I picked Bluegrass with a bunch of my friends. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry Mc Carthy played upright bass; Burl Manis played guitar, mandolin and sang; Bill Coffey played mandolin and sang; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; and I played fiddle, guitar, mandolin and sang. Bill and his wife, Jean, are from the Ashville, North Carolina area. Burl's wife, Linda, was with him and she and Jean enjoyed listening to us all play.

Jim Stidman brought a "Stidman" mandolin he built back in 1996. It's a hoss. What a deep tone and it's really easy to fret. In addition to playing Jim's mando, I also played Jerry Mc Carthy's "La Beda" mandolin. It's really sweet. They're both real woody sounding. ( A friend of mine back up in New York State, Charles Smithson, has a "La Beda" as well as his Gibson F5 ). Also, Bill Coffey had a "Weber" mandolin that was very nice and woody sounding. Bill told me he liked playing with a fiddle in the band and he kept us all busy playing tunes like "Orange Blossom Special", "Twinkle Little Star", "Angeline the Baker", "Old Folks at Home/Soldier's Joy", "Big Mon" and several other tunes in addition to a lot of Bluegrass numbers. Jerry Coleman kept us busy in the Bluegrass department.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHERRI WARNER!!!), I drove out to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass with my friends. I jammed in the back room with Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; and yours truly fiddle, guitar, upright bass and vocals.

The front room had a Bluegrass group actively picking when I was leaving. It consisted of Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; Eric Bowman, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Cobble, banjo; Paul Trianoski, mandolin and vocals; and a fellow named David ?, guitar and vocals, whom I met years ago when I first started picking here but I've forgotten his last name. This happens to me a lot. Especially if I don't see and pick with the person very much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th and 13th, I continued to practice "Twinkle Little Star" throughout the daytime hours and some during the evening hours. It's now up to speed and part of my repertoire. Yes!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 11th, (Mary and my 4th wedding anniversary) we took a bunch of stuff down to the Clinchfield Adult Center to donate to an upcoming rummage sale to be held much later. While there, we shot a few games of pool with our friends before going out to breakfast in Erwin.

Later, we went over to Elizabethton and had the tires balanced and rotated on the car and had a very enjoyable lunch with Norma Campbell, our dear friend from over that way.

I decided to stay at home this evening and work on another fiddle tune "Twinkle Little Star" I'm learning. It's another one of those tunes I've been meaning to tackle for a long time and finally just sat down and got to work on it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 9th, I went up to Gray to Ron Lane's studio and jammed Bluegrass for several hours with a bunch of my good friends.

Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar, mandolin, Dobro and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry McCarthy, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 7th, I went up to Blountville to jam some fiddle tunes and Bluegrass. When I first arrived, I settled in to a small room with Joe Thompson playing guitar and John Gott playing fiddle. I played fiddle, too and John and I took turns playing harmony parts to a number of fun and popular fiddle tunes. We played Billy in the Low Ground, The Tempest Reel, Lost Indian, Buffalo Gals, The Alabama Waltz, Panhandle Rag, Panhandle Country, Rose of Sharon, Durham's Bull, Devil's Dream, Soppin' the Gravy, Cricket on the Hearth and quite a few more. We were joined by Ernie Shaffer on mandolin and Todd Markwalter on guitar.

When Randy Singleton showed up with his banjo and Greg Greene with his guitar and songbook, I moved out into the bigger room along with them and Todd. John and Joe stayed in the little room and continued playing fiddle tunes. ( I wish I could be two places at once ). We started playing Bluegrass and later were joined with Clancy Mullins on banjo. I had a blast playing with both groups. I also saw my good friends, Ron Lane and Jim Stidman who I'm also looking forward to seeing this coming Sunday.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th was Mary's birthday and we had a wonderful time. First we went down to the Senior Center and played pool with several of the members. Mary did a fine job winning a good share of the games she played. After that, we stopped at the home of Henry and Reba Barnett for some cake and ice cream they had planned for Mary.

Later, Mary's brother, Robert, took us out to dinner at Primo's Restaurant in Unicoi.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 5th, after continuing to work on an original composition, I took a break in the effort and struggle and began learning an old fiddle tune that I've heard for many years but had never tried to sit down and figure out how to fiddle through. It's called "Durham's Bull" and it's in the key of A and travels right along. I'm having a blast learning it and it's coming along nicely. ( A few more thousand times through it and I'll have it! :) It's actually a pretty simple tune to learn.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 4th, I drove up to Bluff City for the Tuesday night jam session. I met up with John Gott and picked with him ( he and I played fiddles ), and Ray Dearstone who played mandolin, guitar and sang; Joe Thompson, guitar; and Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals.
This particular group of musicians made up a wonderful team for playing fiddle tunes, both Old-Time and Bluegrass. Ray noted several tunes on the mandolin and Randy had nice breaks for the tunes as well, while Joe chorded the rhythm chords and John and I fiddled.

The other rooms had lots of Bluegrass happening. I saw Tim Laughlin, Hal Boyd, Charlie Powers, Charlie Ervin, Dan McCarty, Randy Blevins, John Goad, Brad Beavers, Steve Price and several others all pickin' and singin'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got to thinking today ( 3rd) of how long Mary and I have been in eastern Tennessee making friends and playing music. Mary's made lots of good friends and I have met hundreds of musicians, many of whom have become dear friends.

For the most part, each and every musician I've met is on the journey of discovering, learning, and enjoying either Bluegrass, Old-Time, Old-Country and/or Fiddling in their own way at their own speed. Sadly, a few reject any new and original material written in the traditional vein while still others limit the keys they play in. Fortunately it's not widespread.

I wish with all my heart sometimes that I could play as well as so many of my friends and acquaintances do, but I just can't move my fingers that fast (like I did when I was much younger) and I just wasn't around very many super pickers to learn by osmosis throughout the many years I've played. But, I've made myself available to many groups of musicians throughout the Tri-Cities area since I first arrived and I've performed in many bands to the best of my abilities. That's all anyone has ever asked of me, not a penny more.

Finding the "perfect" group that plays the songs and instrumentals I know is certainly an elusive search and thus I'm driven to learn the popular tunes that are the "fad" tunes appearing for varied lengths of time within a picking group. I find myself having to play in different keys and positions on my fiddle and banjo in an effort to be a part of what's happening......to stay current. I love traditional Bluegrass and I spend a great deal of time listening to and learning from recordings and YouTube videos.

I'm also a music composer; have been since a very early age. I went to music school with a major in composition. I write banjo tunes (over 50 so far) and fiddle tunes (over 50 so far). Once in a blue moon I try out one or two of my original tunes with my closest friends to get their feedback and to hear the tunes with a full compliment of instruments. I appreciate the short amount of time my friends donate to me in this regard. I donate countless hours in making their musical experiences come to life.

I'm honored when asked to sit in with groups of accomplished Bluegrass musicians simply because I have not spent countless hours perfecting this genre of music, but rather kazillions of hours in the "Classical" world. I recognize I'll never be a prodigy at Bluegrass. It's for this reason I'm at home with any group of Bluegrassers that plays in time and in tune.

I shall forever be grateful to those friends who love and respect me and my music. It's who I am; have been for a long while. No plans to change.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 2nd, I drove up to Gray to Ron Lane's place and jammed Bluegrass for several hours. I played a waltz I had just learned called "The Alabama Waltz" from an old Bill Monroe recording. The fellas all liked it and asked me to play it again so they could make sure they had it right the second time through.

Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played electric bass and sang (he had injured his hand and thought it would be too painful to play upright bass with the stitches located where they were); Jim Stidman played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Richard Widdows (who usually plays Dobro) played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and sang. Jerry Mc Carthy had just returned home from a vacation and was unable to play Bluegrass today. He was missed very much as was his upright bass playing. Later, Ron Lane and I went to China Buffet in Gray like we do every Sunday after playing and had an excellent meal and great conversation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st, I decided to learn a new waltz (new to me, that is). It's a catchy piece called "The Alabama Waltz". Here is the link to it. It's in the key of A, but when Bill Monroe recorded it, he had the band tune about a half-step high. This means it sounds in B Flat but is actually played in A. The fiddle break is in the lower register and I've created a nice break in the upper register, as well. Enjoy.

Sweet Sonorous September

Here's an accounting of our musical activities and adventures throughout September, 2016

Friday afternoon and evening, the 30th of September, "Mountain Laurel" performed on stage at "Shirley's Family Restaurant" in Butler, Tennessee. Denny Key played guitar and sang; Janet Calhoun played mandolin and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played banjo and fiddle. Jeff Sharpe, owner, came up on stage and performed several numbers with us during a break from serving dinners in the restaurant.

We had a wonderful time performing for patrons of the fine food restaurant as they came and went. It was a busy evening and our band was enjoyed by many listeners.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday morning, the 29th, at around 2:45 a.m., Bill and Sally left the house for Florida, the last leg of their month-long trip which originated in Florida with a stop over in Tennessee then on to Maine, then to Boston Massachusetts for one of Bill's son's wedding and then a return to Tennessee before heading out this morning for home. It was so much fun seeing them again.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday we pretty much just hung out around the house with our guests after taking them down to the Clinchfield Adult Center and playing pool for a while in the morning.

In the evening hours I drove the four of us all around Erwin and surrounding areas while we visited back and forth and chatted about how much we love the mountains here in eastern Tennessee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 27th, Bill and I went to Bluff City while Sally and Mary stayed home and visited. Bill had a wonderful time picking with quite a few of my Bluegrass friends. In the group we played in were: Ray Dearstone, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Ronnie Rasnick, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Troy Bennet, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; and me, fiddle and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday afternoon, the 26th, Mary and I were pleased to have Bill and Sally Fernald drop in for a few days on their return trip to Florida. We love them to pieces and have known them for many years. Bill and I love playing Bluegrass together (it's how we met up in Maine some thirty years ago).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 25th, I traveled up to Gray to the private Bluegrass pickin' party at Ron Lane's. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, upright bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. We all had a super time pickin' and singin' before heading home. Ron Lane and I went to China Luck Buffet in Gray and enjoyed a good meal before heading home. Musicians not present and very much missed were Matt Mullins, Jerry McCarty (vacationing in South Carolina) and Ron Duncan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 24th, Mary and I went over to Rheatown to the Bluegrass jam session. Mary got to visit with many friends she hadn't seen in quite a while. I played music in the back room with several of my Bluegrass buddies. Claude Smith played guitar and sang; Charlie Cobble picked banjo; Dale Shelton played upright bass, picked banjo and sang; Mike Durham, played guitar and sang; Andrew Marshall picked mandolin; Marvin Gladwell played guitar; and I played the fiddle. As we were leaving, Tommy and Vicki Austin came and they were planning on playing outside of the Store where the temperature was just right for pickin'. Like most everyone who comes to Rheatown to play music, they're very talented.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 23rd, we went in to Erwin to the "Car Show" and looked at the many old and custom automobiles on display along the Main street. While doing so, we listened to a group of young musicians all of whom are enrolled in the Bluegrass program at ETSU. I had performed with two of the group members before on several occasions; Lincoln Hensley, banjo, and Troy Boone, mandolin. I didn't know the others but I learned the fiddler's first name was Avery. The five of them made up an especially talented band and all who attended the Car Show were certainly impressed and entertained.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 22nd, (my birthday), Mary and I went down to the "Red Barn" where we visited with lots of folks who hadn't seen Mary in a long while. Later, out in the far end of the parking lot, I got into a nice Bluegrass jam session with many of my musician friends. Here's a list of those I can remember playing: Brian Harney, fiddle and vocals; Rick Guinn, banjo and vocals; Gary Taylor, upright bass and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; another man I haven't met yet playing guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. Roger Messer was there but didn't play in the big circle of pickers but he showed me a banjo he had just set up and had sounding real fine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 21st, we went down to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Bluegrass jam session attended by many of our friends. Mary got to see her old friends Sherry Duncan, Kathy Sams and Katy Jeter and also got to meet a couple of new friends, John Gott and his wife, Barbara.

Musicians present were: Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Katy Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; (Cory Jeter was present for a short while but didn't sing or play); Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Roger Messer, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle. I played an original tune I named "Sunday Morning Breakdown" on the fiddle and the group liked playing it a lot. I also tried an original tune using my banjo tuned to a special B Minor tuning. The tune, "Down in Piney Grove", has a haunting melody and a beautiful chord progression and after a few attempts, the group came very close to being able to play it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday morning, Mary and I went down to the Clinchfield Adult Center to visit with the folks down there. We even shot a few games of pool with some of the guys in the billiards room. They all enjoyed seeing Mary again after her having been absent for so long.

Then, we went over to see Norma Campbell (who Mary just loves so much) and we went out to lunch with her at a Chinese restaurant called "Red Ginger" there in Elizabethton.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, very early, (around 3:30 a.m.) Mary and I left for Tennessee. We reached home in the afternoon after driving the full distance of 635.6 miles. It was a little shorter return trip since I didn't take route 840 by-pass around Nashville on the way back.

It sure was nice to be back in the mountains. Searcy, Arkansas, has nice features, too, but mountains are not on the horizon until one travels 60 miles to the north and begins seeing the Ozarks come into view.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 18th, Mary and I met up with Oakey and Ashley at Oakey's parents house where we enjoyed a wonderful meal and watched the Cowboys beat the Redskins at a game of football. Later, after packing the car, we went for pizza and filled the car with gasooline in preparation for leaving early in the morning.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 17th, I spent the afternoon shooting pool at Pop's. I got to play with Roger Carson, Vern, Vern's son, Greg, Jesse, and to see a few others I hadn't seen in nearly a year. Then, I had lunch with Oakey, Ashley and Mary at Mc Alisters Restaurant and just "hung out" the rest of the day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon, the 16th, Mary and I visited "Pop's Hideaway", a billiards hall in Judsonia, AR. There we met up with some of our friends. We got to see: Vern, Jesse, Russell and Tina and Pops. Later that evening, we enjoyed a superb meal prepared in the crock pot by Ashley.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday morning, the 15th, after shooting a few games of pool with my buddies down at the Clinchfield Adult Center in Erwin, TN., and getting the oil changed in the car at the garage on Martin's Creek, I left for Arkansas. I drove as far as Dickson, TN., a distance of 348 miles before calling it quits for the day. I stayed in a motel there and left the next morning for the last leg of the journey. When I reached Searcy, AR., the total mileage was 649.9 miles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday. Also, I formulated a plan to leave Tennessee early Thursday morning to drive to the other side of Nashville, and stay overnight in Dickson, TN., before heading out early the following morning for Arkansas.

I'll be staying there in Arkansas a few days and heading back to Tennessee probably on the 20th.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 13th, I chose to stay at home rather than go out to a Bluegrass jam session and continued practicing "Down in Piney Grove".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 12th, I continued arranging my new banjo composition "Down in Piney Grove" until I finally settled on the scheme and then practiced the tune throughout the afternoon and evening hours. As soon as I get the time, I'll write out the music and tablature and begin composing the violin melody.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 11th, While my guests were in Johnson City, I felt inspired to compose a new banjo piece in B Minor. I tuned the banjo (from 5th to 1st string) B D F# B D. I set the 3rd string tuner to raise 1/2 step to G. The composition has a very haunting melody and I've titled the piece "Down in Piney Grove" to suggest something dark and mysterious took place. The structure of the tune is meant to allude to an undertone of feeling; an underlying darkened atmosphere.

Later in the day, Bill and Sally left for Maine, but not before stopping in to Ron Lane's Bluegrass get-together in Gray. Bill played guitar and sang; Jerry Mc Carty played upright bass and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Ron Lane picked banjo and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro, guitar and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin, guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 10th, The Fernalds came along with me as I went to Rheatown to play Bluegrass with my friends up there. Bill played guitar and sang; Claude Smith played guitar, mandolin and sang; Marvin Gladwell played guitar and sang; Dale Shelton picked banjo, played the upright bass and sang; Andrew Marshall played mandolin, guitar and sang; Charlie Cobble played banjo; and I played fiddle, guitar and sang.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 9th, "Mountain Laurel" performed at Shirley's Restaurant in Butler, TN. Bill and Sally Fernald were my guests and we all enjoyed a delightful meal after the band's performance before packing up and heading home. We're scheduled to play there again on September 30th from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. I'm looking forward to it as it's lots of fun.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 8th, Bill and Sally and I drove down to the "Red Barn" to watch the bands perform and to visit with long-time friends from all over the area. While the "House Band" and the "Red Barn Gospel Band" were playing, I was field picking with a few others. It's the first time in a very long time that I've field-picked at the "Red Barn". Other musicians involved in the session were: Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; and Gordon Hoyle, guitar...( I played banjo). Another small group of musicians also field picked in another area of the parking lot. They were Rick Guinn, Troy Bennett and Jeff Webb.

After it became too dark to see what we were doing, we went into the "Barn" and listened to the last act, a band named "Stemwinders". They were very talented and we all enjoyed listening to them perform.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 7th, Bill, Sally and yours truly drove down to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Bluegrass jam session. Bill played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katy Jeter sang harmony on a couple of tunes before leaving early; John Gott played fiddle; and I played fiddle.

I called Ed Dance to inquire about his health and was pleased to learn that he's recovering from his recent surgery and expects to resume pickin' Bluegrass in a few weeks. We all miss him very much and hope he's feeling better soon.

Ron Duncan shared with us that he's been playing his fiddle around the house lately ever since being inspired to do so by his recent encounter with lots and lots of fiddlers - both young and old alike - at the "Shindig On The Green" in Asheville, North Carolina he attended last Saturday night. We missed Gordon Hoyle who was absent from the pickin' tonight.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th, Bill, Sally and I went to Bluff City in the evening hours to jam up there at the emergency squad building. My guests got to meet Mr. and Mrs. Ray Dearstone. Ray is a builder of fine mandolins and they also got to meet my good friend, John Gott, fiddler. Bill and Sally and John joined me in a room down the steps at the middle level where we had a lengthy session of many, many of the good old traditional Bluegrass favorites.

There was also a large group that formed up on the stage area consisting of Ray Dearstone, guitar and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; and Randy Blevins, guitar and vocals. Also, a group formed in the room next to us, but I didn't peek in to see who all was pickin'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th was a fun day all the way around. Bill and Sally Fernald arrived from Florida at 2:45 in the afternoon and by shortly after 3:30 I had them down into Rittertown for my band practice with "Mountain Laurel". We all had a wonderful, tasty meal before beginning practice for an upcoming performance and then settled down to a hearty session. Denny Key played guitar and sang; Janet Calhoun played mandolin and sang; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; and I played banjo and fiddle. Practice lasted until around 9:30 p.m. What a superb night we all had.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 4th of September, I composed a tune which I have named "The Sunday Morning Breakdown". It's in the key of A and it is a reel. It has an A and B part that are different but related and it will be a lot of fun to play with a full Bluegrass band, with each musician taking a break.

In the afternoon I traveled to Gray to take part in Ron Lane's Bluegrass jam at his studio. There I picked with Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass, electric bass, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and mandolin. Jerry Mc Carty has a La Beda mandolin made in the Czech Republic and it sure is a beautiful sounding and well-made instrument of the highest quality. It was a real treat to play it.

Later, I visited Jim Stidman at his home and instrument building shop in Blountville. I played a half-dozen hand-built guitars he's made and a gorgeous blonde fiddle. Two of the guitars were made with Red Bud ( a species of tree) sides and backs and mahogany necks and they had such a distinct, clear sound it was incredible. The blonde violin was superb, too. All his work is top quality.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd, on Saturday morning, I continued working on the CD project for Don Perkins, member of the New York State Fiddlers Hall of Fame. He's releasing a new CD named "Don Perkins, With His Fiddle".

When I reached a good resting spot with that project, I started another one; replacing the Helicore violin strings on my 1834 fiddle with a type of string I haven't played yet. They're called Zyex and according to all the good remarks I've read about them on the internet at various sites, I've decided to give them a tryout. They have a synthetic core where the Helicores have a steel core.

I've had the Zyex strings on now for several hours and the E (mi) has settled in already and the G (sol) isn't far behind. I chose the Silver D (re) and this string is taking a little more time to play in. I kept with medium tension with the Zyex the same as I like with the Helicores.
The tension on the Helicore "E" is 18.6 lbs and it matches the Zyex tension of 18.6. The tension is noticeably different on the "A" string for the Zyex which is a strong 13.4 lbs for aluminum while the "A" Helicore aluminum is at 12.7. The Helicore "D" is a stranded steel/titanium string with a tension of 11.5. The silver "D" from Zyex comes in heavier at 13.1. The silver "G" from Zyex is 10.9 lbs and the Helicore stranded steel/silver "G" is 10.2. This gives the overall tension created by Helicore strings as 53 lbs. The Zyex adds 3 lbs to the total tension created by those strings coming in at 56 lbs.

As far as a noticeably different tonal pallet I would say already I've heard a more pleasing tone in the higher positions on each string. Notes in 3rd position and higher have a more "velvet-y" sound and do not sound as thin and reedy. So far I'm very satisfied.

In the late afternoon and into the night, I went to Rheatown to play Bluegrass music with my friends up there. Musicians present were: Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Bill Mc Lain, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Cobble, banjo and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. It was interesting to learn that years ago Charlie Cobble played with Carl Story.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 2nd, I drove up to Blountville, had some delicious soup beans and cornbread at Dolly's Diner and went pickin' music over at the Anderson House. There, I met up with several of my musician buddies. Jim Stidman played guitar; Matt Mullins played guitar; Clancy Mullins picked banjo; Joe Thompson played guitar; Greg Greene played guitar and sang; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin and sang; Robert Cressell played guitar; Rick Guinn picked banjo; and I played fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, September 1st, I stayed home and practiced a few fiddle tunes throughout the evening hours until I had them up to speed. I also started playing a few old tunes that came to mind that I had become "rusty" on. Tunes like "The Liverpool Hornpipe" and "Lady Be Good". I also freshened up on a couple of original tunes I had composed many years ago, "Alder Brook" in B Minor and "Shanty Brook" also in B Minor. I also continued working on the wonderful tune "Reel For Carl" a tune by Jerry Holland which is in F# Minor.

An Acoustic August

Here's an accounting of our musical activities throughout August, 2016

Wednesday evening, the 31st of the month, I went to the Bluegrass jam at the log cabin in Unicoi. Several musicians showed up and we had a good night playing music and singing. Musicians present were: Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katy Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening I decided to stay home and learn a couple of fiddle tunes that I've been thinking about lately. Both tunes are on the fiddle CD "Darkness on the Delta" by Bobby Hicks and Kenny Baker (my two all-time favorite fiddlers). The first one I learned was a catchy tune in the key of G called "Chuck-a-Luck" and the next one was in the key of C and named "Panhandle Country". (I've already learned "Panhandle Rag", an entirely different tune with a similar name). I had already learned a break to the tune "Farewell Blues" in the key of C, the key most players around here play it in, but I much prefer the key of B Flat as performed on the Hicks/Baker CD, so I'm in the process of learning this way through the tune.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 28th, I rode up to Ron Lane's with Ron Duncan. We played Bluegrass all afternoon into the evening. Here's a list of who was there playing music: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, banjo; Burl Manis, guitar and vocals; Paul Manis, guitar and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar, electric bass and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Mc Carty, upright bass, electric bass and vocals; Richard Widdows, resonator guitar, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar and vocals.

What a super jam session it was!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening I went over to Rheatown to pick some Bluegrass with my friends there at the Rheatown Store. When I first arrived I immediately got into a great jam with Eric Bowman, banjo; Mike Durham, guitar, and Charlie Cobble, banjo. I played fiddle. We played a bunch of fiddle tunes at the request of Charlie Cobble who used to play with John Hickman, Dan Crary and Byron Berline a few years back.

Later, the group consisted of Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Travis Fulton, guitar and vocals; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Paul "T" Trianoski, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Cobble, banjo; Dave Henard, upright bass; Eric Bowman, banjo, guitar and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 26th, I drove up to Blountville, to the Anderson House and played Bluegrass for several hours with many of my good friends there. In the "Bluegrass Room", were: Phil Hensley, mandolin and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Justin Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; Bill ?, a friend of Alice and Bob Hensley, guitar and vocals; Alice Hensley, fiddle (her fiddle is hand-built by Keith Williams and it has a wonderful tone); Todd Markwalter, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. The "Country Room" was full, too.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, August 24th, I went to the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi for our weekly Bluegrass jam session. There were quite a few musicians present and we had a great time playing. Ron Duncan picked banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; John Gott played fiddle; Richard Pruett picked mandolin and sang; his wife, Doris Pruett played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. Charlie Ervin came but decided not to play, just listen. We always enjoy his playing and singing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon I drove up to Gray to Ron Lane's for his Sunday invitation-only Bluegrass session. I had a superb time with the many musicians who came. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and sang; Matt Mullins played guitar; and I played fiddle and sang. Ron Duncan and Richard Widdows were absent and missed by us all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 20th, I drove over to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass with lots of my friends. Andrew Marshall played mandolin; Tim Carter played guitar and sang; Mike Durham played guitar and sang; Marvin Gladwell played guitar; Mike Wilburn played upright bass, guitar and sang; Bill McLain played guitar, upright bass and sang; Dale Shelton played banjo and sang; Eric Bowman played upright bass and sang; Claude Smith was present but didn't play; and I played fiddle and sang.

Charlie Phillips was playing his guitar and singing in the front room when I left for home. Eric Bowman was in there with him and he was picking banjo with John Skelton playing upright bass and a few others picking along including Mike ? and Charlie Cobble, both banjo pickers. They asked me to play fiddle with them but with such a long drive home I sadly declined.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon and evening, the 19th, I continued writing my slow air and decided to transpose it to the key of C Major from F. This allowed me a few necessary notes in a lower register and provided a larger range for the entirety of the piece. Also, if I eventually decide on a part B in A Minor, I can utilize the low A in both the A Minor and D Minor chords and the G# in the E Major chord. Remaining in the key of F, I would need a 5-string fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday I traveled down to Marion, North Carolina to spend the day at the North Carolina State Bluegrass Festival. I met up with my buddies, Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle who took me over to introduce me to a young fiddler. There I had the great pleasure of meeting Jason Cordell, fiddler extraordinaire and his father, Blair, a fine resonator guitar player. I also met Mike Lynch, guitar player and Donn Duncan, guitar and Larry Duncan, banjo. I had a blast playing twin fiddles with this group for about 2 1/2 hours before leaving to play with members of a band I'm in called "Mountain Laurel" who were camped a short distance from the Cordell campsite.

There, I played with Denny Key, guitar and vocals; Janet Calhoun, mandolin and vocals; and Gail Evans, upright bass and vocals. I played banjo and fiddle. Later, as I was leaving, a banjo player came in to jam that was reportedly 5-times winner of the NC Banjo Contest. He was accompanied by a mandolinist and a guitarist. They were doing a fine job playing with "Mountain Laurel" when I left for home after a long, but beautiful day.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 17th, was a fun-filled music night at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Those players in attendance were: Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Roger Messer, guitar, banjo and vocals; Richard Pruett, fiddle and mandolin; Doris Pruett, guitar and vocals; Matt Mullins, guitar; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening I decided to change the rhythm of my evolving "waltz" in F Major and D Minor into a "Slow Air" in 4/4 time and not to modulate to the minor key but rather to the sub-dominant (B Flat) and 4 of sub-dominant (the flat-7 Major triad i.e., E Flat) to a Five 7 ( C7 Major) resolving to F Major. There is a real pretty motion that develops between the D and Bb (Bb chord) to the Eb and Bb (Eb chord) to the E and Bb (C7 chord) resolving to F and A (F chord). Notice the chromatic rise from D, Eb, E natural, and F. The tune is taking shape and it seems like I'll only be another 650 years finishing the ideas that keep coming up as possible melodies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday I worked until late in the afternoon to finally finish up the "Don Perkins With His Fiddle" production I've been tackling for some time now. It's all packaged and ready to ship in the morning.

Later, in the afternoon, I began working on my new waltz in F Major and D Minor that I started the day before. I decided not to go anywhere tonight but rather stay at home and continue composing this waltz.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday evening, the 14th, I began composing a beautiful waltz in the key of F. The outline came to me as I was experimenting with different arpeggios in the same key. The more I worked with it, the prettier it evolved and now I'm full bore into writing a new original waltz. I have no idea at this early stage what to title it.

Typically on Sunday afternoons I go up to Ron Lane's for his private jam session but today there were several musicians who were busy with other things and unable to make the session, so it was called off.

Early on in the afternoon, I seized the opportunity to work on the CD I'm producing for Don Perkins up in northern New York State. It's been quite an undertaking and I'm happy to be nearing completion. Don and his sister Phyllis did a wonderful job playing the many fiddle/keyboard tunes on the CD and it sure was a pleasure to work with such talented artists.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night I went to the Rheatown Store for the Bluegrass evening there. I met up with Matt Mullins, guitar; Mike Wilburn, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Claude Smith, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Mike Durham, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and some vocals.

There were enough musicians for two groups and the front room group had: Eric Bowman upright bass and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; and a couple of banjo pickers I haven't met yet.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 12th, I decided to stay home and work on a CD I'm producing for my dear friend Don Perkins. I now have it nearly ready to ship to him....just a little more and it'll be ready. I also practiced the fiddle in the midst of it all while waiting for the printer between CDs. I really like "The Panhandle Rag" in the key of D, so I worked on that tune quite a bit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 11th, after working on the latest production from Balsam Studios, I went to the Red Barn in Unicoi to watch several bands perform. The first band was the "House Band" which had the same members as last week ( see 4th of August). The next band, "Rockingham Road" was comprised of: Edward Bowman, upright bass and vocals; Bruce Haney, Fiddle and vocals; Jim Hunter, guitar and vocals; Brett Tiller, banjo and vocals; and Charley Tolley, mandolin and vocals.

The last band to perform was named "Mountain Rose" and they were a treat to listen to. Members were: Jerome Webb, mandolin and vocals; Rick Holtsclaw, guitar and vocals; Randy Grindstaff, upright bass and vocals; David Johnson, guitar and vocals; and Tammy Perry, banjo and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 10th, Bluegrass at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi was well attended and we all had a great time playing traditional Bluegrass tunes. Those musicians in attendance were: Jim Woods, fiddle; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Roger Messer, banjo, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, from approximately 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., I played the fiddle with the "Jeter Family & Friends" at the Erwin Farmers Market held in lovely downtown Erwin. Galen Jater played upright bass and sang; Katy Jeter played mandolin and sang; Cory Jeter played guitar and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo and sang. There was a very large attendance at the Market and we were viewed by several hundred onlookers as they strolled past our canopy while exploring the many fine products offered for sale all around us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 8th, I drove up to the Information Welcoming Center on the Tennessee - North Carolina border on interstate I-26. There's a wonderful Bluegrass and related musical styles picking session here each week. There were quite a few seasoned musicians present and I very much enjoyed playing along with them. Here's a list of those I can remember: Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Bill Harris, guitar and banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Jacob Shelton, upright bass and vocals; Charlie ? guitar and vocals; Johnny ?, guitar and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Mike Honeycutt, mandolin and banjo; Dave Keplinger, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Richard Pruett, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle. It's a fine place to play music and I had a great time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 7th, I drove up to Gray to take part in the weekly jam session at Ron Lane's. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle. (Ron Duncan was absent and missed by us all).

I always enjoy playing with these musicians. They were interested to learn to play along with a fiddle tune I composed the other day. It's one I call "The Backwoods Reel" and it's in the key of B Flat modulating to the relative minor, G Minor. After a short learning curve, they got it and played along nicely. It's rewarding to hear the accompaniment to an original piece of music played by others....and it's fun, too. Many "Thanks" for their kind support and participation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 6th, I went over to Rheatown to the Bluegrass jam session. Two groups formed and I was in the back room with the first. Musicians I played with were: Eric Bowman, banjo and vocals; Homer Ball, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Al Gonnella, upright bass and vocals; Richard Holmes, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Note: This particular group of musicians is one of the finest groups I've played with in a long time. Each member of the group is seasoned enough to know when to play backup and when to take breaks and to compliment the vocalist at all times. No one is determined to be heard out over the top of the rest, Everyone keeps time and is careful to re-tune when capo-ing their respective instruments. It's a "flow experience" to jam with these fine musicians.

The front room group was comprised of: Cayce Herron, guitar and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Beecher Powers, guitar and vocals; and Colton Powers, banjo and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 5th, I met Matt Mullins at "Dolly's Diner" in Blountville where we had an enjoyable meal before going over to the Anderson House log cabin to play Bluegrass with many of our musical buddies.

I settled into the evening, first in the back room where the Bluegrass is played. Later on, just before leaving, I met up with John Gott, fiddle, and Joe Thompson, guitar, in the front side room where we ran through a bunch of Bluegrass and Old-Time fiddle tunes.

The back room musicians consisted of: George Greene, guitar and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Matt Mullins, guitar; Rick Guinn, banjo; Justin Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Todd Markwalter, guitar and vocals; a man I haven't met yet on autoharp; and yours truly on fiddle.

The main (middle) room had quite a few pickers, too. Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Bill McCall, guitar and vocals; and several others, including Nina Ketron, upright bass, and Robert Wilder, John Farrell and Gary Brewer on guitars.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 4th, I went down to "The Red Barn" on the Sciotha Road in Unicoi to hear the bands and visit with friends I hadn't seen in some time.

The "House Band" that plays each Thursday night from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. consisted of Dave Mowry, guitar and vocals; Richard Pruett, fiddle and vocals; Reese Kenard, guitar and vocals; Perry Francis, guitar and vocals; Mike Mnich, mandolin and vocals; Page Powers, electric bass; and Kelly Green playing guitar.

The next band up to the stage was "Boots on the Ground" consisting of Colton Powers, banjo and vocals; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Cayce Herron, guitar and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; and Beecher Powers, guitar and vocals. This band was very well received by the large audience in attendance.

I'm only guessing at what was probably the last band to perform. "Jeff Sharpe & Friends" was scheduled to play but Jeff was looking for musicians when his pre-scheduled members didn't show up for whatever reasons. He asked me, but I was unable to stay long enough to perform. Edison Wallin and Lincoln Hensley were also unable to perform due to other commitments. I think it may have ended up that Tim Decker, Jeff and perhaps Page Powers formed an impromptu group to entertain the crowd.

I enjoyed visiting with Frank Culler, Barbara King, Sandra Horn, Ernest Garland and Burl Mast before leaving.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 3rd, I attended the Bluegrass jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Other musicians present were: Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Roger Messer, banjo, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katy Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 2nd of August, I went up to Bluff City with Ron and Sherry Duncan to the weekly Bluegrass jam session held at the emergency squad building. There were three distinct groups of musicians that formed and each one was very entertaining.

The group I was in consisted of: Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Rudy Chapman, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Jeff Webb, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Daniel Whited, guitar and vocals; Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

The group playing in the big back room had the following musicians: Tom Horton, guitar and vocals; Beverly Horton, vocals and upright bass; Jeff Dotson, guitar; Mark Marshall, banjo; Aaron Smith, guitar and upright bass; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Ashley Davis, fiddle and vocals; Tim Laughlin, fiddle and vocals; Eric Mc Murry, mandolin and vocals; Alan Hughes, guitar and vocals; Vicki Austin, upright bass and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Jacob Shelton, guitar; and another guitar player that I haven't met yet.

The group that later formed where I first played in the main room was staffed by: Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Randy Blevins, guitar and vocals; Dan Carty, mandolin and vocals; Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals; Ashley Davis, fiddle and vocals; Vicki Austin, guitar and vocals; and Mathew Cruby, banjo.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of August I made a list of the instrumental fiddle tunes I'm playing the most these days and here it is: (* = an original tune of mine)

Key of C: Back Up & Push, Billy in the Low Ground, Westphalia Waltz, Ashland Breakdown, The Boston Boy, Grassy Fiddle Blues, Denver Bell, Oh Danny Boy

Key of A Minor: Jerusalem Ridge, Jay Mountain*

Key of D: Lost Indian, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Ashokan's Farewell, Faded Love, Silver Bells, Ragtime Annie, Tennessee Waltz, Angeline the Baker, Panhandle Rag, Sopping the Gravy, Cricket on the Hearth, Long Bow

Key of B Minor: Alder Brook*

Key of E: Kentucky Waltz, Footprints in the Snow (played as an instrumental), Dry & Dusty, Brown County Breakdown, Watson's Blues

Key of F: Smokey Mountain Rag, Mississippi Waltz

Key of D Minor: Lonesome Moonlight Waltz

Key of G: Red Wing, Shucking the Corn, John Hardy, Blackberry Blossom, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, Red Apple Rag, Earl's Breakdown, Shelby Rock, Wheel Hoss, Fireball Mail, The Old Mountaineer, Ground Speed, Katy Hill, Big Sciota, Dixie Hoedown, The Temperance Reel, Baker's Breakdown, Roanoke, Lady Be Good

Key of E Minor: Southern Flavor

Key of A: Gold Rush, Bill Cheatum, Maiden's Prayer, Sally Goodin, Old Joe Clark, Washington County, Road to Columbus, John Hardy, Salt Creek, Katy Daley, Uncle Pen, The Red-Haired Boy, Cherokee Shuffle, Old Dangerfield, Monroe's Hornpipe, Big Country, Laughing Boy, Scotland, Virginia Darling, Blue Mountain Waltz, Polk County Breakdown, Pike County Breakdown, Union County, Charmaine

Key of B Flat: New Camptown Races, Missouri Road, Daley's Reel, The Backwoods Reel*, Cheyenne

Key of B: Big Spike Hammer (as an instrumental), Train 45

Jammin' Thru July

Here's an accounting of our musical activities throughout July, 2016

Sunday afternoon I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to the Sunday Bluegrass jam at Ron Lane's studio. There, we met with a few of our Bluegrass buddies and played for several hours. Ron Lane played banjo and sang (he also played his "new" 1992 Martin D-16 Herringbone dreadnought he purchased recently); Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Jerry Mccarty played upright bass; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar and sang; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; and I played fiddle, guitar and sang.

NOTE: Today is a record setting day on two fronts: First, I hit the 500 person mark for musicians that I've met and played with here in the South, and Second: I went past the 1,000 person on my musicians list for those I've met and played with counting the Northern states and the Southern states. This is quite an achievement !!!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night I went to Rheatown and got into a jam session that was a whole lot of fun. There were several musicians that I had never picked with and I sure wish I had got their names to include on my "Musicians List" page, but I didn't get a chance to talk to them all.
Musicians that I did know were: Bill McLain, guitar and vocals; Charlie ?, banjo; Eric Bowman, banjo, guitar and vocals; Dave ?, guitar; Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Claude Smith, mandolin and vocals; (two men from Florida, one played upright bass(Al Gonnella) and the other played guitar (Richard Holmes) and they both sang); another left-handed banjo picker; and yours truly, fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon I finished composing my new fiddle tune named "The Backwoods Reel". I have it written out on music paper and it's posted here for those who can read music and want to play through it or perhaps fiddle the tune and make it a part of their list of tunes they can play in B Flat. It's kind of tricky in spots which adds to the fun. Give it a go and see what happens.

The Anderson House Bluegrass room had the following musicians playing: Clancy Mullins, banjo; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin; Greg Greene, vocals and guitar; Rick Guinn, banjo; Todd Markwalter, guitar; Dennis Sturgill, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. The Old Country music room had lots of players including quite a few I haven't met, yet. The ones I knew were: Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; and several other guitar players and a banjo picker and a fiddler I hadn't met, yet.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon, before going to Kingsport to see Larry Sparks perform, I spent a couple of hours composing a reel in the key of Bb for it's first part and it's relative minor Gm for the second part. I'm thinking of naming it "The Backwoods Reel", but not sure just yet.

