- Foaotmad

The
News
FRIENDS OF AMERICAN OLDTIME MUSIC AND DANCE
THE ONLY UK PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO AMERICAN OLD TIME MUSIC AND DANCE
NO 46 SUMMER 2006
IN THIS ISSUE...
New friends . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Temporary Editors .2
Ramblings
Chewing the Fat . . . . .3
Events and
Tours 2006
. . . . . . . . . . . .4
I sang at the
Grand Ole Opry . . . . . . .4
Boucher banjo
hand made by Barry Murphy
Photo, Barry Murphy
Sewerby Hall
Weekend Camp
5
Chairman Ray
6
Members Ads
6
Open D Tuning
and Banjo Tabs
7
Minstal Period
Banjo Part 2
8
Book Review
‘Old Time Music
and Dance’
9
CD Reviews
10
2
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
New Friends
Number
734
Name & Location
Paul Chigwell
Oaksey, Wiltshire
735
Chris Waring
Callington, Cornwall
736
S.Green
Todmorden, Lancs
737
Carley Green
Todmorden, Lancs
738
Janet Henry
Southampton
THE OLD TIME NEWS
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or on paper.
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agrees with contributors’ comments or claims.
All material is copyright © the writer, photographer, or
artist and may only be reproduced with prior permission
This Issue Edited by Colin Meadows
Graphic Design and production by Mo Jackson.
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President:
Chairman:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Dance:
Publicity:
Festival:
Tom Paley
Ray Banks
Jim Pycroft
Sibs Riesen-Chase
Paul and Clare Sheridan
Nick Pilley publicity@foaotmad.co.uk
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Temporary Editors’ Ramblings
Welcome to the
latest edition of ‘The
Old Time News’. This
is my first attempt at
temporary editing so
heaven help me to
get it right.
The big news is about getting
bigger. Apparently Postman
Pat has changed his charges
which means that we can
have more pages in OTN in
the near future. (see belowt
for details). I’m delighted at
this, as I have been banging
on about increasing the size
of OTN since god’s dog was
a puppy. Now it’s up to all of
us to submit more articles,
tunes, photos, cartoons etc.
We might even see the
return of the late lamented
crossword!
You will have seen Colm
Daly’s letter in the last
edition and Chairman Ray’s
response. I don’t intend to
comment on all that here but
do wish we could discuss our
doings without accusation,
recrimination and justification
(that’s enough …ations for
one sentence.) We should be
able express our different
views of how we want
FOAOTMAD to operate and
just what it is we want to
achieve and I would have
thought the pages of this
newsletter are one of the
best places to do this. Our
committee has recently
decided to publish the
accounts for all members
and to send out the minutes
of the last AGM. These
should be included as a
separate sheet with this
issue. Hopefully these will
enable us to have a more
informed debate about what
we are doing.
For the benefit of those of
you who have no access to
the internet we reproduce
that part of our constitution
which relates to emergency
meetings, which I think was
one of the things that Colm
Coming to a
mailbox near
you...
he changing postal rates planned by the
Royal Mail which take effect in August
have a knock-on effect on this magazine.
Because we use an A4 paper format, the
cost will increase from 23 pence to 37
pence (we're talking U.K. here, of course).
However, the weight limit will also
increase, allowing an extra sheet to give
four extra sides of content.
T
The main benefits will be an increase in
legibility for those of us with failing eyesight
and room for larger photographs. Also
there's a chance to include those 'regular'
entries which have lately become
'irregular', such as the listings for sessions,
bands and dance teams. If all goes to plan,
these changes will begin with the next
issue.
was asking for. Most
musicians I know would
rather have their fingers
gnawed off by a pack of
rabid rats than go to a
meeting but if you want one
that’s the way to do it.
As I write this there is still
no news about Jenny Pope.
Dave has taken time out to
send us an email. He and his
close friends and family do
appreciate the support from
folks like ourselves so please
visit their website:
www.jennypopeappeal.or
g and send your own
messages to them all.
Thanks to everyone who
has contributed to this
edition and especially to Mo
who has put the whole thing
into good order.
Have a good
summer...
Colin
Meadows
Calling all banjo players
The benefits of a
Clear Skin
The benefits of a clear Plastic skin as
opposed to a Velum, Frosted or Fibre
skins are, with clear plastic see-through
skin, a relevant music sheet can be slipped
between the perch pole and the skin thus
giving visual aid to the audience, so they
can at least figure out what tune you are
supposed to be playing
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
We Shall Overcome,
CHEWING the fat...
EMERGENCY MEETINGS
For the benefit of those of you without
access to the internet this is the part of our
constitution which relates to emergency
meetings.
Emergency Meetings
Extraordinary General Meetings may be
called at the discretion of the Committee or
by letter to the secretary signed by twentyfive other members of FOAOTMAD. All
members present shall have full voting rights
at these meetings and decisions will be by
majority vote. It is expected that
Extraordinary General Meetings of the
society will be held only in emergency.
RECORDINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR...
One of the reasons I subscribe to “The Old
Time Herald” is that they have really useful
reviews of new CDs books and DVDs. The
latest issue is no exception.
The Seeger Sessions
Bruce Springsteen
DAVE POPE WRITING FROM
ECUADOR
I would like to take this opportunity to
wholeheartedly thank everybody that, so
generously helped us, in both deed and
thought, in our unfortunate plight here in
Ecuador.
8 MORE MILES ‘RATTLE ON THE
STOVEPIPE’
Surely one of the contenders for the title of
UK super group, Dave Arthur, Pete Cooper
and Chris Moreton have combined once
again to produce a new CD ‘8 More Miles’.
