Legends of

TraditionalFingerstyleGuitarfeaturingMerle TravisElizabeth CottenMance LipscombBrownie McGheeDoc & Merle WatsonRev. Gary DavisRoscoe HolcombSam McGeeJosh White

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Traditional fingerstyle guitar is particular of its time and place,drawing heavily upon local culture, but allowing for personal ex-pression and innovation. Most rural communities at the turn ofthe century, especially in the South, had their own musicalpractitioners with stylistic similarities as well as shared repertoireon stringed instruments. By the time regional representation ofrural black and white music began appearing on record, theguitar had become (in most places) the premier instrument for itsversatility and expressiveness. While some songs such as “JohnHenry”, “Casey Jones” and “Sitting On Top of the World” becamestandards almost upon their inception, the manner in which theywere played could vary from place to place (two radically differ-ent - yet still traditional versions of “John Henry” by Merle Travisand Josh White that appear on this video, illustrate this). Each of the artists presented here are masters of fingerstyleguitar, whether two or three finger picking, with or without picks.With rare exception, most were born around the turn of thecentury or in its early years. From the Carolinas, Kentucky andTennessee to Texas, they fashioned a deeply influential mannerof playing wrought from rags, blues, ballads and native airs thatpermeated their times and gave impetus to any musician, know-ingly or not, who picks a string today.

MERLE TRAVIS was oneof the most influentialfingerpickers in the storyof traditional guitar. Hewas born in 1913 inMuhlenberg County. In1917, he began playingguitar. At an early age hewas influenced by a lo-cal black musician, JimFuller and Ike Everley(father of the EverleyBrothers) as well asother guitarists in thearea. Travis’s uniquestyle of picking was syn-thesized from a melangeof traditional elementsand became one of themost influential on thepost-war country scene.ph

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He began recording as a sideman with Clayton McMichen. Bythe early 1940’s he had moved to Cincinnati. With GrandpaJones and the Delmore Brothers, he was one of the first artiststo record for the newly formed King records. After World WarII, he moved to Los Angeles and began recording classicoriginal compositions. On this video Merle performs “JohnHenry”, one of the oldest folk ballads, which receives asprightly treatment reminiscent of the Delmore Brotherswhile “Lost John” and “Mus'rat” go back to minstrel showsfrom the turn of the century. Merle Travis died in 1983.

The Best Of Merle Travis (Rhino 70993)Merle Travis - Rare Performances 1946-1983 (Vestapol 13012)

SAM and KIRK McGEEwere one of the f i rstbrother acts in countrymusic. Sam was one of themost influential guitar styl-ists in country music be-fore Merle Travis and ChetAtkins. He was born 1894into a musical family andlearned to play fiddle, gui-tar and banjo from his fa-ther, an old-time fiddler.Kirk was born in 1899 andalso learned fiddle, banjoand guitar. Sam admittedlywas not too interested inplaying guitar until encoun-tering black musicians play-ing guitar in Perry, Tennes-see, around 1919. His incorporation of syncopation, bentnotes and a heavy rhythm into country guitar was noteworthy.Although he may be more noted for his years of accompany-ing Uncle Dave Macon, his guitar pieces established him as atruly great instrumentalist. Both he and his brother were earlymembers of the Grand Old Opry. “Railroad Blues” is a stun-ning performance in the key of E . It influenced black andwhite performers (The Anglin Twins, Turner Fodrell). “Wheels”and “Victory Rag” are other fine traditionally-styled perfor-mances. Sam McGee died accidentally in 1975 when thetractor he was repairing fell on him. Kirk died in 1983.

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MANCE LIPSCOMB, inmany ways, is the epit-ome of traditional blackmusic as performed inTexas from the early partof the 20th century. Alocal entertainer for 50years before his dis-covery in 1960, Manceplayed in every genreavai lable to a dancemusician, from balladsto breakdowns. Born inNavasota, Texas in 1895,he learned guitar fromhis father, a local fiddler,before he was eleven.When his father left thefamily, young Mancefound himself at agesixteen the sole support of his mother and siblings. Playinglocal dances, he managed to supplement his income as asharecropper and soon garnished a local reputation as amusician. Mance learned from a host of musicians whopassed through his town until he had amassed an awesomerepertoire of blues, ballads, rags, religious and dance tunes.In 1960, he was recorded by Arhoolie Records and beganperforming at festivals, clubs and concerts, gaining criticalacclaim, until he died in 1975. “Take Me Back” is one of theearliest Texas proto-blues, having been performed by Mance’speers Blind Lemon Jefferson and Henry Thomas, as well asbeing retained by Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Texas Songster (Arhoolie CD 306)You Got To Reap What You Sow (Arhoolie CD 398)

