HOPE- Check In

[420Sugaree]

Curtis Burch, Dan Crary, and Vince Gill at Gruhn Guitars 10.1.08

Today in NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- WSMV-TV Channel 4 will broadcast Working 4 You: Flood Relief with Vince Gill & Friends on Thursday, May 6, in prime time from 7 to 10 p.m.

Other stars scheduled to appear include Keith Urban, Alison Krauss, Naomi Judd, Amy Grant, Lorrie Morgan, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar, Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry, Steve Wariner, Buddy Jewell, Lonestar, Bo Bice, Lee Roy Parnell, Bryan White, Julie Roberts, Chuck Wicks, Jimmy Olander, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brandon Heath, Billy Dean.

Nashville and the surrounding middle Tennessee communities have been devastated by floodwaters after the area received 15 inches of rain within a 48-hour time period. Thousands of middle Tennesseans have been evacuated from their homes with many losing everything to the flood. Many of the victims do not have flood insurance, and the demands on relief agencies are stretched to the limit.

“These are our friends and family; we always take care of our friends and family,” said Meredith Senior Vice President and WSMV-TV General Manager Elden Hale Jr. “It’s unfortunate that we’re called upon to do this again for our neighbors, but we are very proud to have the ability to reach out to so many people with Nashville’s flood relief telethon.”

All proceeds from Working 4 You: Flood Relief with Vince Gill & Friends will benefit The Salvation Army, The Red Cross and The Second Harvest Food Bank.

Channel 4 is unable to accommodate a live audience at the station. The only way to see the telethon is on Channel 4 and WSMV.com.

note by Monte Barry

Vince Gill and I were roommates in 1976. We lived with Bluegrass Alliance band members at Bickel's place in Louisville. Then Vince and I got an apartment together nearby, at The Grannies' place. I was the hippie soundman and Taper.

1975 was my first time to Nashville. I was with a bluegrass band named Country Comfort. They had an album out. They were in Johnson City and Kingsport, Tenn. Their new fiddler was my friend from NJ. And I became their soundman and toured with them. I lived in Nashville briefly in 1975. That's when I taped Vassar Clements' Hillbilly Jazz there.

In 1976, I went to Nashville as soundman with the Bluegrass Alliance and Vince Gill. They performed in the original Grand Old Opry. We were all backstage with many famous artists there. We met Loretta Lynn, and went with her onto her bus, in the back of the Opry.

In 1971, Sam Bush was in Bluegrass Alliance. The band rebelled and separated from the fiddler. They formed the legendary Newgrass Revival band. In 1976, the Bluegrass Alliance band, with Vince Gill, rebelled and separated from the same fiddler. They formed a really cool band of their own named Lazy River, and I was their soundman.

I taped all this stuff. Everything I did, everything I learned - all of "my best stuff" - everything was thanks to the incredible sound of the 1973 Grateful Dead that I experienced. Thanks to The Archive, and so many, many others, I get to share my tapes here. It is a stunning collection of amazing players.

I am sharing this Festivarian thread with The Internet Archive and The Grateful Dead Forum.

peace,
Monte

I urge everyone to consider showing their support for Greenpeace, and spreading the word. Greenpeace is one of the few "environmental organanizations" that can honestly tell you this fact: We ensure our financial independence from political or commercial interests. Here is the new Energy [R]evolution Greenpeace report.

Greenpeace and the world's best scientists have been telling us that climate change and our warming oceans will bring more flooding, as well as more droughts and the loss our glaciers. Recently we had some huge downpours and historic flooding in Rhode Island and elsewhere back east.

Please remember the horrible Oil Gusher Disaster going on right now. We must cap this thing immediately. We have never seen anything like this before. When you call in to donate for Vince Gill and Friends special tonight, please insist it is BROADCAST LIVE: "We must cap this gusher RIGHT NOW. Period! Immediately!" Thank you brothers and sisters.

please support Greenpeace

[landshark]

Soooooooooooo we will be seeing you at TBF this year correct Mr. X roomy of Vince Gill???

 You have alot of very interesting history to share and I would love to hear more. Are you still working?