The concert on Broad Street was rained out shortly after it started much to the dismay of hundreds of Larry Sparks fans. (I'm one!) Larry played and sang a half-dozen songs and instrumentals and introduced Daniel Ratliff, his banjo player and tenor vocalist, and his son, "D" Sparks, bassist and baritone vocalist, before the rain caused the cancellation of the concert. We never did get to learn who his mandolin player was. It seems like it rains every Thursday night.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Wednesday night Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi is shaping up nicely as we're having traditional Bluegrassers support us in numbers.

Musicians present were: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katy Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Jim Woods, fiddle and vocals; Richard Pruett, fiddle and vocals; Matt Mullins, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first group that formed at Bluff City on Tuesday night, the 26th, was comprised of Matt Mullins, guitar; Dalton Elliot, banjo; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; Terry's girlfriend on mandolin; Rudy Chapman, guitar and vocals; and Angie Milhorn, mandolin.

The group I formed later on was comprised of: John Gott, fiddle; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Rudy Chapman, guitar and vocals; Ashley Davis, fiddle; Ashley's friend, mandolin; Tina Sundberg, fiddle; Anders Sterner, banjo; John Bledsoe, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

Note: The "Musicians List" is nearing 1,000. I'm only 7 away from meeting this landmark.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 24th, I learned a neat fiddle tune called "The Polk County Breakdown". It's in the key of A and it travels right along. It's a blast to fiddle and I can't wait to try it on the "boys" at our Sunday afternoon jam in Gray, TN.

The jam session at Ron Lane's was lots of fun and those of us who attended had a blast picking and singing. Ron Lane picked banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played his gorgeous hand-built guitar; Jerry McCarty played upright bass; Rita Peters played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar, sang and even played fiddle; and I played fiddle mostly with a little upright bass and some guitar.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday morning at about 9:30 I started transcribing the tune "Daley's Reel" from a Kenny Baker recording on YouTube. After I finished that, I arranged the tune to my "style" of playing as I prefer turns in the ornamentation when I play in the key of B Flat (probably something I've adopted from the playing of French-Canadian tunes in that key).

At about 5:00 p.m. this evening I'm finally able to play it through without too many obvious errors (albeit, not to speed). I've tired myself out and there's an awful thunderstorm happening right now, so I'm going to skip going to Rheatown. Here's the link to my arrangement of Daley's Reel.

Later on, in the evening, I learned the tune "I Don't Love No Body" in the key of A in a swing-type rhythm. It's a lot of fun to jam this tune.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, July 22nd, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSICA WARNER!!!), instead of going up to Blountville to the Anderson House, I was invited to watch the performance of "Fiddling Leona & J.P. Mathes" in Jonesboro for the "Music on the Square" presentation. Musicians were: Fiddling Leona, fiddle and vocals; J.P. Mathes, banjo and vocals; Randy McKinney, mandolin; David Banks, upright bass and vocals; and Ryan Davidson, guitar and vocals. They are very talented performers and the show was a hit with the audience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon and evening, I learned "The San Antonio Rose" in A and E and "Sweet Bunch of Daisies" in A in preparation for a recording session with Nashville recording guitarist Larry Odham who makes his home in the Boones Creek/Gray area. I'll record with him soon at a date to be decided.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday morning I drove to Hickory, North Carolina, by way of Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock, Lenoir and Granite Falls and returned by way of Asheville, Sams Gap and Erwin.

Later in the day I went to the Bluegrass jam at the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi. Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katy Jeter played mandolin and sang; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and a little banjo. I even played Ed's mandolin at his request. His "Sam Bush" model Gibson F-5 is my favorite mandolin of any that I've ever played. It's a "hoss"!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday afternoon, the 19th, I went up to see Keith Williams with my good friend Henry Barnett. I got the chance to play some "twin fiddles" with him which I always enjoy. He takes the harmony part (the difficult part of fiddling) and I stick to the melody lines.

Later, I went to Bluff City with Ron Duncan to the jam session held at the emergency squad building each Tuesday night. There were many pickers there and we had a good time visiting with many of our friends.

I couldn't help but notice that a few of the most important "Bluegrass Etiquette" rules were in order, though. First, if a group is already pickin', it's important to tune one's instrument before sitting down in the circle so as not to annoy others who are already in tune and playing songs and tunes. Second, it's important to be keenly aware of "timing" to avoid two or more rhythms going on between guitarists, etc. And third, it is not polite to arrive at an ongoing session and take over by playing song after song without regard for those who shaped the group to begin with. For example, the group may consist of a bunch of Ralph Stanley devotees singing the high, lonesome mountain songs and someone shows up insisting the group play "Newgrass" material, out-of-context fiddle tunes or similar situations.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon I went up to Ron Lane's with Ron Duncan for our weekly Bluegrass jam session. Ron Lane played banjo, guitar and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar and sang; and I played fiddle, banjo and sang.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, I went to Rheatown and met Matt Mullins and Ron Lane for a light meal at the Store before playing Bluegrass there. Matt played guitar; Eric Bowman played banjo and sang; Claude Smith played guitar and sang; Marvin Gladwell played guitar; Darrin Shelton played guitar; Charlie Booher played upright bass and I played fiddle. It was great to have Charlie play bass again as he hasn't played in a long while. Ron Lane chose not to play but just listen.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 15th, I attended the Blountville jam at the Anderson House where my good friend Jim Stidman, instrument maker and repairman returned my old violin he'd volunteered to repair. Here's the story behind the violin: A Great Aunt gave me her family heirloom fiddle back in 1974 when she was around 90 years of age. She was born in 1884 and was gifted the violin when she was 9 years old. The violin was built in 1834 and was 59 years of age when she received it. It was broken by someone at a square dance party in Keene Valley, New York when I was young and the next year I replaced the neck but didn't know how to repair all the cracks on the top spruce plate.

It laid in disrepair all the years up until July 15th, 2016 when my dear friend Jim Stidman, a luthier and fiddle maker in Blountville Tennessee completed his volunteer repair of it for me. It came out perfectly beautiful with a superb tone. He varnished it golden brown and it sure is sweet to look at and listen to. Many, many "Thanks" to my good friend Jim for such a wonderful thing to do for me. Southern hospitality at its finest!

After receiving the violin from Jim, I disappeared into a room in the front of the building with my good friend and fiddler John Gott and a good friend and guitarist, Joe Thompson. We spent the entire evening playing fiddle tunes, Bluegrass and otherwise and I was and remain elated over the violin I haven't played in around 37 years. Check out the family heirloom fiddle here.

just before leaving, I stopped by the back room which is the "Bluegrass" room and played along with a couple of tunes with Ernie Shaffer, Greg Greene, Rick Guinn and Justin Shaffer. Then I visited with Ron Lane, Matt Mullins and Chuck Milhorn on the side porch.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon I attended the retirement party for Lois Lilley at the Clinchfield Senior Center in Erwin.

In the evening, I went to Kingsport with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to see "The Boxcars". The band consists of: Adam Steffy, mandolin and vocals; Ron Stewart, banjo, fiddle and vocals; Keith Garrett, guitar and vocals; Gary Haltman, Dobro and vocals; and Harold Nixon, upright bass. The musicianship is incredible to put it mildly. Adam Steffy and Ron Stewart are amazingly talented musicians and Keith Garrett is a very talented songwriter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday afternoon I adjusted the sound post in my French fiddle to experiment with its "sweet spot" and I think I've about ended up fairly close to where I started from after a lengthy exercise in patience, persistence and ear-training. I am looking forward to the Bluegrass jam this evening.

Musicians that showed up to our Bluegrass jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi were: Craig Hensley, banjo and vocals; Steve Harrill, mandolin and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Cory Jeter, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, banjo and vocals. Ron Lane came for a short while but didn't play his banjo. Katie Jeter was also present but didn't play her mandolin as she was babysitting her beautiful granddaughter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early Tuesday afternoon, the 12th, I rode over to Keith William's fiddle making shop towards the outskirts of Greeneville with Henry Barnett. It's always such a pleasure to visit with Keith as he is very outgoing and full of mechanical knowledge about a whole wealth of things. It's also a lot of fun to have the in-person opportunity to watch him as he masterfully plays so many of my favorite fiddle tunes. I even get to play the lead parts as he performs the harmony parts. What a treat! His violins are absolutely beautiful to look at and to listen to and to play. They sound so fantastic when they're new, one can only imagine what they will sound like in 20 years or even 100 years. They certainly are destined to become classics.

Tuesday evening in Bluff City at the Bluegrass jam session was a lot of fun. There were many musicians present in the various rooms. Here's a list of the ones that I knew: From Sweden were Tina Sundberg, fiddle and Anders Sterner, banjo; and locally the rest: Mrs. Goad, vocals; Beverly Horton, vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Tom Horton, guitar and vocals; Tim Laughlin, fiddle; Vicki Austin, upright bass and vocals; Ashley Davis, fiddle; Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals; Jacob Hensley, guitar and vocals; John Bledsoe, guitar; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Aaron Smith, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Angie Milhorn, mandolin; Dalton Elliot, banjo and guitar; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Daniel "Guitar Floyd" Fields, guitar, upright bass and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Ronnie Rasnic, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; and Mike Koloian, guitar. I played fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 11th, while staying home and practicing fiddle, I decided to learn "Lady Be Good", an olden tune by George Gershwin. It's a "jazzy" rhythm and a catchy tune to play and I've been meaning to learn a break to it for some time now. Another one to add to the growing list of fun tunes for the fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 10th of July, I rode up to Gray with Ron Duncan to join in on the Bluegrass jam session at Ron Lane's. Ron Lane picked banjo and sang (later he played guitar); Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jerry Mc Carty played upright bass; Terry Taylor picked mandolin, guitar and sang; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; and I played the fiddle (later I played mandolin and sang along with Ron Lane and Ron Duncan). Matt Mullins was busy and did not attend today's session.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 9th, I went to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass and I sure was not disappointed. Here's a list of those who played: Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Tim Carter, guitar, vocals and upright bass; Homer Ball, guitar and vocals; Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Dave Henard, upright bass; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and vocals; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Ty Fillers, fiddle; Derrick Evans, guitar; Bill McLain, upright bass, guitar and vocals; John Jones, banjo and guitar; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, upright bass, fiddle, guitar and vocals. Musicians present but not playing were Charlie Booher and G. C. Matlock.

Tonight is kinda special: In 60 years in the North Country of the Adirondack Mountains and in and around the northern states, I had occasion to meet around 465 musicians. Tonight, after 5 years in the Southern states, I went past that number. I've now met over 470 musicians since Mary and I arrived here May 31st, 2011. When I add in my Arkansas pickin' friends and total the northern and southern musicians, it's now over 970 musicians I've met in my lifetime! And still counting!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night I cancelled my picking schedule with the musicians at Blountville to perform with the band "Rock Creek Ramblers" in Erwin at the Rock Creek State Park. After practicing at the home of Steve Harrill for approximately 3 hours, a huge unexpected thunderstorm blew in and the State Park cancelled the engagement at the last minute. Members of the band included Steve, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; F. B. White, guitar and vocals; and guests Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and vocals; and yours truly upright bass and vocals.

While there, I received a text notifying me of a new performing date with the band "Mountain Laurel" that I play banjo and fiddle with. We'll be performing at Shirley's Restaurant in the Watuaga Lake area on September 9th. The last time I performed at Shirley's was with the popular regional band "String Fever" headed up by Gary Taylor, upright bassist, several years back.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night I traveled up to Kingsport with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to the Bluegrass on Broad event. "Karl Shiflett and Big Country" performed and we all enjoyed their show very much. Band members were: Karl Shiflett, guitar and vocals (and one fiddle tune); Chris Shiflett, Karl's son, upright bass; Justin Harrison, mandolin; Billy Hurtz, fiddle, guitar and vocals; and Brennan Ernst, banjo, guitar and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday night, the 6th, we had a Bluegrass jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Eventually we were driven out by a severe thunderstorm, but before that we had a jam.

Musicians present were: Matt Mullins, guitar; Ron Lane, guitar, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, July 5th, Bluff City was a superb amount of music-filled fun!. Many of my musician friends were present and pickin'. Roger Messer was present but didn't play. I started out on the main stage picking with Daniel "Guitar Floyd" Fields, guitar; Dalton Elliot, banjo; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. After a short while we were joined by Jeff Webb, guitar.

Later, after at least an hour and a half, I went down to the far room and fiddled with: Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Jeff Sharpe, guitar and vocals; Daniel Housewright, guitar and vocals; Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, Dobro/banjo; an unidentified man, guitar; George ?, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Frank Wing, banjo; and Lincoln Hensley, banjo. Charlie Ervin and "Guitar Floyd" sat nearby but didn't perform.

In the middle room, Bobby Love played mandolin and sang; Chad Love played banjo and sang; Tim Laughlin played fiddle and mandolin and sang; Jeff Dotson played guitar; Charlie ZPowers played guitar and sang; Hal Boyd played upright bass and sang; and Angie Milhorn played her mandolin.

In the first room, part of the group "3rd Day Resurrection" practiced harmony vocals. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Gail Evans sang; and Mike Laws played guitar and sang.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 4th, I was at Walmart's when I chanced to meet my good friend Bob Van Horn who I haven't seen in a long while. He has had a lot of trouble with his right knee, including recent surgery and seems to be doing alright now. Bob loves to play guitar and sing and was very active in our jam sessions held at Robert Crigger's little store on Rock Creek Road back before Robert succumbed to cancer. I kinda lost touch with Bob Van Horn after that although I used to see him infrequently at The Red Barn.

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 3rd, I went over to Carlyle Love's and played 9-ball pool with Henry Barnett for a few hours before returning home to practice fiddle and banjo into the evening hours.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 2nd, I played fiddle and banjo for the band "Mountain Laurel" who had booked us at an early Fourth of July celebration in the little township of Collettsville, NC (population around 1,045). We performed for an hour on a perfectly beautiful day. Just as our set began to wind down, it started to sprinkle but nothing serious. It was a long haul over there to the Lenoir area and a long haul back, but it was well worth it to perform with this group of musicians.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, July 1st: I attended the Bluegrass jam at the Anderson House in Blountville.
Many of my pickin' friends were there and I had a super time. Joe Thompson played guitar; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin and sang; Rufus Thames played guitar and sang; Dennis Sturgil played banjo and sang; Greg Greene played guitar and sang; Another fellow who I've played a lot with (can't remember his name) played guitar and sang; Another older gentleman played guitar and sang ( I've never met this man before); Matt Mullins played guitar and sang; Clancy Mullins picked banjo; and I played fiddle.

In the other room, Bill McCall played guitar and sang; Tom Antonoosie played mandolin and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; and several others played and sang.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Jamming June

Here's an accounting of our musical activities throughout June, 2016

Thursday night the 30th, the last night of the month, was band practice for "Mountain Laurel" in Rittertown, a small area off the main road to Hampton. Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; Janet Calhoun played mandolin and sang; Denny Key played guitar and sang; and I picked banjo and played fiddle. We started about 6:00 and ended at about 9:00 p.m. and covered a lot of beautiful material. It was a very productive practice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The choice of material is absolutely wonderful for Bluegrass harmonies.

I'm new to the "Mountain Laurel" band but the band has been around in different configurations for a long while.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday night, the 29th, a small group of Bluegrassers met at the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi to play some traditional Bluegrass. Ron Duncan picked banjo and did vocals; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Charlie Ervin played guitar and sang; Matt Mullins played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. Jim Woods stopped by but didn't have an instrument with him so he just listened. It was great to see everyone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 28th, was a day filled with music. In the early afternoon, Henry Barnett and I went out to Keith William's violin making shop near Greeneville, Tennessee. There we visited with Keith for a few hours in which I took lots of pictures of violins he's building in the different stages of completion and I had the opportunity to play twin fiddles with him. He played his favorite 5-string fiddle and I played a matching 4-string fiddle that he also made. The sound of these violins is simply incredible (especially when he plays because he is so good at fiddling). He played a harmony part to "Wheel Hoss" and to "Blue Ridge Waltz", both Kenny Baker tunes while I played the melodies. The two handcrafted instruments were gorgeous together!

Later, I met Ron and Sherry Duncan in Unicoi and rode up to Bluff City with them to the weekly Bluegrass jam session held at the emergency squad building. Many musicians showed up to play and it was a super night to pick. In fact, there were so many that Ron and I decided to listen rather than join in and play. (It's a rare night when we decide not to play). We sat in the main stage area and listened to the first group that assembled on stage to perform. This group was well rehearsed and did a super job picking and singing. It was comprised of the following: Beecher Powers, guitar and vocals; Colton Powers, banjo and vocals; Cayce Herron, guitar and vocals; Wes Carr, mandolin, guitar and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; and Hunter Patterson playing upright bass. Angie Milhorn played along from the sidelines with her mandolin.

The next group up to the stage was "Duty Free" consisting of: Bobby Love, mandolin and vocals; Chad Love, banjo and vocals; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Tim Laughlin, fiddle; and sitting in playing along, Jeff Dotson, guitar.

The large group that formed at the back room, mid-level was comprised of: Ray Dearstone, guitar (he's a master craftsman building mandolins and guitars); Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Ronnie Rasnick, upright bass and vocals; Tommy and Beverly Horton, guitar and vocals; Matt Marshall, banjo and vocals; Frank Wing, banjo; Jeff Foster, banjo; Aaron Smith, guitar; and probably others I didn't happen to see. What a night!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning I learned the tune "Panhandle Rag" from a Byron Berline Youtube video. It's in the key of D. It's a "swing"-type tune and a lot of fun to play. Another tune Byron plays that I really love is "Charmaine" and I honed up that one this morning as well.

Later in the day, Ron Duncan and I went up to the Sunday afternoon by-invitation-only Bluegrass jam session held at Ron Lane's studio. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Chuck Milhorn played banjo; Jerry Coleman played bass and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Matt Mullins played guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played his hand-built dreadnought guitar; Richard Widdows played Dobro and sang; and I played fiddle, sang and played a little mandolin, too. I always enjoy Sunday afternoons playing music with such a nice group of guys.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night I took a drive over to Rheatown to jam some Bluegrass with my friends there. Andrew Marshall played mandolin; Mike Wilbur played guitar and sang; Marvin Gladwell played guitar; Claude Smith played guitar and sang; Eric Bowman picked banjo and sang; John Skelton played upright bass; Dennis ? played guitar; Tim Carter played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle.

There was another small group out in the front part of the store playing modern-sounding material on acoustic instruments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 24th, I drove up to Blountville to the Anderson House for the weekly Bluegrass jam. It was well worth it. I had a blast.

Musicians I played with were: Ernie Shaffer, mandolin and vocals; Greg Greene, guitar and vocals; Dennis Sturgill, banjo and vocals; Justin Shaffer, mandolin; Matt Mullins, guitar; Nina Ketron, upright bass and vocals; Clancy Mullins, banjo; Ron Lane, vocals; Mike Reynolds, guitar and vocals; and Chuck Milhorn, banjo. I played fiddle. Several more pickers played in the main room before heading outside to accommodate the large audience that built up.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening I could have gone to Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, or "Bluegrass on Broad" in Kingsport, or "The Red Barn" in Unicoi, all in Tennessee, but at the last moment I chose to stay home and practice fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, June 22, I played Bluegrass with a few friends down at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle and a little banjo and guitar and sang a little, too.

Jerry Sams showed us all his new guitar he just finished building. Wow! It has a Sitka spruce top, sycamore sides and back, and a 3-piece neck. It has a sound distinctly it's own; not a Gibson sound; not a Martin sound; but a beautiful sound with plenty of volume and sustain. We were all very impressed with Jerry's workmanship.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening Ron, Gordon and I attended the Bluff City Bluegrass jam. There were many musicians in attendance and we had a wonderful time playing and visiting with many of them. I played fiddle in the group on stage in the main room. In my group there were: a man with the first name of Randy playing mandolin; Norma Jean Campbell's friend who plays mandolin (sorry, I can't remember her name); "Guitar Floyd", guitar; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; Rufus Thames, guitar and vocals; Dalton Elliot, banjo; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

In the middle lower room there were 4 musicians including Daniel ?, guitar and vocals; "Guitar Floyd", guitar; a Dobro player named?; and John Gott, fiddle.

The lower back room contained a wealth of musicians including: Steve Price, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin and Lincoln Hensley, banjos; Jeff Dotson, guitar and vocals; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Richard ?, mandolin; Tim Laughlin, fiddle; Ronnie Rasnick, guitar and vocals; Rod Stipe, mandolin and vocals; and a few others I haven't met yet that were playing banjos and guitars.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 20th, I attended the Monday night jam session at the Flag Pond Rest Stop on I-26 near the Tennessee/North Carolina border. I met a nice man, Terry Bailey, who played guitar and sang. He's from Erwin, TN. The other musicians there were: Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Bill Harris, guitar; Cathy Arrowwood, upright bass; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, Ron Duncan and I went to Gray to Ron Lane's for our weekly Bluegrass jam session. What a wonderful time we have there each Sunday. Today, the musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, bass; Jim Stidman, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar and vocals; Matt Mullins, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 18th, I attended the Rheatown Store Bluegrass jam session. Many of my good friends were there. I first visited with Charlie Booher, who no longer plays due to health reasons. Musicians that did play were: Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; Dave Henard (Ryan's dad), upright bass; Colton Powers, banjo and vocals; and a male guitarist and a female bassist I haven't met and don't know their names yet. This group played outside by the front steps.

I played fiddle inside with these musicians: Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Eli Barber, upright bass and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and vocals; Ty Fillers, (13 years old), fiddle; Tim Carter, guitar and vocals; and Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 17th, I went up to Jonesboro with Ron Duncan to listen to "Duty Free" perform at the Music on the Square event held Friday nights throughout the summer months. The band consists of Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Bobby Love, mandolin and vocals; Chad Love (Bobby's son), Banjo; and special guest Kevin Jackson, fiddle, (from the band "Wolf Creek") filling in for member fiddler Tim Laughlin who was away performing in Pennsylvania. They are a wonderfully talented group and Ron and I often play with them in Bluff City at the weekly Bluegrass jam session held at the Emergency Squad building. Check out the pictures on "Page 12".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 16th I learned a new fiddle tune to add to my list: "Dixie Hoedown" by Jesse Mc Reynolds. It has a very catchy melody and I heard it and played along with it the other night in Bluff City when Ashley Davis played it, but I needed to create my own rendition and viola, I have one now!

Later, in the evening hours, I attended a Bluegrass concert in Kingsport, TN. The band "Turkey Creek" performed at the "Bluegrass on Broad Street" event held each Thursday throughout the summer months.

Members of the band include: Tom Horton, guitar and vocals; his wife, Beverly Horton, vocals and upright bass; Mitch Bentley, upright bass; Keith Williams, fiddle and vocals; Mark Marshall, banjo; Eric McMurray, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; and special guests Linda Lay, vocals; Mark Marshall's father Lowell Marshall, upright bass; and Todd Meade, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, in the afternoon and early evening, I practiced with Denny, Janet and Gail in Rittertown near Hampton from 4:30 'til around 8:00 and then drove over to Unicoi to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin to catch the last part of a Bluegrass jam with friends there.

At Gail Evan's home, she played upright bass and sang; Janet Calhoun played mandolin and sang; Denny Key played guitar and sang; and I played banjo and fiddle.

At the Bluegrass jam in Unicoi, Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar, banjo and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and although I was too late to pick with her, Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang before I arrived. I played fiddle for a few tunes before everyone called it a night and went home.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 14th, I went up to Bluff City with Ron and Sherry Duncan and had a super time playing fiddle. Musicians I played with are: Ashley Davis, fiddle, vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jeff Dotson, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Yours truly, fiddle and vocals; John Gott, fiddle; Shannon Guiteau, banjo; and Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals. Other musicians that played were: Joe Thompson, guitar; Charlie Ervin, vocals; and Roger Richardson, mandolin.

I rehaired a "R. Weichold" violin bow this afternoon before going to Bluff City that I brought back from my trip to the Adirondacks. I am very pleased with the sound of it and its weight (around 59-62 grams, I'm guessing). It's a pleasure to perform with. Note: R. Weichold bows are highly sought after and have a good value at auctions. I'm happy to have acquired this bow many years back. I rehaired it with stallion Siberian horsehair. It's smooth and has very little "noise".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 13th, I made my usual stop at the Clinchfield Adult Center in Erwin. It was fun to see a few of my pool-shooting buddies I hadn't seen for a couple of weeks. Henry Barnett and I comprise one of the teams and Wayne "Red" Hovatter and Charlie McConnell make another. Usually Roger Young stops in to play a few games, too, but he was absent today. "Hook" Light is another shooter that stops in often and Frank Burrell and Otis Ray can be seen from time to time. And Gary Carlstrom and Carlyle Love. I really enjoy all their company, they're a fine bunch of fellows.

The afternoon was spent practicing fiddle tunes and breaks and working on my new waltz I'm writing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th, I attended the private Bluegrass jam session held each Sunday at the residence of Ron Lane in Gray, TN. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry McCarty played bass and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin, guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Benny Jones played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar and sang; Matt Mullins played guitar; and I played fiddle and a little banjo.

Jim Stidman is a very talented luthier. He's built guitars and violins and many other items from various beautiful woods. I showed him a violin I brought back with me from my trip to New York state. One of my Great Aunts gave me this violin when I was just a boy. She had received it when she was just a young girl ( 9 years of age). The instrument was 59 years old when she got it. She lived into her nineties and passed away around 50 years ago. The violin was made in 1834. Many years ago I won a fiddle contest in Elizabethtown, NY during the day and that evening used this same fiddle to play a square dance at a private residence in Keene Valley, NY. After the party was over, someone sat on the violin case and broke the neck and put three cracks in the violin. All these years later I've found someone I trust to repair it! I'm excited to finally have this beautiful instrument repaired, to put it mildly!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 11th, I began driving at 3:30 a.m. and drove the remaining 392 miles from Winchester, VA., to Limestone Cove, TN.

Later in the evening, I attended a concert at Northeastern State with Ron and Sherry Duncan. The featured performers were Rob Ikes and Trey Hensley. What an incredible pair of super musicians!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 10th, I left Donnie and Pat's at 3:00 a.m. and drove 604 miles to Winchester, Virginia and stayed in a motel and got some much needed rest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 9th: I visited my children again in Keene and after saying my "goodbye's", I returned to Donnie's to a picking party (farewell to me) held at Donnie and Pat's. Donnie and Pat Perkins, Dick and Pauline Cooke, Earl and Carol Southmayd, Curt and Shirley Phaneuf, Joe and Phyllis Ezero and yours truly attended. Dick, Earl and Curt played guitars, Phyllis played piano keyboards and fiddle, Joe played upright bass, Donnie played fiddle and guitar, and I played banjo and some fiddle.

Pat put on a wonderful feed for us all and she and Pauline, Shirley and Carol visited in the dining room while the rest of us played music for several hours.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 7th & 8th: Donnie and I worked all day in the recording studio.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 6th: Today I visited an old friend of Mary's and mine, Alice Pelkey. We had a wonderful time having a few laughs over a tasty cup of coffee. Later I got to visit with Debbie, Bonnie and Roy at the Little Supermarket in Wilmington, NY.

Then I returned to again work on the CD with Donnie.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 5th: I was treated to an opportunity to see all my grandchildren (6 of them; 5 boys and one girl) and my children (2 girls and 2 boys). What a wonderful time! Then it was back to work at the studio.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 4th: Donnie and I attended a Bluegrass festival at the Thousand Islands. There we jammed all day with many of our North Country friends from the USA and Canada. It was absolutely fantastic to see them again.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 3rd: I visited my family in Keene, NY. It was so wonderful to see them again after such a long time away. What a treat to see my children again.

Later in the day, I continued working in the studio with Donnie. We worked into the late evening.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 2nd: Donnie and I worked all morning in the studio recording and re-recording, slowly and methodically perfecting every aspect of each tune that will be on the upcoming CD. Later, at lunch time, we performed music at a Senior gathering at a Catholic church in Rouses Point, NY (on the Canadian border). Don Perkins played fiddle; Dick Cooke and Curt Phaneuf played guitars; and I played banjo.
Afterwards, upon returning back to Don and Pat's, we resumed working on the CD recording.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 1st: I arrived in NY at the home of Donnie and Pat Perkins in the late afternoon after having traveled 502 miles on the 31st of May and staying at a motel in Hershey, PA., and leaving early in the morning to finish the trip for a total of 977 miles from point A to point B. They took me out to dinner in Plattsburgh and we all got caught up on all the news that's fit to print and some that ain't!

A Mostly Melodic May

Here's an accounting of our musical activities throughout May, 2016.

The 31st I will be leaving early in the morning for a trip to New York State to visit family and friends and record a fiddle music CD for Donnie Perkins, North Country Fiddler. Donnie and Earl Southmayd are a musical duet that plays all over upstate NY.

I'll be heading back to Tennessee around the 10th or 11th of June and arriving here the 11th or 12th. This website may not be very active in my travels due to a very busy schedule, but I'll work on it when I return, for sure.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 28th, I traveled to Virginia with my brother-in-law, Robert Winchell and browsed in the store "Cabella's". When leaving the store, I visited with members of the Bluegrass band "Wolf Creek" who were performing outside under a canopy. Kevin Jackson, fiddler, was one of the members I had met before. They're all very talented.

I left there and played billiards with my dear friend, Henry Barnett in Erwin, TN., before leaving for Rheatown to play Bluegrass. While in Rheatown, I jammed with Mike Durham, Mike Wilbur, Andrew Marshall, Charlie Phillips, Claude Smith, Marvin Gladwell, Ty Fillers, and two other guitar players I know but can't remember their names.

After leaving there, I went to David Thompson's in Embreeville to listen to Appalachian Strings playing Bluegrass and Old Country. I had a great time visiting with old friends.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 27th, I learned another fiddle tune in the key of A Major. "Sugar in the Gourd" is the name and it goes real fast and is a real blast to play up to speed. I'll attempt it tonight at the Anderson House when I go up to the Bluegrass jam session in Blountville. I got it from an old Steve Day recording.

I didn't play it ( "Sugar in the Gourd" ) at the Anderson House, but I did play an awful lot of Bluegrass with many of my friends up there. The group I played with consisted of: Greg Greene, vocals and guitar; Justin Shaffer, vocals and mandolin; Dennis Sturgill, vocals and banjo; Matt Mullins, vocals and guitar; Ed Dance, vocals and mandolin; Jim Woods, vocals and upright bass; Can Joe, fiddle; and Yours Truly, fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 26th, I went to the Bowman/Bogart log cabin in Unicoi to jam some Bluegrass for a few hours with a few of my close friends. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night, the 24th, I attended the Bluff City Bluegrass Session at the Emergency Squad building with Ron, Sherry and Gordon.

Upon first arriving, we listened to Grace King and Ashley Davis playing harmony fiddles to "Ashoken Farewell" and "America The Beautiful". After a short while a nice jam session developed in the big room next to the stage with Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Paul Adams, banjo; Charlie Powers, guitar and vocals; Tim Laughlin, guitar; Randy Blevins, guitar and vocals; Ronnie Rasnick, guitar and vocals; Dan Craty, mandolin and vocals; and Terry Barnes and yours truly, twin fiddles. The lower rooms contained Tommy and Vicki Austin, Steve Price, Matt Cruby, and others in the way back room and Julie Williams and Grace King in the middle back room. It was a great night for pickin' !
---------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 22nd, I decided to compose a waltz which could be played as a third and fourth part to the waltz "Blue Mountain Waltz" by Kenny Baker. I chose writing it in F# Minor, the relative minor key for the Major key of A, the key which "Blue Mountain Waltz" is written in. Although I am not quite finished, it is taking shape nicely and will serve as it's own waltz or can be coupled with Kenny's waltz as I intended.

In the afternoon, I went up to Ron Lane's studio in Gray and jammed Bluegrass with Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Richard Widdows, guitar, Dobro and vocals; Chuck Milhorn, mandolin and banjo; and yours truly fiddle and banjo.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 21st, I learned a new fiddle tune, "Blue Mountain Waltz" by Kenny Baker.
Due to the weather forecast, I decided not to travel to Rheatown for the Saturday night jamming. I also decided not to travel to Blountville the night before for the same reason.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 19th, a few of us met at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin and jammed some Bluegrass music for a couple of hours or more. Many of our regular pickers were out of town to Bluegrass festivals and couldn't come but we had enough to make a good jam anyway. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Sherry Duncan took photos (see "Page 12"); Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and I played fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 17th, I rode up to Bluff City with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. There were quite a few musicians gathered to play Bluegrass and I settled in a room at the mid-level and played with a couple of musicians I hadn't formerly met. One was Mark Jackson (belonging to the famous Jackson Gospel Family) who played a Northfield mandolin; and the other was Brad Beavers who plays upright bass for Ralph Stanley #2. Brad played upright bass and guitar and sang. Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Ron Duncan played mandolin, guitar, banjo and sang; Terry Tester played guitar, banjo and sang; John Gott played fiddle, guitar and sang; and yours truly played fiddle. Many other musicians were scattered throughout the building and Bluegrass was heard all over.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 15th, I spent at Ron Lane's studio in Gray, TN. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro and vocals; Jerry McCarty, bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. I played an old German Stradivarius copy for quite a while when I first got started picking. It's a fiddle that belongs to Jerry McCarty. It had a nice Bluegrass sound to it. Speaking of a nice sounding instrument, I absolutely love the sound of Richard Widdows' Dobro. It's as nice a tone as I've heard yet in any Dobro or other make resonator guitar since I've been down here in the South. Everybody's got good sounding instruments they're playing on. And they all know how to play very well.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 14th, I went to the Rheatown Store for the weekly Bluegrass jam. Musicians playing guitars and singing were: Mike Wilbur, Travis Fulton, Mike Durham and another fellow named Bill. Mandolin players were: Claude Smith, Andrew Marshall and Ryan Henard. Upright bass players were: Bill ? and Travis Fulton. Banjo pickers were: Eric Bowman and yours truly; and fiddlers were: just yours truly. Notable musicians missing tonight were: Marvin Gladwell, Dale Shelton and Charlie Phillips.

My good friend John Gott, a fiddler, dropped in after performing nearby at "The Farmer's Daughter" restaurant, but he didn't play or stay long due to a long drive home. I can remember performing at "The Farmer's Daughter" a couple years back. What a great venue; good pay and a great meal provided to all the musicians and their spouses.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th, many of us Bluegrass die-hards picked at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katy Jeter picked mandolin and sang; Chuck Poore played Dobro and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo and mandolin and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle and banjo and sang a little.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 10th, I picked at Bluff City. I rode up with Ron and Sherry. There, we met up with Norma Jean Campbell and Gail Evans. Gail played upright bass with Jerry Sams, Ron and me in one of the smaller rooms while countless musicians filled the other rooms with Bluegrass music, as well.

Upon first arriving (after having my soup beans, of course) I played with a larger group on the stage in the big room in the front of the building. See Bluegrass Pictures Page 12.
---------------------------------------------------------------

I went up to Gray with Ron Duncan for the Sunday afternoon private picking party at Ron Lane's studio on the 8th of May. We had a good jam session with plenty of musicians present. They were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry McCarty, bass and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and a little bit of banjo.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 7th, I traveled to Deep Gap, North Carolina, through some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. Linville Village and Grandfather Mountain are breathtaking places to see.

When we reached Deep Gap, around 10 miles past Boone, we set up the sound system and played at the Bluegrass Festival and silent auction held at a private horse ranch to raise monies for wayward children care. It was a wonderful event. The band I was in didn't have a name (note: It's now "Mountain Laurel") but here's the list of who was in it: Denny Key, guitar and vocals; Janet Calhoun, mandolin and vocals; Gail Evans, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, banjo and fiddle. I enjoyed performing with these fine musicians and look forward to the next time I can help out. We shared the event with another band, a quite popular group named "Strickly Strings" from the Boone, NC area.
---------------------------------------------------------------

6th: I misunderstood (old age setting in?) and thought the plan was to meet at the cabin on Friday night same time if the weather was good, so I went down at 5:15 p.m., set up all the chairs in the familiar circle and warmed up on the banjo and fiddle waiting for others to arrive. But, much to my surprise...no one showed. So, even though I got a late start, I re-stacked the chairs and headed for Blountville in an effort to salvage what was left of the evening. Traffic was slowed to a stop-and-go crawl on Interstate I-26 from exit 17 all the way to exit 13 due to an accident, but eventually I got to Blountville.

I'm very happy that I took the time and effort to go because I had a super time picking with friends I have made there. Daniel Houseright played guitar and sang; Tammy Staunton played banjo; Clancy Mullins played banjo; Matt Mullins played guitar; Ernie Shaffer played mandolin; Dave Wilhoit played guitar and sang; Mr. Green played guitar and sang; Alice Hensley played fiddle; Jerry Coleman made a cameo appearance from an adjacent room where "old Country" was being played and sang one song before returning to his group; and another young man played mandolin; Rufus Thames played guitar; Nina Ketron played upright bass; and I played fiddle.

In addition to countless songs and instrumentals played by the group. I got to play "Virginia Darlin' ", "Smokey Mountain Rag", "Laughing Boy", "East Tennessee Blues" and "Road to Columbus" as my contributions. All five fiddle tunes were a "hit" with the group and they all had nice breaks to the tunes.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th was the night many of us were to jam Bluegrass at the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi, but the weather was cold, rainy and windy so it was canceled.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I practiced with musicians from the Deep Gap/Boone, North Carolina area who came to Hampton, Tennessee, to Gail Evan's home. We will be performing this Saturday in NC in the afternoon. The guitar player/vocalist is Denny; The mandolinist/vocalist is Janet (her husband is Mike who is beginning the banjo and not playing in the band), the bassist/vocalist is Gail; and I'm playing the banjo and switching off for a few numbers on the fiddle. They have such wonderful harmonies it's sure a pleasure to be a part of their group and help them out while their regular banjoist is absent temporarily.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 3rd, I learned a fiddle tune that Byron Berline played for Bill Monroe called "Virginia Darlin'". It's a snappy tune in A and I enjoy playing it a lot.

In the evening, I went up to Bluff City for the weekly Bluegrass jam sessions. I first played the fiddle with a large group on stage in the main music room and later jammed in a smaller group on the mid-level in a smaller room. The larger group consisted of Daniel Whited, guitar; Daniels friend, Cindy Ellmaker, mandolin; Randy Singleton, banjo; Ray Dearstone, mandolin; Ronnie Rasnick, upright bass; Paul Wilson, mandolin; Alan Shepard, guitar; and Tyler Wiseman, guitar. The lower level jam included: Gail Evans, upright bass; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Roger Messer, banjo; Ron Duncan, guitar; John Gott, fiddle; and yours truly, fiddle. Hal Boyd, Chad Love, Tim Laughlin, Charlie Powers and others jammed in the back room. We all had a great musical evening.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of May was absolutely filled with Bluegrass and included many of my dear friends and some new friends, too. See the photos here.

Those I picked with today were: Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle, Ed Dance, Galen and Katie Jeter and Terry Tester. It was Terry's birthday and Norma Campbell and other close friends put on quite a celebration pulling out all the stops to make the day a memorable one.

An Acoustic April

Here's an accounting of our activities through April, 2016.

The 30th of April was absolutely filled with Bluegrass and included many of my dear friends and some new friends, too. See the photos here.

Those I picked with today were: Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, Ed Dance, Roger Messer, Brian Harney, Rick Guinn, Randy Singleton, David Winters, and another guitar picker named Dave ?, and several others I didn't know. There were several Bluegrass jam bands all around the property and many bands performed in the building on the stage for the large audience gathered for a day of festivities.

Severe cloudbursts and thunder storms kept me from driving to Rheatown for an evening of Bluegrass, but I'll go next Saturday.

Thursday evening, the 28th, the original Bluegrass gang returned to the Bogart-Bowman historical cabin in Unicoi to play Bluegrass and Bluegrass only. It was a real fine time and everyone enjoyed the evening very much. We played from 6:00 - 9:45.

