Arthur Smith - RIP

Legendary guitarist, banjo player, fiddler, songwriter, TV host, radio personality Arthur Smith passed away on Thursday. He was 93 years old. His death marked the end of a long and stellar career making music in Charlotte, N.C. Although he was born in South Carolina Mr. Smith made Charlotte his home in the early 1940’s and never looked back.

His radio and TV shows were regional in their makeup, but had a worldwide effect on music. His iconic “Fuedin’ Banjo’s” would go on to be heard in films like “Deliverance”, for which he was given no credit whatsoever and had to bring suit in order to obtain any money for the use of his song. When Mitsubishi used the song again in the 1990’s he made some more money by taking them to court. But that is just a small part of who Mr. Smith was.

All over the country there were regional variety shows along the lines of the Ed Sullivan Show in New York. These regional shows highlighted the music and happenings in the local area in which they aired. I have often been envious of the people who got to watch these shows when I was a kid. Sure, I had Sullivan, but so did the people in the small cities. They just had something extra.

Guests such as Johnny Cash; who used to stay at Mr. Smith’s home in Charlotte when he came for a visit; Billy Graham and his wife Ruth, Andy Griffith, and a host of young guitar pickers from Nashville; including a very young Vince Gill; all made appearances on Mr. Smith’s show. Paul McCartney played 2 songs in 1958 which got him in the Quarrymen with John Lennon. One was Eddie Cochrane’s “Twenty Flight Rock”; the other was Arthur Smith’s “Guitar Boogie.”

Regional shows like Mr. Smith’s have gone by the wayside in the wake of the expanding global economy, but they will always be remembered for the joyful noise they made. The world was much less complex in those days when television was live and the performers even livelier. RIP Arthur Smith.

For more about Mr. Smith use the following link;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ7IYL0qzrM 

"Nobody's Darling But Mine" - Andy Griffith w/ Randy Travis (199 )

One of the hallmarks of the “Matlock” television series was its attention to grass roots country music. This was really just a continuation of what Andy Griffith had been doing on his earlier series “The Andy Griffith Show” in which he appeared several times with the fictional Darling family, who were in real life known as The Dillards.

A remarkable thing about Mr. Griffith was his willingness to lend exposure to other artists and share the limelight. It takes a very secure person to that in the competitive world of acting. Throughout the “Matlock” series, which ran 7 seasons, he managed to have musicians on several times each season, usually picking with him acoustically. Next to the episode called “The Blues Singer”, with Joe Seneca, this one with Randy Travis is my favorite.

Randy had come to town and almost immediately became accused of a murder he did not commit; which is the standard plot of every “Matlock” episode. He has no money to speak of, but manages to secure the services of Andy; I mean Ben; and even stay at his house, which is badly in need of a paint job. As part of their deal, Randy is supposed to paint it.

When Ben arrives home early the next day he catches Randy singing and playing guitar, and is transfixed by his pure and mellow voice. It’s what he calls “old school.” But by the 4^th day he manages to express his disappointment with his “client” about the lack of progress on the paint job. They end up sitting in his kitchen, where Andy; I mean Ben; just happens to have a mandolin waiting. (He had been waiting for a chance to play with his guest.) And this short version of the old standard by Jimmy Davis was the song that they chose to play.

The episode was called “The Big Payoff” and aired in 1992. With Mr. Travis currently recovering from some health issues I thought it would be kind of nice to remember the contribution which both of these men made towards keeping Country Music alive.

For more about both of these artists from North Carolina, visit the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis, or on line at;

http://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/

Joe Seneca - Bluesman

I was watching an old Matlock the other night when I heard a familiar guitar sound. Looking at the credits I saw the name Joe Seneca and this old re-run became instantly of more interest to me. For lovers of the blues Joe Seneca is a legendary name. Many people will be familiar with his work in the film “Crossroads”, and some even with his guest appearance on “Matlock” with Andy Griffith. 

In the 3^rd season episode titled “The Blues Singer”, Mr. Seneca plays an old guitar picking legend named Eddie Haynes, who has fallen on hard times, and finds himself accused of a murder he did not commit. When Ben Matlock takes the case he gets Joe released to his custody and they share Ben’s house for the duration of the trial. Naturally, the two wind up doing a bit of picking together, to the delight of the viewer. At the end of the show there is actually a little “jam” session with Andy, Joe, and Brownie McGhee.

Coincidentally, Joe Seneca was born Joel McGhee, but apparently changed his name, possibly to avoid confusion with the legendary Brownie. Also of note is that they both passed away in 1996, within 6 months of one another. Brownie passed away in February, and Joe Seneca in August. 

One of the hallmarks of The Andy Griffith Show, and later the Matlock series, is the presence of music in so many of the shows. Andy was a very gifted guitar player and singer whose tastes ran from gospel to folk and even some jazz. And he never lost an opportunity to showcase other musical talents on his show.

The Darlings, who in real life were the Dillard’s, are a perfect example of the tradition Mr. Griffith started on his first show while playing Sheriff Andy Taylor. That group enjoyed several decades of success in real life after the Andy Griffith Show ended its run in the 1960’s.

I was a stranger to the Matlock series until recently, but have found them to be well written and full of surprises. In many of the shows Mr. Griffith manages to feature some of his old buddies from The Andy Griffith Show, and in several episodes even plays the role of his own father in flashbacks.

Joe Seneca was an original member of the group The Three Riffs, and wrote “Talk to Me” in the late 1950’s. The record was performed by Little Willie John. Joe Seneca drifted more and more towards television and film roles in his later years, but always kept up with his music. 

Andy Griffith - "Whoa Mule"

Andy Griffith, the iconic star of Broadway, movies and television, has passed away this morning at the age of 87. He will be missed. Before there was an Andy Griffith Show there was Andy Griffith the Broadway Actor, who appeared in "No Time for Sergeants".

From Broadway he headed to Hollywood, where he starred with Patricia Neal in the 1957 film "A Face In the Crowd", a searing drama in which Mr. Griffith played; against type; a drifter named Dusty Rhodes, a singing vagabond who skyrockets to fame, only to come crashing back down as the result of his own ego. In that movie he really gets to show off his guitar playing and singing abilities, as well as his story telling, which is what made him famous to begin with. Look up "What Is Was Was Football" sometime.

His "Andy Griffith Show", from the early 1960's, always carried a message. A liberal Southerner during a time of great social change, his shows were like lessons in life; don't lie, cheat or steal, and above all, learn to laugh at yourself.

In the above clip from You Tube, Andy performs with the fictional Darling family on his show. In real life the group played, and recorded, as The Dillards.  Some of the younger members of that band are still performing today.

There will never be another Andy Griffith. Thanks for the music, the stories and the love. Here he is telling Opie the story of Romeo and Juliet;