I hope to have a full review of this in the
next edition but it is available now for
£11.00 including postage from Dave who
can be contacted by email:
storyart@aol.com
Old Dan Tucker, Jesse James, Mrs McGrath
O Mary don’t you weep
John Henry, Erie Canal, Jacob’s ladder
My Oklahoma home, Eyes on the prize
Shenandoah, Pay me my money down
Froggie went a courtin’
As far as the investigation is concerned, we
have made too little progress to report on but
we keep on slogging away at it and feel
confident that we will crack it sooner or later
and will keep you informed. By and large, the
Ecuadorian people that we have met. have
been enormously kind and generous to us, and
despite their poverty, they seem a happy
people. Perhaps one of the reasons for this is
that they have been spared the intoduction of
the banjo...although they do have the pan
pipes. Thanks again for your help and support
Dave and Stef Pope
From Andy Imms:
There are 19 pages of reviews and too many
fine recordings to cover here. Particularly
worth mentioning is “In Sacred Trust”, the
first issue of Hobart Smith’s recordings at
the home of Fleming Brown. Smith was a
master musician who perhaps did not get the
recognition he deserved during his life. He was
expert of fiddle, guitar and piano but it is his
banjo playing, which will probably be of most
interest. Anyone who already has his CD,
“Blue Ridge Legacy” will want this one too.
If you have not heard this performer before,
be prepared for some powerful music, which
few other players can match for passion and
intensity.
Smith came from Saltville Va. And it was from
near there that Norman Edmonds and the
Old Timers played their musical trade. I
mention them because they are part of a major
effort by the Field Recorders Collective, to
make available recordings not previously
issued, of some of the great old time players.
Thus far they have two 10 CD sets available.
Each set costs around $100 though you can by
individual CDs if you wish. Among many great
names, each with at least one CD you will find
Clyde Davenport, Buddy Thomas, Wade
Ward and Charlie Higgins, Sidna and
Fulton Myers etc. For more details visit
www.fieldrecorder.com
3
I wish to report multiple murders. The victims are songs
of Pete Seeger, including some old time numbers we
know and love. The guilty party is Bruce Springsteeen,
who has single handedly done more damage on one
album than any other person alive or dead. I have not
bought the album, but have simply heard a couple of
tracks on the radio. His version of "Old Dan Tucker" is
unparalled in its awfulness and one has to wonder what
Seeger ever did to Springsteen to justify such retaliation.
Old timers should avoid buying this album at all costs,
unless you are running short of coasters on which to
stand hot cups of coffee.
From Nick Pilley:
FOAOTMAD TO THE RESCUE
OTN has discovered that our committee has
been in secret talks with HM Government to
find an answer to the current drought
problems in southern England. A cunning plan
has been devised and is under consideration as
I write. Simply put, the idea is that HMG will
authorise a vast increase in the number of
bank holiday weekends. FOAOTMAD will
then organise camping events for each one.
The conjunction of these events will, of
course, cause the heavens to open and have
skilled craftsmen throughout the land scurrying
for Noah’s blueprints. Should transporting the
deluge prove a problem FOAOTMAD has the
answer there too. A prototype scheme was
tested at Sacrewell recently (see photo above)
and was pronounced a great success.
Apologies to the folk who submitted
articles for which we could not find space
this time. Those contributions will be
forwarded to the next temporary editor
for inclusion in a future edition.
I haven't heard the CD - apart from a few sample clips
on the internet - but made a point to listen to the live
concert on BBC Radio. I've spent enough years with my
head in loudspeaker cabinets at festivals (do I hear cries
of 'and it shows'?) in my younger days before finding oldtime, so I felt I was able to approach it with an open
mind. After all, anything that encourages the uninitiated
to ask for something apart from 'Duelling Banjos' must
be an improvement. Sadly, I was disappointed. From an
almost promising beginning with 'John Henry' it rapidly
turned to a wall of sound, over arranged and 'in your
face'. I'm sure it was great live but I came away from the
broadcast feeling that Springsteen had appropriated the
songs to save himself writing more. I won't be indulging.
From Mo Jackson:
As a relative newcomer to OT, my auditory canals have
not yet had time to evolve into the very selective and
often minimal hearing of many Old Time players. Or
perhaps it’s just that I am already biased in favour of
Bruce Springsteen. Play it in the car, dance to it in your
kitchen, It’ll put a spring in your step and a smile on
your face, this CD is a joy from beginning to end. The
DVD that comes with it confirms what your ears tell
you, and that is, there’s a big ol’ party going on and you
are invited. The music is infectious and uplifting and
Springsteen delivers the songs with bucket loads of
verve and passion that Pete Seeger would be proud of
I’m sure. This is no back porch noodling and may not
appeal to some OT purists, but friends of mine, who
would rather chew their own arms off than listen to Old
Time music, have embraced this CD and the songs
with much enthusiasm... that can’t be bad can it?
4
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
EVENTS AND
TOURS 2006
Sept. 8th to 10th Fairlight Lodge Hotel,
Hastings, www.sweetsunnysouth.co.uk
or 01424 423230
THE GRAND OLE OPRY
CORNISH BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
Jack Froggatt
Sept. 15th to 17th Hendra, Newquay,
www.cornishbluegrass.co.uk
FOAOTMAD SUPPORTED
FESTS/CAMPS
July 7th-9th Howard Morton’s, Rocombe
July 14th-16th Killington Lake, Cumbria
Sept 8th-10th Sweet Sunny South, Hastings
CROOKED JADES
July
5th
6th
7th
9th
11th
12th
14th
15th
19th
20th
22nd
23rd
The Borderline, London
The Musician, Leicester
Arts Guild Theatre, Greenock Inverclyde
The Arches, Glasgow
Kilbarchan Old Library, Renfrewshire
St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh
Stornoway, Hebridean Celtic Festival
Stornoway, Hebridean Celtic Festival
Eastgate Theatre, Peebles
Jumpin Hot Club, The Cluny,
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Brampton 'Live' Festival, Cumbria
Brampton 'Live' Festival, Cumbria
More dates to be added:
bloodygreatpr@aol.com
FOAOTMAD SUMMER CAMP
August 11th - 20th
www.sacrewell.org for campsite details and
location.
Camping fee - per night
members adult £5, child £3, under 3 Free
Non-members, adult £,7 child £4
under 3 Free.
Camp fee includes visits to farming museum get a badge from Foaotmad rep. Restaurant
available for breakfast and lunch - closes around
5pm. Don't book in at the office, just pitch with
the others in the Foaotmad marked area of the
field. Your fees will be collected by a Foaotmad
representative on site.