We had a good turnout. Die-hard Bluegrass fans who were willing to play only Bluegrass (no new or old Country, Newgrass, Jazz, Blues, Folk, etc.) gathered again in an attempt to revive a wonderful night out that was shared by so many for so long before "Country" singers and strummers showed up and took over our "Bluegrass Only" evening. Bluegrass is an esoteric music which is not easily understood by most; in fact it's really a cult and those of us who keep it alive are few and far between. Our sincere hope is to remain Bluegrass only or we'll simply suspend meeting in public yet another time.

It was generally agreed that we were not interested in having songbooks, music stands, amplified equipment and instruments, or merchandizing meals and drinks a part of our Bluegrass get-togethers. We want to play Bluegrass music from the heart not the written page. Music by Flatt & Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, the Osborne Brothers, and other traditional Bluegrass artists.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening I went to Bluff City with Ron, Sherry and Gordon. Lots of musicians were present and there was an abundance of Bluegrass and Old-Time played in the various rooms. Be sure to check out the photos on "Page 11".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 25th, I attended a Bluegrass jam session at the home of Ron and Sherry Duncan in Erwin. Guests were: Galen Jeters, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan (our host), banjo, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. Galen worked with Gordon a little on the standup bass as he is becoming interested in learning to play the upright some. Everyone had a wonderful time picking under the carport as the weather was perfect for outdoor pickin'.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday evening, the 24th, I happened to catch a video of Blaine Sprouse fiddling Brown County Breakdown ( another Kenny Baker tune as far as I know) and decided to sit down and learn it. I got it and I can't wait to have my buddies play this one. It's in the key of "E" and it should be lots of fun with all the stops that are built into it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 23rd, I drove over to Rheatown and jammed Bluegrass with friends. Eric Bowman played upright bass and sang; Paul Wilson played mandolin; Andrew Marshall played mandolin; Dale Shelton played banjo and sang; Marvin Gladwell played guitar; and a young man with a first name of Jeremy (Painter ?) played guitar, upright bass and sang; and a young woman sang; while I played fiddle. There was a nice large audience listening intently and rewarding us all with a good applause after each piece we performed.

I learned the piece "Roanoake" from a new friend I made that evening, Paul Wilson, from Jonesboro, TN. He played it at about half-speed while we all played along and I was able to catch it and now I can play it up to speed. It's a nice fiddle tune.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night (19th) I drove up to Bluff City for the weekly Bluegrass jam session. I jammed with Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Ronnie Rasnick, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Ray Dearstone, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals and yours truly, fiddle.

There were many musicians out in the main room jamming away when I got there and when I left. See the pictures on "Page 11".
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 17th, Ron Duncan and I went to the Sunday afternoon picking session at Ron Lane's studio in Gray. There we jammed some hard-core traditional Bluegrass with Ron Lane, Jerry Coleman, Jerry McCarty, Jim Stidman and Richard Widdows. We very much enjoy jamming with these fellows as they keep it all very traditional and Ron and I are both very much "traditionalists".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 16th, I drove over to Rheatown to the Store for Bluegrass jamming. I had a lot of fun picking with a couple of young men I'd never met before: Daniel and Isaac, both guitar pickers. I also picked with Tyler Williams who I hadn't seen in some time and a couple that played guitar and mandolin and sang that I played with a couple of years ago at the Anderson House in Blountville. Also, there was Dave Wilhoit, Marvin Gladwell, Claude Smith and Mike Wilbur playing Bluegrass, too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 15th, I drove up to Blountville to the Anderson House for the weekly jam session. The main room had lots of musicians playing Old Country and Bluegrass and the back room had even more musicians playing Bluegrass. See the photos on "Page 11".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday afternoon and evening, (the 14th) we went to a campground on Beaver Creek near the Bristol Motor Speedway for a jam session at Jerry Sam's camper he had set up for the NASCAR races scheduled for the weekend coming.

Jerry played guitar and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and Ron played banjo, guitar, mandolin and sang; Gordon played guitar, mandolin, banjo and sang; and I played banjo, fiddle, guitar and sang. We had a great time running through lots of old traditional Bluegrass songs. Later we went to Johnson City and listened to Cory Jeters and Troy Boone perform at the "Apex Bar and Restaurant".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday the 12th, Ron, Sherry, Gordon and I went up to Bluff City to jam some Bluegrass with friends. We played in one of the rooms on the mid-level. I posted pictures on "Page 11" of those musicians that played on the main level. There were lots of talented players from all over enjoying each other's picking and singing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 10th, I learned another fiddle tune from the playing and composing of one of my all-time favorite fiddlers, Kenny Baker. The tune is called "Baker's Breakdown" and it is in two keys: G and D. It's a fun tune to fiddle and can go like greased lightning once the old muscle memory kicks in.

In the afternoon and early evening, Ron Duncan and I went to Gray to jam with friends at Ron Lane's studio. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jerry McCarty played upright bass and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin and sang; Richard Widdows played resonator guitar and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; and I played fiddle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 9th, found me once again at the Rheatown Store for their weekly Bluegrass jam session. I picked with Andrew Marshall, mandolin; Claude Smith, guitar; Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Tim Carter, guitar and vocals; Mike Wilbur, guitar and vocals; and Ken Cornwell, guitar.

In the front room Terry Wade, Eric Bowman, Mike Durham and Brett Powers were jamming.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I decided not to venture out due to the weather forecast calling for very cold temperatures and possible snow, so I stayed in Friday night, the 8th, rather than attend the Anderson House Bluegrass jam.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th found us (Ron, Sherry, Jerry and me) at Jiggy Ray's Pizza Cafe in the old downtown section of Elizabethton. There, we were entertained by a long line of performers. The first entertainer was a young teenage girl who sang and played a ukulele. Next up was a young man (Luke Broyles) who did voice-beat sound effects. He was very talented. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmY2lL90vJw

Next up was the father of the 1st performer and he sang and played guitar. Then a couple more guitar players and then a very talented electric guitarist who played great Rock and Roll. Then the attraction I patiently waited for: the duet of Jeff Webb and Todd Arnett who both played guitars.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th, Ron and Sherry and yours truly went to Bluff City for the weekly Monday Night Jam Session. There, we met up with Terry Tester and Ron and Terry and I played Bluegrass in one of the rooms. Ron picked banjo, Terry strummed guitar and I played the fiddle. Ron and Terry harmonized on many of the good old traditional favorites. We picked for several hours. Wow, how time flies when you're into the music!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 4th: The "Gang" met at Jerry Sam's home in Unicoi and had a wonderful Bluegrass jam session that lasted several hours. Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and I played the fiddle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 3rd, Ron Duncan and I went over to Gray Station and played Bluegrass at the home studio of Ron Lane's. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman played guitar and sang; Jerry Mc Carty played upright bass and sang; Jim Stidman played guitar; Richard Widdows played resonator guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin, some guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. We jammed for several hours in the afternoon.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 2nd: I jammed Bluegrass at the Rheatown Store (formerly the Rheatown Market) with a number of my good friends. There was a large audience as well as a good number of musicians. I really enjoy the Rheatown Bluegrass scene. It's heavy duty Bluegrass all the way. Be sure and check out the photos on Bluegrass Pictures Page 11. (Hold your mouse over the "Bluegrass & Fiddling" heading above and the Page 11 will drop down. Then click on that heading.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 1st: I went up to the Anderson House in Blountville, Tennessee to play some Bluegrass with my many friends there and to meet new ones and create musical memories to last a lifetime. Here I got to see my new friends Bill Mc Call, Tom Antonoosie and Collin Folger and to see my "old" friends Bob and Alice Hensley, Randy Singleton, John Gott, Dave Wilhoit, Clancy Mullins and others.

Music in March

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout March, 2016.

A short while ago, before leaving for Tennessee, I got my fiddle back from Lonnie Collins. He did a fantastic job re-bushing the peg holes and installing the new pegs I had ordered from International Violin.
-------------------------------------------------------

The 30th, the "gang" met at the home of Steve and Robin off Galax Street in Erwin for a jam session. Steve played a 1990's Gibson RB-1 banjo and a 1916 F-2 Gibson mandolin, both of which were fine instruments. He also sang lots of good old Bluegrass favorites. Ron Duncan played mandolin and banjo and sang. Jerry Sams sang and played guitar. Gordon Hoyle played guitar and I played the fiddle. A wonderful time was had by all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 29th, Ron and Sherry Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and yours truly met up with Jerry Sams in Bluff City at the Emergency Squad building for the weekly Tuesday night Bluegrass jam session. We picked out the center room at the middle level and were joined by other musicians for a wonderful evening of Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel. Ron played banjo and sang; Jerry played guitar and sang; Gordon played guitar; I played fiddle; Gail Evans played upright bass and sang; Jeff Webb played lead guitar; Roger Messer played guitar; and a lady who is Norma Campbell's neighbor played mandolin (sorry I can't remember her name). There were many other musicians present in the other rooms.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 28th, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle, Jerry Sams and yours truly went to Hardee's in Gray Station to jam some Bluegrass with a couple of friends. It turned out that they couldn't make it after all, so we went from there up to the Tourist Information Center off from I-26 in Kingsport and visited with a few musicians there before heading to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City where we performed for a small audience for several hours. Ron played banjo and mandolin, Jerry and Gordon played guitars and I played fiddle and a little bit of banjo as the evening was winding down. We had a great time, as usual. They're a great bunch of guys to hang out with.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 26th, I drove up to Rheatown and sat in on an incredible jam session and ran into a lot of my old friends. I saw Charlie Booher and Terry Wade (both upright bass players who didn't perform while I was there) and those I actually played with were: Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Claude Smith, guitar; Phil Hensley, mandolin and vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo and vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and vocals; Eric Bowman, guitar, banjo and vocals; Bill Rasnick, banjo, guitar and vocals; Johnny Skelton, upright bass; Ty Fillers, fiddle and mandolin ( it was Ty's 13th birthday); and Mike Durham, guitar and vocals. I played fiddle and had a blast.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25th: We were booked at the Johnson City Moose Lodge until at the last minute we had a cancellation from one of the band members. So, I went up to the Anderson House in Blountville to a Bluegrass Jam Session held each Friday night and I had a super time playing my fiddle with old and new friends alike.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

March 22: I learned a new fiddle tune today. "Louisville Breakdown" is it's name and it's a fun tune to play. I first learned it in A but decided to learn it in G since that's where it seems all the fiddlers on You Tube are playing it.

The night of the 22nd I attended the weekly jam session in Bluff City along with Ron and Sherry and Gordon. I'll be posting pictures of some of the many musicians I played with and those I got to see and visit with. I picked up a nice old 1979 Epiphone/Gibson banjo from a good friend and now I'll be playing it from time to time to get polished up for those opportunities to pick when they come. I usually just play the fiddle so I've gotten quite rusty on the 5-stringer.

Here's a list of some of the musicians I saw (that I know their names) at Bluff City: Charlie Booher, Roger Messer, Julie Gable, Julie Blue, Gail Evans, Daniel Houseright, Ashley Davis, Phil Hensley, Ryan Henard, Mike Mnich, Charlie Powers, Kevin Love, Bobby Love, Randy Blevins, Steve Price, Mathew Cruby, Tommy Austin, Vickie Austin, Tim Laughlin, Colton Powers, Dave Henard, Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle, Dave Wilhoit, Tom and Beverly and a whole lot of people I either haven't learned their names or simply have forgotten their names.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21st: Attended a jam session last night at the home of Jerry Sams. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Galen Jeter played standup bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Chuck Poore played Dobro and guitar and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. We had a super time playing Bluegrass!

Fun-Filled February

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of February, 2016. (We're back in Arkansas enjoying the many friends we've met along the way.)

I've worked on my "E. Monheimer" violin lately installing a beautiful rosewood accessory set of end pin, tailpiece, chin rest and pegs. My good friend Lonnie Collins has the violin now while he is re-bushing the peg holes to allow the new peg installation. (The old mechanical "Champion" tuners required over-sized holes). I expect he'll be finished the 23rd of this month and I sure am looking forward to getting it back and playing it. Lonnie is an excellent craftsman and is very familiar with how to repair violins. He also does a wonderful job re-hairing violin bows.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 9th, we visited the "Whistle Stop" restaurant in Searcy to listen to "Arkansas Edition" play Bluegrass. It's always a lot of fun to visit with band members and their significant others. They play each Tuesday evening alternating each week between "The Country Kitchen" in Kensett and "The Whistle Stop" in Searcy.

--------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 2nd, we had a tasty meal at "The Country Kitchen" in Kensett, Arkansas where we enjoyed our friends - members of the band "Arkansas Edition" - playing Bluegrass music from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Randall Wyatt was unable to perform and Sam Cobb took over for him.
Mary and I very much enjoy their music.

A Journey Through January, 2016

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of January, 2016. Happy New Year!

We left our motel early in the morning and after nearly 300 more miles, the afternoon of the 26th, we arrived in Searcy, Arkansas.
-----------------------------------------------------------

After a week of unending snowstorms and a nearly impossible, steep driveway to continually shovel, Mary and I decided to look for our next best day to travel, and when it came, we loaded the car and moved back to Arkansas. We've both had our share of "winter" (me having endured 60 years of Adirondack Mountain winters). We left the afternoon of the 25th, and drove well into the night, passing Nashville - lit up in her splendor - and settling for the night in Dickson, TN. (around 330 miles from home in TN)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Midday of the 5th, Mary and I had a wonderful lunch with Norma Campbell in Elizabethton and then Mary fixed her computer.

Later, in the evening, Mary attended a jam session with me in Gray, TN. She had never been to this jam and I wanted her to meet my friends there. Ron Duncan, who usually attends this jam was unable to go due to a bad head cold. Musicians in attendance were: Jerry McCarty, electric bass; Jerry Coleman, guitar, electric bass and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals (Ron was our host); Jim Stidham, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Richard Widow, Dobro, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Mary had a wonderful time meeting everyone and visiting with Richard's better-half, Betsy.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 4th saw our first snow on the ground. A light dusting covered all the fallen leaves and frosted the trees and made the area stunningly beautiful.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, we went over to Elizabethton and had 4 new tires put on the car and from there we met Norma Campbell, Terry Tester and Gail Evans for breakfast and then the whole bunch of us went to Walmart's. These people are so much fun to hang out with! Later on, around 7:00 p.m. they called and wanted to play some Bluegrass music at Gail's home in Hampton, but we were way too tired from a busy day's activities to be a part of it. I sure hate to turn down playing Bluegrass....but I was exhausted.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the first, Mary and I went to the "Pickle's Restaurant" in Jonesboro, to watch the band "The Old Timers" perform. In addition to their regular members, they also had some guest performers. Here's a list of the musicians: Bill Slimons, guitar and vocals; Terry Nelson, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Charley Black, upright bass; Paul Masters, fiddle, banjo and vocals; Jimmy Clayton, banjo and vocals; and Terry Tester, banjo, guitar and vocals. Guests were: Dennis Crawford, Dobro and vocals; Red Hazelwood, guitar and vocals; Homer Ball, guitar and vocals; and yours truly for a couple of upright bass numbers. I had a blast picking with my dear friends. They always ask me to play when I see them.

December's "Doin's"

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of December, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

New Year's Eve, the 31st of December, Mary and I will be going over to the Moose Lodge and meeting up with our dear friends Ron and Sherry and Jerry and Kathy. There we all plan to have a blast until the wee hours. For photos, see the "Blog" page. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
------------------------------------------

The 19th, Mary and I went over to Elizabethton and met up with Norma Campbell and Terry Tester and had a wonderful lunch at Primo's. Terry talked of his being accepted as having Cherokee Indian blood within him by many of his Indian friends around the area. He's looking forward to this coming summer when he will be inducted into the local tribe by Cherokee elders. Terry has a lot of musical talent in addition to being a great Buck Dancer, so learning an Indian dance should come easy for him.

After we left Norma and Terry, we did some shopping and then met up with Doug and Virginia Shelton at their home in Erwin where we all enjoyed Pizza and cookies and gabbed for a couple of hours before heading home. We think the world of Doug and Virginia. They're "mountain folks" who have welcomed us into their home and their lives showing us that good old "Southern Hospitality".
-------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 16th, Mary and I will meet Ron, Sherry, Gordon, Jerry, and Galen, Katie and Cory at the Johnson City Moose Lodge where we'll be playing Bluegrass. Yes! More on this later......Well, what a great time we all had there at the Moose Lodge. Ron Duncan picked banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Cory Jeter sang and played lead guitar (what a guitarist!); Katie played mandolin and sang; Galen played the upright acoustic bass and sang; Gordon Hoyle played rhythm guitar; and I played fiddle.

After the music was pretty much done, I was asked to perform a few banjo tunes. I haven't played banjo in a good long while, but I guess it's kinda like riding a bicycle....it does come back to you after a while.

Before we played music, we all gathered around a round table of adequate size and enjoyed real tasty burgers and fries. What a blast we all had.
---------------------------------------

The evening of the 15th, Mary and I met up with Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle and Ron and Sherry Duncan in Unicoi at "Los Jalapenos" Mexican restaurant where we enjoyed a wonderful meal and an hour or so of great conversation. It had been over a year since "the gang" had seen Mary as she's been in Arkansas for that time.

The evening was originally planned to be taken up with a Bluegrass jam session at the home of Ron Lane in the Gray area above Johnson City, but plans have changed and we're not all getting together until after the holidays which are coming up soon.
------------------------------------------------

Happy Birthday Seth Hudson, Mary's son, today the 9th of December. We're very proud of you, Seth.
Mary and I went to the Senior Center today and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner provided, prepared and served by the Kiwanis Club of Unicoi County. Later, I played my fiddle for a while and then made some calls to friends I hadn't spoken with in a while. We wish Roger Messer a speedy recovery from his heart attack and stent surgeries. We also wish our friend Jerry Coleman the best with his upcoming kidney cancer surgery. I also called Ron Duncan in Florida to see when he and Sherry will be returning to Erwin and play some music with us all. They're coming soon.
------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 8th, Mary and I visited many of our friends at the Clinchfield Senior Center in Erwin. Later, we went and visited Gordon Hoyle at his home and later on called Jerry Sams to talk with him for a while. Later I played the fiddle for an hour or so. We also visited our friends Roy and Bonnie Barnett who were in a terrible accident some time back and are slowly recovering.
------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 7th, Mary and I went over to Elizabethton to visit with Norma Campbell and then went shopping for groceries, etc., before heading home to continue unloading the car and arranging all our "junk" in the house.
------------------------------------------------

The 6th, early in the morning at about a quarter to five, we left Searcy, Arkansas and spent the entire day driving east to our place in Tennessee. 12 hours later, we arrived in Limestone Cove having traveled 609.2 miles.

We stopped and visited with Henry and Reba Barnett in Erwin before reaching home. Then we unpacked most of the car and went to bed early.
------------------------------------------------

December 1st, I spent the afternoon at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia playing pool with many of my friends. This will be our last week to live in Arkansas so I'm making the best of it by having a last go at the billiard tables. I certainly will miss Pops and all the guys at the pool hall. We'll return a couple of times per year, though.

November Notes

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of November, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The morning of the 23rd, I practiced playing fiddle tunes for about a half-hour. I started with "The Old Mountaineer" and followed with "Cheyenne", "East Tennessee Blues", "Denver Belle", "Cincinnati Rag", "Smoky Mountain Rag", "Fisher's Hornpipe", "Dill Pickle Rag", and a whole bunch of Bluegrass-y double-stops in all the major keys. Just enough to limber my fingers up a little since I have not been playing much lately.

It'll be nice to return to so many of my Bluegrass friends back East where there's so much jammin' goin' on! Wow, how I miss playing steady! After a short while, my wrist tightened up from a lack of playing enough. Out of shape!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Today's the 20th, and not a whole lot to discuss about Bluegrass music or playing my fiddles. I've primarily been shooting billiards with friends over in Judsonia at "Pop's Hideaway". Every day but Sunday, I spend several hours there enjoying my many friendships with fellow pool-playing enthusiasts from all over the region. Many are professionals and actually take the time to work with me while I "perfect my game".

I enjoy pool very much, but I sure do miss the Bluegrass from back in Eastern Tennessee. When we return later this winter, I will be very happy to play with my many musician friends again and to shoot pool with my many friends there in Erwin at the Senior Center.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Today is Saturday, the 7th, and it seems quite cool so I doubt I will venture up to Mountain View to play Bluegrass outside in the gazebo area of the park. I doubt many will show, if any. After all, autumn is here and winter coming close. Folk music is now relegated to friends' homes where it's warm and the cold wind can't reach. I'm very thankful that I had an opportunity to play music this summer in Arkansas. Many thanks to my friend, Lonnie Collins, for telling me where and when.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 3rd, Mary and I met Ashley at The Whistle Stop in Searcy, where we listened to the Bluegrass band "Arkansas Tradition" while we enjoyed a fine meal. The band members and their spouses are wonderful folks and we enjoy their friendly company whenever we get the chance.

October's Odyssey

The "Arkansas" Banjo

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of October, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Again, on the evening of the 20th, Mary, Ashley and yours truly went to watch "Arkansas Edition" perform at The Whistle Stop Restaurant on Beebe Capps Road in Searcy. This time they also featured Simuel Cobb on mandolin. We enjoyed the music and friendship very much and had a wonderful meal before heading home.
-------------------------------

The evening of the 17th, Mary and Ashley and yours truly went to Friendly Acres Park in Judsonia to listen to our favorite Bluegrass group in Arkansas, "The Arkansas Edition".

The evening was quite cool in temperature but the music was red-hot.
-------------------------------

The 15th, I received a call from back home in Erwin, Tennessee and I learned that CSX railroad lines were in the process of terminating, furloughing or re-locating over 300 employees and basically shutting down rail operations in Erwin. Many workers will lose their jobs while others will have to relocate. This will have a severe economic impact on the local economy as a dollar earned and spent in Erwin will generate somewhere between $7.00 - 9.00 before it leaves town. This unfortunate circumstance will undoubtedly raise taxes as the municipal bills must be paid somehow.

Mary and I feel awful about this as we have so many railroad friends who will be impacted. We wish them good fortune in the future.

Here in Arkansas, I've been busy improving my pool playing abilities by practicing drills assigned to me by my new-found friend "Joe" who used to be an APPA "10" in his younger days. His help has shown immediate results in some of the tougher shot areas. I shoot pool each weekday for several hours.
-----------------------------------

Today, the 10th at 10:15 a.m., I arrived at our home in Arkansas. It's nice to be home. I'm looking forward to playing pool with my friends at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia and pickin' some Bluegrass up in Mountain View.
-----------------------------------

The afternoon of the 8th, as I was packing and getting ready for my trip to Arkansas tomorrow, I heard Patti Kusturok play the cutest little tune called "Prairie Mountain Rag" in the key of D. I took a few minutes and grabbed the fiddle and learned the tune and now have another one to have fun with and play out when I think of it.

Patti is doing a fiddle tune a day for a year and she's an excellent fiddler from Canada.
-----------------------------------

Today, the 6th, is Mary's birthday. Happy Birthday Mary!

This afternoon and evening, I went up to the home and studio of Ron Lane in Gray Station, TN to jam some Bluegrass music with several of my friends up that way. Ron Duncan, who I usually accompany for this session, was feeling under the weather with a nasty cold and breathing problems, so I attended this jam without him. He was missed by all of us and we all wish him a speedy recovery.

Musicians present for the jam were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, upright bass and vocals; Burl Manis, guitar; Richard Widdow, resonator guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Missing were: (Ron Duncan), Terry Taylor, Jerry McCarty and Jim Stidman. Jim will be out of commission for a while due to a recent surgery.
------------------------------------

Today, the 2nd, I learned to play "Fisher's Hornpipe" in the key of F. I already knew how to play it in the key of D, but it was originally written in F and has more interesting "licks" in that key.

I had been invited to a jam session in Erwin on the outskirts of the "Apple Festival" that's going on today and tomorrow, but declined to attend due to the wet and rainy weather.
-------------------------------------

The 1st of October I replaced the pool cue tip on my Meucci Ultra Pro cue. I put a Kamui Black Super Soft tip on to replace the Kamui Soft tip I had on for the past three months. Playing 4 or more hours per day 6 and 7 days a week wears even the best of tips down to where they need replacing. I've shot with Kamui tips for the past several years now and prefer them over all others out there. I had my buddy, Henry Barnette shape the tip putting the final touches on with his lathe. I previously had the shaft turned down from 11.65 mm to 10.279 and today I had him turn it down to 10.10 mm.

I enjoy shooting billiards not only for the fun of hanging out with my buddies both here in Tennessee and also in Arkansas, but also for the never-ceasing growth in talent and ability that follows after so many hours of competition and dedication to practice.

September's Socializing

Bill & Sally at Ozark Folk Center

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of September, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The day of the 29th, I spent most of the morning down at the senior center in Erwin. I left early as I began feeling poorly due to an oncoming sinus cold of sorts. I called and cancelled my attendance at a Bluegrass jam session held each Tuesday in Gray. I just felt too tired and rundown to go. (In order for me to miss the opportunity to jam Bluegrass, I have to be feeling real poorly.)
----------------------------------------------

The evening of the 28th, I rode up to Exit 17 of I-26 (Boone Creek area) with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. We attended the Bluegrass jam session at Hardee's. It was the 2nd time for me to take part in the jam. Ron and Gordon have been there several times. Those musicians present were: Matt Mullins,guitar and vocals; Clancy Mullins, banjo and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ernie Shaffer, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on the fiddle.

I probably won't attend this session again due to the poor sound attenuation caused by the huge room with such high ceilings. The music just gets lost in all the reverberations echoing around the room. The musicians are competent, it's just the room. I also felt as though I was coming down with a cold.
--------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 26th, I played fiddle and some upright bass at a "House-warming" Bluegrass party held at the Jeter home in Erwin, TN. In addition to the many friends in attendance, there were very many musicians who were invited and the music flowed long after I left, I'm sure. The food was excellently prepared by Katie and Galen. What a wonderful family to know and to play music with. They're truly wonderful people.
-------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and early evening of the 25th, I played fiddle with the "Jerry Sams' Band" at the Center on Aging and Health in Erwin. It was a delight performing for the old folks who enjoyed our live music so much.
-------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 24th, I rode up with Ron and Sherry Duncan to North East State Community College to watch the "Jeff Little Trio" perform. I had seen them perform in Jonesborough a while back and it sure was a pleasure to watch them again.

-------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 21st, I spent down at the Senior center in Erwin seeing many of my good friends there and shooting pool with them. It's so great to see them all again. They're a fine bunch of fellows.

Later in the evening, I rode up to Boone's Creek with Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to play fiddle at a Bluegrass jam session held each Monday night at Hardee's. There I met a few more musicians and had a wonderful time playing the fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------

Early on the morning of the 20th, at 4:45 a.m. I left for Tennessee with the car overflowing with stuff to deliver from Arkansas. I'll be in TN a while to play a few Bluegrass gigs and conduct some other business before returning to Arkansas for the remainder of the winter.

11 1/2 hours later, I arrived in Unicoi ready to unpack the car, get some rest and head out to see some of my many friends here in eastern Tennessee. 630 miles. Phew!
--------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 18th, I was treated to an early birthday party; a combined party for my birthday and for my wife, Mary's. I will be in Tennessee, not Arkansas, for my actual B-day, so an early one was celebrated. Oakey and Ashley and Mary and I went to the Asian Bistro in Searcy for a wonderful Chinese dinner. Mary will be in Arkansas for her birthday, but unfortunately I will miss it. But, Ashley and Oakey (the newlyweds) will take good care of her, I'm sure.

The following evening, the 19th, the four of us celebrated again; this time with Mexican cuisine at Casa Brava, also in Searcy.
--------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 13th, I visited Lonnie Collins at his home in Letona, Arkansas. One by one, he showed me many of his fiddles he's accumulated over the many years since he began his interest in playing.

There were Roths and Hopfs and Juzeks and countless others made in Italy, France, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Some were made locally and regionally. Nearly each fiddle had its own interesting story on how Lonnie ended up with it. A few were very, very old; like the Villaume I played which had a beautiful tone. Lonnie is very knowledgeable about violins and bows and I really enjoyed my visit. Page 11 has a few pictures.
---------------------------------------------------

The day of the 12th, I spent all day and into the night at Mountain View jamming Bluegrass with a bunch of recently met friends. I met up with Lonnie Collins, fiddler (and musician extraordinaire) for "Arkansas Edition" who was also there to jam with his many long-time friends. ( I jammed with Lonnie a couple weeks back right here same place). I also played a second time with Ken Burnette, a wonderful Bluegrass vocalist/guitar picker from south of Little Rock. I also met and picked with a couple more banjoists; one named Richard Roberts, from Texas; and another who also played mandolin and resonator guitar and sang, by the name of Joshua Kimball. We jammed for several hours on the porch of the music store. We drew a nicely-sized audience who applauded every tune we played and sang. I even played The Black Mountain Rag with my 2nd fiddle tuned in a special cross tuning.
Lonnie chose to play guitar and let me fiddle. The guitar he plays is either a 1936 or a 1937 Gibson archtop and it sounds GREAT!

Be sure and check out the pictures on Page 11.
--------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 8th, we went up the street to the Whistle Stop and had a pleasant dinner and listened to the Bluegrass band "Arkansas Edition". Like Mary and me, Bill and Sally were quite impressed with their musical abilities.
--------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 5th, was a beautiful day in which we all were very busy attending and participating in Ashley and Oakey's wedding. When Mary has finished arranging the photographs she took, she will provide some photos which Ashley will undoubtedly publish on her FaceBook page.
--------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 4th, we played pool again at Pop's Place and did a number of last-minute errands in preparation for Ashley's wedding the following day.
--------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 3rd, we took a drive up to Mountain View to the music store and to the Ozark Folk Center so that Bill and Sally could see the sights. I played a number of fiddles hanging on the wall of the music store while others browsed and listened.

When we left Mountain View, we traveled to Batesville and then to Bald Knob before returning to Searcy.
--------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, Mary, Bill, Sally and yours truly spent the afternoon hours shooting pool and snooker at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia. We all enjoy playing pool very much.
--------------------------------------------------

On the 1st, in the afternoon, Bill and Sally Fernald came up from Florida to visit Mary and me and to attend Ashley's wedding on Saturday, September 5th.

They stayed from the 1st 'til the wee hours of the 9th when they left to return to Florida. It was absolutely wonderful to see them again and to hang out and go places and do things.
--------------------------------------------------

Adventures in August

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of August, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The evening of the 27th I wrote down and somewhat organized the list of tunings I've experimented with. Here they are:
CROSS TUNINGS FOR VIOLIN (4th string thru 1st)

F D Bb D (Bb 2nd Inversion)

G D Bb D (G minor)

G D B D (G)

G D G D (G) (Sawmill Tuning)

G E B E (E minor 1st Inversion)

A E A E (A) (Cross Tuning)

A E A C# (A) (A 2nd Inversion with low A) (Black Mountain Rag)

F# D A D (D 1st Inversion)

A D A D (D 2nd Inversion)

A D F# D (D root position with low A)

A F A C ( F) ( root position with low 3rd)

G# E B E (E) ( 1st inversion)

F# C# A F# (F# minor root position)

F# E A C# (F# minor 7th/ 2nd inversion A 6th)

--------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 25th, Mary and Ashley and I had a nice meal at the Whistle Stop BBQ in Searcy while we listened to our favorite Arkansas band "Arkansas Edition". Tonight, they had a mandolin player with them that is very talented; a young man named Simuel Cobb. He's a great addition to the otherwise very capable Bluegrass band. It's nice to hear mandolin breaks along with fine fiddling, lead guitar and banjo breaks. Mary had a wonderful time talking with Randy and Lonnie's wives in between tunes.

When we were leaving the restaurant, I spoke briefly with Simuel and he told me his brother was one of the judges in the fiddle contest. (I thought to myself 'if his brother plays as well as he does, they must sound awful good together'....only to find later that they are called "The Cobb Brothers" and they perform at the Ozark Folk Center frequently)!
--------------------------------------------------

The 22nd, I drove back up to Mountain View and entered the Arkansas State Fiddle Championship in the "Contemporary Senior Division". The Folk Center is predominantly "Old Time" so when I chose an all "Bluegrass" slate to perform, I never would have imagined receiving a high score enough to win Third Place. Instead of playing Old-Tyme-y tunes, I played "The Boston Boy", "Lonesome Moonlight Waltz" and of all things crazy.....I played "Flannery's Dream"! I really didn't think I'd have a chance at all with that line up. When I first got there and was assigned my practice room, I started playing tunes like: Happy Acres Two-Step; Angus Campbell; Dreamer's Waltz; Roxanna's Waltz; St. Anne's Reel; Whiskey Before Breakfast; and a whole bunch of other tunes.......but then I got thinking...."Who cares????? I want to play Bluegrass and that's what I'm gonna give the audience...so I did. Later I was told that I was marked down for my selection and had I played Old Time I would have scored much better. I don't care. I love what I did and so did the audience according to their applause.
--------------------------------------------------

The 21st, I attended the Arkansas State Fiddle Championship "Traditional Old Time Competition" in Mountain View at the Ozark Folk Center. I watched two divisions out of four perform. I didn't see the "Open" or the "Youth" divisions but did get to see the "Junior" and "Senior" divisions compete. There were 7 contestants in each division.

After the "Senior" competition, I went downtown to the public square and jammed for several hours (from 3:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.) before leaving for home. When I left, there must have still been fifty musicians or so gathered in 5 or 6 groups with a couple of hundred listeners in attendance.

I was very fortunate to have met a number of really good Bluegrass musicians and to have been welcomed into their groups. Much "Thanks" goes to Lonnie Collins, an excellent fiddler friend of mine, for introducing me to so many experienced players.
--------------------------------------------------

The 18th, 19th and 20th, I played pool each afternoon at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia. Today, the 20th, quite a few of my pool-playing buddies showed up. Vern and I were partners against Jesse and Lynn for several "One-Pocket" games and a few 8-Ball Scots Doubles. Gunner, Paul, Mike, Greg, Marvin, Jim, John and others were also present. I really enjoy "One-Pocket". It's a super game for learning defense.

I got a phone call from my dear friend Henry Barnette of Erwin, Tennessee this evening. It was great to hear from him. He called to see how I was doing and to tell me all the guys back at the Senior Center are missing me. I miss them all, too. They're a super bunch of fellas, that's for sure. I've had countless hours of fun with all of them.

So, here's a shout out to Henry, "Red", "Hook", Roger, Charlie 1 and Charlie 2, Jim, Frank, Otis, Roy Barnette, Roy Hovatter, Iss and the rest of the gang. I miss you all and I'll see you by the end of September.
--------------------------------------------------

The 17th Mary and I stopped in to see Revel Moore (Pop) at his billiard hall called "Pop's Place" in Judsonia, AR.
It was great to see him again. He's a great fellow and we love going there to see him and to play pool.
While there, we also got to see some other of our friends, too. We saw Lynn, Vern, Jesse, Paul, Josh, Doc, Mike, Greg, Gunner, Kent, and a few others.
--------------------------------------------------

I left Jackson on the morning of the 16th, at 7:00 a.m. and at 8:30 I was half way across the Mississippi River crossing the Arkansas state line. I knew that within a little over two hours I would be in Searcy. I reached my destination at 11:00 a.m.

Two things I noticed right away: it's much hotter in the summer here in Arkansas than it is in the mountains of eastern Tennessee; and gasoline costs about 15 cents more per gallon here.
---------------------------------------------------

The early morning of the 15th, with the car all neatly packed, I headed out for Arkansas. I planned on an overnight, just didn't know how far I'd get the first day. As it turned out, I got as far as Jackson, Tennessee, a little over 400 miles from Limestone Cove. Traveling I-40 on a Saturday is great as there is less traffic than on weekdays. The only problem I encountered was a heck of a thunder storm with hard rain and high wind minutes after I drove through Nashville. In fact, it was so bad I had to pull off the road and wait about 20 minutes.

I went through the Casey Jones Railroad Museum before selecting a motel and spending the night.
---------------------------------------------------

On the 14th, I played pool for a couple of hours at the Senior Center before saying my "Goodbyes" to my many friends there, before I head back to Arkansas on the 15th. I sure will miss all of them very much.

Henry Barnette brought a double chocolate /white frosting cake as a treat for us all while we enjoyed one another's company before saying our goodbyes. Iss Barnette and his wife Madeline were there (I hadn't seen either of them in several months). Here's a list of some of the friends I can remember who showed up this morning: (Henry, of course...he's my best bud and morning pool partner), Red Hovatter, "Hook" Light, Roger Young, Charlie McConnell, Charlie Edwards, Otis Ray, Jim Dickerson, and a couple of others. It was tough saying goodbye.

It will be nice to see my friends in Arkansas, again.

---------------------------------------------------

On the 13th, I performed a solo violin medley at the funeral of my dear friend Jerry Sams' mother, Mrs. Eva Sams, who passed away on the 11th of August. Mrs. Sams loved the music her son Jerry made throughout his various bands he was a member of over the years and on one occasion I had the chance to meet her at her home and play for her with Jerry's band consisting of Jerry on guitar, Ron Duncan on banjo, and yours truly on fiddle. (Terry Tester was our bassist at the time and was unable to make an appearance that day). She was a delightful woman.

We performed for her on her back porch and she was absolutely thrilled. She had a wonderful visit with Mary (my wife) and Sherry, Ron's wife, while us boys picked and sang several tunes.

Later on, she made it known to her son, Jerry, that she wanted me to play the violin at her funeral. She loved the violin! I was so saddened to learn of her passing and when Jerry asked me to perform at his Mom's funeral, I was very honored to be a part of the celebration of her wonderful Christian life.

Jerry and his wife, Kathy, have been great friends to Mary and I ever since we first arrived back in 2011 to the beautiful state of Tennessee.
Our sincere condolences go out to Jerry and his family.
---------------------------------------------------

The 3rd, in the late afternoon and evening hours, I attended a jam session in Kingsport with Ron Duncan and Jerry Sams. The jam was held at the Exit 6 Welcome Center and takes place every Monday night from 7:00 'til 9:00 or later.

There were enough musicians to break into two groups and the group I chose played in the concessions building. Those playing in that group were: Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. The other group consisted of the band members of the group named "Boots on the Ground".

After we finished, we stopped at Hardee's in Boone Creek to try and get in on the Monday night jam session held there each week, but we were just a few minutes too late as most of the musicians had departed.
--------------------------------------------------

The 1st of August I enjoyed performances by "Barney Fife" of Mayberry and "The New Hawkins County Bluegrass" at the Covered Bridge weekly festival in downtown Elizabethton. I attended this event with my good friends Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. "Hawkins County", featuring John Goad, is a wonderfully talented group of Bluegrass musicians. And the "Barney Fife" character actor is just about a perfect re-enactment of the original Barney Fife that appeared so many years ago on the Andy Griffith Show.

Jams in July

Kyle Murphy, Fiddler extraordinaire

Here's an accounting of our activities throughout the month of July, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Friday evening, the 24th, I attended the concert "Music on the Square" in Jonesborough with my buddies Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. The featured performer was Jeff Little, pianist extraordinaire and his band, collectively named "The Jeff Little Trio".

What an outstanding performance by three super talented musicians. Phenomenal pickin! See some pictures here.
-----------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 21st, Ron Duncan and I went to Blountville to the home of Jim Stidman, Bluegrass instrument builder and musician. Jim, a guitarist, is a fellow member of the band "Rough Edges". Other members present were: Jerry Coleman, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and upright bass, (some vocals).

After playing Bluegrass for several hours, Jim showed Ron and me his shop areas where he builds his fine instruments. It's all very impressive.

---------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon, evening and night (July 17th) was a superb time spent at the Spruce Pine, NC., BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival. I attended this event with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and Jerry Sams. We got to see and hear "Blue Highway" a couple of times and also got to enjoy the "Snyder Family". Young Zeb Snyder is probably the best, most talented guitar picker I've yet to hear and his younger sister, Samantha, is a wonderful fiddler and vocalist. Little 9-year old Owen is coming right along, too. Visit the family band site here.

