Big Stone Gap - Mountains and Old Time Music just seem to go together here in Southwest Virginia and no where was that more apparent than at Mountain Empire Community College’s Mountain Music School. The eighth annual gathering of student musicians of all ages just concluded on Friday, July 27. The school, taught by some of the finest Old Time musicians in the region, featured a week of hard work and a whole lot of fun learning about, and making, Old Time music. About 90 students, ranging in age from eight years old to 80, filled beginning, intermediate and advanced classes in banjo, guitar, string bass, fiddle, auto harp and dulcimer. There were even a few stray ukes and other instruments that were broken out and played, much to the delight of all.
This was my first year as a student after years of working in support of the program, first as the director of The Crooked Road and later as the director of tourism for Wise County. I have to admit that I have a connection to this program’s development that, journalistically, makes me not completely objective. I also really don’t care. Having seen this school grow from a small group of dedicated musicians and instructors to its present size, and quality, is gratifying to everyone connected with it, myself included. But, this time I was just a musician, wanting to learn more about the music I love playing and I could not be happier with the result. For once all I had to do was play music, lots of it. I took the string band class and had a ball learning more about the tunes and methods of playing in a string band and actually trying to get the parts right.
On Monday we all arrived at 9 A.M. ready to go. Throughout the Goodloe Center on the MECC campus folks of all ages had their instruments ready and were talking expectantly with friends and new acquaintances. There were students from the surrounding areas of Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina and others from Nebraska, Ohio, Florida and to the north in Virginia. It made for a great mix of talent, culture and age that is one of the best features of the camp. After the typical welcomes and instructions on where to find the bathroom, important for us older folks, we went right to work. Tyler Hughes, the string band instructor, is one-third my age and knows more Old Time music in his little finger than I know in my whole hand. He is a part of the East Tennessee State University Old Time Music Program and was an instructor for the first time after being a Mountain Music School student for years. Several of the instructors had the same history of moving from student to teacher. That continuity is another great feature of the program.
Each day of the five-day school featured a concert after lunch and each concert offered a different take on the music. The tradition has always been that Pappa Joe Smiddy kicks off the school with a concert. He has done so for all eight years and at 92 years old is still a vibrant musician whose stories are treasures and whose encouragement to the students is taken to heart. Tuesday featured the instructors with each playing their instruments and talking to us about their particular take on Old Time music and their instrument’s place in that music. Wednesday saw the Sheets Family Band from North Carolina perform and later do workshops with the banjo class and others. On Thursday the Whitetop Mountain Band took the stage and, as usual, tore down the house with their high-octane dance music. Later Martha and Emily Spencer, daughter and mother, did a seminar on banjo with the advanced banjo class. I have to admit I played hooky from string band class to attend that one.
Finally, on Friday all 90 of us got to show what we had learned during the week as each class performed for the rest of us, as well as parents and friends. The stage and audience were both packed. Students of all ages who had never played their instrument before Monday played for their first audience and all of us got the opportunity to show off new skills. To say that it was impressive would be an understatement.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not say a word about the MECC staff, instructors and volunteers who make this school special. From Sue Ella Boatwright-Wells, Ron Short and Todd Meade, the main directors of the school, through all of the instructors, the atmosphere created was one of learning, fun and community. That is what makes Mountain Old Time Music, so special. We all learned from each other, talked to one another and most importantly to me, played together in the spirit of learning, preserving and passing on the music we love.
This was my first year as a student after years of working in support of the program, first as the director of The Crooked Road and later as the director of tourism for Wise County. I have to admit that I have a connection to this program’s development that, journalistically, makes me not completely objective. I also really don’t care. Having seen this school grow from a small group of dedicated musicians and instructors to its present size, and quality, is gratifying to everyone connected with it, myself included. But, this time I was just a musician, wanting to learn more about the music I love playing and I could not be happier with the result. For once all I had to do was play music, lots of it. I took the string band class and had a ball learning more about the tunes and methods of playing in a string band and actually trying to get the parts right.
