Don Clark by Travis Tackett

When Don Clark rolls into the gates of a bluegrass festival, people pay attention. No, he’s not driving a tricked-out 50s muscle car or a new Lamborghini.

He rolls around the country in a restored 1955 Martha White tour bus, just like one that Flatt & Scruggs used.

It’s called the Martha White Bluegrass Bus Museum, which amounts to a traveling history of the music Clark has loved since his youth.

If you’re wondering about the reason for the bus’s existence, blame it all on an old Flatt & Scruggs album Clark bought many years ago.

“Well, what really made me do it was about the time the Beverly Hillbillies came out, I heard that banjo, Earl Scruggs, the theme song “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” and I thought I just got to have a banjo and learn how to play,” Clark said outside his bus at last weekend’s Franklin, Ky., bluegrass festival. “About that time, my cousin got one and then I got one and we learned how to play together.

“I bought the album they showed on there (the Hillbillies),” Clark said, as he digs through the memorabilia on the bus and produces the LP.

“I learned the songs on it and how to play and everything. I kept looking at that album going … man that’d be so cool to play banjo like Earl and have an old bus like that. Well here it is.”

For the last two decades the Martha White Bluegrass Bus Museum has educated and inspired the future generations of American music, according to a Web site dedicated to the bus. “From the deserts of California to the heart of the south, Don Clark has made it his personal mission to spread the joy of American music through his Bluegrass Bus Museum. The bus is a hands on interactive museum that allows children and adults to become immersed in the history of country and bluegrass music.”

Autographed Door
by Travis Tackett

Clark has collected bluegrass and country music memorabilia for the past three decades. His rolling museum includes hundreds of autographed photos of musical legends ranging from Flatt & Scruggs to Nickel Creek. The museum features vintage clothing worn by stars such as Ralph Stanley, Jimmy Martin and Johnny Cash. The museum is covered from floor to ceiling in musical items that date back to the 1930s.

Clark actually brought the old vehicle back from its grave when he ran across it about 20 years ago.

“Actually, the bus…. I found rusting away under a tree at a feed and tackle store. I bought it and brought it home and restored it up. … It was in pretty rough shape when I got it,” he said.

The bus is a 1955 Flxible that was manufactured in Loudenville, Ohio. It once was Jimmy Martin’s mode of touring.

“The reason the name is Flxible and a lot of people, When they hear a Flxible bus, they think it flexs in the middle or bends. That’s not the case,” said Clark. “What happened was, in the early 1900s Flxible developed a side-car for Harley-Davidson and it would flex. It would flex in a curve. That’s where they got the name Flxible. After World War I, they decided they needed some other way to go to keep their business going, so they decided to get in the bus business. They were in the business until the ‘80s.”

The bus had definitely seen better days by the time Clark caught up with it.

“It was pretty rough,” Clark remembers. “The outside was bad. The interior needed the floor and paneling. It was real bare.”

Now, Clark says his bus has been restored close to its original condition when bands used the Flxible models to travel the country.

Flatt & Scruggs’ bus, said Daniel Clark, the owner’s son, “was gutted out though. They had 4 seats, much like the drivers seat, on each side. In the back they had cots that they bolted down to the floor. Some of the cots had ropes, and they literally strapped themselves into the cots while they were going down the road.”

” A little different than Rhonda Vincent’s Martha White bus now,” quips Don Clark. “You could put two of these in her bus.”

Despite the Martha White name on the sides of the bus, Clark said he’s self-sponsored. The company has given him permission to use its name, as has Nashville radio station WSM and the families of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

Inside the Bus by Travis Tackett

Clark and his son say they get a lot of enjoyment traveling from festival to festival.

“When this rolls up at a festival, people, it just perks their interest because it’s something different,” said the younger Clark. “It’s different than a band. It’s different than a vendor stand, The market’s cornered with this bus because there is no other museum that’s portable that can come to a festival.”

Daniel Clark said he and his dad now book the bus at festivals just like they were a band scheduling performances.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and there were a number of years when I’d just pull up to a festival and they’d let me in and I’d park it by the stage,” said Don Clark, referring to the days when pump prices were far less than today’s $3 a gallon. “It’s so expensive any more. I just can’t afford to do it anymore without some form of sponsorship.”

Clark said he wishes one of the companies with traditional ties to bluegrass would help sponsor his museum.

“Martha White, The Grand Ole Opry, they all love what I’m doin’ but they don’t want to give any money to do it,” he said. “I’m sad on that, ’cause if I have a major, major engine go or something like that. The bus is going to sit for a while.”

For now, Clark’s bus isn’t sitting. For a schedule of appearances where you can see it, go to Clark’s Web site at bluegrassbus.com

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Danny Flowers
Tools for the Soul

A few weeks ago, my oldest son and I went to the Clapton Crossroads festival in Chicago. There were many magical moments, but one standout was a great song, “Tulsa Time”. There are not many songs worthy of having, not only Vince Gill and his all-star band, as well as Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Albert Lee and Eric Clapton playing on it. This is a great song that got me wondering what its writer; Danny Flowers has been up to. Forward to a couple weeks and an old Indiana buddy of mine, who told me to check out the new Danny Flowers CD, “Tools for the Soul.” I checked out bits and pieces online, enough to make me want to order it. This is a gorgeous CD. It appears that Danny Flowers has had quite an awakening and it is evident on this CD. The album is dedicated to his Heavenly Father, and to his earthly mother. His head and heart are planted in both worlds, as evidenced on this album.