I was also very impressed with "Blue Highway". The songwriting (and musical talents) of Tim Stafford, Wayne Taylor and Shawn Lane and the instrumental abilities of Rob Ickes, Resonator guitar (15 times instrumentalist of the year IBMA awards) and Jason Burleson, banjo were simply breath-taking.
--------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, the 14th, Ron Duncan and I attended a Bluegrass-Only jam session in the outskirts of Gray Station, TN. Musicians present were: Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Jerry Coleman, guitar, vocals and upright bass; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.
---------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 9th, I attended the Bluegrass on Broad Street concert in Kingsport along with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Jerry Sams and Gordon Hoyle. The band "Flatt Lonesome" played. They're a very tight-sounding group with amazingly blended harmonies. Although their set list only included a couple of the old traditional-style Bluegrass numbers, I was overall favorably impressed; especially with the instrumentation.

I received a call from Troy Bennett of the "Midnight Grass" Bluegrass band asking me if I would play upright bass for them on July 23rd at The Red Barn, and again, same place, on October 1st. I'm clear for October 1st and tentatively clear for the 23rd of July. Troy's band is a lot of fun to perform with. They love the old traditional Bluegrass sound and that's what attracts an old fiddler like me!
---------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, July 7th, Ron Duncan and I attended the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session in Gray Station out in the country at Ron Lane's home. The private, by-invitation-only get together was attended by guests Ron Lane, banjo and vocals; Jerry Coleman, guitar and vocals; Jerry McCarty, upright bass and vocals; Jim Stidman, guitar; Terry Taylor, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle (some banjo) and (some vocals).

After a wonderfully productive practice, the session came to an end and Ron and I went to Bluff City to the weekly jam session there at the Emergency Squad building.

The session was very well attended and there must of been at least thirty Bluegrass musicians, all highly talented, playing; some for a large audience and some back in one of the jam rooms. Here's a small list of some of the musicians: Tom and Beverly Horton, Tim Laughlin, Dan Craty, Hal Boyd, Eric McMurray, Aaron Smith, Charlie Powers, John Gott, Jeff Webb, Ray Dearstone, Tyler Wiseman, Frank Wing, and many, many others.
---------------------------------------------------

July 4th, in the evening, I went with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Jerry Sams and Gordon Hoyle to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City where "Lonesome Road South" played in the "Back Room" for a couple of hours or so before going outside to enjoy the huge display of fireworks. The "Main Room" had a single performer, Mark Larkins www.marklarkins.com but, unfortunately, there were few patrons to enjoy his talent as people just simply did not attend the Moose tonight.

Journeys Throughout June

My friend, Larry Odham, Guitarist

Here's an accounting of our activities for the month of June, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The evening of the 30th, Ron Duncan and I attended the weekly jam session at the home of Ron Lane in Gray Station. Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Ron Duncan played mandolin and banjo and sang; Jerry Coleman sang and played guitar; Jerry McCarty played bass and sang; Jim Stidham played guitar; Terry Taylor played mandolin and sang; Richard Widow played Dobro; and I played fiddle. We always have such a wonderful time with these guys as they are accomplished musicians who love traditional Bluegrass.
-----------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 29th, I attended a Bluegrass jam session at the home of Ron and Sherry Duncan in Erwin. Ron played mandolin and guitar and provided vocals; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; Cory Jeter played guitar and sang; and I played banjo and sang. We had a wonderful time.
-----------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 25th, I attended the "Bluegrass on Broad Street" program in Kingsport with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Jerry Sams and Gordon Hoyle. "Jeff Brown and Still Lonesome" were performing and the band is super tight. Nick Goad played mandolin and performed vocals; Kyle Murphy played the fiddle; Eli Gilbert played banjo and sang vocals; Austin brown played upright bass and sang vocals; and Austin's father, Jeff, led the band and played guitar and sang lead vocals.

I talked with Kyle briefly after the performance. He is at the top of his "game" on the fiddle. I have never heard "Katy Hill" played as fast as he played it. He's a superb technician and plays 16th and 32nd notes as cleanly and quickly as anyone in the business and does not have to take a second seat to anyone in Eastern Tennessee, guaranteed!

I was very impressed with this group of fine, fine musicians.
-----------------------------------------------------------

On the 23rd, during the evening hours, I attended a super Bluegrass jam session with my buddy, Ron Duncan, at a private home in the Gray Station area. The musicians involved with this jam are all accomplished and it's a real treat to be included. Another plus is that they all want to play only traditional Bluegrass. I look forward to continuing to meet and pick Bluegrass.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 20th, I was a guest member of the Johnson City Moose Lodge where I performed around seven fiddle numbers with "CanJo John and the Nomadz" who played there from 8:00 p.m - 12:00 a.m. I was over there having fun with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Jerry and Kathy Sams and Gordon Hoyle. It was fun to be recognized as a fiddler and asked to entertain on stage with a band I had never performed with before.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 18th, I spent being recorded by Don Hart of Gray Station while I jammed with Larry Odham, also of the same town. Larry is a very accomplished Chet Atkins-style guitarist and a real pleasure to visit and play music with.

In the evening hours, I rode up to Kingsport with Ron and Sherry Duncan, Jerry Sams and Gordon Hoyle to watch the "John Goad & Hawkins County Grass" perform at the Bluegrass on Broad. It was a fine show and was very well attended.
------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and evening of the 16th, Ron Duncan and I rode up to Gray Station to a wonderful Bluegrass jam session with some new friends we recently made.

Ron Lane played banjo and sang; Richard Widows played resonator guitar and sang; Terry Taylor played mandolin, guitar and sang; Jim Stidham played guitar and sang; Jerry Coleman played upright bass and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar, mandolin and sang; and I played fiddle.

Each one of these musicians prefers Bluegrass and will not interrupt a jam session with any other type of music. They are traditionalists and Ron and I had a blast picking with them.
-------------------------------------------------------------

June 15th: Tonight, I traveled over to Mike Laws' home, had a real tasty meatloaf and taters dinner and then rode with him up to Piney Flats where we met the rest of the band members for practice. This time it was held at the home of Sandra Horn, our band manager. Sandra and her father, Henry, pulled out all of the stops to make it a wonderful practice. 4 different kinds of sandwiches, many kinds of fruits, deviled eggs, a choice of several types of soft drinks, you name it, it was probably on the table somewhere.

We worked hard for a little over three hours and sometime after 9:30 p.m., we called it a night.
..............................
On another matter:

There have been numerous requests by those that have frequented the Monday Night “Bluegrass-Only” picking party, ( now infiltrated by “Old Country” and other genres of music) to have the core group of traditional Bluegrass musicians return and play their Bluegrass in another room while the “Old Country” musicians perform in a nearby space. “There’s room for everybody” seems to be the claim.

But, there’s an inherent problem with this “solution”. The Bluegrass traditionalists are committed to a purpose. They have a keen understanding of why the “Bluegrass Only” night was created; why it exists in the first place. There’s a singularity of reason, of cause; a point at which the value of playing only Bluegrass is impossible to measure or calculate.

The core group has strength of purpose and determination to persevere. The groups’ principles are being tested; their tenacity and allegiance. Their devotion to Bluegrass has been their enthusiasm all along. They’ve made their choice and they will endure the hardships of losing their “home” for the last two years.

We created the “Monday Night Bluegrass Only Picking Party” because it was something we held to be worthy; to have value; to be important in our lives and we are not about to have it diminished or infiltrated by another genre of music or its’ musicians.

We have the persistence and resolve to grasp our dreams and once again create a reality somewhere else away from those when faced with a decision between two possibilities, choose both.

------------------------------------------------------------

After having lived for nearly 6 and 1/2 decades, I'm amazed at how simple minded I am at times. I'll try to explain. For a couple of weeks now (maybe more) I've been using my mutes on my two violins that I have here in Tennessee with me. I don't know, they just sounded better when they were played muted. When I would remove the mutes, yipes!!!. A rough, raspy sound would occur. I thought about washing my bow hair in warm soapy water and letting it dry and re-rosin-ing it, but abandoned that idea as being too risky. I thought about changing my strings (around $48.00 per set at the local music store; $30.00 online) but thought I'd better check with my dearest friend and mentor way back upstate in northern New York, my buddy Donnie Perkins.

So, star date June 13, 2015, I called him. We had a wonderful chat about all manner of topics and finally I explained my "dilemma"; either change the strings or wash the bow, neither an acceptable alternative. He solved the problem within moments: clean the strings and wipe all the rosin from the top of the fiddle and fingerboard. The strings were covered in thick rosin and simply could not resonate. They were being choked and could not vibrate properly.

Many Thanks to my buddy, Donnie. Yet another time he's saved the day for his old buddy down in sunny Tennessee.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, "IIIrd Day Resurrection" performed for the Kiwanis sponsored Campfire Program at the Rock Creek Park in Erwin, TN. We all arrived early and set up the sound system and did a sound check and ran through a few numbers to warm up before performing to a large audience of campers and townsfolk who gathered at the outdoor amphitheater to hear us from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The thunderous applause at the end of each number was surely appreciated by band members who all work feverishly to perfect our "sound". A representative from Carter Fold was there and the opportunity has arisen that we may actually be able to perform there.
--------------------------------------------------

June 11th, I played with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at the Red Barn. We played from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. The band consists of Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

I also got to jam a little outside as I walked from the warm-up area in Burl Mast's basement to the stage in the Red Barn. There, in the field, I picked one tune (Cherokee Shuffle) with Edison Wallin, banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Tim Decker, guitar; Jacob Hensley, upright bass; Mike Mnich, mandolin; and yours truly, fiddle.

The "Jeter Family Band" played from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. The Jeters consists of Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Cory Jeter, guitar and vocals; and Troy Boone, banjo and vocals.

It was a fun night.
-----------------------------------------------------------

June 9th, I rode up to Bluff City with Ron and Sherry Duncan. The Tuesday night Bluegrass jam session was very well attended by superb musicians and I was able to sit in on several sessions as well as perform on stage with Daniel Houseright, lead guitar and vocals; Tammy Staunton, banjo and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; and Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals. I played the fiddle and had a blast. All the picking rooms were full and we stayed there until around 11:30 p.m. before heading home.
------------------------------------------------------------

June 8th: The core group of traditional Bluegrass musicians, having been driven out of our well established "home place" where we played only Bluegrass for the past two years, did not play any music together as a group the evening of the 8th. We must locate another place to play - this time keeping it hush-hush to avoid being infiltrated and upset by non-Bluegrassers invading our get-together. It sure felt strange not going to the Bogart/Bowman cabin for our weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. It's almost like the passing of an old, dear friend.
------------------------------------------------------------

On the 6th and 7th, I played pool at Carlisle's with Carlisle, Terry and Henry on the 6th and just Henry on the 7th. Henry and I have stretched the cloth playing surface on this table three different times, so we know how it plays and how the cushions react to spin and speed. We all enjoy one another's company and have some real knock-down-drag-out battles to see what team emerges the victor.

Later on each of those days, I practiced the fiddle for several hours while working on several tough tunes.
------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I went up to the Bluegrass party at Temple Hill. Once there, I was asked to play banjo and sing with Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Brian Harney, fiddle and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; and Eddy Ray, mandolin. Toward the end of our performance, Niles Onks came up for a few tunes on his mandolin and a song. After a couple of hours, the "Spivey Mountain Boys" came up on stage and relieved us.

The feed was fabulous as always. It was great to see so many wonderful friends again. Warren Shelton and Frank Culler were present but chose not to play music tonight.
------------------------------------------------------------

4th: Tonight, I'll go up to Kingsport with friends Ron and Sherry Duncan, Gordon Hoyle, Jerry Sams, Terry Tester and Norma Campbell, to watch Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, live at Bluegrass on Broad Street. More on this later..........

What a wonderful time in Kingsport! After watching the performance by "Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers", we listened to "Boots on the Ground" having a nice jam session in the parking garage nearby the show area. Here's the new page I've created to highlight my "Bluegrass on Broad" experiences. Click.

After all this great music, we decided to hit Applebee's Restaurant in Johnson City for a late night snack. What a nice place to gather.
------------------------------------------------------------

3rd: After practicing "Missouri Road" for another 20 minutes or so, I've decided I actually prefer playing it in the key of B Flat where Kenny Baker recorded it. Even though E Flat is really rich and deep sounding, it's too low a register when one considers the Martin guitars are also at a low register. It's probably better to have the fiddle a little "brighter" sounding. This way, the low B Flat note on the guitar(s) is an octave lower than the home note for the fiddle. This octave interval provides a nice balance of instrumentation.

I played for several hours in the afternoon and evening, running through a huge amount of tunes; some of which I hadn't played in quite a while.
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 2nd, I learned the Vassar Clements fiddle tune called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues". It's a catchy tune in D Minor. I also spent several hours practicing other fiddle tunes.
------------------------------------------------------------

June 1st marks the end of an era; a time in which many Bluegrass musicians and their close families and friends were uprooted from a distinctive period founded by a hard core group of music traditionalists. Chased out of our "home" for the last 2 years by a gathering of "Old Country" singers and guitar players abundantly equipped with amplifiers, microphones, music stands, microphone stands, and replete with songbooks on their own stands in which singers read the words they sing rather than remember them.

Our phase of "Bluegrass-Only" music had served the community very well for over two years with countless folks showing up to listen to the music of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Jim & Jesse, Sonny and Bobby Osborne, the Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Reno and Smiley and a host of other famous Bluegrass musicians and song writers.

To begin with, the core group wanted a nice quiet place to jam and secured permission from the Town of Unicoi to gather on the porches of the cabin to play music. Eventually, the "Monday Night Bluegrass Only" picking party evolved into food being prepared by others that were seeking a profit from those meals that were sold to musicians and listeners and then later, fliers distributed throughout the region advertising Bluegrass musicians playing at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin inviting people to come and listen to the "performers" and grab a bite to eat while you're there. None of these ideas were from the musicians who only wanted to jam; not necessarily perform to audiences, but simply play the music they love with the close friends they love. It seems that rather than have the town simply provide a safe, well-lighted place for locals to assemble and enjoy the music that Eastern Tennessee is so well known for, it turned into a venue where meals were sold and musicians were expected to entertain those "guests" that assembled due to the regional advertising of Bluegrass musicians playing "live".

Little by little, "Old Country" musicians began showing up to our "Bluegrass Only" Monday night picking parties. And, one by one, the country songs found their way into our forum. A small invasion here, a small invasion there, until there would be several country-playing musicians playing back-to-back songs interrupting the flow of our Bluegrass evening. These intrusive musicians had six other nights in the week to play country music but rudely chose our Bluegrass night to show up.

Anyway, fast forward ahead to the mysterious invitation to the "Old Country" players to come and take over "our" jam session and arrogantly show with electrified instruments and public address amplifiers. None of the musicians who arrived to play "Old Country" music were asked to attend and take over our jam session by any of the core group of Bluegrass musicians. Not one!

This makes several Bluegrass-Only jam sessions I've been a part of that were crashed by "Old Country" musicians shoe horn-ing in on our endeavors to create a nice setting for an intimate group of players and listeners.

I have nothing against "Old Country" music. I've played it when absolutely necessary, on and off for many years.....but, "Bluegrass-Only" does not include "Old-style Country".

The core group will move on now, in search of another place to play traditional Bluegrass music, not Old Country. Goodbye Bogart/Bowman Cabin.....it sure was fun 'til it was ruined!

May Meanderings

Here's an accounting of our activities for the month of May, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Thursday afternoon, the 28th, I transposed the recently learned tune "Missouri Road" out of the key of B Flat (2 flats) to the key of B (5 sharps) and then later on I transposed it again to the key of E Flat ( 3 flats) where I particularly like playing it because the sound is so rich and deep. I think I'll settle on the key of E Flat. It will be easy for guitar and banjo players to simply place their capos on the third fret and play in "C" position. "E Flat" is one of the most beautiful keys on the fiddle, perhaps only rivaled by the key of "F".

Tonight, I went down to The Red Barn and listened to "The Old Timers" consisting of Terry Nelson, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Paul Masters, fiddle and vocals; Charlie Black, upright bass; Jimmy Clayton, banjo and vocals. Bill Slimons did not attend due to a grand daughter's birthday. I left early to return back home.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 27th, I went down to the Clinchfield Senior Center in Erwin and shot billiards for an hour. Henry Barnett and I left there to meet Terry Shealy and Carlisle Love at Carlisle's pool barn there in Erwin for the purpose of re-leveling his pool table, re-waxing the seams between slates and re-stretching the cloth playing surface. After three hours of hard, but enjoyable work, we finished and settled in for a few games of pool on the newly reconditioned table.

It's really a lot of fun to work on pool tables and Henry and I both enjoy doing the work and also working together on projects.

The afternoon found me practicing fiddle tunes up into the evening hours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 26th, I played the fiddle at a private home music party in Gray, TN. along with a very accomplished Chet Atkins-trained guitarist by the name of Larry Odham. He's a real nice fellow and I had a wonderful time fiddling along with many of his arrangements of standard Atkins' tunes. Here's a link to his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/1chetpicker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 25th, I went over to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City and met Jerry Sams, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle and several others there for the organization's Memorial Day Party.

We all left there and went to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi for the Monday Night Bluegrass-Only Picking Party. Niles Onks was already playing for a small audience when we arrived so Gordon, Ron, Terry Tester, and yours truly formed a small group and played only Bluegrass. There were no other musicians playing this evening.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 21st I played the fiddle in a parking lot jam session at The Red Barn in Unicoi. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Terry Tester played guitar and sang and Void Hopson played a few songs along with us with his old Martin guitar. We played for about an hour, maybe a little longer, until our hands got too cold to play anymore.

We all went into the Red Barn at 8;00 p.m. to watch "Clinchfield Drive", a band consisting of Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Edison Wallin, Dobro; Gary Wayne Laws, upright bass and vocals; Tyler Wiseman, guitar and vocals; and Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals. They performed for about an hour. They were a real "hit" with the audience, as they're all good musicians.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 18th, I played fiddle down at the "Monday Night Bluegrass-Only Picking Party" held at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. As is so often the case, there were a few attempts at playing other than Bluegrass music by some in attendance.

Often times the "Country" rhythms clash with the Bluegrass rhythms and tend to take the pieces of music out of "time" and phrasing. This can turn the evening into a huge mumble-jumble of clashing rhythms and chords.

This situation is best avoided when the musicians break into smaller groups. There just aren't Bluegrass bands with 10 people in them and so smaller groups should be encouraged for the sake of the music quality. It's not a whole lot of fun for the more talented musicians to play in the larger groups. The intimacy of the music is simply lost with so much "competition" going on throughout each tune.

I had hoped that Terry Tester would play, but he chose not to tonight. Those in attendance were: Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Jim Woods, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, guitar and banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Tyler Wiseman, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

If it hadn't been raining, I think we probably would have broken up into two, more manageable groups, providing more intimacy and flow to the Bluegrass, and less confusion to the rest.

A few of the core musicians who started this Monday Night Bluegrass-Only Jam Session are becoming increasingly worried about the fate of this event. It's becoming large enough with enough attendance where the intimacy of the group and especially the brand of music is threatened by deviation of the main theme - (Bluegrass Only).

Those participants who struggle to keep accurate timing and rhythm should be considerate enough to allow the more advanced players to form a separate group comprised of those best able to keep time, take meaningful breaks, and play at break-neck speeds when the tunes call for it. Old Country has no place in these jam sessions. Inattention to timing, phrasing and tuning does not either.

It boils down to this: (A) If one is to attend a "Bluegrass-Only" jam session, than he/she should only play Bluegrass or sit quietly away from the circle of musicians and don't play at all! (B) If one has trouble keeping time, he/she should not attempt taking breaks and destroying the flow of the music for the rest of the players. How basics that simple are so misunderstood never ceases to amaze me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 16th, I played with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at the Boozy Creek Community center up across the Sullivan County Tennessee line in Scott County, Virginia. There was very good attendance and the audience absolutely loved our band. They have booked us back there for October 17th.

I had the good fortune to meet Gene Boyd, 88 years old. He ran a barber shop in Bristol for over 50 years and was a good close friend of Bill Monroe who would stop by each time he was in the area performing and sit in on the jam sessions that occurred so often at the barber shop. Many folks came up to greet me and to express their love of my fiddle playing. I even played The Orange Blossom Special as a special request from a nice elderly gentleman in the audience. Randy Carrier and I performed a fiddle duet for one of the numbers we did in the key of B Flat. We all had a wonderful meal provided by the folks that hosted us. It was a great time.

Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Randy Singleton played banjo and sang; Frank Culler played upright bass and sang and I played fiddle and sang a little baritone on a couple of numbers. What a blast!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I played pool from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. the morning and early afternoon of the 15th. I was perfecting a new-to-me aiming method I learned from a YouTube video. It has really helped my potting balls ability which pays off handsomely when playing against others there at the Senior Center.

In the afternoon and evening I worked on practicing fiddle tunes from my "Fiddle Tune Video Page" here on this website. I also played a whole bunch of tunes that are not on the page. And I worked on the website.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 14th, I went to The Red Barn and got into a nice jam session with Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Jack ? (Edison's friend from many years back) played guitar; Teddy Morton, guitar; Mike Mnich, mandolin; and yours truly, fiddle. Two bands, "Boots on the Ground" and "Headed Home" played inside while our small group jammed outside.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday afternoon, the 13th, I had the good fortune of playing along with the Unicoi County High School Bluegrass Band while they performed at the CSX Health Care Symposium in Erwin from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. I played upright bass in place of Jacob Hensley who was unable to make it. (Ron Duncan also performed with the band and played mandolin and sang). Lincoln Hensley and another young man both played banjos while three others played guitars and Adam Larkey played fiddle. Also a chorus of three teen-aged high school girls sang Bluegrass numbers along with the musicians. It was a lot of fun playing along with such talented young adults.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 11th, I attended the Bluegrass-Only jam session held each week at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Musicians present were: Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Edison Wallin, guitar and banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Frank Culler who chose not to play this evening (but he can play guitar, upright bass and sing); Terry Tester, guitar, mandolin and vocals, and yours truly, fiddle.

A tasty meal was available for a few dollars. Tonight it was soup beans, cornbread, coleslaw, a piece of cake and a drink. As always, the food was absolutely excellent!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday evening, the 10th, I attended a wonderful party at the Roan Mountain State Campsite, rental cabins area, with my dear friends Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle.

We played music for many, many hours and had an absolute blast pickin' an' grinnin'.
Galen and Katie Jeter hosted the party for several of their relatives and many of their friends. Salads, baked potatoes and pork loin, all-you-can-eat, was the meal fit for a king.

Musicians present were: Galen, upright bass and vocals; Katie, mandolin and vocals; Cory, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Isaac Smith (fiddler for Marty Raybon), fiddle, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. Many thanks go to the Jeters for a wonderful time!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 9th, I played with the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at The Crows Nest in Elizabethton for the weekly summer car show on the streets of the old downtown. We had a full band and a rotating audience who came in to eat, listen a while and return to the car show. It was a very enjoyable evening.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 8th of May, I went with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle to Jonesborough to attend the Jeter Family Bluegrass Concert held at the "Music on the Square" program sponsored by the Town of Jonesborough and local merchants.

Galen, Katie and Cory Jeter were accompanied by Josh Meade. Galen played upright bass, Katie played mandolin, Cory played guitar, and Josh Meade played banjo. The Jeters all sang and harmonized beautifully.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 7th, I went to The Red Barn on Sciota Road in Unicoi and field picked with several of my Bluegrass friends. At first, we played out in the parking lot, but after a half-hour or so, the weather threatened to rain on us all, so we moved to Burl Mast's basement and jammed for a couple of hours or more.

Lincoln Hensley played banjo and some guitar; Edison Wallin played guitar and some banjo; Gary Simmerly played upright bass; Ron Duncan played mandolin and sang; Brandon ? ( a friend of Lincoln's) played rhythm guitar; Ron Lewis played rhythm mandolin; and I played fiddle. It was a real fun jam session.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th, I rode over to Johnson City to the Civic Center and shot billiards with "Red" Hovatter. We also saw lots of our friends including John Clark, "Wimpy", Hubert, Charlie, Norman, Ernie, Gordon, Mike, Richy, Cecil, and a few others.

Later, in the late afternoon, I met with Ron and Sherry Duncan and we all went up to the Bluff City Bluegrass Jam held at the emergency squad building.

Rather than entertain for the small audience that was present when I arrived, I chose to play my fiddle in one of the rooms that had filled with pickers. (I had agreed to play on stage if an upright bass player would show up, because, honestly, I do not like playing for an audience without a good full-sounding group. Since no one volunteered to play the bass, I declined playing on stage).

The problem with the setup here is similar to the setup at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Namely, it's not simply a get-together of Bluegrass musicians who form small jam session groups; it's become a venue in which meals are sold, and the music is advertised and crowds come to hear "bands" and be entertained by musicians standing/sitting in front of the audience on makeshift stages. Most of the musicians feel trapped by the frequent requests to gather "on stage" and entertain the audience that has assembled. They would simply rather pick their music in small intimate groups and if someone other than a fellow musician wants to listen, seek out the small group in what ever area of the "venue" and listen to them there at that location.

I was very fortunate to be able to play with some very talented musicians, indeed. Terry Barnes, Tim Laughlin, Daniel Houseright, Steve Shipley and Phil Hensley to name just a few.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 4th, I played with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at the Sims Hill Christian Church on the outskirts of Elizabethton. We played for a Revival Meeting and brought the house down, so to speak, with our well-rehearsed program of songs written by band members. Mike Laws sang a couple of his originals, as did Randy Carrier and Randy Singleton. Mike played guitar and sang, Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang, Randy Singleton played banjo and sang, Frank Culler played upright bass and sang and I played the fiddle. It was a wonderful evening with a full church.

After our last song, I hurried over the mountains to the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi to catch the last part of the Monday Night "Bluegrass-Only" pickin' session. Thankfully I reached there in plenty of time to play some Bluegrass with my dear friends.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd of May, I shot billiards up at Carlisle Love's pool barn in Erwin. There, I shot with Henry Barnett and Carlisle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd of May, "Red" and I went over to the Johnson City Civic Center and shot billiards from 9:00 a.m. until around 2:00 p.m. There I ran into my pool buddies John C., John, Hubert, "Wimpy", Willis, Mike, Ernie and several others.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 1st, I spent most of the day down at the Senior Center shooting billiards with several of my good friends. Henry, "Red", Roy, Jimmy, Charlie E., Charlie O., Roger, Frank, "Hook" and Willard, to name a few.

I spend around 26 to 30 hours a week shooting billiards and quite fortunately have become quite proficient at playing several different games including 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, One Pocket, Russian Pool, and 1-15. I try to mix in pool to compliment my music playing throughout the week and it works well keeping me freshened with new ideas for both activities.

April Adventures

Here's an accounting of our activities for the month of April, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Tuesday evening, the 28th, I attended the Bluegrass Gospel Music Fundraiser held by the Siam Baptist Church of Elizabethton. I rode over with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. Before the concert, we partook of an excellent meal of soup beans, corn bread, macaroni and cheese casserole, cole slaw and dessert provided by the church for a donation of whatever one wanted to give.

The music started at 7:00 p.m. The 1st band was "Singing For The Savior" consisting of Hunter Berry and his wife Sally, an upright bass player and a pianist, both of whom I did not catch their names, and Haley Stiltner, banjo. The 2nd band was "Duty Free" from the Bluff City area They consisted of Charlie Powers, Hal Boyd, Bobby Love and his son, Chad and Tim Laughlin. The 3rd band was "Fiddlin' Carson Peters" and his group consisting of Tom Dier, his wife Bobbie and Carson and his dad, Jamie.

The music was awesome, just awesome. What a great night out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 27th, I played down at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. There were two groups of musicians; one played inside the cabin and the group I was in chose to play outside by the new barrier wall by the highway.

Those musicians playing inside were: Niles Onks, his wife, Lena Onks, Elridge Bears, Ed Dance, Gail Randolph, Frank Culler and a couple more that I don't know. Those playing outside were: Gordon Hoyle, Terry Tester, Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, Galen Jeter and yours truly.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day of the 25th was an extremely busy day for me having played in three different bands at the Farmhouse Fiddles and Fiddleheads Festival and Car Show. Many, many of the musicians that I know were there and it was a truly superb, fun-filled day of pickin'. More on this later.............

I played first with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" in which I played fiddle. The band consists of Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

The next group I performed with was "The Jeter Family" where I played banjo. I was filling in for their regular banjo picker who was performing elsewhere for the day. Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Katie Jeter played mandolin and sang; and Cory Jeter played guitar and sang.

The 3rd group was really members of the "IIIrd Day Resurrection" group jumping out of their role as strictly Gospel and backing up a young, energetic man, Willy Vance, while he performed around an hour of various Bluegrass and Country tunes.

I was nearly wore out when I finally stopped playing music for the day. One of the many reasons why I love eastern Tennessee so much.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 23rd, my friend, Henry Barnett and I spent the afternoon visiting with Keith Williams, fiddle maker at his home near Greeneville, TN. What a superbly talented and blessed man. He played his new Bales banjo and a half-dozen fiddles he built and I was so impressed with his musical abilities.

Later, I attended the Unicoi Christian Church "Red Barn Series" evening of music and fellowship at their hall on Tennessee Street. Much to my surprise I was asked to perform with the Bluegrass band "Midnight Grass". I happily agreed to play upright bass for them since their bassist was unable to attend. The band consisted of: Rick Guinn, banjo and vocals; Troy Bennett, guitar and vocals; Melissa Chatman, mandolin and vocals; Brian Harney, fiddle and vocals; and yours truly, upright bass.

I also got to hear other bands and see several people I hadn't seen in quite a while. It was a fun-filled evening.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21st: I'm planning on attending the Tuesday night Bluegrass jam at the Bluff City Emergency Squad building tonight with Ron, Sherry, and Gordon. Hopefully members of both bands I'm in will be there. I truly like being in both bands when playing dates do not conflict. I like the Gospel Bluegrass and flat out love the traditional stuff. More later......

There was an abundance of musicians present and plenty of Bluegrass to listen to from all over the building in each of the rooms. Some of those were: Terry Barnes, Charlie Powers, Randy Singleton, Hal Boyd, Ray Dearstone, (and three mandolin players and an upright bassist I'm not acquainted with yet), John Gott, Jeff Webb, Roger Messer, Gordon Hoyle, Ron Duncan, and several others that I can't recall.

I had a wonderful time jamming with some very talented musicians. Tim Laughlin, fiddle; Steve Shipley, fiddle; Daniel Houseright, guitar and vocals; Tammy Staunton, banjo and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. We had some great three-part harmony fiddles going and some great three-part harmony vocals, too. Be sure and check out "Page 10" for pictures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April 20th: Unfortunately, I was busy Monday night and unable to attend the Bluegrass Party at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. My understanding is that Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle, Ed Dance, Niles Onks, Eddy Ray, Gail Randolf and maybe 1 or 2 more musicians were present and that they had a fun time. Sure wish I could have been there.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 17th of April was a very busy Bluegrass day. At 5:00 p.m. I joined with others in performing for an entourage of war veterans who were honored for their service to our country. The party was held alongside the Nolichuckey river in Embreeville, Tennessee, just outside of Erwin. The warriors are each on a 2,200 mile hike across the Appalachian Trail. They had already walked 300 miles to get to Erwin where they were transported to this special party thrown on their behalf.

It was a special honor to play Bluegrass for these soldiers. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Lena Onks, vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

At 7:00 p.m., I stopped and left there to hurry to the Sheriff's satellite office in Ernestville where I performed until around 10:30 p.m. The occasion was a birthday party for Virginia Shelton, who turned 88. I performed for a while with my great friend, Eddy Ray who played mandolin while I played his banjo. Later on, I was joined by Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Eddy Ray, mandolin and vocals; Eddy's grandson, Matthew Franklin, mandolin; Warren Shelton, vocals; Sheriff Mike Hensley, banjo; and Gordon Hoyle, guitar.

What a wonderful Friday of Bluegrass and friends in one of the most beautiful areas of the world!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16th: Old Pilot Hill General Store. Ron, Sherry, Gordon and I visited the Old Store on Thursday for their weekly Old Country and Bluegrass music night. There were several musicians present and we had a nice time picking and meeting new and old friends. Those singing and playing instruments were: Ron Duncan, vocals, mandolin, banjo and guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Charlotte Snyder, vocals; Ben Waddell, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Eli Barber, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Aaron Smith, vocals, upright bass and guitar; Melvin Saults, guitar; Dave Wilhoit, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13th: The Monday night Bluegrass Party at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi was a lot of fun for all who attended. There were two groups of musicians. One group played inside: Elridge Bears, Dobro; Niles Onks, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Roger Messer, guitar; and Frank Culler, guitar and vocals. (There may have been others, too.

The second group (Basically "Terry Tester and the Cherokee Mountain Boys") played outside around Galen's truck and the new block wall recently constructed at the side of the parking lot. Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on fiddle. Later on, we were joined by Ed Dance and Ron Lewis from the other group when they broke up for the night. It was a perfect evening to play outside and we all had a blast.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11th: Saturday was a busy day. I performed in Elizabethton at the Crow's Nest in the old part of town from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with "IIIrd Day Resurrection". Mike Laws played guitar, Randy Carrier, mandolin, Frank Culler, upright bass, (all three sang) and I played banjo. It felt great to play banjo again.

At 7:00, I headed across town to an antique mall (I can't remember it's name) where I performed with another band, "Terry Tester and the Cherokee Mountain Boys" from 7:10 'til a little after 9:00 p.m. This band was comprised of Terry tester on banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, rhythm guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly on fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7th: I rode up to Bluff City with Ron and Sherry and Gordon to the weekly Bluegrass jam session held at the emergency squad building.

There were many fine musicians there and I enjoyed myself a whole lot pickin' Bluegrass with a number of players. I went on stage with the first group of the evening as I always do because I'm one of the early birds who gets there before the rest of the Bluegrassers. I went up with Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jebb Webb, guitar; Bob ?, upright bass and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals and yours truly, fiddle. We were later joined by Mike Laws, guitar and vocals and Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals.

Here's a list of some of the many musicians that were there: Ron Lewis, Dan Boner, 2 mandolin players that I haven't met yet, Wes Wolfe, Tommy Austin, a banjo picker I haven't met yet, and Vicki Austin. Also there were: Tim Laughlin, Chad Love, Charlie Powers, Bobby Love and Hal Boyd. I also saw Roger Messer picking guitar with Jeff Webb when I first arrived. There were several other musicians there that I didn't know.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6th: Monday night "Bluegrass-Only" picking was lots of fun at the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi. Quite a few musicians showed. Let's see if I can remember who all was there: (we broke into two groups and the one I was in was actually comprised of the newly formed band "Cherokee Mountain Boys" named after the old band) members include Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. In the other room there were Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, vocals; Gail ?, mandolin; and perhaps some others I've missed.

4th: Henry Barnett and I played pool this afternoon with Carlisle Love and Terry Shealy at Carlisle's place in Erwin. We played 9-Ball and 8-Ball.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd: 3rd: "Red" Hovatter and I went over to Johnson City and played 1-15 pool from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. with several of our pool-playing friends over there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd: I spent most of the day at the Clinchfield Senior Center playing pool with many of my friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st: I gave up playing Bluegrass. (April Fools!!!) Spent most of the day at the Senior Center shooting billiards.

March Activities

Here's an accounting of our activities for the month of March, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

March 1st thru the 28th: Mary and I spent a lot of time at Pop's Hideaway and also at Past Time Billiards, both in Judsonia, Arkansas.

On March 29th, Palm Sunday, I left for Limestone Cove, Tennessee, a distance of 610 miles. I left Arkansas at 6:50 a.m. and reached "home" at 5:20 p.m., having gone through a time change just east of Nashville.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30th: I awoke early and headed down to the Clinchfield Adult Center to meet several of my dear friends and shoot some billiards with them. Here, I saw Henry Barnett, "Red" Hovatter, Charlie O'Connell, Willard Ollis, Frank Burrell, Charlie Edwards, Jim Dickerson, Otis Ray, Terry Shealy and Carlisle Love. I stayed until 2:00 in the afternoon before heading home to prepare for the night's activities.

At 6:00 p.m., I arrived at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin for the weekly "Bluegrass-Only" picking party. Here, I reunited with many of my Bluegrass friends. Here's a partial list of those I picked with: Roger Messer, banjo; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ron Duncan, mandolin, vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Niles Onks, fiddle, vocals; Lena Onks, vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Mike Laws, upright bass, vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin, vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar, vocals; Terry Tester, banjo, vocals; Elridge Bears, Dobro; and Frank Culler, vocals, guitar and upright bass. It was absolutely wonderful to see so many of my other non-music-playing friends, too.

Tomorrow, the 31st of March, I will be playing in Bluff City with two Bluegrass bands: The "Cherokee Mountain Boys" and "III Day Resurrection". The "Cherokee Mountain Boys" consist of Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Mike Laws, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. The "III Day Resurrection" consists of: Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

I can hardly wait. What a blast playing Bluegrass with these highly seasoned musicians.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

31st: Tonight at the Bluff City Emergency Squad building there were a lot of Bluegrass musicians in attendance. Just a small portion of those present were: Tim Laughlin, fiddle, mandolin; Charlie Powers, guitar, vocals; Bobby Love, mandolin, vocals; Bobby's son, Kevin on banjo; Hal Boyd, upright bass and vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass, vocals; Dan Craty, mandolin, vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo, vocals; Randy Blevins, guitar and vocals; Daniel Houseright, guitar; Steve Shipley, fiddle; Ron Lewis, mandolin; John Gott, fiddle; Galen Jeter, upright bass; Cory Jeter, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Mike Laws, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Jeff Webb, lead guitar; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Terry Barnes and his friend, mandolin and fiddle; and probably another 15 - 20 pickers that I don't know. What a night it was!

I played fiddle with "IIIrd Day Resurrection": Randy Carrier, mandolin, vocals; Mike Laws, guitar, vocals; Terry Tester, sitting in on upright bass and vocals; Randy Singleton, banjo, vocals; and a young boy around 14 years of age playing banjo ( I didn't get his name).

Later, I jammed (playing fiddle) with: Jeff Webb, guitar; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; and Mike Laws, upright bass and vocals. (This band is called "Cherokee Mountain Boys").

February Activities

I deeply miss my good friend, Wade Ledford, who passed away the last week of January, 2015. May he rest in Peace.

Here's an accounting of our activities for the month of February, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

January Journeys

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of January, 2015. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The remainder of January was spent by practicing fiddle each day and shooting billiards at Pop's Hideaway and Pasttime Billiards, both in Judsonia and exploring the countryside of rural Arkansas.

Thursday, the 15th, I arrived back home in Arkansas in the early afternoon and had a wonderful dinner with Mary, Ashley and Okey at Ryan's in Searcy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday I went down to the Clinchfield Adult Center in Erwin and surprised Henry Barnett with an early Birthday cake celebration (his actual Birthday is January 22nd, but I'll be back in Arkansas during that time). There were ten of us pool playing gentlemen who partook of the festivities and we all had a great time shooting pool and joking around with one and another.

Wednesday afternoon, I attended a Birthday party for Sherry Duncan held at the Golden Corral in Johnson City. After that, I went back home to Limestone Cove.

Later in the afternoon, I decided to head back to Arkansas a day earlier so I left at 3:30 p.m. and drove as far as Crossville, TN before stopping for the night.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Tuesday evening, I rode up to Bluff City with Ron, Sherry and Gordon to the Emergency Squad building for the weekly Bluegrass jam session. This jam session has grown into a major Bluegrass session by all means and is super attended by super pickers. I had a blast picking with so many of my old friends and several new ones, too.

I started out playing banjo with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" and went right from that band to "Lonesome South" and played twin fiddles with Crystal Shipley, last years winning fiddler at Galax, VA.

