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THE ONLY UK PUBLICATION DEDICATED TO AMERICAN OLD TIME MUSIC AND DANCE NO 43 AUTUMN 2005
The
News
F R I E N D S O F A M E R I C A N O L D T I M E M U S I C A N D D A N C E
IN THIS ISSUE...
New friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Temporary Editors . . . . . . . . . .2Ramblings
FOAOTMAD’SSacrewell Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Chewing the Fat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Events and Tours 2005 . . . . .4
DVD ReviewDiane’s Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
CD Review ‘Waitin’ on thebreak of day’ By Dan Gellert . . .5
Caption Competition . . . . . . . . .5
Chairman Ray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Clifftop and Augusta 2005 . . .7
Hedy West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Five Do The Community . . . . .9
Banjo Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
‘Sal’s got mud between her toes’
Traditional Folkdance inKentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Members’ Ads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Summer Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Ben and Tom Paley‘Sweet Sunny South’ September 2005
2 Old Time News Autumn Issue 43
New Friends
Number Name & Location
698 Konrad Empacher
Chepstow, Mon.
699 Patsy Young
Flitcham, Norfolk
700 Peter Aindow
St Helens, Mers.
701 Jeanette Aindow
St Helens, Mers.
702 Dave Wilson
Fareham, Hants
703 Tony Wetten
Worthing, W.Sussex
704 Lucy Ray
London W5
705 Marien Hansell
Chard, Somerset
706 Orpheus Supertones
Pennsylvania, USA
Jessie Slade, Sweet Sunny South Festival - Mo Jackson
Temporary Editors’ Ramblings
Well hello! Haven’t I seen you somewhere recently? Your facelooks really familiar… I know, it was at the Spring Camp - or
was it on the prom. at Sidmouth or possibly at Killington Lake?Actually it could have been almost anywhere in the UK.
You’ll find an account of my Warm Weather Wandering in the Chairman Ray column. So,having got a lot of good fun out of the way, it’s my turn to edit the Old Time News again.Nick did a great job last issue, and Mo again showed how good she is at turning a heap ofscrap paper into a magazine. So how do I get hold of a pile of stuff to send her? A cry forhelp through Nick’s email circulation list brought forth several useful items almost byreturn. You’ve got some good stuff out there, so send some of it this way and we’ve gotourselves a magazine, and the earlier you send it the less chance there is of your editorcollapsing as the deadline approaches. That’s a thought - I needed all the summer jauntsto recover my (in)sanity after doing the Spring issue!
THE OLD TIME NEWSis 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 Ray Banks 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.) Quarter page £15.00 (h128 x w89 mm.)Eighth page £10.00 (h60 x w89 mm.)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 Dancewww.foaotmad.org.uk
President: Tom PaleyChairman: Ray Banks Treasurer: Jim PycroftSecretary: Sibs Riesen-ChaseDance: Paul and Clare SheridanPublicity: Nick Pilley
53 North StreetBridgewater Somerset, TA6 [email protected]
Festival: Keith Johnson
To join FoaotmadContact the Membership Secretary: Eve Morris67 Greenway, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton TA4 3DATel/Fax: 01823 432863
Annual Subscriptions:Individual £15 (concessions £12) • Couple/Group: £25Plus £5 for overseas/airmail
FOAOTMAD’sSacrewell WebsiteColm Daly and Ray Banks
This site was started by Colm Daly a few years ago toshare thoughts, pictures and recordings from pastSacrewell Camps. It has since grown to become aninteractive Old Time presence on the internet,principally for the use of society members and coversmany more Old Time activities. To visit the site at anytime, set your browser to:www.sacrewell.myfamily.com and use the username‘sacrewell_camp’ (note the underscore) and thepassword ‘visitor’. When you’ve had a good lookround at the many facilities, you can if you wish addyourself as a new member. Alternatively if you emailColm (the administrator) at [email protected] will add you as a member.
FOAOTMAD pays the site fees so the site has noannoying adverts, and www.foaotmad.org.uk contains alink from which it may be reached. The site is hosted bymyfamily.com, which is a huge secure collection ofsites like this one, accessible only by their members.
This site is interactive. It is not just for looking at. Youcan add content of your own like text, pictures, musicor just about anything you wish to share, and it alreadycontains many lively (and probably libellous!)discussions, mostly to do with our favourite subject.The files section has many pictures, videos and soundfiles uploaded by members. As you get to know the sitebetter you can customise how it works for you in the‘Edit Your Preferences’ section. Besides choosingwhat you wish to view you can change your password,invite new members, edit or remove your previouscontributions and use the emailing facilities. From yourbrowser window you can upload or download or evenpost to the News Section by email. In short thispowerful site will meet the most stringent of demands.
The Calendar Section, updated by the membership,keeps you abreast of forthcoming and past events withan Old Time aspect throughout the UK and beyond,and if desired will send you timely emails to remindyou.
It’s only a click away, so we hope you pop in.
Old Time News Autumn Issue 43 3
CHEWING the fat...GAINSBOROUGH 2006Nick Pilley sent out a questionnaire to membersasking for opinions about a possible dance relatedextension of the Gainsborough Festival into Sundayevening.
The few responses we’ve received have showed noreal enthusiasm for the idea. So the next Festival willhave a similar format to this year’s, but all being wellit is proposed to include a square dance, possiblyafter the Saturday night concert, which could bemoved to be a little earlier than this year.
It’s starting to look as if the line-up will include ourfriends Carl Jones, Beverly Smith and fiddler RafeStefanini from the States, with the addition of theRough Deal String Band, The Buffalo Gals (withKate Lissauer) and Dave Proctor’s very tastefulSlow Down Boys. John Les and Gill Williamsshould be around to provide one of the many musicworkshops, and dance workshops will be given byPaul Sheridan, Sibylle Reisen-Chase, Sue Coe andPam Russell.