You have been so generous I would love to buy you a beer this June so buck up cowboy

FIND YER FLIPPIN LAWN CHAIR MONTE!!!!!

[Auntie Hope]

Just found this on-line....

"Steve Buchanan, president of the Grand Ole Opry Group, said workers stayed late on Sunday night, just before the building flooded, rescuing material from the Opry’s tape and photo archives and its museum.

“The real high-quality stuff, the stuff we were concerned about, was saved,” Mr. Buchanan said. "

Not so good though....
"Musicians’ instrument lockers at the Opry were flooded, however."

Thank Goodness!

Auntie Hope 

[420Sugaree]

Landshark, I'm working on it. I just thought of 3 really cool songs from my archives. They were performed together by 3 really cool people one day in 1974. These 3 gentlemen set the bar playing Bluegrass music on their instruments in Nashville. I was thinking maybe you and Hope Lin can enjoy these 3 MP3s.

Josh Graves introduces the boys

re: I would love to buy you a beer this June so buck up cowboy
for landshark, Great Big Woman and a Little Bitty Bottle of Wine

re: My Dad's friend is the musical director at the Opry and he said they lost all of the old vintage guitars, the entire museum collection, and the entire musical archive... basically everything.

"The real high-quality stuff, the stuff we were concerned about, was saved,” Mr. Buchanan said.
for Hope Lin, Just Joshin'

Vassar Clements 1928 - 2005


Josh Graves 1928 - 2006

I hitch-hiked to this bluegrass festival with my backpack and my taping equipment. After I set up my camp, I went down to the stage area to do my taper's site-survey. Just as I get to the backstage area, I see Norman Blake standing there with his guitar all by himself.

It was Sat morning and it was still very laid back. I walked up to Norman and introduced myself to him. I told him how much I admired his fantastic music. The first thing Norman said back was him asking me if I picked any instruments - if I'd care to pick with him. He just wanted to pick with me.

I laughed like heck. I told him I couldn't sing, dance, or play even 2 notes. We chatted for a few minutes. I told him I was getting into electronics, not music. I said I hung out with the musicians in my area. I told him I knew about sound systems, and I was a taper. I was looking around for the best spot to be taping them later that afternoon.

Listen to what Norman Blake says as he opens up his set. Here's the tape. I was no further than 15 feet away from him, just sitting there. I was already chilling out by this point. I had my mic sitting on a 6-foot mic stand, and my tape was rolling. So this is for all the Tapers out there.

Bully in the Town
performed by Norman Blake

[annpete]

Thanks Sugaree...those were fantastic!!
 

[landshark]

Flippin swingin my friend, had to dance  :dancingaround the room....you are spoiling us.

I havt to say, the sound is superb. Nice and clear like I'm there.. Thank you M.

[420Sugaree]

the Louise archives revisited - very beautiful tune - this song is by Leo Kottke
3 different arrangements of Louise sung by a very young Vince Gill - MP3s

Vince Gill sings Louise, performed by Lazy River band - August 15, 1976
soundboard mix - Monte is the soundman and taper
vocalists and instrumentation for this track
Vince Gill - lead vocals, electric mandolin
John Jump - vocals, accoustic guitar
Bobby Briedenbach - pedal steel guitar
Bill Millet - banjo, vocals
Johnny Beaser - electric bass

Vince Gill sings Louise, performed by Bluegrass Alliance band - September 23, 1975
soundboard mix - Monte is the soundman and taper
vocalists and instrumentation for this track
Vince Gill - leadvocals, accoustic guitar
Bill Millet - baritone vocals, banjo
Al White - mandolin
Lonnie Peerce - tenor vocals, fiddle
Marshall Billingsley - bass fiddle, background vocal

Vince Gill sings Louise - Bluegrass Alliance studio session

Recorded and mixed at Starday Studio
Nashville, Tennessee
Dec. 5 - 8, 1975

The Bluegrass Alliance studio band:
Vince Gill - lead vocal / acoustic guitar
Bill Millet - banjo / background vocal (baritone)
Al White - mandolin
Marshall Billingsley - upright bass / background vocal (baritone bridge section)
Lonnie Peerce - fiddle / background vocal (tenor)
 