There were many bands that came up and performed for the audience. Please check out the pictures here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, there was a super turnout of musicians for the weekly Monday night Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. The pickers present were: Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; "Rattlesnake John", guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo and vocals; Roger Messer, guitar; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, resonator guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, tenor vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

It sure was nice to see so many of my musician friends all at once in one place. Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow night at the Emergency Squad building in Bluff City for the Tuesday night Bluegrass jam session.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 11th, I visited Mike Laws at his house in East Side, Elizabethton, TN. Mike had scheduled a "IIIrd Day Resurrection" band practice deliberately so I would have a chance to play banjo and fiddle with the band members again before leaving out for Arkansas later this coming week. Randy Singleton, their new banjoist was unable to attend, so I played mostly banjo. (I was hoping to be able to fiddle instead but gladly accepted my old position as banjo picker). Frank Culler came and played upright bass and sang tenor. Randy Carrier also was there with his new mandolin and played superbly - like he always does - and sang harmony. Mike played guitar and sang mostly lead.

It was really enjoyable playing through so many of the Gospel Bluegrass numbers we used to do. Tomorrow night there will be pickin' at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi and I hope lots of my pickin' friends show up as I miss them all a lot.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On January 6th, I left out by myself for Tennessee. I had business to conduct in Johnson City while Mary stayed behind to "hold down the fort" in Arkansas.

After spending the night on route in Crossville, I finished the journey the morning of the 7th arriving in Erwin, TN at 8:00 a.m. Then I spent the day with many of my dear friends at the Clinchfield Adult Center. I got to see Henry Barnett, Red Hovatter, Willard Ollis, Otis Ray, Ken Rice, Murrell White, Roy Hovatter, Iss Barnett, Roy Barnett, Frank Burrell, Roger Young, Charlie Edwards, Charlie O'Connell and Terry Shealy.

The following day, Thursday the 8th, the Senior Center was closed due to low temperature and wind chill advisories. Friday I went back to the Adult Center and played pool until the early afternoon and headed to Johnson City to conduct business.

Saturday, I spent from 8:00 a.m. 'til nearly 2:00 p.m. shooting billiards in Johnson City with Red Hovatter.

So far it looks as though I'll be heading back to Arkansas early on the morning of the 15th of January. I hope to be able to play music on Sunday afternoon with my old band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" and again on Monday night at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi with members of several old bands I was in, and again on Tuesday night up at Bluff City at the emergency squad building with many of my musician friends there, too. I hope to get to see as many as I can before heading out.

Arkansas Adventures in December

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of December, 2014.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

There hasn't been a lot to blog about lately. I haven't been able to do any music playing with other musicians in Arkansas. I continue to practice each day as a personal goal to continue learning new tunes and to stay current on stuff I've already learned. (see my daily practice page).

As far as entertainment, I've been playing pool (shooting billiards) a lot over at Pop's Hideaway in Judsonia, AR. Mary, Ashley and Okey have also played pool at Pop's several times. The four of us have a favorite table in the way back of the room and we play 8-Ball for hours at a time or we'll go up toward the front and play Snooker on a 10-foot table.

On Friday and Saturday nights, Mary and I go over to another pool hall run by the Christian organization called "End Time Warriors". Here we play Snooker mostly as there are a couple of Snooker tables as well as quite a few 8-foot pool tables.

That accounts for our activities through the end of the year.

We had a wonderful Christmas and spoke to each of our children and a couple of grand children.
------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday, the 7th, Mary and I decided to travel up to Mountain View and see what it's like. We took route 36 out of Searcy until we got to Rose Bud and then took route 5 north all the way into Mountain View. We drove through Heber Springs, a neat little town on Greers Ferry Lake and we stopped and browsed around at an Amish grocery store named Ozark Country Market owned by a nice couple, Jim and Linda Little, and later we stopped by a huge flea market store that was open on Sundays, located along route 5.

Then, when we reached Mountain View, we browsed around another flea market on Main Street before heading over to the Ozark Folk Center, just out of town. The Center was closed, which we knew before heading out, but we got a chance to take lots of pictures and we enjoyed our day together very much. Later, we came home a slightly different way which led us by an ice cream shoppe named "Suzie's" where we treated each other before arriving in Searcy. It was a fun day. Mountain View is a beautiful little community of slightly over two-thousand people.
------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 6th, I spent 3 hours at Pop's Hideaway shooting pool with Jessie, Vernon, John, Greg, Kyle and "Pop". (pop's real name is Revel). These players are very good and offer a significant challenge each and every game. They have been trained by the local professionals including Pop and Roger. They're all around 7's and 8's. In their time, Pop and Roger were probably 9's or above but their failing eyesight has knocked them back a grade or two. None-the-less, they are formidable players.

On another note, meeting all these older men and playing pool with them nearly every day makes me miss my dear pool-playing friends back in Erwin at the Clinchfield Senior Center all the more. Guys like Henry and "Red" and Charlie, Williard, Roy (two different Roys), Roger, Iss, James (two different James') Frank and the rest of the gang.

I look forward very much to a return trip to Tennessee to see these men and hang out and play some pool with them again.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The 5th, Mary and I received a couple of calls from back home in Tennessee. Reba Barnett called to see how we are doing and to say she and Henry miss us a lot. It's always great to hear from her and Henry. Henry and I hit it off right from the start and became "best buddies" while being partners at the pool hall and traveling companions when we'd visit other musicians, luthiers, etc., or work together on various projects we'd take on. And Reba and Mary just love one another.

Another wonderful couple also called to see how we're doing. Barbara King and Frank Culler called in the evening to shoot the breeze. Frank is upright bassist/ tenor vocalist in the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection". I was in this band playing Gospel Bluegrass music all over the area at various churches, schools and other venues for over a year. I also played with the same 4 members in a Bluegrass band named "Tru Grass". We've enjoyed hanging out with these two for several years, often enjoying each other over a rib dinner at Fatz in Elizabethton or jamming Bluegrass any number of places.

Mary and I are forging ahead here in Arkansas, meeting "new" people, developing friendships and, in general, creating a new life. But it's hard to adjust to missing our many friends back in Tennessee, and of course, our families and friends in northern New York in the pristine Adirondack mountains.

I've already met a lot of fellows at the pool hall and made friends with many of them. Also, I've met a few musicians and hope to be able to play some Bluegrass with them shortly. I'm like a fish out of water here without the music jam sessions.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 2nd, I played pool at Pop's for a couple of hours and then later on took Mary to the Whistle Stop Bar-B-Que to meet the members of the band "Arkansas Edition", a group that has played together for nearly 30 years. They sound it, too. They are tight! We really enjoyed listening to them and they played Bluegrass the entire performance. We're looking forward to seeing them again. We also made friends with a couple of the women (wives) so it was a really nice evening.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 1st of December, after playing pool in the morning at the V.F.W., I played pool all afternoon at "Pop's Hideaway" up in Judsonia, a fifteen minute drive from the house. I met a bunch of real nice locals and had a super time playing Scotch Doubles, a fun version of 8-Ball I had never played before.

In addition to seeing Pops again, I met new pool-playing friends named Vernon, Roger, Josh, John, Jessie, and a couple more fellows that I can't remember their names.

I've been accepted as one of the gang and they asked me to be sure and come back tomorrow, which I assured them I would be happy to do.

Tonight being Monday night, I just can't help but think of my many friends back in Tennessee and wonder how they're doing at the Monday Night Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. I sure miss pickin' with them. Mary and I both miss them! We grew to love our Tennessee friends so much and we sure do miss them. Slowly we're making new friends here but they'll never replace our buddies back in the mountains of eastern TN. We still hope to be able to visit them a couple of times this coming year.

November in the Cove

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of November, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

This month's picture was taken by Mary. The 1st of November surprised us with a 2-inch snowfall around our home.

Today, Thanksgiving day, after a day of exploring the city and having a blast driving around the countless streets, when I got home, I got the old fiddles out and played for an hour. It had been several days (since Monday night in Tennessee) since I'd played and it felt good to get back at it.
-------------------------------------------------

Today, the 26th, we settled in.
------------------------------------------------------------

The 25th, we left our home at 6:05 a.m. and headed for Arkansas. It's funny, back in 1969 I started out for Nashville, Tennessee, quickly ran low on money and turned around and went back home never having gotten even out of the Adirondacks. Well, some 45 years later I drove right through the center of Nashville. So at least I can now say I've been to Nashville, lol.

Later, we drove through Jackson, Memphis, crossed the Mississippi River and arrived in Arkansas after around 11 hours of driving.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 24th, we started out for Arkansas and only got as far as Johnson City, TN. We had to replace the front lower ball joints in the car, which took most of the day, so we decided to hold over another day which also allowed us another Monday night of Bluegrass jamming at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. Severaol musicians were present and we had a really super great jam which was so fitting a send-off for us. Mary played mandolin; Ron Duncan played banjo and did vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bassist, was present but elected to listen rather than play. Also, Terry Tester, banjoist, was present but didn't play. Terry had his cute little dog "Bandit" with him so he was busy dog-sitting. Several of us went to the Mexican restaurant "Los Jalapeno's" after the jam session was over to have a snack and visit for one more time before Mary and I headed out.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 22nd, Mary and I would like everyone who visits our website to remember our dear friend Burl Mast in their prayers. He's been hospitalized for over a week now from double pneumonia and complications from internal bleeding. Burl is as nice a man as anyone could ever ask to meet. He's done so very much for his Country, his hometown and for Bluegrass. Please pray for his speedy recovery. We will miss seeing him as we are leaving town in a few days. We hope to see him and his wonderful wife when we return to Tennessee during our next visit here, later next year. Many of the friends we've made here in sunny Tennessee we've made at The Red Barn which Burl has owned and operated for a whole lot of years. Be sure to check it out here.

In the evening hours, I had a new fiddle tune pop into my noggin. I've named it "The Razorback Reel". It's in the key of G Major and it is played very fast. I've had a blast playing it through a bunch of times this evening. I'll write it down when I get to Arkansas so I don't forget the tune (which I must of forgotten hundreds of tunes by not writing them down or at least recording them while they're fresh on my mind).
--------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, the 21st, Mary and I went down to the Senior Center to play pool and say our "Goodbye's" to our many friends there. There are so many great buddies that we have, it's really hard to say "goodbye" to them. We'll be back to Tennessee from time to time, but it won't be the same as it's been living right here in the mountains with them for the past nearly 4 years. We are gonna miss them something wicked!

Tonight, there's a "Going Away Party" being thrown in our honor at Temple Hill. It's a big Bluegrass picking and food buffet get-together put together by many of our wonderful music-loving friends to give us a good old mountain-style send off. It starts about 6:30 p.m. and will go 'til ?....Many of my favorite musicians and Mary's and my close friends will be in attendance. I can't wait. More on this later.

We've just returned from the party thrown for us and what a time we had! These beautiful mountain folks love us dearly and have made us a part of their big family. We are so touched by their love, friendship and genuine appreciation.

There was a tremendous buffet of every imaginable casserole, soup, vegetables, breads, pizzas, and all types of cakes and desserts. The wood fire warmed the building so toasty and after a prayer, we ate a good meal and settled in to some down-home Bluegrass picking.

Musicians who played were: Ron Duncan, banjo & vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Eddy Ray, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Cory Jeter, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass & vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Cory’s friend the Dobro player, Dobro (sorry I can’t remember his name). I played the fiddle most of the evening and picked banjo when the Jeter family performed. Henry Barnett, Sheriff Mike Hensley, Gordon Hoyle and Warren Shelton were all present, but chose not play a musical instrument this evening. The dance floor was full several times for waltzes, reels and cake walks.

I can't remember a time when I've been made to feel more "at home" than Mary and I have felt with our Southern family. We love each and every one of them. They've carved a special place in our hearts and we'll never, ever, forget them.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of our good friend, Darrell Wayne Hall, who would often frequent our Monday night Bluegrass jam sessions at the Bogart/Bowman cabin just down the road from his home in Unicoi. Our condolences and best wishes are extended to his family. We enjoyed his friendship and musical abilities each and every time we met.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 19th, I spent the morning playing pool with my great friends down at the Clinchfield Senior Center. What a wonderful bunch of fellows to hang out with and pass the time playing pool in friendly competition with one another. Henry Barnett, Wayne "Red" Hovatter, Willard Ollis, Charlie McConnell, Jim Dickerson, Roy Barnett, Charlie Edwards, Carlisle Love, Terry Shealy, Frank Burrell, Otis Ray, Roy Hovatter; these guys are super people to be around. A morning of good clean fun is what I can expect each and every time I get together with them. Each and every one are really talented pool players, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Today (18th) was spent mostly practicing fiddle tunes. We rode in to Johnson City for a short while but returned and I went right back to practice. I've been brushing up on a number of old fiddle tunes, a little at a time, lately, in anticipation of our move to Arkansas where there is likely to be an abundance of old-time tunes being played up in the Ozarks. I'm thinking tunes that I grew up listening to from my father's playing. Tunes like: The Arkansas Traveler, Red Wing, St. Anne's Reel, Happy Acres Two-Step, Angus Campbell, The Mason's Apron, Lost Indian, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Back Up and Push, Billy in the Low Ground, Bill Cheathum, Turkey in the Straw, The Flop-Eared Mule, The Irish Washer Woman, Li'l Burnt Potato, The Wood Chopper's Reel, The Devil's Dream, Soldier's Joy, Cuckoo's Nest, The Liverpool Hornpipe, Harvest Home, Liberty Two-Step, Kingdom Coming, Down Yonder, Sally Goodin, Golden Slippers, Joys of Quebec, Old Joe Clark, Minstrel's Fancy, Fire on the Mountain, Ragtime Annie, Big John McNeil, Li'l Liza Jane, Sweet Journey's Waltz, Angeline Baker, Cricket on the Hearth, Sopping the Gravy, and a whole lot more.

Plus I've been practicing diligently on a number of Bluegrass fiddle tunes that I've worked real hard on and don't want to forget. Tunes like: Ground Speed, The Old Mountaineer, Flannery's Dream, Earl's Breakdown, Shucking the Corn, Katy Hill, Wheel Hoss, Monroe's Hornpipe, Scotland, Old Dangerfield, Pike County Breakdown, Little Maggie, Footprints in the Snow, Big Country, Big Mon, Cherokee Shuffle, Charmaine, Washington County, Smokey Mountain Rag, Mississippi Waltz, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Dreamer's Waltz, Ashokan Farewell, Faded Love, Kentucky Waltz, Tennessee Waltz, Maiden's Prayer, Baker's Breakdown, Southern Flavor, Dogs Among the Bushes, Jerusalem Ridge, Ashland Breakdown, Grassy Fiddle Blues, Denver Belle, Laughing Boy, Gold Rush, Uncle Pen, On My Mind, Sunday Morning Is My Birthday, Long Bow, Theme Time, Silver Bells, John Hardy, Saly Creek, Katy Daley, Dry & Dusty, Growling Old Man and growling Old Woman, The Boston Boy, Shelby Rock, Train 45, Orange Blossom Special, Four leaf Clover, and a whole host of other ones.

No problem staying busy, that's for sure.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 17th, Mary and I went down to the Bowman/Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Monday Night Bluegrass-Only jam session. It was sparsely populated this evening probably due to the cold, snowy weather. Musicians who braved such weather were: Niles Onks, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Nick DeVusser, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 15th, I composed a new fiddle tune and wrote it down so that I can't forget it. I named it "The Farewell Reel". It's a rollicking tune that zips right along and is fun to play. Part B goes up the neck just a little so getting the proper intonation is fun to practice, too.

Later today, I play my last gig with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" and I sure will miss these fellows. They are true friends and I'll be looking forward to seeing them again when venturing back to Eastern Tennessee for a visit.

Playing at the Southside Christian Church was a lot of fun this evening and our band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" was very well received by the large audience that showed to partake in the "Joyfest". Other Bluegrass Gospel groups that performed this evening were: "Downpour", "No Name But His", and the "ETSU Bluegrass Band".
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 12th, in the afternoon, Mary and I surprised Henry Barnett's wife, Reba, by showing up to their house with a birthday cake and ice cream to celebrate her 78th birthday. She was delighted!

After some delicious cake and ice cream, Henry and I retired to the living room to take turns playing his 1958 295 Arch top guitar made by Gibson. It's a fantastic instrument that sounds and plays like a dream. Then we listened to Shane Adkins on YouTube. The women folk had a wonderful chat in the den.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 11th, I played with the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton for a retired teacher's party. Later, in the evening, we performed up at the Bluff City Emergency Squad building. There were many musicians present in Bluff City and it was a lot of fun to speak with them and to listen to them all when I got off stage. Here is a very partial list of the musicians: Tom and Beverly, Tim Laughlin, Bobby Love, Kenny Love, Meredith Goins, Randy Singleton, Ray Dearborn, Tommy and Vicki Austin, Hal Boyd, Charley Powers, and probably another thirty musicians that I either don't know their names or I've just forgotten who all was there. (I think I've jammed with most of them). I also saw Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. And, of course, the members of "IIIrd Day Resurrection": Randy Carrier, Mike Laws and Frank Culler. Randy Singleton has accepted the position of banjoist with the group now that I have resigned due to moving to Arkansas. He will make a fine addition to the band. I will be playing one final gig with them the 15th of this month at Southside Church in Elizabethton.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 10th, I transcribed the fiddle music of Kenny Baker playing "Scotland" to music paper here in the office. I now have "Scotland" ready to be included in my book of Bluegrass fiddle tunes. Some of the other tunes I have all transcribed and ready to go are: "Wheel Hoss", "Pike County Breakdown", "Ground Speed", "Earl's Breakdown", "Shucking the Corn", "Charlemaine", "Flannery's Dream", "Katy Hill"/"Sally Johnson", "Shelby Rock", "Denver Belle", "Theme Time", "Rawhide", "Smokey Mountain Rag", "Cincinnati Rag", "Laughing Boy", "The Old Mountaineer", "Boston Boy", "Kentucky Waltz' (in E), "Tennessee Waltz" (in D), and several others.

Tonight, I play at The Crooked Road General Store between Bristol and Gate City, Virginia, where our band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" will be taped for 2 television shows; each one lasting 30 minutes. We'll play two 45-minute sets and the performance will be edited to length for the TV show called "Mountain Music Showcase". We will be performing in front of a live audience, so it should be a lot of fun. I can't wait. More on this later.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 8th, "Lonesome Road South" performed from 11:00 a.m. 'til 3:00 p.m. at the Veterans day celebration in Unicoi at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin. Members of the band are: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. I mostly used my Tourte violin bow that I won in an EBay auction and rehaired recently. It has such a sweet sound and feels so balanced when I'm playing. I just love using it.

The celebration was well attended with a wonderful meal available. We all had a super time. Mary and I will certainly miss the wonderful festivities sponsored by the Town of Unicoi so often. There always seems to be something fun to do going on in Unicoi.

In the afternoon, I learned the fiddle tune "Scotland". It's a fun tune that was actually very easy to learn.

Later on, we went up to Thompson's for a great time listening to a country band and then we went to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City to celebrate Jerry Sams birthday. Then it was off to IHOP for an early breakfast.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 3rd was a wonderful time at the Bluegrass-Only jam session in Unicoi at the Bowman/Bogart log cabin. There were lots and lots of pickers on hand to make beautiful music. It got a little loud at times with so many conversations taking place in such a small place, but all in all we had a great time playing and visiting.

Musicians present that I can remember were: Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Roger Messer, banjo; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo, guitar and vocals; David Gartland, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Susan Taylor, guitar and banjo; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Terry Tester was present but didn't play. All these musicians and not one upright bass in the house, as luck would have it. We sure could have used one. Oh well, maybe next time.
--------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 2nd of November, I learned a new fiddle tune called "Baker's Breakdown". Edison played it on the banjo last night at Temple Hill and I liked it a lot, so next time I pick with him, I want to be able to play it, too. It's a fun tune.

This evening, Mary and I went out through the beautiful rolling hills outside of Elizabethton to the Blue Springs Church where "IIIrd Day Resurrection" performed from 6:15 - 'til nearly 7:30 p.m. We met many wonderful people who came up and introduced themselves and thanked us for coming to their wonderful Church and playing such uplifting Gospel Bluegrass. I have always enjoyed playing with Mike, Randy and Frank and I sure will miss them when Mary and I relocate to Arkansas at the end of this month. They've been a true inspiration to me, personally and spiritually.
-------------------------------------------------------------

1st of November: The early evening benefit concert we ("IIIrd Day Resurrection") were scheduled to perform at was canceled due to bad weather. Shortly after receiving that news, Mary and I received the news that the Temple Hill Bluegrass Party was going to take place regardless of the weather.

The night of the 1st, Mary and I went up to Temple Hill to the Saturday night Bluegrass party. I played fiddle and Edison Wallin played banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley played banjo and guitar; Sheriff Mike Hensley played banjo; Craig Shelton played guitar; Terry Barnes played fiddle and a friend of his named Jill (?) played mandolin.

We all had a wonderful time entertaining and partaking of the many finger foods that were available. Lots of our dear friends turned out to be a part of the fun.
-------------------------------------------------------------

October's Outings

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of October, 2014.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

This month's picture was taken by Mary. It's of an arrangement designed and made by Terry Tester. Terry is a very creative fellow and designs and fashions all manner of interesting items.
(Mary takes about 99.99% of the photos on this site and they are viewed by thousands of visitors every week.)

A couple of weeks back, I won an auction on EBAY and soon I received a "Tourte" violin bow in the mail. The bow needed some work, cleaning, a little touch up here and there and it needed rehairing.
So, I ordered some fine horsehair from International Violin and other bow-related items and within a few days I received all the little bow repairing and rehairing stuff I'd ordered.

Then I found it was time to purchase some fine woodworking tools and prepare to rehair my "Tourte".

Today, the 31st of October was the day. After about three hours of diligent work and a good share of dropping little wedges of wood all over the kitchen floor, I finally finished the bow. I immediately went to my fiddle case and rosined the "Tourte" and put it to work on some good old Bluegrass. Yes! It's so light and responsive. Wow!

The next bow I'll rehair will be an old "Albert" bow from Germany. It's a nice stick and it should provide a wonderful tone. I know my "Tourte" sounds like a million bucks! (By the time I bought all the stuff to make a rehairing jig and tools to do the work of rehairing, I thought I was going to have a million bucks in it!)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 30th, Mary and I went down to The Red Barn to visit with friends and listen to the various bands scheduled to perform. We heard the "Red Barn House Band" (they may go by a different name, I'm not sure) which features nearly all electrified instruments with its members playing Country music and an occasional electrified Bluegrass number. The next band up was The Honeycutt Brothers. They, too, featured mostly electrified instruments and played mostly Country. The 3rd band up for the evening was called "Tim Decker & Friends" and they performed with all acoustic instruments. Typically, this is the music I prefer for many reasons, among them, chiefly, the absence of an electric bass guitar which in my opinion adds way too much sustain to the "bottom" of the music. There were some obvious problems with the PA system which kept squealing when provoked by "wolf" notes emanating from the fiddle. It's a difficult venue to perform in due to the constant room noise associated with much of the audience engaged in conversation while the artists struggle to be heard. This necessitates raising the volume of the Public Address system which creates a feedback problem when the microphones are in close proximity to the speakers.

But all the artists happily accept the limitations of the venue because of their endearing friendships with members of the audience, many of whom are also musicians.

Mary and I love the people there and we cherish our time spent with them all.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The 27th, we had a great time at the Bluegrass-Only jam session in Unicoi at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin. Musicians who came and played were: Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo and vocals; Roger Messer, banjo; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, vocals; Mary Warner, rhythm fiddle; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and yours truly, fiddle.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 25th, Mary and I attended the Temple Hill Bluegrass Party. The musicians were scarce, partly due to sickness and colds going around and perhaps, as some postulate, due to the football game televised at around the same time. In any event, the show went on. I was the only musician for some time and I sat alone on stage and played a lot of fiddle tunes. I started out with "Saint Anne's Reel" and followed that one with "Red Wing", "Silver Bells", "Angeline Baker", "The Happy Acres Two-Step", "The Galway Reel", "Angus Campbell", "Ashokan's Farewell", "The Dreamer's Waltz", and a few more.

Eventually, Mike Hensley, County Sheriff, showed up with his guitar and banjo and we got into playing a few more fiddle tunes for the cakewalks; tunes such as "Ragtime Annie", Faded Love" and "Old Joe Clark" before settling into some Bluegrass. Then, Lincoln Hensley and Jacob Hensley came by and the Sheriff kept playing guitar along with Jacob while Lincoln picked banjo and I kept it up with the fiddle. Then we played tunes like: "Four Leaf Clover", "Shucking The Corn", "Laughing Boy", "Highway 41", "Ground Speed", "Charmaine", "Kissime Blues", Orange Blossom Special", "Katy Hill", "The Old Mountaineer", and many others.

We played for several hours before calling it a night. The finger food was excellent and the socializing with so many of our dear friends was priceless.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 24th, Mary and I went up to Jonesborough to Pickles Restaurant to listen to "The Old Timers" perform to a packed house. Charlie Black, upright bassist asked me to come up and play a few numbers and it was lots of fun. Bill Slimons, band leader, was present but opted not to play because there were so many other musicians performing in a limited space stage area. Those who did perform were: Terry Tester, banjo, guitar and vocals; Paul Masters, fiddle, banjo and vocals; Terry Nelson, guitar, mandolin, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Black, upright bass; Dennis Crawford, Dobro, guitar and vocals; Regina Crawford Holtsclaw, guitar, upright bass and vocals, and yours truly, upright bass. (Jimmy Clayton was in Florida).

After the performance was over, many of us went to Dunkin Donuts to hang out, visit and have a snack.
-------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 20th, we had a great Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart/Bowman log cabin in Unicoi. The musicians who came to play were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Jacob Hensley, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass; Mary Warner, mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Lena Onks, vocals; Frank Culler, vocals; Mike Laws, guitar, banjo and vocals; Gerald Cordell, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.

Everyone had a wonderful time playing the music we all truly love to play and sing.

------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 19th, I played banjo and fiddle with "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at the Limestone Cove Christian Church in Limestone Cove, the community where we live. Several musicians performed before we went on stage and I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one.

After our performance, we all had a wonderful buffet in the hall behind the church. I don't remember when I've tasted so many wonderful foods. Wow!
------------------------------------------------------------

The morning and early afternoon of the 18th, I played with my band "Lonesome Road South" at the Bogart/Bowman cabin in Unicoi. The band consisted of Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jeff Webb, guitar; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

The "Heritage Day" festivals was a lot of fun. The weather was cool with a slight breeze forcing many of us to wear extra clothes, but when the sun finally peeked out it warmed up nicely. The meal provided was superb. The band all had soup beans, corn bread, collard greens and a choice of several different desserts after we finished performing.

Many Thanks to the Town of Unicoi for all they do for their town members and for our band.

Tonight, several of us will head to Temple Hill to play some more Bluegrass. More on this, later.

We've just returned from the Temple Hill Bluegrass party and what a wonderful time we had. The food buffet was excellent as usual and the music was great, too. The musicians who showed up to play were: Eddy Ray, bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jacob Hensley, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; and yours truly, fiddle and 1 guitar song (I Got A Letter) by request.

There will be another Bluegrass party next Saturday, same time, same place.
------------------------------------------------------------

October 17th, The Town of Unicoi's 20th Birthday Party and fireworks display was absolutely fantastic and everyone present enjoyed the celebration immensely. Our band "Lonesome Road South" played from about 5:30 until 7:45 p.m. and then all those gathered enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show.

The band consisted of Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Tim Carter*, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. The large audience was particularly thoughtful and provided us with ample applause after each number.

We all had a wonderful time at Los Jalepenos Mexican restaurant later, before heading home to rest up for our morning performance at the Bowman/Bogart log cabin for the "Heritage Days" festivities, tomorrow.

(* Tim Carter produces a Bluegrass radio show on Saturday mornings from 8 - 12 noon at station WMTN, 1300 AM from Morristown, TN)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight was a whole lot of fun down at the Red Barn in Unicoi on the Sciotha Road. "IIIrd Day Resurrection" performed from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. We warmed up for an hour in Burl Mast's basement of his home adjacent to the Red Barn. It was really great to meet up with the fellow members of the band and pick some Bluegrass Gospel again. I very much enjoy playing with these guys. We'll pick again Sunday morning when we gather at the Limestone Cove Christian Church in Limestone Cove, Tennessee.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 15th of October, I'm thinking of how busy the next few days are going to be music-wise.
Tomorrow night, Thursday, I play banjo and some fiddle with the band I'm a member of called "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at The Red Barn in Unicoi. We'll play for an hour.

Then, Friday night, I play with Ron Duncan, Galen and Katie Jeter, and Tim Carter under the name of "Lonesome Road South" for a 20th year birthday party for the town of Unicoi.

Saturday morning, I again play for the town of Unicoi, but this time it's at the Bogart log cabin for a History Day celebration. The band will still be under the name of "Lonesome Road South" and will be comprised of Jim Woods, Ron Duncan, Jeff Webb and yours truly.

Then Saturday night, I'll be picking up at Temple Hill for a Bluegrass music party held from 6:00 p.m. until?...

Sunday morning, "IIIrd Day Resurrection" will play at a local church here in Limestone Cove. I'll play banjo and fiddle.

Monday night I'll be back at the Bogart log cabin for the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. WHAT A WEEK! YES!
---------------------------------------------------------------

On the early morning of the 4th, Mary and I left for Fort Walton Beach, Florida, staying overnight in Alabama before driving into Florida the next morning. We stayed in Fort Walton Beach until the 13th, in the early morning when we left for Fort Gordon (in Augusta, Georgia) and stayed there for the night, leaving very early in the morning for Erwin, Tennessee on the 14th. We both had an absolutely fantastic time visiting family and friends and playing on the beach and in the ocean.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 3rd, Mary and I were dinner guests of Frank Culler and Barbara King. We met them over in Elizabethton at the Fatz Restaurant where the four of us sat down to a wonderful, tasty meal. Frank, Barb and Mary all love the spare ribs while I go for the chicken pot pie.

Frank is the upright bassist and harmony vocalist for "IIIrd Day Resurrection", a gospel Bluegrass group I'm a member of here in eastern Tennessee. He's a riot to hang out with and Mary and I love these folks dearly.

We were finally able to break the news to Frank and Barbara that we would be staying all winter into the early spring here in Tennessee, rather than heading back to New York as we had been planning to do. This means I'll be able to be a part of the wonderful band practices and playing engagements scheduled for "IIIrd Day Resurrection".

In the spring, we'll head back to the Northcountry, where I'll assist a dear friend as we instruct some electrical code changes seminars throughout the State. Here's a link to his electrical inspection agency. I was one of the four founders of this corporation and it's been a pleasure to watch it grow so much over the years ( it's 15 years old) after having parted with my corporate shares some while ago..
---------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 2nd, Mary and I went to The Red Barn and I got into a really good jam session right after arriving. I played fiddle; Ron Duncan played guitar and mandolin; Terry Tester picked banjo; Ron Lewis played mandolin and Gordon Hoyle played guitar. Jerry Sams had been out riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and stopped in and sang a tune with Ron Duncan. We jammed for a couple of hours and then several of us went to the Mexican Restaurant over by Walmart's in Unicoi.

I really enjoyed the jam session. It seemed nice and "tight". Terry played Ron's old (circa 1980) Washburn banjo which Ron had recently had set up by Edison Wallin. It's a nice sounding 5-stringer especially at the price point he gave for it on Craigslist. Ron had set up his Flatiron mandolin with a new Allen tailpiece which affected the sound reproduction and playability noticeably. All the instruments held tune very well considering as the evening drew on, the weather dampened.
-------------------------------------------------------------

September's Socials

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of September, 2014.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

This month's picture of Bill and Sally Fernald was taken by Mary at the old Carter Family cabin in Hiltons, Va. adjacent to Carter Fold. The rocking chair that Sally is sitting in was one that belonged to Johnny Cash. (Mary takes about 99.99% of the photos on this site and they are viewed by thousands of visitors every week.)

------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday morning, the 30th of September, I went down to the Clinchfield Senior Center to shoot billiards with many of my good buddies. After a few hours of pool playing, from there, Henry Barnett and I went up the back road (rte. 93) towards Greeneville to visit our great friend, Keith Williams in his violin making shop. Keith is in the process of building several violins, all in one stage or another nearing completion or just beginning or somewhere in between. Henry and I both love going to his shop and visiting with him by the hour as he shows us the intricacies of building fiddles from cutting the trees to varnishing to playing them.

The violins he makes are sought after by a large clientele of sophisticated, well-known fiddlers. It's a wonderful pleasure to know him.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, Mary and I went to Erwin to the Clinchfield Adult Center to visit with many of our senior friends. The pool room was nearly filled to capacity with billiard enthusiasts. "Red" Hovatter and his brother Roy were there along with Murrell White, Willard Ollis, Charlie McConnell, Frank Burrell, James Barnett and his father, Iss, and also Henry Barnett and Roy Barnett, and Charlie Edwards, Roger Young, and "Jimbo". We played pool for a couple of hours and had a swell time with all the fine folks there.

Monday evening was a huge Bluegrass-Only blowout at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi. Here's a list of the musicians who showed up and played good old traditional Bluegrass: Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; David Keplinger, guitar and vocals; Richard Widdows, Dobro; Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Roger Messer, guitar and mandolin; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Mary Warner, guitar and mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Bill Harris, guitar, banjo and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Yours truly, fiddle and vocals; and a young woman from Louisiana who has been playing banjo for a couple of years and doing very well at it. I'm sorry to say, I did not get her name.
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon and evening, Mary and I spent in Erwin at the home of Ron and Sherry Duncan where we were invited guests, along with several others, for Ron's 70th year birthday party.

After a wonderful meal (fit for a king) prepared by Sherry, we all went outside to enjoy the summer-like weather and play some Bluegrass music. Ron played banjo, guitar and sang vocals; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Terry Tester played the upright bass and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar and yours truly played fiddle and sang a little harmony, too.

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON!
--------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, Mary and I went up to Rheatown to the Rheatown Market where there has been a Bluegrass jam held on Saturday nights for over 50 years and it's still going strong. The Market has changed ownership many times, but each new owner keeps the tradition alive and well.

I brought my fiddle and went in to the back room (the big room where most everyone starts off the evening before splitting into different groups) and sat in with a small group playing there at first. Marvin Gladwell was playing guitar; Maynard Shelton was playing guitar and singing; his brother, Dale Shelton was picking banjo and singing; Andrew Marshall was picking mandolin; and Eric Bowman was playing the upright bass and singing. Terry Wade showed up and played the upright for a short while before heading out front.

A little later an upright bass player and a banjo picker showed up and I had never met either one of them. They were good pickers and fit right in. It was at about this time that Eric decided to split off and play his banjo and so he headed out front soon followed by Marvin Gladwell and Andrew Marshall. They were joined by Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Claude Smith, guitar and vocals; and a few others that I didn't know. I also saw Dave Wilhoit, but I didn't see him picking or singing. Mary developed a headache (from her new glasses, she suspects) and so we didn't stay too much longer before leaving for home. All in all, it was a fun night of playing the fiddle. The musicians that attend the Rheatown jams are mostly all very seasoned Bluegrassers and I so much enjoy playing with them; and it feels great being welcomed into the group with friendly greetings from so many friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday morning, the 26th, a delightful couple of acoustic music entertainers performed at the Clinchfield Adult Center in Erwin. They were called "Raven and Red". Raven (Brittany Jones) played the violin and Red (Mitchell Lane) played the guitar. They sang and played songs from several different genres of music and went over very well with all of the senior citizens gathered in the cafeteria to listen to their performance which lasted for over an hour. Mary and I sat with several of our favorite senior citizen friends and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves listening to the talent the couple possessed.

Friday night, a few of us local musicians gathered down at the Fisheries Park under a gazebo and played Bluegrass for several hours. Pickers were: Edison Wallin, banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; (Gordon Hoyle was there but opted to not play); Adam Miller, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 25th, Mary and I went to the Red Barn, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Burl Mast on Sciotha Road in Unicoi. I jammed a little bit out in the parking lot with Ron Duncan, banjo and Ron Lewis, mandolin (I played the fiddle). Then we went in to the Barn to watch "The Old Timers" play their set. They consisted of Bill Slimons, guitar and vocals; Terry Nelson, guitar and vocals; Paul Masters, fiddle, piano and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Dennis Crawford, Dobro and vocals; and Frank Culler (standing in for Charlie Black who was absent due to cancer treatments) playing the upright bass. They had a very enjoyable performance and were well appreciated by all in attendance.

The next group was named something like "Lincoln Hensley's Band" or a similar name and consisted of: Terry Barnes, fiddle and vocals; Mike Honeycutt, mandolin and vocals; Jacob Hensley, upright bass; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Edison Wallin, banjo; and Tim Decker, guitar and vocals. They covered some good material and had a nice sound. The audience was very appreciative.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, September 22nd, at the Bogart log cabin weekly "Bluegrass Only" picking Party was very exciting. There were lots of musicians and we all had a great time. I'll try to name all the players who showed up: Ron Duncan; banjo, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Bill Harris, guitar and banjo; Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Jacob Hensley, upright bass; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Roger Messer, banjo; Mary Warner, mandolin and guitar; and yours truly, fiddle. We all had a great time jamming on the tune "Happy Birthday" which we played "swing-style' in celebration of me (I turned 64 years old today!) Later, Gordon, Ron, Sherry, Mary and I went to the Mexican restaurant by Walmart's for a little Birthday celebration.
--------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, Sunday the 21st, we performed for a large audience at the Hampton Christian Church on Deerfield Avenue in Hampton, TN. We played from 10:00 'til 10:45 a.m. I enjoy every moment I spend with Mike Laws, Randy Carrier and Frank Culler and their wonderful spouses and/or significant others'. I very much enjoy being a part of their wonderful band "IIIrd Day Resurrection".

-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 18th, Mary came with me to band practice in Elizabethton at the home of Mike Laws. "IIIrd Day Resurrection" will perform in Hampton this Sunday morning. Mary had a wonderful visit with Mary Laws, Mike's mother and Susie, Mike's wife, while I practiced with the other members of the band. I played Mike's 1953 Gibson banjo and I just love the tone it has. I also played my E. Monheimer fiddle towards the end of practice and had the band work on a couple of neat fiddle tunes.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night, the 16th, Mary and I went over to the Elizabethton/Valley Forge area to the Siam Baptist Church for their "Bluegrass Gospel Music Fundraiser". The Church raised over $1,900.00 for their ministry.

Several bands were on hand and each and every one was top notch.The first group to play was called "Singing For The Savior" and consisted of Dan Boner, Haley Stiltner, Hunter and Sally Berry and Bill Anderson. The next group up was "The Gospel Two" and the lady piano player just rocked the baby grand with some of the best Gospel piano I've heard in a long time. She was accompanied by a guitarist/mandolinist who also helped with the vocals. When they finished, "Headed Home", a group consisting of guitar, bass guitar, Dobro and vocals hit the stage and performed many wonderful songs.

The last group to hit the stage was "Hard Times", a band of very seasoned musicians. Keith Williams played mandolin, fiddle and sang; his wife, Mina Belle Williams, played upright bass and sang; Jerry Keyes played banjo and his wife sang and played upright bass some of the time; G.C. Matlock played guitar; and Hunter Berry played fiddle.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night at the Bogart log cabin was a lot of fun for the many who showed to play Bluegrass and/or listen to it. The many musicians present were: Adam Miller, guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Jerry Sams, vocals and guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Niles Onks, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, rhythm fiddle; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, vocals; Gordon Hoyle; guitar; Alan Shepard, guitar and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Mike Honeycutt, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. (There may have been other pickers, too, but I just can't remember them all.)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night the Temple Hill Bluegrass Party at the Community Center was a heap of fun for all who attended. The first group that assembled to perform was: Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; and Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals.

