Riding the night in the high cold wind
On the trail of the Old Lonesome Pine
~Carter Stanley 1957
Life can be very rough up in the mountains, and putting off the yard word work can rapidly spin your life completely out of control. At the end of May we were on that “Trail of the Old Lonesome Pine” between Bristol and Clintwood, when I spotted a little “fixer-upper” by the side of the road. Just about 20 yards from the manor house you will notice the toilet facilities. As the boys from Ozarks used to say, “In the winter time it was about 20 yards too far. In the summer time of course—it was about 20 yards too near!!” Check out this “Little Beauty” and stop by and see us when you’re in the neighborhood
For many years our Memorial Day Weekend has been spent on Smith Ridge high in the Clinch Mountains of Southwest Virginia. This year was the 43rd Hills of Home Festival hosted by Dr. Ralph Stanley focused directly at the hard-core devotees of his brand of “good old-time country music.” Each year Saga Musical Instruments along with the Stanley Family, present a Carter Stanley Memorial Blueridge Guitar to a member of the Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys.
This year’s presentation began with a tape of the first on-stage performance of the Carter Stanley classic How Mountain Gals Can Love! Playing fiddle with the Clinch Mountain Boys that day in 1957 was Pete (Roberts) Kuykendall. Pete went on to found “Bluegrass Unlimited” a few years later. The initial issues were mimeographed sheets mailed to the first subscribers. Finally in late 1966, a more standard magazine format was adopted and a photo of Carter Stanley was on the first cover. Bluegrass Unlimited quickly became the glue that bonded lovers of Bluegrass Music everywhere. Pete Kuykendall was this year’s recipient of the Carter Stanley Memorial Blueridge Guitar.
Richard Keldsen
Clintwood, Virginia
May 2013