OLD TIME NEWS
Transcription
OLD TIME NEWS
The News FRIENDS OF AMERICAN OLDTIME MUSIC AND DANCE THE ONLY UK PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO AMERICAN OLD TIME MUSIC AND DANCE NO 44 WINTER 2006 IN THIS ISSUE... New friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Temporary Editors Ramblings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 The AGM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Chewing The Fat . . . . . . . . . . .3 Don Messer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Chairman Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Sorefingers Review . . . . . . . .4 Gainsborough Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Charlie Poole ...didn’t he ramble... Banjo Tabs (Maysville) . . . . . . . .6 Playing for Dancers . . . . . . .6 New Dance Shoes . . . . . . . . .7 Dance Around the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 CD Review (Peggy Seeger) . . . .8 Members Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Old Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Events and Tours (Spring) .10 Our American Festival Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Gainsborough Festival 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 The Gathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 2 Old Time News Winter Issue 44 New Friends Temporary Editors’ Ramblings Number Name & Location 707 Pete Peterson Pennsylvania, USA 708 Kellie Allen Pennsylvania, USA 709 Ken Sykes Caersws, Powys 710 Min Gould Blandford, Dorset 711 Chris Taylor Dunkirk, Kent 712 Derek Jones Old Coulsdon, Surrey 713 Michael Fox Eastbourne, E.Sussex 714 Pete Shaw Peterborough, Cambs. 715 Nigel Morland Jacksdale, Notts. 716 Charles Hibbert Worksop, Notts. 717 Margaret Hibbert Worksop, Notts. 718 Trevor Jones Dorchester, Dorset 719 Mrs Ann Pywell Rochester, Kent 720 Mr Mick Pywell Rochester, Kent 721 David Allen Bridport, Dorset 722 Jackie Pritchard Coventry, W. Midlands his is the fourth of our new reformatted Old Time News and those of you who have wondered about the colour changes may finally have noticed the seasonal link with the blue of this winter one. I’m sure that you will appreciate the hard work that has gone into it. T It takes at least three people - an editor to put it together, Mo Jackson to take that information and turn it into the copy you see before you and Michi Matthias who has the unenviable task of ‘stuffing, licking and sticking’ - to get those magazines in the mail. And to think that for many years it was the entire responsibility of previous editor Neil White and before him Anita Kermode and Colm Daly! Thanks are due to them all for past, present and future services. We still have no permanent editor, although perhaps that will change at the forthcoming AGM. Ray Banks and I have alternated on a temporary basis and it seems to work well but it is a concern. There is always the possibility of a challenge of bias or conflict of interest with our other roles - let alone the struggle to find time amongst our other commitments. If we are unable to fill the position of Editor at the AGM, would YOU be interested in a shot at Temporary Editor for an issue? Guidance and proofing helpfully supplied, of course. Email and computer access preferable but not essential. Nick Pilley AGM... THE OLD TIME NEWS The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of American Old Time Music and Dance will take place during the morning of Sunday 19th February 2006 at the Gainsborough Festival. If you have anything you wish to be raised please contact a Committee member beforehand. The AGM will also include the election of the Committee and ALL of the Committee positions are open to contest. With the exception of the vacant Newsletter Editor, all of the current committee members have expressed a willingness to continue. However, if you have an alternative proposal, you may nominate any current member (with their agreement) to any of the positions. All nominations must have a Proposer and Seconder and be countersigned by the nominated member and delivered to the Secretary, 19 Beloe Road, Bristol, BS7 8RB, or in person before the meeting. Proposer, Seconder and Nominee must all be fully paid up members of FOAOTMAD. The relevant positions are: Chairman Treasurer Membership Secretary Newsletter Editor Publicity Officer Dance Representatives Secretary currently Ray Banks currently Jim Pycroft currently Eve Morris (vacant) currently Nick Pilley currently Paul and Clare Sheridan currently Sibs Riesen As mentioned in Chairman Ray’s report, we are also looking to co-opt a member who is prepared to co-ordinate the Gainsborough Festival for 2007 onwards. John Fisher - Mo Jackson is published quarterly and sent to Foaotmad members, free.Submissions by email, on Mac or PC disk, or on paper. LAST COPY DATES ARE 15th March, June, September and December. The Editor is not responsible for, nor necessarily 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 Nick Pilley Graphic Design and production by Mo Jackson. Distribution by Michi Mathias ADVERTISING (boxed sizes) Whole page £35.00 (h297 x w210 mm. plus bleed) Half page £25.00 (h128 x w186 mm.) £15.00 (h128 x w89 mm.) Quarter page £10.00 (h60 x w89 mm.) Eighth page Sixteenth page £ 7.50 (h62 x w42 mm.) Add £5 if your ad is not camera ready Add £5.00 if your ad is not camera ready. Please make cheques payable to FOAOTMAD. MEMBERS: up to 50 words of text-only advertising FREE. Printed by Optigraph Friends Of American Old TimeMusic And Dance www.foaotmad.org.uk President: Chairman: Treasurer: Secretary: Dance: Publicity: Festival: Tom Paley Ray Banks Jim Pycroft Sibs Riesen-Chase Paul and Clare Sheridan Nick Pilley 53 North Street Bridgewater Somerset, TA6 3PW [email protected] Keith Johnson To join Foaotmad Contact the Membership Secretary: Eve Morris 67 Greenway, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton TA4 3DA Tel/Fax: 01823 432863 Annual Subscriptions: Individual £15 (concessions £12) • Couple/Group: £25 Plus £5 for overseas/airmail Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 CHEWING the fat... WRONG KEY MEMBERS ADVERTS I would like to correct an error on the back cover of the last Old Time News, issue 43. Contrary to popular opinion I was not playing in the key