Bluegrass Bluesman: A Memoir

Notes

117 Notes Foreword 1. Dobro is a registered trademark of the Gibson Guitar Corporation. Editor’s Introduction 1. Burkett Howard “Uncle Josh” Graves (1927–2006),a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, was the undisputed father of the Dobro (resonator) guitar in bluegrass music. 2. The original transcripts and my edits have been placed on deposit at the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. 3. The term resophonic refers to an acoustic string instrument whose sound is produced by one or more metal cones (resonators) instead of or in addition to a wooden soundboard. Author’s Introduction 1. The term brogue, which often refers to an Irish or Scottish accent, is used here by Josh to describe his southern rural expressions. 2. The number of grandchildren was twelve when Josh was interviewed. There are seventeen as of 2011. Chapter 1. 1927–1942, A Tennessee Childhood 1. Between 1935and 1943,the Works Progress Administration provided almost eight million jobs. 2. The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program for unemployed men, focused on natural resource conservation, from 1933 t o 1942. 118 Notes to pages 3–14 3. Burley is a thin-bodied, air-cured tobacco grown mainly in Kentucky. 4. Buck Jones (1891–1 942, real name Charles Frederick Gebhart) was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, known for his many popular Western movies. 5. On a mid-1950sFlatt and Scruggs radio show, Lester Flatt referred to Josh as “The Maryville Flash.” Ironically, Maryville College is now the headquarters each June for Steve Kaufman’s Acoustic Kamps, including a Dobro workshop. 6. The nut is a thin strip of wood, bone, plastic, or metal, with notches that guide the strings from a string instrument’s peghead to the fingerboard. Raising the nut of a standard guitar allows it to be fretted Hawaiian style, with a metal bar held above the open strings. 7. “Jumping” Bill Carlisle (1908–2003)appeared on the Grand Ole Opry until his death at the age of ninety-four. 8. The Delco-Light was a small internal combustion generator with battery, intended to provide a source of electric illumination and mechanical power to rural residents who were not yet connected to the electrical grid. 9. Beecher Kirby (1911–2002),whose stage name was Bashful Brother Oswald, replaced Clell Summey in Roy Acuff’s band in 1939. 10. Roy Acuff (1903–1 992) recorded “Stuck Up Blues” in April 1941. 11. George E. “Speedy” Krise (1922–2011)also wrote a number of songs recorded by Carl Butler, Little Jimmy Dickens, Mac Wiseman, and others. 12. Josh turned fourteen in 1942. 13. North Carolinians Walter (1910–1971) and Homer “Bill” (1912–2002) Callahan were a popular mandolin-guitar duet of the 1930s and early 1940s. Several of their songs, notably “They’re at Rest Together” and “Sweet Thing,” have been covered by bluegrass artists. 14. The trade name Graphophone was used into the 1920sor 1930sby Columbia Records as the name for their version of the phonograph. 15. The word harp is used here to refer to a harmonica, also known as a mouth harp. Chapter 2. 1942–1955, A Musical Apprenticeship 1. Window cards, 14 ✕ 22–inch pasteboard advertisements, were placed in store and theater windows to promote upcoming live performances and movie showings. 2. Esco Hankins (1924–1990)was a regional country singer and recording artist in the Roy Acuff mold. 3. Cas Walker (1902–1 998)was a successful grocery entrepreneur and politician who sponsored long-running Knoxville country radio and television programs. The Everly Brothers and Dolly Parton got their start on the Cas Walker Show. Notes to pages 14–21 119 4. Wade Mainer (1907–2011)was still performing until just before his death at the age of 104. 5. Cal Stewart (1856–1 919), from Charlotte County, Virginia, was a pioneer in vaudeville and early sound recordings. He is best remembered for comic monologues in which he played “Uncle Josh” Weathersby, a resident of a mythical New England farming town called Punkin Center. “Uncle Josh on a Bicycle” is one of Cal Stewart’s well-known monologues. Earl Bolick (1919–1998) of the Blue Sky Boys also played an “Uncle Josh” character on southern radio broadcasts in the 1940s and possibly earlier. 6. “My Dixie Home” was recorded in a slow tempo by Asa Jenkins and Carson Robison (1928), Loy Bodine and...