The next band to perform was comprised of the following: Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Edison Wallin, banjo and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Alan Shepard, guitar and vocals; and Tim Decker, guitar and vocals.

The last group to perform was Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; and Lincoln Hensley, banjo.

The cake walks earned well over $200.00 to benefit a local person who is in need of an operation. There was a nice turnout and the food was excellent, as always.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 12th, Mary and I went down to Erwin to the Car Show and listened to a few friends play Bluegrass. Tim Decker played guitar and sang and Lincoln Hensley and Edison Wallin played banjos. A friend of Lincoln's, Adam Miller, played some really hot guitar licks along with them. Ron and Sherry Duncan came along and Ron had Edison play his Washburn banjo he recently obtained from someone on Craigslist. It's a nice sounding banjo and Ron's very happy with the repairs and set-up performed by Edison.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Monday afternoon, I learned a new fiddle tune, "Laughing Boy" as played by Kenny Baker. It's a real fun to play instrumental. I played it for the gang down at our weekly Monday night jam and it went over real well and everyone caught on to the chord pattern very quickly. I also played "Roxanna's Waltz" (also from a Kenny Baker recording) and that went over well, too.

Monday night at the Bogart cabin in Unicoi was a wonderful time with our many Bluegrass friends. There were enough musicians to break into two circles. The circle I was in had the following musicians: Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Roger Messer, guitar; Darrell Wayne Hall, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin; and yours truly, fiddle.

The second circle of musicians was comprised of: Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Alan Shepard, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, banjo and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo; and Lincoln Hensley, banjo.

When I first arrived, Roger Messer and Lincoln Hensley were playing banjos. Roger offered to let me play his old Gibson 5-string and he played guitar while Lincoln and I swapped the lead breaks for a bunch of different banjo tunes.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 7th, After finishing up the pool table, (see the "Blog page") I started the day before, Mary and I met Ron and Sherry over at Deep River Gorge Methodist Ministries in Hampton for a wonderful, up close musical treat featuring "Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers". For an opening band singing many varied Bluegrass and Gospel hymns, faculty from ETSU were present. Dan Boner, Director of Bluegrass Music Studies, played guitar and sang; Dr. Lee Bidgood played mandolin and sang; Benjamin Bateson played the upright bass; Colleen Trenwith (from New Zealand) played the fiddle, and Susan Taylor Carson played banjo and sang.

Larry Sparks' band consisted of Larry on guitar and lead vocals; Holden Stevens, upright bass; Jeff Clair, mandolin and vocals; Mary Rachael Nalley, fiddle; and Tyler Mullins, banjo and vocals. What a wonderful time we had. It was fun talking to band members and getting photos, etc. There was a very small, intimate audience since Larry was hired by an anonymous donation from one of the church members and his coming was not widely announced. It was an up-front and personal experience and Mary and I enjoyed the performance from a front row seat directly in front of him. What a wonderful opportunity to chat with him and his band members both off stage and back at their bus.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 6th, Henry Barnett and I tore down a pool table in Erwin and began re-doing the rails and bed cloth. The owner wanted the old red-colored, heavy cloth on the bed and rails replaced with a lighter, 21-ounce, Teflon-coated, Tournament Green-colored cloth. We stripped the old rails and bed cloth off and got all 6 rails finished with new cloth today. Tomorrow, we'll stretch the bed cloth and re-mount the rails and call it another fun job completed. We both love working on pool tables. Click here for pictures of previous fun/work we do.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Friday was another day working on my fiddle book. I finished transcribing note-for-note, the music for "The Old Mountaineer" by Bill Monroe and Kenny Baker. The compilation of accurately transcribed fiddle tunes is growing leaps and bounds each month and eventually I'll be ready to compile the book.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 4th, I played my fiddle on and off for several hours, enjoying the many Kenny Baker tunes I am amassing little by little. In my humble opinion, he was one of the very best Bluegrass fiddlers, ever. I also like Paul Warren and Byron Berline (and countless others, too).
-------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, the 3rd of September, our guests, Bill and Sally Fernald left our home after a wonderful visit of around a couple of weeks. They've gone back to their home in Florida to rest up for the winter months. Bill has blisters on his fingers to prove how much Bluegrass he played while here. We sure kept them busy while they enjoyed their stay. Mary and I just love the Fernalds and so many of our dear friends here in Eastern Tennessee feel the same way about them. We'll sure miss them but we may get a chance to stop over and visit them when we go to Florida....one can never tell.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 1st of September, was our weekly Monday Night Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart cabin in Unicoi. It was well attended and Mary and Sherry surprised Norma Jean Campbell and Sally Fernald with birthday cakes.

Musicians in attendance were: Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals. I saw Terry Tester, Ron Duncan and Roger Messer, but I'm not sure whether they played out front in another group or not.
-------------------------------------------------------------

August's Acoustic Adventures

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of August, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

This month's picture inset was taken by me back in 1974 in Corinth, New York, at the Adirondack Bluegrass League's annual summer Bluegrass Festival. It's a picture of my brother, Dave Warner, playing his new 1974 Martin D-28.
--------------------------------------------------------

This morning, Sunday the 31st, I played banjo and fiddle at the East Side Christian Church in Elizabethton with the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection". There was a large gathering for the morning services and the band performed very well to the pleasure of the audience. Frank Culler sang tenor and played the upright bass; Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang leads and harmonies; and Mike laws played guitar and sang lead. I enjoy playing Gospel Bluegrass very, very much with these fellows. They're a lot of fun to hang out with.

Later on in the day, Bill and Sally and Mary and I went down to Elizabethton to its' East Side to visit with Mike laws and his lovely family at their home. Bill had Mike adjust the neck on his D-28 Martin guitar. It's so important to maintain a musical instrument. If the neck angle is off, using a capo will cause the pitch to sharpen (or flatten) creating a dissonance with other better maintained instruments. After Mike was finished with that I had him work on a fiddle of mine that was built around the year 1900. The neck had developed a slight twist and had to be re-shaped to fit the heel and neck block accurately. It's such a treat getting to hang around Mike's shop and watch him work.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, August 30th, we went to the Rheatown Store to partake in some great Bluegrass music. Musicians in our group (another very large group was assembled inside the store in the back room) that played out by the gas pumps were: Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; yours truly on banjo and fiddle; and Jimmy Bennett on banjo.

It's always such a pleasure to go to Rheatown and see our friends that we so infrequently get to visit with. Folks like Charlie and Wanda, Bruno and Mary, Trulia and others too numerous to mention. I also get to see musicians like Marvin Gladwell, Dale and Maynard Shelton, and Charlie Phillips along with many others.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 29th, "Lonesome Road South" played at Temple Hill for the Bluegrass party held at the satellite office for the Sheriff. Jerry Sams was absent this performance and we sure missed him but he had company and was very busy. Band members and guest band members were: Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Katie Jeter, mandolin and vocals; Eddy Ray, banjo; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. There was a really tasty buffet served by the many wonderful folks who cooked something special to donate to the fun. There were also several cake walks, too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 28th, at the Red Barn parking lot pickin' session there were several musicians who showed up and played some fine stuff. They were: Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Niles Onks, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; (Charlie Ervin, Teddy Morton, and Wes Holtsclaw were present but didn't play) and yours truly on fiddle. We had a nice pickin' session and the temperature was just right.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 25th, the Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart log cabin was a huge success. There were 20 musicians that I can remember playing. We had two groups of pickers which is a lot more manageable and enjoyable. Here are the musicians who showed:
Jerry Sams, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Edison Wallin, banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Bill Harris, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; Charlie Moore, guitar; Jim Miller, fiddle; Alan Shepard, vocals; Alan Shepard Jr., banjo and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Darrell Wayne Hall, Dobro and vocals; Chuck Skarsauone, guitar and vocals; Galen Jeter (he didn't play but showed up to have fun, anyway) and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday morning, the 24th, I played with the gospel group I'm in called "IIIrd Day Resurrection" at Pinecrest Christian Church in Milligan. Randy Carrier is the Pastor there. He played mandolin and sang; Mike Laws played guitar and sang; Frank Culler played upright bass and sang; and I played banjo and fiddle. We had a wonderful time performing the many Bluegrass spirituals we know including several original songs written by Randy and Mike. Everyone enjoyed our music. I had to leave just a little early but stayed long enough to sing several good old Hymns after we were done performing.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 23rd, was a day absolutely full of Bluegrass! It started in Bristol, TN., where "Lonesome Road South" played at a private campsite along Beaver Creek. There, we performed for the campsite patrons and thousands of passers-by who were walking down the country road to get to the NASCAR race being held a short distance away. We performed from 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played banjo, mandolin and sang; our guest, Bill Fernald, sang and played guitar; Galen Jeter sang and played upright bass; and I played fiddle and banjo.

From here, we traveled to Hilton, VA. to the Carter Fold to watch "Cody Norris and the Watauga Mountain Boys" perform. It was a wonderful day with dear friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 22nd, Bill and I sat around the living room pickin' his old Martin D-28 and singing old Bluegrass ballads.

I received a sound post setting tool in the mail today that I ordered from K&K Enterprises in Florida and I simply cannot believe how easy it is to set a sound post. Within 30 seconds it's all set! Sure glad to have this tool in my fiddle repair arsenal.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 21st, our dear friends Bill and Sally Fernald came up from Florida to spend a couple of weeks with us. We had them stop by The Red Barn on Sciotha Road in Unicoi before they even reached our home so that they could start their vacation pickin' Bluegrass the moment they arrived. Several musicians were around to field pick in the parking lot. They were: Chuck Skarsauone, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Mary Warner, mandolin and guitar; Alan Shepard, vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.
------------------------------------------------------------------

This afternoon, the 19th, "Lonesome Road South" played at a campsite alongside Beaver Creek near Bristol, TN. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Galen Jeter played upright bass and sang; and I played fiddle. We played around a couple of hours and had a super time. The weather was perfect!

Later, in the evening hours, "Lonesome Road South" (aptly re-named "The Jerry Sam's Sams Gap Jam Band" for this occasion) performed for about an hour at the Bluff City Rescue Squad for their weekly Tuesday night Bluegrass jam party.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 18th of August, there was a huge turnout for our Monday night Bluegrass-Only picking party at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi. There were many musicians present and I will do my best to name them all. There’s one guitar player that came and sat in the circle and played for a couple of hours and I didn’t get his name (EDIT: I now know his name is Chuck Skarsauone). The ones I do know are listed here: Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Galen Jeter, upright bass and vocals; Roger Messer, upright bass; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Alan Shepard, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Jim Miller, fiddle; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, vocals; Darrell Wayne Hall, Dobro and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Bill Harris, banjo and guitar; and I played one of three fiddles that I brought for the evening. I just kept switching off between my E. Monheimer, Guarnerius copy; my French copy of a Guarnerius; and my circa 1900 Stradavari copy.

What an incredible evening of Bluegrass!
-------------------------------------------------------------------

From the 31st of July all the way through to the 15th of August, these days and nights were spent traveling to New York state, visiting families and friends there and traveling back to Tennessee.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

July's Jam Sessions and More

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of July, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

This month's picture inset was taken by none other than Mary Warner, the "official" band photographer for "IIIrd Day Resurrection", our Gospel Bluegrass band.

The pickin' session at the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi on Monday, the 28th, was a real huge success with many musicians showing up to perform. I'll try to remember all the players: Niles Onks, vocals and guitar; Lonny Finnley, upright bass; Frank Culler, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Edison Wallin, guitar and banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Charlie Moore, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar, banjo and vocals; Craig Hensley, banjo and vocals; Gary Harrell, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Jim Woods, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Bill Harris, guitar and banjo; and yours truly, fiddle. (Charlie Ervin was present but didn't play as well as Amanda Finnley and Mary Warner);
-----------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 25th, Mary and I joined Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle and Ron and Sherry Duncan down at Rock Creek Park Campsite to listen to the band "String Fever" with Gary Taylor playing upright bass and singing vocals and the rest of his band: Jerry Foran, banjo and vocals; Tommy Shortt, guitar and vocals; Cory Jeter, lead guitar and vocals; and Lonny Finley, mandolin and vocals. They performed a lot of good old classic Bluegrass songs and instrumentals and entertained a very appreciative audience gathered in the amphitheater seats by a large campfire. It was an enjoyable evening for all of us.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 24th, "IIIrd Day Resurrection" performed at The Red Barn on Sciotha Road in Unicoi. We were very well received by the many who showed for the evening's performances. Our band had the last spot, from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m.
As always, it was so much fun to see our many, many friends and visit with them. Music has brought us so close to so many people here in eastern Tennessee. We were booked again for the 16th of October.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 21st of July, there may well be enough musicians to split off into two or more groups as we gather at the log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly "Bluegrass-Only" jam session. As the group grows in numbers, the core members feel it's important to continue the policies we started out with; namely only playing Bluegrass music, not Country, or Old-Time or Newgrass. And not allowing electric instruments.

Many folks who love to play acoustic music are not well versed in actual Bluegrass and yet they want to play "live" music, so they arrive at this type of jam session hoping to take part with what they do know. Allowing the singing and playing of non-Bluegrass music takes away from what little time in the evening the real "Bluegrassers" have to practice their art form. It isn't that the core group doesn't like these other styles, it's all about keeping the weekly event "pure" in its art form. Bluegrass is the art we study and rehearse each Monday night.

Several "Bluegrass-style" jam sessions have been disbanded due to non-Bluegrass musicians showing up and effectively spoiling the evening for those who simply love traditional Bluegrass. This Monday night group is holding fast to the principles that it's founded on, Bluegrass-Only. Bluegrass Gospel is obviously included in the music that's encouraged.

We're just back from the Monday night picking which was a huge turnout with both musicians and listeners. There were two groups of musicians which helped a lot with everyone getting a good opportunity to play and sing. One group consisted on Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Bill Harris, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar and vocals; and yours truly for a short while with the fiddle. The other group ended up having Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Troy Boone, mandolin, guitar, banjo and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Ervin, guitar; Bill Harris, guitar and banjo; and yours truly on fiddle, guitar and vocals. Jerry Sams was present but didn't play.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 19th, Mary and I attended a concert at Thompson's Produce near Enbreeville. The band was "The Scott County Boys" consisting of Kenneth Davis, guitar and vocals; Eric McMurray, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; David Roller, banjo and vocals; and Andy Blevins, upright bass. There was a nice-sized audience and we all enjoyed the performance very much.
I had the good fortune to record a CD with Kenneth Davis, Mike Reed and Terry Tester some time ago and it was nice to see Kenneth again and visit with him for a while during band breaks and after the show. He played with Ralph Stanley back from 1993 - 1995. Terry Tester was also in the audience and Kenneth called him up to the stage to perform a few clawhammer banjo tunes and to sing "Sunday Morning is my Birthday" with Kenneth and the band.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 18th, Mary and I were guests of Jim Woods. Jim held a bar-b-que at his home in recognition of his 70th birthday and the birthdays of several others and invited many of his favorite musicians along with many other close friends. Those who were playing and singing were: Jim Woods, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Pete Taylor, steel guitar; Mike Sanford, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Niles Onks, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Lena Onks, vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

It was a wonderful evening. No one cared the least that it was raining out because at first we played in the garage and later moved to the covered patio. I enjoyed listening to and playing along with Pete Taylor performing on his 1972 Sho-Bud pedal steel guitar. What a beautiful instrument and he plays it so well it was really a treat for all of us to listen to. What a fabulous party!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 17th, we went down to The Red Barn and met other members of "Lonesome Road South" to have an impromptu band practice/jam session outside in the parking lot. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; and I played fiddle. Gordon Hoyle sat in with us and played guitar and Terry Tester sat in for a while and jammed with his banjo. Also, Ron Lewis played mandolin and Void Hopson played guitar.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday evening, the 16th, Mary attended band practice with me and we went over to Randy and Sandy Carrier's home to meet with other members of IIIrd Day Resurrection. We decided to play outside as the evening was cool in the shade and the weather was so nice. We practiced for a couple of hours and came home. The practice was very productive and we're all glad to be making such good strides in playing and harmonizing together. We are looking forward to playing at The Red Barn on the 23rd of this month.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 14th was an incredible jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi. here's a list of the musicians who showed: Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Gene Honeycutt, guitar; Lonny Finnley, mandolin and vocals; Amanda Finnley, vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Bill Harris, banjo, guitar and vocals; Charlie Ervin, vocals; Mary Warner, rhythm fiddle and mandolin; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. Again, a night without a standup bass player. The group sure misses someone coming to play the upright. But, in spite of that...............What a wonderful time singing and playing Bluegrass!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 12th, the Ice Cream Social at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi was a tremendous success with home made vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and peach being served with all the fixin's to very many enthusiastic tasters from all over the region.

The music was a great success, too. Those musicians in attendance were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, guitar and banjo; Edison Wallin, banjo and guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. We all had a great time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night there was a jam session at Temple Hill and many attended to assist with the Cancer Benefit occasion for a Mrs. Watt. It was a huge success. There was a wonderful spread of various foods and desserts and many "Cake Walks" were done to raise nearly $600.00 for the benefit.

Musicians in attendance were: Sheriff Mike Hensley, banjo, Dobro, guitar and vocals; the Sheriff's friend ( a young high-school-aged girl who sang and played guitar, sorry I've yet to learn her name); Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; a Mr. Harrell, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo, guitar and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Craig Hensley, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. Warren Shelton was there but did not play.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, July 7th, there was a good-sized jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi. The musicians present were: Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar and vocals; Charlie Moore, guitar; Mary Warner, rhythm mandolin, fiddle and guitar with vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Craig Hensley, banjo and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo, guitar and vocals. There was also a large audience showing their appreciation after each song and instrumental.

I had a lot of fun playing some fiddle tunes that I usually don't get to play. Tunes like "The New Camptown Races" in B Flat, "Crafton's Blues" in F, "Wheel Hoss", "Shelby Rock" and "Leather Breeches" in G; "Kentucky Waltz" in E; "Old Dangerfield", "Big Mon", "Bill Cheatum", "Uncle Pen", "Jerusalem Ridge" and a bunch of others in A and other keys, too. I also got to play "Flannery's Dream" again. I really like this fiddle tune.

It was nice getting to meet Craig Hensley, a native of Erwin who's been away for forty years. He is a very good banjo picker and singer.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon of the 5th, Mary and I were guests of Frank Culler and Barbara King of the Sciotha Road in Unicoi. They treated us to a fine meal at Fatz Restaurant in Elizabethton, TN. Frank is upright bass player in the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection" that I play banjo and fiddle in. Mary and I met Frank and Barbara shortly after moving to Tennessee and we've been great friends since day 1. Barb, Frank and Mary love the Spare Ribs at Fatz, while I go for the Chicken Pot Pie.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

On July 3rd, Jerry Sams put together a nice, entertaining group to perform for the senior citizen residents of the Erwin Nursing Home. The group was comprised of Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Jacob Hensley, a high school student in Erwin public school who lives in the community of Flag Pond and plays upright bass and sings; Troy Boone, a young college student who lives in the Rock Creek area and plays banjo, mandolin, guitar and sings; and me, Fred Warner, who plays fiddle and banjo and sings.

We were very well applauded by residents, families, friends and staff. We all had a lot of fun entertaining the folks. Many "Thanks" to Jacob and Troy for their expert assistance. A new page has been created just in case we (Generation Gap) do any more gigs. Check it out here.
------------------------------------------------------------------

On the 2nd of July, Mary and I were guests of Norma Jean Campbell and Terry Tester for a wonderful lunch at Primo's Restaurant in Elizabethton, TN. We've know them for several years now and they are truly great friends. I've performed many times with Terry all over the region and I've even recorded a live CD with him. He's a very talented musician and a treat to pick with. Norma is a super wonderful lady and her and Mary are just about inseparable.

June's Journeys and Jams

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of June, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Monday night, June 30th, was a wonderful night of picking Bluegrass at the log cabin in Unicoi. There were quite a few musicians that showed. Here's a list of those that I can remember: Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Edison Wallin, banjo and vocals; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Terry Tester, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Tim Decker, guitar and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin and fiddle backup and vocals; Gene Honeycutt, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.
There was a large turnout for an audience, too.

I played a bunch of fiddle tunes that I hadn't played in a while. Tunes like "Soldier's Joy", "Big Mon", "Wheel Hoss", "Gold Rush", "Angeline the Baker", "Maiden's Prayer", "Sally Goodin", "Theme Time", "Road to Columbus" and several others. I also played the new tune I've been working so diligently on named "Flannery's Dream" which I got from Youtube with James Price playing the fiddle. I love his fiddling. I also played my new composition in B Flat I've named "Road to Topnotch" which Edison and Tim caught on to rather quickly. They're a real treat to pick with since they know so many chords and how they all interact within a composition. I'd like to get the group playing "The Camptown Races", an instrumental in B Flat.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, Mary and I drove over to Randy Carrier's so that she could work on his computer and help Randy with his Facebook website for his band "IIIrd Day Resurrection".
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, June 27th, Mary and I went over to Wade and Shirley Ledford's home for the Friday night jam session. Members of the band "3rd Day Resurrection" were all present and also Burl Mast was there picking his banjo. After the jam session/practice was over, Mary and I went over to Randy Carrier's home so that Mary could assist Randy with designing and launching a Facebook site for 3rd Day Resurrection".
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night was quite a treat at the Bogart Log Cabin weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. A lot of listeners and a lot of musicians showed up to be a part of a growing event. I can't remember how many musicians were actually there, but I'll give it a try: Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin & vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Moore, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, upright bass and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; George Bottcher, guitar and vocals; Edison Wallin, banjo; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; Troy Boone, mandolin; and upright bass player, Jacob Hensley; and probably a few more that I've missed. There were several jam sessions going on at the same time each providing different styles of Bluegrass-Only.

We've (the core group that started this Monday night music event) been very straight-forward in reminding everyone that the night is dedicated to playing only Bluegrass, not Old Country, New County, or Old Time. So far it's working out well and we hope it remains that way.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 21st, I composed a fiddle tune in the key of B Flat. I've named it "The Road To Top Notch" and I'm having a blast playing it. It's definitely Bluegrass and it rolls right along. I can't wait to try it out on my friends the next time we get together to pick. It lends itself very nicely to banjo, too. And getting into the key of B Flat raises everything up a bit which makes a pleasant change from so much stuff in the keys of G and A.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday night, the 18th, I played banjo with "3rd Day Resurrection" for a Revival Meeting at the Pinecrest Christian Church in Milligan where Randy Carrier is the Pastor. I enjoy playing with this band very much and look forward to practices and "get togethers" when ever we all can meet up.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 16th, the weekly "Bluegrass-Only" jam session was very well attended. Musicians present were: Charlie Moore, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, fiddle and vocals; and yours truly, banjo, fiddle and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 15th, I had band practice with "3rd Day Resurrection" over in Elizabethton. We worked mostly on a new song written by Randy Carrier and a couple of old "standbys". It was a very productive practice which we all enjoyed.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 9th, it was time to go to the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Unicoi Bogart log cabin. A large audience showed up to listen to the many musicians who came. Here's a list of the pickers (I hope I remembered them all): Ron Duncan, banjo & vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar & vocals; Frank Culler, guitar & vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin & vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin & vocals; Terry Tester, guitar, banjo and vocals; Charlie Erwin, vocals; and yours truly, guitar, mandolin & vocals. We all had a superb time.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 7th, I played from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. with "3rd Day Resurrection" at the Erwin High School grounds where the annual car show was being held.

There were so many absolutely beautiful automobiles that had been completely restored to mint condition. Mustangs, Corvettes, Road Runners, Street Rods, and all manner of antique A's and T's. I walked around the entire circle admiring each and every car, motorcycle and truck before it was time to practice out back of the stage and then perform.

Other musicians that I knew were there pickin' Bluegrass and I enjoyed listening to them. Lincoln Hensley and his group including Adam Larkey did a great job. I actually sat on stage in a lawn chair for their performance, so I got a real treat. Then, Edison Wallin and a group of his friends came up to play for an hour and they were enjoyable to listen to as well.

The weather was ideal for the car show and for picking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, the 4th, Mary and I were so saddened to learn of the passing of James Alan Shelton, guitarist for Dr. Ralph Stanley. We will miss his bright smile, friendly ways and his wonderful God-given talent. May he rest in Peace.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 2nd of June, many pickers gathered at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly "Bluegrass-Only" jam session. Those present and playing music were: Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Moore, guitar; Brian Harney, fiddle; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo, upright bass and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of June was the first day into our fourth year here in Tennessee. We moved here on the 31st of May, 2011.
----------------------------------------------------------------

May's Music & Miscellaneous Meanderings

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of May, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

On the 31st, Mary and I celebrated three full years of living in Tennessee. We had a very nice breakfast at "Friends" in Unicoi and a late lunch/dinner at "Fatz" in Elizabethton. Both of us love living here. Tomorrow will be the first day of year number four.
------------------------------------------------------

On Sunday afternoon, the 25th, "3rd day Resurrection" had a practice session in which we recorded both video and audio in the Pinecrest Christian Church in Milligan where Randy Carrier is the Pastor. We started about 2:00 and finished around 6:00 p.m. Mike Laws will mix and master the material and have it available for You Tube videos a little later on.
-------------------------------------------------------

On Thursday night, the 22nd, several of us pickers went down to the Red Barn in Sciotha and played some parkin' lot Bluegrass. Musicians I can remember there were: Ron Duncan, banjo; Jerry Sams, guitar; Terry Tester, guitar and mandolin; Lincoln Hensley, banjo; and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On Monday evening, the 19th, the Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi was a lot of fun with quite a few visitors present to listen to the musicians.

Those present to play Bluegrass were: Jim Woods, upright bass, fiddle and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo, upright bass and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals, Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, fiddle rhythm and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and banjo.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On Sunday evening, May 18th, "3rd Day Resurrection" performed at the Brick Church in Watauga, TN. It was a "Singspiration" and we were the only group performing. We played for about 1 1/2 hours. It was a fun time for all of us. Many asked us if we had any CDs available for sale.

Speaking of CDs, we are actually planning an upcoming CD. Our first CD recording session is scheduled for this coming Sunday afternoon.
----------------------------------------------------------------

May 12th, the Monday night Bluegrass-Only pickin' party at the Bogart cabin in Unicoi was a huge success. Several musicians showed up and lots of listeners. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar, vocals and fiddle; Randy Carrier, mandolin and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin and upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle, guitar, upright bass and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon I received notice that due to the weather our gig (Lonesome Road South) at the Erwin Car Show was canceled. Terry and Norma had already arrived in Erwin after having driven over from Elizabethton, so Mary and I decided to meet them at Mc Donald's in Erwin just to have a bite to eat and visit with them, anyway. After calling Jerry Sams, he decided to meet us there, too. And then Ron, Sherry and Gordon met us there, too.

We had a great time and decided to visit Jerry Sam's mother (86 years of age) and play some Bluegrass for her. She was pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed meeting us all and listening to the music. Terry and Norma returned to Elizabethton and were unable to come to Mrs. Sams to play music and visit.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday evening, the 8th of May, we went to the Red Barn where I immediately got into a picking session in the parking lot with several of my musician friends. The ones I can remember playing music with are: Ron Lewis, mandolin; Alfred Carter, fiddle and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Terry Tester, banjo, guitar, upright bass and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Charley Erwin, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, upright bass; and yours truly, banjo, guitar, fiddle, upright bass and vocals. The members of the band "Lonesome Road South" were all present and practiced for a while after other pickers departed.

We stopped just in time to catch the last song of the last band playing in the Red Barn. They were "Boots on the Ground" and they do a fine job.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday afternoon, the 5th of May, our band "Lonesome Road South" held a band practice from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. at the Unicoi log cabin. At 6:00, we all had a tasty bite to eat and went right into our weekly Monday night Bluegrass-Only jam session.

Here's a list of those who attended to jam: Mike Laws, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Steve Miegs, guitar and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Charlie Moore, guitar; and the band, Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, upright bass, guitar, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.

There were a lot of people who came to listen. The weather was absolutely perfect and we all had a wonderful time! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TERRY TESTER, May 6th, 2014.
----------------------------------------------------------------

April's Adventures

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of April, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

I missed the Monday night jam session at the log cabin in Unicoi. Mary has been down with a bad cold and I wanted to stay close by her.

In speaking with Sherry Duncan, she said just a few musicians showed up to play. They were: Terry Tester, Ed Dance, Jerry Sams and Niles Onks. Jim Woods came but didn't play an instrument choosing to just visit with those present.

Hopefully next week we'll have a full house again. This time of year has quite an effect on us all with colds and allergies.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon, the 27th, at about 2:00 p.m., "3rd Day Resurrection" took two cars and all our instruments and drove about 120 miles to Statesville, North Carolina, to perform for about an hour and a half (actually around 2 hours) at the Northview Free Will Baptist Church with Pastor Brother Donnie Dingess officiating.

Church members sure appreciated the Gospel Bluegrass music and each person came through a line at the end of our performance and shook our hands and congratulated us on a job well done.

On our return trip, we stopped in a little town off from I-40 and had a tasty meal at a nice restaurant named "The Boxcar Grill". I got back home at 12:00 midnight and was happy to hit the "hay".
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 26th, was the "Fiddlers and Fiddleheads" festival at the Farmhouse Gallery in Unicoi. There was probably around 20 - 25 bands that played throughout the day. I played from 11:00 a.m. 'til 12:00 noon in the band "3rd Day Resurrection". We played on the main stage. It was a gorgeous day, weather-wise, and I got to see hundreds of people, many of them friends I've met before at different musical events and jam sessions.

After our performance on stage, I sat in on a jam session with Grady Johnson, banjo; Jerry White, guitar; Ed Dance and Randy Carrier, mandolins; Mike Laws, acoustic bass guitar; and Frank Culler, singing high tenor. I played the fiddle for this jam. Much of the jam was filmed by a couple of friends I met up in the Kingsport area a couple of years ago.

There was also a "Car Show" held on the same grounds running all day, too. There were many antiques as well as hot-rods. These cars were beautiful, each and every one in their own glory.

I had been under the impression that "Lonesome Road South" was going to perform at this festival, but there was no sign of the band being on the list, so I got to go home early and be with Mary who has been down with a terrible cold and sinus ailment.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 21st, we gathered at the log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. It was very well attended and we played in the breezeway between the two distinct parts of the cabin structure. Quite a few musicians showed up and the music was great. Those players I can remember are: Ron Duncan, guitar & vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Frank Culler, upright bass and vocals; Randy Carrier, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Mike Laws, guitar, banjo and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, guitar and vocals; Charlie Moore, guitar; and yours truly, banjo, guitar and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 14th, we gathered at the log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. It was well attended. Musicians present were: Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Mike Laws, banjo, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; John Lynch, snare drum with brushes; Mary Warner, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, we went to the Sheriff's Bluegrass Extravaganza held at the high school in Erwin. Several bands played and the show lasted several wonderful hours. Sheriff Mike Hensley is running for re-election. In addition to being a very capable law enforcement official, he's one heck of a banjo picker!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 10th, Lincoln Hensley, Jacob Hensley and Edison Wallin filled in for The Ball Sisters who canceled out of playing at the Unicoi Christian Church as part of the Red Barn Series of music entertainment. Lincoln has become an outstanding banjoist is less than 2 short years under the expert tutoring of Edison.

"3rd Day Resurrection" was the last band to play from 8:00 'til 9:00. I played banjo and some fiddle. Frank Culler played upright bass and sang harmony. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang and Mike Laws played guitar and sang. We were very well received by the audience full of Gospel Bluegrass lovers.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 7th, we had a great time pickin' Bluegrass at the Bluegrass-Only pickin' party at the Unicoi log cabin. Musicians in attendance were: Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Moore, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle, mandolin and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Frank Culler, guitar and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Mary Warner, mandolin; Sherry Duncan, guitar; and yours truly, fiddle, mandolin and vocals. Several left early to catch a basketball game while the rest stayed and played 'til around 9:00 p.m.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday evening, the 5th, "3rd Day Resurrection" performed at the Hampton Christian Church in Hampton, TN., for the "Relay For Life" cancer benefit. There was a sizable gathering and several musicians and story tellers and everyone had a great time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 3rd, we attended the jam session at "The Old Pilot Hill General Store" in Philadelphia, TN. Some of the musicians in attendance were as follows: Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; Kenny Williams, guitar and fiddle; Jack Painter, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar; Jim Woods, guitar and upright bass; Ron Duncan, banjo; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; yours truly, fiddle and banjo; and several other pickers that I do not know personally.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of April 1st, "3rd Day Resurrection" performed at a religious Revival meeting at the Eastside Christian Church in Elizabethton. It was very well attended by members from as many as eleven other churches and services were wonderful.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Musical March

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of March, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The night of the 31st, many musicians showed up at the log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Monday Night Bluegrass-Only jam session. Mike Laws, guitar; Randy Carrier, mandolin; Frank Culler, upright bass; Jim Woods, upright bass; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin; Yours truly, banjo; and Ron Duncan who just sat and listened due to his sore throat. All of the members of "3rd Day Resurrection" were present and did several numbers that were well enjoyed by all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 30th, I performed along with other members of the band "3rd day Resurrection" at the Southside Christian Church in Elizabethton, TN. There was a large audience (in the hundreds) and the evening was filled with wonderful Gospel music. Mike Laws played guitar and sang an original piece he'd written back a few years ago; Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang an original piece he had written a short while ago; Frank Culler played upright bass and sang harmony; and I picked the banjo for both pieces. It was a very enjoyable "Singspiration".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 28th, I attended a funeral in Johnson City with fellow members, Mike Laws, Randy Carrier, and Frank Culler of the band "3rd Day Resurrection". We performed three pieces, all Gospel Bluegrass numbers. The Chapel was filled with family and friends and the service was beautiful. Frank played upright bass, Randy played mandolin, Mike played guitar and I played fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 24th, many musicians gathered at the log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Bluegrass Only jam session. Those playing instruments were: Frank Culler, guitar; Burl mast, banjo; Kenny Williams, fiddle and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Moore, guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on banjo and vocals. I played a few fiddle tunes at the close of the evening. Gay served chicken gumbo soup with cornbread and cold drinks while many of the members in the audience stuffed plastic Easter eggs with candy for an upcoming party. We all had a wonderful time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 23rd, there will be practice at Randy Carrier's home near Elizabethton, for the band "3rd Day Resurrection". Check out a couple of pieces Mike Laws has posted to YouTube here on our band page.

Practice was very productive and lasted for around 2 1/2 hours. Mike recorded much of what we did and plans to post it to YouTube later on. His YouTube site is here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The night of the 22nd, "Lonesome South" played at the Moose Lodge in Johnson City from around 7:45 - 11:00 p.m. There was a nice-sized audience and with Ron's "new" PA system, we could all hear each other and we could be heard by the audience, too. This was a big plus since the room is large and sound gets lost in the ceiling area.

We also used a different mic-ing system to great avail. Instead of just using my phantom powered "Blue" mic, we also used another phantom-powered mic for the fiddle and a condenser mic for Jerry's guitar.

Ron Duncan played banjo for the 1st set, while Terry Tester played the upright bass. Jerry played guitar and I played fiddle. The next set, Ron played mandolin and guitar, Terry played banjo, Jerry played guitar and I played upright bass. The third and final set, Ron played guitar along with Jerry, Terry played upright bass and I played banjo. Each of us contributed to vocals throughout the night.

We received good strong applause for many of the pieces and everyone had a super time. After the gig was over, Ron and Sherry, Gordon Hoyle, Jerry Sams, and Mary & I went to Perkin's restaurant for a late night meal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 20th, we attended the Red Barn Music Series at the Unicoi Christian church in Unicoi on Tennessee street. The 1st group to play was the "House band" that performs each Thursday night from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. The next band was a newly formed group of seasoned musicians including Terry Barnes, Grady Johnson and Jerry White and several others. They call themselves "Southern Heart" (I think I got that right, I'll check it out and edit later if necessary). They played from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

The last group to perform played here a couple of weeks back under the name of "Decker & Friends" but this time with the same members as before, they were called "Lincoln Hensley & Friends". The focus was rightly on Lincoln and his burgeoning talent as a banjoist. Under the watchful tutelage of Edison Wallin's instruction, Lincoln's playing has blossomed into a wonderful mix of styles including, but not limited to, that of Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Allen Shelton, Don Reno and Eddy Adcock; and of course Lincoln's own stylistic coloring.

I would have loved to remain in the Fellowship hall and listened to "Southern Heart", but I was unable to resist the urge to go next door to the church and listen to "Lincoln & Friends" warm up before their performance. I'm particularly moved by the twin fiddling of Joe Harris and Tommy Bullen. Their playing is just as good as anything you'll hear on the radio, no kidding. Couple this with the harmony banjos played by Lincoln and Edison, the superb guitar work by Tim Decker and what I think could match the best upright bassist in the business today, Gary Wayne Laws, it just doesn't seem to get any better for local talent. Wow! I'm sure glad we went.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 17th, Mary and I met our friends down at the log cabin in Unicoi for the Monday Night Bluegrass-Only Music Jam. It was well attended and lots of fine Bluegrass was played. Here;s an accounting of who was there and what they played: Kenny Williams, vocals, fiddle & guitar; Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; Niles Onks, fiddle, mandolin, guitar & vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar & vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, guitar & vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin & vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Charlie Moore, guitar; and yours truly, banjo & vocals. (I didn't play the fiddle this evening).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 15th, Mary and I went up to the Rheatown Market for the weekly Bluegrass mega-jam. I played fiddle for several hours and had an absolutely fantastic time jamming with so many really talented musicians. Here is a partial list of those that were there picking:
Marvin Gladwell, guitar; Brett Powers, guitar & vocals; Dale Shelton, banjo & vocals; Andrew Marshall, mandolin & vocals; Mathew Cruby, banjo, fiddle, upright bass & vocals; Eric Bowman, banjo & vocals; Phil Hensley, upright bass & vocals; Terry Wade, upright bass & vocals; Kenny Williams (he and I played a lot of twin fiddle work) fiddle, upright bass & vocals; Dave Deneau, fiddle; Ryan Henard, mandolin & vocals; Amber Henard, fiddle; Ty Fillers ( a very young boy. Watch for him, he's an up-and-coming star) fiddle; Mike Wilbur, guitar & vocals; Charlie Phillips, guitar & vocals; Marvin ?, mandolin; Maynard Shelton, mandolin & vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar & vocals; and two upright bass players who didn't play bass (that I know of), Charlie Booer and Dave Henard.

The above list is about half of the pickers that were there. I simply cannot remember the others or didn't know who they were. There were three large groups all jamming.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 13th, we enjoyed visiting with friends and listening to music at the Unicoi Christian Church as a part of the winter series of "Red Barn" music hosted by Burl Mast. The bands were Rhody Jane Meadows and a couple of ladies who provided wonderful vocal and instrumental accompaniment; and Jeff Sharpe and a few friends who played backup for him while he entertained the audience.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 9th, I have a band practice over in Siam (a part of Elizabethton, TN) as a banjo picker/fiddler in the band "IIIrd Day Resurrection". I had played with this band a while back but my schedule wouldn't allow too much actual involvement. Randy Grindstaff, their member banjo picker, has had to cut back some from pickin' with the group due to real painful arthritis and so I've agreed to pick with them temporarily while they wait for Randy's arthritis to improve. See their band page here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 8th we (Lonesome Road South) played at the Moose Lodge in Erwin from 8 - 11 p.m. There was a sparse audience when we began playing but the number picked up nicely by about 9:30 and we all had a great time. Ron started out with banjo and after the first set switched to mandolin and guitar. I played fiddle for the 1st set and then played banjo the rest of the evening. Terry had sliced his index finger of his left hand and it was too uncomfortable to pick banjo so he stayed on the upright bass for the whole evening. Jerry played guitar. Ron, Jerry and Terry all sang leads and harmonies. This is our last scheduled gig at this Moose for a while. The next Moose gig will be in Johnson City. The band loves playing at the various Moose Lodges because the folks there are so appreciative of our efforts and the music.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 3rd was to be our regularly scheduled Bluegrass jam but due to weather conditions it was canceled. We'll meet at the Bogart Cabin next Monday night (the 10th), weather permitting. It's warming up nicely most days and evenings now, so it won't be long and we'll all be pickin' outside again. I can't wait.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st of March found the band "Lonesome Road South" playing at The Crow's Nest Cafe in Elizabethton. Band members present were: Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, upright bass, banjo and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. A small, intimate audience assembled for the occasion and we all had a fun time.

