" Bill Monroe singin' out them old Kentucky blues". Man that Jimmy Martin could get those notes. Truly the King Of Bluegrass. Interesting to see Sam Bush on the stage here at Austin City Limits. I'll bet he was enjoying every second of this chance to play with Jimmy. I listened to his WWVA late night radio show as a teenager in Montreal - my hand clutching the little radio antenna wire so that I could hear the show.
I'm so glad I got to go to the Opry when I was young and many of the stars mentioned in this song were still performing. Didn't realize at the time what a gift it was to have witnessed that era.
Jimmy Martin was the one of the very best. I love this song, because it depicts all the Grand Ole Opry and does a wonderful job of the rendition of the old contibuters of the Old Ryman Auditorium. Thank You for posting this.
Thank you for posting this. Every time I listen to this or most songs on the Circle Album, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. The NGDB was so far ahead of their time and had the foresight to bring the legends of bluegrass, mountain and old-time music together to make history. Circle Album brought a special kind of music to an audience of young people who would never have heard people like Mother Maybell, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements and Earl Scruggs. Circle Album did what O'Brother Where Art Thou did 25 or so years later and turned young people on to great traditional music.
Jimmy's singing about the Opry and Glorifying the Members. Yet the Opry Establishment,would never let Jimmy become a member. It bothered him,too. He had a Petition in the late 1990s going to give to Gaylord to let him become a member. It never happened. R.I.P. Jimmy.
A Hylo Brown composition originally cut by Jimmy and the Sunny Mtn Boys (Earl Taylor-mando/tenor; JD Crowe-banjo/baritone; Tommy Vaden-fiddle and Cedric Rainwater-bass) in '56. This performance is great...Vassar right on the intro and taking all the turn-arounds (and, of course, he played with Jimmy in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys in the EARLY 50's!); nice 3 part harmony and Jimmy is wired & inspired: "We'll sing The Sunny Side of the Mountain" instead of "We'll play the Bluegrass Breakdown"....you got it, Jimmy!
LOL...you must love the man, so much music and charisma in every move...todays "stars" can't come even close to those old guys.... I was lucky and played banjo with Vassar few times at the Long Hollow Jamboree in Hendersonville by Nashville, something I will never forget...
Thank you ever so much for posting this clip jqtomlin! Jimmy Martin was t h e consumate musical enertainer, regardless of genre. Vassar Clements always had a perfect, b i g tone on his fiddle and was a true magician on the strings
Its really not that difficult - they capo everything and play out of the G chord so it doesn't matter what key the song is in they always are in the G position. This enables them to play all of the great G runs that sound so great. I don't know if you play at all but hope this info helps - Wayne