LATE NEWS - John Herrmann and MeredithMcIntosh are coming, and with Beverly and Rafewill appear as The Rockinghams.
NEXT SUMMERNext year’s Summer Camp at Sacrewell farm will bea week later than this year’s, from 11th to 20thAugust, to remove a clash with the Sidmouth FolkWeek and Clifftop Festival in West Virginia.
EGYPTIAN OLD TIME (not archaeology)The old time camp on the Red Sea in Egypt whichwas proposed by fiddle playing member GrahamEllaby to take place in December has unfortunatelyhad to be cancelled due to the current spate ofterrorism in the area. It sounded like a superb idea,and we can only hope that things improve enoughfor this to be attempted again in the future…Incidentally Graham and banjo player DaveHorsfield caused a stir at Howard Morton’s farmweekend by turning up in identical and impressivelystrange looking new Daihatsu Copen convertibles.Not very Old Time - the electric roofs would onlyfold up and slide into the boots if they weren’t full ofinstruments.
MEMORIES AND MUSIC A letter from new FriendThanks to FOAOTMAD, at age 81 years I have finallyfound out how to describe my favourite style ofmusic. My harmonica and jaw harp seem to workwell with the music and at the festivals I find smallgroups who are willing to include my contributions.
Music has always been a part of my life, probablyinherited from my great grandparents, who left Co.Cavan in Ireland in 1834 and relocated in SouthWestern Ontario. During the ‘dirty thirties’, when Iwas up early for work, Old Time Music wasbroadcast from the USA between 5 and 8 in themornings. There were a multitude of stations tochoose from, WWVA Wheeling W.Va and Chicago, toname a couple. Apparently the radio waves skippeda 1000 miles and came through loud and clear beforethe Ontario stations went on air at 8am.
Across the road from our farm lived an ‘olde timefiddler’ who headed a 4-5 piece orchestra. Theyplayed regularly in the local Township Halls and gavegreat entertainment. Of course I attended the dancesand really enjoyed the variety of square dances,waltzes, polkas, schottisches and the grand circle. Thecustom was for the men to sit one side and, moreimportantly, the girls and women on the other. ‘Sayno more!’
At that time, CKNX Wingham, from Ontario, began tobroadcast the first rural radio station. Theydeveloped a Travelling Barn Dance and broadcastfrom a different venue every Saturday night and thislasted 25 years. They played country/western andespecially Old Time which kept my interest alive.
During my time with the Canadian Navy I was postedto Halifax N.S., where music abounded. In 1942 Iwent to see Don Messer and his Islanders, fromPrince Edward Island, the smallest Canadian Province.He was a great force in Canadian music and set thepace for the Old Time Music for the next 25 - 30 years.Close by, another country singer was ‘paying his dues’and years later made it big in Nashville. His name wasHank Snow.
In 1981 I left Canada with my new English wife and wesettled in Coventry England. Twenty three years laterwe found out about FOAOTMAD and I became amember with the number 666. They say that this isthe devil’s number, but I say that is only half true. Also,through FOAOTMAD, my wife discovered that shereally enjoys flat foot dancing. So, together we are ‘hotfooting’ it to Hastings for the Sweet Sunny Southfestival and plan to be at Gainsborough again nextyear.
Roy E. (Barney) Pritchard, Coventry
SORE FINGERS WEEK 2006 UPDATEJohn Wirtz writes “We are gradually filling our tutorlist for Sore Fingers Week 2006 and we must reportthat we are already half over half full for 2006 with 165students. Courses under pressure are BluegrassFiddle, Bluegrass Banjo (2courses), Mandolin (2courses) and Guitar.’ Here is the confirmed tutor list:
Riley Baugus - old time banjoRayna Gellert - old time fiddleKaren Mueller - autoharpRon Stewart - bluegrass banjo1Leon Hunt - bluegrass banjo 2John Dowling - beginners/lower intermediate bluegrass banjoLucy Williams - beginners/lower intermediate bassEleanor Cross - beginners/lower intermediate bluegrass fiddleJames Dewdney - beginners/lower intermediate guitarDan Norton - beginners/lower intermediate mandolinBrian Wicklund - bluegrass fiddleJack Lawrence - guitarJohn Moore - mandolin 1Mike Compton - mandolin 2Keith Little - singingDave Griffiths - bass
www.sorefingers.co.ukNow where was that application form?
FROM JOHN STOTEN, IN EMAILTOUCH WITH JEAN RITCHIE Penn State (State College, PA) have been staging atheatre-concert piece entitled "Singin the MoonUp-The Legend of Jean Ritchie". Both of Jean'ssons (Jon and Peter) were in it, as actors, as well asother musicians/singers. The script is based uponreadings from her book, Singing Family of theCumberlands, and about twenty songs wereperformed. Personnel involved were Steve Rankin(director, scriptwriter, actor, musician), Susie Glaze(lead singer, actor), Peter Pickow and Jon Pickow(actors, singers, musicians) and Kenny Kosek (actor,musician, singer). George Pickow, Jean's husbandof 55 years, had a photo exhibit in the lobby! Apartfrom taking a bow at the opening, Jean stayed inthe audience. I asked Jean about the reaction to theshow and she replied as follows.
