Great Bluegrass related quotes

[Tim Saxton]

Yesterday at work all the boys were sitting around my desk as we were listing to Bluegrass Junction on XM radio.

And this fella Rick (who is not nessicarily a fan) says:

"Bluegrass music, It's kinda like not being embarrased when you dance"

my sides are still hurting.

Tim Saxton http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Bobbie Dier]

I told the MD that I work with about my band playing on the radio last night. He said Yeah, I thought the noise pollution index was high around here yesterday. I said http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif .

[jim simpson]

"we're better than we sound" and " you can make hundreds of dollars a year playing bluegrass"!

[Rroyd]

Not exactly Bluegrass, but not too far removed. #I have a friend who does MC work, and when doing some of his introductions, regularly uses the line, "there's a fine line between playing in an old timey group and not being able to play at all."

[Hoovetone]

Bluegrass Music: Songs from the heart- Sung thru the nose.
Or; Sung from the heart-thru the nose.

[jessboo]

from a bluegrass band I used to hang out with" yes we take requests but we're going to keep playing anyway"

[John Flynn]

"Folks, a lot of you have requested that we play "Somewhere Else," but I'm sorry, we don't know that one."

[mandomiss]

We were at the RockyGrass festival last year in one of the luthier's booths when it started pouring rain. Water started running down the sides of the tent and getting all over the instruments so everyone at hand grabbed an instrument and stood in the middle of the tent until it let up. While all of this was going on one of my dad's friends said, "Women, children, and resonators first, banjo players start paddling!" He obviously doesn't play mandolin.

[Scotti Adams]

Bill Monroe to Sam Bush after hearing New Grass Revival "Boy, that aint part of nothin"

[Scott Tichenor]

Bill Monroe to James Monroe after he knocked a bunch of mic stands down with his guitar at the Grand Ol' Opry: "that's just perfect"

Another Monroeism spoken to Richard Greene when he showed up dressed in purple and white bell bottom pants, this apparently during the 60's or whenever Green played with him: "you can't play the bluegrass music in striped pants"

Or, Monroe to a photographer that asked him to step back to frame the photo better: "no, you step back"

[Scott Tichenor]

Forgot this one by Pat Enright: "there's tens of dollar to be made in bluegrass music"

[Scotti Adams]

..good ones Scott..I had heard the Greene one and the photographer one too.....timeless..

[mmukav]

Ricky Scaggs, after a lengthy pause during a show while the band retuned their instruments:

"We tune because we care!"

[John Rosett]

one from another thread (maybe not even on mandolin cafe):
a band finishes their first song, and from the crowd, someone shouts "one more!"
i was at a bluegrass festival in oregon a few years ago. the mandolin player in the band on stage was tuning between songs, and the guitar player looked at him and said "now you think that if that COULD be done, somebody woulda done it by now."
john

[Rroyd]

Another Monroeism: After a guitarist-vocalist with a bit of a "newgrass" background had auditioned for Bill, Monroe dashed his aspirations of being a Bluegrass Boy with the comment, "you don't croon Bluegrass, boy!"

[sunburst]

Charlie Waller: "We don't have much fun, but we make a lot of money"
Upon the ocasion of playing someones request: "I'd like to say that this is one of my favorite songs...but I can't say that"
Another time: "This is one of you're favorites and I hope it's one of mine"

Our guitar player about me from the stage once: "John and I have played a lot of awfull music together...I mean we've played an awful lot of music together"

Then there's Ron Tomason....

[dave]

From Doc Watson "is that a real tune , or did you write it yourself"

[Albert Whiting]

terry baucom once said from stage Turn this mic up i'm getting ready to blast off.

[Stringbender]

Grisman introducing Joe Val: "he's the only Italian yankee in the universe who can sing bluegrass".

Scotty Stoneman after Clarence White's mic went out: "we're really enjoying Clarence's picking up here on the stage. I wish y'all could have heard what he just done".

[Landgrass]

Tim O'Brien: "John Hartford once told me....Don't get famous doin' something you don't like doin'.....and I took that advice....especially the "Don't get famous" part"

[Scotti Adams]

Harley Allen to Mike Lilly..."Youve got friends you havent even used yet"..

[Harrmob]

A couple weeks ago on stage in a bar I was introduced as a "guest player, with the little guitar". I said "just cuz I have a little instrument, doesn't mean I don't know how to use it". All girls thought that was funny.

[blammo]

Said before a set begins:

"Ladies & Gentlemen, we suffer for our music. Now it's your turn."

