The neck is being steamed out of the guitar using an old espresso coffee maker from Ricky Skaggs bus. The steam melts the old hyde glue in the joint.Steam is blown into the small cavity in the dovetail joint. The fingerboard extension has been loosened and 2 holes drilled through the 13th fret slot. The steam enters through one hole and escapes through the other softens the hyde glue along the way.After about 20 minutes of steam and gentle coaxing the neck comes out revealing the part of the top that hasn’t seen the sun in over 70 years.
Photos and Commentary by Marty Lanham - Nashville Guitar Company

“It’s been up and down the country roads, its’ brought a tear and a smile. It’s seen its share of dreams and hopes, and never went out of style.”

At the present moment, my great uncle Pete Hatton’s 1929 0-18 Martin is in the hands of one of Nashville’s finest vintage instrument restoration craftsman. In the last installment of this story, I promised to discuss how Marty Lanham was chosen to refurbish this cherished, vintage instrument.

Last June, at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Festival in Bean Blossom, Ind., my cousin Ray Hatton and I got together. He brought along Uncle Pete’s vintage Martin, which he had inherited. We discussed what a shame it was to have that instrument in such disrepair.

Ray didn’t know who he could trust to do a good job. He certainly didn’t want to ship it through any of the normal freight companies. Ray was at a stand still with the renovation of this wonderful instrument. As you recall, there is a strong emotional attachment to the guitar also.

I have passed around, at various bluegrass festivals, the story of the instrument. This past winter, I got a phone call from Tom Ewing. He wanted to set up a phone interview with me about my grandpa working with Bill Monroe at the Sinclair oil refinery in Hammond, Ind.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tom Ewing, he was the guitarist with Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys from 1986 until Monroe’s death in 1996. Tom actually played guitar with Monroe the last time he appeared on the Grand Ole Opry stage, just prior to his death.

Tom has written the wonderful book, “The Bill Monroe Reader,” and is following it with what many are saying will be the definitive book on the life of Bill Monroe.

Tom Ewing is hard at work trying to complete his newest project. As details emerge about when it will hit the shelves, we will keep you posted.

Tom has incredible insight into Bill Monroe’s character and his life. This comes from a man who worked longer with Monroe than just about anybody.

During our enjoyable visit on the phone, I asked Tom where he would recommend getting Uncle Pete’s guitar fixed.
Tom, without hesitation, said Marty Lanham in Nashville, Tenn., does all his guitar repairs.

As soon as I got off the phone with Tom, I did some research on the Internet about Marty Lanham and found nothing but praise heaped on his craftsmanship. I also found out he was the owner of the Nashville Guitar Company, maker of high quality instruments.

I immediately called my cousin Ray and told him about Tom Ewing’s recommendation. Ray did some research and came to the same conclusion, it was time to take the guitar to Marty.

Ray lives about 3½ hours north of Nashville. He had to wait for a day off and he and his lovely wife decided to take an excursion to see Marty.

Marty informed Ray it would take a couple of months to repair the guitar. I asked Ray if we at BluegrassJournal.com could follow the repair of this vintage Martin for our readers. He said he didn’t mind at all. Then I called Marty and asked him if he could keep us posted on his restoration work. He seemed happy to oblige and has been fantastic at sending us pictures and commentary.

We will continue to keep you posted, as details continue to emerge concerning work being completed on the old Martin.

Share This

The Del McCoury Band will release “Moneyland,” a multi-artist CD which features classic material along side the new on June 24th.

Google “money” and instantly flashing on your 21-inch LCD monitor are more ways to become a high roller than you can imagine. Do the same search for “moneyland” and you get pretty much the same results — with one very notable exception.

One search result that pops up mentions McCoury Records. Surely, Del McCoury, the label’s patriarch, isn’t pitching some get-rich-quick scheme, is he?

Not to worry. This “Moneyland” is a new CD, described as “a collection of songs dealing with issues facing Rural America.” It will be released on the McCoury label on June 24.

Although the label is only now releasing advance publicity on the project, it’s sketchy background, more than a year old, touches on presidential politics. On April 23, 2007, the Wall Street Journal reported that the John Edwards Democratic presidential campaign was giving away the “Moneyland” CD to contributors who gave $50 or more. The cover of the CD being offered back then looks like a clone of the new CD that’s headed to retailers.

Fast forward a year from when the Edwards campaign was still on its feet, and McCoury has evidentally taken partisan politics out of the project. (Well, not entirely. McCoury gets a word in about the election in remarks below.) Del McCoury himself is leading the promotional campaign for the multi-artist CD, which includes some classic material and a new tune or two. He describes the project as “a timely … collection that offers a hard-hitting look at economic injustice through songs old and new.”

The CD begins and ends with excerpts from two of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Depression-era “fireside chats.”

It includes the Depression-era tune, “Breadline Blues,” recorded in 1931 by Bernard “Slim” Smith, and “Breadline Blues 2008,” a reworking by the McCoury clan that also features Mac Wiseman, Tim O’Brien, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

Familiar names and songs abound. Merle Haggard lends his support to the project with his 1973 classic “If We Make It Through December” and the more recent “What Happened?,” which appeared on his McCoury Music bluegrass debut last year. Haggard gets a third plug on the CD with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell offering their take of his classic, “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.” And, yes, a fourth shot for the Hag — this time, his “Farmer’s Blues” with Marty Stuart.