of Z. As anyone can tell from my posture, it was actually Z Flat! (Nick Pilley) These are included as space permits - although usually we find space anyway. However, trying to find space for every item means that we often don’t know if details have changed or items have been sold or found. If you have an entry there, please check it is still relevant. If not, let either Ray or Nick know so they can keep things tidy. NEW FLYERS Hopefully you will have all received a copy of the new FOAOTMAD publicity flyer in the previous issue of OTN. If not, I have several thousand just sitting waiting for opportunities to be distributed and there will be plenty available at Gainsborough for you to collect and fill those little corners in instrument cases. That way you’ll be able to hand them out to passers-by who take an interest in old time. If you have an event coming up and want a heap to leave on display please write to Nick Pilley, 53 North Street, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 3PW. BACK ISSUES Issues 41, 42 and 43 can now be downloaded in Acrobat format (pdf) from our website and future issues will be added as they ‘expire’. For the serious archivist, issues 1 to 8 are also available but these are large files. Those in between will be added as time permits. Check out www.foaotmad.org.uk I also have a few printed copies of issue 42 still on the shelf if required - address as above. DWIGHT DILLER As you will read in Chairman Ray’s ramblings, Dwight was injured in a car accident recently. Being immediately prior to the banjo workshops a bit of hasty rethinking was done. At the time of writing, Dwight is still in hospital and likely to be there beyond Christmas. We all wish him a speedy recovery. TOURING MUSICIANS We’ve been blessed over the last few years by an increase in American artists prepared to chance a tour. With the exception of the Gainsborough Festival, it is not a formal policy of FOAOTMAD to get involved in organising any of these, although individuals on and off the Committee often provide help in an informal way with suggestions of venues to approach, providing hospitality or even promoting their own concerts. Because it is a personal involvement there is unlikely to be any control over where those tours go. Having said that, the dates and venues are announced as soon as possible (certainly in the emails I send out most weeks) and you may see gaps that could be filled in at a venue near you without excessive travelling. If you see an option and really want a performance in your area, get in touch with a tour contact (if specified) or with a Committee member to pass on the suggestion. Don’t leave it too late - and don’t moan when they come near… but not near enough! AND ON THE SAME SUBJECT Beverly Smith and Carl Jones are touring again in September. The Cornlickers (from North Carolina) hope to make a brief visit in August and the Crooked Jades (from San Francisco) are planning on a visit for June or July. 3 DON MESSER The mention of Don Messer in Chewing the Fat issue 43 deserves a little expansion for those whose fiddling interests stop at the Canadian border. FILM ON TOUR Here's a strange one that might prove interesting to some of you... There is an upcoming tour selected documentary films starting at the National Film Theatre, London in Feb 2006 that tours the UK for 2 to 3 months. One title in particular, ‘Homemade Hillbilly Jam’ may be of interest and I quote from the publicity: The brothers and cousins who make up the band Big Smith are proud to consider themselves Hillbillies. They combine traditional roots of Scots-Irish jigs, church music and folk songs handed down over generations, with more modern elements of country and western and a sensibility they describe as ‘neohillbilly’. Director Rick Minnich’s beautifully shot film celebrates Missouri’s Ozark countryside and the way music can transcend conflicting attitudes, to bring and hold generations together. 'Hillbilly' will be screening at the NFT on Thursday 2nd February at 6.20pm. Confirmed venues for the remainder of the tour are found in our Events listings on page 10. www.homemadehillbillyjam.com/main.html LICENSING ACT Lost in all the publicity about the ‘delights’ of 24-hour drinking, the new Licensing Act also has bearing on live music in pubs, village halls, schools etc. According to the Government, all will be much easier and musicians will benefit. At a recent conference of the Association of Festival Organisers (of which we are a member), Feargal Sharkey, Chair of the Live Music Forum reputedly took away a great deal of the concerns raised by festival organisers. I wasn’t there and must own to having a disbelief of most things the UK Government comes up with but I hope he’s right, otherwise live music could well be on the way out. However, he did say that he was certain the Act had every opportunity to improve live music but it would need some serious monitoring. on Messer was the star of his own music variety program, Don Messer's Jubilee which ran on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from 1958 to 1969. The program featured the ‘Down-East’ fiddling style of Messer and his band. During its run, it was one of the most popular television programs in Canada, and in 1961 its ratings were even higher than the formidable Ed Sullivan Show. D Born at Tweedside near Harvey, New Brunswick in 1909 and playing fiddle from the age of 5, he began his career on radio in 1934 and moved to Prince Edward Island in 1939. He brought the traditional music of east Canada and especially the Maritimes to the general public in much the same way Jimmy Shand was able to present Scottish music. His show's success, according to Messer himself, lay in its down-home sincerity and simplicity, contrasting sharply with the more ‘showbiz’ Canadian variety programs which emulated the more appealing American programs. Its appeal was largely among Canada's far-flung rural population, reaching nearly one-half of Canadian farm homes and its greatest appeal was among the fishing population of the Maritimes. He sold over 20 million singles and more than a million LPs in his career. He died in 1973. A large statue of a fiddle and bow was raised a few years ago in the centre of Harvey in his memory. DILLER TAB BOOK David