country music topics
Harry Stewart
newsgroups. This e-mail is not a salvo in that battle, but an attempt to
find out about what country music was and is in the past. This is probably
more for songwriters than anyone else, but feel free to respond, and it
would be nice if this doesn't start a war.
Harlan Howard once said something akin to "there wasn't a whole lot of sense
to write about anything other than love because love is important to most
people." Fortunately, for us old timers, that didn't stop him from writing
"The Blizzard," "Busted," and others. Paul McCartney, on the other hand,
was once asked if he could write anything except love songs. As a result,
one of the tunes he wrote was Eleanor Rigby. In the 60s with folk and rock,
all sorts of issues became fodder for the poet's pen. In the 70s, when I
really got into music, country was called "the music of the people" and was
said to be about real situations in real people's lives.
I happen to believe that music and other entertainment forms both reflect
and influence behavior, so one of the questions I remember discussing in my
Nashville days was, should we write songs promoting casual sex in the wake
of AIDS. For me, the answer was no. For others, friends of mine, the
answer was yes. For me, songs about Jesus Christ are fun to write, for
others, friends of mine, songs about Jesus are a waste of time.
So, the question I have is, as society has moved to the outskirts of the
cities, as electric power is now the rule as opposed to the first half of
the century, as the poverty of the depression is over for most folks, and
race relations (in my opinion) have become better, what are the things to
write about? Love is still around, but it seems to be looked upon by
society differently than before. Floods (like in Cash's case) are still
happening seemingly more than ever. Do we write about global warming,
stolen nuclear secrets, and EPA emission standards? If we write about the
10 Commandments being in school, is this a political song or just a song
about real life? The recent song, "Don't Laugh At Me," was that a new style
of writing or an old style?
The song by Reba about AIDS, new style or old style?
Any thoughts or comments?
Travis
>
>
> So, the question I have is,
(snip)
what are the things to
> write about?
You write about human experiences that are common to most people. Love,
earning a living and dealing with others are experiences common to all,
so they are safe canvases upon which to paint. Have you ever noticed
how few songs there are about architecture? Why do you suppose that is?
Songs about the ten commandments are fine, but how well would you
receive a song about the Koran?
Frank Hamilton
Hi Harry,
Enjoyed your post.
>A lot of people have taken issue lately with the topics that appear in
>newsgroups. This e-mail is not a salvo in that battle, but an attempt to
>find out about what country music was and is in the past.
Important thing to do in my opinion. I'm learning a lot from this
newsgroup.
This is probably
>more for songwriters than anyone else, but feel free to respond, and it
>would be nice if this doesn't start a war.
I'm with you. Don't like wars.
>Harlan Howard once said something akin to "there wasn't a whole lot of sense
>to write about anything other than love because love is important to most
>people." Fortunately, for us old timers, that didn't stop him from writing
>"The Blizzard," "Busted," and others.
I always thought there were different kinds of love. Love of the
courntry, love of truth, love of people of all kinds, and even some
love that causes controversey.
Paul McCartney, on the other hand,
>was once asked if he could write anything except love songs. As a result,
>one of the tunes he wrote was Eleanor Rigby. In the 60s with folk and rock,
>all sorts of issues became fodder for the poet's pen. In the 70s, when I
>really got into music, country was called "the music of the people" and was
>said to be about real situations in real people's lives.
I think it still happens but maybe not on main stream AM radio.
>I happen to believe that music and other entertainment forms both reflect
>and influence behavior, so one of the questions I remember discussing in my
>Nashville days was, should we write songs promoting casual sex in the wake
>of AIDS. For me, the answer was no.
The problem I see with this is that any song can influence behavior or
can be used as an excuse to influence behavior. This brings up the
issue of censorship.
For others, friends of mine, the
>answer was yes. For me, songs about Jesus Christ are fun to write, for
>others, friends of mine, songs about Jesus are a waste of time.
I believe a good song is a good song. Doesn't matter what you write
about as long as the song has an integrity of it's own and is not made
to proselytize or to sell or promote ideologies. But if it comes out
of a writer's personal conviction and reflects his/her honest state of
mind, I think it can be about anything and be a good song. Here, I'm
parroting Joseph Campbell who says that a work of art has it's own
integrity and is made solely for that purpose and no other.
>So, the question I have is, as society has moved to the outskirts of the
>cities, as electric power is now the rule as opposed to the first half of
>the century, as the poverty of the depression is over for most folks, and
>race relations (in my opinion) have become better, what are the things to
>write about?
I believe that there are still songs to be written about the plight of
poor people stuck in cities, the danger of unbridled technology, and
that there are those still in the throes of economic depression. Race
relations have become better in some ways and worse in others. We see
the rise of hate groups and shootings based on race hatred. These are
all still topics that songwriters can address today.
Love is still around, but it seems to be looked upon by
>society differently than before. Floods (like in Cash's case) are still
>happening seemingly more than ever. Do we write about global warming,
>stolen nuclear secrets, and EPA emission standards? If we write about the
>10 Commandments being in school, is this a political song or just a song
>about real life? The recent song, "Don't Laugh At Me," was that a new style
>of writing or an old style?
