Old Logging Photos - with Ralph Stanley Music

This is a kind of preview for tomorrow’s review of Ralph Stanley’s autobiography “Man of Constant Sorrow.”  Ralph and Carter Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys made music which served as a kind of soundtrack for an era. From moonshining to coal mining, there was no easy way to make a living in the mountains.

Felling timber was just one of the many ways in which people made their living in the Appalachians at the time, so this video is a good representation of the life they led and the music they listened to.

Enjoy the film, there’s not much for me to write about it. Consider it to be the “bumper music” for tomorrows post. 

"Little Margaret" - Sheila Kay Adams (1982)

You never can tell where you might run into music. In this case I ran across the name of Sheila Kay Adams while reading about the murder of a young VISTA volunteer in Marshall County, North Carolina. Curious as to who she was I went to You Tube to find out. This was the very first thing I watched and listened to.

North Carolina is rich in mountain music and folklore. Ms. Adams has spent the better part of her lifetime chronicling that culture and keeping it alive. In this film, from You Tube; of course; Ms. Adams is singing a sad mountain ballad to a group of children. I’m sure that some people will find the song inappropriate for children, but it speaks to the history of mountain culture more than anything else. This kind of singing and storytelling is the backbone of what Ms. Adams does.

Ms. Adams is also a skilled “claw hammer” style banjo picker and composer, and her agility and expertise with her own “drop thumb” style of playing have won her much acclaim. She has been featured on NPR’s “The Thistle & Shamrock” program with Fiona Ritchie.

According to the information on Wikipedia, as well as her own website; which is listed below; Ms. Adams hails from the town of Sodom Laurel, located in Madison County, which is near Asheville. She comes from a long line of traditional storytellers and balladeers. 

She has actually learned; and promulgates; the Irish, Scottish and English versions of just about every ballad that arrived in our country from the late 1700’s and on. As such, she is the repository for much of the culture which unites us all as the pioneers our ancestors once were. In today’s world of division, this is an awesome achievement.

Please take the time to visit Ms. Adams web site at;  http://www.sheilakayadams.com/

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;