Dry reports that the long-awaited, and superbly illustrated Diller Tab Book - Yew Piney Mountain - will hopefully be on sale at Gainsborough Festival. Price £20, including CD AND FINALLY… Three souls appear before St. Peter at the pearly gates. St. Peter asks the first one, "What was your last annual salary?" The soul replies, "£200,000; I was a trial lawyer." St. Peter asks the second one the same question. The soul answers, "£95,000; I was in real estate." St. Peter then asks the third soul the same question. The answer was, "£8,000" and St. Peter immediately replies, "Ah, you must be a banjo player" CAPTION COMPETITION In a hard fought contest, the winning caption to go with the photo of Eve Morris's shredded tent (OTN 43) is... "The Punch and Judy Show at the Old Time summer camp went down a storm" and comes from Bill Cox. He wins a CD of his choice from Eve Morris's catalogue. Congratulations Bill and thanks to all of you who entered. 4 Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 Chairman Ray Dwight Diller Accident A week before this year’s November fiddle and banjo workshops in Gainsborough, banjo instructor Dwight Diller had a car accident near his home in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, which left him in hospital with a dislocated hip. This prevented him from attending the workshop, and his place was very ably taken at very short notice by Dwight’s “walkin’ boss” Diane Jones, the fine banjo player with the Reed Island Rounders who instructs with Dwight at his Brown’s Creek banjo retreats. This involved some extra expense that was covered by our funds. We all hope that Dwight will make a good recovery, and be back with us next year. Good wishes and greetings can be sent to him at PO Box 148, Hillsboro, WV 24946. The Workshops Despite Dwight’s absence these were of course excellent as usual. Because I live near Gainsborough, I was able to drop in on the beginner weekend for the fine Saturday night session. The following Thursday, Dave Bing, Diane and Keith Johnson came over to the Three Horseshoes in Doncaster for a session with some local musicians, which included a surprise visit from Alan Green and Dave Dry. At the weekend I did my usual trick of pretending to be an intermediate fiddle player purely for the pleasure of hearing Dave Bing playing and deconstructing some wonderful tunes, including Harvey Sampson’s version of Carroll County Blues and a really tricky but excellent Maysville from JP Fraley. It was very hard but interesting work, and it was a pleasure to relax with the banjo for the evening sessions. Festival Organiser Needed When we hold the 2006 AGM at the Gainsborough Festival in February, we will need a new Festival Organiser. Keith Johnson is doing the job this year but feels he won’t have the time next year. Keith and Brenda will continue to provide hospitality to the American musicians we bring over for the festival, but we will need someone to take overall charge to carry out, or ensure that committee members will carry out, the list of tasks which make the festival possible. This would be a huge job for one person, but there will be much help and advice available from the committee and in many cases they will deal with these aspects themselves and just need co-ordinating. SOREFINGERS Old Time Banjo Class 2005 Stuart Todd had not been at the Sorefingers week for about nine years for a few reasons; distance, cost and not enjoying the first one I had done with Jody Stecher. When I saw this year’s was with Tom Sauber, I bit the bullet. I really love Tom’s playing and he is also a very good teacher. Was it worth it? Read on. I In the class were a lot of ‘old’ faces from the FOAOTMAD camp and a few others I did not know but was glad to meet, Michaelina and Alex to name two. The tuition took Tom through a few tunes that we learned (or tried to), lots to listen to, techniques, licks, different tunings and styles and so on. In all, it was a very interesting and inspiring week. These include: Ensuring the committee’s selected performers are booked and arranging an: • MC for the festival. • Arranging for a PA system. • Booking the school on a suitable weekend - currently the first weekend of the school Spring half term (for 2007 this is 16th - 18th February). • Arranging with the school management to ensure we have access to the theatre and classrooms, a stage and seating, indoor camping with showers, and the kitchen and restaurant area. • Ensuring the school has a suitable entertainment licence. • Arranging the provision of a bar. • Liaising with Rob and Brenda Johnson, who will organise the provision of meals. • Organising the activities timetable for the weekend, including concert running orders, and the who, what, and where of workshops and dance arrangements. • Organising a team of festival stewards to handle admissions and security. • Arranging festival insurance. • Co-ordinating publicity and ticketing arrangements. Details of nominations for the other committee roles can be found on page 2. Sewerby Hall Camp Last year’s May Day weekend camp in the grounds of Sewerby Hall, Bridlington was such a great success with musicians, dancers, visitors and Hall staff that it will be repeated this year, and hopefully become a regular event. It is free to Foaotmad musicians, dancers and friends. A dance floor will be made available for the teams who come, either in the superb Orangery or outside if the weather’s good. John Yeaman, the brains behind the event, tells me that people wanting to spend more time in the area would be welcome to arrive after mid-day on the Thursday, and can stay till Wednesday morning. The weekend will apparently be advertised nationally in local authority literature and elsewhere as the start of a month long Bridlington music festival. Full details will appear in the next Old Time News. The Gathering Shortly after this year’s festival I shall be off for my annual driving and Foaotmad promotion jaunt with Debby McClatchy (who’ll be at Gainsborough as a punter) and Tom, Brad and Alice round the concert halls of England. The details of the tour are on the back page, and I hope I’ll see a few of you at a concert. Accommodation was, as before, a bunk in a dormitory, which was comfortable enough BUT we had the worst snorer in