>The song by Reba about AIDS, new style or old style?
>Any thoughts or comments?
An honest song is still an honest song. If it's good people will find
it, I believe. This is why in my opinion so many wonderful folk songs
have survived over the decades.
Interesting thread. Thanks.
Frank Hamilton
Danny Taddei
message comes from the heart and is well communicated it tends to touch
someone. It is how that music touches someone and the someone touches that
brings rise to the controversy so common in the news. Charles Manson is the
first huge tail of horror I remember but I'm sure that stories go back to the
invention of rhyme.
If you wanted to break down music into the rights and wrongs of it, the
question then becomes a personal, moral and finical one. On a personal level,
I am an adventuring soul that likes to laugh and get crazy. Morally, I'm a
Christian who believes in spreading good will and clean thoughts but I am not
the type that forces others into believing like I do. Financially, I am a
producer that must record sellable music in order to sustain my lifestyle. As
such I find ample room to fit into any style of writing without having to even
think about it. The question of what I should write is then answered by what
to I want to right.
Maybe a writer would be more effective if he/she knew them self well before
writing or relinquished all hope and use music to find them self. That way the
music would reflect something of value rather then something that was trying to
look like value. Of coarse those are maybes. In reality a writer will write as
responsibly as they act in life and as in depth as they think. 28,000,000 song
writers live in the united states and very few every get their song past the
paper they write it on. That's ok. For them writing is a release that helps
them focus like meditation or prayer would. Only the extremes will stand out
and sell. Music is what people want and as long as there are all type of people
there will be........ Yep. You finished that line your self! The answered as to
what to write is also in your self too. Not in someone else and even less, in a
clinic.
Danny Taddei
Fat Cat Records
Harry Stewart wrote:
> A lot of people have taken issue lately with the topics that appear in
> newsgroups. This e-mail is not a salvo in that battle, but an attempt to
> find out about what country music was and is in the past. This is probably
> more for songwriters than anyone else, but feel free to respond, and it
> would be nice if this doesn't start a war.
>
> Harlan Howard once said something akin to "there wasn't a whole lot of sense
> to write about anything other than love because love is important to most
> people." Fortunately, for us old timers, that didn't stop him from writing
> "The Blizzard," "Busted," and others. Paul McCartney, on the other hand,
> was once asked if he could write anything except love songs. As a result,
> one of the tunes he wrote was Eleanor Rigby. In the 60s with folk and rock,
> all sorts of issues became fodder for the poet's pen. In the 70s, when I
> really got into music, country was called "the music of the people" and was
> said to be about real situations in real people's lives.
>
> I happen to believe that music and other entertainment forms both reflect
> and influence behavior, so one of the questions I remember discussing in my
> Nashville days was, should we write songs promoting casual sex in the wake
> of AIDS. For me, the answer was no. For others, friends of mine, the
> answer was yes. For me, songs about Jesus Christ are fun to write, for
> others, friends of mine, songs about Jesus are a waste of time.
>
> So, the question I have is, as society has moved to the outskirts of the
> cities, as electric power is now the rule as opposed to the first half of
> the century, as the poverty of the depression is over for most folks, and
> race relations (in my opinion) have become better, what are the things to
> write about? Love is still around, but it seems to be looked upon by
Larryd
Harry Stewart <Harry....@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7m7j8q$1t2$1...@bgtnsc01.worldnet.att.net...
>
> I happen to believe that music and other entertainment forms both reflect
> and influence behavior, so one of the questions I remember discussing in
my
> Nashville days was, should we write songs promoting casual sex in the wake
> of AIDS. For me, the answer was no. For others, friends of mine, the
> answer was yes.
Harry,
I think that what advancement there is in songwriting over the past 30 years
comes from the ability and willingness to deal more honestly with
relationships. Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson's songs paint pictures
that are easy to identify with. If we don't see ourselves in them, we often
see others we've known in them.
Among Kris' songs, "Help Me Make It Through The Night", "For The Good Times"
and "Me And Bobby McGee" might suggest casual sex, but they also tell
stories of real people with real human needs. They were easy for millions to
relate to.
His "Sunday Morning Coming Down" is seemingly about nothing more profound
than an alcoholic's terrible hangover and the loneliness and despair in his
life. Yet it was a beautiful song and a huge hit.
Willie Nelson has written so many poignant, dark, brooding songs. "Funny How
Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye", "I've
Just Destroyed The World (I'm Living In)", "The Party's Over", "Pretty
Paper", "Crazy" and "You Ought To Hear Me Cry" are perhaps among the best
known of them. Fans and those who follow his songs closely would also cite:
"Darkness On The Face Of The Earth", "The End Of Understanding", "I Don't
Feel Anything", "I Never Cared For You", "One Day At A Time", "Permanently
Lonely", and "What Can You Do To Me Now" as equally typical of his ability
to convey desolation and intense loneliness through a beautiful, though
disturbing, song.
Love is still around, but it seems to be looked upon by
> society differently than before. Floods (like in Cash's case) are still
> happening seemingly more than ever. Do we write about global warming,
> stolen nuclear secrets, and EPA emission standards?
