And able to take part in a social and cultural revolution known as the 60's....A time when a form of music called "folk" music told a story about the human condition.....
We were lucky to be able to see and hear this music and the artist in person at concerts and happenings across the country...Places like "The Purple Onion"..and coffee houses all over the country....
People like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Peter Paul and Mary, the Mamas and Pappas, the Kingston Trio, and even Burl Ives....and so many others who wrote and sang songs about our lives and living conditions.........................
These songs were stories of war, social upheaval, political points of view, and citizen unrest throughout the nation.
But one song, for some reason, has stayed with me beyond all others...I do not know exactly why, but I think it has something to do with growing older and loosing our innocence of childhood.. and we find ourselves at that age when we realize that there is no Santa Clause, tooth ferry, Easter Bunny, or Super Hero's who will come to our rescue....
For whatever reason, this song is with me every day of my life, in my head, and even in my heart...I sing it, whistle it, hum it, all the time....
The TABernacle is open for your pleasure
and enjoyment.
Please come on in, relax
and I promise you that when you leave here
tonight you will feel so much better than when you came in.
Music plays such an important part in our
lives..It has the power to change us, uplift
us and move us to a different plane of
thought.
There is one form of music that, no matter
what is troubling you or has you sad or down
or discouraged about the every day events in life, transforms you to a higher consciousness and clears you mind and
makes everything seem better.
Below I have included 5 video's that will
start to explain how this comes to be...The
music does it all...all you do is listen..and
you will be transformed.. The video's I have
included are some of the greats in this musical form and I would hope that you have
had the pleasure of seeing them in live performances..
Here is one of my all time favorites...
Sadly George Younce and Glen Payne are no
longer with us..but their talent will live forever.
If you have not guessed by now..were are talking Southern/Christian Gospel Music.
If you can't stay for all be sure to watch 1, 2 and 5.... well worth the time....
An old convention song:
Trying to get a glimpse:
Russ Taff and Vestal Goodman:
HUMOR IS ALWAYS UPLIFTING: (this is funny!!!). Mark Lowry puts on Jake Hess's wig and sounds just like him.....
If you grew up in the South or east of the Mississippi River, you know this man well....If you never heard of him come out from under your rock and give a listen..
Doc Watson was born in Deep Gap, North Carolina. According to Doc on his three CD biographical recording Legacy,
he got the nickname "Doc" during a live radio broadcast when the
announcer remarked that his given name Arthel was odd and he needed an
easy nickname to go by. A fan in the crowd shouted "Call him Doc!"
presumably in reference to the Sherlock Holmes sidekick Doctor Watson. The name stuck ever since.
An eye infection caused Doc Watson to lose his vision
before his first birthday. Despite this, he was taught to work hard and
care for himself by his parents. He attended North Carolina's school
for the visually impaired, The Governor Morehead School, in Raleigh NC.
The first song Doc ever learned to play was "When Roses Bloom in
Dixieland". His father was so proud that he took Doc to the store and
bought him his first guitar, a $12 Stella. Doc proved to be a natural
and within months he was busking on local street corners playing
Delmore, Louvin and Monroe Brothers' duets alongside his brother Linny.
By the time he reached his adult years Doc had become a prolific
acoustic and electric guitar player. [1]
In 1947, Doc married Rosa Lee Carlton. Rosa Lee is the daughter of
popular fiddle player Gaither Carlton. Doc and Rosa Lee gave birth to
two children - Eddy Merle (named after country music legends Eddy Arnold and Merle Travis) in 1949 and Nancy Ellen in 1951.
In 1953, Doc joined the Johnson City, Tennessee based Jack Williams' country and western swing band on electric guitar. He also supported his family as a piano tuner.
In 1960 as the folk boom grew, Doc took the advice of folk
musicologist Ralph Rinzler and began playing acoustic guitar and banjo
exclusively. That move ignited Doc's career when he played on his first
recording, Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's. He also began
to tour as a solo performer at popular clubs that featured folk music
and would eventually get his big break earning rave reviews for his
performance at the renowned Newport Folk Festival in 1963. He began playing with his son Merle in 1964 and the pair would perform until 1985 when Merle was tragically killed in a tractor accident.
After the "folk boom" waned during the late 1960s, Doc's career was
sustained by his performance of "Tennessee Stud" on the 1972 live album
recording Will the Circle Be Unbroken.
As popular as ever, Doc and Merle began playing as a trio, with T.
Michael Coleman on bass, in 1974. The trio toured the globe during the
late seventies and early eighties, recorded nearly fifteen albums
between 1973 and 1985, and brought Doc and Merle’s unique blend of
acoustic music to millions of new fans.
Doc plays guitar in both flatpicking and fingerpicking
style, but is best known for his flatpick work. His guitar playing
skills combined with his authenticity as a mountain musician made him a
highly influential figure during the folk music revival. He pioneered
the fast and flashy bluegrass lead guitar style which has been adopted
and extended by others such as Clarence White and Tony Rice. He is also an accomplished banjo player and in the past has accompanied himself on harmonica as well.
Doc played a Martin model D-18 guitar on his earliest recordings. In 1968 he began a relationship with Gallagher Guitars when he started playing their G-50 model. His first Gallagher, which Doc refers to as "Old Hoss", is on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1974, Gallagher created a customized G-50 line to meet Doc's
preferred specifications. That Gallagher production model bears the Doc
Watson name. In 1991, Gallagher customized a personal cutaway
guitar for Doc that he plays to this day and refers to as "Donald" in
honor of Gallagher guitar's second generation proprietor and builder,
Don Gallagher.
Known also for his distinctive and rich baritone voice, he has over
the years developed a vast repertoire of mountain ballads which he
learned via the oral tradition of his home area in Deep Gap, North Carolina. His affable manner, humble nature and delightful wit have endeared him to his fans nearly as much as his musical talent has.
In recent years, Doc has scaled back his touring schedule. However,
he still plays various shows around the United States to adoring
audiences. As of 2007, he is generally joined on stage by his grandson
(Merle's son) Richard, as well as longtime musical partners David Holt or Jack Lawrence. Most recently on June 19th, he was accompanied by Australian guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel at the Bass Performance Hall.
He is host to the annual MerleFest music festival held every April at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The festival features a vast array of acoustic style music focusing on
the folk, bluegrass, blues and old time music genres. It's named in
honor of Merle Watson and is one of the most popular acoustic music
festivals in the world, drawing over 85,000 music fans each year.
Many Blogstream members are there
already! Quotes from members: "It's like blog lite!" -- "I like the instant
gratification!" -- "Stop spectating, get in the game!"
If you have not joined in, you are really missing out!