the world in ours! Even ear plugs were ineffective as the vibrations shook the whole room! Food was excellent although three big meals a day was a bit much for the old constitution. Since my first time there the numbers have doubled or even tripled. This made sessions a bit bigger but on the whole the OT camp managed to take over the dining room and make their presence felt. The tutors sessions were very enjoyable with some of the other top players joining Tom, Brad & Alice wherever they played. This included a broom cupboard type alcove - Talk about closet players! As previously said “Was it worth it”? Well, even with the £400 for the tuition and accommodation, £150 for the petrol (1300 mile round trip) and other sundry items like the copious amounts of real ale, the answer is “yes”. Will I be back - again “yes” - but it all depends on who the tutor is and, of course, funds. GOOD Points • Tom’s teaching • Organisation and facilities • Sessions, both big and small • Much better bar than my first time there • Seeing Tom’s face when Basil started dancing beside him! BAD Points • The damn snoring in the dorm! • Having to miss Gainsborough for this. • Hearing about Stuart Toff at the morning assembly - low point of my week! Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 Powerful and sweet sounding banjos of great beauty, noted for their ease of playing. Heirloom quality, unconditionally guaranteed and great value, these instruments command respect in any company. To order or (occasionally from stock) 34 Lydbury North, Shropshire. SY7 8AU Tel: 01588 680 666 email: [email protected] 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 5 6 Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 Gainsborough Banjo Workshop David Dry wight Diller was unfortunately involved in a road traffic accident shortly before he was due to fly to the UK with Dave Bing. He sustained injuries to his hip and sternum (showing your medical training, Dave - Temporary Editor) requiring hospitalisation. He is progressing satisfactorily. Our thoughts are with him, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. At the time of writing he remains in hospital, but is now mobile in a wheelchair. D Diane Jones - Dave Dry Suddenly, we were left without a banjo teacher, but Dave Bing was able to obtain the services of Diane Jones at very short notice. Diane is well known to most of you from the Gainsborough Festival 2003 when she appeared with the Reed Island Rounders, and did a 3 day workshop afterwards which I was privileged to attend - just one of five! Diane has also produced an instructional DVD that was favourably reviewed by John Woodman (OTN 43). Despite Dwight's misfortune, we were pleased to see her again. Her classes are quite different from Dwight's, with much more accent on lyrical melodies and singing. Again the whole class of 18 got to singing - which may be a helpful aid to assimilating a tune, but with the huge variation in individual performance, even the banjos sounded good! A gentle start with ‘Pig in a Pen’ was followed by the difficult ‘Little Rose has Gone’. Saturday's class ended with a lovely tune from Melvyn Wine, retitled as ‘Wine's Delight’. During the teaching of this tune, Diane asked if anyone had perfect pitch? There was a deathly silence. “Good,” said Diane. “If so, you have the wrong instrument!” After the bar opened, Saturday gently drifted away in a great session, playing many of Dave Bing's G tunes. ‘Maysville’ from J.P. Fraley took up Sunday morning and teaching finished with ‘The Hangman's Song’ from Harvey Samson. Maybe Diane felt like hanging us all by this time! Most of us stopped back to record Diane playing several tunes to take home and work on. It was a memorable weekend. Thanks to Diane, Dave Bing and to Keith and Brenda for getting it together. Playing for Dancers Colin Tipping lan Jabbour’s workshop at Gainsborough 2005, plus his talk on Henry Reed and other old time musicians, gave rise to some discussion on playing for dancers and there was general agreement that it improves your fiddling to a considerable degree. If you are fortunate enough to play with a regular group you have to be able to keep in time and play the tunes the dancers require. Dancers, like musicians, come in all shapes and sizes and all level of fitness, so a Bruce Molsky technique is seldom required. A This brings me to the second point. You may be playing for quite some time so you need to be as relaxed as possible. Simple tunes, where you can concentrate on playing with a swing rather than snatching at the notes, are best. “Dill Pickle Rag” is better left for solos when the dancers are having a breather. You should also have time to be aware of what your bowing arm is doing, this is the engine that gets everything going - and remember to breathe normally! About a year ago I started playing for the “Washington Downtown Cloggers”. Up to this time they had mainly used a tape machine. I knew most of their tunes and picked up a couple of others - unfortunately they also loved to dance to a bluegrass version of “Blackberry Blossom”. It took me best part of a year to get it (mostly) right and up to speed, so it gives you something to aim for and measures your progress. It also liberates the dancers - they can now dance miles from an electric socket, and choose their own music. This, of course, is point five. Learning to read music opens up every tune book ever written. It’s tedious, hard work, raises your blood pressure, and it’s time consuming but in the long term the rewards are immense. Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 Take your feet and pat a tune… Nick Pilley and Claire Rudd n appropriate quotation for cloggers although we can't remember it's source. Mind you, we reckon that most cloggers would consider 'shoes' a necessity too. Clogging shoes are a very personal thing. Favourite old brogues from charity shops, flat heeled tap shoes or Oxfords, rarely Cuban-heeled dance shoes. Usually leather soled, often with taps for team dancing or plain leather soles for flatfooting. It goes on... A For us, a trip to North Carolina raised the opportunity of replacing Claire's 6-year-old favourites (2 sets of leather soles later) and also Bluefield's performance shoes. Yes, we could buy shoes here in the UK but those old favourites of Claire's came from one of America's best-kept clogging secrets, Carl's Clogging Supplies of Salem, South Carolina. Carl and Patsy Blanton started supplying shoes and taps to cloggers in the mid 70’s. Now they have a staff of 7 and manufacture 10,000 pairs a year, with 40% of the home market. Claire had first discovered the company’s shoes at a modern clogging convention in 1998 and liked them so much that when Bluefields needed new performance shoes 2 years later, a trip to the Appalachians included another visit to a convention and more purchases were made. Predominantly they come in white, fitted with a range of different ‘jingle’ taps including one of Carl’s own design, for the modern American clogging market. However, black and ‘un-tapped’ are also options, if less common when the ‘store’ is away from home. You can order from web site, although we phoned and arranged to make a two hour each way drive to visit the factory. About 2 miles north of Salem and situated maybe 8 miles south of the North Carolina border, the factory is about 5000 sq ft and oozes the smells of leather ... and glue! Fortunately for us, there was a delivery taking place and the big side door was open. Even so we were glad of a picturesque walk on the return journey to clear our brains. A chocolate-coloured Labrador, aptly called Hershey, greeted us on our arrival. Carl and Patsy were pleased to see us and Patsy even remembered details of when Claire had met them almost 8 years ago! For some reason Americans are very good at that sort of personal detail and it always fascinates us what people who have only met us briefly can remember years later. Claire wanted a pair for flatfooting and these were soon sorted. Team shoes were slightly different allowing for sock thickness and using penciled measures of current shoes and relevant feet that we had taken suitable sizes were selected. Sizes and range code will now be saved in our team notebook for ease in future! Carl and Patsy - Claire Rudd days later the UPS van rolled up the drive and there they were, ready for use - although we would still have to add taps to the team shoes (and an extra leather sole to fit them rather than the typical American riveted ‘jingle’ taps). Carl took us around his factory showing us the leathers, dies for cutting out under high pressure (both hands needed on well separated controls for safe use!), the lasts for shaping and the two machines which heated, stretched and shaped the uppers before fixing the soles. Finally his trademark wooden heel was attached and the final cosmetic touches applied. At a push, they can produce a pair of shoes from scratch in about an hour! So, need new shoes? Have we raised your interest? Carl's Clogging Supplies can be found at www.carlsclogging.com with an online shop or catalogues can be requested by mail from 150 Easy Street, Salem, SC 29676-2402 USA. We prefer the Freestylers model (Men's 601, Women's 501) - note that Men's and Women's sizes are not the same - a men's 7 is not the same as a women’s 7 and an American 7 is not the same as a UK 7. Two or three widths are available. They have conversion tables at the factory and European sizes are perhaps the most useful unless you know your American size. No excuses now, we chose our leather, waved the credit card and left them the order and the address of our temporary North Carolina home for delivery. Two Bluefields can be found at www.bluefields.org.uk and Claire will have her set of 'Carls' at Gainsborough if you want to know more. Dance Around the World Cecil Sharp House 15 -16 October 2005 Pamela Humphreys This is a weekend not to be missed by anyone who enjoys all styles of dance. Pam Humphries 7 decided to travel to London on the Saturday to see old friends and watch the progress of Kerry Fletcher’s group of dancers. This is an Appalachian tuition class at Weston, Hitchin that meets once a month to dance and enjoy themselves. I As I had given Kerry’s details to Maggie, who started the group, I was interested to see how things were progressing and how many students wanted to learn Appalachian stepping. After a morning of watching youngsters showing their knowledge of English, Manx, Flamenco and Bulgarian, I tried my hand (feet?) at Mexican, Portuguese and Majorcan dancing. Terrific fun and it made my backpack of dance shoes worthwhile. By mid afternoon, all of Kerry’s students had arrived and as I entered the refreshment area, I heard the familiar sounds of fiddle and banjo coming from the bar. There were four other FOAOTMAD members playing excellent music. I joined in on a couple of tunes but we were summoned to a rehearsal in the marquee on the front lawn. I was amazed to see so many people had given up their free time and travelled to London for this event. I felt privileged to be asked to join in on the freestyling and their first routine. Even though I was not familiar with some of their steps, they made me welcome and their enthusiasm was infectious. Their dancing was received with warm applause and appreciation. Next year’s Festival dates are 14th -15th October, so get those dancing shoes ready and watch their web site www.datw.org.uk 8 Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 material presented here will already be known to many of you. In my case, at least, a lot of the tunes are familiar, though some in name only, tending to be found these days only as words and dots on a yellowing page of some ancient American folk song collection or in an instrument tutor such as Peggy's own tutor for the 5-string banjo. These, sadly, are songs that have seen little recording or performance in recent years. Perhaps some feel they're a little old hat - who knows? Whatever the reason, Peggy breathes new life into them here. CD REVIEW... HEADING FOR HOME; LOVE CALL ME HOME The title track on the first album, Heading for Home, is one of the few nontraditional songs, a wistful piece featuring Peggy on up-picked banjo, with accompaniment from her son Calum MacColl on melodica and harmonium. On another, Country Blues, Peggy plays frailed banjo, which admirably displays her mastery of a number of Appalachian banjo styles. Peggy Seeger Appleseed APR CD 1076 and 1077 imed to coincide with Peggy Seeger's 70th