After we finished up there, several of us went to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City. later, we went to Shoney's for an early breakfast. It was a fun-filled night to be remembered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another Fabulous February

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of February, 2014. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Friday night, the last day of February, Mary and I went over to Wade and Shirley Ledford's to visit with them and their guests. It's been a long, long time since we've seen the Ledford's and it was great to see them again. Wade sang a couple of original tunes while Frank Culler sang harmonies throughout the evening and played guitar. Mike Laws played banjo and guitar and sang lots of good old Bluegrass numbers. Randy Carrier played mandolin and sang lots of songs including a few originals.I played guitar at first and then switched over to fiddle.

In a way, it was like a reunion of the older version of "Third Day Resurrection" back when I was in the band. The band lately has consisted of Frank, Randy, Mike and Randy Grindstaff. (Randy Grindstaff played for many years with Carl Story). Randy's arthritis is acting up lately and he will be dropping out of the band.

We sure did enjoy visiting with Wade and Shirley and all their friends who came over to listen to the music and visit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 27th, we went to the Red Barn Series musical performances at the Unicoi Christian Church. I do not know who played from 7:00 'til 8:00 because I was over in the warm up room in the actual church listening to Tim Decker and his impromptu band recently assembled. WOW!

Edison Wallin and Lincoln Hensley both played banjos and did a superb job of harmonizing. Tommy Bullen and Joe Harris played harmony fiddles unbelievably well (just like listening to the radio). Gary Wayne Laws played his upright as well as he always does, which is about as good as anyone in the business. And Tim Decker played his guitar and sang his heart out hitting all those lonesome Bluegrass high notes with absolute perfection.

I sure do hope these fellows hang together. What a performance!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 24th, Monday evening, we all met at the log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly jam session.

Musicians present were: Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar and vocals; (Tommy Wilson, guitarist, was there but elected not to play this evening); Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro; Mary Warner, vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 19th, the core group of "Lonesome Road South" and some friends played at the Moose Lodge in Johnson City. We held a band practice in the back room and when ready, went out into the main area and played quite some time for a very lively audience.

Ron Duncan played banjo and provided vocals; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; I played fiddle; Ed Dance joined us to play mandolin; Jim Woods played upright bass and sang; and Gordon Hoyle played guitar.

We all had a super time pickin' 'n grinnin' !
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 17th, we all had a wonderful time at the log cabin Bluegrass-Only picking session.

Jim Woods played upright bass and sang; Roger Messer played guitar and banjo; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Niles Onks played guitar, mandolin and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and I played banjo, fiddle and sang. (There was another gentleman there who was also present last week who played guitar, but I did not get his name.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The latest record breaker for this website happened on February 15th. I had 2,919 visitors! This beats the earlier record by some 202 visitors. Thank You all so much for your continued interest. Be sure and check out Page 8 Photos.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the dinner hosted by the town of Unicoi was absolutely superb. I can't remember when I've tasted such excellent casseroles and desserts. The "History Group" deserves a great big "Thank You So Much" from all of us in the band "Lonesome Road South".

The newly formed Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Activities Center building of the Clinchfield Senior Center was postponed and re-scheduled to the following Tuesday night (the 18th) so that band members could make the dinner.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, the 10th of February, the jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi went really well. Niles Onks played guitar and sang; Ron Duncan picked banjo, guitar, mandolin and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Terry Tester played guitar and sang; Ron Lewis played mandolin; Ed Dance played mandolin and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and I played fiddle, a little bit of guitar and sang.

The women folk sat around and visited with one another and listened to us all. Everyone had a great time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 8th was a wonderful time at the Moose Lodge in Erwin where "Lonesome Road South" played from 8 'til 11:30 p.m.

A very large audience assembled to enjoy the evening. The full band was present. Ron Duncan played banjo and mandolin and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Chuck Poore played Dobro, guitar and sang; Terry Tester played upright bass, guitar, banjo and sang; and yours truly played fiddle, upright bass and sang.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 6th, we attended the concert at the Unicoi Christian Church where there were two bands playing back-to-back. The 1st band was the newly organized "Jeter Band" with Corey playing guitar and his father, Galen playing upright bass. The remainder of the band were all young, very talented musicians. I enjoyed this band very much.

The next band up was called "Boots On The Ground" and was comprised of several young men, a special female guest star and a couple of their fathers. Ryan Henard played mandolin, his young sister, Amber played a couple of numbers on the fiddle as a special guest, and their father, Dave Henard played upright bass. Colton Powers played banjo and his father, Beecher played guitar. Hunter Patterson played lead guitar (and bass), and Ethan Tollison played Dobro. This is a "hot" instrumental band and they all sing equally as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The 5th, we had a "Lonesome South" band practice here at the house. All members other than our temporary bassist, Terry Tester, were able to show. Practice lasted a little over 3 hours. A lot of material was covered, especially harmony lines.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 4th of February, several pickers met at the Clinchfield Activities Center at the corner of Elm and Union Streets in Erwin to play some Bluegrass. Many more pickers were expected but for one reason or another didn't show.

We still had a good time with just the few of us who did show. There will not be a jam session on Tuesday February 11th as the members of the band "Lonesome South" will be at a party in Unicoi.

Musicians who did show were: Niles Onks, guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, guitar and vocals; Henry Barnett, guitar; and yours truly on banjo, guitar, fiddle and vocals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 3rd, was a really fun-filled night at the Bogart Cabin in Unicoi where many local musicians met for the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. Ron Duncan played banjo and sang; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Niles Onks played guitar and fiddle and sang; Ron Lewis picked mandolin; Ed Dance picked mandolin and sang; George Bottcher played guitar and sang; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and another man (sorry, I didn't get your name) played guitar. Oh yeah, and I played fiddle, guitar and sang.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 1st: We all started out the month of February with a big Bluegrass bang! "Lonesome Road South" first played from 4:00 'til 6:00 p.m. at The Crow's Nest Cafe on Elk Street in Elizabethton. The establishment is owned and operated by Brian Irick and managed by his very capable employees. The breads and pies are "homemade" and all the food is super good tasting. Brian supplied the public address system making it easy on the band. Nearly all of the many tables were filled to capacity for our performance. We were shy one band member, Chuck Poore, who couldn't attend our first gig of the day, but we managed a great show even with his absence. Ron Duncan played banjo, mandolin, guitar and sang vocals; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang vocals; Terry Tester played upright bass, clawhammer banjo, 3-finger style banjo and sang vocals; and I played fiddle and upright bass and provided some vocals, too.

We'll be back there the first of March for a repeat performance, so if you're in the neighborhood, be sure and stop by.

Our next gig, immediately following, was up in Johnson City at the Moose Lodge from 8:00 'til 11:00 p.m.

Here, we had a full band as Chuck Poore met us there at the Moose. We had help setting up the system from Sherry Duncan and other help from Gordon Hoyle and my wife, Mary.

Ron played banjo, mandolin and sang vocals; Jerry played guitar and sang vocals; Chuck played his Dobro and also guitar and sang vocals; Terry played upright bass, clawhammer and 3-finger style banjo and sang vocals; and I played fiddle, upright bass and banjo and sang some vocals, too.

The audience was very appreciative of our efforts and a great time was had by all. I'm sure it won't be long and we'll be booked here again.

A Journey Through January

(Picture by Mary Warner)

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of January, 2014. Happy New Year! Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Today is the last day of January. It's been a long, bitter cold month. Some folks have spoken about a 40-year record for freezing temperatures. The snow is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but this is the South!

What I've missed most throughout the month is the playing of Bluegrass music with friends. It's been too cold to go anywhere and pick. People have huddled around their hot air vents and watched their televisions.

The Senior Center has been closed several weekdays, too, as the water mains inside the building have frozen several times.

Mary and I are ready for Spring! These arctic blasts belong far north of here and are no longer welcome.

There'll be Bluegrass tonight at Temple Hill and several of us die-hards will be there.

Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, myself and Warren Shelton played for several hours tonight at Temple Hill. It was a get-together in celebration of Doug Shelton's 83rd birthday. Lots of his friends showed up.

It felt great to pick and grin again. We played for at least a dozen cake walks. A collection was taken for a friend with cancer and around $367.00 was donated. What a wonderful evening of buffet foods, super friendships and Bluegrass music!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 28th of January, I wrote a fiddle tune in 2 parts. Part A is in the key of C Major and Part B is in the relative minor key of A Minor. I've named it "Tennessee Snowstorm" and it's written as a breakdown and intended to move right along. I've been having a lot of fun playing it tonight.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today's the 20th and we're still both inside, cooped up with the flu. Talk about feeling poorly, this strain of the flu is really something. I'm feeling a little better now, which is good because I can be more of a help to Mary while she's down.

We had been to the mall in Johnson City and to a few stores and we must have gotten the bug at one of those places. I'm going to get a flu shot when I feel well enough to travel. I've already had my pneumonia shot. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Mary.

After talking with Ron Duncan, I found out who all went to the Bogart log cabin for the weekly Monday night Bluegrass-Only jam session that Mary and I stayed away from due to our colds. Musicians present were: Ron Duncan, Jerry Sams, Chuck Poore, Terry Tester; Sheriff Mike Hensley, Mr. and Mrs. Niles Onks, Ron Lewis, Michael Little, Ed Dance and perhaps another one or two. Word is that everyone had a great time. Mary and I sure missed being a part of it all. We have grown to love the Monday night jam.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the Bluegrass-Only jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi was a huge success. It was as busy an evening as we've had yet with lots of listeners and lots of pickers. Those pickers present were: Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar, banjo and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Michael Little, Dobro guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; George Bottcher, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

It was a superb evening of fun and music and we're all now just waiting for next Monday night.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 11th, "Lonesome Road South" played at the Moose Lodge in Erwin. We started picking at 8:00 and stopped around 11:30 or so. What a great time we all had. The patrons really enjoyed the Bluegrass music and several danced at different times. After each tune and song, there was a hearty applause which continually inspired us band members to play well.

Band members were as follows: Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Chuck Poore, Dobro (resonator guitar), guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, upright bass, banjo (clawhammer and 3-finger style), guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo, upright bass and vocals.

Ron's wife, Sherry, ran the sound equipment beautifully as she always does, and Gordon Hoyle helped manage equipment transport and set up. Mary Warner (my wife) and Norma Campell, Sherry and Gordon sat nearby and provided encouragement and help with leveling the sound system. Chuck Poore's wife, sister and brother and his wife were also present and enjoyed the performance.

Ray, the master chef at the Moose Lodge cooked up some special meals for all those in attendance. It was truly a great time by all.

The Lodge wanted to book us for nearly every Saturday night but band members felt that would limit our possibilities of playing other venues, so we accepted a couple of more dates for February 8th and March 8th.
Our "Thanks" to everyone involved!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 10th, "Lonesome Road South" again practiced at our home in Unicoi. This time, Jerry's wife, Kathy and Ron's wife, Sherry, attended and had a wonderful visit with Mary while Jerry, Ron, Chuck and I played another 25 or so songs and tunes in preparation for Saturday's gig at the Moose Lodge in Erwin.

After practice, several of us went to Los Jalepenos Mexican food restaurant near WalMart's on exit 34. Tonight, we'll have the full band together. It just sounds so much fuller when the standup bass is involved, and our bassist, Terry Tester can just "tear one up" !
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 8th, "Lonesome Road South" has a band practice at the home of Fred & Mary. Terry will not be able to attend as Norma has church on Wednesdays.
Band practice went very well. We all worked on about 20 of the songs and instrumentals we are planning for the first set and a quarter. (We usually try to perform around 13/14 pieces per set.)

It was nice to get together again and play so much Bluegrass. It's been a while what with all the holidays and cold weather. Tennessee has seen some of the coldest weather that it's had in the past twenty years. (Personally, I can't wait 'til Spring.)

December's Doin's

(Picture by Mary Warner)

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of December, 2013. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

On New Year's Eve, "Lonesome Road South" played at the emergency squad building in Bluff City. Ron Duncan played guitar and did vocals; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang harmonies; Terry Tester played standup bass, guitar and sang lead and harmony; I played fiddle; and we had a special guest, Jason Boone playing mandolin with us. (We also had a couple of other fellows play bass and switch off while Terry would play guitar and sing. I do not know their names, but we thank them very much.)

It was a nice turnout for the evening and we left around 9:00 p.m. to go to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City to bring in the New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone.
----------------------------------------------------

December 30th: It's been kind of quiet what with the usual weekly Monday Night Bluegrass-Only jam suspended through the holidays, but we're all looking forward to everything quieting down and returning to normal so we can get back to pickin' 'n singin'.

Meanwhile, Mary has busied herself making the home so comfy and "Christmas-sy". I've been active at the Senior Center shooting pool each weekday morning. On the days the Center has been closed, I've played pool over at the Johnson City Civic Center with my good friend, "Red" Hovatter. I also shoot pool once in a while at the Moose Lodge in Erwin where I am a member.

Still, it'll be nice to resume playing music more often.
----------------------------------------------------

Mary and I attended a private party on the evening of the 21st here in Unicoi. Here, we met and played music with a very nice couple, Lonny and Amanda Finley. Lonny plays mandolin, guitar, upright bass and sings, and his wife, Amanda, plays upright bass. I played several fiddle tunes, some folk songs, old-time and Bluegrass with them while Mary played accompaniment on the mandolin and some on the guitar. We had a wonderful time and look forward to more picking and singing with them in the future. We also got to visit with our nearest neighbor, Kathleen O'Brien, a party guest as well. Our hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Don Ruble, a wonderful couple whom we've recently met and became friends with. Lonny is the music director at Kings University in Bristol, TN, and his wife, Amanda has just had her first book published. Click here.
----------------------------------------------------

The 16th, several musicians showed up to the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Bluegrass-only jam session. Musicians attending were: Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle. We all had a great time and also enjoyed some great chili and all the fixin's provided for a very modest cost by the wonderful people who work for the town of Unicoi.

We were pleased to see the honorable Mayor and the honorable Sheriff in attendance for a short while as they enjoyed the pickin' and singin'.
----------------------------------------------------

The 9th, a few die-hard Bluegrassers met at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly jam session. Ron Duncan picked mandolin and sang vocals; Terry Tester picked banjo and did vocals; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Niles Onks played guitar and sang; Roger Messer played banjo and guitar; and I played fiddle and banjo. Several other listeners were present and everyone had a fun time.
----------------------------------------------------

December 7th. Well, we're finally moved (been at our new home a couple of nights now) and finally got this internet connection going again. We always seem to have connection problems when we use Century Link, but alas, we're connected at long last.

We've relocated to a brick home in the Dry Creek area of Unicoi and turned our last place over to Mary's brother who loves the place and will keep great care of it. Mary's done most of the work (which she always does when we move, because she likes to have things orderly) and I've kept busy with some of the lifting, hauling and driving, as well as working diligently at the Clinchfield Senior center re-covering another pool table with my great friend Henry Barnett.

---------------------------------------------------
This morning, the 3rd, I composed a catchy waltz in the key of G (one sharp) that I've named "The Top Notch Waltz" in an effort to recognize the area where we've been for over two years. I've been so busy lately, I hope I can remember this tune long enough to write it down. All my recording equipment is packed up.
---------------------------------------------------

December 2nd, we had a wonderful time with many of our Bluegrass friends at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for our weekly Bluegrass jam session.

Those musicians in attendance were: Ron Duncan, guitar, banjo & vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Terry Tester, guitar, upright bass & vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass, guitar & vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle.

November's Noodlings

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of November, 2013. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Thursday, November 28th. HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

----------------------------------------------------

Tonight the 25th, Mary and I will attend the weekly Monday night Bluegrass jam session at the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi. It's one of those jams that I really look forward to since we have all agreed to only play Bluegrass.

Tonight, there were quite a few pickers that showed and it was an especially fun time. Those musicians in attendance were: Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo, guitar and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Chuck Poore, Dobro, guitar and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar, fiddle and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; and yours truly, fiddle and mandolin.

---------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 24th: After talking with my great friend, Donnie Perkins, last night, today I learned a tune he told me about during our conversation. The tune is called "Pretty Little Indian" and it was made popular by Curly Ray Cline some years ago. It took a few minutes to learn because it has a couple of extra beats in it that really add a "flavor" to it. I posted it on the blog page being played by another fiddler. Click here.
---------------------------------------------------

Friday evening, the 22nd, we went to a Bluegrass party at the home of Jim Woods, upright bassist and guitarist-vocalist from the Boones Creek area.

Jim had as his musician guests, Ed Dance, mandolin, vocals and guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin, guitar and vocals; Tim Carter, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle, banjo and vocals. Jim played upright bass, guitar and vocals.

It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by all.
---------------------------------------------------

Thursday, November 21st, Mary and I accompanied Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle as we all went to Philadelphia, TN, to the Pilot Hill General Store for a wonderful meal and around three hours of Bluegrass and fiddle music.

Musicians present were: Jack Painter, guitar and vocals; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Tim Carter, guitar and tenor vocals; Tim's daughter, Shelby on fiddle; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan; banjo, mandolin and vocals; another person on fiddle (I didn't get her name); Mary Warner, guitar and vocals; and yours truly on fiddle, banjo and vocals.

It was a wonderful evening at a great place with super friends.
---------------------------------------------------

The 18th of November, Mary and I went down to the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Monday Night Bluegrass-Only Jam Session. Little by little the musicians kept arriving until we had a nice compliment of instruments. Ed Dance and Ron Lewis played Gibson F-5 mandolins; Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle and Niles Onks held the rhythm section together with their Martin dreadnought guitars; Ron Duncan played lead and backup on his fine old (1933) Gibson banjo; Jim Woods held the music together overall with his fine upright bass playing; and lastly, I played my old French copy of a Joseph Guarnerius fiddle.

We all had a great time pickin', grinnin' an' singin'.
---------------------------------------------------

The 11th was another tremendous day for this website, www.frederickwarner.com. There were 2,397 visitors! On August 11th, 2013, the record number was reached which is still unequaled, standing at 2,617! I'm so happy to have so much traffic to this site. There is truly a world-wide interest in Bluegrass music and Mary and yours truly are very excited to share her photos and my playing experiences with everyone who is interested.

Tonight, we went down to the Bogart Log Cabin for the weekly Bluegrass jam. There were a few pickers that showed and we really had a wonderful time sitting in a nice cozy circle in a heated room playing our Bluegrass favorites. The evening seemed to start out with one Bluegrass instrumental after another for quite some time before anyone actually sang a song. Some of the instrumentals I can remember playing were: Big Mon, Big Country, Washington County Breakdown, Maiden's Prayer, Southern Comfort, Red Apple Rag, Lost Indian, Billy in the Low Ground, Ashoken's Farewell, Orange Blossom Special, Lonesome Moonlight Waltz, Cherokee Shuffle, Rawhide, Cincinnati Rag and several others. The remainder of the evening was filled by singing many of the old Bluegrass standbys.

Musicians present were: Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Terry Tester, banjo and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals. Not a guitar to be heard. It sure was strange, but it actually sounded very good. Usual weekly pickers that we missed were: Jerry Sams, Gordon Hoyle, Ron Lewis and Niles Onks. Hope to see them and others at upcoming picking sessions.
---------------------------------------------------

The 9th, "Lonesome Road South" played at the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi from around 1:30 'til 3:30 p.m.

While there, I saw a couple of newly acquainted friends, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Ellison. Albert worked for many years in the forestry business traveling to as many as five states finding timber and appraising it for a timber company in Hampton, Tennessee. He and his wife love to listen to Bluegrass music and faithfully show up every Monday night to be a part of our jam sessions. It was nice to see them today at the Veteran's Day celebration.

After finishing up at the town's Veteran's Day celebration, the band then played over at the Johnson City Moose Lodge for a couple of hours. The band consisted of Jerry Sams, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo and mandolin; Chuck Poore, Dobro; Terry Tester, upright bass and banjo; and yours truly, fiddle. (Chuck was unable to attend our session at the Moose Lodge). Again, here at the Moose we got to see lots of our friends. I played a couple of games of pool with Lou and we discussed re-felting one of the 4 tables they have.

After we finished there, several of the gang went to Thompson's up on Route 107, just out of Embreeville, to listen to the country band "Jay Birds" and to have a great tasting, huge, buffet. We spent a lot of time visiting with so many of our friends there. I briefly talked with Sheriff Mike Hensley as he was leaving and I also got to see Gail and Worley, Elmer, Doug and Virginia, Jerry and his wife, Eddy and Dorothy Ray, Julie Rogers and a couple of her adorable children (I sure wish I'd been able to visit with her husband, Frank, but he was working the late shift and unable to attend. Frank is one of the most talented musicians I've met down here in the South in addition to being a really nice guy.) We say many other friends, too. It was another great day in Tennessee.
---------------------------------------------------

The 8th, I spent the entire day at the Clinchfield Adult Center in Erwin. I arrived at 8:00 a.m. and shot billiards 'til 11:30, went to Hardee's for a quick lunch, and returned by noon to start working on one of the pool tables with my dear friend, Henry Barnett. We calibrated the nosing of each of the six cushions to be centered at a height of 1 13/32 inches above the table surface. We finished at 3:30 p.m. and I remained there until nearly 4:00 shooting different bank shots to test and familiarize myself with the new heights.
---------------------------------------------------

The 7th, Mary and I went to the Red Barn for about an hour or so and visited with many of our friends while the house band played from 6:00 - 'til 7:00. We had other business in Unicoi, so we didn't stay long. It was nice to see Frank Culler and Barbara King, Bob and Barbara Guinn, Mr. and Mrs. Wes Holtsclaw, Roy and Bonnie Barnett, Iss and Madelyn Barnett, Norma Jean Campbell and Terry Tester, Dean Scalf, Charlie Erwin, Elmer the "dancer", and many others, too.
---------------------------------------------------

The 4th, we went down to the Bogart log cabin in Unicoi for the weekly "Bluegrass Only" pickin' session. It was a smaller, more intimate jam with fewer musicians and listeners. Those pickers present were: Ron Duncan, vocals, mandolin, banjo and guitar; Ed Dance, vocals and mandolin; Terry Tester, vocals, upright bass and guitar; Chuck Poore, vocals, Dobro and guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Niles Onks, vocals and guitar; and yours truly, vocals and fiddle. The acoustics were much better owing to a smaller group and the fact that each player would back off when the singer was at work. This helps so much with attaining the "feeling" of the songs. A larger group also works when each player is a part of the whole.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On November 3rd, Mary and I went for a wonderful trip on a beautiful day. We went to Roan Mountain, Tennessee, to Spruce Pine and Burnsville, North Carolina, and returned home up through Red Hill and Buladean, NC, and back into Limestone Cove, TN. It was 100 miles total.

Mary took some amazing photographs which will eventually show up here on the site on a page yet to be created and titled "Autumn 2013".

Spruce Pine and Grassy Creek are both really neat townships that we enjoyed. We had lots of fun walking the streets in Spruce Pine and had a great lunch in Grassy Creek, before heading to Burnsville for a stroll down its' streets and lots of pictures in the park.

I spotted music stores in Grassy Creek and Burnsville, but they were closed as it was Sunday. We've agreed to go back on a weekday and further explore these areas when more businesses are open.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 1st, we went to Johnson City and did some shopping at various stores around exits 19 and 24.

Later, in the afternoon, when we were in Erwin snooping around looking for yard sales, I got the idea of going over the 12 mile trek through the Cherokee Forest Preserve across the Unaka Wilderness Range. It was a perfect, sunny, warm, blue-sky day for such an adventure and needless to say, we enjoyed every mile of the journey.

Due to Archery Season being in full swing, we met quite a few 4-wheel drive trucks loaded with deer hunters. Several stopped alongside our car to offer a nod of approval to our "Dallas Cowboys" license plate we're sporting in the front of our car.

We've been over the Unaka Wilderness trail before, but never so late in the fall. The white oaks were really strutting their stuff all dressed in golden russet colors. The mountains, hollers and hillsides were absolutely alive in deep golds, reds and yellows.

Mary took more than 100 photos and she'll be posting many on this site as time permits, so be sure to watch for them on a subsequent visit.

Tennessee is beautiful!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

October Odyssey

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of October, 2013. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The 31st, Mary and I went down to the Red Barn to visit with many friends we haven't seen for some while and to listen to the Bluegrass bands. The first band that played from 7:00 'til 8:00 was called "Terry Barnes and the Monday Night Gang" and they were very good. It was comprised of Terry playing fiddle; Grady Johnson playing banjo; Noah Johnson (perhaps a distant relative ?) also playing banjo; Jerry White on guitar; and a man named Ed ? who is also the bassist for Ralph Stanley the Second. The band was great to listen to.

The second and last band to perform was "Decker and Skinner" and, as usual, they rocked the walls with Don Reno-style banjo pickin', high tenor singing and downright fantastic music makin'! Jason Skinner picked banjo; his son, Zayn, played mandolin; Gary Laws played the upright bass; and Tim Decker picked guitar. What a tight sound they all had.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The 29th, Mary and I rode up to Bluff City with Ron, Sherry and Gordon for a special pickin' party put together by Jerry Malone, a Bluegrass music enthusiast and member of the Bluff City Emergency Squad. And what a party it was! Most all of the Bluegrassers from miles around were there.

The highlights were members from "Appalachian Trail" (Tom and Vicky Austin and Tim Laughlin), "Duty Free" (Charlie Powers and Hal Boyd), and "Breaking Tradition" (Hal Boyd). Also, Cory Jeter's new band was simply amazingly tight.....Way to go, Corey!

A fragment of "Lonesome South" was in attendance and able to play with the talented assistance of a young guitar picker from the ETSU program. I didn't catch his name, ( I think it was John Rose?) but he sure helped us (Ron Duncan, Terry Tester and yours truly) when we went to the stage and performed.

I enjoyed jamming in one of the many jam rooms with fellow pickers: Randy Singleton, banjo and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ashley Davis, fiddle and vocals; Tim Laughlin, mandolin; Tommy Austin, mandolin and vocals; Vicky Austin, upright bass and vocals; Frank Wing, banjo; a real hot Dobro picker ( don't know his name); Ed Dance, mandolin; Ryan Henard, mandolin and vocals; and several others who were in and out of the room at different times.

I also got to meet Phil Shiplett, mandolin builder. His mandys are about as "woody" as can be. Wow! I also got to meet Savanna Vaughn, a young fiddler from the local area who is in a band named "Fall Creek". She is very good at fiddling and singing. The young woman who fiddles in Cory Jeter's band is also very talented, although I didn't catch her name.

I also noticed many other musicians either playing on stage, jamming in the rooms, or just wandering around. Some that I can remember are as follows: Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; Kenny Williams, fiddle and vocals; Joe Thompson, guitar; Roger Messer (didn't play anything tonight); Galen Jeter, upright bass with his son Cory and their band; G.C. Matlock (didn't play tonight); and many others I've picked with but don't know their names.

There must have been 35 different types of desserts on a long table and available for free to all in attendance. Again, what a great evening of Bluegrass, friends and food!
---------------------------------------------------------------

Last night, the night of the 28th, there was a wonderful Bluegrass pickin' session at the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi. It was attended very well by quite a few musicians and lots of listeners. Musicians in attendance were: Chuck Poore, Dobro and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, vocals and even a little fiddle later on in the evening; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Terry Tester, upright bass, vocals and banjo; James "Jimmy Lee" Clayton, banjo & vocals; Frank May (a guest from Florida), mandolin and vocals; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and upright bass.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 21st, Mary and I went down to the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Monday night Bluegrass Jam. There was a wonderful turnout of musicians and fans and we all had a great time picking and grinning. Gay served steaming hot potato soup, cornbread, apple turnovers, cookies, coffee, soft drinks and water before we all started picking some mighty fine Bluegrass.

Musicians present tonight were: Terry Tester, banjo, vocals and guitar; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; Niles Onks, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and vocals.

----------------------------------------------------------------

On the 20th, I started working at the Senior Center from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. before finally finishing the pool table repairs. Be sure and look for pictures coming soon to the "Billiards page".
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the 19th, I met my buddies down at the Senior Center and we worked from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on the pool table again. I had to quit early due to being hired to play at the Bogart Log cabin.

"Lonesome South" played at the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi for "Heritage Days" where period players dressed as 1812 war soldiers. The band played traditional Bluegrass for several hours and was treated to a fine meal of beans and cornbread and collard greens.

Band members were: Ron Duncan, banjo; Jerry Sams, guitar; Chuck Poore, Dobro; Terry Tester, upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle. We all enjoyed playing music very much.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the 18th, I started repairing the pool table at the Clinchfield Senior Center along with Red Hovatter, Henry Barnett and Otis. We began at 12:00 noon and stopped at 4:00 p.m.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the 17th, this website received 1,041 guests. It's absolutely wonderful to have so many visitors stop in and browse through the pages. Many, many "Thanks" to all who do so.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 16th, after I'd spent all morning shooting billiards at the Clinchfield Senior Center in Erwin, I came home and picked up Mary and we went to Johnson City to pick up the band "Lonesome South's" business cards from the printer, Office Max.

After having a delightful meal at a Deli-type restaurant, we decided to deliver some of the business cards to band members. Our first stop was at Jerry Sam's home in Unicoi, followed by a stop in Erwin at the home of Ron and Sherry Duncan. After a short visit, Ron, Sherry, Gordon Hoyle, (Ron's neighbor) and Mary and I all went to "Los Jalepeno's" at exit 34 for some great tasting Mexican food.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 15th, Mary and I returned from a wonderful trip to Georgia and Florida. We drove down to Augusta, Georgia, on the 10th and left there the morning of the 11th and drove to Navarre, Florida, where we stayed until the morning of the 14th before driving back to Augusta. There, we spent the night at a motel again before leaving this morning for Limestone Cove, Tennessee. We spent a lot of time enjoying the beaches of Fort Walton Beach and Navarre. We had a wonderful time enjoying the fabulous weather.

It was also nice to be back home in the majestic mountains of Tennessee. The leaves are well into their way of turning many shades of yellow and red and the hills are vibrant with the splendid colors of Autumn. Coming through Sam's Gap (elevation over 3,300 feet above sea level) on the North Carolina - Tennessee border, the sky was a brilliant blue color in contrast to the colorful mountainsides. What a welcome home!

It was also nice to again play the two fiddles I have down here in Tennessee with me. I hadn't played them in several days since I did not take them with me to Florida. Tomorrow night there will be a band practice for "Lonesome Road South" and I can hardly wait, I'm so anxious to play.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 7th, I went down to the Clinchfield Senior Center and shot billiards for about three hours and then went over to have the oil changed in the Jeep.

Later, I had a fiddle tune idea come into my head and spent the afternoon working it all out. It's a really cool tune I've named "The Blue-Nosed Mule". It's in the key of "D" and it moves right along. Now, tonight, I'll have to try it on my Bluegrass buddies when we jam down at the log cabin in Unicoi.

The log cabin Bluegrass jam was lots of fun tonight. The weather was a little damp and cool so we didn't play as long as we usually do.

Much to Mary's surprise, a Birthday party was held in her honor. A pineapple cake and a peanut butter-frosted cake were delicious. The gang sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Her Birthday was actually on the 6th.

Musicians that came to play were: Ed Dance, mandolin; Jim Woods, upright bass; Niles Onks, guitar and mandolin; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin and guitar; and yours truly on fiddle. Eddy Ray was around before we started picking and had his mandolin with him, but left early to avoid the damp, cool weather and the potential for catching a cold.

I didn't get a chance to play my new fiddle tune "The Blue-Nosed Mule" for the musicians as the music was flowing freely and nearly without a let up. Everyone had a great time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, the 6th, Mary and I had breakfast in Johnson City where she shopped for a while. We also had lunch there in the Mall. Later, for dinner, we went to the Maple Grove restaurant with Ron and Sherry. Mary had a very enjoyable Birthday.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On Saturday night, Mary and I went to the "Fatz" restaurant in Elizabethton where we were both treated to a fine dinner by Frank and Barbara in honor of Mary's birthday. After dinner, we came back to the house and I settled in to practicing fiddle for a couple hours before heading to bed.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 4th, I practiced playing fiddle for several hours and had a great time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Today, the 3rd, I practiced fiddle tunes for quite a while.

It's nice to have the computer repaired, somewhat, so that I can be back online and check out my website from time to time and answer all the emails that have built up in my absence. Not sure I like the quality of Google as much as I used to. The company may have gotten too big for its' britches. Time will tell. Anyway, it's nice to be back.
----------------------------------------------------------------

September Socials

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of September, 2013. Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Sunday, the morning of the 22nd, Mary took me to breakfast at The Huddle House in Erwin. Then, at my suggestion and with her cameras on hand, we drove up through Ernestville, Tennessee, and into North Carolina through the Shelton Laurels and by some of the most beautiful mountains, hollers and streams, one could ever imagine. We eventually came out on the road to Greeneville, TN., and had lunch there at Dairy Queen before heading back home. We covered a distance of 120 miles. Mary took many gorgeous photographs of the morning fog in the mountains and lots and lots of other interesting pics that will eventually be placed here on the site. It was a beautiful day in every way.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the 21st, I learned the fiddle tune "Waynesboro" which is a catchy little "old-time' tune. I also practiced "Rickett's Hornpipe" and "Durang's Hornpipe" for a while, too. Actually, I played on and off for the better part of the day, switching back and forth between fiddles and comparing the tone quality of both of them. I must have played 100 tunes.

I guess the Maggin seems a little deeper sounding on the lower notes, but I can't really decide, they're so darned close to each other. There might be a hint of reverberation on the high end of the Guarnerius that isn't quite as present on the Maggin, I'm just not sure. I don't remember another time when two fiddles I've owned have been so close to each other in sound.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 20th, I rubbed a sparing portion of graphite powder on each of the fiddle pegs on the French copie of Joseph Guarnerius during the process of changing the strings from the Prims to Helicore Mediums. This makes tuning much easier. The Helicores just brought out all the gorgeous tone of the violin. I thought it sounded great with the Prims, but what a difference when I put the Helicores on. Wow! I've been playing my Guarnerius and Maggin most of the afternoon. What great sounding instruments they are.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 16th, was the weekly Bluegrass jam at the Bogart Cabin in Unicoi. There were not many Bluegrass musicians in attendance as several were off doing other things or unable to make it. But, those that showed had a wonderful time. Jim Woods played the upright bass and some guitar toward the end of the evening when he sang a few numbers; Ed Dance played mandolin; Ron Lewis played guitar mostly with some mandolin later. Ron Duncan played guitar, banjo and mandolin and sang lots of the old traditional numbers; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; and I played fiddle. Mary played guitar for several tunes and some back-up fiddle.

Later, several of us went to Los Jalepenos' Mexican restaurant near Walmart's in Unicoi.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The afternoon and early evening of the 14th, "Lonesome South" played for an absolutely beautiful wedding for Jamie and Shane Campbell at the Harvest Acres Farm in the country setting of Limestone, Tennessee. It was a magnificent day without a cloud in the blue sky. The wedding was fabulous and the food and wedding cake really tasty.

The band consisted of Ron Duncan, banjo and guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar; Chuck Poore, Dobro; Jeff Lewis, upright bass; and yours truly on the fiddle. "Lonesome South" was very well received and we were quite a "hit" with many of the guests.

After leaving the wedding, we drove a few more miles over to the Rheatown Market to the weekly Saturday night Bluegrass jam session. Many, many, of the usual pickers were there and playing strong when we arrived. Rather than try to add to what was already in progress, Ron and I decided to start a new jam session out in the store section. We joined in with Dave Wilhoit and Marvin Gladwell who were both playing guitars and Jeremy Painter, mandolin and John Skelton, upright bass. Kenny Williams and I both played fiddles. I tested my "new" Jospeh Guarnerius French fiddle out to see how well it would do with so many other instruments playing and it performed much to my satisfaction. It was great to see so many friends, again. We all love going to the Rheatown jams.

Some of the pickers I remember seeing tonight that I didn't get a chance to pick with are: Charlie Booher, bass; Brian Harney, fiddle; Maynard Shelton, mandolin; Claude Smith, mandolin; Rick Guinn, banjo; Terry Wade, upright bass; Dale Shelton, banjo; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and Mike Wilburn, guitar. There were other musicians playing that I have yet to have the good fortune of meeting and picking with, but I'm sure I'll get to do so eventually. I sure hope so, anyways.

I also learned a couple "new" fiddle tunes tonight. The first one is called "Possum Sittin' on a Gum Stump" and is in the key of D and has a B Minor in it. It transitions nicely into an old tune I've known forever called "Lost Indian". The second tune is called "Big Sciota" and even though I've heard this tune many times and played along with it on the guitar and banjo, I finally learned it on the fiddle by watching and listening to Kenny Williams and Jeremy Painter play through it several times.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 12th, I played music with a group of friends down at the parking lot of The Red Barn in Unicoi. As soon as I pulled into the lot with the car, I was asked to jam Bluegrass. I had hoped to get to play my "new" fiddle, but the clear need was to have an upright bass playing along with all the other instruments, so, I played the upright bass all evening while others contributed by picking their favorite instruments. Ron Duncan and Gordon Hoyle played guitars; Edison Wallin and Lincoln Hensley picked banjos; Charlie Erwin, Charley Edwards and Earnest Garland played guitars; Ron Lewis played mandolin and quite a few listeners gathered to listen to the traditional Bluegrass being played. Terry Tester, Roger Messer, Warren Shelton, Wes Holtsclaw and Voyd Hopson were around, but didn't play in the jam session. We all had a great time, but were forced to break up at around 8:00 p.m. due to an impending, lightning-filled sky that eventually dropped a great deal of rain all over eastern Tennessee.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 10th of September, Mary underwent dental surgery and I had a Doctor's appointment in the morning and in the afternoon, I got another fiddle to add to my collection. It was one of the many fiddles I had played earlier in the week at Campbell's Morrell Music store in Johnson City. The French copy of a Joseph Guarnerius. It has a wonderfully sweet "grassy" sound to it and already has been assigned the role of being tuned in "Open A" for tunes like "Black Mountain Rag". I also picked up a "Jacques Remy" carbon bow with the wood exterior casing. I just love this bow because it allows the real sound of the fiddle I'm playing (no matter which one) to come through with no real obvious "coloring" like several of the other cheaper wooden and more expensive carbon-fiber bows I have. It's also very light and beautiful to look at. The sound is clean and clear. I love it!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This morning, September 7th, after having a wonderful pancake breakfast at the Methodist church in Erwin to benefit the football team, Blue Devils, Ron Duncan and I went up to Johnson City to the Farmer's Market and listened to "The Old Timers" Bluegrass band as they performed there under a canopy on a beautiful, sunny Tennessee morning. There was a town-wide yard sale going on elsewhere in the city that kept Mary and Sherry busy for nearly the entire day.

The "Old Timers" consists of Terry Nelson, guitar; Bill Slimons, guitar; Charley Black, upright bass; James Clayton, banjo and Terry Tester who was absent due to having to play with the "Roan Mountain Hilltoppers" out toward Nashville. Today, though, Alice Hensley sat in with the band and played fiddle. She did a great job. When Terry Tester plays with the group he switches off between banjo, guitar and upright bass; whatever the situation requires. Charley asked me to play a tune along with the band and I happily agreed and played his upright bass to the tune "Redwing".

