wild bill

Don't shoot him in the back; he is drunk.

In 1869 thirty-two-year-old Wild Bill Hickok was marshal of Hays City Kansas. Miguel Otero witnessed one of the exploits that would make Wild Bill a legend:

"I was an eye-witness to Wild Bill's encounter with Bill Mulvey, and shall relate the details as they linger in my mind:

I was standing near Wild Bill on Main Street, when someone began 'shooting up the town' at the eastern end of the street. It was Bill Mulvey, a notorious murderer from Missouri, known as a handy man with a gun. He had just enough red liquor in him to be mean and he seemed to derive great amusement from shooting holes into the mirrors, as well as the bottles of liquor behind the bars, of the saloons in that section of the street. As was usually the case with such fellows, he was looking for trouble, and when someone told him that Wild Bill was the town marshal and therefore it behooved him to behave himself, Mulvey swore that he would find Wild Bill and shoot him on sight. He further averred that the marshal was the very man he was looking for and that he had come to the 'damn' town' for the express purpose of killing him.

The tenor of these remarks was somehow made known to Wild Bill. But hardly had the news reached him than Mulvey appeared on the scene, tearing toward us on his iron-grey horse, rifle in hand, full cocked. When Wild Bill saw Mulvey he walked out to meet him, apparently waving his hand to some fellows behind Mulvey and calling to them: 'Don't shoot him in the back; he is drunk.'

Mulvey stopped his horse and, wheeling the animal about, drew a bead on his rifle in the direction of the imaginary man he thought Wild Bill was addressing. But before he realized the ruse that had been played upon him, Wild Bill had aimed his six-shooter and fired-just once. Mulvey dropped from his horse - dead, the bullet having penetrated his temple and then passed through his head."

me and pat hanging out at the 400 with bobby bare, jr in winter 2004

terrible sunrise

hello in there

john prine

merle haggard on the johny cash show

hank williams III

this guy is more like his grandfather than his dad is like his dad

a short documentary


here he is with his band assjack in new orleans
the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree

desparadoes waiting for a train

we've all lost a few good friends lately
hope to see 'em at the green frog cafe




mr. bojangles
by the nitty gritty dirt band

uncle pen

Bill Monroe (September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) developed the style of country music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for his home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. He is often referred to as "the father of bluegrass."

Monroe was born in Rosine, Kentucky. His father was a well-to-do farmer while his mother, née Malissa Vandiver, was from lower down the social scale. Malissa and her brother, Pendleton "Pen" Vandiver, were both musically inclined, and Bill Monroe learned old-time music from his "Uncle Pen," who was an itinerant fiddler.

Monroe's professional career began in the 1930s when he and his older brothers, Birch and Charlie, began performing as a trio, the Monroe Brothers, at a radio station in South Bend, Indiana near Hammond, Indiana where they worked in an oil refinery. Birch left the music scene early on in the Monroes' career, and the younger two brothers continued to perform as the Monroe Brothers. In 1939, after the brothers parted ways, Monroe formed the first edition of the Blue Grass Boys, and in October of the same year became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry.

As a mandolin player, Monroe brought a virtuosity previously unknown in country music to his instrument. In 1945 he hired Earl Scruggs, who similarly elevated the role of the banjo. This version of the Blue Grass Boys, which also included singer/guitarist Lester Flatt, Chubby Wise on fiddle, and Howard Watts aka "Cedric Rainwater" on bass, made the first recordings that featured all the elements that later came to be known as bluegrass music.

More than 150 musicians played in the Blue Grass Boys over the years. Many later became stars in their own right, including Mac Wiseman, Clyde Moody, Sonny Osborne, Jimmy Martin, Don Reno, David "Stringbean" Akeman, Del McCoury, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, Carter Stanley, and Randall Franks.

Bill Monroe was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970, the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor as an inaugural inductee in 1991, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as an "early influence") in 1997. He is the only performer honored in all three. His well-known song "Blue Moon of Kentucky" has been covered by both rock and roll and bluegrass artists.

In 2003, CMT had Bill Monroe ranked #16 on CMT 40 Greatest Men of Country Music.

watch chain

chris mills
recommended by goober
posted as a fond farewell

slobberbone

hootmusi© has yet to find an austin, tx based band we haven't liked

hey good lookin'

ol' hank


the replacements
live at the 7th street entry 1981

absolutely sweet marie

george harrison plays bob dylan country
a hundred bands have played this song since dylan set it free
harrison handles it well

he thinks he's elvis

irish country from the Maryhillbillys

roy orbison on the johnny cash show

country roads

for denver dean

sneaky snake

i couldn't resist my favorite tom t hall song about a root beer stealing sneaky snake
there was no video but some clever dude made this flash movie
this one's for the kid in all of us

okie from muskogee

one of my first and most favorite records from when i was but a wee lad

merle haggard
okie from muskogee

burning ring of fire

june 1963!