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.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! DanBill Monroe, Doc Watson, 1963, by Peter Feldmann
Charles Darwin