I warn you from the outset, this is not a traditional bluegrass album. But it has elements of being as real and as honest, as some of the greatest bluegrass albums ever made. For those die-hard bluegrass lovers, there is the breathtaking, Emmylou Harris who contributes some gorgeous vocals. Emmylou has never strayed very far from her love of bluegrass and traditional music and follows her heart in contributing here.

Danny Flowers

I loved what Emmylou said about this CD. “I first listened to this remarkable album on a Sunday morning, and it took me to church and beyond. Danny’s songs bear witness to his life with humor and humility and a wisdom born of experience. They are a testament of hope, full of joy, from faith earned the hard way, every day.”

John Cowan, from the groundbreaking New Grass Revival, also contributes some superb moments to this disc. This guy has an unbelievable voice, as anyone who has been fortunate enough to see him live can attest to.

The title track, “Tools For The Soul”, begins the disc. With the strains of a guitar playing, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”, and the beautiful vocals of Danny, Emmylou, and John Cowan, the disc opens with a beauty, rarely revealed on CDs. What else is discovered is an implausible depth as a songwriter.

The next song, “Keep On Livin”, was co-written with Delbert McClinton. This song has a lively beat that inspires us all to, “keep on livin’ til the day I die.”

The third song is as beautiful song that you could swear the spirit of Ray Charles was in the room when they laid down the track. As a matter of fact, Flowers notes that they recorded it in front of a big picture of Ray. “Reason to Try” is very barren, just Danny on vocals and co-writer Kevin McKendree on piano. This track made me think of the late, great Ray Charles, “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” that came out in 1962.

Danny Flowers, joined Don Williams band in 1974. Four years later he wrote “Tulsa Time”. Don Williams had a big hit with it and Eric Clapton had a hit version of it also. For those who remember, this grand song and its rocking guitar, there is a tribute to Robert Johnson entitled, “Born To Believe” that is a bit reminiscent. Once again, this song is much unadorned and very effective, just Flowers on vocals and also playing a Rocket Guitar.

“The Prayer Song” is a striking song, featuring Bill Miller on Flute and Emmylou once again singing background vocals.
One of my favorite songs on the album is a song Danny co-wrote with John Cowan, “Ready To Cross Over”. Cowan’s voice blends wonderfully with Flowers’ voice on this track. This song was written to play at the funeral of a friend and really stirs up the emotions. Each time I hear it, I have to fight back the tears, thinking about the ones I have lost in this world and how short our time is. Danny Flowers captures these emotions perfectly.

“World Enough And Time”, is a tribute to children. This song is just Danny on acoustic guitar and vocals, and James Pennebaker on violins and fiddles. Very stark and incredibly pretty.

This is followed, by a tribute to Curtis Mayfield. This is a stunning song, heavy on the backbeat much like the Mayfield songs. Cowan once again sings background on this tribute. This could have fit well in the Impressions catalog of incredible songs, very much like, “People Get Ready”. Stick with the song because there is a hidden track that follows. This too is a real treat.

It is rare to find a jewel like this. Too many times, musicians think more is better. This is minimalistic and it is amazingly effective. Sadly, you probably won’t find this in most music stores, if you are lucky enough to even find a music store these days. “Tools For The Soul” is well worth hopping online and purchasing. You will not be sorry you did.

You can sample the title track “Tools from the Soul” by Danny Flowers by clicking the play button below courtesy of Brash Music.

By Rickey Lamb

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Raising Sand

Rounder Records is now accepting pre-orders on the highly anticipated Alison Krauss and Robert Plant project, Raising Sand. The new album is set to hit store shelves October 23 and it appears this will be released on vinyl and CD.

From Rounders Online Store:

“The musical collaboration of the decade, Raising Sand is the sound of two iconic figures stepping out of their respective comfort zones and letting their instincts lead them across a brave new sonic landscape. Despite hailing from distinctly different backgrounds, Alison Krauss and Robert Plant share a maverick spirit and willingness to extend the boundaries of their respective genres. This spirit, expertly honed by producer T Bone Burnett, has resulted in an album pitched three steps beyond some cosmic collision of early urban blues, spacious West Texas country, and the untapped potential of the folk-rock revolution.

Supported by the unparalleled musicianship of Marc Ribot, Dennis Crouch, Mike Seeger, Jay Bellerose, Norman Blake, Greg Leisz, Patrick Warren, and Riley Baugus, Plant and Krauss - as both solo and harmony vocalists - tackle an intriguing selection of songs from such tunesmiths as Tom Waits, Gene Clark, Sam Phillips, Townes Van Zandt, The Everly Brothers, and Mel Tillis. Raising Sand finds Robert Plant and Alison Krauss exploring popular music’s elemental roots while still sounding effortlessly, breath-takingly contemporary. “

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