Dan Tyminski’s “”Carry Me Across the Mountain,”based on a true Depression-era story, and Chris Knight’s “A Train Not Running,” are contemporary components to the project as is the title, “Moneyland,” which could be described as a bluegrass rap about the god-like role of the almighty dollar in today’s society.

In advance publicity about the upcoming CD release, bluegrass veteran Mac Wiseman, another contributor to the “Moneyland” CD, and McCoury talk about the changed face of America.

“I grew up on a farm myself, back during the late ’40s, and we raised everything,” McCoury said. “We raised hogs and chickens, had dairy cows, we shipped milk. Times were good for the farmer in those days, but now the farmers are just hanging on by their fingernails.

“It’s sad to me that country kids can’t stay in their hometowns any more. There’s no opportunity, there are no jobs, there’s just nothing. And at the other end of life, there are a lot of people losing the pensions they worked for. That happened to my wife, Jean — and there are more people relying on Social Security than ever.

“You know, we have a little fun on this album with that Beatles song, ‘When I’m 64,’ but really, it’s no joke. It used to seem like 60 was really old, but nowadays, it feels more like middle age, and to have a lot of years ahead of you without being sure that what you spent a lifetime working for, like a pension or Social Security, is going to be there, well, that just doesn’t seem right.”

“… in my travels, I get the feeling that we’re sliding back to the days of the breadlines, and more and more people are getting the short end of the stick — and a lot of it just seems to come down to greed.”

Wiseman,who grew up during the Great Depression, echoes McCoury’s thoughts.

“It’s very obvious to me that politics is running hand in hand with the big money these days,” Wiseman said. “There’s nothing wrong with a big house and a fine car and having plenty for the family. That’s good. But the greed we see now, that’s something else altogether.”

McCoury and his manager, Stan Strickland, shares executive producer credits. Strickland and Rob and Ronnie McCoury are listed as producers.

“I’m in a position where I can make good choices,” McCoury said. “And aside from just doing what I do musically, I can help others do the same themselves, and get a message out that people need to hear and think about — and, especially in an election year, take action on. This isn’t about party politics, it’s about doing what’s best for our country and everyone in it, not just a lucky few.

“That hillbilly boy in Appalachia and that farm boy in the Midwest and that black kid in the inner city, they’re all looking for the same thing: a way out and up. One of these days, those kids are going to start working together on their common problems-and when they do, they’ll fix them.”

Share This

The Dan Tyminski Band will release their much anticipated CD, “Wheels,” on the Rounder Label June 17.

Don’t think for a minute that Dan Tyminski is spending time in the rocking chair these days just because his long-time boss Alison Krauss is crisscrossing the country doing concerts with Robert Plant.

Tyminski, a key player in Krauss’ Union Station, has re-organized his own band , is performing at concerts and festivals and is waiting for the release of his long-awaited second solo album, “Wheels.” The CD will be released by Rounder Records on June 17.

Tyminski and his band will take to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry that evening to promote the CD.

The Dan Tyminski Band, which provides backing on the project, includes Union Station’s Barry Bales on bass and former AKUS mandolin player Adam Steffey, who has been touring and recording with Mountain Heart for the past few years.

Other members of the group are Ron Stewart on fiddle and banjo and Justin Moses on fiddle and Dobro.

Guest artists popping up on the CD are Vince Gill, Cheryl and Sharon White of The Whites and Ron Block, banjo player and guitarist with Krauss’ band.

Tyminski first rose to national prominence on the bluegrass circuit as a member of The Lonesome River Band. He’s been with Union Station since 1994, featured on guitar and mandolin and soulful tenor harmonies.

In 2000, Tyminski stepped further into the spotlight as the singing voice of George Clooney in the Coen Brothers’ movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” In addition to being a pivotal element in the plot of the film, his powerful rendition of the Stanley Brothers’ version of “Man of Constant Sorrow” became a surprise hit single, winning the County Music Association’s Single of the Year award, an IBMA award for Song of the Year (the album was also named the Album of the Year), and a Grammy award for Country Collaboration with Vocals.

The album also received the Grammy for Album of the Year – a rare achievement for a soundtrack project.

That year also marked the release of Tyminski’s first solo album, Carry Me Across the Mountain, and some of the first dates performed by the Dan Tyminski Band. He has also toured as part of Vince Gill’s band and with Jerry Douglas. He was invited by Eric Clapton to participate in Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004 and as a part of Union Station in 2007.

A Vermont native,Tyminski now lives near Nashville, Tenn. Tyminski is an avid golfer and has participated in a number of celebrity golf tournaments.

His new CD can be pre-ordered at www.rounder.com.

The track listing includes:

1. Wheels
2. Whose Shoulder Will You Cry On
3. Making Hay
4. Who Showed Who
5. It All Comes Down to You
6. How Long Is This Train
7. I Ain’t Taking You Back No More
8. Heads You Win Tails I Lose
9. How Many Times
10. The One You Lean On
11. Knock Knock! 01:52
12. Some Early Morning

Share This