"For the record, "Singin the Moon Up" had amarvellous reception, fine audiences throughout therun so far (from 6th. to the 24th of Sept.), ravereviews and just hundreds of folks coming up- whilstwe were there- and telling me how much they hadenjoyed it. Curious in a way, for it's a simple, low-key thing; the script based upon readings from mybook, Singing Family of the Cumberlands,interspersed with about twenty Ritchie songs.People told me they liked especially the reassuringsense of family affection and respect for elders, etc.Hard to explain but they seemed to think that thisis something the world's population is losingnowadays. And they all loved the songs- long uncutballads, play-party game songs, love songs, one ortwo of my newer songs about strip-mining themountains. And the instrumental music- Jon playedbanjo and dulcimer; Peter played hammereddulcimer, guitar, bass, and recorder; Kenny Kosekon fiddle and guitar (unbelievably beautiful, thosefiddle tunes). Susie Glaze, our Star, playeddulcimer, guitar, and sang most of the songs, withsome harmony arrangements from the others."
It was obviously a great success and will probably bestaged elsewhere in future.
Bill Cox
4 Old Time News Autumn Issue 43
WHERE CAN I FINDAN OLD TIME BAND?Where there is no web contact or for furtherdetails, please email: [email protected]
BERKSHIREThe Illbillies 01189 [email protected]
CORNWALLThe Boardbeaters 07817 [email protected]
DERBYSHIREDown Trodden String Band 01629 [email protected] Down Boys 01332 [email protected]
HAMPSHIREDave Marshall & Andy Imms 01252 [email protected]
HERTFORDSHIRELost Marble String Band 01462 [email protected]
IRELAND (EIRE)Rough Deal String Band 00 353 1 [email protected] - www.roughdeal.com
KENTRattle On The Stovepipe 07765 [email protected] - www.davearthur.net
TYNE & WEAROld Fiddley String Band 07817 [email protected]
WEST MIDLANDSNew Corona String Band 01902 [email protected]
SOMERSET/AVONBuffalo Gals 01373 [email protected] - www.buffalogals.co.uk
SUSSEXOld Faded Glory String Band 01323 [email protected]
EVENTS AND TOURS 20O5-6ALAN JABBOUR AND KEN PERLMANOctober2nd Prince of Wales Tavern, Stafford4th-7th Performances in Shetland, Schedule TBA8th Both Sides of the Tweed Festival, Selkirk 9th Calver, Derbyshire. Workshops 4pm, concert 7.30 11th Leith Folk Club, Edinburgh12th The Sage, Gateshead 13th Dunton Bassett Folk Club, Leicester 14th The Floor, Tenbury Wells, Worcester14th -16th Banjo and Fiddle Workshops near Tenbury Wells, Worcester
PEGGY SEEGER(with Martin Carthy and Norma Waterson all dates except Exeter)November24th Barnfield Theatre, Exeter25th Arts Centre, Bridgewater26th Arts Centre, Lichfield27th The Lowry, Salford29th Brindley Arts Centre, Runcorn30th Theatr Gwynedd, Bangor
December2nd Huntingdon Hall, Worcester3rd The Platform, Morecambe
IRA BERNSTEIN & RILEY BAUGUSwww.tentoepercussion.com/appalachianroots.htmOctober24th-28th Appalachian Step Week Ripponden29th-31st Graduate Appalachian Step Weekend,RippondenNovemberAppalachian Roots Tour2nd Sutton-cum-Lound, Retford3rd Long Clawson, Melton Mowbray4th Baston, nr Peterborough5th Beeston6th East Markham, Newark8th Spalding9th Alford10th Oakham11th Himbleton, Droitwich12th Headless Cross, Redditch13th South Clifton, Newark15th Burton in Lonsdale16th Brandsby17th Appleton-le-Street18th Ganton19th East Thirsk20th Riccall21st-23rd Durham area24th Croglin, Carlisle25th Sedbergh26th Penrith27th Bishop Auckland29th Widnes Schools30th Frodsham
KATE LISSAUERNovember 4th Court Sessions, Balham, London
UK AUTOHARPS WORKSHOPSOctober22nd Heidi and John Cerrigione, Open to non-memberswith Mike Fenton & Heather Farrell-Roberts23rd Heidi Cerrigione, Members onlySherborne Primary School
DAVE BING & DWIGHT DILLERFiddle & Banjo WorkshopsGainsboroughNovember 4th-6th Beginners 11th-13th Intermediates
THE GATHERINGTom, Brad and Alice with Debby McClatchyFeb 23rd - March 13thMarch1st Huntingdon Hall, Worcester3rd The Barn, Chichester4th Arc Theatre, Trowbridge10th Arts Centre, Bridgewater11th Sutton (nr Bedford) Village HallInterest from, Glen Rothes, Keswick, Newcastle, South Petherton, Melton Mowbray.
DIANE'S FAVORITES Diane Jones (Banjo DVD)
Anyone who saw Diane Jones whenshe was over here with the Reed
Island Rounders in 2003 will have noticedtwo things - she is a fabulous banjo playerand she is not very big. What that meansis that with the right camera placing and ashort-scale banjo she can be filmed so thatyou can see clearly what both left andright hands are doing - no split-screenstuff or fancy angles. The effect is likesitting directly in front of Diane for as longas you like while she plays the tune as
often as you care to press the repeat button. None of thejockeying for position in the circle or craning your neck to seewhat the right hand is doing that is a feature of every workshopI've ever been in.
The concept is simple and for me it works brilliantly. What you get isDiane playing 30 tunes, mostly from classic West Virginia sources suchas Ernie Carpenter, Melvin Wine, Harvey Sampson and theHammons family, but there is also a smattering from Henry Reed andothers. Each tune is introduced and put in context, and then playedseveral times in her elegant and beautifully articulated way. Dianereally wants to pass on these fabulous tunes to those who appreciatethem, and she has found a wonderful way of doing so. There are justtwo points to note. The first is that, as Diane makes clear in herintroduction, the DVD is intended for intermediate players andbeyond. There is no instruction as such, so you won't be told whichfret and which string to play. You have to watch and listen. The secondpoint is to reiterate that we are talking West Virginia here: there's nota hint of Round Peak. For any banjo player with a multi-region DVDplayer who is not put off by this, this is a must-have. I got mine directlyfrom: www.reedisland.com, but I'm sure the normal sources canoblige.