After leaving the Farmer's Market, we went over to Campbell's Morrell Music where I played approximately 10 different violins ranging in price from $595.00 to $2,499.00. Several violins caught my attention while others failed miserably to impress me or Ron who was standing nearby and listening intently.

We had planned to go to Carter Fold and listen to Ralph Stanley and his grandson, Nathan, but we all decided we were too tired after a long day of shopping around the city.

In the evening, I practiced playing my fiddle for quite a while. My daily practice page now has around 70 fiddle tunes and it takes a bit of time to get through them all.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 6th, several of our Bluegrass "gang" went up to Blountville to the Anderson House to pick some Bluegrass with friends up there. We were all hoping to see Phil Hensley, but unfortunately, he did not attend the jam session.

Many other musicians did, however, and at least two rooms were full to capacity with pickers. I started out by joining Kenny Williams, fiddle, and his friend, Joe, guitar in a back room (the "fireplace" room). I played banjo. Ron Duncan played guitar and so did Gordon Hoyle. Mary played mandolin. It was a nice little "jam". Before we had played but just a few tunes, we were joined by another two banjos, two more mandolins, and a couple more guitars. The room was now packed too full for its' ability to attenuate sound. (Kenny and Joe left). The sound went from a level where the singing could be adequately heard to a condition I've long called "Guitar Wars", where each musician, in an effort to be heard, played harder and louder than his/her neighbor until the room was a jumble of unintelligible conflicting guitar strums, mandolin chops, banjo rolls, and the singer could not even be heard. The "fun" went right out of the moment. Even though each instrument had a $30.00 electronic tuner attached to it's peghead, the room was full of out-of-tune instruments battling for supremacy. I could no longer bear it and quietly got up and stepped out of the room.

I found another room, a vacant one. Aha! Peace and quiet. I took my fiddle out and began to play quietly. The distant rumble of "Guitar Wars" could be heard in two adjoining rooms, but I was at peace in my own little "Heaven". Before long, I was joined by Mary with a mandolin and Ron Duncan with his guitar. We were playing Bluegrass and enjoying ourselves, when little-by-little the room I had been in emptied into this room and the "Wars" started all over again.

It seems that several of the area musicians might be lacking Bluegrass etiquette skills. Although we each enjoy everyone socially and understand that this "condition" occurs frequently until aspiring musicians develop the necessary skills to play for the "flow" of music itself, rather than to be "heard" at all costs, still, we did travel quite a distance in the hopes of an enjoyable evening of Bluegrass.
---------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 5th, I attended a Bluegrass jam session at the Red Barn out in the parking lot. The weather was just about perfect for pickin' Bluegrass, although it cooled down a little too much after dark and most of us put on jackets or sweaters.

Those present that were playing music were: Curtis Carter, guitar; Alfred Carter, fiddle; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Voyd Hopkins, guitar; Terry Tester, upright bass; and yours truly on fiddle. It was Norma Jean Campbell's birthday and we all surprised her with gifts and cards and sweet things to eat. We love her dearly and always look forward to seeing her.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 4th, I attended band practice at the home of Chuck Poore in Unicoi. We practiced from around 6:45 'til 9:15 p.m. going over two sets we now have ready for a wedding we're playing in Limestone, TN., (near Greeneville) on the 14th. Chuck will be switching back and forth from a "D-tuned" Dobro and a standard-tuned Dobro, while Jerry Sams will be playing guitar; Ron Duncan, banjo, guitar and mandolin; Jeffrey Lewis, upright bass and yours truly, fiddle.
----------------------------------------------------------------

September 2nd, we went over to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City to play Bluegrass music at their Labor Day picnic at the Lodge house. Ron Duncan played banjo; Jerry Sams, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jeffrey Lewis, upright bass and yours truly, fiddle. We played there from around 3:00 until around 6:00 and packed up and headed for the Unicoi Log Cabin where we played until around 9:00 p.m. While at the cabin, we were joined by Terry Tester, upright bass, guitar and banjo; and Chuck Poore, Dobro. Jeff Lewis was not able to come to Unicoi and play tonight. We're very thankful to have had him play with us at the Moose Lodge. Several towns folks were present to listen to the wonderful Bluegrass being played.

After we left the Unicoi Log Cabin, Gordon, Ron, Jerry, Sherry, Mary and I went to the Moose Lodge in Erwin and hung around visiting with fellow members for a while before heading home. It was truly a wonderful day.

Adventures in August

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of August, 2013.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

Saturday afternoon, evening and night, the 31st, Mary and I attended a fish-fry party off from Bumpus Cove road in Embreeville. I had to play with Ron Duncan, banjo; Jerry Sams, guitar; Jeff Lewis, upright bass; and yours truly, fiddle. Early during the afternoon, Warren Shelton played upright bass with us before Jeff got to the party.

The party was in honor of Denny Trent's 67th birthday. We all are very thankful for the wonderful hospitality and friendship Denny has shown us musicians and our better-halves. The party was very well attended and the farm-grown catfish treated with Denny's own special spices, was absolutely tasty, as were all the other dishes including salads, vegetables, soup beans and corn bread. We all had a wonderful time. What a great close to a busy Bluegrass August!
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night we went up to "Temple Hill" for a Bluegrass picking party and buffet supper. What a treat all the different foods were. Musicians were: Edison Wallin, guitar and banjo; yours truly, fiddle; Warren Shelton, electric bass; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Lincoln Hensley, banjo and guitar; Jacob Shelton, mandolin; and Burl Mast, banjo.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night we went down to the "Red Barn" and I never did get to the actual building. I no more than got out of the car and I found myself in a three-hour jam session in the parking lot where I played upright bass the whole time. Other musicians present were: Ron Duncan, guitar and mandolin; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Terry Tester, banjo; Alfred Carter, fiddle; Charlie Erwin, vocals on one number; and maybe one or two more that I've already forgotten. We all had a great time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday morning at about 4:00 a.m., our guests left for their home in Florida. It was so much fun seeing Bill & Sally again. They were here for a total of nine nights and we had them out picking and listening to Bluegrass for 6 of the 9. Not bad, if I don't say so myself. They've made friends with many people up here and got to see a lot of them on this trip. We'll sure miss them and hope to see them next August if not sooner.

Note: My good friend Tom Harrald passed away today at the Johnson City Medical Hospital after a long illness. He was a very kind and humorous fellow and I thoroughly enjoyed him each time I would see him and play music with him. He will be missed very much. Please see his obituary posted in the "In Memory Of" page.

Wednesday evening, I played with the band "Third Day Resurrection" at Pine Crest Christian Church in Milligan. The church is directed by Randall Carrier, Pastor (our mandolin player). Tonight, another Pastor delivered the sermon allowing Randy to spend his time picking Bluegrass Gospel with the rest of the band members, Frank Culler, Mike Laws and yours truly. There were approximately 25 in attendance plus the band. Sandwiches, fruits, beverages and cake were served following the sermon. We all had a wonderful time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wow! What a nice turnout on Monday night, the 26th, for the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session at the old log cabin in Unicoi. let's see if I can remember all the musicians: Niles Onks, fiddle, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ed Dance, mandolin and vocals; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo and vocals; Jerry Sams, guitar and vocals; Chuck Poore, Dobro and vocals; Darrell Wayne Hall, vocals; Jim Woods, upright bass and vocals; and yours truly, fiddle and upright bass. What a great session also attended by many towns folks and others from farther away.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, I asked Mary, Bill & Sally, to come to Gospel Bluegrass practice with me down at the East Side of Elizabethton at the home of Mike Laws. They were happy to come along and we all had a great time visiting with Mrs. Mary Laws, Suzy Laws, Barbara King and band members Randy Carrier, Frank Culler, Mike Laws and yours truly. We practiced for an hour and a half in preparation for a performance we have scheduled for this coming Wednesday evening.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 24th, Bill and Sally and Mary and I went to Kingston and browsed through the antique shops on Broad Street. From there we went to Gate City, Virginia, to the "Lazy Time Pickin' Parlor" music store where Bill and I played for some time with other musicians we had just met while there.

I had a great, lengthy visit with Leonard Stallard, the owner, who showed me a bunch of valuable fiddles he had for sale. We had a wonderful chat about his early days when he would travel the northern states delivering freight for a trucking company and when he would travel the southern states buying up fiddles, banjos and the like.

From there, we were early to arrive at Carter Fold, so we took the Federal Road up over a tall mountain range (part of the Clinch mountains) and down the other side towards Coeburn. Then we went back to Weber City and Gate City and took the road to Carter Fold.

When we arrived at Carter Fold we had a fantastic time being entertained by "The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band". Mary and Sally took lots of pictures of which I'll post Mary's here. I made a point to introduce myself to each member and chat with them. I was especially blown away by their fiddler, Dan Kelly, and of course, Leroy Troy, the "star" and leader of the band who is amazingly gifted.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday morning, the 23rd, I took a few minutes and learned the tune "Arab Bounce". I hadn't played it in many, many years, but fortunately, it came right back. Now that I've got it on the fiddle, I'll have to recall how I used to play it on the banjo some thirty years ago. It's a great tune that was on an old Jimmy Martin tape I had years back. It's always nice to have another great Bluegrass jam tune in the repertoire.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 22nd, we rode up to Philadelphia to the old Pilot Hill General Store with Bill and Sally, our guests from Florida. There at the store, we met Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. After a very tasty meal, we all settled in to some mighty fine pickin'!

Musicians present were: Kenny Williams, vocals, upright bass and fiddle; Alice Hensley, fiddle; Gary Taylor, fiddle; Bill Fernald, guitar and vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jack painter, guitar and vocals; Ron Duncan, mandolin, banjo, guitar and vocals; a man playing upright bass who I haven't been introduced to; a young man by the last name of Carter who played guitar and sang; and yours truly on banjo and later on fiddle. Later in the evening, Keith Williams showed up and he, Ron, Bill and I had quite a jam session.

it was a real treat for me to play the fiddle while Keith played guitar. I played "Jerusalem Ridge", "Old Dangerfield", "Monroe's Hornpipe", "Cricket on the Hearth" and other tunes. Ron sang traditional Bluegrass and Bluegrass Gospel songs while Bill, Keith and I accompanied him. It all sounded so great!

Mary and I were delighted to have our dear friends Bill and Sally have the opportunity to be a part of such wonderful music played by so many wonderfully talented friends.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, I recorded four songs for Bill Fernald here at my studio. Later, I'll multi-track several other instruments along with his voice and guitar and make a little CD for his listening pleasure. It was fun to create tracks of Bill singing and playing.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, we traveled with Bill and Sally and met Ron, Sherry and Gordon and we followed them to Bluff City for the Tuesday night Bluegrass jams at the Emergency Squad Building.

When we first arrived, I got out my fiddle and played a mess of "Old-Time" tunes with a young, very talented drop-thumb banjo picker. later I was relieved by Kenny Williams and Ryan Nickerson who played guitar and fiddle and did an hour and a half on stage playing "Old-Time" tunes. They were joined by another fellow on guitar and Ron Lewis on mandolin. While they were all playing on stage, Ron Duncan, Gordon Hoyle, Bill Fernald and yours truly jammed in a practice room.

Later we were asked to go up on stage and Ron, Kenny, Aaron Smith (guitar and bass), and another young man (guitar and bass) accompanied us. Then after a brief pause, another fellow in his seventies joined us for a spirited round of tunes.

When we finally tired, we went to one of the music rooms and listened to "Duty Free" jamming and enjoyed ourselves very much.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 19th, Ron and I went over to ETSU in Johnson City to check into their wonderful Bluegrass program and find out more detail about the many bands that form and I wanted to know about some of the classes, too. We had a perplexing time finding parking and finding the building we had to be at, but finally arrived at a place to park and the correct building. The lady was very helpful and we're looking forward to our return visit on the 22nd.

Our friends Bill and Sally arrived in the afternoon and after a wonderful visit catching up on all the news, we all went down to the Bogart Log Cabin in Unicoi for the Monday night Bluegrass-Only jam session.

There were lots of musicians present and lots of listeners, too. Musicians were: Kenny Williams, guitar & vocals; Ryan Nickerson, fiddle; Bill Fernald, guitar & vocals; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Jim Woods, upright bass & vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin & vocals; Ron Duncan, banjo, mandolin & vocals; Mike Little, Dobro; Mike Sanford, guitar & vocals and yours truly, upright bass & fiddle. Other musicians that were present and didn't play were Bob and Barb Guinn and Mary Warner. Everyone had a wonderful time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday afternoon we were invited to Country and Bluegrass singers Bob and Barbara Guinn's home for a tasty stuffed chicken buffet with all the fixin's. Bob's a great cook!

Mary helped Barbara on her computer while Bob and I had a good old visit. We enjoy these mountain folks very much. They're down-to-earth country people and they're our neighbors living only a mile away. They have a wonderful home that Bob built in a quaint mountain setting.

Later, I went to band practice down in the East Side of Elizabethton with the band "Third Day Resurrection". We're working on a demo and already have over 20 some Gospel Bluegrass songs recorded for possible inclusion on a demo CD. It's fun playing the banjo and fiddle with these fellows.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night we went up to Thompson's to listen to "Spivey Mountain" as they performed live from 7:15 until 9:30 p.m. Mike Hensley played banjo; his son, Jamie Hensley played guitar and carried most of the vocals; Bobby Ramsey played the mandolin and did a great job on the harmonies; and the upright bass was covered by Eric Larkey who was standing in for their regular bass player, Mike's brother, Marlin.

The band is well received and very popular among the locals.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 16th, we went up to Temple Hill to the Bluegrass Party. We arrived at about 6:30 and left around 9:30 - 10:00 p.m. Katlyn had her 19th birthday party and there was cake and ice cream for everyone.

After going through the line for the superb buffet, I went up on stage to play harmony fiddle with Terry Barnes. Terry played the lower register with his hand built 5-string fiddle made by J. W. Green. Lincoln Hensley played his Earl Scruggs model banjo with the beautiful "bow tie" inlay and Edison Wallin played his 5-string Dobro-Banjo. The two 5-strings sounded great together. The Dobro-Banjo has a unique sound that is clearly an acceptable one for Bluegrass. Jerry White sang songs and played his old Martin guitar with the Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. Rocky Allan played an electric fret-less bass and did a superb job of sounding like he was playing an upright acoustic.
Mike Hensley played his Dobro and Katlyn ( I'm sorry, I don't know her last name) played guitar and sang a few numbers.

All in attendance had a great time.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night we attended a special benefit concert for the Pruett's out of Kingsport who have been dealt a lot of sickness in their family. The benefit was held at the Red Barn in Unicoi.

There were four absolutely talented groups that donated their time and talents to make it all possible. Sherry Berry was the emcee and prime mover behind this whole project and she did a remarkable job. The Barn was standing room only.

The first band up on stage was "Rottingham Road", a Bluegrass band that played many of the old traditonals with great taste. I enjoyed this band a lot. The next group was "The Carson Peters Band" which never ceases to flat-out amaze me! Carson is a musical prodigy if I've ever seen one. He's 9 years old and plays the fiddle as an expert. His stage presence is second to none and his sense of humor is delightful. "Bobby" Dier does a wonderful job on her mandolin while Tom Dier (upright bass) and Carson's dad, Jamie, (guitar,) keep the rhythm going strong.
The 3rd and 4th groups were comprised of the same players with a different leader. The 3rd was the old band "Hard Times" with Keith Williams, mandolin; Jerry Keyes, banjo; Suzy Keyes, vocals; Mina-Belle Williams, upright bass; G.C. Matlock, guitar; and special guest fiddler, Hunter Berry. The 4th group was led by Hunter and was comprised of the same players as the 3rd group.

There will be many pictures to follow so stay tuned.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 12th, several musicians gathered at the old Log Cabin in Unicoi for the weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. Pickers present were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar; Terry Tester, guitar and banjo; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ed Dance, mandolin; Ron Duncan, banjo and mandolin; and yours truly on fiddle. Mary played the mandolin a little bit from time to time and enjoyed herself a lot in doing so. Bob Guinn was present but didn't play or sing tonight.

Lots of town folks were in attendance to listen to the live music and they all seemed to enjoy it.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday night was band practice for the Gospel Bluegrass band I'm in called "Third Day Resurrection". The band consists of Mike Laws on guitar & vocals; Randy Carrier on mandolin & vocals; Frank Culler on upright bass & vocals and yours truly on banjo and fiddle. It's an enjoyable evening picking music with these gentlemen.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday afternoon (the 11th) I was visiting the fiddlehangout site when I heard another Kenny Baker tune that I just fell for immediately. It's the tune "Down in the Coal Mine". There's a video of it on the site and it's being played by another fiddler who does a great job on it, but I'm not able to post the video here on this site as it is not being "shared" with viewers. To listen to it, though, go to this link: http://www.fiddlehangout.com/media/ and search through the tunes. Here, you will hear Lonnie Osborne doing a great job fiddling "Down in the Coal Mine". The "A" part is in D minor and the "B" part modulates to D minor's relative major, F, and switches back and forth between the two key signatures before returning to the "A" part.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes you just have to take time out from performing, practicing or jamming and attend a concert. So..........

Friday night, the 9th, we went up to Jonesborough with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle. (We could easily be referred to as the "Smith Ave Top Notch Gang"). Shortly after we arrived, "Appalachian Trail" performed for over two hours and we enjoyed their music very much. The band consists of Tommy Austin, mandolin & vocals; his wife Vicki, upright bass & vocals; Alan Shelton, guitar & vocals; Glen Rose, banjo; and usually Tim Laughlin on fiddle, but tonight the very capable Dan Boner filled in for him while Tim was busy. Glen's brother, John Rose, came up later in the program and sang a few good numbers, too.

We ended the evening by a visit to a Mexican eatery adjacent to Kroger's on University Parkway. Another great time with some of our closest friends here in the South. The "Smith Ave Top Notch Gang" strikes again!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, the 8th of August, I transposed the waltz named "Tennessee Waltz" into different keys and found that I much prefer the key of E Flat. It has the richest overtones and double stops of any of the other keys I tried on the fiddle. It'll be easy enough for my fellow musicians to accompany on guitar by simply placing a capo on the first fret and playing in "D" position. The mandolins and upright basses will quickly adjust, too. They're all good pickers and know their instrument necks quite well. (I also like the tune in A Flat).
----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, the 6th, during the morning hours, The Larkey Family Bluegrass Band entertained folks at the Clinchfield Senior Center in Erwin. Their music, singing and harmonies were all spot on and I enjoyed their performance very much, as did the rest of the seniors.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday evening, the 5th, we went down to the Log Cabin in Unicoi for our weekly Bluegrass-Only jam session. I met and picked with a couple of new friends, Justin Carroll, banjo, and Matt Bryant, guitar. Ed Dance played mandolin; Ron Duncan played banjo and mandolin, (Ron and Sherry are finally back from 2 weeks in Missouri and we all missed them very much); Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jeff Lewis, upright bass; Chuck Poore, Dobro and guitar; Warren Shelton came but didn't play or sing anything (even though we all teased him to); and I played fiddle. Mary had lots of fun playing the upright bass, too.

Lots of listeners showed up tonight and they all had a good time hearing us all pickin' Bluegrass.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday evening, the 4th, I took a few minutes and learned "The Memorial Waltz" , written by Lonnie Osborne, a beautiful, yet sad-sounding waltz in B Minor. I got the tune from fiddlehangout on the web.

Now I'll have to try it on a few of my guitar pickin' buddies. I'll get them to capo up the neck two frets and play it in A Minor rather than do Bar Chords which I believe makes the tune too choppy.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 3rd, we went to visit Norma Campbell in Elizabethton. After a tasty meal at Primo's, we all picked up some ice cream and headed back to her home and watched an old DVD on the Stanley Brothers, Miss Emma, Jim and Jesse Mc Reynolds, and Raymond Fairchild. The old Stanley footage went way back to the 50's. It was an enjoyable evening to be sure.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Friday afternoon, August 2nd, we went for an absolutely wonderful, breath-taking, scenic boat ride with our dear friend Ed Dance who piloted us up and down Boone Lake from his home all the way to the dam and back.

After we returned to his lovely home on the river, he and his wife Cindy hosted a Bluegrass music party on their spacious deck overlooking the water. They had several of their musician friends with significant others over to partake in the fun. I got the opportunity to meet Mike Sanford, a guitar player who knows many, many songs and does a fine job singing and playing. I also got to meet Bob Menke and his wife, Pam. Bob plays banjo very, very well and he also is equally talented on the guitar. Pam plays the upright bass very well for someone who hasn't been playing long. Ed played his mandolin and even played a little guitar from time to time as the evening passed.

Mike Little and his wife, Debbie, were also there. Mike played some great "Josh Grave's" style Dobro. He's a really good picker and I always enjoy playing music and visiting with him. Jim Woods and his girlfriend, Barbara, also came to the party. Jim sang lots and lots of old-time songs and Bluegrass and played guitar throughout the evening into the early hours.

Mary and the other women took lots of pictures throughout the evening. At some point many will be posted here.

Many Thanks to Ed and Cindy and their superb guests for a fabulous party!
----------------------------------------------------------------

Journeys in July

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of July, 2013.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

The evening of the 31st, I spent practicing with a Gospel Bluegrass band consisting of Randy Carrier, Mike Laws, Frank Culler and its' most recent member, yours truly.

It's kind of fun in a different way, because I'm playing predominantly banjo in this group with only just a few fiddle backup melodies for various slow Gospel numbers. I've been fiddling so much lately that it's fun to get back to the banjo a little bit more. Mike Laws is playing guitar; Frank Culler, upright bass, and Randy Carrier is playing mandolin. Mike, Frank and Randy are singing great three-part harmonies and pickin' great Bluegrass, so it's a lot of fun pickin' with 'em!

Much of the material I am already familiar with, so it's nice to not have too big a learning curve in joining the group. Already the band has a nice tight sound. We'll be doing playing for churches, weddings, special occasions and the like.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Last night, the 29th, some of us die-hard Bluegrassers gathered at the Log Cabin in Unicoi for our weekly "Bluegrass-Only" jam session. Among the pickers present were: Gordon Hoyle, guitar: Jerry Sams, guitar; Bob Guinn, guitar; Barbara Guinn, vocals; Ed Dance, mandolin; Jeff Lewis, upright bass; Chuck Poore, Dobro & guitar; and yours truly on banjo and later a little fiddle. Ron and Sherry Duncan were out of town (a trip to Missouri) and we all missed them very much. Several others were present to listen and chat and have a good time.

Many "Thanks" to the Town of Unicoi for sponsoring this weekly event.

Just a reminder that this event is "Bluegrass Only" in keeping with the whole purpose of starting this jam session up.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 26th, I've heard from several people who attended the "Tru Grass" performance at The Red Barn last night. Each one expressed how much they liked "Tru Grass", our talent and our choice of material.

I was also told several times that my fiddle instrumental I performed was very well liked. (I knew it was, because I remember hearing the audience applaud right in the middle of my fiddling). I fiddled the Jimmy Martin instrumental that I learned a short while back called "Big Country" and of course in my own little way, I had to "soup it up" a little in the middle. Anyway, I'm tickled that it went over well. (Now I want the band to learn "Cincinnati Rag").
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the 25th, I played with "Tru Grass" down at The Red Barn. The band was made up of Mike Laws on banjo, mandolin and guitar; Frank Culler on guitar; Mike Reed on upright bass; Terry Tester on guitar; and yours truly on fiddle. We had a wonderful time entertaining the large audience and look forward to playing again on October 17th.

While I was visiting with some of the many friends I've made at The Red Barn, I had a chance to speak with Galen Jeter, senior member of "The Jeters". I had the wonderful opportunity a while back to play banjo in their last band named "Rural Route Bluegrass" and have remained a great "fan" of their's since. "Rural Route Bluegrass" has its' own page here on this site and often comes in first for the number of visitors it receives in a given day, compared to other local bands I've been a part of here in sunny Tennessee. Galen has offered to send me the latest info on his new group and when I've received it all, I'll create a page here to further get out "The Jeters" news. We wish them well in all they do, they are wonderful folks and their music always pleases the many audiences they perform for.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Today, the 23rd, after shooting pool and working out in the workout room at the Senior Center, I came home and learned the fiddle tune "Cincinnati Rag" as played by Kenny Baker. I've been meaning to learn this tune for some time now and I finally sat down with it and figured it out. It's actually a very easy tune. Getting it up to speed took about another 15 minutes or so, though. It's fun and another tune to add to my list of Kenny Baker tunes. I've posted it on my Blog page.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 22nd, we went to the Unicoi Log Cabin and played Bluegrass music for several hours. Quite a few pickers showed up and we all had a really good time playing. Guitarists were: Gordon Hoyle, Jim Woods, Ron Duncan, Roger Messer, Jerry Sams and Ron Lewis. Ron Lewis also played mandolin along with Ed Dance. Terry Tester played banjo and I played fiddle. At one point, I heard Sherry Duncan playing Jim Wood's fiddle and then he played it for a while. His fiddle was hand-built by Keith Williams, a fine luthier and fiddler from up in the Greeneville, Tennessee area.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning, the 15th, we set out for Attalla, Alabama, and stayed overnight in the Days Inn motel. We've stayed there before, but now have decided we'll find another place the next time we overnight in the area. The place lacked proper care, cleaning, painting, and the pool was less than desirable to swim in. We spotted some weird bugs in our motel room, too. That's it for that place.

The next morning, the 16th, we picked up rte 431 in Gadsden and took it all the way to Cloumbus, Georgia, to Fort Benning Military Reservation where we stayed at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel. This place is a dream to stay at. Just about perfect in every way! Here, Duke Doubleday, owner and innkeeper took care of our every need and was such a friendly and caring man to visit with.

Later in the day, Ashley (Mary's daughter), Castle, and Stephanie (and "Lexey", Seth's pet dog) met us at the hotel where we then left to meet Seth (Mary's son), on the Army base where Seth has completed Basic Training. The first event was a "Meet and Greet" where we all got to meet Seth's Drill Instructors and higher ranking Army officials and to learn what all soldiers go through and endure to complete Basic Training.

The following day was the actual graduation ceremonies held at The National Infantryman Museum on base at Fort Benning, Georgia. This was an incredible event to say the least. The Army brass band was amazing to watch and to listen to. Later, we went through the Museum and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in this nation's wars from French & Indian, Civil, WW 1, WW 2, Korean, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. This museum is awesome!

Friday, we traveled to Fort Gordon, Georgia, clear over on the eastern side of the state. This Fort will be Seth's new home for the next 17 - 20 weeks as he studies Signalling and Computer Data Technology.

After leaving everyone to go their own ways (Ashley, Castle, Stephanie and Lexey back to Navarre, Florida, and Seth to his new home on Fort Gordon base), Mary and I visited my brother, Harry Conroy-Warner in Hephzibah, Georgia, about 20 minutes from Fort Gordon. After a brief stay, we returned home by traveling through South Carolina, North Carolina and the lower part of Eastern Tennessee. We were gone 7 days and drove nearly 1,200 miles.

Later on, as time permits, I'll feature a page of photos taken by Mary, showing the ceremonies and other beautiful subjects she aimed her cameras at during this fantastic trip.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday night, the 13th, we went to Asheville, North Carolina, to the "Shindig On The Green" event to listen to many, many Bluegrass bands who were performing for somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,500 - 5,000 people. When we first got there, I grabbed my fiddle and blended in with a very nice group out of South Carolina named "Carolina Borderline". I played for about 45 minutes with them before catching up with Ron, Sherry, Gordon and Mary and watching a few bands. But it wasn't long before the urge to jam some more Bluegrass hit me and I was right back over with "Carolina Borderline". I got to meet their banjo picker, Jeremy Babb from Campobello, SC. He's a fine picker. I played for another hour and a half before resting for a short while and then picking with Bob Nelson and his grandson, Brent, and several others who gathered to jam with us.

We all had a super time. I absolutely fell in love with the city of Asheville. It's a mecca for musicians and artists! I intend to spend a lot more time playing Bluegrass here and exploring this beautiful city in more detail.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Friday night, the 12th, we went up to Blountville to the Anderson House with Ron and Sherry. Ron played banjo and mandolin and I played fiddle. I even played the banjo for a short while before handing it off to Terry Tester to pick. There were many fine Bluegrass musicians in the picking circle. There was also some "cowboy-type" songs played by a couple of the elder gentlemen in the group. When the circle filled in with more than four guitars, I decided to move to another group in one of the other rooms and fortunately that group was playing all traditional Bluegrass, so Ron and I settled in for some fine pickin' with Clancy Mullins, banjo; Phil Hensley, mandolin; Richard ?, Dobro; and a couple of guitar pickers (one rhythm, the other flat-picking) and another mandolinist who I'd played with before.

We stayed several hours picking and singing and visiting with friends before heading to the Olive Garden restaurant for a late night treat of soups and salads.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday night, the 11th, we went with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle up to the Old Pilot Hill General Store in Philadelphia, Tennessee, to play some Bluegrass. The outside porch/deck was filled with people having delightful meals that were well prepared and served by friendly waitstaff. So, rather than squeeze in, it was a beautiful evening and we all placed our pickin' chairs out in the parking lot and played music right there. Before very long, many listeners showed up and placed their chairs right out in the driveway and in the surrounding grass lawn and we had a well-attended jam session for several hours. Jim Woods played upright bass, sang and played guitar; Ron Duncan played banjo and sang, later playing a little mandolin; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Bob Nelson flat-picked guitar and sang; Homer Ball played guitar and sang; a young man played a Fender cut-away acoustic guitar and sang; another fellow behind me played an old 1955 Martin D-28; a woman, also behind me, played quietly on her fiddle; Ira, the preacher, played guitar and sang; Jack Painter picked guitar and sang; and I played the fiddle. Mostly traditional Bluegrass was played, but as so often happens, a little "old country" slipped in from time to time.

Everyone had a good time on a perfect evening.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday night, the 9th, we rode up to Bluff City with Ron, Sherry and Gordon. Ron Duncan and yours truly practiced about 10 songs in the back room before going on stage. We played about 8 of the songs we had practiced and called it a night. Ron played guitar and I fiddled. We were billed as "Fatt & Stubbs". After our performance, from there, we went to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City and hung out until about 10:00 p.m. and headed home. We had a superb evening with our friends before calling it a night.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Monday night, the 8th, several musicians got together down at the old Log Cabin in Unicoi to pick some Bluegrass. Ron Duncan played banjo and guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar; Ron Lewis, mandolin, Mary Warner, mandolin; Darrell Wayne Hall, Dobro; and yours truly, fiddle.

We all had a great time pickin' good old traditional Bluegrass numbers. The evening was quite hot, temperature-wise, so we all moved inside the air-conditioned room for a while and later, when it had cooled down outside, we went back out on the porch and picked in the breezeway.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, the 6th, "Lonesome South" played at the Unicoi Log Cabin Ice Cream Social for about an hour before we had to hurry over to the Erwin Moose Lodge and play there also for about an hour. Warren Shelton played upright bass and sang lead and tenor vocals, Jerry Sams played guitar and sang lead vocals, Gordon Hoyle played guitar and Ron Duncan picked banjo and sang lead vocals and I played fiddle and did some tenor work.

Later, Ron, Sherry, Gordon, Mary and I went to Rheatown to the Saturday night Bluegrass jam. There were lots of pickers there and many of whom I'd never met. The ones I knew and played with are: Charlie Booher, upright bass; Eric Bowman, banjo, guitar and vocals; Dave Wilhoit, guitar; Andrew Marshall, mandolin and vocals; Charlie Phillips, guitar and vocals; Jason Boone, mandolin and vocals, Ryan Henard, mandolin (and his father on upright bass); Ron Duncan on banjo; Gordon Hoyle on guitar; and several others. I also saw Claude Smith (he used to play with Walter Ricker and Gloryland) and Mike Wilburn. But I didn't get a chance to say "Howdy" or to pick with them. Maybe next time. Meanwhile, back outside by the gas pumps there was a wicked jam goin' on and Eric Bowman offered me to play his banjo for a while so I happily agreed (I don't play much banjo anymore since I'm always fiddlin') and Eric grabbed his guitar and flat-picked a few numbers and sang some good stuff while Jason Boone, Charlie Phillips and Charlie Booher and an unidentified guitar lead picker all played along.

We all had a great time. Jamming at the Rheatown Market is an old tradition spanning many, many owners of the market and many decades. It's one of the oldest Bluegrass jams in the whole area and I always enjoy going there. People literally come from all over to attend the "Rheatown Market Jams".
-----------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of 5th, I played Sherry Duncan's fiddle up at Temple Hill for the Friday Night Bluegrass Jam. I had not figured on going anywhere to play music so I did not bring my own instrument. Ron Duncan played mandolin, Edison Wallin, banjo and Tim Decker, guitar. Barbara Guinn sang a couple of numbers. We only played just a few minutes because a Gospel duet was scheduled to play from 7:00 - 'til 8:00 p.m.

While the duet played, we went to the Moose Club in Erwin and shot a few games of billiards. There's a big cookout scheduled for Saturday the 6th, and the Lodge members are looking for me to put together a Bluegrass band for some entertainment. (I'll try).

We'll also try to provide some entertainment for the Town of Unicoi at the Old Log Cabin Ice Cream Social before heading over to the Moose Club.

June's Jammings

Here's an accounting of our Bluegrass (and some other) activities for the month of June, 2013.
Please scroll down to reach the earliest activities of the month.

On the 26th, I rode up to Boones Lake with my friend, Henry Barnett, and met his good friend, Larry Odham, an electrical and electronics engineer who repairs and restores 2" Ampex and RCA movie and audio recorders that were made several decades ago in the highlight of analog technology. His basement was absolutely full of these classic machines, some fully workable, some in need of repair and restoration.

After explaining in great detail the inner workings of several of these machines, Larry sat down with his custom Gretch guitar and played for around one half-hour. He is a very accomplished "Chet Atkins Style" picker and I was riveted to my seat in awe of what he is capable of doing with a guitar.

Later, after returning home, we met up with Ron and Sherry Duncan and Gordon Hoyle and rode with them over to The Smoke House BBQ on Milligan highway where we met up with a few other musicians and played Bluegrass for a couple of hours. Ron Lewis and Roger Messer were there. Ron played mandolin and Roger played upright bass. Ron Duncan played his banjo, Gordon his flat top and I fiddled. Mary played some mandolin and some upright bass and could very easily get the "hang" of either one if she wasn't focused so heavily into photography.

Later, we went to the "Down Home" but only stayed just a few minutes as their "Open Mic Night" consisted of a heavy rock band that played very loudly. We went from there to The Acoustic Cafe and enjoyed a single artist named Brian Ernst while he performed eclectic folk and several original songs.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 24th, we attended the Monday night jam at the Log Cabin in Unicoi. Several other pickers showed up for a bunch of great Bluegrass. Charlie Edwards, guitar; Jerry Sams, guitar; Gordon Hoyle, guitar; Ed Dance, mandolin; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Ron Duncan, banjo; Terry Tester, banjo and guitar; and yours truly on fiddle. At one point, Ron Duncan played several tunes on the fiddle, too. We all had a great time singing and playing Bluegrass on a beautiful evening. Several folks came from around town to listen to us all perform. Fliers prepared by the Town offices were spread out throughout the community advertising the Bluegrass jam to be held each Monday night. We're all looking forward to having an upright acoustic bass player attend as we're kind of lost without the bottom end. If no one shows next Monday, I'll play bass and someone else can fiddle. Meanwhile, the gals: Norma-Jean, Cindy, Kathy, Mary and Sherry all had fun visiting with one another while the rest of us played music.
----------------------------------------------------------------

The 22nd, Mary attended the football camp sponsored by Jason Witten (Tight End, Dallas Cowboys) held all day in Elizabethton (the 21st, the city of Elizabethton declared it to be annually "Jason Witten Day") while I searched for and found the Moose Lodge # 360 in Elizabethton. I went in and introduced myself as a member of Lodge #939, had a soft drink and shot about 10 games of straight pool before heading out. This makes a total of 4 Moose Lodges I've now visited here in eastern Tennessee: Erwin #939; Greeneville #692; Johnson City #1831; and Elizabethton #360. I really enjoy being a member of such a worthy organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 21st, we drove up to Kingsport to enjoy the Bluegrass band "Daniel Boner & Daysight" as a part of the Friday night Bluegrass series hosted by the city of Kingsport. Daniel played fiddle, guitar and sang vocals; Will Parsons played banjo and sang; Dan Salyer played rhythm guitar and sang high tenor; Jason Crawford played mandolin and sang; and I've forgotten the name of the upright bass player who also sang. They all are fine musicians and put on a really enjoyable performance.

After the show, we went to the Moose Lodge in Johnson City followed by a late night trip to Shoney's for breakfast.
----------------------------------------------------------------

On the evening of the 19th, several musicians jammed up in Philadelphia, TN., at The Old Pilot Hill General Store. Those present were: Jim Woods, upright bass; Gordon Hoyle, Bob Nelson and Homer Ball, guitars; Ron Duncan, banjo; Ed Dance, mandolin; and yours truly on fiddle. We picked from about 6:30 'til around 9:00 before heading home.

We've decided that the Wednesday night picking session just wasn't a "go" as the majority of the Bluegrass pickers attending were from our own little group. So what we'll try to do is occasionally attend the Thursday night picking session that's been going on for a long time and those of us wanting to play strictly Bluegrass will splinter off into a different group and try to attract others to play just Bluegrass with us. Many "Thanks" are in order for Donnie and Denise Hall, owners, for keeping such a treasure of a place going for so many of us to enjoy.

Meanwhile, there's some growing interest in starting a Wednesday night jam closer to the hotbed of Bluegrass musicians in and around Elizabethton which happens to be a lot closer, mileage-wise, for many of us. So we're talking about jamming over at The Smoke House BBQ on Milligan Road. More on this later as information about the plan develops......
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of the 17th, there was a Bluegrass picking party at the Log Cabin in Unicoi. It started around 6:00 p.m. and lasted for around three hours. Several musicians arrived to make it a success. Ed Dance played mandolin and sang several songs; Gordon Hoyle played guitar; Jerry Sams played guitar and sang; Ryan Nickerson fiddled; Kenny Williams also fiddled and sang; Ron Duncan picked banjo and sang; and yours truly played guitar and sang. We held to strictly Bluegrass and were able to run through a bunch of old songs that are rarely heard any more.

We also had a discussion on whether to continue traveling all the way up to Philadelphia on Wednesday nights if more pickers are not going to show. It was decided we would go this coming Wednesday and call Bluegrass pickers before hand in a last ditch effort to keep it going. If it doesn't work out, we'll probably switch to Happy Valley on Wednesdays. (It's quite a drive to Philadelphia.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The late morning and early afternoon of the 16th, (Father's Day) "Lonesome South" played for 3 hours at the Farmhouse Gallery in Unicoi from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for a special Father's Day Luncheon offered by the hosts of the Farmhouse Gallery. Many families showed up and treated their fathers to a wonderful meal and stayed on for a while to listen to our band. Pictures here.

The band consisted of Ron Duncan on banjo, guitar and mandolin; Jerry Sams on guitar; yours truly on fiddle and banjo; and Warren Shelton on upright bass. We had about 45 tunes worked up for the audience including lots of fresh material from a wealth of good old traditional standbys, although we didn't manage to get through them all. Each member of the band took their turn at singing the lead to their favorite tunes while other members sang harmony lines. The audience was very pleased with our choice of material and we received several very rousing rounds of applause.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

The night of the 15th, we went over to Happy Valley for a Bluegrass jam session held at the outdoor stage behind the Smoke House Bar-B-Que Restaurant on the Milligan highway. Pickers that were present were: Frank Wing, banjo; Ron Duncan, guitar and mandolin; Ron Lewis, mandolin; Gordon Hoyle, Jerry Sams and Jeff Webb, guitars; Bob Guinn, vocals; and yours truly on fiddle. Many of us