I believe a true craftman (or craftsperson) could indeed write about all
those things. Consider Roger Miller's "You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo
Herd". An idea completely from out of left field, yet he gave us the simple
lesson at the end: "But you can be happy, if you've a mind to." He also
wrote "Old Friends", about lifetime relationships, and "Husbands And Wives"
and "When Two Worlds Collide" about not making relationships work because of
ego and pride. Such great ideas as "Kansas City Star" and "King Of The Road"
go beyond novelty status in the hands of such a great tunesmith as Roger.
They have lasting appeal.
If we write about the
> 10 Commandments being in school, is this a political song or just a song
> about real life? The recent song, "Don't Laugh At Me," was that a new
style
> of writing or an old style?
> The song by Reba about AIDS, new style or old style?
>
> Any thoughts or comments?
>
>
I don't think there'll ever be a shortage of ideas to write a song about.
The greatest songs always have something relevant to say about being human.
Whether it's our hopes and dreams, our foolishness, our weaknesses, or our
love of fun, a good songwriter need only find a new twist (no matter how
slight a twist) or a clever way to phrase old ideas and he'll be on track to
writing an interesting song.
Larry Davis
Mark Abbott
wrote:
Harry Stewart <Harry....@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7m7j8q$1t2$1...@bgtnsc01.worldnet.att.net...
>
> I happen to believe that music and other entertainment forms both reflect
> and influence behavior, so one of the questions I remember discussing in
my
> Nashville days was, should we write songs promoting casual sex in the wake
> of AIDS. For me, the answer was no. For others, friends of mine, the
> answer was yes.
Harry,
I think that what advancement there is in songwriting over the past 30 years
comes from the ability and willingness to deal more honestly with
relationships. Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson's songs paint pictures
that are easy to identify with. If we don't see ourselves in them, we often
see others we've known in them.
Among Kris' songs, "Help Me Make It Through The Night", "For The Good Times"
and "Me And Bobby McGee" might suggest casual sex, but they also tell
stories of real people with real human needs. They were easy for millions to
relate to.
"SNIP"
Willie Nelson has written so many poignant, dark, brooding songs. "Funny How
Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye", "I've
Just Destroyed The World (I'm Living In)", "The Party's Over", "Pretty
Paper", "Crazy" and "You Ought To Hear Me Cry" are perhaps among the best
known of them. Fans and those who follow his songs closely would also cite:
"SNIP"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Larry and Harry, I appreciate your intelligent dialogue about these artist
and you both seem rather intelligent so how about reading the FAQ for this
group and find a better place to hold you discussion. If you would like to
talk about Uncle Dave or some obscure fiddle tune stick around As far as
the advancement of songwriting over the past thirty years( do you believe
that?????????}or do just have a radio that is stuck in the 1930"s
--
Mark Duncan Abbott
"Lord Help Us Get It Right"
VBMWMO,'67R50/2
IBMWR
DrGleeby
country music but in all forms of music.
Perhaps "chicken" should be a genre unto itself!
Dr Gleeby
Poultryologist
Dot Roots
year and have never seen it mentioned. As for the discussion I
thoroughly enjoyed it. Where were you and the FAQ when we had all the
Shania and Garth posts?
Dorothy
Mark Abbott <mdab...@mindsring.com> wrote in message
news:mdabbott-110...@user-2ivf76q.dialup.mindspring.com...
Mark Abbott
<dotr...@camalott.com> wrote:
Mark, Just where is the FAQ for this group? I have been on it over a
year and have never seen it mentioned. As for the discussion I
thoroughly enjoyed it. Where were you and the FAQ when we had all the
Shania and Garth posts?
Dorothy
Dorthy here is the FAQ you requested read and learn
rec.music.country.old-time--Frequently Asked Questions
[Last Revised: April 7, 1999--Last Posted: June 28, 1997]
Table of Contents
1.What is this Newsgroup about? What is old-time music?
2.Where can I find discussion of older country music that isn't old-time?
3.Where can I find discussion about bluegrass?
4.What are contra dancing and contra tunes?
5.Publications, mail order sources, web sites, labels, periodicals,
festival schedules, etc.
1. WHAT IS THIS NEWSGROUP ABOUT? WHAT IS OLD-TIME MUSIC?
First, here's the charter for rec.music.country.old-time, as approved in a
vote ending on January 6, 1995. (The newsgroup was created on January
17, 1995.) The one-line newsgroup description, by the way, is Southern
fiddle/banjo music and beyond.
CHARTER
rec.music.country.old-time is intended to be an unmoderated discussion
newsgroup to discuss music that originates in the southern Appalachian
region of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee
but which also includes related music, for example, from Missouri,
Quebec, or New England (contra). Topics of discussion may include but are
not limited to:
Fiddle Tunes
Banjo Tunes
Performers
Lyrics (if not copyrighted)
Recordings
Festivals, Contests, Concerts
Books and Periodicals
Instruments
Instrument Techniques
[End Charter]
WHAT IS OLD-TIME MUSIC?