John Woodman
DVD REVIEW... Tracks
• Shelvin Rock (Ernie Carpenter)
• Bob Wine’s Tune
• Elk River Blues
• Hannah At The Spring House
• Granddad’s Favorite
• Paddy On The Turnpike
• Shelvin Rock (Burl Hammons)
• The Rainy Day
• Indian Killed A Woodcock
• The Charleston Girls
• A Rose For Polly
• Yew Piney Mountain
• Piney Woods Girl
• Boatin’ Up Sandy
• Miller’s Reel
• Highlander’s Farewell
• Down By The Willow Garden
• Sally Ann
• Sally Comin’ Through The Rye
• Ducks On A Pond
• Sally In The Garden
• Santa Anna’s Retreat
• Pretty Little Shoes
• Three Forks Of Hell
• Wine’s Delight
• Jo Bones
• Henry’s Reel
• Down At The Mouth Of Old Stinson
• Cherry River Line
• Walkin’ In The Parlor
Old Time News Autumn Issue 43 5
CAPTION COMPETITIONWe need a caption for the photograph above. It was taken by David Dry at the Spring Camp, afterthe weather had helped Eve to decide on buying a new tent by destroying the old one. The authorof the caption that either makes us laugh the most or shakes us rigid - as long as it’s printable in afamily magazine - can at the society’s expense select a CD from Eve Morris’ extensive (did I spellthat right?) catalogue of Old Time music recordings. Entries to Nick Pilley.
WAITIN’ ON THE BREAK OF DAYDG9039 By Dan Gellert
Subtitled ‘Old-Time Music of fretless banjoand fiddle’, this privately made CD gives a
glimpse of a master of the genre who’sobviously spent a lot of his life listening verycarefully to old recordings.
The steel and low-tuned gut strung fretless banjosare played in a very clean notey style with attackand strong rhythm. It’s not always obviouswhether he’s playing in a clawhammer or a fingerpicking style (I suspect both), and unfortunately it’snot made clear in the one page booklet, though hedoes provide tunings. His fiddling has a scratchydrive that’s obviously had a lot of work - it’sobviously less violin-y than that of his excellentdaughter Rayna, but the detail of his interpretationsof some of the old classics is faultless.
The fiddle or banjo playing often accompaniesDan’s atmospheric singing of very authentic lyrics.His voice conjures up both black and whiteSouthern images and reminds me both of TommyJarrell and Rev. Gary Davis. In my humble opinion,Dan Gellert is very close to the real thing.
Tracks (with sources):
• Eph Got A Coon (Wade Ward)• Policeman (Reed Martin)• Mary Blane• De Boatman Dance• Going Across The Sea (Uncle Dave, • Lusk/Gribble/York, others)• Cluck Old Hen• Polly Put The Kettle On (Marcus Martin)• The Hog-Eyed Man (Luther Strong)• Buckdancer’s Choice (Sam McGee)• Cotton-Eyed Joe (Carter Bros, Tom Paley etc)• Sandy Boys (Edn Hammons)• Jimmy Crack Corn (Pete Seeger)• Old Bunch Of Keys (Tommy Jarrel and Fred Cockerham)• We’ll All Go To Heaven When The Devil • Goes Blind (Ed Morrison)• Old Christmas Morning (French Carpenter)• Pateroller Get You/Old Sledge (Uncle Dave/Ed Haley)
CD REVIEW...
6 Old Time News Autumn Issue 43
A week later Howard Morton gave us his usual warm welcome at hisfarm in Rocombe near Torquay, by booking a mobile restaurant andarranging generous amounts of real ale inside his large barn. There wereenough committee members present for an impromptu meeting - a rareoccurrence. A bunch of us formed a band on Sunday, and we played allday at a fete on the village square at Stokeinteignhead, raising money forthe Red Cross in the process.
SiddersThe week before Summer Camp, I travelled down to Sidmouth notknowing what to expect. Steve Heap and Mrs Casey had withdrawnfrom the organisation of the annual Folk Festival and a bunch of locals hadgot together to try and keep it going. I was not disappointed. The OldTime jam in the Bedford’s right hand bar had not changed a bit, andmany familiar faces, instruments, free food and beer came and went. Ihad no intention of paying to see any professional folk acts, but one I hadto attend was a sadly half-full lecture by Shirley Collins on her Americancollecting trip with Alan Lomax in 1959. It was three hours of puredelight, beautifully expressed with excellent pictures and tapes of peoplelike Hobart Smith, Texas Gladden, Wade Ward and Mississippi FredMcDowell. Shirley brought a case of her new book America Across TheWater and sold them all.
Summer CampBack at Sacrewell Farm, I learned the hard way how much work goesinto collecting camping fees and dealing with the Farm management. Thenew FOAOTMAD banner created by John Les looked well and held upbeautifully. As usual the week was excellent, with many good campfiresessions - though we had to retreat to the barn for three evenings duringdownpours. I walked around the farm museum for the first time in years- I’d forgotten how good it was. Next year the camp will be August 11-20, so it won’t clash with Sidmouth or Clifftop.