On Monday we all arrived at 9 A.M. ready to go. Throughout the Goodloe Center on the MECC campus folks of all ages had their instruments ready and were talking expectantly with friends and new acquaintances. There were students from the surrounding areas of Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina and others from Nebraska, Ohio, Florida and to the north in Virginia. It made for a great mix of talent, culture and age that is one of the best features of the camp. After the typical welcomes and instructions on where to find the bathroom, important for us older folks, we went right to work. Tyler Hughes, the string band instructor, is one-third my age and knows more Old Time music in his little finger than I know in my whole hand. He is a part of the East Tennessee State University Old Time Music Program and was an instructor for the first time after being a Mountain Music School student for years. Several of the instructors had the same history of moving from student to teacher. That continuity is another great feature of the program.
Each day of the five-day school featured a concert after lunch and each concert offered a different take on the music. The tradition has always been that Pappa Joe Smiddy kicks off the school with a concert. He has done so for all eight years and at 92 years old is still a vibrant musician whose stories are treasures and whose encouragement to the students is taken to heart. Tuesday featured the instructors with each playing their instruments and talking to us about their particular take on Old Time music and their instrument’s place in that music. Wednesday saw the Sheets Family Band from North Carolina perform and later do workshops with the banjo class and others. On Thursday the Whitetop Mountain Band took the stage and, as usual, tore down the house with their high-octane dance music. Later Martha and Emily Spencer, daughter and mother, did a seminar on banjo with the advanced banjo class. I have to admit I played hooky from string band class to attend that one.
Finally, on Friday all 90 of us got to show what we had learned during the week as each class performed for the rest of us, as well as parents and friends. The stage and audience were both packed. Students of all ages who had never played their instrument before Monday played for their first audience and all of us got the opportunity to show off new skills. To say that it was impressive would be an understatement.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not say a word about the MECC staff, instructors and volunteers who make this school special. From Sue Ella Boatwright-Wells, Ron Short and Todd Meade, the main directors of the school, through all of the instructors, the atmosphere created was one of learning, fun and community. That is what makes Mountain Old Time Music, so special. We all learned from each other, talked to one another and most importantly to me, played together in the spirit of learning, preserving and passing on the music we love.
The Man of Constant Sorrow Smiles
The Wolfe Brothers Band at The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival.
Dale Jett and Hello Stranger - The True Vine
The Crooked Road
Virginia’s Crooked Road, on a map it looks like a snake on steroids. On the ground it travels like a roller coaster ride. It is the homeplace of much of America’s music. In the decade since the idea was brought fourth on a snowy night at the Carter Fold, The Crooked Road has become a guided trip through American music heritage, culture and creation. On that historic night, no less than Janette Carter gave her blessing on a concept that has evolved into a most uniquely American musical experience.
The Crooked Road stretches for more than 253 miles through the Appalachian Mountains. The eastern end of the road is Rocky Mount, county seat of Franklin County. The route winds through 10 mountain counties and finds its western terminus at The Breaks Interstate Park in Dickenson County. Along its way can be traced the origins of much of the string band music that birthed Old Time, Folk, Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Rock-A-Billy and about every other American music form. While the Crooked Road Corridor has been expanded to include the entire 19 county region that encompasses Southwest Virginia, it is this ribbon of road that was first designated Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail.
The Crooked Road is a great place to bring your GPS and leave your cell phone home. Oh, and bring your ears, heart and mind. It is a journey that starts the music of the first frontier, is touched by Civil War, becomes the anthem of the industrial revolution, is touched by two world wars and is still growing in the electronic age. It started with the fiddles that the Scotts-Irish, Palatine Germans and others played to brighten the nights along the Carolina, and Great Roads, as they traveled through the Cumberland Gap and beyond. Black slaves brought several versions of what would become the banjo. Eventually the guitar, string bass and mandolin were added to yield a truly American creation, the string band. The settlers who decided to stay in these mountains developed their own sounds, each a part of a whole that has evolved into what can now be heard in the hollows and hills of the Blue Ridge and Appalachians.