Old-time music is traditional music that developed in rural and often
isolated areas of the Appalachian and other regions before radio, cars,
and other
modern inventions. The two main strains of the music come from the banjo,
brought with many of its common playing styles from Africa by
Africans, and the fiddle, which came from western Europe, particularly
Germany, Scotland and Ireland. The fiddle and banjo were played separately
and together, particularly for square dancing, in the nineteenth century.
Songs and ballads, many imported from the British Isles and many written
on
these shores, are also an important part of old-time music. [If there's an
electric guitar or drums, it's probably not old-time music, though you can
probably find a few exceptions.]
The early days of old-time music are unfortunately not well-documented,
and there are various theories of how it started and spread. This first
one I
got from Bob Flesher. White minstrels popularized the banjo in urban
centers before the Civil War. The banjo went back to the mountains with
veterans from that war. When people began to play banjos and fiddles
together, fiddle playing changed. (See the notes, for example, to the
Emmett
Lundy LP.) After reading Conway's African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia (see
book list below), I would lean toward another theory. Conway gives
persuasive evidence that black banjo players taught both minstrels and
white mountain musicians to play the banjo directly. Just one of her
arguments
is that there are lots of common tunings between earlier black banjoists
and mountain banjoists that weren't used by minstrels.
The coming together of the banjo and the fiddle in ensemble is not
well-documented, but Conway does not find evidence for it happening prior
to the
minstrels. In the mountains, it dated roughly from the civil war period
until roughly World War I, when the guitar arrived. It is likely that
slaves
played fiddle and banjo together first. There is an 18th century reference
in Sinful Tunes and Spirituals to two slaves playing fiddle and banjo in
1774, p. 115.
The guitar and mandolin entered the music in the late 19th century.
Sometimes accordions, concertinas, pianos, and flutes or pennywhistles are
found in contemporary old-time ensembles. Bones, too. And let's not forget
the dulcimer and hammered dulcimer. And the harmonica and autoharp.
Old-time music has usually been made on whatever instrument was at hand,
so many more instruments could be mentioned.
Fiddle music in other parts of the United States and Canada also has an
old-time tradition that is less influenced by or developed independent
from the
southern music, although radios and recordings have made it unlikely that
any regional tradition would remain completely free from other influences.
And within any tradition, there are those who emphasize passing on the
tradition relatively unchanged and those who experiment with the tradition
at
the edges, extending it into new areas. Some individuals may even do both.
In the 1920s record companies recorded many old-time musicians, such as
Eck Robertson, Fiddlin' John Carson, Gid Tanner and the Skilletlickers,
Charlie Poole and Riley Puckett, Clarence Ashley, and others. It was these
record companies that coined the term old-time music, which they also
called hillbilly music. Uncle Dave Macon, a flamboyant banjo player, was
one of the first musicians on the Grand Ole Opry when it started in the
twenties. Uncle Jimmy Thompson, the Fruit Jar Drinkers, the Gully Jumpers,
DeFord Bailey, and Dr. Humphrey Bate were some other early Grand
Ole Opry stars. Grayson and Whitter were another important duo in those
early years. Some other names from the early years include Jimmie
Rodgers, the Carter Family, Al Hopkins and his Buckle Busters, Da Costa
Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, the Stripling Brothers, Dock Boggs,
Roscoe Holcomb, Fiddling Arthur Smith, Ed Haley, Clark Kessinger, Sam and
Kirk McGee, Wade Ward, Fiddlin' Sid Harkreader, and many
more. Few recordings were made of the many active African-American
old-time string bands in this period, but John Lusk, Albert York, and
Murphy Gribble played in one band of which we have recordings. An
important role was also played by the Library of Congress, which preserved
many musicians not deemed commercial by the record companies. Some of the
fine fiddlers recorded include Emmett Lundy from Galax, Virginia
and Edden (or Edn) Hammons of West Virginia (who was recorded by a
professor at West Virginia University).
Document Records in Austria has begun reissuing old-time music CDs based
on recordings that were originally on 78s. So far they have released
collections of Herschel Brown, John Dilleshaw (7-foot Dilly), Frank
Hutchison, Earl Johnson, the Stripling Brothers, the Kessinger Brothers,
and
Mississippi String Bands. [Many more have since been issued, but I won't
attempt to keep this list of Document up-to-date.] Document and its
related labels have also reissued recordings of African-American bands
such as the Memphis Jug Band and Gus Cannon and his Jug Stompers.
Old-time music was much of the popular country music of the 1920s and
1930s. In the 1940s Bill Monroe, who had solid old-time roots from his
mother and his Uncle Pen Vandiver, both old-time fiddlers, began to shape
what became bluegrass. Monroe cited his uncle and an African-American
blues guitarist named Arnold Schulz as his principal influences.
But although old-time music began to disappear from the larger radio
shows, it still had solid roots in the southern Appalachian region and in
other
areas of the country, from the Midwest, especially Missouri, Illinois, and
Indiana, to Texas, and even California. As part of the folk revival of the
1950s and 1960s, old-time music developed a following in many regions of
the country. Younger musicians began visiting and recording traditional
old-time musicians and learning to play their music. Fiddler Tommy
Jarrell, who lived close to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, and his fellow
musician,
Fred Cockerham, attracted many young people who came to learn from them
and their music. Banjo player George Pegram inspired some young
college students to start what became Rounder Records.
