Good morning Chief! I hope all finds you effectively and staying secure in these perilous instances. In going by the numerous questions your followers despatched this week, I’m regularly reminded of the friendships, love, and respect you’ve inbuilt your travels. It ought to heat your coronary heart realizing the admiration all of us maintain to your contribution, will proceed for many years to return – even by those that by no means noticed you carry out and/or weren’t even alive throughout the time you had been performing. I feel that speaks volumes, not solely to the worth of your work however your dedication to excellence. Get pleasure from these questions Sonny, as a lot as our readers have clearly loved the music you’ve given all of us.
Terry Herd
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Hey Sonny. In my view, probably the most underrated fiddle gamers within the historical past of bluegrass music was Tater Tate. I’ve heard that he was a terrific singer, as effectively. What are you able to say about Tater’s taking part in and singing? Additionally, what had been a few of your experiences with him?
Eli P.
Eli…Thanks for becoming a member of in. You needed to speak about Clarence Tater Tate. First off, I don’t understand how he obtained that “Tater” nickname, however began listening to about him within the ’50s. He was working with The Bailey Brothers in Knoxville. BAILEY…CHARLIE AND DAN. I first met him in Nashville within the ’70s. After the Flatt/Scruggs break up, he was taking part in bass with Lester….You may’t mark this down as reality…I don’t really bear in mind the primary time I really met him, personally. That appears about proper although. Later he performed fiddle or bass with Invoice…really he did no matter Invoice wanted and/or needed.
Tate story, advised to me by Tater on a visit to Germany and Switzerland. Roughly 1987. This occurred one evening in Nashville. Three o’clock within the morning. Tate is house in mattress asleep when the phone rings. He stumbles awake…Hey! Ah…Tater…(It was Mr. Invoice.) what’s flawed Invoice? He thought Invoice had fallen. “Ah…Have you learnt the place my razor is?” Tate, says..”I reckon it’s within the lavatory.” Invoice..”Might you come over right here and see if you’ll find it for me?” Tate…”Proper now?” Invoice…”Yeah, I would like it.” Tate…”effectively, I’ll be there in about 45 minutes.” Tate lived in Hendersonville, Monroe on a farm between Goodlettsville and Gallatin. Tater obtained up and went to Invoice’s home…went in and went straight to the toilet, opened the drugs cupboard, and there in plain sight was????? You guessed it, Invoice’s razor. Tater took the razor, handed it to Invoice. Invoice…”Ah..the place was it? Boy I appeared throughout this home for it! The place’d you say it was..within the lavatory drugs cupboard? Boy I’m glad you discovered it, I believed certain I’d misplaced it!” I requested Tate what he did then. He mentioned he went house and obtained again within the mattress.
Tater was an excellent fiddle participant. Performed clear, clear, true notes. He performed louder than most. He advised me he had misplaced some listening to. True? I reckon. Why else would he volunteer that data. Clarence Tate was one of many most interesting gents you’d ever wish to meet! S
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Hey Sonny,
I used to be listening to a transcribed radio program, with ads from 1974. A couple of minutes into it, the primary of the ads got here on and it was by a favourite “nation music group,” the Osborne Brothers. It was for Crimson Man chewing tobacco. Positively good banjo, good music, good harmonies, and a very good pitch by Bobby for Crimson Man chew. I do know Invoice Monroe and Grandpa Jones did Dr. Peppers commercials, however I simply puzzled how the Crimson Man chew gig took place.
Jim R.
Jim…thanks for taking the time to hitch in. We had an agent in New York, Geoff Berne, who obtained these business accounts for us, and likewise booked our orchestra dates. We did the Large Crimson chewing tobacco and one for the Chevrolet Nova vehicle. They had been accomplished in New York, and that after all meant top notch air…the businesses paid our flight tickets..top notch. I took the RB 3 banjo with me and it had a ticket for the seat beside me…yep, you heard proper. It had its seat belts securely fixed.
Presently a woman got here and needed me to take away the instrument so she may sit there and converse along with her pal who had the seat in entrance of me. She insisted and requested the flight attendant to take away the banjo. I requested for the captain. He got here and after I confirmed the boarding move for our two seats. The girl obtained actual scorching when he advised her to maneuver…or he would have her moved…….!
s
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Pricey Sonny,
First, God bless you and Merry Christmas!