Nashville studio session players:
Buddy Emmons - steel guitar (E9 tuning)
Karl Himmel - drums
 
Engineered by: Sundance (former engineer for Pink Floyd) on MCI console
MCI 16 track 1' analog tape deck - mastered to 1/2" on Ampex deck
 
mics:
Neuman U87 - vocals / upright bass
Electrovoice - RE20 banjo
AKG condensers - guitar, mandolin, fiddle

Bluegrass Alliance - Kentucky Blue LP 1975 - 1976
executive producer: Lonnie Peerce
music arrangements and production by: Vince Gill & Bill Millet

includes Louise track


Released on American Heritage record label
Kentucky Blue LP never remastered or re-released

Before going to Nashville to record Louise with Buddy Emmons, rehearsal recording sessions for Louise were recorded in Monte Barry's apartment - the one he shared with Vince Gill - upstairs at the grannies' place, in Louisville. Vince Gill and Bill Millet produced the sessions.

Monte used his Nakamichi 2-track cassette deck and another cassette deck to bounce back and forth for overdubs. Mics were set up in his living room. The entire Bluegrass Alliance band, as listed above, played on these demo sessions. They had a head-start when they went to Nashville.

Bill, Vince, Lonnie, Al, Marshall

[BluegrassDustin]

FYI...

Country stars have expressed concern about the state of the Opry House since it was flooded Monday. Stuart, in an interview earlier Tuesday, said he'd been told of widespread devastation by those who witnessed it.

"What I understand is that as of yesterday one of my friends floated through the Opry House in a canoe and there was 4 feet of water on the stage at that time," he said. "The dressing rooms are a total loss."

It has yet to be determined if the Grand Ole Opry Museum, the Acuff instrument collection and the archives were lost. Stuart said if those things were destroyed, it would be "a profound American loss."

"I would say you lost photographs," he said. "I would say you lost film. I would say you lost audio and the costumes, instruments, manuscripts, boots. You know, just everything that goes along with the Opry and Opry stars."

Gaylord Entertainment CEO Colin Reed says it will be a minimum of three months before the massive entertainment complex that also includes the Opryland Hotel and the Opry Mills Mall hosts guests again. He said there will be thousands of workers on site within a week.

Opry General Manager Pete Fisher said it's too early to assess the damage in the Opry House. He called the evening historic because of the show's return to the auditorium and said it was a celebration of the enduring nature of the 85-year-old Opry.

"We're here to get the word out that the Grand Ole Opry is not a place, it's a show," Fisher said.

Of special concern was a 6-foot circle of wood from the old Ryman floorboards that was incorporated into the Opry House stage when it opened in 1974. Many consider it the very heart of country music.

Fittingly, the evening came to an end with the Opry's stars gathering on stage to perform "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?"

"It's done in such a way I would have to think when the water goes down it will still be there and that's what I've got my eye on," Stuart said. "That circle really is symbolic of the spirit, and so the circle will be unbroken, if you will."

Source: Billboard Magazine

[Auntie Hope]

Dustin,
The circle IS INTACT! 

They were able to get into The Opry House (The new theater, not the Ryman downtown) and although the stage surrounding "The Circle" from the original Ryman Auditorium Stage had major water damage and will need replacement, "The Circle was only caked with mud and held it's own against the raging Cumberland River Flooding.

"The Circle" indeed, has not been broken! One could almost hear a collective sigh on the wind when the news was announced.

 

Auntie Hope 

[BluegrassDustin]

Awesome.

Thanks for the update, Hope.

 

[Ron N Deb]

Thanks Hope !

and our Circle will be coming back together in just a months time

We are a Bless bunch of people !
 

[Auntie Hope]

Okay, this is the article we've all been waiting on since the Nashville Flood of 2010...


After The Flood: Grand Ole Opry

Things are looking up! 

Now, can someone turn the faucet off? It rained again today (but not like last time!)

Auntie Hope