Description: This hour we will look into two of the most well known instruments in Appalachian music and the musicians behind them. Includes work by Grandpa and Ramona Jones, Mike Seeger, J.P. Fraley, Carl Johnson and more.
Track Listing 1) 'Sail Away Lady' performed by Carl Jones 2) '8 More Miles To Louisville' performed by Grandpa Jones 3) 'Falling Leaves' performed by Grandpa Jones 4) "Jonah And The Whale Performed by Grandpa and Ramona Jones 5) 'Wake Up Susan' performed by Ramona Jones 6) 'Bile Them Cabbage Down' preformed by Ramona Jones and Mike Seeger 7)
'Liberty' preformed by Ramona Jones and Mike Seeger 8) 'Don't Let Your Deal Go Down' preformed by Mike Seeger 9) 'When A Woman Don't Need A Man' preformed by Mike Seeger 10) Unidentified Canray Fontinot Fiddle tune performed by Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard 11) 'High Country' preformed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley with Clovis Hurt 12) 'Molly Darlin' performed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley 13) 'Winds of Shiloh' performed by Reed Island Rounders 14) 'Julianne' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd 15) 'Rock Salt and Nails' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd 16)
 |
| Ramona & Grandpa Jones |
Part One: Grandpa and Ramona Jones
Track Listing 1) 'Sail Away Lady' performed by Carl Jones 2) '8 More Miles To Louisville' performed by Grandpa Jones 3) 'Falling Leaves' performed by Grandpa Jones 4) "Jonah And The Whale Performed by Grandpa and Ramona Jones 5) 'Wake Up Susan' performed by Ramona Jones 6) 'Bile Them Cabbage Down' preformed by Ramona Jones and Mike Seeger
This hour we will look into two of the most well known instruments in Appalachian music and the musicians behind the banjo and the fiddle.
One of the most recognizable characters in show business in the 20th century would have to be Grandpa Jones, the hillbilly banjo playing old-timer played by Louis Marshal Jones, and he played the Grandpa for over 60 years. Born in Niagra Kentucky in 1913, Jones got his start as a musician at an early age and by 1935 he was playing with Berea alumni Bradley Kincaid, who gave Jones the nickname Grandpa for being grumpy in the morning. Jones grew the character into in an icon that he played for the rest of his life. One of his first hits was his own composition, 8 More Miles to Louisville, and maybe because that is my hometown, let's hear that first.
('8 More Miles To Louisville' performed by Grandpa Jones).
Hometown of my heart indeed. Grandpa Jones was known as a master claw hammer banjoist but got his start playing guitar. Let's hear a recording of Jones playing Falling Leaves on guitar at Berea College in 1986 followed by another banjo tune.
('Falling Leaves' performed by Grandpa Jones)
('Jonah and the Whale' performed by Grandpa and Ramona Jones)
Performing with Grandpa on that song was his wife Ramona, an accomplished musician in her own right. Grandpa and Ramona met while playing for local radio stations in the Nashville area in 1946 and married soon after. They joined the Grand Ol' Opry together and Ramona became the first female lead Fiddler on the show. This year she celebrated her 90th birthday, and still performs in the show. Let's her Ramona Jones play a fiddle tune at Berea College in 1985.
('Wake Up Susan' performed by Ramona Jones)
Passing down music from one generation to another is very important in folk music, and as we just heard from Ramona Jones, her father was also a fiddler and a big influence on her as a musician. In this next recording we will here ramona play a very interesting style of fiddling called 'Fiddle Sticking' accompanied by famed Fiddler Mike Seeger followed by the two playing 'Liberty'.
('Bile Them Cabbage Down' preformed by Ramona Jones and Mike Seeger)
Part Two: Mike Seeger
7) 'Liberty' preformed by Ramona Jones and Mike Seeger 8) 'Don't Let Your Deal Go Down' preformed by Mike Seeger 9) 'When A Woman Don't Need A Man' preformed by Mike Seeger 10) Unidentified Canray Fontinot Fiddle tune performed by Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard
 |
| Mike Seeger |
Mike Seeger came out of a truly musical family. Born in 1933, both of Seeger's parents were composers, his father was an ethnomusicologist and his mother worked closely with the Library of Congress. His sisters Peggy and Penny were also folk performers as well as half brother Pete Seeger. Mike Seeger began collecting and recording folk songs at the age of 20, and continued the pursuit his whole life. He released dozens of albums and received 6 Grammy nominations.
I have to say some of the most unique sounds I've heard here at the sound archives come from Mike Seeger, including these next two songs recorded live in Renfro Valley Ky. In these recordings Seeger is playing both the fiddle and harmonica while singing, it's a truly amazing feat.
('Don't Let Your Deal Go Down' preformed by Mike Seeger)
('When A Woman Don't Need A Man' preformed by Mike Seeger)
I just love that sound don't you? The harmonica and fiddle just merge so perfectly together. Seeger had a great ear for sound. In this next recording Seeger makes the connection between Appalachian fiddle and Cajun fiddle with this Canray Fontinot tune, accompanied by Seeger's then wife Alice Gerrard.
(Unidentified Canray Fontinot Fiddle tune performed by Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard)
Part Three: J.P. Fraley
11) 'High Country' preformed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley with Clovis Hurt 12) 'Molly Darlin' performed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley 13) 'Winds of Shiloh' performed by Reed Island Rounders
 |
| J.P. & Annadeene Fraley |
From Cajun country back to Kentucky, we will now look at J.P. Fraley, the celebrated fiddler from Carter County. Born in 1923 J.P. played widely throughout the U.S. and overseas. In the early 1970s J.P. and his wife Annadeene founded the Fraley Family Reunion and Festival of Traditional Music. This next song was recorded there in 1973 with J.P. and Clovis Hurt on fiddle and Annadeene on guitar.
('High Country' preformed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley and Clovis Hurt)
Almost everyone in the Fiddle tradition has heard of J.P. Fraley as a master fiddler, but as we will hear in this next track, he was also a fine singer as well.
('Molly Darlin' performed by J.P. and Annadeene Fraley)
J.P. Fraley died in 2011, but continues to inspire Fiddlers today. This next recording is of The Reed Island Rounders on a recent trip to Berea College, playing an original composition of Fraley's called Winds of Shiloh.
('Winds of Shiloh' performed by Reed Island Rounders)
Part Four: Carl Johnson
14) 'Julianne' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd 15) 'Rock Salt and Nails' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd 16) 'Madison' Preformed by Erynn Marshall
 |
| Carl Johnson |
('Julianne' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd)
For anyone who follows The Celebrated Sounds radio hour you might have noticed that the song played at the beginning of every show is played by Carl Johnson. We have time for one more by Carl Johnson, so let's hear one of my favorite recordings of Johnson, playing Rock Salt and Nails at Berea College in 2012.
('Rock Salt and Nails' performed by Carl Johnson and Jim Lloyd)
We have just a few more minutes left this hour, so for our last song, we'll here a fiddler who is one of many firsts. not only was she the first sound fellow here at the Berea College Sound Archives, but she was also the first non-American and first woman to win famed Cliftop Fiddle Competition. Recently I had a chance to meet Erynn Marshall and she played for me a tune of her own composition called Madison, named after the county in which Berea College resides.
('Madison' Preformed by Erynn Marshall)
No comments:
Post a Comment