Mance Lipscomb In Concert - Video (Vestapol 13011)

ROSCOE HOLCOMB was born in Daisy, Kentucky, in 1913and grew up in a musical family. The area featured regularlocal gatherings with banjo, guitar, harmonica and dulcimerplayer as well as unaccompanied Baptist singing, all of whichinfluenced him. He took a keen interest in his musical herit-age, learning banjo by the age of ten and was constantlylearning local ballads and dance tunes. He moved to Hazard,

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Kentucky as a youngman and worked inthe coal mines, play-ing for square danceson weekends. Hol-comb often playedthe guitar in an opentuning like a banjo(as on “WayfaringStranger”) and sangin a modal style re-sembling vintageKentucky banjoist B. F. Shelton. When the mines closed afterWorld War II, Holcomb worked in lumber mills, constructionwork and whatever job he could find. In 1959, he encoun-tered John Cohen recording material for Folkways Recordsand Holcomb recorded “The High Lonesome Sound”. A docu-mentary film and several more albums followed with Holcombappearing at many concerts and music festivals in this countryand Europe.

The High Lonesome Sound (Smithsonian/Folkways)

E L I Z A B E T H“LIBBA” COTTENis one of the stron-gest representa-tives of pre-bluesblack music. Shewas born in Chap-el Hill, North Caro-lina in 1892 andbegan playing a-round 1904, per-

forming tradition black rural music of the time. Never aprofessional musician, Libba played for family, friends andoccasional parties. Left-handed, she played guitar upside-down, her thumb picking the treble strings, her fingers thebass. This unusual playing style became known as “Cotten-picking” and influenced a number of young guitar playerswhen she began playing publicly in the 1960’s. Nonetheless,her approach is very indicative of North Carolina-style guitarplaying. Her compositions are melodic and exude the charmof a simpler era.

North Carolina Folk Songs And Tunes (Smithsonian/Folkways)

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ARTHEL “DOC” WATSONwas born in Stoney Fork,North Carolina, in 1923. Atan early age he becameblind. He was raised on afarm in a large familywhere he learned 5 stringbanjo from his father andtaught himself to play gui-tar and mandolin. A vari-ety of old-time songs andtunes were passed on tohim by his parents. He at-tended the State School for the Blind at Raleigh and thencommenced to play music professionally in both traditionaland rockabilly ensembles. Ralph Rinzer of the SmithsonianInstitute encountered him in 1960 playing with ClarenceAshley and recorded them, eventually persuading Doc toappear at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963. His flat-pickingstyle was a revelation to young traditional guitarists andbecame very influential. While Doc’s fingerpicking style bearssome resemblance to Merle Travis’s, it is firmly in the NorthCarolina idiom although extremely personalized. “Deep RiverBlues” is a Delmore Brothers tune while “Traveling Man” isa turn of the century minstrel song that enjoyed a vogue in the1920’s among both black and white artists. Doc Watson stilltours, playing concerts as well as hosting the annual MerleWatson Festival.

MERLE WATSON ,son of Doc Watson,was born in 1949. Helearned guitar fromhis father and Mis-sissippi John Hurt.He developed inno-vative arrangementsthat still sounded tra-ditional. In his duetsand playing with his

father, he often took the lead or offered imaginative solo,such as the bottleneck accompaniment to “Got the BluesCan’t Be Satisfied”. An all around musician, Merle was tragi-cally killed in a tractor accident on his farm in 1985.

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The Doc Watson Family (Smithsonian /Folkways CD 40012)Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley (Smithsonian /Folkways)

Doc Watson & Family (Vanguard 77001)The Essential Doc Watson (Vanguard 45/46)

Doc & Merle Watson - Pickin' The Blues (Flying Fish 70352)Doc & Merle Watson - Down South (Rykodisc 10008)

Doc Watson - Rare Performances 1962-1981 (Vestapol 13023)Doc Watson - Rare Performances 1982-1993 (Vestapol 13024)

Doc & Merle Watson in Concert - Video (Vestapol 13030)

