It really doesn't get any better than this. This, Jimmy Martin, Vassar were a perfect fit with Nitty Gritty. Really like the energy and sound and fun they were having. Wow, so cool.
I've always argued that not only is Jimmy real deal lonesome country & bluegrass, but he's rockabilly and this here shows it! Listen to some of his Decca cuts with that feel. And of all things, Mark O'Connor on mando! (he could have, but didn't want to take Vassar's place on fiddle an' who'd blame him!).
When Mark O'Conner doesn't play fiddle and plays mandolin, which he is great at too, it shows you he is on stage with a truly great fiddler, Vassar Clements. Everyone on that stage was at the top of their game and the ones we are lucky enough to still have are still at the top.
I used to live in Louisville Kentucky... That's where the IBMA's were held at the Gault House Hotel. About 25 years ago, while they were going on, my Rockabilly band happened to be playing a show downtown... So afterward, we all sorta hoofed it over to the "Gaudy House" and kind of snuck in... It wasn't too hard because we personally knew a lot of the folks that were already there, plus we were carrying instruments and were dressed in stage clothes. I saw a friend of mine who's related to Sam Bush... He told us to go up to a particular floor... There were umpteen parties going on upstairs. So up we went and started mingling around. One door that was open, happened to be the suite of Jimmy Martin... A SWINGIN'party going on inside. So I went on in and sat down on the sofa, right next to Mr Martin HIMSELF. He was wearing the brightest red suit you ever saw... And it just so happened that I was wearing a red Western suit that night. He looked over at me, up and down and said "nice suit"... I looked him up and down and said "nahhh... I wouldn't wear something like that to a dog fight"... And we laughed hysterically for about five minutes 🤣 That was the only time I ever met him in person... I'm sure he was one heck of a great guy, though. I'm sorry that I didn't get to know him better.
@COWBOYMACLEOD Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member, Jimmy Ibbotson is wearing the black leather vest and playing mandolin. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band founding member, Jeff Hanna (with moustache) is playing rhythm guitar and singing harmony vocals
@COWBOYMACLEOD this is from 1990, Austin City Limits. There is no dvd availiable that i know of. This is a rip from very old vhs when it aired on pbs then. most of the songs would have been recorded on Nitty Gritty Dirtbands "Will The Circle Be Unbroken 2" albulm.
I remember at the end..The guy from the Dirt Band says..."I"LL BE SO GLAD WHEN JIMMY MARTIN FINALLY COMES OUT OF HIS SHELL". Jimmy was something else when he was drinking..
@@RudeBassMan correct, he was sober here ... he normally drank AFTER performances at the hotel. Someone always had a party at his hotel in one of the followers rooms. This is when and where the drinking would begin.
@@dabneyoffermein595 You don't have to tell me. I was there for some embarrassing times and a few amazing times. At his best, (on stage or off) he was as good as any. At his worst he was more entertaining than most.
@@RudeBassMan -- I like to hear the stories good or bad. Entertain me with a few or several of the embarrassing stories. He did have that high energy entertainment style that gravitates people to him. That's the only way I can figure out how did he so well with that controversial personality.
NGDB did Jimmy and bluegrass music by inviting him to be part of all this. While much of the bluegrass and country world fell asleep, NGDB used very sound judgement here.
I heard Vasser at a pickin party at a house in Kissimmee Florida when I was a kid, personally, I liked his fidlin better before he hooked up with them clarinet players out in Memphis.