Birthday Concert (see OTN 42), these are the first two parts in a planned three disc set of CDs T She switches to guitar on songs such as Hangman, and to piano on the singalong Careless Love (yes, I know some of you don't consider piano, let alone harmonium, to be a proper folk instrument, especially for Old Time music, but, remember, we're talking front parlour stuff here); then to Appalachian dulcimer on the ancient ballad, Rynerdine and autoharp on the Peggy's own Sing About These Hard Times. "I have sung these songs for 68 years and I cannot imagine being without them, yet decades have passed since I last recorded any of them. I've sung them at concerts, at parties, on demonstrations; crooned them while ironing, driving, crocheting, rocking babies, and while learning new instruments. I will idly whistle and hum them until I am ordered to stop." Apart from on a couple of unaccompanied songs (Love is Teasing and Bad Bad Girl), Peggy is ably supported on vocals and a wide selection of plucked, bowed and keyboarded instruments by numerous friends and family, including sons and daughter Calum, Neill and Kitty MacColl, brother Mike and partner Irene Pyper-Scott. I look forward to hearing the third in the trilogy. Dave VanDoorn known as The Home Trilogy: Disc 1, Heading for Home; Disc 2, Love Call Me Home; Disc 3, She's Coming Home (to be released early 2006). The collection is a celebration of American folk songs that Peggy grew up with. To quote the Heading for Home sleeve notes: So no ground-breaking stuff here, then and nor is there meant to be. It's not even a case of revisiting roots, for Peggy's clearly never been away from them. With just a handful of exceptions, every track is credited "words and music: traditional USA" (and those that are from Peggy's pen sound as if they've come straight out of the Lomax collections). In one form or another, much of the 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 DVDs, 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 TRACE-ELLIOTT BLX 80 BASS COMBO AMP Ideal sound for double bass on stage. Six band graphic equalisation, 2 pre-shaped EQs, effects send/return channel, input and line out sockets. Very true acoustic sound, 160 watt peak output. £200 ONO. Gill Harrison, phone 01780 450296, e-mail [email protected] SEEKING BANJO TUITION: frailing/clawhammer teacher wanted, preferably near Northants/Oxon/Warks borders but I'm prepared to travel. Barry Nash 01327 261269 (Daventry) 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 Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, Scotland AB23 8QB. This review has also appeared in Tradition Magazine: www.traditionmagazine.com 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 Paypal: http://mysite.freeserve.com/thejumplead> Also supplier of replacement Ashbory G & D String. Buy yours using Paypal: http://mysite.freeserve.com/ashborystring 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: [email protected] HEDY WEST: I'm looking for anything connected with this artist - recordings, information, publicity, articles. Chris Taylor (evenings) 01458 447865 (Som.) 1921 GIBSON A2 MANDOLIN Excellent, all original, including pickguard/ohsc, trussrod. Loud/sweet/lovely. £1650. • 1922 Gibson Lloyd Loar Snakehead A-model mandolin - all original, fantastic condition except no pickguard. Fine musician's instrument, loud and choppy. OHSC. £2400. Bob Matthews 01626 352007 (S. Devon) TWO OPEN-BACK BANJOS: Windsor "Popular" circa 1910. 11" head, geared tuners, frailer's scoop, Shubb 5th string capo, 28 cleats. Excellent instrument, professionally gigged for 5 years. £350 ono. Richard Spencer circa 1895. 10" head, geared tuners, 30 cleats, armrest, 5th string capo, nice inlay. Rare, beautiful instrument in excellent condition. £300 ono. Derek Brimstone 01442 264924 (Herts) 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 [email protected] ORB MUSIC . an explanation... Helmut Rheingans writes, First I’d like to say thank you to all the people who responded to my recent Small Ad (OTN 43 and emails) - I’ve never had such a response before! To clarify what is happening; the shop known as ORB Music in Eyam will be closed down by April 2006. From then on I will be working from home, I’m in the process of building a workshop, concentrating on making and repairing violins and banjos. So, I’m not planning on retiring yet. The sale will be going on until the end of March. There are still some guitars left and a double bass. The web address will remain unchanged but updated: www.orbmusic.co.uk Thanks again, Helmut Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 OLD TIMERS... WILL KEYS ill Keys, who was considered to be one of the best oldtime banjo pickers in the United States, passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 4, 2005. He had been battling a brain tumour for several months. He was born on October 4, 1923 in the hills of eastern Tennessee and was one of 12 children. His brother, Jay, who played the guitar, strung an old banjo with wire from a screen door and gave it to an 8 year old Will to learn on. W THE LEGACY OF CHARLIE POOLE by Debby McClatchy ven though he lived a short life, Charlie Poole's influence on American country music was unparalleled. His group, The North Carolina Ramblers, is still considered the premier band of the string band era of the 1920s. It helped that their first recording in 1925 predated all the other major artists, such as The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and The Skillet Lickers. It also helped that Charlie was a consummate professional and performer; his shows were said to be wellplanned and highly entertaining. E Born in 1892, Charlie grew up in the cotton mill area now known as Eden, North Carolina, surrounded by the traditional anglo-celtic music heritage of the local residents, old minstrel show tunes, and the popular music of the day, parlour and vaudeville material. The mill owners also brought in music teachers to broaden their employees cultural horizons. Playing banjo by age eight, Charlie was known as a rowdy youth who grew into an irrepressive adult, fond of rambling around, and the liquor that went with it. He was a clawhammer player in his teens, but a bet that he could catch a fast baseball barehanded left him