Wharf Picking Weekend

Silent Blog

Well, it been quite a while since my last post and its about time I made contact with all you "Grassheads" (Bluegrass enthusiasts) again. I stopped activity on this blog for a while to write a short story called "Peter the Pigeon". It sounds like its a children's book but the story is designed to have appeal to people of all ages. This link will lead you to the story. Nothing to do with Bluegrass but you might enjoy this little yarn. After Peter the Pigeon was published my wife Frankie and I went to Plymouth, where I was born, to celebrate my 70th Birthday.

Memories of Plymouth - circa 1963

Plymouth 2015 - me and Frankie

On the drive to Plymouth the words of a classic Bluegrass song came into my mind:

"I knew one day that I'd come back, I knew it from the start, Eight more miles to Louisville the hometown of my heart"

Plymouth is obviously not Louisville but the sentiment expressed in the song is the same as I feel for my hometown. The tune was written by Grandpa Jones and first recorded by him in 1946.  Here is a great rendition by Sam Bush and Carl Jackson.

We met our eldest daughter and her partner in Plymouth and then drove to The Lizard, Cornwall where we had rented a holiday home. Our other daughter, her husband and our grandchildren then joined us and the immediate family was complete for a weeks holiday in this beautiful part of the world.

Cadgewith Cove, The Lizard, Cornwall

The Festival Season

There are numerous Bluegrass Festivals in the United Kingdom spanning a season from May until September. It all starts with the Orwell Festival in Suffolk and culminates with the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival in Dumfries, Scotland.

Cartoon "borrowed" from Paul Brewer

To find an event to suit your calender I recommend looking at the British Bluegrass Music Association timetable. My first event of this year was the Wharf Picking Weekend. This year it was held at the Lenchford Inn on the banks of the river Seven in Worcestershire.

Setting up camp by the river

The event starts on a Friday and finishes on the Sunday. Once caravans are parked and tents erected small groups form and the picking starts. A great time to meet old friends, acquaintances and new faces.

Dave Norton, the Master of Ceremonies and  also a useful musician

The Amigos practising for the evening show

Tom, always willing to help banjo beginners

Martyn Peters and Chris Moreton playing Beaumont Rag

The format of these weekends is picking in small groups, workshops, a slow jam, and mixing and socialising.  In the evenings there are concerts. You can perform on stage yourself if you feel your ready for that experience or just sit back with a pint or three and enjoy listening to the "professionals" perform.  All the artists at the Wharf did a great job but I must single out a couple of groups: The Amigos and Western Edge. Both did outstanding sets in my opinion. Last but certainly not least, we were treated to a master class in flat picking guitar wizardry from Chris Moreton. Follow the link to hear him play the Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, a number he performed at the Wharf in concert.

All in  all a wonderful weekend which will live on in the memory. Thanks to Francis and his crew for the organisation and Dave Norton for fist class comparing.

Band Members

The Amigos

 Barry Scott         Guitar and Vocals
 Lenny                 Guitar and supporting vocals

Western Edge

John Campbell    Guitar and Vocals
Kevin Lewis        Banjo
Roy Nichols        Fiddle
Linda Harris         Bass

Early Years - Plymouth - 1945-1962

I was born in Plymouth, Devon, England in 1945. There was little music in my childhood. My parents had a radio but none of the music played had any appeal to me. We never owned a record player. I must have been eleven when the first television came into the house. That gave me great pleasure and I enjoyed many of the films and light entertainment but again no sounds that would stir me into an interest in music.

Pictures of Plymouth circa 1955 and me aged 17

Some years later, as a teenager, I acquired a transistor radio and was advised by school pals to tune into Radio Luxembourg. I listened at night under the bed covers and entered a new world. Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis are the artists that moved me. I loved it and could not understand why such music was rarely played in England at the time. My dormant music gene had been awaken.

Hooked on this "new" music I bought my first record, which my parents viewed with great suspicion because we had no record player in the house. The recording was an extended player (EP) by Buddy Holly.

The tracks were:
Peggy Sue
Raining in my heart
Not fade away
That will be the day

My cunning plan was to take the record to school and find a classmate who had access to a record player and then visit his home after school to play Buddy. Unfortunately taking records at school was against the rules and a teacher caught me showing it to friends during a mathematics lesson. Buddy was confiscated and I would have to appear before the Headmaster presumably to be caned. Fortunately I was not caned but given a severe reprimand. "I am surprised at you boy", said the Headmaster. "Doing so well in your lessons and yet listening to this American rubbish". I do believe that his attitude would have been different had the record been classical music.

This new love of American pop/rock and roll was a bit difficult to satisfy when I did not own a record player.  My friends and I would go to the local record store, choose a record and ask the manager to play it. The store had numbered record booths so we would be directed to a booth to listen. We never bought anything but got to hear numerous American artists and emerging English performers. I believe the manager understood our plight, liked our choice of music, and tolerated us.

I am not sure why but I started looking through the "Country" section in the shop.  Most of the records were of Jim Reeves because the girls loved him and he sold well.  He was not to my taste. It was in that "Country" section I discovered three records which resonated with me:

Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt
The Carter Family
Music of the Appalachian Mountains

I guess I was becoming interested in Bluegrass Music.