[Scotti Adams]

Red Allen to Son,,Harley...I was on stage with them when this was said....Harley was eluding to the fact that if Red would have been home more when he was a kid he wouldnt had to grow up with *^%$&^ crooked teeth...he could of had braces...well Red turns to Harley and says.."Harley, If I #were home more when you was a kid, you wouldnt have any %$**& teeth"....guess you had to be there....lol.....

To a loud, drunk woman in the audience: #"We are trying to work here. #When you are working we don't stand at the foot of your bed an yell." #

To a woman who kept yelling for "Rocky Top": #"We have an agreement with the Osborne Brothers. #They don't do our songs and we don't do theirs."

The first was a local band in San Antonio 20+ years ago. #I've heard Charlie Waller use the second one multiple times.

[mandopete]

Tim O'Brien (again) while tuning his guitar midway through a song "Just let me know if this show gets too slick for you folks!".

I use that one all the time.

[EZpicker]

As everybody knows Del McCoury asks for requests from the audience. Del gets a "hoot" when someone asks for "the motorcycle song" meaning of course, "Vincent Black Lightning". At one show some fellow kept yelling for "Highway 40 Blues" At first Del answered "we don't do that one, it's one of Ricky Skaggs' songs. The fellow yelled it again and Del answered "I'll tell Ricky you like it. If you want to hear it you can pick up a copy at Wal-mart". It broke everybody up.

At another Del show I attended someone requested a song from a long, long time ago when Del was singing with his brother and the Dixie Pals. Like the troopers they are, Del and the boys did the song. It was apparent Del was struggling to remember the words but Ronnie and Jason pulled him through it. After it was over Del said "Boy that's an old one. I had to pull that one, er... out of my back pocket"

[pathfinder]

To a female heckler who'd shouted "If I was married to a mandolin player as bad as you, I'd poison his dinner!" #The reply? "Lady, if you were my wife, I'd eat it!"

[Tim Saxton]

At a jam session:

"Playing music is like smoking crack, but with music you can still go to heaven"

Tim Saxton:D

[AlanN]

Larry Sparks...on introducing "Blue Virginia Blues":

"Now, this next tune was recently recorded by Bill Harrell. If you listen to his version, then mine, you'll see mine is longer. You get more for your money."

Bill Yates, on introducing James Bailey to pick Foggy Mtn. Breakdown...

"Heck, it's on the first page of every banjo book."

[Scotti Adams]

..and its done with 3 picks and a plastic head....

[Spruce]

One of my favorite lines delivered from a bluegrass stage was during the band California's last tour before Byron Berline moved back to Oklahoma, forcing the breakup of the band.....

Dan Crary: #

"Yeah, Byron's moving from California back to his native Oklahoma, which is gonna raise the average IQ of both states".

[Scotti Adams]

..Larry Sparks after waking from a nap on the bus while son Dee is driving somewhere in Michigan...."My Hair, My Hair"...while grasping he head with bth hands..

[AlanN]

Ralph Stanley introducing Ralph II:

"Now girls, this is my son Ralph II, he's 16 and ain't never been murdered."

Mike Snider on stage:

"It was raining cats and dogs one night, the doorbell rang and standing there is my Mother-In-Law. I said, don't just stand there in the rain, go home!"

[AlanN]

John Duffey, introducing John Starling:

This is John Starling, MD, specializing in Ear, Nose and Wallet

[AlanN]

Blake Williams on introducing Bobby Clark:

Bobby's from Oklahoma, where it's so windy all the time, when the wind dies down a bit, people fall down.

[elenbrandt]

"Did you say that? No, But I did."
"I sound more like myself now that I did a while ago."

Frank Wakefield

[Brian Baker]

On Flatt & Scruggs Live at Carnegie Hall:

"This song was written by the best songwriter that ever lived... And when I wrote this song...."

[mandoJeremy]

Lou Reid on stage when introducing Clay Jones and the next song. "We're going to do you a song now that Bill Monroe wrote at the height of his conceit, it's called Big Mon."

[Scotti Adams]

Paul "Moon Mullins"...."Its not a bad thing bein poor...its just unhandy sometimes"......he says this at least twice a week on his daily radio problem on WBZI

[Rroyd]

This one comes from a recollection brought about by another thread about building mandolin capos. One nationally known mandolinist, (not John Duffey) when questioned about his using a capo on his mandolin, replied that he had no qualms about using one, because, in his words, "I ain't no *******
Bill Monroe."