with a broken hand, permanently bent into a position best for fingerpicking styles. Charlie's first banjo was one he made from a gourd. When he went to work in the mills he bought one for $1.50. Quitting the mills at the age of twentytwo, Charlie then lived on his wits and banjo playing for four years. In 1918 he met Posey Rorer, a club-footed fiddler from the mill region, and the two went to work for moonshiners, using their time together to practice. Joined by guitarist, Norman Woodlieff, they formed The North Carolina Ramblers and started street singing in front of the mills. After the success of the first oldtime recording of Fiddler John Carson in 1923, Charlie's goal was to record, which he did in 1924, although these sides were never released or found since. Working briefly back in the mill, the Ramblers saved their pay and then moved to New Jersey to lay siege to the New York City recording studios. They finally recorded with Columbia in July of 1925. ‘Don't Let Your Deal Go Down’ and ‘Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister’ amazingly sold 102,000 copies, at a time when five hundred was considered a ‘hit’, and The Ramblers became a real working band. Norman's declining health led to Roy Harvey joining the band, and, later, Charlie's spending of all the royalties in a drunken spree, led to a split with Posey, and two other fiddlers, first Lonnie Austin, and then, Odell Smith, joined the Ramblers. Charlie's use of popular musical material in an old-time context, plus his exuberant stage presence (he even danced and did cartwheels), and the tight merge of the three instruments, sometimes with piano from Lucy Terry, Roy's sister, made them eminently popular. Also Roy didn't drink and took over management of the band. Their seven recording sessions produced successful hits, although their sales gradually diminished, due to competition and the weakening economy going into the 1930s Depression. In the winter of 1931 Charlie lost interest in the music and the Ramblers split up and returned to working in the mills. Charlie quit his abusive drinking, but an offer from Hollywood to do a short film on himself started a thirteen week celebratory spree, ultimately causing his death from a heart attack at age thirty-nine in May, 1931. Such a shame! I visit Charlie's grave every year and celebrate his short but influential life, and wish he were still around to tell his tales. What a story it would be! 9 In 1978, he won the old-time banjo contest at the prestigious Galax Fiddler's Convention. Despite his musical ability, he worked a full-time job at the Eastman Chemical Company for 42 years. After his retirement in 1984, Keys began performing more regularly, playing at folk festivals, and teaching workshops. Using his fingers rather than a pick to pluck the strings gave his banjo playing a distinctive sound with a bell-like tone. The two-finger style was described as being more melodic than a clawhammer style, but much less ‘technical’ than three-finger bluegrass picking. The National Council for the Traditional Arts included him in its Masters of the Banjo tours in 1993, and the National Endowment for the Arts honoured him with a National Heritage Fellowship in 1996. Often to be seen with his trademark derby hat and worn gold-plated Paramount 5-string, he was a popular, kind man and highly thought-of musician. RILEY PUCKETT By Bill Cox orn 7th May 1894 near Alpharetta Georgia, died 13th July 1946, Atlanta Georgia. Known mainly by old time music fans as the guitar player in the Skillet Lickers, Riley could also play the banjo, piano, mandolin, and fiddle. B Riley also played a varied list of tunes and songs over the years; British and American folk ballads, Minstrel songs, Funny skits and ditties, sentimental songs from the 1800s through to pop songs of the 1930s, plus the Skillet Licker tracks, and all songs performed with that great baritone voice of Riley’s. He was probably the first country singer to yodel on record with “Rock All Our Babies To Sleep”. Riley was blinded by misapplication of medicine not long after being born and so later was sent to learn Braille in Macon Georgia, where he also learned piano. As a teenager he taught himself to play banjo and guitar. Whether he had his own style of playing the guitar at this time isn’t known as his first airing to the general public came when he was 28 years old (28th September 1922) on WSB radio. He was playing with Clayton McMichen’s Hometown Boys at this time but two years later he joined Gid Tanner and the two of them went to New York to record some tracks. About this time Gid Tanner formed The Skillet Lickers, with Riley as lead singer and guitarist (sometimes banjo) with that distinctive bass run guitar style for which he became known. He stayed with The Skillet Lickers for 10 years. After this he recorded with other musicians and made solo singles for the Columbia label. From 1934 to 1941 he was mainly with the RCA Victor label apart from some recordings for the Decca label in 1937. Apart from his recording with the Skillet Lickers, Riley recorded around 200 sides before his death in East Point, Atlanta at only 52 years of age. 10 Old Time News Winter 2006 Issue 44 EVENTS AND TOURS SPRING 2006 THE GATHERING Tom, Brad and Alice with Debby McClatchy (see back cover) February 24th The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe, Devon 25th Blisland Village Hall, nr. Bodmin, Cornwall 26th The Crabshell, Kingsbridge, Devon 28th The Musician, Leicester March 1st Huntingdon Hall, Worcester 2nd The Borderline, London 3rd The Empire Hall, Graffham Nr Midhurst, Sussex 4th The Arc Theatre, Trowbridge 5th The Noel Arms, Melton Mowbray 7th The Little Theatre, Thornton Cleveley, Nr Blackpool 8th National Centre for Early Music, St. Margaret's Church, York 9th The Subscription Rooms, Stroud 10th Bridgwater Arts Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset 11th Sutton Village Hall, Sutton, Bedfordshire BEVERLY SMITH AND CARL JONES www.smithnjones.net February 8th South Molton, Devon 9th Somerset (venue TBC) 10th The Floor, Tenbury Wells 11th New Radnor, Powys 17th-19th Gainsborough Festival 25th The Chattery, Swansea SARA GREY www.maclurg.com/saragrey January 12th Maidenhead Folk Club 13th The Brewtown FC, Burton