Sweet Sunny SouthI’ve just finished with a very satisfying Sweet Sunny South at Fairlight Lodge, Hastings, where Bruce Molsky, Ben Paley, Tab Hunter, President Tom Paley, Joe Locker, Jim Younger and Gail Williams showed us how good Old Time can be in concert, workshop and session, and most of us got to perform on the Showcase stage on Sunday.
Colin Meadows is to be congratulated for an excellent festival, definitely worth the five hours it took me to get there from Doncaster.
Ray Banks
Chairman RayI hope you’ve all had as gooda summer as I’ve had. Icouldn’t make it to the US ofA this year, but it’s been a fulland interesting time with lotsof music.
Spring CampThe Spring Camp at Sacrewell Farm had a good, keen turnout with fineweather. The highlight of the weekend was the arrival of Carl Jones andBeverly Smith just finishing off a very satisfying British tour. MichiMathias loaned them some camping gear, so they stayed with us onSunday night. They added some rich ingredients to the very tastycampfire sessions.
Bristol, Bath and the A1In June I was able to get down to Bristol for a well attendedcontra/square dance immaculately called by Cis Hinkle from Atlanta,Georgia and played by the Buffalo Gals, joined for the night by ColmDaly on piano. Colm thrust a video camera in my hands, asking me tofilm it all, which got me out of most of the dancing! I stayed with Boband Sibs Chase and we spent the following day jamming at KateLissauer’s Green Park Tavern in Bath. Alan Green popped in fromBerwick-on-Tweed, astonishing us all. The A1 Festival, while expensive,was excellent. The highlight for me was a ham-boning workshop givenby our American member Mark Schatz, which left me covered inbruises.
Drink and AgricultureThe society is very fortunate in having two banjo playing farmers, whoboth arranged Old Time weekends on their properties at opposite endsof England on consecutive weekends in July. Joe Fearnhead’s place is onKillington Lake near Sedbergh in Cumbria. Bill Lloyd erected hissuperb yurt to give us a weatherproof picking space, and Joe set up alarge barbecue for our use. Fine weather gave some of us theopportunity for some steep hill walking in the nearby Howgill Fells,avoiding a hill called Winder, as a Winder slide may have been too appropriate. On a perfect Sunday morning Hugh Connor led us in a gospel session.
• Session in the garden SweetSunny South (top left)
• Jo Locker’s Banjo Workshop(bottom middle)
• Kate Lissaurer and Pete Dunn inBath (middle top)
• John Les and his new gold platedGriffin Banjo, Sidmouth (bottom left)
• Katherine dancing on theShowcase Stage, Sweet SunnySouth (right)
Old Time News Autumn Issue 43 7
Keith Parrott , Dave Marshall and Andy Imms
Andy: When you are driving the back roads ofWest Virginia, the evidence that it is said to bethe second poorest state in the Union is allaround. However, there are riches to be foundat Camp Washington Carver in August where,despite no indication that it is taking place,even at the entrance to the campground,some four thousand people gather for theClifftop Appalachian String Band Festival.
Dave Marshall, Keith Parrott and I visited thefestival this year and followed it with a week inElkins, some 120 miles to the north, where aheritage festival is held in the Davis and ElkinsCollege.
We arrived at Clifftop on the Wednesday,halfway through the festival week. Thecampground is surrounded by woods and as theweek progresses, more and more tents andcampers are shoehorned into the open areas andamongst the trees. This creates enclaves wherepicking takes place virtually round the clock and itwould be easy to believe that some people neverventure out into the open all week. With thetemperature in the high 90s when we werethere, shade was very welcome, although storiesabout a camper in the woods being bitten by arattlesnake were less so.
After a wander round to orientate ourselves, westrolled through the campsite looking for somemusical action and were soon invited to join agroup of musicians who welcomed us like longlost friends, despite our never having met thembefore! They took us to some great sessions,introducing us to many of their friends in theprocess. The hospitality is almost overwhelmingand much delight was shown that we hadtravelled so far for the festival.
There are plenty of opportunities to jam withmusicians of the highest calibre and to enjoybrowsing the stalls selling instruments, crafts andrecordings. There is a competition but it isrelatively low key and nowhere near the scale ofGalax for example, which is very competitive andattracts hundreds of entrants from around theworld. Besides the music, there are craft basedworkshops everyday, for adults and children alikewhilst dancing takes place in a hall next to thecafeteria.
Many well known faces, such as Walt Koken,Robin Kessinger, Ira Bernstein, Dan Levensonand family, Roger Sprung, Rafe Stefanini andMike Seeger were there and we also saw facesthat are familiar at Gainsborough. Twice I wasasked to pass on regards to friends in England,
confirming that a network is truly in place acrossthe Atlantic. If you prefer not to camp, there isaccommodation in the area but the campgroundis very remote, so transport is essential.
Clifftop is arguably the premiere old time festival inthe USA and is certainly well worth a visit.Incidentally, many people commented that OldTime is becoming rarer at Galax, so unless youare into bluegrass too, Clifftop would probably bea better bet. It is certainly much smaller andintimate.
We reached Elkins by back roads to get a betterfeel for the area, which is impossible from theInterstate. The town is shabby and run down withlittle there except a large college which hoststhemed weeks throughout the year, collectivelycalled Augusta Heritage.
Besides three-hour workshops each morning(you have to pre-book) there is a timetable ofactivities. During the week we attended, fourhundred students attended all sorts of courses,from dance to quilt making, via bookbinding, folkarts, basketry and even whistling!
I attended a guitar class tutored by Jim Lloyd,whom I first met in Galax twenty years ago andwho is known to many of you. Joe Newberrytutored Dave in advanced banjo and Keith waswith Nancy Sluys of the Pilot Mountain Bobcats,for intermediate banjo.
