Southern Mountain Music

"This work represents a lifetime of research by Wayne Erbsen, professor of old-time and bluegrass music at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Over years of research, he managed to interview many of the important pioneers of Appalachian music. In many cases, he was the first and often the only scholar to ever collect their stories. For this alone, this history will remain an indispensable resource for generations to come. The first part of the book is devoted to stories of many of the pioneers of old-time and bluegrass music. Following that are chapters on brother duets from the 1930s, legendary banjo pickers and fiddle players, plus tales of 19th century songwriters whose songs still populate bluegrass music. Also covered are such wide-ranging whimsical topics as cowboys in bluegrass music, Charlie Cline's powerful snoring, a near-encounter with Bigfoot, and Hoss Cartwright's hat."--

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Tim Stafford
Introduction
Mountain Music Pioneers, Foreshadowing Bluegrass
Bluegrass Roots in Western North Carolinä 7 delete deleteVernon Dalhart 11 delete deleteHenry Whitter 12 delete deleteErnest "Pop" Stoneman 14 delete deleteUncle Eck Dunford and "Angeline the Baker" 15 delete deleteThe Carter Family 20 delete deleteThe Lesley Riddle Story 23 delete deleteDock Walsh and the Carolina Tarheels 25 delete deleteCharlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers 26 delete deleteWade and J. E. Mainer 29
Brother Duets
Wiley and Zeke, the Morris Brothers 33 delete deleteThe Callahan Brothers 43 delete deleteThe Blue Sky Boys 46 delete deleteCurly and Jack, the Shelton Brothers 47
Fiddling
Thicker'n Fiddlers in Hell 51 delete deleteEck Robertson-Master Fiddler 54 delete deleteFiddlin' John Carson 57 delete deleteFiddlin' Arthur Smith 58 delete deleteJim Shumate 62 delete deleteLester Woodie-Coming Up the Hard Road 71 delete deleteAynsley Porchak, Fiddler 79 delete deleteFiddles, Fangs, and Folklore 84 delete deleteThe Hanging of Fiddlin' Joe Coleman 87
Banjo Picking
Walter Davis-Fist and Skull Banjö 89 delete deleteSnuffy Jenkins 94 delete deleteEarl Scruggs 96 delete deleteRaymond Fairchild-Making His Own Way 99 delete deleteWhy Are There So Many Banjo Jokes? 104
More Bluegrass Pioneers
Cleo Davis-The Original Blue Grass Boy 107 delete deleteTommy Millard-Blackface Comedian and Blue Grass Boy 118 delete deleteClarence White and the Roots of Bluegrass Guitar 123 delete deleteBill Clifton 125
Songwriters and Songs
The Great American Tearjerker 128 delete deleteGussie L. Davis-Tin Pan Alley/Bluegrass Songwriter 130 delete deleteWilliam Shakespeare Who? 131 delete deleteJohnny Bond 134 delete delete"Wildwood Flower" 136 delete delete"Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy" 138 delete delete"Otto Wood, the Bandit" 143 delete delete"Stagolee" 145 delete delete"Diamond Joe" 145 delete delete"Run Mountain" 148 delete delete"Fox on the Run" 150 delete delete"I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages" 152 delete delete"I'm a Little Teapot" 153 delete deleteOther Songs with Quirky Stories 154
"Banks of the Ohio" 154 delete delete"Buffalo Gals" 154 delete delete"Cumberland Mountain Deer Chase" 154 delete delete"Old Joe Clark" 154 delete delete"Roll on Buddy" 155 delete delete"Poor Ellen Smith" 155 delete delete"Red River Valley" 156 delete delete"My Rough and Rowdy Ways" 157 delete delete"Please Pardon Me" 157
Appendix I. Miscellaneous
Cowboys in Bluegrass Music? 159 delete deleteTwo Meatballs in the Sand and Other Mondegreens 162 delete deleteThe Secret Signals of Bluegrass 163 delete deleteThe Lester Flatt G Run 166 delete deleteWe Almost Played on the Grand Ole Opry 167 delete deleteCharlie Cline, Powerful Snorer 169 delete deleteHoss Cartwright's Hat 169 delete delete"Winning" the Folk Song Completion at Galax 170 delete deleteJamming with David Grisman 171 delete deleteBigfoot's Gone Away 172 delete deleteArthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith 174 delete deleteJim Bob Tinsley-Cowboy Singer and Mountain Lion Hunter 175 delete deleteThe Ghost of Scotty Stoneman 176 delete deleteMy Radio Career 176 delete deleteGods and Generals 177
Appendix II. Quickies
Jethro Burns 179 delete deleteOn Their Tippy Toes 179 delete deleteGive Me a Break! 179 delete deleteRalph and Stanley Carter 179 delete deleteSeptic Music 179 delete deleteMaking Stuff Up 180 delete deleteHank Williams Said 180 delete deletePlaying Pool 180 delete deleteDimwits 180 delete delete"Wee Wee" 180 delete deleteFresh Picks 180 delete deleteErnest Tubb 180 delete deleteMarshmallows 180 delete deleteThe Smoggy Mountain Boys 180 delete deleteAs Long as Yarn 180 delete deleteBagels Ain't Sweet 181 delete deleteBill Monroe on the Railroad Tracks 181 delete deleteThe Stanley Brothers in Floridä 181 delete deleteThe Stanley Brothers' Bass Fiddle 182 delete deleteYou Ain't Comin' Back 182 delete deleteBluegrass Motels 182 delete deleteLeave Now! 182 delete deleteLaying Out Pants 182 delete deleteWillie Nelson ­ Look-Alike 182 delete deleteSenator Wayne Erbsen 182 delete deleteNothing to Eat 183 delete deleteBill Monroe and Frank Sinaträ 183 delete deleteRunnin' Out of Memory 183 delete deleteJimmy Martin 183 delete deleteChicken Necks 184 delete deleteDiscovering Clarence Ashley 184 delete deleteShowmanship of Mac Wiseman and Lester Flatt 185 delete delete"Lee Highway Blues" 185 delete deleteJoe Maphis' Flatpick 186 delete deleteCharlie Poole 187 delete deleteBrad Keith 187 delete deleteProfessor Wayne Erbsen 187 delete deleteDog Bit 188 delete deleteLost Cassette Covers 189 delete deleteHow I Bought My Martin Guitar 189 delete deleteRy Cooder and Donna Stoneman 189 delete deleteNo Such Thing as Time 190 delete deleteOutrageous ­ Old-Time Band Names 190 delete deleteDon't Touch My Suit! 191 delete deleteWater Bottle 191 delete deleteStrange Names 192 delete deleteIs Hair Here? 192 delete deleteThornton Spencer 192 delete deleteWhite Bread and Cold Beans 192 delete deleteZeke Morris, the Body Shop Man 193 delete deleteWiley Morris, Another Body Shop Man 193 delete deleteBill Monroe's Mandolin 193 delete deleteThe Biggest Bull in the World 194 delete deletePlaying for a Mobster's Funeral 194
Index