on Trent 15th St Ives FC, Cornwall 17th Skipton FC, Swan Inn, Carleton In Craveny, Keighley 19th The Derby Gaol FC, Friargate,Derby 20th Swindon FC, Pinehurst People's Centre, Swindon 22nd Folk On The Moor, Plymouth March 27th The Red Bull FC, Middle Hillgate, Stockport 29th school work, Chelmsford 30th school work, Suffolk 31st afternoon, school work, Suffolk 31st Everyman FC, Saxmundham ‘HOMEMADE HILLBILLY JAM’ www.homemadehillbillyjam.com Tour starts 2nd February • National Film Theatre, London • National Museum of Photography, Film & TV in Bradford • Watershed, Bristol • Metro Cinema, Derby • Kino, Middlesborough • Broadway, Nottingham • Edinburgh Filmhouse • The Courtyard, Hereford • Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast • Riverside Studios, Hammersmith • Forum, Northampton • Glasgow Film Theatre • Leeds Film Quarter Our American festival guests... native of Italy, Rafe Stefanini moved to the U.S. in 1983 and has become one of the foremost interpreters of fiddle music from the South. His dynamic and elegant fiddle and banjo playing was featured in some of the best bands to appear on the scene including The Wildcats and The L-7's (with Bruce Molsky and Dirk Powell). The band changed it's name to Big Hoedown with Beverly Smith replacing Dirk Powell and more recently, Rafe and Beverly teamed up with John Herrmann and Meredith McIntosh as the Rockinghams. He is also a highly respected fiddle repairer. A John Herrmann is best known as a banjo player, but he is also an expert guitarist, bassist and fiddler. He seems to be everywhere, playing with everyone, not just in the U.S. but in places as distant as France and Japan where he is known as "The Father of Old-Time Music " and is often regarded as the originator of the “slow jam”. He plays fiddle with the New Southern Ramblers, but he has performed with many bands including the Henrie Brothers, the Wandering Ramblers, One-Eyed Dog, Midnight Mockingbirds and Ida Red. Since 1992 John has recorded and produced many recordings for his own Yodel-Ay-Hee records co-operative. Meredith McIntosh is also a member of Ida Red, The Mockingbirds and The New Southern Ramblers and has been playing music since she was a child. She has been playing old time music on fiddle, guitar and bass since the mid1980's and has been in great demand over the past ten years playing bass for many other bands including The Hearbeats and cajun band Balfa Toujours. Both John and Meredith live around the Asheville area of North Carolina where they are amongst the mainstays of the old time music scene and are regular tutors at the Swannanoa Gathering. Like Rafe, Beverly Smith lives in Pennsylvania. One of the most respected guitar players in old time music today, she is also in demand as a singer, fiddler, and dance caller. She has made numerous recordings, backing up fiddlers like Rafe, Bruce Molsky, Tara Nevins and Brad Leftwich in bands such as The Heartbeats and Big Medicine, vocalizing with Irish musicians Mick Moloney and John Doyle, and also singing with bluegrass great Laurie Lewis. She has taught and played at many camps and folk festivals and, as well as playing in The Rockinghams, is well known for her collaborations with Carl Jones. Carl Jones toured with Norman and Nancy Blake as part of the Rising Fawn String Ensemble, playing mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. He often plays as a duo with James Bryan, and is sometimes found picking as part of a trio with Bruce Green and Don Pedi. Carl has been an instructor at Pinewoods, Port Townsend's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Mars Hill Old Time Week, and the Swannanoa Gathering. For years he and Beverly have appeared on the traditional music scene, at festivals, on record, at contests and dances, in various bands and formations, playing just about anything with strings or tossing in vocal harmonies wherever there was the opportunity. They are currently on their 4th tour of the U.K. and have left a string of converted fans wherever they have performed. Their recent cd ‘Somewhere Over Yonder’ has been described as "a classic recording of old-time duets". "I'll Fly Away" OFF KEY John Hill by Dave Marshall and Andy Imms A collection of old time songs and tunes, featuring Dave Marshall on clawhammer banjo, Andy Imms on guitar and Keith Chilvers on mandolin. Listen to online samples at www.virtualbluegrassband.com £12 inc p&p. Dave Marshall, 4 The Sycamores, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 7BE. Tel: 01252 657609 The disadvantage of holding fiddle workshops in draughty rooms. Original photo Ray Banks February Friday Saturday Sunday Tuesday 24 25 26 28 The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe, Devon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01271 324242 Blisland Village Hall, nr. Bodmin, Cornwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01840 214220 The Crabshell, Kingsbridge, Devon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01548 856601 The Musician, Leicester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0116 2835533 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 Huntingdon Hall, Worcester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01905 611714 The Borderline, London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0207 5346970 The Empire Hall, Graffham Nr Midhurst, Sussex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01243 781312/774641 The Arc Theatre, Trowbridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01225 756376 The Noel Arms, Melton Mowbray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01664 562363 The Little Theatre, Thornton Cleveley, Nr Blackpool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01253 770547 National Centre for Early Music, St. Margaret's Church, York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01904 658338 The Subscription Rooms, Stroud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01453 760900 Bridgwater Arts Centre, Bridgwater, Somerset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 01278 422701 Sutton Village Hall, Sutton, Bedfordshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 017867 260041 March Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
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