On Tuesday night, September 10th 1996, the John Hartford String Band graced the stage at The Freight and Salvage Coffee House (home to Laurie Lewis & Grant Street) in Berkeley, California. As fate would decree, this was the day after the demise of Bill Monroe, the universally recognised Father of Bluegrass. As he introduced the performance Mr. Hartford sombrely explained that he and his musical cohorts, mandolinist Mike Compton and guitar/bassist Jerry McCoury, had all known, played with and been raised under the influence of, Bill Monroe. John said he had known Bill not only as a musical mentor but as an increasingly good friend over the last thirty years, so they had decided to present a set of Monroe's music along with a series of anecdotes and tales of Bluegrass musical history.

The evening's musical offerings began with one of Monroe's hardest driving numbers, Mule Skinner Blues. It was sung in the authentic tenor of Jerry McCoury of one of the 'Royal families' of the bluegrass tradition. Jerry's brother Del had been an alumnus (former student - Ed) of the famed Bluegrass Boys and an influential singer in his own right, so it was easy to hear where this high lonesome sound had its origins.

Hartford then began a litany of humorous tales of his times spent with Monroe. He recounted Bill's explanation of how he had derived his unique singing style. Having grown up in rural Kentucky Bill was exposed to the sounds of the old timers who would routinely wander in the fields and woods of the Kentucky hills singing out loud to themselves just to hear how it sounded. So as a young boy he would imitate these old timers and he just never stopped, 'til it became his own recognised vocal style. Mike Compton provided a tale of how he came to be inspired by Monroe's mandolin virtuosity by stating that he had been attracted to his playing because he felt it was easy to figure out. Eventually he had to rethink this as it became evident that his first impression grossly underestimated the true nature of Bill's chops. He recounted that "Even at 84 years of age Bill's playing contained so much nuance and suggestion that even when he missed notes your mind would fill in the blanks for you."

The group then played Monroe's instrumental Daisy Miller with Hartford sawing on the fiddle. John recalled Monroe chiding the Bluegrass Boys faulty attempt at Daisy Miller by telling his crew "You're not playing it right. I know the guy who wrote it", in a perfect deadpan impersonation of the late master. Other classics such as The First Whippoorwill and Rose of Old Kentucky displayed wonderful instrumental exchanges and accurate harmonies.

Mike Compton recalled his first childhood exposure to The Master, a story of how he had snuck backstage at a Bluegrass Boys tent show as a youngster. When Monroe busted a string he handed the instrument to him, saying "Put a string on this thing for me.... kid!".

Hartford then picked up the Banjo for a few tunes and let loose a song about Bill that he had penned but seldom performed, called Cross-Eyed Child. John would plaintively explain each verse before singing it as the band comped [chopped - Ed.] along behind him. The song was rich with humor and visual images of Bill's rural upbringing, his eventual move to the industrial world of Indiana and his shift in rank from the youngest, cross-eyed child of the Monroe Family to a leader of his older brothers and later to the world-renowned Father of Bluegrass.

Another great anecdote involved John visiting Bill in a Nashville hospital where he was interred for treatment of a heart condition. Bill had been composing music in his hospital bed and when Hartford showed up Monroe signalled him to come to the bedside where he tried to convince John to learn the song and perform it for him there and then!!

Hartford also remarked that prior to the time that Monroe had joined the Grand Ole Opry country music was basically a parody of the country persona from a city persons perspective. Performers would routinely roll up their pant legs and shirtsleeves and play with grass between their teeth in a crude imitation of the poor uneducated rural farm dwellers. Monroe was the first to demand that his band perform wearing serious business attire fit to attend church in. His motto was "Bluegrass is serious business." He effectively transformed 'country music' into a respected art-form.

Another good story regaled by Hartford involved Monroe's acceptance speech, at the Grand Ole Opry, of a Lifetime achievement award in his honor. After a lengthy jam session with nearly every living veteran of his musical life Monroe was taken out on the Opry stage by Emmy Lou Harris. She confronted him with a tall fabric-draped object which, when unveiled, revealed a larger-than-life sized statue of Bill himself. The microphones were thrust in Bill's face for a comment - as deadpanned by Hartford, the response was "That's a mighty fine man up there!" The trio lit into a smooth rendition of Little Cabin Home on the Hill followed by another round of deadpan impressions and heartfelt stories of Bill Monroe. In the evening's perhaps most spontaneous moment Mike Compton was coerced by Hartford to re-tune his mandolin and attempt to perform, as a solo, the last piece Monroe had written before his demise. My Last Days On Earth had a truly eerie melody consisting of oddly paired string voicing and ethereal minor key tones. The audience was moved by the rendition.

The final song of the first hour-long memorial set was an emotionally delivered You Don't Love Me Anymore. The set proved to be a warm tribute in remembrance of a man who had touched so many and was delivered by a trio who were privileged to be so close to him. Hartford offered to make himself available in the interval for autographs and discussions, proving the adage that Bluegrass is a music by, for and of the people.

( Part 2 of the John Hartford Concert (with photos) is in the January edition.)

Ted Silverman,
401 Miguel Street #1, San Francisco, CA 94131, USA
| Write to: frogstreet@prodigy.net | Web site (Chazz Cats) |

Ted 'Silverstring' Silverman is mandolinist in the San Francisco band Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys who will play anywhere for a lot of beer. 'Belle', the lead singer, is actually D'lilah Monroe, the singer in the hit San Franciscan 'Roadhouse Swing' retro-band The ChazzCats, of which ' The Brewglass Boyz ' are also members. Write to the
Write tos: chazzcats@aol.com  BrewGlassBoyz@aol.com

Ed.

Updated 8th Jan 2003