In this 2015 conversation, John and Andy talk about the "Four Duets" (see below), as well as sharing memories, a bit of history, and some insights. You can listen to all " Four Old Time Duets" here on RU-vid at the links below. Hope you enjoy them.
Charleston - • Andy May and John Burk...
Rickets Hornpipe - • Andy May and John Burk...
Rocky Mountain Goat - • Andy May and John Burk...
Sandy River Belle - • Andy May and John Burk...
As I look back over my years in music, I remember many things that seem remarkable to me now. Winning a Grand Championship on guitar at the 43rd Annual Fiddlers Convention World Championship at Union Grove N. C. in March of 1967 when I was 17, is one such thing. Another has to do with a recording session that took place in June 1967, on which I played guitar for my good friend, the great banjoist and fiddler John Burke. This session yielded four duets and was engineered by Tom Whitmore at the WBAI studio in NYC.
I can't recall much about the actual session itself, except that there was MAGIC in the air when we finished cutting those tunes! These four duets originally ended up as tracks on John's 'Old Fashioned Dance Music' LP in 1968, and I think they also were included on a "floppy LP" in John's groundbreaking banjo instruction book -'John Burke's Book of Old Time Fiddle Tunes for Banjo'- published by Amsco in 1968.
John and I have remained friends all these years. Sometime in 2014 we started talking about these duets recorded so long ago, and we both felt strongly that we should re- release them and share them with folks. I then spent about six months tracking down the original tape masters of the session, but with no luck. Happily though, John had an unplayed copy of his 'Old Fashioned Dance Music' LP, and with the help of my friend Mike Poston and his friend Glen Meadows, two legendary Nashville recording engineers, these duets were brought back to life.
Andy May, 3/2023
5 окт 2024