JOSH WHITE was one ofthe first traditional bluesartists to market himselfas a folk singer. Born inGreenville in 1915, hewas inspired by WillieWalker, the area’s great-est ragtime guitarist anda peer of Rev. Gary Davis.His family was very reli-gious, his father being apreacher in the sancti-fied church. As a youthhe acted as guide toblind street singers suchas John Henry Arnoldand Blind Joe Taggart,from whom he pickedup guitar. Taggart per-suaded his family to letthe young Josh act as hisguide for a recordingsession. At age 14, Josh accompanied Taggart on a Para-mount date in 1928. By eighteen, he was a consummateguitar player and was recording religious songs under his ownname and blues as “Pinewood Tom” for the American Record-ing Company. By the mid-’30’s, he had moved to New Yorkand become involved in political and social causes as well asthe folk scene. By the 1950’s, he had become well-known asa folk musician and enjoyed considerable popularity beforehis death in 1969. Note that on his rendition of “John Henry”,Josh uses a sustained vibrato which mimics the bottlenecktone with which this piece is generally played.

Complete Recorded Works 1929-1940 (Document Records)

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BROWNIE McGHEEand SONNY TERRYwere virtually am-bassadors of tradi-tional blues from themid-forties on, play-ing their traditionalEast Coast styles athome and abroad.McGhee, born inKnoxville in 1915,began learning gui-

tar from his father after a bout of polio at the age of four. Hecompleted his high school education in Tennessee betweenvarious hoboing trips, working on the streets, in carnivals,medicine shows and dances. 1939 found him playing inBurlington, North Carolina, where he encountered SonnyTerry, then playing with Blind Boy Fuller. After Fuller’s deathin 1940, McGhee and Terry formed a partnership that en-dured for over 30 years. Terry, born in Greensboro, Georgia,in 1911, began playing harmonica at the age of eight. Earlyon, he moved to Shelby, North Carolina. Losing his sightthrough accidents, he worked medicine shows and on thestreets in tobacco towns for a living. In l934, he met Blind BoyFuller and teamed with him until the latter’s death. Terrybecame involved in the New York folk scene as a result of hisparticipation in the 1938 “From Spirituals to Swing” concert.Both he and McGhee moved to New York in 1940. For thenext fifteen years they maintained dual musical careers forboth black and white audiences. “Keys to the Highway” hasbecome a blues standard since its initial recording in 1940 byJazz Gillum, but the tune itself (“Crow Jane”) probably datesback to the turn of the century.

Brownie McGhee 1944-1955 (Travelin' Man CD 04)Brownie's Blues (Prestige/Bluesville OBCCD 505-2)

The Folkways Years 1945-1959 (Smithsonian/Folkways 40034)Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry Sing (Smithsonian/Folkways)

REV. GARY DAVIS was one of the greatest exponents ofCarolina guitar playing, taking it to virtuoso heights that fewof his peers could have matched. Born in Laurens County,South Carolina, in 1896, he learned harmonica, banjo andguitar before his teens. The blindness he suffered as an infant

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limited his careerchoices and he be-came a street mu-sician. During theFirst World War,Davis played in astr ing band inGreenville that fea-tured master guitar-ist, Willie Walker,and learned some

tunes from him and from other musicians he encountered(such as Simmie Dooley). Davis played the gamut of blackand rural music that was available to him, of which blues wasonly a part. In the late 1920’s, he moved to Durham, N. C., tobe close to his mother and became acquainted with Bull CityRed, Sonny Terry and Blind Boy Fuller. A recording session forA.R.C. in 1935 first showcased Davis’ talents with ten reli-gious and two blues performances, the latter were producedwith some prodding as Davis had fairly foresworn secularmusic and was bound to be a minister. Disgruntled at themoney he received and disliking the treatment by the talentscout, he was not offered any further recording opportunitiesfor over a decade. Joining his wife in New York in 1941, Daviscontinued to sing and play on the streets of Harlem for overa decade. At the beginning of the blues revival, he recordedseveral albums, leading to an appearance at the Newport FolkFestival in 1964. He taught scores of young guitarists in theNew York City area and as an inspiration, his influence wastremendous (no less so than to the young Larry Johnson whoplays harmonica on this selection). Although South Carolinaguitarists seemed to be particularly technically accomplished,Davis was nearly unsurpassed for the brilliance and imagina-tion of his playing as well as the astonishing breadth of hisrepertoire.

