BANJO BONANZA

House Concert at the Finders' Memphis Home

October 19, 2019

 

L to R:  Jon Finder, Tom Gray, Eddie Adcock, Martha Adcock

       WORD LEAKED OUT a few weeks back that there was going to be the first annual Memphis Music Camp at the home of Dr. Jonathan and Jana Finder in Memphis. It's hard to keep this kind of thing secret when the likes of Eddie and Martha Adcock, Alan Munde, our own Randal Morton and Henrietta Smith, Terry Ferguson, and Tom Gray would be teaching all-day workshops and then performing on the evening of October 19, 2019. After all, there would be two (imagine it!) of the original Country Gentlemen there in the living room in the persons of Eddie Adcock and Tom Gray. The others of the Classic Country Gentlemen from around 1960 were Charlie Waller, John Duffey, and Bill Emerson. How good is that!

       While we don't play a note of anything, we knew enough to be there for the wonderful house concert by all the incredible bluegrass artists in the house. Apologies in advance for any errors in song titles or songs left out. We were writing as fast as we could! The artists performed with their pals and occasionally by themselves. It was truly an amazing event.

 

Randal and Terry

                                      Limehouse Blues, Rawhide, and a super jazz tune

 

Alan

Stymie, Munde Night (Monday Night) Waltz and Peaches and Cream ~ ~ Alan mentioned the Nashville String Band from a few years back, consisting of Chet Atkins and Homer & Jethro, and that must have been something to hear!

 

Eddie

 Hotel California

 

Eddie, Martha, and Tom

Pallet on You Floor, Many Miles I Have Gone ~ Martha mentioned that the Country Gentlemen took the music to new heights, pointing out that in the early days of bluegrass music, there were no modern conveniences--for the music or the musicians. Eddie joined the band in 1959, Tom in 1960, and it flowed from there with Charlie Waller, John Duffey, and Bill Emerson. Eddie, Martha, and Tom added Tom's novelty song "Would You Mind?"

 

Randal and Tom

Shuckin' the Corn, Opus 36 from Sonatinas by Clementi (not easy on banjo), Blue Bells (Eddie Adcock style)

Randal and Henrietta

                                                              Blue Kentucky Girl

 

Randal and Terry

Silver Bells, Red-Haired Boy, Dance with Me (from the band Orleans), Bully of the Town

 

Alan

What a Friend, Softly and Tenderly (gospel tunes), Jenny's Desire (a cat playing for a mouse in a nursery rhyme for his daughter) ~ Alan mentioned his colleague Beth Meade, who played banjo on old classics which were published by Hal Leonard; also 'brother tunes' (George and Ira Gershwin) like Embraceable You; Oklahoma Bound (Alan's from Oklahoma), and Huckleberry Hornpipe (by Beppe Gambetta and Dan Crary, done Byron Berline style)

 

Here are some photos from the event, some better than others, but we will put the great and near-great pictures here for you. Click each photo to enlarge it.

 

Special Note:There are more Finder house concerts scheduled for the coming months:  Jim Hurst (guitar/vocals) on Dec. 7, 2019, Irene Kelley (guitar/vocals) on January 25, 2020, and Special Consensus with Greg Cahill on April 26, 2020.

 

L to R: Randal Morton, Terry Ferguson

 

L to R: Tom Gray, Eddie Adcock, Martha Adcock

 

L to R: Randal Morton, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

Alan Munde

 

Several photos of Alan Munde were turned sideways,

but we will put just one in the list until we figure out

how to set them upright

 

L to R:  Randal Morton, Henrietta Smith, Tom Gray

 

L to R after the concert: Michael McKnight and his father, Mike McKnight

This one is very special to this blogger!