Important - a security barrier has now been
installed on the entrance road, and is open
between 8.30am and 6pm.
A security code must now be used to enter the
site outside these times(and is likely to have
been changed since Spring Camp!). To obtain
the code email Ray Banks at:
chairman@foaotmad.org.uk or Nick Pilley at
info@foaotmad.org.uk.
I sang at
SWEET SUNNY SOUTH FESTIVAL
BLUEGRASS FESTIVALS WITH
OLD TIME SESSIONS
July 7th-9th North Wales Bluegrass, Conway
July 21st-23rd Yorkshire Dales, nr. Silsden
Sept 1st-3rd Didmarton, Kemble Airfield
near Cirencester.
DEBBY McCLATCHY
August 25th-27th Wadebridge Folk Festival
SARA GREY AND KIERON MEANS
www.maclurg.com/saragrey
August
17th August Royal Oak, Infirmary
St. Edinburgh
18th The Victoria Centre, Wellingborough,
Northants
19th-25th Whitby Festival, North Yorkshire
26th-27th Shrewsbury Festival, Shropshire
28th Towersey Festival, Oxfordshire
Sara will be touring North America during
September and October
BEVERLY SMITH & CARL JONES
www.smithnjones.net
September
Didmarton, Gloucestershire
2nd
3rd
Didmarton, Gloucestershire
5th
Dartford Folk Club, Kent
9th
Sweet Sunny South, Hastings
10th
Sweet Sunny South, Hastings
12th
Leith Folk Club, Leith, Edinburgh
14th Kilbarchan Old Library, Renfrewshire
15th
(lunchtime) - Aberdeen Lemon Tree
(evening) - Paisley
16th
Langbank Village Hall
17th
Traquair Village Hall, Peebleshire
18th
Wildcat Music Club, Thurso
DIRK POWELL will be at the Open House
Festival, Belfast at the end of September.
www.dirkpowell.com
THE FOGHORN STRING BAND will
also be at the Open House and will follow it
with a short tour ofn Scotland in early
October plus Thursday 5that: the Jumpin' Hot
Club, The Cluny, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
www.foghornmusic.com
IRA BERNSTEIN & RILEY BAUGUS
will be touring throughout November. Before
that, Ira will be giving his intensive flatfoot
workshops in Ripponden, N.Yorks.
More details: www.tentoepercussions.com/
appalachianroots.htm
ollowing my
indoctrination into
homespun music with a
guitar (and later the
banjo and Appalachian
Mountain dulcimer), I
left Lonnie Donegan
and Skiffle behind to
explore other musical
genres. How I ever
came across the music
of Cousin Emmie and
her Kinfolk, Jimmy
Driftwood and Grandpa
Jones as far back as the late 1950's, is lost in the
memory of time. During this period, a close
friend of mine visited his sister who had joined
the ranks of the G.I. Brides and was residing in
Memphis. Back he came with a clutch of Jimmie
Rodgers L.P.'s which I voraciously devoured (not
literally). He also brought back a signet ring - a
present from Elvis Presley!
F
I never ever thought, in those dim, dark days that one
day I would get the opportunity to cross the Big Pond
and see, at firsthand, some of the places I had only
read about or seen in Hollywood films. A couple of
years ago, my wife and I decided to take a holiday
which would incorporate Nashville and Memphis.
Our first stop was the Ryman Auditorium, the most
famous home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to
1974. The Ryman was built in 1892 by Captain
Thomas Ryman, a steamboat captain and prominent
Nashville businessman, as a tabernacle. (The Americans
are good at bombarding you with historical facts).
Many of the original carved oak pews are still in situ.
The building's original name "Union Gospel Tabernacle"
is still legible, carved into a stone panel above the
entrance. Excellent acoustics and a large seating
capacity made it the unofficial city auditorium hosting
such legendary greats as Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt
and W.C. Fields. But it is as the home of The Grand
Ole Opry that the edifice will go down in history.
Although perhaps it is best remembered for presenting
a range of country music, Old Time music has figured
prominently throughout its history. Uncle Dave
Macon joined the show in 1926 and was elected to the
Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966.
We undertook a self-guided tour of the Ryman and
watched a film entitled "If These Walls Could Talk"
featuring people and events that shaped the theatre's
past and present. Visitors were invited to step onto the
historic stage and have their photograph taken. A guitar
stood on a stand in the middle of the stage for
erstwhile subjects to pose with. I walked onto the
hallowed boards, picked up the guitar and posed for
the photograph. A quick check of the strings told me
that the instrument was reasonably in tune. This was
an opportunity not to be missed. I struck a chord and
launched into two verses and choruses of "I'll Fly
Away," uninterrupted save for the bemused glances of
the couple of dozen visitors dotted around the
auditorium. "Very good,"drawled the female attendant
on duty.
Visits to "The Country Music Hall of Fame," Grand
Ole Opry House," (the current mega home of The
Grand Ole Opry) and, yes, I admit it, Gracelands
offered nothing to compare with the magical
atmosphere of the Ryman.
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
SEWERBY HALL MAY DAY
WEEKEND CAMP...
eekend Camp
understates this event,
which for some started on
Thursday lunchtime lasting
until Wednesday morning.
The advert on the last page
of the latest OT News
appears to overstate my own
contribution to this event,
apparently giving me equal
”billing” with John Yeaman in
terms of obtaining details. I
wish to put the record
straight. My own
contribution is about 0.5%
and John’s 99.5%. On behalf
of all 53 units attending (last
year was 31), I thank him for
all his work in putting on this
most successful camp.
W
Inevitably there was some
discussion on the two letters on
pages 6 and 7 of the recently
received OT News. General
opinion was aptly summarised by
Hugh Connor - “ This society is not
about politics - it’s about playing
tunes.”
