|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Dec 22, 2007 15:42:49 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Dec 22, 2007 17:00:40 GMT
You allready have Doc Watson, one of my all time favorites. He would have been my first choice. There are a lot of guitarists I admire, but most of them don't play old time music, but Norman Blake is another on of my favorites: www.normanblake.com/NormanBlake/index.htmlSam McGee are called the granddad of the flatpicking guitar, and he certainly was. www.windowsmedia.com/MediaGuide/Templates/ArtistProfile.aspx?p_id=P%20%20%20%2031599As far as I remember he's on the DVD "Legends of old time music" but sadly, he plays only banjo on that one, and does an imitation of Uncle Dave Macon. But just now I found a DVD called "Legends of Traditional Fingerstyle Guitar"www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/movies/title/0,,2197997,00.htmlI gotta have that one  He's in there among others. Roscoe Holcombe is one and Elizabeth Cotton and Mance Lipscomb and Merle Travis. Oh, now I´m rolling ;D, but right now I don't have the time to find links for all of them. Google on them yourselves. Finally I must name a couple other guitar heroes of mine. But they're bluegrass. The roots are the same though. Tony Rice and Dan Crary. They are fabulous musicians. They take my breath away. |
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Dec 22, 2007 17:13:17 GMT
I completely forgot to mention Riley Puckett of the Skillet Lickers. That was a serious mistake.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Dec 22, 2007 18:58:34 GMT
Thanks for those links Jesper.
I'm afraid I'm not up on Guitar players, not playing the beast myself, so it's great to get good links like those, to check out.
Cheers
Dick
|
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Dec 22, 2007 20:56:16 GMT
|
|
otjunky
Old Time Spoons Player
Posts: 17
|
Post by otjunky on Jan 2, 2008 1:36:55 GMT
Well - good rhythm guitar players are the unsung heros of OT string band music. A good rhythm guitar player that can also sing is a rare treasure and can make the difference between success or failure for a string band. IMHO, Carey Fridley did this for the orginal incarnation of the Freight Hoppers. It'll be interesting to see how the new incarnation of that group does without her. If it doesn't work, I wouldn't be surprised if they talk her in to joining up again.
Riley Puckett's already been mentioned and is probably my all time favorite rhythm guitar player. He had an uncanny sense of rhythm and felt completely free to run the bass all over the map. His playing perfectly complemented the Skillet Lickers' sound - that can fairly be described as playing at the edge. I've never understood why his playing is not more often emulated by modern players.
Two of my other favorite OT rhythm guitar players are....
Bobby Thompson who played with both the Hollow Rock band and with the Fuzzy Mountain band. She was the wife of Tommy Thompson - arguably the best revival CH banjo player we've had - and took up rhythm guitar so she could participate with her husband in the OT revival in North Carolina. She died tragically an automobile accident on a rural road in North Carolina. A remarkable woman and a remarkable musician whose playing simply "anchored" both these bands rhythmicly - permitting the other musicians to just "play".
And Gene Mead who played with Clark Kessinger when he was "rediscovered". Everybody knew about Kessinger's fiddling from his early "Kessinger Brothers" recordings and his reputation was already established since his early recordings had influenced fiddlers as far west as Missouri and Texas. But most people assumed Kessinger was dead. The Galax festival had already made rules restricting OT string bands from having banjos played Scruggs style.
Then Kessinger gets found, he shows up at Galax in 1970 with Gene Mead playing rhythm Guitar, Wayne Hauser playing Scruggs style banjo and the "hottest" OT fiddle sound in town. That little band just "cooked" - and Galax had to bend the rule for'em.
They won the string band competition that year. ;D
Gene Mead's rhythm guitar "drove" the band. Not only was the rhythm solid, he tossed off these fast 16th note bass runs that perfectly complemented Kessinger's fiddling. Even if you don't like Kessinger's fiddling style - which is somewhat polarizing - it's worth buying the recordings Kessinger made at the end of his career just to hear Gene Mead play rhythm guitar.
|
|
|
|
Post by john on Jan 2, 2008 4:51:39 GMT
I am very pleased that you are mentioning Bobby Thomson. She has together with Fuzzy Mountain been a long time favorite of mine.
