You probably noticed in yesterday's Retro Y'all post that Ralph Stanley didn't sing lead in any of the selections, not even with his own band, the Clinch Mountain Boys. He always had other lead singers in the band, and shared duties with them. I looked all over, but I just could not find a period clip of him singing lead.
Yet, to pay tribute without honoring that amazing voice--the epitome of the "high lonesome" Bluegrass sound--would not be right. However, I do have some rules for what I will include in a Retro post. I thought about skating by using the fact that the songs are old, even if the performances aren't, but I have nixed other videos of artists doing their classics in recent performances.
So I decided that there had to be one more look at this amazing talent, this time solo, doing the song from O Brother Where Art Thou? that brought him such recognition.
I tell you, it makes the hairs on my arms stand up.
Showing posts with label bluegrass rocks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bluegrass rocks. Show all posts
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Retro Y'all (Ralph Stanley Edition)
We lost one of the greats...no...one of the powerhouses a few days ago. Dr. Ralph Stanley was one of the few remaining ties to the early days of Bluegrass music. When you remember that those early pioneers were the bridges to an even earlier era of traditional music (and even early country music), then you realize how incalculable this loss is.
I'm talking roots here--history and culture--the stuff that matters. The generation that was influenced by these folks has also started passing on. None of them are getting any younger. Even my beloved Emmylou Harris will turn seventy next year.
Thankfully, there's a generation after them still coming on strong. And one coming up after that. And so on.
And somewhere in one of those small rural Kentucky (and Virginia, and Tennessee, and etc.) towns, like the one I came from, there are boys and girls just starting to sit down with their instruments and learn to play the old songs. The connections are being made and the thread will continue.
Over a decade ago, one particular movie brought renewed attention and interest to this music and the musicians who perform it, including Dr Ralph. That kind of interest often fades when the next fad comes down the line, but there's always more than a few new enthusiasts that hop on board for the ride.
The next time that happens, we'll be short one amazing voice. Rest in peace, Dr. Ralph Stanley. You're going to be missed.
There's no way to pick just one for this post, so here's some prime Ralph Stanley.
First, with his brother Carter as the Stanley Brothers. (In case you don't know, that's Dr. Ralph with the banjo.)
As the banjo virtuoso that he was. (He's the one with the hat.)
With the Clinch Mountain Boys:
On a more personal note, I can't find out what kind, but several news sources are listing the cause of his death as "skin cancer." Of all the things to have in common with one of the greatest musicians in Bluegrass history!
I'm talking roots here--history and culture--the stuff that matters. The generation that was influenced by these folks has also started passing on. None of them are getting any younger. Even my beloved Emmylou Harris will turn seventy next year.
Thankfully, there's a generation after them still coming on strong. And one coming up after that. And so on.
And somewhere in one of those small rural Kentucky (and Virginia, and Tennessee, and etc.) towns, like the one I came from, there are boys and girls just starting to sit down with their instruments and learn to play the old songs. The connections are being made and the thread will continue.
Over a decade ago, one particular movie brought renewed attention and interest to this music and the musicians who perform it, including Dr Ralph. That kind of interest often fades when the next fad comes down the line, but there's always more than a few new enthusiasts that hop on board for the ride.
The next time that happens, we'll be short one amazing voice. Rest in peace, Dr. Ralph Stanley. You're going to be missed.
There's no way to pick just one for this post, so here's some prime Ralph Stanley.
First, with his brother Carter as the Stanley Brothers. (In case you don't know, that's Dr. Ralph with the banjo.)
As the banjo virtuoso that he was. (He's the one with the hat.)
With the Clinch Mountain Boys:
On a more personal note, I can't find out what kind, but several news sources are listing the cause of his death as "skin cancer." Of all the things to have in common with one of the greatest musicians in Bluegrass history!
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Ask Eddie Anything: The Accent Thing
Tammy said: "It seems like once we hit the Ohio/Kentucky border, y'all have a
southern accent. I can just hear a southern drawl coming out of that cute
face!!!!"
Well, first off, you just seriously made me blush! Thanks!
And secondly, most of what comes out of this face are belches and burps.
There's a couple of interesting thoughts buried in that statement, which lead to several trains of thought in my head, which in turn lead to some stories and such. In other words, I'm gonna ramble. And it's not even Monday.
I have always considered myself to be a Southerner. To me, Kentucky is the South, but there are a lot of folks, particularly from deeper South, that would disagree. I'm not sure what the criteria is that one uses to make such decisions, or even if there is an official designation or determination anywhere. It just seems to be one of those things that folks have different opinions on.
I also consider myself to be a country boy at heart. I was raised in a small town in a rural county. When I was a kid, you could still shop on the town square in family-owned stores that had been there for generations. We lived in town, but lots of my family members had farms and raised horses, grew tobacco and corn, etc. Those are my roots and part of who I am.
It seems to me that Kentucky accents are a good deal more diverse than people realize. This is probably true for most states/regions. In the eastern part of the state, where all the mountains and coal mines are, the accent is more (for lack of a better term) "hillbilly." The twang is a little different there, even though a lot of the linguistic usage is the same as the rest of the state.