The weather was generally sunny
but cool. A storm on Sunday night
penetrated a few tents and lifted an
awning, but caused no permanent
damage. Alan Green led a notable
session in the marquee on Monday
morning, after Clive Green had
replaced the roof poles. It was too
cold to play in the bandstand or
round an open fire, which gave us a
good excuse to repair to The Ship
Inn every night for some great
sessions. The general public enjoyed
these with one notable exception of
a young mother who had difficulty
taking out her young children and
pram between assembled fiddlers,
and who gave us a short torrent of
abuse - soon forgotten.
All enjoyed the gardens, especially
the superb polyanthus display. Many
visited the zoo and craft shops, and
at least two members tackled the
pitch and putt course.They refused
to confide their scores!
On Saturday morning Graham
Ellaby generously did a workshop
in the Orangery for the youngsters an encouraging “first,” to be
hopefully continued. On Saturday and
Sunday afternoons we fulfilled our
“official” role in the programme by
playing and dancing in the Orangery
for an audience of about fifty.
Wicked Soles and Bootleggers
again delighted us with their expert
routines. Between the teams, Carly
Green danced several elegant solos,
and “Kissyfit” - (Linda and Hazel,
later joined by John Yeaman) again
gave superb renditions of Old Time
songs, in perfect harmony.
The dance teams departed on Sunday
evening, but the Monday afternoon
concert in the Orangery went ahead
with instrumentals, more solos from
Carly and then something completely
new - a jug band.
The Bolton family from Bridlington
visited Sewerby and joined our
sessions in The Ship. Mattie
(mandolin) and Lewi (percussion) are
teenagers, joining parents Pete
(Guitar) and Janey (Bass) to form
The Alley Cats. They played
numbers from the twenties and
thirties, and were joined by Colm
Daley on piano for blues and boogie.
Finally, Pat and Ron Keedy
entertained us with Carter Family
songs, dancing, a jig-doll and a lesson
on how to play the Jews harp without breaking your teeth.
Evidently, Pat had learned the hard
way, and Ron ruefully observed he
could have bought a decent guitar
with the money they forked out for
the dentist’s bill!
This event is a good example of
exposing the general public to OT
music. Our performances were not
only appreciated, but there was
considerable interest in FOAOTMAD
leaflets and several CD sales.
There is another proposed Folk/OT
weekend at Sewerby - 1st to 3rd
September, along similar lines.
Anyone interested should contact
John or myself.
In the last session in The Ship, I was
particularly gratified to see the two
authors of the letters sitting and
playing next to each other.
A great extended weekend.
Thanks, John.
Dave Dry (photos Dave Dry)
5
6
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
Camp Chase
Chairman Ray
A hearty welcome to Colin Meadows who
is acting as the temporary editor for this
edition of Old Time News. Colin’s been a
member for many years (membership no
68) and has done much for the
furtherance of Old Time music in this
country. Many of you will know him as the founder and
organiser of the excellent Sweet Sunny South festival at
Hastings every September, and I can’t wait to read his stuff.
Don’t forget we still need a permanent editor, who can
handle all the interesting literary and photographic content,
leaving the technical stuff, the artistic layout and the
production in the skilled hands of Mo Jackson
Camp fever
The Sewerby Hall six day weekend made a terrific start to this
year's outdoor activities, and proved that it’s possible to get a
brilliant time there even when the weather’s not behaving itself.
John Yeaman’s marquee provided an excellent cover between the
times when the Orangery and the Ship were available, but the
bandstand would have involved too much heroism to be
contemplated. The Bootleggers and Wicked Soles danced
beautifully to a very full band consisting of all the available musicians.
As I write the first of the Sacrewell camps is rapidly approaching and
despite the many times I’ve been before the excitement is building
up. It’ll be slightly different this year - the Henhouse probably
demolished, a security barrier at the entrance and a little more
expensive. It is however significantly cheaper for members than for
non-members. In fact members who attend the whole of the
summer camp (11-20 August) will save more money than their
annual membership fee - tell all your friends!
Members Ads
Maximum of 50 words plus contact
details, FREE to members. We drop older
ads to make way for new
UNLESS YOU RENEW YOUR REQUEST
OLD-TIME RECORDINGS - major and
obscure American label CDs. Also, videos and
tune books. SAE to: Eve Morris: 67 Greenway,
Bishops Lydeard, Taunton TA4 3DA. Download
a full catalogue of all items by clicking on Eve’s
advert at the bottom of the
www.foaotmad.org.uk page
STILL WANTED! OTN Vol.1, Issue 3 and
Vol.3, Issue 1; also "Old Time Country"
magazines, University of Mississippi, 1980s/90s,
plus many Library of Congress LPs, especially
with Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Also wanted records by (Rambling) Jack Elliott on the 77
Label - LP1 & EP2.
John Stoten: 01708 370834 (Romford)
RAY STEWART 1940-2000: there are
still a few of these CDs (Review, OTN 34)
available from Ray's widow: Helen Stewart, 18
Cameron Street, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen,
Scotland AB23 8QB.
MIKE TAVENER - manufacturer and sole
supplier of THE JUMP LEAD, the smart way to
get your acoustic instrument in tune. Only £11
including postage. Buy yours today using
As soon as the Spring Camp finishes, fiddler John Kimble and I
are off to the U.S. of A for more camping at three consecutive
festivals - the classic Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddlers’
Convention at Veteran’s Park, Mount Airy followed by the
eleventh Charlie Poole Festival at Eden, North Carolina
which features our friend Debby McClatchy. We’ll be winding up
at Dwight Diller and Dave Bing’s favourite festival in Glenville,
West Virginia where ex-Chairman Bob Ward waltzed off with the
veteran banjo prize a few years back - a real achievement against
formidable local opposition. I wouldn’t bet your family fortune (or
anything else) on me doing the same.
Politics
The political overdose in the last issue lead to a tremendous influx
of two letters, the first telling me that the magazine should be
reserved for articles about Old Time music, and the other saying
that Foaotmad’s fine - don’t change a thing. I agree entirely with
both these opinions, which have been supported verbally by
others. I do know that when the membership is concerned about
things, they’ve no objection to telling us all about it; in this case
that has not happened, which makes me very happy. I hope this
isn’t too controversial for you.
