Remembering Duffey

**re simmers** · Dec-10-2009, 6:32pm

It's hard to believe it's been 13 years. I was driving to band practice and WAMU played about 20 minutes of songs featuring Duffey's great voice. Then Ray or Jerry (I can't remember which one) announced that the show was a tribute to the late John Duffey, who passed away that morning. That was a shock because Duffey could be described as 'full of life.'

First time I saw Duffey was at Indian Springs. Spectrum was on stage and Jimmy Gaudreau was playing some real hot stuff on his mandolin. MC, Gary Henderson grabbed a microphone and said, "John Duffey should be taking notes on this!" No one knew that Duffey was there because the Scene weren't scheduled to play until the next day. After Henderson's remark, Duffey came running from the wash house with pen and paper; Duffey stood in front of the stage and took notes as Gaudreau continued to play. Classic Duffey!

Bob

**eightmoremiles** · Dec-10-2009, 9:35pm

We have a whole new generation of fantastic mandolin players today, both classical and bluegrass. And we continue to have real "characters" in our mando world, across the wide spectrum of players out there.
But there will never be another "character" who could pick like John Duffey, nor one who could sing like a nightbird in May.

**re simmers** · Dec-10-2009, 10:04pm

........nor a 'front man' like Duffey. He definitely knew how to keep the audience involved in the show. Remember "bless your heart.........and all your vital organs?"

Bob

**Charley wild** · Dec-10-2009, 10:20pm

He was my first mandolin hero. One of my first Bluegrass albums was the "Carnegie Hall" album. I'd never heard anyone play like that! And certainly had never heard anyone sing like that! You only had to hear him sing once and you knew who was forever. I found the "Hootenanny" album in a grocery store for 99 cents a while later and thought I'd found treasure. Bluegrass albums were scarce up north back then. I about wore those two out. He is still high on my listening list!

**D C Blood** · Dec-10-2009, 10:54pm

Mine too, Charley...I consider myself very fortunate to have known John and call him a good friend. I miss him...

**mandolirius** · Dec-11-2009, 12:48am

<He was my first mandolin hero.>

Mine too! My first exposure to mandolin was Mike Auldridge's "Blues & Bluegrass". He was on it, as was Doyle Lawson. Then I got hold of the Seldom Scene's "Live At The Cellar Door" and I became an lifelong fan and follower.

I have one personal story. I was at a festival in Washington state called Bluegrass Firstclass. I had a radio show at the time and was interviewing Grisman. We were sitting at the bottom of a set of steps that led to a garden area. Duffey saw us, took a seat at the top of the stairs and, as the interview went along, moved down one step at a time. As he got closer, Grisman became more and more distracted by him and finally said "hey, why don't you ask HIM a question". Since the interview with DG appeared to be at an end, I did. But I didn't get anything from JD that I could use on the air.

**swampstomper** · Dec-11-2009, 2:22am

For a really nice retrospective of the later (Scene and CG Reunion) Duffey, the Sugar Hall CD "Always in Style" is an excellent choice. Listen to Duffey and Dudley on "They're at Rest Together".... then there's "Little Roy", could anyone sing that like Duffey? And the quintessential Duffey/Scene "After Midnight", with plenty of that patented Duffey mandolin style, finally a hot "TN blues" -- you can just picture him elbowing Mon out of the way on some stage -- Hey, I wrote that!!