This brings back memories. Playing in this band was so easy, such solid rhythm, great playing, and singing with John Duffey - that required all you had to offer. He could hold a note longer than anyone I ever sang with. Hope more of this surfaces. Phil R.
The Scene was the best when Phil was singing and playing lead. John Starling was a bit before I was turned on to them. I enjoyed my weekly time at the Birchmere watching them perform. Just totally great musicians all the way around
My uncle was Mike Auldridge, and I had the joy of hearing some of the greats cover this song at MerleFest this past weekend with Jerry Douglas playing dobro, Peter Rowan, T. Michael Coleman, Sam Bush, among others. Amazing musicians.
Wow, I met your uncle Mike at Birckshire, also back stage at the Birchmere with my friend Joe Val, New England Bluegrass Boys . I was in contact with Mike about his Chesapeake endeavor before he passed! Ben I learned has passed recently too! Rosenthal, is he still with us?
RIP MIKE AULDRIDGE - I believe he is the best Dobro player who ever lived, founding member of my favorite Bluegrass band, The Seldom Scene, and a personal friend. He leaves a hole that music may not be able to fill.
The Best there ever was. I had the privilege of meeting Mike at a Festival in Stuart, Va. in 1978. I was trying to learn Dobro and Eventually took 8 lessons from Him. I still have the tapes. Yes I'm old. I still noodle around on my 51 Year old OMI. Mike and Josh were the best Dobro players ever. I cannot separate them because of their different styles.
I can't believe that I get a chance to see this again. I about fell over when they played this at the Opry in 1979. I think John knew this was his first and last shot at the Opry establishment and he stuck it in their eye with his most acid grass song in their repertoire. However, he was able to showcase the musical prowess of the band. Duffy was one of the most hilarious front man ever. Sorely missed.
i dont understand how everyone is sitting down i cant stop movin love this music drink a handful of beers and start jiggin even got 19 20 yr old brother and his freind and my 11 yr old boy just bustin out with a jig this music will never die
John Duffy and Ben Eldridge are the only two people that can shred the mandolin and banjo like they do! I've always loved their music and enjoyed their shows. Great musicians they are. I miss J.D.s' tenor singing and his playing as I'm sure alot of us Seldom Scene fans will.
Privileged to see the Scene every year starting in '78 at Festival of the Bluegrass near Lexington. Our kids grew up hearing them and loving their music. Treasured memories of unparalleled musicians and vocal prowess.
The Seldom Scene... in my opinion, the VERY BEST bluegrass band in the world during their time. They went beyond everyone and everybody. AND btw, John Duffy (the mandolin player) was a friend of mine
Man, that mando break was wild. I dont think anyone pushed the limits more than John. Most other mandolin pickers of this time period played pretty simple stuff, but John was like some rock and roll guitar player or something! John Duffey will live forever!
lived "live in concert" 14 years. I disappeared from the heavy metal punk rock background Training in Art , fine antiques restoration . Famous College Radio WYSO Yellow Springs, Ohio Saturday eve plays 6 hours of the best bluegrass music that introduced me to Seldom-Scene 1984 and it changed my life . Grateful Dead is famous doing this song that came out of the late 20s 30s-40s patch work of writers.
Having heard and seen The Seldom Scene in the D.C. area since 1972, the band at that point had heard The Grateful Dead play I Know You Rider. We were college students then and loved both bands so it was very cool for us to hear The Seldom Scene's spirited version.
Mr. Duffy has one of the most uniuque voices. I love this band, grew up listening to there records on my dad's old record player, im 26 by the way. And yes I play guitar (bluegrass style)
Call me bias because Mike Auldridge was my uncle but these guys were all amazing, thankfully my Uncle Tommy Auldridge is still alive and well and playing the Hell out of his pedal steel guitar! If you get a chance, you should give him a listen.
Seymour Void Productions I met your uncle Mike at a festival in Lebanon, VA in the late 70s. Great guy and best dobro player ever. I love Panhandle Country.
Used to see this band regularly around DC, Va., WV, like 35 years ago. Consistently good shows, some outdoor performances were really terrific. Glad to find this on the internets.
Used Michael Auldridge(Dobro) on a Kawasaki Motor Bike commercial in 1973 in Washington DC. Emmy Lou Harris sang lead on it with Fayssoux Starling singing background harmonies.He was a great player and a true gentleman as well as a fine commercial artist... RIP.
One of the greatest bands ever in bluegrass music. Ck out the creases in Mike's jeans, he still wears them that way, always the gentleman. Gotta love Larry the Legend!
I saw the Seldom Scene at the Birchmere in the eighties. It was my indoctrination into bluegrass, and I will thank the lord forever for that. Go,Scene, and RIP for a great life in the hereafter for John Duffey, who was so sweet and made friends with my dad before he went. I mean, my dad was just a fan, and John reached out to him and made him a friend, and that is awesome.
It took me some time to appreciate Bluegrass music -- but The Seldom Scene sealed the deal for me with this song! I first heard it in 1979 as a passenger in a 1947 Dodge truck that was bumping and grinding its gears through potholes on an unpaved road that led to my destiny. But it's only through hindsight that a person realizes that ...
Whaow ! I've just seen these great band in Toulouse Bluegrass Festival FRANCE, in 1982, it was an unforgetable TIME, A GREAT CONCERT.Peace to the soul of John Duffey.
Thank you to the families of these wonderful musicians..you share your legacy of having loved them and their passion and expression of their souls for all to experience freely. They will all be missed, never forgotten and their gifts will be shared generously in kind.