I should probably note here that I am not any kind of a linguist or accentologist or anything like that. There are no academic or scholarly credentials that back any of what I am saying up. I'm just a guy who thinks too much about things, loves to watch the world as it passes by and has a blog full of his rambles about stuff.
Speaking of academics, I went to college in the foothills of the Appalachians, so I spent five years listening to those wonderful accents.
When you move towards the south-central part of the state, where I am from, the accent gets more "country" or "hick." It's hard to explain in writing, but the sound is slightly different. Some words become a little more extended, but not quite like a Southern drawl.
The further west you go, the sound gets more what people think of when they think "Southern accent." It's a little more genteel, a little more drawn out, a definite drawl. I went to high school in this part of the state for a year, after my parents divorced.
Of course, none of this is hard and fast. The distinctions can be very slight and you can find people in all areas that speak with all kinds of accents. I'm laying this out as a kind of general guide.
In Louisville, there's a great mixture of speech mannerisms and accents. People move here from all over the state and all over the world. The biggest linguistic indicator of someone's origins is the way they pronounce the city's name. If you have lived here any length of time, you pronounce it almost like it's a one syllable word: "Luavull", sliding over that "ua" dipthong as smoothly and quickly as you can. If you say "Lewis-ville" or "Louie-ville" then we all know you ain't from around these parts.
As for the non-belch sounds that come out of my mouth, well, I'm a country boy. It's not really that thick or heavy, but there's a hick twang that sneaks out around the edges when I talk. When I go back home or spend time with my family, it comes out a lot more.
It wasn't always that way. We moved to Germany when I was in second grade and stayed there until I was in fourth grade. Then we moved to El Paso and stayed until I was in sixth grade. When we moved back to Kentucky, I didn't sound like anyone else. At all. It was so distinct that other kids would try to get me volunteer to read out loud in class, so they could listen to me talk. Not in a "make fun of it" kind of way, but in a "this is kind of interesting" kind of way. I was a little embarrassed nonetheless. My mother used to say that she couldn't wait for me to get home, so she could hear me again, instead of all the little kids in the neighborhood. Funny thing, I do not recall anyone making a big deal out of the way my brother sounded.
Gradually, of course, I lost that "different" sound and blended in a little more, but I never fully adapted the local sound. It's always been a little bit lighter with me, a little more subtle. It's enough that, when I'm in other parts of the country, people notice it, but not enough to "mark" me in anyway. At least, I don't think so. Sometimes, if I push this point too much, Keith will tell me to give it up and say that I sound like some hick kid from the sticks. The moral of that story is "don't get above your raising."
Not all of the sounds that come out of my mouth are in English by the way. My degree is in Spanish. I'm really shy about speaking it, because I've lost so much of my vocabulary and grammar to disuse. I really have to think hard about what I'm saying, which can make it hard to carry on a conversation. Sadly, I used to be damn near bilingual at one time. I get so frustrated with myself that I feel like if I can't say it perfectly, then I won't say it at all. Which really doesn't help me, I know. One thing I have not lost is my accent. On those rare occasions when I do speak in Spanish, people inevitably tell me that I sound authentic. It's something. I guess.
Anyway, if you want to hear a brief snippet of me talking and judge for yourself:
The full story behind that whole video is here. Behind the scenes pics are here.
That's a much younger, much less shaggy me, pre-cancer me. In fact, that mole that you see on my neck is the one that started all the trouble.
I can't believe it's been nine years since that happened. A whole lifetime ago.
Well, first off, you just seriously made me blush! Thanks!
And secondly, most of what comes out of this face are belches and burps.
There's a couple of interesting thoughts buried in that statement, which lead to several trains of thought in my head, which in turn lead to some stories and such. In other words, I'm gonna ramble. And it's not even Monday.
I have always considered myself to be a Southerner. To me, Kentucky is the South, but there are a lot of folks, particularly from deeper South, that would disagree. I'm not sure what the criteria is that one uses to make such decisions, or even if there is an official designation or determination anywhere. It just seems to be one of those things that folks have different opinions on.
I also consider myself to be a country boy at heart. I was raised in a small town in a rural county. When I was a kid, you could still shop on the town square in family-owned stores that had been there for generations. We lived in town, but lots of my family members had farms and raised horses, grew tobacco and corn, etc. Those are my roots and part of who I am.
It seems to me that Kentucky accents are a good deal more diverse than people realize. This is probably true for most states/regions. In the eastern part of the state, where all the mountains and coal mines are, the accent is more (for lack of a better term) "hillbilly." The twang is a little different there, even though a lot of the linguistic usage is the same as the rest of the state.
I should probably note here that I am not any kind of a linguist or accentologist or anything like that. There are no academic or scholarly credentials that back any of what I am saying up. I'm just a guy who thinks too much about things, loves to watch the world as it passes by and has a blog full of his rambles about stuff.
