And down to Knoxville they did ride.

[lollardfish]

Del McCoury is one of the great living legends of bluegrass. I've been trying to branch out from Ralph Stanley and broaden my bluegrass repertoire, so went to Youtube.

Here's a lovely little song about a red-headed girl and a motorcycle from 1952. Some of you might have heard it already (sarcasm warning as my sarcasm seems to have been missed a lot lately!).

I really admire people who take someone else's song and just own it when they cover it. I'm a good mimic, taking on the vocal tones of others and replicating them in ways that work for me. But I tend not to reinvent others' work this way. Good stuff!

Meanwhile my son and some spaghetti are locked on mortal combat. Too soon to tell who will win.

Comments

[pied-piper70.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw Del perform that song when he toured with the Down From The Mountain tour in 2002 (same concert where I got to hear Ralph Stanley as well)...It was a surprise and a revelation to hear Vincent '52 done like that...Very cool...

[pied-piper70.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah...And another search for bluegrass on YouTube brought up this gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BiJF_oQhb8


Reinventing others' works is one thing...Reinventing your own songs is another...Heh...

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

Nice. Funny! :)

What I like about 1952 is that it isn't ironic (as opposed to bluegrass Pink Floyd, thank you Austin Lounge Lizards). It's just McCoury taking a song and just owning it. Holding it close, as if it were his own.

[guppiecat]

In a similar vein, you might appreciate Elwood's cover of "Sundown". . . If you can appreciate well-done creative rap. (The video is pretty worthless, but at least the song is shared.)

Spaghetti

[mia-mcdavid.livejournal.com]

Uh-oh! Maybe it's an avatar of the FSM! Flee!

[chasophonic.livejournal.com]

Del McCoury was a headliner at the MBOTMA festival last summer. Near the end of his set most of the audience had started chanting "Vincent", while I sat there hoping against hope that he wouldn't do the song. I really don't like his version. A lot.

He went for pleasing the crowd.

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

What don't you like about it?

[chasophonic.livejournal.com]

Good question. Gut level response from the first time I heard it. I was amused by it at first I remember. To be more analytical I would need to listen to it again. Don't want to.

I didn't like most of what McCoury did at the festival. The big exception was a spooky sounding one about "it's just the night." Not sure of the name, but I had heard it once before and thought I would like to learn it. I was happy to hear it live.

[spacecrab.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I enjoyed that. I just searched for a YouTube version of a performance that this reminded me of by one of my favorites, but couldn't find it. Here's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1qHfWM_abA) one that's not bad, but (alas) missing the high-energy fiddle player.