Bands such as the New Lost City Ramblers and later the Highwoods
Stringband toured widely. Many festivals and contests have drawn musicians
from far away to hear old-time music. A festival in Union Grove, North
Carolina, for example, was held for the 71st year in 1995. (The festival
has
changed in name, location, and character but is run by the same family
that organized the original festivals.) Some other influential bands from
that
period were the Hollow Rock String Band, Fuzzy Mountain String Band, the
Gypsy Gyppo String Band, and the Possum Trot String Band.
Today there are very lively and active communities of old-time musicians
and enthusiasts all over the country and around the world. (There's a
monthly old-time jam in London, and there are old-time bands in Japan and
Australia.) A few of the best-known elder statesmen and stateswomen of
contemporary old-time music include Melvin Wine, Woody Simmons, and (the
late) Wilson Douglas of West Virginia, Etta Baker, Joe Thompson,
and Benton Flippen of North Carolina, Bob Douglas, Ralph Blizard, Will
Keys, and Charlie Acuff from Tennessee, Matokie Slaughter from
Virginia, and Clyde Davenport from Kentucky (recently moved to Tennessee).
J. P. Fraley belongs here, too, along with Mel Durham and Marvin
Gaster and others.
A few of the better-known younger old-time musicians and bands include
Bruce Greene, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin, Bruce Molsky, Dwight
Diller, David Holt, Ginny Hawker and Kay Justice, Hazel Dickens, Dirk
Powell, John Herrmann, Tom Sauber, Bob Flesher, Clarke Buehling, the
Volo Bogtrotters, the Boiled Buzzards, the Heartbeats Rhythm Quartet, the
Horseflies, Brad Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham, the Critton Hollow
String Band, the Red Mule String Band, the Indian Creek Delta Boys, Alice
Gerrard, James Bryan, Double Decker String Band, the Ill-Mo Boys,
and the Hillbillies from Mars. Bob Carlin always feels left out, and since
I left him out above, I'll add him back here. And at least for their name,
I
should add the Red Mountain White Trash (with their CD, Fire in the
Dumpster). Rafe Stefanini and Bob Herring belong in the above list.
Fiddle music in some northern parts of the United States and in Canada may
derive more directly from European sources (Scottish, English, Irish,
German, French) but is definitely a related form of music. Canadian and
American Indian and Metis fiddlers in the prairies and the upper Midwest,
for example, picked up the fiddle from early French travelers and have
developed their own unique style, which also is influenced by Scottish
fiddling.
There are too many forms of old-time music to come up with a simple
description (from solo ballads to full bands, for example). A good place
to
start is the Rounder CD 0331 "Old-Time Music on the Air, volume one,"
which came out in 1994. A second volume was released in 1996. Rounder
also released a CD called "Young Fogies" with a similar broad
representation, and a second is now out.
2. WHERE CAN I FIND DISCUSSION OF OLDER COUNTRY MUSIC THAT
ISN'T OLD-TIME?
I am pleased to say that there is now alt.music.country.classic. Ask your
ISP to carry it if they don't already. If you can't get there, there is
still
rec.music.country.western. Please note that "old-time" doesn't mean "old"
or "classic." It refers more to the style of the music than its age,
though
much of the mainstream country music of the 1920s and 1930s was derived
directly from old-time.
3. WHERE CAN I FIND DISCUSSION ABOUT BLUEGRASS?
Since bluegrass is at least partially an offshoot of old-time music, some
discussion fits into rec.music.country.old-time. But there is a bluegrass
list
and newsgroup. The newsgroup is bit.listserv.bgrass-l. If you want to post
to it, you must subscribe to the bgrass-l list. To do that, send Email to
list...@lsv.uky.edu with no subject and the message: SUB BGRASS-L
Your_Name. If you have problems subscribing, talk to the list owner,
Frank Godbey, Email. Old-time music is also part of the charter for the
bgrass-l list. Another bluegrass newsgroup, alt.music.bluegrass, also
exists.
4. WHAT ARE CONTRA DANCING AND CONTRA TUNES?
Contra dancing probably takes its name from English country dancing which
spread to France where country turned into contra. In contra dances,
dancers form two lines and couples generally progress down a line and
back. Unlike squares, dancers in a contra dance generally are doing
something all the time, and contra dancing, which was originally more
popular in New England, has spread throughout the country. New England
tunes are sometimes called contra tunes, but since southern tunes are also
played at contra dances, that distinction has become less clear. Tunes
played for contra dances are almost always square, i.e., 16 beats per part
(two parts each played twice for a total of 64 beats or 32 bars). Square
dances are sometimes written for crooked tunes, which have other than 16
beats per part, and square dance tunes may have three parts or other
deviations from the contra restrictions.
5. PUBLICATIONS, MAIL ORDER SOURCES, WEB SITES, ETC.
Books on Old-Time Music (sorted roughly by title)
African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions, Cecelia
Conway, Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1995, ISBN 0-87049-893-2.