Gainsborough 2007
Preparations are underway for next year’s festival. The Americans
performing will be the Orpheus Supertones, Sara Grey and
Kieron Means and hopefully as dancers, performers and dance
instructors the Grace Sisters. The festival will include Square
Dancing and an Open Stage to give members a chance to show
their undoubted abilities.The weekend ticket will be £25 for
members and £35 for non-members, a much more significant
difference than previously.
Ray Banks
Paypal: mysite.freeserve.com/thejumplead
Also supplier of replacement Ashbory G & D
String. Buy yours using Paypal:
mysite.freeserve.com/ashborystring
SESSION NEEDED: Do you know of an Old
Time session anywhere near Dudley in the
West Midlands, or would you like to help me
start one? Ring Yvonne Parkes 01902 570285
RECORDS, TAPES and CDs for sale old-time, early country music, early bluegrass
and a couple of contemporary bluegrass items.
With only a couple of exceptions, all items £5
each. Send SAE for a list to: Andy Imms, 19
Springfield Road, Pamber Heath, Tadley,
Hampshire RG26 3DL
or email: guitar@imms12.wanadoo.co.uk
BANJO FOR SALE
Cole ‘Eclipse’ 3000, 5-string, ‘Man in the Moon’
and other engraved inlays. 1890’s, (serial no
1870). Skin head, ‘Elite’ tailpiece and armrest.
Hard case. Super historic banjo in very good
condition. £1295 ono. Contact Bob Ward on
01353 741640 (Ely) for more information.
1922 GIBSON SNAKEHEAD
MANDOLIN.
Lloyd Loar era OHSC. £1900.
Bob Matthews 01626 352007 (Devon)
BANJO FOR SALE: Goldtone Elite Classic
open back. New, with case. Abalone inlay Tree
Of Life, with brass spun over maple pot.
£495.00. Contact Jim Allen: 01568 750546 or
email jim@bockleton.fsnet.co.uk
John Grey 5 string banjo, brass resonator,
Original condition c1947 £550
Windsor popular 2 5 string banjo, wooden
resonator £200
Oakwood Hammer Dulcimer £400
Eko 12 string £99
Ring Pennie Gillis at 01902 340844
Email: penni@care4free.net
NYLGUT STRINGS
NOW including BANJO-UKE
A big improvement - having the density and feel
of real gut with more stability than metal
strings. Excellent tone, good volume and easy
on your nails!
Standard Banjo: £6.50 per set, inc. p&p
Just available! Minstrel Banjo Set, heavy gauge
for open E or D tunings: £7.00 per set, inc.
p&p Banjo-Uke: £5.30 per set, inc. p&p
Cheque or cash to Barry M. Murphy, Dormers
Farmhouse,Windmill Hill, Nr Herstmonceux,
East Sussex BN 27 4RY
E-mail barry.m.murphy@btinternet.com
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
OPEN D
TUNING
f#, D, F#, A, D
his short article is intended for
banjo players who have some
experience in playing in the more
common banjo tunings, G and
double C and who want to explore
another tuning.
T
Most of the sessions I play at seem to
select the tunes to be played by the tuning
of the banjo player so we will have a
number of tunes in D, (double C capoed) a
pause to retune and then tunes in either G
or A. This may be a function of how we in
the UK tend to learn the banjo namely
from various tab books. A quick run
through the books I have at home shows
that most of these give very few if any
tunes in open D tuning.
Some of the banjo players I know seem
reluctant to take on learning another
tuning, preferring to stay with the ones
they first learned. There is obviously
nothing wrong with this but I want to
suggest that Open D is worth considering
as an additional tuning which can work well
in sessions and give another tone range to
solo playing. For the solo player it gives a
deeper and more bluesy sound.
To get into open D tuning from G you will
need to retune three strings, the second,
third and fifth. To retune the second, fret it
at the fifth fret. This should sound the same
as the first string open. To retune the third
string, fret the fourth string at the fourth
Peach Bottom Creek
fret. This should sound the same as the
third string open. The fifth string should be
retuned until it sounds the same as the first
string when fretted at the fourth fret. You
can also play in this tuning with the fifth
string tuned up to A rather than down to
F#. When you want to go back to G
simply capo across the fifth fret and retune
your fifth string back to G
Once you are in open D tuning you will
quickly realise that you use the same
fingering as in open G, except that it all
happens one string
down. The chord
diagrams (right) show
what I mean.
Finally, see below,
tablatures for 2 tunes
which go together well as a medley. The
first is ‘Peachbottom Creek’ from Wade
Ward and the second is a resetting of that
well known favourite tune ‘Shortnin’
Bread’. Thanks to Dave Dry for the tabs.
Colin Meadows
OFF KEY
John Hill
7
WHAT IS
BLUEGRASSBOX ?
When I first bought myself a decent PC, it was for a
variety of reasons but the most important wasn’t
because I needed it for study (although I did) or work
(which I also did)…but to access music via the
internet. I’m not talking about the controversial
practice of file sharing, but trawling the vast resources
available through a variety of archival websites.
Over the past few years I’ve enjoyed the fruits of the
Library of Congress, the Library of Appalachia, the
Honking Duck collection, the Roots of American fiddle
music and many more. I’ve been a right-clickin madman! I’m
sure there are few i-Pods on the Luas beaming Hoyt
Ming’s Indian War Whoop or Emry Arthur’s “Man of
Constant Sorrow”. So, as a lover of Old-Time and
Bluegrass, I thought I had really raked through the pile and
there wasn’t much left to check out. Then I discovered
Bluegrassbox.
According to the “What is Bluegrassbox?” page:
“Bluegrassbox is a crazy, confounded, steam powered (of course)
contraption, designed to spread the bluegrass sound as far and
wide as possible. We are: wagner%20at%20wagnerone.com
and patrick%20at%20skerrett.net Patrick Skerrett and
David Waite and we like bluegrass music. At one point Pat and I
had individual etree servers spreading our favorite music
throughout the net (chitapers.com and wagnerone.com
respectively). Well, we're geeks and one day, while sitting around,
we came up with this idea to pool our resources in order to provide
an even better service for the bluegrass community.”