In the afternoon there is jamming everywhere anda showcase concert featuring the various tutors.Sessions continue on into the small hours. Therewere three very well attended and presentedevening concerts during the week, showcasing avariety of music.
On the Saturday, there was a craft fair in the parkoutside the college grounds with lots music beingplayed. There was even a marquee set up forpickers. This created a great atmosphere and it isclear that old time music is still a part of theAppalachian culture, rather than being thecuriosity it is here.
Keith: In a pre-course note, Nancy said shewas going to concentrate on learning to play byear. I was very apprehensive, as it does not comenaturally to me. I even considered moving to thebeginners workshop, which two of our groupactually did. However I stuck with it and we learntone tune the first morning, two more the secondand so on. On Friday afternoon there was a"Party on The Porch" where each workshopgroup did a turn. We were backed by Bill Sluysand his bass workshop group and Nancy playedfiddle. It was my first public appearance and theworkshops showed me that I can pick up a tuneby ear. Most of all it has given me moreconfidence to join in picking sessions. Can Irecommend it and do I want to go again? - Ohyes!
Andy: My criticism of the course is about thelevelling of students. Of the six others in my class,
CLIFFTOP AND AUGUSTA 2005
1. unk 2. Kim Johnson 3. unk 4. Nancy Sluys 5. Kellie Allen 6. Pete Peterson
Jimmy Costa and Jim Lloyd
Kim Johnson, banjo and Lester McCumbers fiddle - others unk
Unk guitar and fiddle, banjo Chris Via, Bass Angie Via
five had little or no experience of Old Timemusic, let alone old time guitar. There was muchstruggling with what are fairly straightforwardbass runs, for example.
We all need to play with people better thanourselves to stretch us but as the class was forintermediate/advanced players, I wondered whyanyone with no experience should enrol.Perhaps an assessment at the beginning of theweek would make sure everyone is placedcorrectly.
I wanted to explore old time fingerpicking butbecause only I was interested, it could not becovered in class. However, Jim kindly madehimself available to me at other times and I foundit useful and enjoyable playing with him. Hisfriend Jimmy Costa, who is a fabulous fiddler andUncle Dave Macon style banjo player was alsothere and we had some great sessions together.
Overall? Strongly Recommended!
8 Old Time News Autumn Issue 43
Ray Banks
In the late 60s Iwent to my usual
folk club in Swanseaand got to hearHedy West for thefirst time. I’dlearned a very fewtunes on the banjo,and accompanied a
couple of songs with it, but to hearHedy’s rich Georgia voicebeautifully blending withimmaculate clawhammer was aninspirational ear-opener. I boughther Topic LP Old Times and HardTimes and have played it manytimes over the years. Since I’vebeen involved with the Friends, I’vekept an eye out for news of herand her music, but in July this yearreports of her death appeared.
She was born Hedwig Grace Westin Cartersville, northern Georgia inApril 6 1938, the daughter of DonWest, a well known poet, tradeunion organizer, and later founder ofthe Appalachian South Folklife Centerin Pipestem, West Virginia. Becauseof his opinions and activities thefamily had its house burned by the KuKlux Klan in 1958.
Her family had a rich musicaltradition, and friends and relativescame round to sing and play,including her fiddling uncle Augustus(Gus) Mulkey. Her father introducedher to mining songs. She learnedmany of her British-Americanmountain songs from her banjoplaying grandmother Lillie MulkeyWest, and she sang and played banjowhile in high school, and got involvedin festivals, winning prizes in balladsinging competions.
In 1959 she went to New Yorkwhere she studied Drama atColumbia University and music atMannes College. The “great folk
scare” had started and Hedy wassoon involved, doing much singingpartly to convince the youngNortherners that Southern folk musicwasn’t what they thought it was, andto try and change the insultingattitude people had to Southerners.Pete Seeger, an old friend of herfather, invited her to take part inseveral performances, one of themorganized by “Sing Out” magazine atCarnegie Hall. Her appearance atthe Indian Neck festival in 1961 ledto her being signed to VanguardRecords with whom she made 4LPs. By the mid sixties she hadappeared at festivals in many states.Hedy toured with Mike Seeger,Sparky Rucker (a black banjo player)and Dock Boggs all around the Southwith Anne Romaine’s unique mixed-colour tour, called Southern FolkCultural Revival Project. She gotmarried in Los Angeles, lived andperformed there for a while thenmoved to London, living in PrimroseHill. She was there for seven years,recording several LPs for Topic,including Pretty Saro and Ballads. Shealso spent time in East Germany,where she recorded Getting FolkOut Of The Country with Bill Cliftonin 1974, and made the superblynamed Love, Hell and Biscuits in1980. Her song ‘500 miles’ madehits for Peter, Paul and Mary andSonny and Cher.
After returning to the states Hedyundertook graduate studies in NewYork in composition, lived inPennsylvania and spent her final yearsin Long Island. She had a daughterTalitha in 1980 who became aclassical violinist. She took a muchlower profile in the last couple ofdecades, though she finallyperformed at the 2004 New YorkEisteddfod. Her husband died beforeher and the last years of her life weretroubled by the cancer which tookher away on July 3rd 2005.
HEDY WEST 1938 - 2005Hedy West - a PersonalRecollection by Jerry Epstein
Jerry Epstein is a singer of oldAmerican ballads, the Music Editor ofthe Frank and Anne Warner Collectionand an organizer of the New YorkEisteddfod. In early September Jerrywas touring folk clubs in this country.These are edited highlights of a muchlonger article.
