11/28/2005 I have to go along with that, but I didn't know anyone excluded the Irish. Irish was a great influence on Daddy & Ralph's music along with Celtic, Scottish, & many other types of music. I think all these were huge influences on most of the music that came out of Appalachia in the last 150 years, weren't they? There was some German immigrants, Scotch-Irish (I think the PBS movie "The Appalachians" said the "Scotch-Irish" were Scotsmen who settled part of Ireland & sort of became part-Irish because they had to relocate in Ireland & combined Irish customs with their own, if I'm wrong somebody will know it & tell us). The Regular Baptist Church is mainly where Daddy & Ralph learned to sing, my Grandma Lucy & Papaw Stanley sang in church & both boys had to attend every Sunday & had to participate in the singing. Grandma Lucy taught them most of the instrument-playing they learned, Daddy also learned from the mailman, Beldon Vance, I think to play guitar & I can't recall where Ralph got more lessons when Grandma Lucy taught him all she could, but he kept learning from someone else. It was in church, though, & from my grandparents that Carter & Ralph Stanley learned about music, to love it, to play it & to sing it. Daddy's songwriting was must a gift he had, I don't think you can learn that, his songs just came to him & if something happened which affected him or touched him, he'd think about it & sooner or later a song would develop in his head about it. He wrote a lot of songs for my Grandma Lucy, the boys mother, because they loved her so very much & about their homeplace.
I love Irish music, Celtic Music, Bagpipes (love Bagpipes!), and nearly any type of "mountain" "old timey" "hillbilly" music from Uncle Dave Macon to Stringbean to Dolly Parton to Allison Krauss to Barbara & Louise Mandrell, Porter Wagoner, Ricky Scaggs, Keith Whitley, & lots of others. Johnny Cash & June Carter won't ever be touched again on "Jackson" & other duets they did-those songs were absolute classics. I've listened to Johnny & June do "Jackson", & "Ring of Fire" probably 1,000 times! I don't think anyone will ever do them as they did. BUT-others may develop them & do some of their songs in ways that can be just as enjoyable if somewhat different than the originals. I think there's room for many different types, some you just keep going back to & wanting to listen to over & over, huh? Music seems to evolve and have a life of it's own, don't you all think? Keep loving bluegrass & mountain music, it's the very best music in the world--No matter who sings it! Cordially your friend, Doris S. Bradley. Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: " " I'm a little offended that it is being suggested by our good friend in " " England that traditional Irish music had no influence on our mountain " " music. Instead " " he implies that it was merely the Scots and the English when most " " Americans' " " hertitage is Irish. I also do not recognize the term Ulster, as it is " " Northern " " Ireland. When refering to the "Ulster Scots" you exclude the native Irish " " that have lived there for generations and who were forced off of their land " " by " " the Engish who moved their Scottish brethren into the North of Ireland to " " "civilize" the Irish colony in the 1600's. If you are planning to speak as " " an " " authority in England on Bluegrass music you are misguided not to include " " the Irish " " influence as well as the influence of the Blues that has greatly influenced " " " " Bluegrass music. Many of Bill Monroe's mandolin tunes have very bluesy " " licks as " " do many modern performers of bluegrass music. Perhaps more research on your " " " " part is needed. " " " " J.P. in Kentucky " " Bluegrass Bulletin Board brought to you by the fan club of Dr Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys subscribe or unsubscribe at http://drralphstanley.com/