C. McKiney: Pardon me, but why do you spell it 'brake': is that ignorant or on purpose? Makes it sound like the mandolin is applying a 'brake' to the music, which would be the opposite of a bluegrass 'break'.
Jumping Jiminy, that's some of the finest playing and showmanship I've ever seen, and I've been a folkie most of my 68 years. I was introduced to this tune by Grateful Dead, but this verson blows them out of the water. "Eat your heart out Bill Monroe"? Yep, and eat your heart out Jerry Garcia, Mama's got a new crush. Or should I say 5 new crushes.
No wonder I GOT HOOKED ON THAT "acid grass" BACK IN THE SEVENTIES! What good memories! Got to see them many times in and around NC. Me and my mom were groupies!!!!! LOL...AWESOME
Gone? Are you hearin' what I'm hearin? It will only get better over time like a fine wine with sound technology. Plus Soon there will be music made by (AI) of any artist you choose singing any song you choose. You will not be able to tell "Is it Live or is it Memorex" (Actual artist or AI)..... Did Joni Mitchell sing Froggie went a courting? One day she might. Wait for it.....
I'm grateful for these bluegrass pioneers! If it weren't for these guys, I would not be enjoying bluegrass music today! Thanks for positing this video!
I was fortunate enough to see this steller band several times over the years.At the Strawberry Spring Music Festival,they headlined,the coolest thing about the outdoor folk and bluegrass festivals was seeing band members sitting around a camp fire after the days events and just jamming with people that wanted to sit in with them.I don't play,but I could see the joy on the faces of weekend pickers sittin in and jamming with these guys.
All of them had day jobs, why they named the band "The Seldom Scene". I worked with Tom Gray at National Geographic and in addition to regularly going to the Red Foxx Inn and Birchmere to hear the band play Tom introduced me to canoeing in the rivers and streams around Washington, DC.
Having grown up around DC, I was fortunate enough to have seen these guys many times, most of them at The Birchmere or The Cellar Door. The most memorable being at Wolftrap Farm Park in Vienna, VA, around 1980ish. They opened for John Prine with Steve Goodman. It was one of the most wonderful musical nights of my life, to date, as a spectator.
great to see them great to hear them only had a tape cassette to hear them once upon a time and boy do I love bluegrass. thank you bluegrass library tony lee [ Australia ]
One of the best song ever recorded by The Seldom Scene. I was lucky enough to see them in performance several times at Granite Hill Campground west of Gettysburg, PA.
@philrosenthal I just found this video, and hope that we can all enjoy more. The Seldom Scene- "Live at the Cellar Door" was the first non Flatt & Scruggs album I ever bought. And it forever changed the way I listened to and eventually the way I approached playing the banjo. This line- up is the top band in my book. Thank you Phil for your contributions to bluegrass music. By the way, if I were stranded on a deserted island, the 1 album that would be with me would be Cellar Door. Dean M.
This folk song is also known as "I know you rider", being covered by artists as diverse as The Grateful Dead and Hot Tuna in acoustic mode. Fantastic version by The Seldom Scene!
I live in Portland, OR. Several years ago I met a couple who must moved here from D.C. I surprised them when they introduced their dog named Rider....and, of course, I said, named after Ben's break in the Bluegrass song, no doubt!!!!
OMG, I never knew these guys played the Opry! This was right when I was a real Scene groupie (mid- to late-70s). I used to determine which BG festivals I'd attend based on if the Scene was on the bill. No Scene, no good! I even used to pattern my mando playing after Duffy. Even had a zippered v-neck golf shirt like his. Still have it as a memento 30 years later! I basically stopped playing BG when Duffy and Monroe died in '96. The new Krauss and Nickel Creek stuff just leaves me cold.
I used to see the Seldom Scene all around the D.C. area, they were the best! Watermelon Park in Berryville, Va. In the Shenandoah River while the band played............................ John Duffey R.I.P. Phil Rosenthal good to see you here too!
I used to see them at some obscure bar In Arlington on Tuesday nights. We was killing time, but the music was good. Yes, we were a bunch of stoned Deadheads.
The Birchmere was the name of the place....they played there often...won tickets to see them one night sat right at the stage...the whole night was a sing along...awesome!
It was the Birchmere back then. I think the SS played there the 2nd Tue. of every month. One night I was there I saw a bluegrass band that may never be topped. J.D. Crow on the banjo, Tony Rice on Guitar, Jerry Douglas on dobro, Mark O'Conner on fiddle and David Grisman on mandolin.
Duffy was the definition of smooth - and the definition of kind, sweet and talented. I hung with them every Monday at the Red Fox, then the Birchmere. Sweet memories.
Saw them at my first concert outing as a young kid - at the Weinberg theater just down the road a bit from Granite Hill...my brother and I wore the needle through Live At the Cellar Door!
Hi Phil. Yeah, I saw you guys at the Great American Music Hall in SF, must have been about 1980. Thanks for all the great music! The Seldom Scene will live forever.
GodsFavoriteBassPlyr I think it's fair to say that John wasn't a technically excellent mando picker, but he was (usually) solid and imaginative. His eccentric personality shone through in his playing. And everything he played FIT. Like Bobby Osborne, many have played better stuff, but it all worked and you knew damn well who it was.
Bad ass! I'm 35 I saw these guys when I was a kid. My parents love Bluegrass and Country so it was often playing in our house. I love traditional country and some bluegrass but I'm pretty much a rocker. Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Black Sabbath, Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, etc. I love this stuff though, love it