American Folk Songs for Christmas, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Oak Publications
OK 64957, reviewed by Paul Brown, OTH Winter 1992--93, Music
Sales Corp., 225 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003.
169 Brand New Old Time Fiddle Tunes, Volume 3--Jigs, Reels, Polkas,
Waltzes, Marches, Two-Steps, Hornpipes, Schottisches, Bluegrass Tunes
by American and Canadian Composers, Edited by Vivian Williams, 1990,
Voyager Publications, 424 - 35th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122, reviewed by
Art Rosenbaum in OTH, Summer 1992.
Communities in Motion, ed. by Susan Spalding, Greenwood Press, 1995
(traditional dance).
Contra Dancing in the Northwest, Penn Fix, 1991, W. 703 Shoshone Pl.,
Spokane, WA 99203 reviewed by Phil Jamison, OTH, Summer, 1992.
Frank B. Converse's Banjo Instructor, Without a Master: Containing a
Choice Collection of Banjo Solos, Jigs, Songs,. Reels, Walk Arounds, Etc.
Progressively Arranged, and Plainly Explained, Enabling the Learner to
Become a Proficient Banjoist without the Aid of a Teacher, Frank B.
Converse, 1865, reprinted in 1990 by Cleff'd Ear Productions, P. O. Box
13075, Lansing, MI 48901.
Dance to the Fiddle, March to the Fife: Instrumental Folk Tunes in
Pennsylvania, edited by Samuel P. Bayard, Pennsylvania State University
Press, 1982.
DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music, David C. Morton, with
Charles K. Wolfe, 1991 University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville,
TN 37996-0325, reviewed by Jack Bernhardt, OTH, Fall 1992.
The Devil's Box: Masters of Southern Fiddling, Charles Wolfe, Country
Music Foundation Press and Vanderbilt University Press, 1997, ISBN
0-8265-1283-6.
Farmhouse Fiddlers: music and dance traditions in the rural midwest,
Philip Nevin Martin, 1994 ISBN 1883953065, reviewed by Jim Nelson,
OTH Summer 1995.
Finding Her Voice--The Saga of Women in Country Music, Mary A. Bufwack and
Robert K. Oermann, Crown Publishers, Inc., 1993, reviewed
by Toni Williams, OTH, Summer 1994.
The Folk Banjo: A Documentary History, Dena J. Epstein, Los Angeles: John
Edwards Memorial Foundation at the Folklore and Mythology
Center, University of California, 1975.
Hill Country Tunes: Instrumental Folk Music of Southwestern Pennsylvania,
edited by Samuel P. Bayard, American Folklore Society, 1944.
Last Cavalier: The Life and Times of John A. Lomax, Nolan Porterfield,
University of Illinois Press, 1996 ISBN 0-252-02216-5.
The Old-Time Fiddler's Repertory, 2 volumes, R. P. Christeson, University
of Missouri Press, 1973-1984. (A two-cassette collection of these
recordings is available from MSFOTFA, see below.)
Old-Time Fiddling Across America, book and tape by David Reiner and Peter
Anick, Mel Bay Publications.
Play of a Fiddle, Gerry Milnes, University of Kentucky Press, 1999 ISBN
0813120802.
Rambling Blues: The Life & Songs of Charlie Poole, Kinney Rorrer,
Danville, VA: Kinney Rorrer, 913 Vicar Road, Danville, VA 24540, 1982.
Sinful Tunes and Spirituals: Black Folk Music to the Civil War, Dena
Epstein, University of Illinois Press, 1977.
Singing Family of the Cumberlands, Jean Ritchie, Oxford University Press, 1955.
Singing the Glory Down: Amateur Gospel Music in South Central Kentucky,
1900--1990, William Lynwood Montell, 1991, University Press of
Kentucky, reviewed by Ray Bowman, OTH, Winter 1992-93.
The Stonemans--An Appalachian Family and the Music That Shaped Their
Lives, Ivan Tribe, University of Illinois Press, 1993
That Half-Barbaric Twang: The Banjo in American Popular Culture, Karen
Linn, University of Illinois Press, Urbana and Chicago, 1991, ISBN
0-252-01780-3, reviewed by Art Rosenbaum, OTH reviewed by Dale Morris, OTH
Summer 1994.
Traveling the High Way Home: Ralph Stanley and the World of Traditional
Bluegrass Music, John Wright, Urbana: University of Illinois Press,
1993.
Truth is Stranger than Publicity, Alton Delmore, edited by Charles K.
Wolfe, Country Music Foundation Press, 1977.
Way Up North in Dixie: A Black Family's Claim to the Southern Anthem,
Howard Sacks and Judith Rose Sacks, Smithsonian Institution Press,
1993.
With Fiddle and Well-Rosined Bow: Old-Time Fiddling in Alabama, Joyce H.
Cauthen, University of Alabama Press, 1989. [now out-of-print but
still found in bookstores]
Periodicals
Old-Time Herald, 1812 House Avenue, Durham, NC 27707 $18/yr US, $21
foreign Email web page
Banjo Newsletter, Box 364, Greensboro, MD 21639
Fiddler Magazine, PO Box 125, Los Altos, CA 94022 415/948-4383 Email web page
Daily Clog, 95 E. Wayne Ave., #312, Silver Spring, MD 20901, monthly,
$8/year. Free sample on request. Email
The Devil's Box, 305 Stella Dr., Madison, AL 35758, $13/year.