So, what is etree? “etree.org is the award-winning leader in
lossless digital audio distribution on the Internet! We are a
community committed to providing the highest quality live
concert recordings in a losslessly-compressed, downloadable
format. All of the music on etree.org is free, and 100% legal
to download, trade, and burn. We also assist new traders in
learning to trade online through our extensive guides, found
below.” There is also a streaming radio show comprised of
live shows.
Before changing tuning it is adviseable to
consult an expert!
There is great stuff here. I’m not sure whether it’s really
worthwhile for dial uppers, because I use broadband. There
is some software to download, and it takes a bit of fiddling
around, but boy is it worth it. Shows are posted as folders
which you click and drag within a free FTP (file transfer
protocol) program. They take a while, and you have to join
an electronic queue. I know it sounds complicated but it’s
like anything else technical…once you know how, then you
know how.
The hands down highlight of all the shows I’ve downloaded
so far: the 1965 tapes of the original bluegrass festival in
Fincastle VA run by Carlton Haney. There are three discs
featuring Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mt Boys (featuring
Bill Emerson and Paul Williams), Mac Wiseman, Red
Smiley’s guitar workshop, the Osborne Brothers, The
Stanley Brothers and Reno and Smiley.
Shortning Bread
Yowza! This is one of the most important “moments” in
bluegrass music. Some readers may be familiar with the film
footage from this event, some of which was used in the film
“High Lonesome”. When you listen to this stuff, you’ll
definitely wish you had a time machine. I particularly
enjoyed Red Smiley’s guitar workshop…long before
instructional videos or even Frets magazine. There are no
anoraks discussing pick gauges here! (I’m no stranger to such
chat myself).
There are hundreds of shows listed here. Many are great,
and many hold no interest for this bluegrass fan. Some
certainly isn’t bluegrass. I intend to review a show or two in
the coming issues of our informative publication, and
perhaps to save you some download time.
8
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
Minstrel Period Banjo
Part 2:
The
Music
continued from
Old Time News 45
T
he new
‘Minstrel’ music spread
like wildfire, within a very
few years of its leaving the
plantation it had hit the
stages of New York, Dublin
and London and on beyond
to Europe. It was wild
music played on banjo,
fiddle and bones by people
blacked up in a parody of
‘poor blacks down on the
farm, and out on the road’.
Many of the tunes have an echo of African
music, especially in the sometimes-unusual
timing but it’s just that, an echo. Many
others sound a little Irish; not the hyped,
high-powered Celtic music to which
we’ve become accustomed. There’s no
sound barrier breaking, 6/8 jig-times here,
but the quieter, more relaxed Irish music
of early recordings made here and in the
States. I rather call it ‘Music Hall with a
touch of Blarney’ and a pinch of the music
that slaves of the time retained from their
long lost African heritage. (I would give
anything to hear the music AfricanAmericans played before Cakewalk,
before Ragtime, before the Blues.)
My own introduction to the ‘Minstrel
sound’ came in 1993 when, with Dave
Arthur, I visited a small music festival in
Athens, Georgia. On the programme,
apart from Boiled Buzzards and Red
Hots and Skillet Lickers, was Bob
Flesher, that masterful, flashy, five
stringer who proceeded to play one of
these outlandish instruments. I was
hooked. So hooked that I purchased, on
the spot, every tape he had so far issued.
Beverly and Carl - John Telling
From then onwards we travelled the
roads of Dixie in our blue, Chevrolet
convertible mile after mile - the tape deck
blaring out ‘Ring, Ring De Banjo’,
‘G’wine Back to Dixie’, ‘Jordan’s A
Hard Road To Travel’ and many other
tunes that the folks down south had been
trying hard to forget about since
reconstruction.
Ironically, by the latter part of the 19th
century, Black, African-American minstrel
troupes were parodying their own kind,
hoping to skim off some of the money to be
made from these vague, distant, hand-medowns that once had been their own. Sure,
some Minstrel music lyrics can be as a red
rag to a bull to the unwavering, politically
correct amongst us, but it was a far off,
different time and an important part of
American, and our own, history and can’t be
conveniently brushed under the carpet;
especially when the tunes are so often a real
knockout. To present day clawhammer
banjo players: let me assure you that by the
1860s they’d done it all, except maybe not
an over abundance of slides!
The more complicated left and right hand
techniques, taught these days in books and
classes for the intermediate to advanced
player, are all there in the early tutors; as
well as plenty more challenging movements.
I do battle with them on a regular basis and
for the most part fail miserably at mastering
them. One wonders where these complex
movements came from in such a relatively
short time, and whether again they
represent a reflection of what slaves had
brought from Africa. Seeing West Africans
play various stringed instruments nowadays,
one is tempted to say it’s more than likely
techniques arrived early on.
Further into our odyssey across the South,
Dave and I visited Wayne Erbsen in
Asheville, North Carolina where, lo and
behold, Wayne had a Bob Flesher,
Boucher banjo copy. I spent several hours
measuring and drawing it down to its most
minute detail. When getting back home, I
soon got under way to build myself one.
Playing it is one of the joys of life, for even
old standards from the old time repertoire
take on a new life with its funky, plonky,
greasy sound.
Should you want to dip your toe into the
Minstrel sound, you can still come across
Victorian fretless banjos at affordable prices;
though many have been abused by being
fretted and converted to metal strings, for
which they were never intended, with their
slender, non-reinforced, ‘vee’ profiled necks.
Thankfully, it’s not too difficult a process to
a taster by Barry M. Murphy
replace ruined fingerboards and inlays. You
can use the easily available nylon banjo
strings (la Bella’s for instance) but, in my
view, they are too light even for standard
pitch and, despite the company’s claims,
strike me as little more than fishing-line
nylon. They give a poor, weak sound and
while under the fingers feel like something
akin to stretched, slippery, rubber bands.
Naturally, gut or a modern material will not
have quite the ‘sustain’ of metal strings, but
more than enough for our kind of music
and they certainly produce a surprising
volume and hold ‘their own’, even in a
string-band situation.