...I had never heard such intensity ofballad singing...and the banjo andguitar playing simply made my hairstand on end... here was a genuinelove of the tradition with no apologyand with no self-aggrandizement.Her banjo playing was...unique. Shewould switch from frailing to pickingand back in the same song, playingthe tune in octaves, in a way I havenever heard anyone else evenapproximate, so one could certainlysay that she was modernizing thetradition. She made no attempt toimitate the people she learned songsfrom and made no apology. Buteverything she did was totallysupportive of the song! None of itcame across as an attempt to displaytechnique, though she had that insuper-abundance.What came acrosswas a song, a story, with suchintensity as to leave the listenerabsolutely limp...
A couple of years ago Peggy Seegerwas doing a workshop for us, andthe subject of Hedy came up. I said,“Hedy is one of the very few peopleI would drive 100 miles to see.”Peggy answered, “So would I.” It isno longer possible. How terribly,terribly sad, what a staggering loss.She was utterly, totally unique, andhearing her was an experience I can’timagine anyone ever forgetting. Sherequested no funeral and nomemorial. It is my hope that we willdisobey her wishes sometime soon.
Old Time News SAutumn Issue 43 9
FIVE DO THE COMMUNITYA not so every day story of Old Time folk
Any one who has been to the Sweet Sunny South festival will..know that the owners and staff of the Fairlight Lodge Hotel are
friendly and welcoming. They help us out a lot in organising andmanaging the festival each year. They also like us to play in the bar forour regular sessions (1st Tues. each month) and during the summer wehave taken to playing there on Sunday lunch times for which theygive us a free lunch. We in this case are: Max Fisher, Kevin Hills,Stephen Harvey, Colin Meadows and OTN designer Mo. Jackson
A few months ago we were asked if we would play at a charity event inaid of breast cancer charities the pub was running. Of course we would.The more we found out about it however, the more daunting theprospect became. The organisers were hoping for an audience of 600plus, Paul Merton was rumoured to be the MC for the event, there wasgoing to be a massive PA system etc,etc. Oh, by the way, could we letthem use our marquee and dance floor?
We became embroiled in committee meetings, discussions about toiletfacilities, publicity design, car parking and a thousand and one othermatters far removed from playing a few tunes.
Finally the great day dawned. We had been asked to get there early fora sound check (what’s one of those?) to find the stage full of drum kits,for the rock band playing in the evening, several keyboards, speakers,
wedges ( sadly nothing to do with cheese), miles of cable and numerouseager young men moving all this around. They were immediatelychristened ‘Mo’s groupies’.
After all the acts had done their sound checks we were off. The eventopened with a Highland piper and drummers, the Lady Mayor made aspeech and then the music started. We had been asked to do 2 sets ofabout 15 minutes each, not long I know but enough for us we thought.People seemed to like the music and songs, a few folk danced and after itwas over several people came up to talk about the music and ask wherethey could hear more. We didn’t get 600 in the audience, Paul Mertonwasn’t there but we had a good time
For us it was a great experience, the first time we had played together infront of an audience, the first time we had worked with a PA, which reallyhelped to balance our sound, and a chance to introduce old time musicto people who hadn’t heard it before.
Colin Meadows
Sal’s got mud between her toesTuning gCGCD capo fret 2
Banjo Tab by Dave Dry from the playing of Dave Bing (Sore Fingers 2003)
10 Old Time News Autumn Issue 43
Members’ AdsMaximum of 50 words pluscontact details, FREE tomembers. We drop older adsto make way for newUNLESS YOU RENEWYOUR REQUEST
OLD-TIME RECORDINGS - majorand obscure American label CDs. Also,videos and tune books. SAE to: EveMorris: 67 Greenway, Bishops Lydeard,Taunton TA4 3DA. Download a fullcatalogue of all items by clicking on Eve’sadvert at the bottom of thewww.foaotmad.org.uk page
TRACE-ELLIOTT BLX 80 BASSCOMBO AMP - Ideal sound for doublebass on stage. Six band graphicequalisation, 2 pre-shaped EQs, effectssend/return channel, input and line outsockets. Very true acoustic sound, 160watt peak output. £200 ONO. GillHarrison, phone 01780 450296, [email protected]
SEEKING BANJO TUITION:frailing/clawhammer teacher wanted,preferably near Northants/Oxon/Warksborders but I'm prepared to travel.Barry Nash 01327 261269 (Daventry)
STILL WANTED! OTN Vol.1, Issue 3and Vol.3, Issue 1; also ‘Old TimeCountry’ magazines, University ofMississippi, 1980s/90s, plus many Libraryof Congress LPs, especially with BascomLamar Lunsford. Also wanted - records
by (Rambling) Jack Elliott on the 77 Label- LP1 and EP2. John Stoten: 01708 370834(Romford)
RAY STEWART 1940-2000: thereare still a few of these CDs (Review,OTN 34) available from Ray's widow:Helen Stewart, 18 Bridge of Don,Aberdeen, Scotland AB23 8QB.
MIKE TAVENER - manufacturer andsole supplier of THE JUMP LEAD, thesmart way to get your acousticinstrument in tune. Only £11 includingpostage. Buy yours today using Paypal:mysite.freeserve.com/thejumplead Also supplier of replacement Ashbory Gand D String. Buy yours using Paypal: mysite.freeserve.com/ashborystring
RECORDS, TAPES and CDs for sale -old-time, early country music, earlybluegrass and a couple of contemporarybluegrass items. With only a couple ofexceptions, all items £5 each. Send SAEfor a list to: Andy Imms, 19 SpringfieldRoad, Pamber Heath, Tadley, HampshireRG26 3DL or email: [email protected]
HEDY WEST: I'm looking for anythingconnected with this artist - recordings,information, publicity, articles. ChrisTaylor (evenings) 01458 447865 (Som.)
