As a Brit the first time I became aware of American folk music was at the age of seven. It was through the BBC radio education series ‘For The Schools’ which used to be broadcast daily and must have provided teachers with a lot of useful lesson material! Thanks to the internet I’ve been able to find the title of what I think may have been the exact programme I heard back then: ‘The American Scene Part 3 A story of the railroad to show its importance in linking scattered American communities.’ The story included the competition between John Henry and the steam drill, with musical excerpts of the John Henry ballad. The legend has remained etched in my memory ever since, and I have heard many versions of the song in the intervening years.
I’m not surprised that ‘John Henry’ has become a classic of bluegrass music as well as featuring in the repertoire of folk and blues musicians over the years. For me the song is particularly associated with Pete Seeger, who had just the right voice for it, together with his banjo driving along as an insistent comment. But whoever was singing ‘John Henry’ in that educational radio programme back in 1953, I think this was when my interest in American folk music was sparked off. We had nothing like this music in England, and my ears were drawn by its excitement and drive.
By the time we reached the roaring Sixties the folk music revival had kicked in on both sides of the Atlantic. Much more is now known about the origins of old time country music, ballads, fiddle tunes, bluegrass, blues, jazz and the rest of it, but in those days most information was transmitted by word of mouth. Stories about American bluegrass festivals and the Grand Ole Opry circulated among those of us in the UK who were learning to play the music. In 1971 Pete Sayers, described on Allmusic.com as “the only British performer ever to appear as a regular guest on Nashville’s legendary Grand Ole Opry”, came back from the USA after a five-year stay with much to tell, and visiting American musicians greatly increased our knowledge and understanding of the music and its practitioners. Magazines began to appear, some of which are still in publication, including Bluegrass Unlimited and Banjo Newsletter, and there is now a steady stream of books, some of them detailed works of scholarship, which help us to understand where the music has come from and how it continues to develop.
One of the earliest books, and still a seminal work, was James (aka Jim) Rooney’s ‘Bossmen’, first published in 1971. The technique of co-ordinating a mass of transcripts from a wide variety of interviews and sources was clearly a labour of love. And the pairing of Bill Monroe and Muddy Waters as the two subjects of the book was nothing short of inspired. On the back cover of my copy is a quote from Pete Seeger: “Anyone in the world wanting to understand American music could well start right here.”
Since ‘Bossmen’ I have acquired quite a library of books about bluegrass, country music, blues and jazz. Most recently I have been reading and enjoying ‘John Duffey’s Bluegrass Life’ by Stephen Moore and G.T. Keplinger. It is one of those books which you can open at any page and be instantly absorbed. Instead of organising their account chronologically the authors have put together a kaleidoscope of reminiscences by people who knew John Duffey, as a musician, family member, friend or casual acquaintance. As well as his fellow band members in the Country Gentlemen and the Seldom Scene there are a whole variety of bluegrass musicians who crossed paths with John during his all too short life (he died at the age of 62), and you learn much about these other players and about the bluegrass scenario at the time. In this respect the book is like Penny Parsons’ panoramic account of the life and times of Curly Seckler, ‘Foggy Mountain Troubadour’, and is just as valuable. Get them both! You will be instantly absorbed and it will take your mind off Covid-19 and global warming for a time. In the John Duffey book you will be able to find out who (not JD) said to whom (again not JD) “I don’t know if you just don’t know how to play very well, or if you have great taste, but, you know, it really fits” (what your band is doing). You will also discover which of John Duffey’s classmates in Bethesda – Chevy Chase High School MD also went on to become a renowned singer and musician.
With best wishes for a Happy Christmas, with some good reading (and picking)
John Baldry
December 2020
