Pete’s Word

I responded today to a request on a bluegrass forum for a receipe for beans (I’ll add that in a comment below).  Dan Cook, who originated the request, replied:

Hey thanks Peter. I agree with you that simpler is better. I've been
getting recipes with carrots, celery, mashed potatoes, shredded chicken
and everything else. I just want tasty beans and maybe a little ham in
there.

Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, 1963, by Peter Feldmann

By the way, I was listening to the old Bill Monroe & Doc Watson duet CD
on Folkways the other day and noticed your name in the photo credits.
Seeing them perform together must have been quite an experience. I was a
latecomer to bluegrass music myself, never having been exposed to it
until about 1984 or 1985 but Monroe and Watson were immediate favorites
of mine. I had taken on a roommate who had a banjo and an enormous
record collection. The 2 albums that caught my attention were _The High
Lonesome Sound of Bill Monroe_ and a Doc Watson album whose title
escapes me at the moment. I remember that parts of it at least were
recorded live and included cuts of "Cypress Grove," "Darlin Cory,"
"Where I'm Bound," "Love Please Come Home," and an unusual rendering of
"John Henry / Take This Hammer."

Anyway, it was either Rinzler or Rosenberg who wrote the cover notes for
the Monroe album and whet my appetite for bluegrass lore. I remember
Monroe being described as a "terse Kentuckian" with an "intransigent
spirit." I ended up buying my own copy of that album and having Monroe
sign it just a couple of years later. I was taking my first few
faltering steps as a rhythm guitar player and singer at the time. I'd
taken the empty album jacket with me in the hopes of getting him to sign
it. I was still not accustomed to the idea that fans could approach
someone of Monroe's stature and I was very nervous. Bill was seated on
the stairs at the side of the stage and when my turn came I wanted to
say something to him besides just "please give me your autograph." The
only thing I could think of was to ask him the lyrics to the chorus of
"On My Back To The Old Home." (I knew about 5 songs at the time and that
was one of them but the guys I was playing with couldn't agree on the
lyrics in the chorus.) Bill asked me my name, signed the record cover
and extended his arm as if to shake my hand. I'll never forget what he
did next. He grabbed my hand and then my arm, pulled me toward him and
sang the chorus into my ear from a distance of about 6 inches. I've
heard all kinds of stories about Bill's physical strength and it's true,
he had a grip like a vise on my hand and arm.It was a weird, riveting
moment for me. When he released me, he made some kind of remark about
making sure I played plenty of bluegrass on the radio. I was so startled
by the greeting that I didn't really pay any attention to the radio
remark until several minutes later. It was only then that I realized
that he had seen an envelope sticking out of my shirt pocket with the
logo and call letters of the local radio station that had comped me the
tickets to the show. Even at that late stage of his career and in
declining health, he was still remarkably strong and mentally sharp. It
must have been something to see him in 1963!

Dan