I can supply special, Italian made, ‘Nylgut’
sets of strings. (Contact: below, or see my
ad in this issue). These have much the
same density as gut and a very similar feel
under the fingers and have been found to
be the very best alternative to the
traditional material. They are appropriate
for both standard pitch and the lower
minstrel pitch and are, in my own view, a
vast improvement over any previously
available. An added bonus of nylon and gut
is you can play all day, and all night, (and in
our band we often do) and your nails can
survive the onslaught. However, if you do
wish to go completely authentic and accept
the idiosyncrasies of gut be warned that
gut strings tend to fray and like skin heads
are subject to change in tension because of
humidity fluctuations and cost around three
times as much.
For those interested in learning more
about Minstrel banjo and early banjos in
general, here is a brief list of publications:
Ring the Banjar
The banjo in America from folklore to
factory. Robert Lloyd Webb. MIT Museum.
Published by Centerstream/ Hal Leonard
ISBN 1-57424-016-1
America’s Instrument, The banjo in
the 19th century
Phillip Gura & James Bollman. The
University of North Carolina Press, Chapel
Hill & London ISBN 0- 80782484-4
For those interested in playing this music,
Bob Flesher’s web site gives information
on his tutor, (which has an accompanying
CD), and his gut strings.
A good introductory CD of the music is
Minstrel Banjo style, Rounder CD 0321,
that includes some super tunes by Joe
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
Ayres, Clark Buehling, Bob Carlin
Bob Flesher, Tony Trischka and Bob
Winans.
Also for prospective players, an excellent
book on playing techniques has recently
appeared: The Early Minstrel Banjo.
Technique and Repertoire by Joe
Weidlich. Published by Centerstream/
Hal Leonard. ISBN 1-57424-133-8.
I’ve only just started dipping into it but it
looks like a winner, even giving
information about scale length/string
gauge ratios and other techno stuff for
those so inclined. The same author has
produced an update of both the Briggs
instructor of 1855 and Frank Converse’s
banjo instructor of 1865 that have the
original notation and modern tablature;
these are also from Centerstream/Hal
Leonard.
For instruments: there are a number of
makers in the U.S and here in Britain. I,
for one, make banjos including Gourd
and Minstrel period banjos. I believe that
Pete Stanley makes a Tack-head,
Minstrel/Civil War type; and there may
be others of whom I am unaware.
Should you wish to order Nylgut strings
my address is:
Dormer’s Farmhouse, Windmill Hill,
Herstmonceux, HAILSHAM, East
Sussex, BN27 4RY
Telephone 01323 832388
Barry Murphy is a long time, old-time
player and Maker of Blue Diamond
Instruments: Banjos, Guitars, carved top
Mandolins, and Appalachian Dulcimers.
9
BOOK REVIEW...
Old-Time
Music
and Dance
John Bealle
ISBN: 025334638X 264 pages
Indiana University Press
Old-Time Music and Dance, always a catchy phrase to gain
my interest and with the subtitle of ‘Community and Folk
Revival’, this is a scholarly study on the development of the
contra dance fraternity in Bloomington, Indiana and its
relationship with old-time music.
Begun in 1972 with a chance meeting between fiddler Miles Krassen and
contra-dancer Dillon Bustin, a whole community developed around the
weekly dance with aims to revive American traditions. The book covers about
20 years of the group and charts how the organisers managed without being ‘an
organization’; the finances managed on donations; the changes in venues due to
both numbers and town development and the social aspects of people with a
common interest in music and dance. “In time, the group became a kind of
accidental utopia, a community bound by celebration and deliberately void of structure
and authority.”
Author John Bealle joined the Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance
Group in 1976 and this was written ten years later as part of an analytical study
for the Indiana University Folklore Department. As time progressed he felt
the need to add details to fix the ‘oral history’ of the Bloomington dance and has
expanded his work into this book.There are chapters on the influences of
different music on the contra (Highwoods andFuzzy Mountain String
Bands); development of other dance forms (clogging and even a morris team);
the birth of various old-time bands; the influence and re-emergence of local
musician Lotus Dickey and dance weekends where everyone helped out in
some way, enabling costs to be almost negligible.There are also chapters relating
to the changes that affected American folk music in the 60’s and overall interests
in the dance and old-time music.
Because of its original purpose it is not an easy read, with the language chosen
for the scholar rather than the casual reader. It took me twice as long to read as
I’d expected although it falls into manageable themed chapters and is a
fascinating insight into the development of a very close-knit community united
by a love of music and dance.
There’s a good selection of informal photographs including a number of wellknown musicians, my favourite has Brad Leftwich in action as one of the
Shuffle Creek Cloggers. A worthwhile read, particularly for those interested
in contra dance and old-time music but be warned, it takes some concentration.
As a highly respected American musician said to me, ‘read it for the gossip’.
£16.95 from Amazon at time of writing.
Nick Pilley
10
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
When the
Roses Bloom in
Dixieland
CD REVIEWS...
‘Home Alone, On His Own’
Orpheus Supertones
Joe Locker 17 tracks - vocal, banjo and guitar
have to state up front
that, as a friend of
Joe’s for many years, I
am also a long-time fan
of his music. He shares
with me a liking for
music which extends on
both sides of the OldTime/Bluegrass divide,
and in many directions
away from that axis;
what he has that I do
not
have
is
an
enormous knowledge and experience of old-time and folk
music, and in particular being in on the explosion which
happened in the late 50s and 60s in America, when Pete
Seeger, the New Lost City Ramblers, The Greenbriar Boys,
Eric Weissburg and Marshall Brickman, and many others
made widely known the old-time traditional songs to
mainstream America - and indeed the world.
I
Joe has recorded several albums with the New Deal String Band
- who are at present Tom and Ben Paley, and Joe Locker.
However, this CD represents better, I think, the many strands of
music which he has gathered over the years and stored away,
playing them mainly ‘at home alone, on his own’. Some of the
tracks are straight old-time frailed banjo, nice versions of well-loved
tunes which, thanks to the work of those 1960s musicians, are now
part of the world’s musical heritage. The sound quality is good on
this album, by the way; it isn’t easy to record any acoustic music
well, and of the frailed banjo in particular - there’s a particular sound
that just ‘scratches the itch in your soul’ that you get when you
haven’t heard frailed banjo for too much time, and Andy Metcalfe,
working with Joe, has captured just the right sound here.
