Post by I Dig Bluegrass.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Clarence Kelly
A lot of folks over the years left these pretty green hills to cross
the Ohio River in search of a better life regardless of what might lay
ahead, because in many cases it had to be better’n here. My pursuit of
hearing these many stories of life from the pickers and artists of my
part of the foothills took me to Fairborn, Ohio, to the home of Clarence
Kelly, a picker from Spaw’s Creek, over in the Caney region of Morgan
County, Kentucky
Clarence Kelly, like many young men reared in this ancient mountain
range we call the foothills of Kentucky has lineage tied to the lowlands
of Scotland. He was a free-range kid who claimed the hills, trees and
streams as his playground and was raised up during a time when it was
common for a 10- or 11-year-old kid to kill a squirrel or rabbit and
bring it home for supper.
“Money was damn near nonexistent for us,” Kelly explains as he returns to the Caney/Spaw’s Creek area and the remote austere life he lived with his father Santford Kelly.
Santford was a noted old-time musician and man of the hills some might refer to as a mystic, maybe as well known for his herbalist skills as his fiddling. The fiddle songs of Santford Kelly were archived at the University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University and Morehead State University at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music.
“Hobart would bring Ricky to where my Daddy would be playing, and he picked up on Daddy’s style and still does some of that type of playing today,” he said, referring to legendary Ricky Skaggs and his father, also out of the same area.
Read this entire story about Clarence Kelly on Tony's official website:
Bone-cutting Truth-revealing Music is Clarence Kelly’s Unique Calling Card
“Money was damn near nonexistent for us,” Kelly explains as he returns to the Caney/Spaw’s Creek area and the remote austere life he lived with his father Santford Kelly.
Santford was a noted old-time musician and man of the hills some might refer to as a mystic, maybe as well known for his herbalist skills as his fiddling. The fiddle songs of Santford Kelly were archived at the University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University and Morehead State University at the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music.
“Hobart would bring Ricky to where my Daddy would be playing, and he picked up on Daddy’s style and still does some of that type of playing today,” he said, referring to legendary Ricky Skaggs and his father, also out of the same area.
Read this entire story about Clarence Kelly on Tony's official website:
Bone-cutting Truth-revealing Music is Clarence Kelly’s Unique Calling Card
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Ray Craft Band
The Ray Craft Band is made up of Ray Craft on guitar and vocals, Jeremy Newman on bass, Brent Pack on banjo and Carl James on mandolin.
For more bluegrass music videos like this head on over to IDigBluegrass.com
For more bluegrass music videos like this head on over to IDigBluegrass.com
Gary Cotten Acoustic Guitars
Gary Cotten is a professional Luthier who lives in Carter County Kentucky. He has been building great custom guitars for years as well as a few mandolins and even a banjo.
David Carroll, of David Carroll and New River Line, plays a custom built DC-18 Cotten Guitar. It is a beautiful instrument with a fantastic sound. Dave says he loves it and prefers it to any other guitar he owns.
Gary also provides a complete repair and restoration services. Whether you need to have your guitar "set up" or repaired he can do it.
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| Gary Cotten in his workshop with one of his custom built Cotten Acoustic Guitars (Photo by David Slone) |
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Bluegrass Palace Closes Doors
I really do regret not being able to visit The Bluegrass Palace as I had been planning on getting over to Watts to check it out for some time now. I was really looking forward to it too.
This was a case of procrastination causing me to miss out on something I wanted to see! If only Jackson Ky weren't quite so far from here. I really think the government should institute rules so that any type of housing will be rated on a scale of 1 to 10 as to its proximity to live bluegrass venues!
Not too long ago Dave Evans announced that he and his band River Bend would be going back out on the road. Read about the Dave Evans and River Bend Bluegrass Comeback for 2011!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Wooly Worm Festival Beattyville Kentucky
This weekend my family and I went over to Beattyville, Kentucky for the 23rd Annual Wooly Worm Festival. It was the first time I had ever been to the festival or even to Beattyville.