Mountain Music of some kind or another is played on about every night of the week somewhere along the trail. Jams take place at barbershops, garages, VFWs, restaurants, grocery stores and about any place that local musicians can form a circle and play. All comers are welcome as long as they don’t need an amp. This is acoustic music made by wooden instruments. The object is to see friends, drink a little coffee (or something) and have a good time pickin’. That doesn’t mean visitors aren’t welcome, because they are.
On most weekends, the eight major anchor venues of “The Road,” come to life. In Franklin County stop by the Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College for a primer on the music, history and culture of the region. Take the trip up to Floyd and visit the Floyd Country Store for the Friday Night Jamboree. Head south to Patrick County and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway at Meadows of Dan and travel the ridges to the Blue Ridge Music Center on the border of Carroll and Grayson counties. Take some time and head to Galax, home of the Old Fiddlers Convention in late August or stop by the Rex Theater on Fridays for a show. Galax is a good place to bunk down for the night because the next trip is up over the mountains, White Top or Mount Rogers, to Bristol and the Birthplace of Country Music. Along the way listen to how the musical styles subtly change. The old time picking styles of Galax the Round Peak area, White Top and the Blue Ridge begin to give way to music that is influenced by the railroad, the Great Valley and the Wilderness Road. Bristol takes two states, Virginia and Tennessee to tell the story of the Bristol Sessions. The Carters, Jimmie Rogers and a host of other musicians answered Ralph Peer’s 1927 ad for musicians to record what would become known as Hillbilly Music. While in the Bristol area take a ride up I 81 to exit 14 and visit the Heartwood Artisan Center for an overview of the entire region and its many attractions.
Make sure to leave a Saturday night free for a visit to The Carter Family Fold near Hiltons in Scott County. If there is any one place that can be considered the heart of The Crooked Road it is “The Fold”. It is mecca to lovers of the Carter Family, Janette Carter, June Carter Cash and Johnny Cash, who played his last concert there. Visitors can still feel the magic of the Carter Family and their music. Visit the museum in A.P. Carter’s old store and visit his cabin.
The Fold is also a kind of turning point for the music as the trail heads up into the Coalfields of Lee, Wise and Dickenson counties. Coal miners came from all over the world and brought their music with them. The music of the miners combines with that of the original European settlers to create a sound that is a bit more aggressive and at times angry as it echoes the hard life along the backbone of the Appalachians. In Wise County, near Norton, check out the Country Cabin on Saturday nights or Lays Hardware in Coeburn on Friday. The Country Cabin honors Dock Boggs, a legendary banjo player rediscovered in the early 1970s by Mike Segar. There are also jams at the Cabin on Tuesdays and at Lays on Thursday night. Also on Thursday, the folks in Pound, “Where the Crooked Road Bends,” throw a great jam that usually includes a potluck dinner. In the Coalfields the music takes on the harder edge of Bluegrass music and lovers of that style will find plenty of places to hear it made as it was originally intended. The music is founded on faith, hard times and dangerous work and is an expression of a people who make their livings going under ground. Dr. Ralph Stanley, more than any other individual encapsulates that sound in his music. Dr. Ralph lives up on a ridge between Wise and Dickenson counties and still visits a state of the art museum dedicated to his musical legacy. The Dr. Ralph Stanley Museum is located in Clintwood, deep in the heart of the mountains he so eloquently describes in his music.
There are dozens of other stops along The Crooked Road that are equally as interesting. There are hundreds of musicians to meet, talk with, learn from and get to know. There isn’t enough room in one article to truly tell the story of Southwest Virginia and its music. So, the best thing to do is come see for yourself. Get on the southwestvirginia.org, crookedroad.org, virginia.org or any of the many other trip planning sites for events and routing and then just hit the road.
You will find one of America’s hidden gems waiting.
H W. “Bill” Smith was the first Executive Director of The Crooked Road and now operates CROOKED ROAD ENTERPRISES. He can be reached at crookedroadenterprises.com or crookedroadenterprises@gmail.com.
The Carolina Chocolate Drops at Gathering in the Gap.