Recommended old-time recordings
Labels issuing old-time music (recordings and videos)
Arhoolie, 10361 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 web page
County (See County Sales address below)
Heritage, Rt. 3, Box 290, Galax, VA 24333-9143 540/236-9249
Homespun, Box 694, Woodstock NY 12498 1-800-33-TAPES
June Appal Recordings/Appalshop, 306 Madison Street, Whitesburg, KY 51858,
606/633-0108, fax 606/633-1009 June Appal web page (catalog)
Marimac, P. O. Box 447, Crown Point, IN 46307 800/628-4507 fax
219/662-6880 Email
Jim Martin Productions, P. O. Box 152, At. Albans, WV 25177, Email
Mountain Music Video, 6815 Dodge Lane, Camp Springs, MD 20748
Roane Records, Route 3, Box 293, Spencer, WV 25276
Rounder, One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140 web page
Smithsonian/Folkways: Best address for ordering: Smithsonian/Folkways
Recordings 414 Hungerford Drive, Suite 444, Rockville, MD
800/410/9815-fax 301/443-1819 Office of Folklife Programs, 955 L'Enfant
Plaza, Suite 2600, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560 Ask
for the Whole Folkways Catalog. 202/287-3262-fax 202/287-3699 web site
Vestapol, Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop, P. O. Box 802, Sparta, NJ 07871
Voyager Records web page
Mail-order sources of old-time music
American Gramophone
Andy's Front Hall, PO Box 307, Voorheesville, NY 12186 800/759-1775,
518/765-4193, Email
Camsco Music, P. O. Box 160, E. Montpelier, VT 05651 800/548-FOLK web page
County Sales, P. O. Box 191, Floyd, VA 24091 540/745-2001 web page Email
Elderly Instruments, P. O. Box 14210, Lansing, MI 48901 517/372- 7890 web page
House of Musical Traditions, 7040 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park, MD 20912, web
page, 800-540-3794, 301-270-9090, fax 301-270-3010
Missouri State Old Time Fiddlers Association, P. O. Box 7423, Columbia, MO
65205 Email for North American Fiddlers Association
Mugwumps Email
Roots & Rhythm, P. O. Box 837, El Cerrito, CA 94530 510/525-1494 Email
Instrument Makers
Tom Barr, 105 South Main, Galax, VA 24333 (wood-rim banjos)
Clarke Buehling, 326 Adams St., Fayetteville, AR 72701 (gourd)
Kevin Enoch, P. O. Box 16, Beltsville, MD 20770 Email (wood-rim)
Bob Flesher, 102 Waterford St., Peachtree City, GA 30269 wood/gourd
Hendricks Banjos, PO Box 1197, Pollock Pines, CA 95726 wood/bigfoot
bridges 916/644-6891
Clarke Prouty, 5503 75th Ave., Lanham, MD 20706
Mike Ramsey, Chanterelle Workshop, RR2, Box 564B, Appomattox, VA 24522
804/248-9234 Email
Bart Reiter, 1139 Teakwood, Haslett, MI 48840 wood
Bob Thornburg, 1478 Rocking W Dr., Bishop, CA 93514 gourd
Wildwood Banjo Col, 445 I St., Arcata, CA 95521 wood
Instrument stores
Elderly Instruments (see above)
Music Emporium, 165 Mass. Ave., Lexington, MA 02173 617/860-0049
Stewart MacDonald, Box 900, Athens, OH 45701 (parts only)
Olav Chris Henriksen, 34 Newberry St., Somerville, MA 021444 (gut str)
Lehmann String Instruments, 34 Elton St., Rochester, NY 14607
Donna Curry's Music, 1780 Fort Union Dr., Santa Fe, NM 87501 (gut str)
Prescott Folklore Center, 329 South Montezuma, Prescott, AZ 86303
520/778-9287, 520/776-9034 (fax), Email
Festival Schedules(see the Spring issue of the Old-Time Herald for a list)
Not Updated for 1998
Merlefest, April 24-27, Wilksboro, NC, 910/838-6261 (an entire stage
devoted to old-time music)
Fiddler's Grove, Union Grove, NC May 23-25, 1997 704/539-4417 Harper A.
Van Hoy, PO Box 11, Union Grove, NC 28689
Seedtime on the Cumberland, May 29-June 1, 1997, Whitesburg, Kentucky See
Appalshop web page (under labels)
14th Annual International Country Music Conference, May 30-31 Miss. State
Univ., Meridian, Mississippi, contact James E. Akenson, Email
Sixth Annual Blue Ridge Old-Time Music Week Mars Hill, NC, June 8-14,
1997, 800/582-047, Email
Mt. Airy, NC June 6-7, 1997
National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest, Weiser, ID June 16-21
Maury River Fiddler's Convention, Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, VA, June
19-20, 1997 (4th year).
