Editor’s note: We’ve met and visited with a lot of wonderful people in the bluegrass world in the past few years, and especially in the last six months that we’ve been involved in our Web site. We asked a handful of some memorable people we’ve visited with over the past year and invited them to share a bluegrass Christmas memory. The charming, colorful story that follows was written by Greg Cahill, the solid rock, mastermind and banjo player for Special Consensus.

To friends and readers of bluegrassjournal.com,

Special Concensus

I will take a stab at recalling our last tour of the year back in the 1980s, heading into the Christmas break we take every year so we can have quality time with our families who put up with us being away from home all to frequently throughout the year.

We left Chicago in our van to play several shows in OH and PA. We encountered a pretty intense snow storm as we drove through IN and had to pull off the road for a while due to no visibility. Once we finally got back onto the highway, the van began losing power and we nursed it into an off-highway repair shop in OH. The mechanic was very friendly and dropped everything to look at our vehicle when we told him we were a touring bluegrass band and desperately needed to keep pushing on so we could make our show in Bethlehem, PA that evening.

Sitting pretty on the charts:
Special Consensus’s latest Pinecastle CD, “The Trail of Aching Hearts” continues to hold itself high in the bluegrass charts. It’s currently No. 6 on the Roots Music Report and No. 7 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s rankings.

The mechanic determined that we had an alternator problem but he did not have the part (it was Saturday) so he put our nearly dead battery on a charger in hopes that we might at least make it to Bethlehem for our concert. Since we had to wait about two hours for the battery to charge, we began singing old gospel songs in the waiting area to pass the time. The mechanic loved the music and gave us a huge price break because he wanted to help us out - we were mighty broke in those days. We left the shop in good spirits, even though we were now really out of cash and late for our show. I phoned the venue, Godfrey Daniels, to tell them we would be late but we would definitely get there.

We were pretty depressed as we nursed the van down the highway - we had not slept, had driven through a terrible storm and didn’t know if we would be able to complete the tour because the van was in bad shape. It was the Christmas season and we were determined to share our music with all the folks who were coming out to hear us (and we desperately needed to play the dates to make enough money to buy presents for our families).

When we were just outside of Bethlehem, the van was barely moving - the battery was again running out of juice. We had our guest fiddler sit in the driver’s seat to steer while the four of us pushed the van to the top of a hill on the outskirts of Bethlehem. We were exhausted but determined to get to Godfrey Daniels to play our show. When we topped the hill, the guys jumped into the van and I climbed onto the ladder on the rear of the van - we literally coasted into town. But our breath was taken away as we passed all of the homes with candles in every window - a Moravian tradition to welcome everyone. What a beautiful sight - the night was very dark and cold and still and all I could hear while holding onto the ladder on the outside of the van was the wind whipping around us. Those lights were so welcoming and the quiet ride was so peaceful that we all rode in complete silence - and peace. I will never forget the sight of those candle-lit windows and the warmth they shared even on a very cold night. We managed to get the van started again long enough to drive to the club, where the van officially died (we did revive it on Monday). We still spoke very little, but I know we all held this peaceful feeling inside that would not allow any of us to complain about the gruelling trip.

Then we walked into the club - packed out! All the people waited for us for nearly two hours. We were so moved that we didn’t even take time to change our clothes - we just jumped up onto the stage and began playing. The power of the music so completely connected every one of us in the room with each other - we played very late and all knew this was a magical evening.

After the concert, we pulled out sleeping bags and actually slept on the stage, cold but smiling because we had just had an evening worth more than any amount of money could ever buy.

I will never forget that evening - I think it was the first time I realized that I will leave this earth a wealthy person, even though I know I will never have any large sum of money in the bank. Traveling the road has not been any easy life, but I feel like a very wealthy man to have met all of the wonderful people who have shared the joy of music and the true meaning of life as we all continue on this fantastic journey.

Wishing everyone peace and joy in this beautiful holiday season!

All the best,
Greg Cahill

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Editor’s note: We’ve met and visited with a lot of wonderful people in the bluegrass world in the past few years, and especially in the last six months that we’ve been involved in our Web site. We asked a handful of some memorable people we’ve visited with over the past year and invited them to share a bluegrass Christmas memory. Today’s Christmas memory is from the legendary Bobby Osborne.

Bobby Osborne photo by Senor McGuire

Bobby Osborne never hestitated when BluegrassJournal.com asked him to share one of his favorite bluegrass Christmas memories.

“l would like to share a Christmas story that has meant more to me than any other story I could ever think of,” he said. “The song ‘Rocky Top’ was released on Christmas Day of 1967 on then-Decca Records (later MCA) by The Osborne Brothers.

“l could never ask for a better Christmas present than ‘Rocky Top.’”

