Norman Blake-Flatpicker Extraordinaire
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Philzone Refugee
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?index=13&list=RD0bhvKGLS7rI&v=UEkVkJax2Co
One of my personal favorite musicians, an American treasure, and a somewhat unsung hero of American Roots Music. Got to meet him once back in the early 90s when he and his wife Nancy were playing a show at the Barns at Wolf Trap. Those were some great years in acoustic music, when I regularly got to see the Blakes, Doc Watson, the Tony Rice Unit, the Johnson Mountain Boys, The Seldom Scene, and even got to see the Big Mon, Bill Monroe play the first Clinton inaugural festival on the Mall in D.C. Moet of them are gone now, passed away, retired, their hands broken up.
This article from early 2017, does a nice job of filling in the blanks on Norman's doings up until that point. I didn't realize that his earnings from "O Brother Where Art Thou" directly led to his retiring from touring. It's three years later now, and he's 82 and still keeping on. Would love to hear any further updates, but for now, here's the 2017 interview:
https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/end-of-the-road-a-conversation-wi...
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y36HCn4Ivws
Norman Blake & Tony Rice New River Train
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J8Y6dp3l1BU
Doc Watson, Dan Crary, Norman Blake & Sam Bush Black Mountain Rag
6-24-79 Telluride Bluegrass Festival
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Herbal Dave, thanks so so
Herbal Dave, thanks so so much for posting these links.
Loved the Norman Blake interview (what a treasure he is), and I sent the NGR stuff from last week or so around to a few friends to share.
Words to heed. "Democracy doesn’t come with a guarantee." - Nancy Blake, 2017
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My pleasure Slick, glad you
My pleasure Slick, glad you enjoyed the links.
I've got to do a better job on my late-night posting proofreading. This part of my post:
Moet of them are gone now, passed away, retired, their hands broken up.
should read:
Most of them are gone now, passed away, retired, their bands broken up.
While the Blakes may not have normally been so politically outspoken (note Norman's caution about performers who push their political or religious agendas too hard), it's not surprising someone who spent over a decade playing with Johnny Cash would have strong feelings about what is the common good. When I saw Norman & Nancy in the early 90's, I flashed that I was seeing an updated version of Woody and Sarah Guthrie, a couple in love with their craft and each other, sharing that love with their audience. It's no accident they are friends with David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, who are carrying on the tradition of the itinerant folksinger.