West Virginia State Folk Festival, Glenville, WV June 19-21, 1997
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, June 29-July 6 Centrum, PO Box 1158,
Port Townsend, WA 98368-0958 360/385-3102 web page
Lebanon, TN Cedarfest '97, July 18-19 web page
Swannanoa, NC, Old-Time Music and Dance Week, July 20-26, The Swannanoa
Gathering, Warren Wilson College, P.O. Box 9000, Asheville,
NC 28815-9000, 704/298-3325X426, FAX 704/299-3326, Email, web page
61st Annual Old Fiddler's Convention, Galax, VA August 6-9 PO Box 655,
Galax, VA 24333; Tom Jones 540/236-8541 gen info
Indiana Fiddler's Gathering, June 27-29, Battleground, IN 317/742-14419
Appalachian String Band Festival Clifftop, WV July 31-Aug 4
18th Annual Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival, Zimmerman, MN, Aug
1-3 (see web page near bottom of FAQ)
Ashokan Southern Week, August 10-16 914/338-2996
Lake Genero Music and Dance Jam, Lake Genero Park, Hamlin, PA August
29-Sept. 1--For more information, 914/232-4657 or Email to Bowen or
Lazarus.
Augusta Heritage Center Old-Time Weeks August 3-10 October 19-26 Fiddlers'
Reunion October 24-26 AHC, Davis & Elkins College, 100 Campus
Drive, Elkins, WV 26241 304/637-1209 Email
Old Time Kamp Aug. 21-25, Paramount Hotel, Parksville, NY Henry Sapoznik,
430 W. 14th St., #514, NY 10014, 212/ 691-1217, Email
J.P. Fraley's Mountain Music Gathering, Sept. 2-7, Olive Hill, KY
Fiddletown Fiddler's Jamboree, Sept. 21, Fiddletown, CA
Tennessee Fall Homecoming 1997, Oct. 9-12, Norris, TN For more
information, contact Museum of Appalachia, PO Box 0318, Norris, TN 37828,
423/494-7680 or 494-0514.
Florida State Fiddlers Convention, Oct. 17-18, Camp Crystal Lake. Florida
State Fiddlers Assoc., P. O. Box 713, Micanopy, FL 32667 or Bob
Kogut 407/365-5720 or Fay Baird 352/466-3801
Related Lists
World Wide Web sites (which include some of the above information)
Brandywine Friends of Old Time Music
David Lynch's Old-Time Music Home Page
Bulletin Board
Clyde Davenport Home Page
Old-Time Music Links
OTR Web Page (Old-Time Music on the Radio)
Appalachian Web Page
American Folklife Center
Periodical Index
Lotus Dickey Home Page
Virtual Fiddle Camp
Odell McGuire Home Page
Ryan Thomson Home Page (books on traditional music)
The Archives of Appalachia
Blech Family Web Page
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association
Fiddler's Companion
Banjo-L Homepage
Uncle Dave Macon page
Musical Traditions Magazine
For suggestions about this FAQ, to volunteer to develop it, metc., send
Email to Steve Goldfield.
Larryd
> In article <7manfs$2f...@enews4.newsguy.com>, "Dot Roots"
> <dotr...@camalott.com> wrote:
>
> Mark, Just where is the FAQ for this group? I have been on it over a
> year and have never seen it mentioned. As for the discussion I
> thoroughly enjoyed it. Where were you and the FAQ when we had all the
> Shania and Garth posts?
> Dorothy
>
>
> Dorthy here is the FAQ you requested read and learn
> rec.music.country.old-time--Frequently Asked Questions
Mark,
The original poster, Harry Stewart, posed his question to four different
newsgroups. When I hit "reply to newsgroup" on my browser, I didn't notice
that my post was also going out to four newsgroups. Apparently you made the
same mistake, since you just posted your FAQ to all four groups too. I try
to pay attention to what newsgroups I'm posting to, but it sometimes slips
by. That's why it's always nice if someone making a crosspost will simply
mention that fact in his/her post.
Thanks for the FAQ from your group, BTW, it sure has a lot of information.
I'll save it for a reference.
Larry Davis
Thomas D Crowther
Larryd <lar...@cport.com> wrote in message
news:93174424...@news.remarQ.com...
>
> Mark,
> The original poster, Harry Stewart, posed his question to four different
> newsgroups. When I hit "reply to newsgroup" on my browser, I didn't notice
> that my post was also going out to four newsgroups. Apparently you made
the
> same mistake, since you just posted your FAQ to all four groups too. I try
> to pay attention to what newsgroups I'm posting to, but it sometimes slips
> by. That's why it's always nice if someone making a crosspost will simply
> mention that fact in his/her post.
>
> Thanks for the FAQ from your group, BTW, it sure has a lot of information.
> I'll save it for a reference.
>
> Larry Davis
>
for or of RMMS. I'm glad that Larry pointed out the reason for its being
here. On the other hand, as a Welsh Folk - Folk Rock - Ballad writer and
singer I found the topic absolutely fascinating and feel richer for having
it tucked away in my 'useful information' file. So thanks Mark and best
wishes to your group.
Dai Crowther
>