MUSIC VIDEO: Foggy Mountain Breakdown: Floyd Central Highlanders

Ed. here. I told you a few days ago that Walt would be taking some time off, but then the policial news heated up, and I couldn't keep him away from the keyboard. He's like an old firehorse; when he hears the bell, he starts running... the bell being an alarm over some stupid political move made by some stupid politician. 

Anyhow... we've wrapped Walt in a wet sheet until he stops frothing at the mouth. (Can you believe he actually got banned from commenting on Breitbart News?) So let us lighten up a bit and have some good music. No, it's not Tuba Skinny again. We do like other authentic folk music... music of the people... and a friend recommended this bluegrass group to us. 

Actually when he said "FCTV", we heard "SCTV" and thought immediatelyh of the famously funny Canadian sketch comedy series. But no, it's FCTV, featuring the Floyd Central Highlanders, five girls from Floyd Central High School, in Floyds Knobs, an unincorporated area in Floyd County IN. Here's their very nice rendition of "Foggy Mountain Breakdown".

 

That's real American folk music, folks... from the real America!

VIDEO: Remembering Mac Wiseman, RIP

As I've said before, it takes awhile for news to get to this corner of the forest. Some news I wish would never arrive, such as the death of old friends or people who I surely would have been friends with, if I'd ever met them. One of the latter was Malcolm Bell "Mac" Wiseman, who passed away on February 24th, at the ripe old age of 93.

Mac Wiseman was a justly famous bluegrass singer, from Virginia. His musical career began as upright bass player in the Cumberland Mountain Folks, the band of country singer Molly O'Day. When Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs left Bill Monroe's band, Mac became the guitarist for their new band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Later on, he played with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.

In 1951, his first solo single, "`Tis Sweet to Be Remembered", was released. According to Rolling Stone this song "catapulted him to solo stardom." It was the theme of his late-night radio program on WWVA "Clear Channel 1170 in Wheeling, West Virginia", back in the 60s. (The show was often hosted by yer coffee-drinkin' buddy Lee Moore.) Agent 6, who knew me when, may remember that I liked to climb into my car late at night and head for the hills north of our town, where the radio reception was better, just to listen to all the wonderful music on Mac's show.

There are many recordings of "`Tis Sweet to Be Remembered" on YouTube. My favourite is this one, recorded in front of a live audience, probably in the late 90s. Mac passed away on February 24th, 2019. I remember you, Mac. RIP.



UPDATED 1/4/19: Since posting this, Walt's attention has been drawn to an interview Mac Wiseman did with Hee Haw's Archie Campbell on Yesteryear in Nashville, a show that aired on TNN, in 1983. Click here to see and hear it.

VIDEO: Politically incorrect CHRISTmas song

Have you gotten sick, sore and tired of all the Christmas music? Or should we say HOLIDAY music? I can't stand it any more. Just make it stop! Except for this one, which Ed. just discovered while browsing YouTube. It's been disliked by over two hundred NPCs and multiculti weenies, so I'm giving it a big thumbs up and sharing it with you, my dear readers.

My kind of music

Readers will have noted my sympathy for listeners to CBC Radio whose ears are affronted by "black music". Agent 3 writes to ask what kind of music Walt would choose, were he in charge of programming for a supposedly mainstream radio network.

Obviously the question calls for an audio response. But here on the Inner Net audio without video is ... well ... unthinkable. I mean, it would be OK for Walt's blind readers, but ... errr ...
You get the picture. If not, here's the picture now, to go with the music.



Give it up for multiple Grammy winner, the polka king, St. Catharines' own Walter Ostanek! Say, folks, doesn't that bring back memories? Buffalo TV stations used to have live "polka party" shows every weekend! Yep, sandwiched in between the live bowling shows. Ah, those were the days.

Yes, Walt would definitely put some polkas on the playlist, along with some nice waltzes, and maybe the odd obarek. That would go a long way to satisfying the CBC's demand for multiculturalism too, eh.

Prefer some real down-home American music?



Stanley & Co. from beautiful downtown Townley, AL. Folks, that's what you call gospel bluegrass. When was the last time you heard anything like that on your effete big city rangdeedio? Got the "religious right" base covered too.

If you liked that -- and why wouldn't you? -- you'll find dozens of homespun versions of that fine old gospel song on YouTube. Just Google "I'll Fly Away".

Want to have some fun? Mix yourself up a CD of that kind of music -- the music of the silent majority -- and be silent no longer! Plug the CD in your car stereo, turn the volume up to "deafen" and drive through the `hood.
Don't stop. Have fun.

Footnote: This is post number 700. Had enough yet? Send an e-mail with "More!" or "No more!" in the subject line to walt.whiteman@yahoo.com. The wishes of the majority will be respected. Or maybe not... like the CBC!