The Complete Early Recordings (Yazoo 2011)Blues And Ragtime Guitar (Shanachie 97024)

Demons and Angels (Shanachie 6117)Harlem Street Singer (Prestige/Bluesville OBCCD 547-2)Say No To The Devil (Prestige/Bluesville OBCCD 519-2)

Rev. Gary Davis And Pink Anderson/Gospel, BluesAnd Street Songs (Riverside OBCCD 524-2)

Pure Religion & Bad Company (Smithsonian Folkways 40035)

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RECORDING INFORMATION

MERLE TRAVIS1. John Henry (Snader Transcriptions 1951)

2. Mus'rat (Snader Transcriptions 1951)3. Lost John (Snader Transcriptions 1951)

SAM & KIRK MCGEE4. Railroad Blues (The Wilburn Brothers Show 1972)

5. Wheels (The Wilburn Brothers Show 1972)6. Victory Rag (The Wilburn Brothers Show 1968)

© 1994 Act IV Videotape Library, Inc. & Wild Oak Pictures Inc. All rights reserved.

MANCE LIPSCOMB7. Take Me Back (KLRN-TV, Mance Lipscomb 1972)

8. Run Sinner Run(University Of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives 1968)

ROSCOE HOLCOMB9. Poor Wayfaring Stranger

(Homemade American Music 1980)

ELIZABETH COTTEN10. Goin' Down The Road (Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest 1966)

11. Mama, Your Papa Loves You(Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest 1966)

12. Freight Train (Laura Weber's Guitar, Guitar 1969)13. Vestapol (Laura Weber's Guitar, Guitar 1969)

DOC WATSON14. Deep River Blues (Masters Of American

Traditional Music, Seattle Folklore Society 1966)15. Traveling Man (Masters Of American

Traditional Music, Seattle Folklore Society 1966)

DOC & MERLE WATSON16. When I Lay My Burden Down

(BBC, Cambridge Folk Festival 1980)17. Sitting On Top Of The World

(BBC, Cambridge Folk Festival 1980)18. Got The Blues, Can't Be Satisfied(BBC, Cambridge Folk Festival 1980)

JOSH WHITE19. John Henry (1965)

BROWNIE MCGHEE & SONNY TERRY20. Keys To The Highway (Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest 1966)

REV. GARY DAVIS21. I Belong To The Band (Lionel Rogosin's Black Roots 1970)

11 photo by David Gahr

Vestapol 13004ISBN: 1-57940-957-1Running time: 58 minutes • B/W and Color

Front photo by David GahrNationally distributed by Rounder Records,One Camp Street, Cambridge, MA 02140

Representation to Music Stores byMel Bay Publications

© 2002 Vestapol ProductionsA division of

Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop, Inc.

Traditional fingerstyle guitar is particular of itstime and place, drawing heavily upon localculture, but allowing for personal expressionand innovation. Most rural communities atthe turn of the century, especially in theSouth, had their own musical practitionerswith stylistic similarities as well as sharedrepertoire on stringed instruments. By thetime regional representation of rural blackand white music began appearing on record,the guitar had become (in most places) thepremier instrument for its versatility and ex-pressiveness. While some songs such as “JohnHenry”, “Casey Jones” and “Sitting On Top ofthe World” became standards almost upontheir inception, the manner in which theywere played could vary from place toplace (two radically different - yet stilltraditional versions of “John Henry” byMerle Travis and Josh White that appearon this video, illustrate this).

Each of the artists presented hereare masters of fingerstyle guitar, whethertwo or three finger picking, with or with-out picks. With rare exception, most wereborn around the turn of the century or inits early years. From the Carolinas, Ken-tucky and Tennessee to Texas, they fash-ioned a deeply influential manner of play-ing wrought from rags, blues, ballads andnative airs that permeated their timesand gave impetus to any musician, know-ingly or not, who picks a string today.

Titles include: MERLE TRAVIS John Henry, Mus'rat. Lost JohnSAM & KIRK MCGEE Railroad Blues, Wheels, Victory Rag

MANCE LIPSCOMB Take Me Back, Run Sinner Run ROSCOEHOLCOMB Poor Wayfaring Stranger ELIZABETH COTTEN Goin'

Down The Road, Mama, Your Papa Loves You, Freight Train,Vestapol DOC WATSON Deep River Blues, Traveling Man DOC &MERLE WATSON When I Lay My Burden Down, Sitting On Top OfThe World, Got The Blues, Can't Be Satisfied JOSH WHITE John

Henry BROWNIE MCGHEE & SONNY TERRY Keys To The HighwayREV. GARY DAVIS I Belong To The Band

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