1921 GIBSON A2 MANDOLIN -excellent, all original, includingpickguard/ohsc, trussrod.Loud/sweet/lovely. £1650. • 1922GIBSON Lloyd Loar Snakehead A-modelmandolin - all original, fantastic conditionexcept 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 5thstring capo, 28 cleats. Excellentinstrument, professionally gigged for 5years. £350ono. Richard Spencer circa1895. 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 EliteClassic open back. New, with case.Abalone inlay Tree Of Life, with brass spunover maple pot. £495.00. Contact JimAllen: 01568 750546 or [email protected]
FOUND AT SUMMER CAMP: Banjogig bag found near campfire on lastmorning after most folk had left. ContactStain on 07950 472207
JOHN GREY 5 STRING BANJO,brass resonator, Original condition c1947£550. Windsor popular 2 5 string banjo,wooden resonator £200Oakwood Hammer Dulcimer £400Eko 12 string £99Ring Pennie Gillis at 01902 340844Email: [email protected]
SESSION NEEDED: Do you know of anOld Time session anywhere near Dudley inthe West Midlands, or would you like tohelp me start one? Ring Yvonne Parkes01902 570285
BANJOS FOR SALECole ‘Eclipse’ 3000, ‘Man in the Moon’and other engraved inlays. 5-string. Serialno 1870, 1890’s. Skin head, elite tailpieceand armrest. Super historic banjo in verygood condition. Hard case. £1450 ono.Gold Tone Travel/ A-scale 5-string. USAmade, open back. Maple with rolledbrass tone ring and pearl diamonds inneck. Armrest. Super condition. Gearedpegs added. Custom gig bag. £195 ono.‘Gretsch’ 5-string. Serial no 5321. Simplebanjo in excellent condition. Vega-stylearmrest. Serviceable chipboard case.Suitable for a beginner. £75 ono.Contact Bob Ward on 01353 741640.
CLOSING DOWN SALE at ORBmusic: Vintage guitars (including severalarchtops), one good double bass, newFlattops, Mandolins etc., old and newviolins and banjos. Some tools andfittings. Details from Helmut Rheingans:01433 630556 (day) 01433 631907(evenings)
RICHARD SPENCER CIRCA1895. 10" head, geared tuners, 30cleats, armrest, 5th string capo, niceinlay. Rare, beautiful instrument inexcellent condition. £300 ono. DerekBrimstone 01442 264924 (Herts)
Clifford Essex banjo wanted forfrailing/clawhammer style. Must be ingood condition with case. Will travel'reasonable distance' from home in SouthLondon to view + cash paid for rightinstrument. Malcolm: 0208-291-3359 +ansaphone
70Pamela Humphries is a solo dancer near Northampton. Her
article is based on her reading of published diaries of Old Timedancers, used by her in a dance workshop.
Traditional Folkdance in Kentucky
The single dancing was known by many names. Most commonlyit was called dancing, stepdancing, hoedowning, jigging or
square dancing. Other names for it were flatfoot, buck dancing,buck and wing, shuffle and heel and toe. There is no evidence of theterm clogging, which is widely used today in many parts of SouthernAppalachia, ever being used within the dance traditions of Kentuckycommunities.
The single dancing consisted of an individual moving to keep time withmusic. The general form could be described as follows. From standingin a normal, upright position, the upper torso would lean a bit forward,the centre of weight would drop and the knees would bend. Then thecentre of weight would rise and the knees would straighten. Thedownward movement was always on the downbeat of the music, sothere was a dropping and rising movement equally dividing each beat ofmusic. The dance tunes were almost exclusively reels, in 4/4 or 2/4meter. While this dropping (and rising ) movement was being done, adancer would do any number of different kinds of stepping and gesturingwith his or her legs. Examples of these would be: both feet slidingforward simultaneously, then sliding back to place simultaneously; shiftingweight from one foot to the other in different rhythmical patterns, oftenlifting the free foot slightly off the ground; shuffling a foot in place, to thefront or front diagonal, sometimes hopping between shuffles; raising theknee, sometimes combined with brushing the foot off the floor; rotatingthe leg so that the foot swivelled alternately on the ball of the foot andthe heel, sometimes moving the path to the side. The single dancing
generally stayed within a very small area aroundthe dancer. Travelling across the floor was notimportant and occurred incidentally, as a resultof the stepping and gesturing.
Music was usually the source ofinspiration for the stepdancing. Thefiddle was the most commoninstrument played, although afterthe Civil War the banjo was justas prevalent. In manycommunities the Jew’s harpwas also very popular. Therewas a very important relationshipbetween the music and the singledancing.
This relationship between the tunesand steps suggests the nature of thesingle dancing. It was totallyimprovisational. A dancer created differentsequences of steps and gestures tocomplement the rhythmic patterns of a tune.Consequently, the single dancing was highlyindividualised. Every dancer performedaccording to his or her ability andinspiration.
In the absence of musical instruments,step-dancing was accompanied by handpatting or clapping. Sometimes the dancing wasperformed without any accompaniment. Because thesingle dancing was so closely intertwined with the music,an experienced dancer would often stepdance to a ‘tune’,without any music.
Pamela Humphries
Old Time News Autumn Issue 43 11
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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
Heirloom quality, unconditionally guaranteedand great value, these instruments command
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To order or (occasionally from stock)
34 Lydbury North, Shropshire. SY7 8AUTel: 01588 680 666
email: [email protected]
Powerful and sweet soundingbanjos of great beauty, noted for
their ease of playing.
"Mum, what key we in?" Jake at Killington Lake
Nick at Howard's Farm in the key of Z
Summer Campslow jam, a seriousbusiness
Outside the StaceyMegastore at
Sweet Sunny South
Photos - Ray Banks