The Wooly Worm Festival was fairly big (compared to what I was expecting) and the streets were full of people having fun. There were wooly worm races, food and crafts vendors, a parade and of course live music.
The parade was probably the least of my favorite things about the festival. Actually it wouldn't have been bad had it not been for the fire trucks and emergency vehicles. There were quite a few of them and they were in very close proximity to the crowd and they kept blasting their horns and sirens. It was so loud that it actually hurt your ears and vibrated your head! I looked around and saw children and older people who were obviously in severe discomfort. I heard a lot of people complaining around me too. I swear I even saw a guy turning his hearing aid down or off. I thought it was excessive and also wondered what would have happened if there had been a fire or other emergency in Lee County at the time.
There were several different bands that performed on stage at the Wooly Worm Festival but of course my favorite thing was the live bluegrass music. In fact that was the main reason I decided to go to the Wooly Worm festival.
My wonderful wife and my two younger daughters as well as my oldest grandson enjoyed the festival with me. My grandson actually got out there and danced a bit when the bluegrass was on. I was both surprised and amazed at how well he seemed to do.
The Wooly Worm Festival has been going on during the third weekend of October since 1987 making this year number 23.
Mandolin Farm Weary Jammers
Gary Rose, Willie Jarrels, Keith Prater, Mike Wilson, Kyle Wilson and Mark Peyton
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You can see videos of the performances at the Wooly Worm Festival and other live bluegrass at http://www.IDigBluegrass.com
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Children Love Bluegrass Music
Children seem to love bluegrass music. Whenever I am at a festival or other place where they are playing live bluegrass music I always notice how the children love it. You often see them wanting to get up and dance long before the adults do.
My own daughter enjoys bluegrass music and depending upon when you ask her she will tell you that her favorite instrument is either the banjo or the mandolin. It really does my heart good to see her smiling and dancing and talking about "that banjo music". Naturally, I try to take her with me to hear live bluegrass music whenever I can. In the photo on the left my daughter is enjoying live bluegrass at Mandolin Farm near Flemingsburg, Kentucky.
The last time I went to a bluegrass show was at Rattlesnake Ridge. I took my middle daughter and my oldest grandson with me that evening. My grandson likes bluegrass music too but he tends to get a little impatient after awhile and says, "papaw, when are we leaving?" I think he gets a little 'stir crazy' and just doesn't like to sit still too long.
There are a lot of young people playing bluegrass music and I think that is really awesome. I mean it! It gives me more hope for the future of music when I see people like Chaston Carroll, only 16 years old at the time of this writing, playing so well. Chaston plays mandolin for David Carroll and New River Line and he does an excellent job at it. Chaston's father, David Carroll, told me that Chaston has been fascinated with bluegrass and the mandolin since he was very small and he put in a great deal of time with his practicing. That's what it takes; desire and dedication.
This past summer there were children as young as 8 years old competing in youth contests on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, etc. To me it is an amazing sight to see such young folk with so much talent and drive.
If you have a child who gets into music do everything you can to encourage them, you never know you could be the parent of the next "Bill Monroe"!
The last time I went to a bluegrass show was at Rattlesnake Ridge. I took my middle daughter and my oldest grandson with me that evening. My grandson likes bluegrass music too but he tends to get a little impatient after awhile and says, "papaw, when are we leaving?" I think he gets a little 'stir crazy' and just doesn't like to sit still too long.
There are a lot of young people playing bluegrass music and I think that is really awesome. I mean it! It gives me more hope for the future of music when I see people like Chaston Carroll, only 16 years old at the time of this writing, playing so well. Chaston plays mandolin for David Carroll and New River Line and he does an excellent job at it. Chaston's father, David Carroll, told me that Chaston has been fascinated with bluegrass and the mandolin since he was very small and he put in a great deal of time with his practicing. That's what it takes; desire and dedication.
This past summer there were children as young as 8 years old competing in youth contests on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, etc. To me it is an amazing sight to see such young folk with so much talent and drive.
If you have a child who gets into music do everything you can to encourage them, you never know you could be the parent of the next "Bill Monroe"!
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