Norman Blake

[Tom]

My cousin sent me a new CD for Christmas from Amazon.  It's "Slow Train Through Georgia" by Norman Blake, a back porch picker that has been in the business since the early 60's.

Most of the work I do on the computer is typing and reading, so I put the cd into my cd player and lit up the Windows Media Player.  Twenty songs and tunes have ushered forth and I've really been enjoying them.  Work is a lot easier when there is soothing music.   I don't care for that which is so soothing that you sleep, nor that which is so vibrant that it demands that you listen to it rather than do what else you want to do.  But this is just good, back porch, visiting music, picked on a guitar and sung to with a conversation toned voice.

If you haven't listened to Norman Blake, I reccomend him.  There are a few utube videos. This one has him in an ensemble.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEkVkJax2Co

[Texas Ranger]

Travelin' music for sure.  Back home in the hills of the Ozarks.

[dewwood]

Thanks Tom!  I came in to figure a couple of bills after a trying day(think big stack of lumber sliding off forks because of ice) and decided to check the forum.  That is exactly what I needed to wind down a little and get in a better frame of mind.  Thanks again.

[Ron Wenrich]

I saw Norman Blake back in 1971.  He was playing backup for Joan Baez.  Norman had to tune her guitar.   :D

[WH_Conley]

 I can sure see sitting around a camp fire with a cold one listening to his music for quite a spell. Thanks for pointing him out Tom, don't guess I ever heard him before.

[DWM II]

I like it, reminds me of Briscoe Darlin on the Andy Griffith show. 8)

[Chuck White]

I like it, reminds me of Briscoe Darlin on the Andy Griffith show. 8)

Yup! That would be it!  The whole Darlin family, with Andy always prying the girl off of his neck!  ;D

[ellmoe]

  The was good, I really enjoyed it, Tom. But the violin player...reminds me of someone I thought was locked up in So. Calif.   ;D

Mark

[timberfaller390]

I have met Norman a couple times. He lives 2 counties over from me in a place called Rising Fawn, Georgia. He lives in a home built in the mid 1800's at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Every room in his house is ppacked with instruments. He played with Johnny Cash on the Folsom Prison album. He is kinda reclusive these days. There is another video on youtube of norman and another local banjo picking legend name of Doc Cullis doing one of the best arrangments of an old tune called groundhog I have heard.

[WDH]

I have never seen a cello played in that style before.  Cool!

[Texas Ranger]

Lighter lugging around, Danny. ;D

[WDH]

You speak the truth, Texas Ranger  ;D.

[OneWithWood]

thanks, Tom.

Definately gets your feet tapping  8)

[Tom]

I like Norman and Nancy so much, I went to Woodsongs to see if they had performed on a show.  Low and behold, they had.  It was an early one without video, but that was OK. They shared the stage with an Italian bluegrass band called Red Wine.

Here, in the interviews, I learned that the blakes had been married three times.  Asked when they got married, Nancy said, "which time?"
After some bantering about, Norman said that they had been unmarried for about three years and the divorce wasn't going so good, so they did it again.

Then later in the show, the Italians were being interviewed and the lead mandolin player was talking about his mandolin being signed by Bill Monroe.  He carved his name in the side of it with his pocket knife. 

The language barrier was definitely in play when  Michael Jonathon introduced the lady Upright Bass player.  "That instrument is bigger than your are", he said.  She replied, "yes, I like it that way".  Then he found that she was married to the mandolin player.  "Where were you from?" He asked her.  "From Geneva". She said. 

He said "OH, your husband was from Geneva too". 

"Yes, we live together."

The MC, Michael Jonathon, was so distracted that you could see his facial expressions right through the Audio.

Needless to say, a lot of the conversation on that show was built around the romantic relationships of the Blakes and the folks of Red Wine.

www.woodsongs.com   Archive show #217