Alan Bibey

[red7flag]

I remember the first time I listened to Alan Bibey. #I was a banjo picker, and mostly listened to banjo oriented CDs. #I got the first IIIrd Tyme Out album. #I was blown away. #There was that Bob Wills song, Miles of Texas, where his playing simply grabbed me and that Ernest Tubbs song, Thanks A Lot, where he did a string of triplets that just blew me away. #I have been an Alan Bibey fan ever since. #Had not heard much about him on the cafe except when talking about his Gibson signature model. #I know some consider him to flashy. #Was wondering what you all thought?
Tony

[AlanN]

He ain't that good

For real, he can do it all - hard core, swing, Dawg. One time at Roanoke, he did a thing with Jim Hurst. I'd give my left one for a tape of that 1/2 hour.

[Bobbie Dier]

He is great. One time I was in a music store in South Carolina and saw an add for mandolin lessons on the board. Alan Bibey was the teacher!!!! I almost dropped my teeth. I took lessons from him a couple of times. I thought he is probably the best I have ever heard. He is so smooth.
I met a guy at Galax last year Ricky(last name can't remember).He said that Alan Bibey used to take lessons from him a long time ago. He was no slouch either. He has placed a couple of times at Galax. Wish I could remember his last name.

[Flowerpot]

Ricky Ellis usually places in the mando competition... is that who you're talking about? Nice guy, he lives (or at least lived) close to Smith Mt Lake; I did some setup work on his mandolin once years back. The only other "Ricky" I can think of that would hang around Galax would be Ricky Riddle, but I haven't seen him at Galax for many a year (doesn't mean he wasn't there, but he's been out of circulation for a while).

Speaking of Galax, Bibey was jamming a few times right next to out campsite this year, and I got to record some of it. Good stuff. He can really spank that thing.

[Bobbie Dier]

YES that is him!! Ricky Ellis. I got to jam with him for about an hour last year. What a treat! You have a recording of a jam with Alan Bibey? How can I talk you out of a copy? I love trying to figure out their breaks off of jam tapes. I did that with an Arnie Solomon jam. Man he is good too. I still play some of the stuff I learned from those tapes! I recorded them at Mt. Airey at about 3:oo am

[metalmandolin]

Nice guy, great player, great teacher.

[Bobbie Dier]

Flowerpot,
I just remembered. I recorded that jam with Ricky Ellis if you would want to trade for the Alan Bibey tape

[bsimmers]

The B is really, really impressive. i think some of these top players are to the point where they have the ability to play any style, any key, any speed. And it's just the 'artist' part of them that determines their style, and what they play. Guys like Bush, Skaggs, Steffey, Bibey, and many more (I don't want to leave anyone out). But The B is really a tasteful mandolinist, and i understand he's a great guitarist also. "Thanks A Lot" was the first I heard him. I was coming home from work, and Jerry Gray played it on WAMU. I was calling everyone to find out who it was. Where is Alan Bibey, that I can maybe get a lesson?

[Flowerpot]

I'll have to get the jam off of mini-disk and onto some other format. I intend to do that some time, just a matter of finding the time to do it. I was thinking of converting it into mp3's -- is that a useful format for you? Send me a pmail.

[Bobbie Dier]

bsimmers,
When I took lessons from him he was in Garden City(near Myrtle Beach)South Carolina. I don't know if he still gives lessons. Maybe check with the music store in Myrtle Beach. Just Google Myrtle Beach music stores. I'm sure they will know if he is giving lessons or even still lives around there. Maybe someone on here knows.

Flowerpot,
Check your mail.

[Fretbear]

If you're looking for a "humbling" get the book of his solo transcriptions from Acutab....

[AlanN]

Alan knows every solo off the first DGQ record. At Bass mtn one year, we were doin the Dawg and he just marvelled on that stuff. It was all I could do to keep up. His take on Wild Fiddler's Rag is a joy to behold, as is just about everything he plays. He's a decent fiddler, too.

[A9cp]

His a clean player and a heck of a nice guy with a lot of patience. He took 15 minutes one evening after a gig and gave me a quick lesson on how to do a chop.