And another fine guitarist and singer is Dick Harrington of the Troublesome Creek String Band.
|
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Apr 7, 2008 11:33:05 GMT
Yesterday I got an add from amazon in the mail, about a CD with a guitarist named John Fahey. I didn't know the guy, so I looked him up on the internet, youtube, google picture search, wikipedia, etc. And in the iTunes store there were a lot of CD's with the man. John Fahey (1939 - 2001) seems to be kind of a myhological figure. Blues, old-time, americana guitarist. The results in an internet search is overwhelming, which gives a hint about his influence. His fate seems to have been a bit sad, drinking problems (which a lot of great artists have suffered from) physical and mental problems. Here's a couple of youtube links, and there are more where those came from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReW9uUYm-DAwww.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot5mHAy6zjs&feature=relatedwww.youtube.com/watch?v=O3V6XoadThk&feature=relatedHe was apparently often drunk when performing. But drunk or not I think he's good. I come to think of old timers like Roscoe Holcombe and Sam McGee, and several old blues guitarists as well. But in the old days the black guitarists and the white guitarists were sort of cousins. The white guys learned a lot of there stuff from the blacks. If you want to learn more about the man, wikipedia is a good place to start: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fahey_(musician)Here's a couple of photos of the man. Young and old:    |
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Apr 7, 2008 11:57:09 GMT
I forgot to mention that he also wrote a book of short stories: "How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life"  |
|
|
|
Post by Ptarmigan on Apr 7, 2008 12:20:31 GMT
Thanks for that Jesper. I really like - "Poor Boys Long Way From Home". I bet that would sound great on the Banjo. He certainly was a busy man too - I counted 44 recordings! Speaking of recordings, .............................. any news?  Cheers Dick |
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Apr 7, 2008 14:45:15 GMT
Yes he is pretty good isn't he? It is always exciting to find something new, or old for that matter, but things you haven't heard before. I discovered that the links didn't work, so I have made a little repairjob on them. They should work now. I hope. We have just signed some contracts and papers, so it can be send to the printer before long. I didn't know there where so much paperwork involved in publishing a CD  |
|
|
|
Post by Susi on Apr 7, 2008 21:54:30 GMT
Hehe, I like that title of the short stories collection!!!! ;D
Bruce Molsky is a great and well known oldtime fiddler but he is also an excellent banjo and guitar player. There are some videos on You Tube where he plays guitar.
|
|
|
|
Post by Susi on Apr 7, 2008 21:55:27 GMT
By the way, my most favourite guitar player ever and in all times forever and ever amen is Norman Blake. He's simply wonderful.
|
|
|
|
Post by deleuran on Apr 7, 2008 22:30:55 GMT
By the way, my most favourite guitar player ever and in all times forever and ever amen is Norman Blake. He's simply wonderful. Amen to that. I totally agree. I have a hard time to say the best ever about anybody, because there are so many good, and all with their little differences. But should I name anybody, Norman Blake is close to number one. I love him and his wife Nancy. I have a lot of their CD's and some DVD's too. otfiddler, I read someplace else, that you have got your new mandolin, congratulations with that. So I cannot recommend enough that you take a look at the DVD with Norman and Nancy teaching mandolin tunes. I have had some very good times with it, and learned some great tunes. And the two of them are very good and pleasant company. Here is the link to Homespun Tapes: www.homespuntapes.com/shop/product.aspx?ID=1249And by the way. Do yo know Mandolin Café? Loads of tablatures there. I have found several great tunes there: www.mandolincafe.com/Sorry Dick. This should in the mandolin section |
|
John Fahey: 1939 ~ 2001
He's in there among others. Roscoe Holcombe is one and Elizabeth Cotton and Mance Lipscomb and Merle Travis.