The iconic bluegrass anthem, however, had a bit of a rocky start (pun intended) for Bobby and banjo-playing brother Sonny, who didn’t have any idea about the song’s long, bright future when they recorded it.

“Neither one of us or any one else in the studio had a clue as to what the song would do,” Bobby recalled. “In fact, “My Favorite” was to be the A side and “Rocky Top” the B side of the 45rpm. Ralph Emery had the all-night show on WSM at the time and one night he turned it over and played ‘Rocky Top,’ and it really all started from there.”

“The rest is history.”

And the song, indeed, has compiled quite a history. It’s now one of seven official state songs of the the State of Tennessee.

According to information at Wikipedia.com, famous country tunesmiths Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote the song in only 10 minutes. The Osbornes’ versions climbed high in the charts in 1968, and it went skyward again in 1970 when Lynn Anderson recorded the tune. In 1972, the University of Tennessee marching band began using it for one of their routines, and in 1982, the Tennessee legislature adopted it as an official state song.

According to Wikipedia, a real Rocky Top exists — it’s one of three peaks of Thunderhead Mountain in the Smokies, located along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.

The rock jam band Phish put “Rocky Top” in its set lists from 1987 to 2003. Cover versions of the tune have been recorded by Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty and Billie Jo Spears.

In 2005, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution placed the tune at No. 7 on its list of 100 Songs of the South.

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Editor’s note: We’ve met and visited with a lot of wonderful people in the bluegrass world in the past few years, and especially in the last six months that we’ve been involved in our Web site. We asked a handful of some memorable people we’ve visited with over the past year and invited them to share a bluegrass Christmas memory. Today’s Christmas Memory is from The Storyteller - Tom T. Hall.

One Christmas eve when I was nine years old, I lived with my parents and my eight brothers and sisters in the hills of Kentucky. This would have been 1945.

It had snowed five or six inches that day and we lived seven miles from town. My brother Quinton, who worked the factories up north was to come home for the holidays and had said he was bringing me something special.

As the cold blustery day wore on and darkness came, we realized that he could not get through on the rough country roads that had drifted with snow.

I had gone upstairs in the old farmhouse and gone to bed as the day seemed hopeless. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard shouts from downstairs. I jumped out of bed and ran down to see what the excitement was about.

We looked out the window toward the road and saw headlights bobbing in the distance. My brother Quinton had left his car in town and had rented a four-wheel drive Jeep.

My present was a big red colored Gibson guitar and three 78 rpm Bill Monroe records. The next morning I packed up my new guitar and my three new Bill Monroe records; I walked about three miles to where my friend Curly Jarvis lived. He owned a Gibson mandolin, and when Curly came to the door he broke into a big smile. I said “Get your mandolin, we’re starting up a band.”

Merry Christmas Everyone!
Tom T

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Editor’s note: We’ve met and visited with a lot of wonderful people in the bluegrass world in the past few years, and especially in the last six months that we’ve been involved in our Web site. We asked a handful of some memorable people we’ve visited with over the past year and invited them to share a bluegrass Christmas memory. Today Miss Dixie Hall was gracious enough to share some of her favorite Christmas Memories.

Miss Dixie Hall

Christmas at our house is always unusual to say the least. Some surprises for Tom T. have been gifts of five geese, two donkeys and (almost) a pair of bison (that’s buffalo). Fortunately for us, although unfortunate for them, the buffalo up and died a few days before the holiday. Other surprises have been a pair of Bill Monroe’s boots (a perfect fit), Birch Monroe’s fiddle and Tom T.’s own bass fiddle that he played while with the Kentucky Travelers. It had been beautifully restored and the bullet hole patched by Don Rigsby’s cousin Steve. Don smuggled it into the studio just before Christmas when he and Dudley Connell were recording the project Another Saturday Night. Tom T. walked through the room and Don said “, how do you like my bass Tom T.?” “Yea, it’s nice,” replied the Storyteller, taking the instrument and plucking a few notes “, it’s like one I used to have. In fact, I do believe. wow! There’s the bullet hole. It IS my old bass!”

Another delightful surprise came to Fox Hollow a couple Christmases ago when I opened up a small package which contained a mock up of a c.d. The accompanying note said “To Miss Dixie, this is good for a c.d. We’ll record in our studio; you choose the songs and the pickers. You produce and I’ll do songs we have written together. Local and Pal will handle (canine) security. We will call the project TOM T. SINGS MISS DIXIE & TOM T. Merry Christmas! Love, T.” This season it has been wonderful to hear from so many people who are, in turn, giving the recording for Christmas gifts. It is especially special because Tom T. had officially retired from the road; but like I told him there’s still too much music in him to ignore.

Happy Christmas Y’All,

Miss Dixie (Hall)

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