However, Joe also plays banjo finger-style, for tunes from the 1800s
to the present day; on this CD there is some straightish classic early
bluegrass style, a charming rendition of the Swedish ‘Gassberget
Ganglat’, and even a couple of Irish jigs. On the guitar too, he
works round the different approaches - classic Maybelle Carter,
blues, a stylish picked version of ‘the Entertainer’, and some flatpicking too.The songs vary from the classic ‘As I walked out’, a dark
version of ‘Darling Corey’, old-time comedy like ‘Next Week,
Some Time’ and ‘The Tenderfoot’, a tribute to Woody Guthrie,
and the ballad ‘Willie Moore’. Joe, by the way, is a great collector
of unusual verses of traditional songs - he has been known to write
extra verses on occasion - and you’ll probably find some words you
didn’t know in even the more familiar songs on this album, such as
‘Pretty Polly’.
What binds this varied collection together then? Actually it’s Joe’s
own personal style of delivery - old-time in atmosphere, but singing
these songs for their own value; not just to perpetuate a dead
tradition, but sending them ringing on into the future.
MM-0021 2006
Rock That Cradle Lucy; When The Roses Bloom In Dixieland; Rocky Pallet;
Goodbye Booze; Redbird; Big Bend Gals; Leake County Two-Step; Who's
That Knocking On My Window?; Pretty Little Indian; ; Sally Johnson; What Are
They Doing There Now?; St. Anne's Reel; Devil's Hornpipe; Merry Girl; 28th
Of January; Prohibition Is A Failure; Maxie's Waltz; Big Orpheus
Kellie Allen - Guitar
Clare Milliner - Fiddle
Pete Peterson - Banjo, guitar
Walt Koken - Fiddle, banjo
his is the second recording from a band that will be playing at the
next Gainsborough festival in February 2007, and then touring
further north. If you live in the South West of England you may have
already had a chance to see them, when they did a short tour in 2005,
and the CD includes a picture on the inside of the liner notes, of the
band (looking apprehensive) in front of a dolmen in Cornwall.
T
The band was assembled in 2003 by Kellie Allen, when, following the
successes of O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain, there were
plans to make a movie featuring 19th century music from Pennsylvania. All
four were living in South Eastern Pennsylvania, and playing as two duos. Walt
and Clare have a banjo and fiddle CD out, and Pete and Kellie sing and play
banjo and guitar. They got together to make a demo CD, the big movie
contract did not materialize, but they were energized to make their first CD,
recorded live, which came out in 2004. Banjo players may have intuited that
the band’s name owes its origins to Walt playing clawhammer on a Supertone,
and Pete picking an Orpheum, in a style similar to Charlie Poole.
The CD opens in fine energetic style with Rock That Cradle Lucy from the
Cofer brothers, with Walt and Clare on twin fiddles, Pete on banjo and Kellie
driving it along on guitar. Fiddle tunes from diverse sources provide most of
the tracks, whose inspiration ranges from 78s from the Skillet Lickers,
Cofer Brothers, Freeny’s Barn Dance Band and Da Costa Woltz’s
Southern Broadcasters, to slightly more modern sounds from Clark
Kessinger (Redbird) and Missouri fiddlers Roy Wooliver and Gene
Goforth, via tunes from non commercial collections of Henry Reed and
Ward Jarvis. The notes provide the sources, keys and who is playing what,
all arranged in code, which makes you work a bit to find out what’s what, but
the information is all there. Most of the tunes are played with the twin fiddle
line up. Clare and Walt play Pretty Little Indian, from Ward Jarvis, as a fiddle
and banjo duet, and this track neatly ties off a loose end left over from one of
Dave Bing’s Gainsborough fiddle workshops - he taught us this tune but
couldn’t remember the source. On a couple of tunes, Devils Hornpipe and
Merry Girl, the fiddle is joined by two banjos, with Walt on clawhammer and
Pete picking. On the remaining tracks, all the band members take turns to
sing, including harmony duets from Pete and Kellie on the Carter family’s
Who’s That Knocking at my Window and When The Roses Bloom in
Dixieland, Walt handles the vocal on Charlie Poole’s Goodbye Booze and
Pete sings Prohibition Is A Failure, which uses the same melody of Little
Streams of Whisky to express Lowe Stoke’s reservations about
government policy in the 1920s.
Available by emailing joelocker@talk21.com, and hopefully
at bluegrass and old-time festival stalls this summer.
For me, the stand out tracks are the fiddle tunes which come from Georgia
fiddle bands of the 1920’s, Rock that Cradle Lucy (Cofer Brothers) and Rocky
Pallet (Skillet Lickers) and evoke some of the sound and excitement of the
Highwoods String Band. Copies of the CD can be obtained from Eve Morris
(see the Member’s Ads) at £14.00 plus £1.00 p&p.
Rick Townend
www.mudthumper.com
Old Time News Summer Issue 46 2006
Stacey Banjos
19 Field Lane • Letchworth • Herts • SG6 3LF
Banjos with the look, the feel, the sound
and the playability
Classic Era Model £1350
elegant engraved pearl inlays in peghead and fingerboard
• flamed maple neck with bound ebony fingerboard
• two-way adjustable truss rod
• laminated maple rim
• the very best hardware selected from various suppliers
• ‘Whyte Laydie’ tone ring for fantastic tone and volume.
Gainsborough Special Model £1050
engraved ‘moon’ peghead inlay
• pearl position markers
• reinforced mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard
• laminated maple rim, 11 or 12 inches diameter
• Stacey ‘Free Energy’ tone ring.
OPTIONS
All models can be customised.
• ebony or Grenadillo tone ring.
• neck width to suit your preference.
• left handed neck.
• ‘frailers scoop’ in fingerboard.
• fretless neck with brass or ebony fingerboard
I usually have a selection of top quality vintage rims in
stock for which a neck can be custom built
Call me on 01462 683 074
11