[Scotti Adams]

He ain't that good

For real, he can do it all - hard core, swing, Dawg. One time at Roanoke, he did a thing with Jim Hurst. I'd give my left one for a tape of that 1/2 hour.

Alan is a true Master..I consider him a good friend. He can play it the way the song dictates it should be played. In other words,,,I hear the same things..just wish I could play 'em...Alan,,if you can come up with it...Id give my right one.

[junksuph]

I saw him at a very small show. I went home and burned my mandolin. This guy is amazing!A real inspiration.

[Keith Wallen]

I am right there with ya red7flag. Alan really inspired me. The first time I heard him was at Frontier Ranch in Columbus Ohio when the New Quicksilver was in their first year together and I had just started playing. I got thier tape that night and played along with it until it snapped. Don't know why that happened I only played it a million times the first week... I have been trying to mix his stuff into my playing ever since.

[Flowerpot]

OK, I've got the Bibey jam from Galax 2005 ready to go in mp3's. I'll email them out to the 2 people who requested them.

Sunburst, I figured you would want in on it... let me know if you do, as Alan plays your new Red Spruce model on one song. Sounds good too.

Songs:

1 Ten Degrees
2 Katy Hill
3 Rose of Old Kentucky
4 Nine Pound Hammer
5 Cherokee Shuffle
6 Texas Panhandle Rag
7 Blue Ridge Mt Home
8 Listening to the Rain
9 Cold Sheets of Rain
10 Ponderosa
11 Susanne
12 Knee Deep in Bluegrass
13 I Just Think I'll Stay Around
14 Molly and Tenbrooks

There's not much pickin' on cut #1, so I'll send it out last. Mandolins go: Gibson Bibey model, cuts 1-3. John Hamlett F5 Red Spruce, cut 4. Loar, cuts 5-14.

Personell:

Alan Bibey, mandolin
Patrick Robertson, Guitar
Joe Hannabach, bass
Jamie Harper, fiddle
Joey Cox, banjo
Gary Dalton, guitar

For the folks who get this, please listen all you want but please don't put it on the 'net somewhere for people to download.

[sunburst]

Sure, send them! I remember that being a pretty good jam!
Thanks!

[Flowerpot]

OK, sunburst, and whoever else wants a copy, send me a PM so I can get the email addresses together and send out the mp3's to the next round of folks. Hope you have good download speed; each song is 2 to 4 MB.

[red7flag]

Mark,
Thank you so much for sending me those recordings. What I have listened so far is wonderful. Tonight after work I plan to listen to them all more carefully. The sound quality is very good for a jam.
Tony

[Flowerpot]

Glad they made it OK, Tony. I've got new requests from Ron, Dave, Alan, John, and Brian, which is no problem at all. It may be Friday before I can send them out, as I've got some slow upload speeds and won't have time today (picking tonight).

I did record the jam with my "marshmallo" mic-on-a-stick, and swung it around to keep it very close to the lead instruments and vocals (well, not that close to the b*njo) while monitoring through headphones. The mic couldn't have been more than 6 inches from the front of the mando during the breaks. Of course out in the middle of a campsite, the acoustics are dead, so I added a small amount of delay/rev, enough to simulate a small room.

[Bobbie Dier]

Flowerpot,
Thanks very much. I'm enjoying the jam . It sounds SO good. Thanks for being so nice and sending them to me.

Don't worry about me putting these on the web. I wouldn't have a clue how to do it anyway.

It will take a good while to figure out those breaks if I EVER could. I don't think I could play them up to speed( really I know I could'nt) I don't have a left one like you guys but if I did I'd give it to play like that.

[ronlane3]

WOW. That's all I can say. Totally awesome. THANK YOU!!!

[newbreedbrian]

thanks mark, much appreciated

[levin4now]

I had Alan as an instructor at Kaufman Kamp in 2004. Yes, he was amazing and a great teacher.

Another great teacher I had that week has a post on this thread - how you doing Roscoe?!