Speaking of academics, I went to college in the foothills of the Appalachians, so I spent five years listening to those wonderful accents.
When you move towards the south-central part of the state, where I am from, the accent gets more "country" or "hick." It's hard to explain in writing, but the sound is slightly different. Some words become a little more extended, but not quite like a Southern drawl.
The further west you go, the sound gets more what people think of when they think "Southern accent." It's a little more genteel, a little more drawn out, a definite drawl. I went to high school in this part of the state for a year, after my parents divorced.
Of course, none of this is hard and fast. The distinctions can be very slight and you can find people in all areas that speak with all kinds of accents. I'm laying this out as a kind of general guide.
In Louisville, there's a great mixture of speech mannerisms and accents. People move here from all over the state and all over the world. The biggest linguistic indicator of someone's origins is the way they pronounce the city's name. If you have lived here any length of time, you pronounce it almost like it's a one syllable word: "Luavull", sliding over that "ua" dipthong as smoothly and quickly as you can. If you say "Lewis-ville" or "Louie-ville" then we all know you ain't from around these parts.
As for the non-belch sounds that come out of my mouth, well, I'm a country boy. It's not really that thick or heavy, but there's a hick twang that sneaks out around the edges when I talk. When I go back home or spend time with my family, it comes out a lot more.
It wasn't always that way. We moved to Germany when I was in second grade and stayed there until I was in fourth grade. Then we moved to El Paso and stayed until I was in sixth grade. When we moved back to Kentucky, I didn't sound like anyone else. At all. It was so distinct that other kids would try to get me volunteer to read out loud in class, so they could listen to me talk. Not in a "make fun of it" kind of way, but in a "this is kind of interesting" kind of way. I was a little embarrassed nonetheless. My mother used to say that she couldn't wait for me to get home, so she could hear me again, instead of all the little kids in the neighborhood. Funny thing, I do not recall anyone making a big deal out of the way my brother sounded.
Gradually, of course, I lost that "different" sound and blended in a little more, but I never fully adapted the local sound. It's always been a little bit lighter with me, a little more subtle. It's enough that, when I'm in other parts of the country, people notice it, but not enough to "mark" me in anyway. At least, I don't think so. Sometimes, if I push this point too much, Keith will tell me to give it up and say that I sound like some hick kid from the sticks. The moral of that story is "don't get above your raising."
Not all of the sounds that come out of my mouth are in English by the way. My degree is in Spanish. I'm really shy about speaking it, because I've lost so much of my vocabulary and grammar to disuse. I really have to think hard about what I'm saying, which can make it hard to carry on a conversation. Sadly, I used to be damn near bilingual at one time. I get so frustrated with myself that I feel like if I can't say it perfectly, then I won't say it at all. Which really doesn't help me, I know. One thing I have not lost is my accent. On those rare occasions when I do speak in Spanish, people inevitably tell me that I sound authentic. It's something. I guess.
Anyway, if you want to hear a brief snippet of me talking and judge for yourself:
The full story behind that whole video is here. Behind the scenes pics are here.
That's a much younger, much less shaggy me, pre-cancer me. In fact, that mole that you see on my neck is the one that started all the trouble.
I can't believe it's been nine years since that happened. A whole lifetime ago.
Saturday, March 07, 2015
Retro Y'all!
How about some bluegrass?
You honestly cannot get more retro than those jackets! Woo hoo!
This was one of my mother's favorite tunes. She used to sing it all the time. I find it popping into my mind frequently, usually when I'm not expecting it.
You honestly cannot get more retro than those jackets! Woo hoo!
This was one of my mother's favorite tunes. She used to sing it all the time. I find it popping into my mind frequently, usually when I'm not expecting it.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Just Lovely
Lots of people have done this song, including--perhaps most notably--Emmylou Harris. However, i quite like this version by Rhonda Vincent, shown here playing the guitar, instead of her typical mandolin. She's a talented multi-instrumentalist, but there's not a lot of live footage of her playing other instruments.
And, oh, that voice. She really brings that bluegrass ache to one of the most lovely, sad songs in the history of country music. It's a great match. By the way, if you want a bluegrass album that will knock your socks off and curl your toes, hunt up a copy of Vincent's The Storm Still Rages. It's a classic! She's kind of been drifting into radio-friendly, country-tinged ballads for the last several years, which are really not too my taste at all. But, when she goes straight ahead bluegrass, this lady totally rocks!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Roll on!
So many things to love about that clip. First off, that's just a classic tune. And then there's the way everyone looks. The description doesn't say what year it is, but it obviously goes back a ways. For one thing, John Hartford is in it, and we lost him several years ago. (Isn't he a hoot, by the way? "I didn't win a durn thing!")
But my gosh--how young everyone is! Del McCoury with no grey. Jerry Douglas without that funky microphone he uses these days. Alison Krauss before she had a stylist. (Isn't odd, by the way, that she won the female vocalist that year, but she doesn't sing in this clip?)
I love watching the microphone jockeying going on. It's not easy to maneuver on a stage with that many fiddle bows flying around!
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