I used to be listening to you and Bobby from the day I used to be born (and possibly even earlier than). I’ve since listened to your albums a number of instances and watched as many movies as I may on-line. I’m a beginner to taking part in banjo and benefit from the heck out of it.
My query is, how can anybody not like banjo? It makes me pleased, it makes me smile. You will have mentioned that you just performed a number of different devices, as do I, however nothing brings me as a lot pleasure. How can anybody NOT like banjo?
Thanks
Jerry
Jerry…. Thanks for spending a few of your time with us.
Your query about ‘”how can anybody not just like the banjo?”…. I’ve obtained a bit story to inform you. We, the Brother and I, had been taking part in a state truthful in NC, I consider it was Raleigh (Dale Sledd known as it ‘Rowly’). We had been on the stage doing a sound examine within the afternoon, in preparation for the present that evening. It’s an enormous auditorium and individuals are milling round at the back of the auditorium, and I’m on the microphone and it’s turned on. On the similar instantaneous, a gaggle of younger individuals, white and black, are strolling throughout the again of the auditorium and on the similar time I hit the first, third, and fifth strings on the banjo into this scorching mike. That group of about 8 children, youngsters, stopped lifeless of their tracks and appeared towards the stage and as quick as I may say, “they obtained out of Dodge”…they had been out of Dodge! They ran on the sound of the banjo. So to say that some individuals are irritated by the sound of the banjo, that will be right.
The banjo was my dwelling for over 50 years and it did me fairly effectively. Nonetheless, the instrument that makes me most pleased is one which I can’t play. That’s the piano. I’ve a piano and my spouse purchased me an electrical keyboard, and I’ve tried…I had Derek Deekins, a widely known fiddle participant, come to the home and he being an excellent piano participant additionally…he tried to show me. As I bear in mind, he left in the course of the primary lesson…swiftly shaking his head in disgust.
So, again to the unique reply…I like the banjo, all the time have, and it makes me happiest when Judy goes to the financial institution each Monday. However I might have liked it a terrific deal, if I may have realized play the piano. However, just like the clawhammer banjo that Grandpa Jones tried so laborious to show me, and couldn’t, I might think about that Derek Deekins felt the identical method as Grandpa — who didn’t converse to me for over a yr. So my calling was the banjo, and it handled me properly. Even gave me one among its greatest….a 1934 Granada.
S
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Sonny,
To say you’re a nice banjo participant is an understatement to the extent of expertise and professionalism you attained in your day, however I’m questioning at what level in your journey you crossed over from being merely good — to being nice? And furthermore, what’s the distinction between a very good musician and a terrific musician?
Thanks for the years of enjoyment and…effectively, for being “nice.”
Invoice W.
Invoice.
I admire your sort phrases much more than you’ll ever know. Issues like that make previous 83-yr previous retired individuals really feel good.
To say I’m a terrific banjo participant is an understatement to the extent of expertise and professionalism I attained in my day. Now…Invoice, you mentioned that…I didn’t. However you might be questioning at what level in my journey I crossed over from being merely good to being nice. Once more, that’s your phrases not mine, as a result of I don’t have a look at it the identical as you.
There was a degree in 1957 when Earl recorded Randy Lynn Rag and made a noticeable mistake and so they let it go on report like that. At the moment, I used to be actually wrapped up in Earl Scruggs and Rudy Lyle. A lot that once I heard that report I noticed that I wanted to do one thing else if I used to be going to make this a life’s work. And so I began listening to each different sort of music and instrumentations that I may discover, after which attempt to transpose what I heard to the banjo. In a few years of doing this, I had created a bit factor of my very own. And whether or not that was the decisive level, I can’t say yay or nay. I simply know that it modified my method of trying on the banjo.
And also you ask what’s the distinction between a very good musician and a terrific musician. So in the event you can visualize a line of music….a very good musician learns to play the crust of what he hears. An excellent one is one who digs down underneath that crust and hears all of the little nuances, and full notes and slides, and so on. To me, that’s a terrific musician and the distinction between nice and good. Nothing flawed with good, nevertheless it’s a terrific deal like 1st place and 2nd place.
S
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