Good morning from Whiskey Creek, where it is 3:15 a.m. and I am sitting in front of my computer updating the web site of the California Bluegrass Association as I have done for just shy seven months of fifteen years. What’s different about this particular morning, however, is that I am dressed in flannel long underwear, wool socks, a heavy sweat shirt, a full length robe, an enormous ranchers jacket with thick liner, a wool scarf and faux fur hunting cap and fur-lined gloves and yet I have never been so cold in my life. How, you’re wondering, can I type. Well, I cannot. I am dictating my Welcome into the computer and will hopefully be able to use my fingers to edit the amusing mis-cues taken by the Dragon software at a more Godly and, hopefully, warmer time…say, like, eight o’clock.
I should note that my old bluegrass pal, Ron Murray, bass player for the Grasskickers, is in Princeville this morning…that’s at the southern tip of the Island of Kauai. I HATE Ron for being there in the tropical warmth. When I’m finished with this Welcome I will go through the CBA web site and delete every photo of his bluegrass band, every MP3 the band loaded, every reference to the band going back fifteen years and Ron’s Hooked on Bluegrass story. I’d also destroy my copy of “Fresh Cut”, the GK’ers latest CD, except, well, by manipulating the balance and GQ controls on my player I can pretty much remove his bass work. Hope it rains today, Bear.
But much more seriously, we lost an awfully good one this week. If you haven’t heard, Jim Carr has died. Here’s what John Hettinger posted on the Message Board:
“Jim Carr, consummate banjo/guitar/dobro picker and jammer, passed over Jordan in Sacramento on December 30, 2014, due to complications from diabetes and congestive heart failure. He was 69, too young to leave us. Jim and his wife Linda had lived in the East Bay area for many years before moving to Sacramento about four years ago. He was a regular at our Thursday night jams and always kicked them up another notch or two. In addition to his excellent musicianship in both bluegrass and folk genres, Jim was also a fine teacher and luthier, especially for banjos. He was a former DJ with KCSM in San Mateo and became a walking encyclopedia of the history of bluegrass music and the many bands in the field. Jim also served on the CBA board a number of years ago. Jim very graciously shared music from the early days of bluegrass with his many friends and will be missed by so many of us. He was also a US Navy veteran. Memorial services are pending. If you would like to share any of your remembrances of Jim, you can send them to Linda Carr, 5064 Connecticut Drive, Sacramento, CA 95841.”
My friendship with Jim goes back about twenty-five years; I met him at a Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society campout at Mt. Madonna and, after having my socks knocked off by his incredible banjo playing, I was taken by the matter-of-fact way that he spoke of the greats in bluegrass music. Jim wasn’t a name dropper, not at all, but it was impossible to talk with him about bluegrass without hearing some fascinating tales wrought from so many years of living and breathing and eating bluegrass—the guy just knew and play with EVERYBODY. Jim Carr has left a hole in California bluegrass music that I’m afraid will never be filled.
And then there’s the case of the old Mt. man who, having fairly credible evidence that he was having a heart attack, was taken to the hospital via ambulance only to find that he had an E. coli blood infection, which the docs were able to chase away with anti-biotics and hospital bed rest, the latter causing a level of consternation in the old man that virtually oozes from his MB narrative about hospital beds. I’ll let you read J.D.’s account of the experience on the Message Board, but I did need to at least acknowledge it here, him being a particularly good old partner of mine…”old partner” being his term for our friendship, not mine.
And speaking of my study, where I can still see steam coming out of my mouth as I dictate to my computer, it looks like a hurricane has ripped through the room, and has for the past three days. You see, this is GREAT 48 week and I’ve been making buttons that we’ll be selling (giving away with a donation) down there in Bakersfield. You may recall my great button enterprise, which was to raise enough money to cover the costs of re-building the CBA web site. Well, like nine out of ten of my GREAT IDEAS, the button business fell well short of meeting the original goal; actually, according to our Treasurer, Montie Elston, the scheme has barely ended up breaking even. A lesser man might be discouraged after spending the hundreds and hundreds of hours the project has swallowed up…but not me. I look at it philosophically—even if they didn’t make the CBA a fortune, the buttons ARE purchased and ARE worn and the Association, and bluegrass music in general, are all the better for it.
A much, much, much more successful scheme, the running of a bluegrass and old-time music camp JUST FOR KIDS, has just launched Year III and enrollment is already at 40%, this after only four days of camp registration opening. Darby Brandli takes, quite deservedly, full credit for the Youth Academy and she has approached the project like she approaches everything else…with the grace and poise and absolute dominance of a Marine Drill Sargent. I’m certain Darby would like me to tell you that if you have or know of a child or children who you think would enjoy and benefit from the Academy experience you should get them signed up right away. There’s no doubt we’ll sell out again this year, and it looks like it’ll be sooner than later.
There is, of course, a lot more I could ramble on about, but I won’t. Today’s officially Marty Varner’s day for Welcoming; he missed this one but promises to be back next month. Have a terrific week and, if you’re able, join us down in Bakersfield for another GREAT 48.