Kenny Haddock, dobro player

[Willie Poole]

No mandolin content but some bluegrass...

Yesterday my band played a show at American University in DC., after the show a lady came up and asked if I knew or was familiar with a dobro player named Kenny Haddock, I told her I knew him back in the early `60`s when he played with The Country Gentelmen in this area, she then told me that he was her cousin...I also told her that I had not seen him for over 20 years and she then told me that he had passed away a few years ago....When I got home I googled his name on the internet and read some of his bio....One time when Josh Graves quit Flatt and Scruggs Kenny took his place for a year or so until Josh decided to come back to F&S because he liked to eat...
Haddock was , to me, every bit the dobro player that Josh was but Josh had a following that helped draw a crowd at F&S shows....

I just thought I would past this on in case some of you older CG fans might have wondered about Mr. Haddock....

Willie

[Charley wild]

Good post, Willie. I have often wondered what happened to Kenny. He was a great favorite of mine and I picked up some stuff from him off the "Carnegie Hall" album back in the day. While I wouldn't put him in a class with Josh,* (IMHO being a dobro player) it was nice to hear another dobro player's approach to the music back then as he and Josh were about it when it came to pure Bluegrass.
I knew Kenny had played with Flatt & Scruggs for a short while during one of Josh's spats with them. He had a few. I didn't realize it was that long. lol

PS *No disrespect meant on your statement about Josh and Kenny, just a friendly disagreement.

[AlanN]

Did Kenny play the dobro break on Two Little Boys or was that Duffey?

[D C Blood]

I remember pickin' with Kenny a time or two during my few years in DC. Can't remember where, when, or who we were playing with, but he was good.

[Dennis Satterlee]

Kenny told the story of recording with Flatt and Scruggs. I forget which song it was but Earl thought his dobro break sounded too much like Eddie Adcock and not enough like Earl so it wasn't used.

[Charley wild]

Did Kenny play the dobro break on Two Little Boys or was that Duffey?

Kenny. From what I have heard of John's playing anyway, I'd say it was Kenny. John was okay on the dobro but Kenny was much better. Plus to me, it just plain sounds Kenny's style.

[Willie Poole]

Charley....On the internet type in "Kenny Haddock" and his bio will come up....I thought it aid he played with F&S for a year but I may be wrong on that...I didn`t take any offense to you liking Josh better, I am not a great lover of a dobro unless it is plsyed with some taste which most of them don`t do they just flail away and like to "whoosh" that bar across the strings and I can`t stand that...although I have played with some good`uns....

Alan, there may also be some info on that web site as to what songs he recorded with the Gents......I just glanced at the bio to see exactly when he passed.....I do believe it was Kenny though because if I remember right there is some mandolin playing on there also....

Willie

[Charley wild]

One of the reasons there has been some ongoing confusion with who played the dobro on that "Hall" album is that on the back of the original dust jacket there is a photo of the Gents showing John playing a dobro. Fooled me in the beginning. But for my money Kenny was the only dobro player on the album. John played on a few cuts of their Starday stuff but that's it and none of those cuts were on the Hall album. I have them all and John is easily identifyable (sp?).
Boy, what an album that Hall album is! One thing you and I will NEVER disagree on, Willie, is the early Gentlemen! What a band!

[Willie Poole]

Charlie and Alan....I just looked at an album that I have that was recorded at a festival in Roanoke Va. and it has a dobro on a few cuts and the only band members listed are Waller, Duffey, Adcock and Ferris, no mention of Kenny Haddock on there so I assume Duffey took turns on mandolin and dobro for that session...Of course that isn`t the original cut of "Two Little Boys"

Excuse the typos, my keyboard isn`t acting right, don`t always print the letters that I strike....I am usually a pretty good typist, passed it in high school years ago....

Willie

[AlanN]

The early CG were in a class alone. I imagine there's a box set out there somewhere, but what I have in the LP stack of that era are 2 Rebel LPs called Yesterday and Today, believe there were 3. There is good discography info in the back of those. Tunes Like These Men Of God, Heaven, etc. are from 1957 at a place called The Mooncusser Coffeehouse in New England. Probably among the earliest dates for that band.

Those LPs are cool, a wide swath of CG stuff, like They Call The Wind Maria with Jimmy G, Doyle on Train 45 and Little Bessie. Brings back the memories, for sure.

[Willie Poole]

Little Bessie is one of my favorites, along with Secret Of The Waterfall, Lonely Fisherwoman....Just about everything the Gents did was great...

Alan I keep the CD`s you sent me in my Tahoe and play them every trip I make...Great stuff....

Willie

Forgot to mention, Come And Sit By The River and Darby`s Castle....

[AlanN]

CASBTR is great, recorded by Charlie and Co. after Doyle left in 1978, to be replaced by Rick Allred. The intro and solo Doyle got on Little Bessie was very hip, nobody picked like that before him.

[Charley wild]

CASBTR is great, recorded by Charlie and Co. after Doyle left in 1978, to be replaced by Rick Allred. The intro and solo Doyle got on Little Bessie was very hip, nobody picked like that before him.

The only time I saw the Gentlemen it was with Doyle. I would have love to have seen John but I didn't feel cheated!
Has the early LP on the Design label every been CD'ed? I think it's called "Hootenanny" (With John Duffey and the Country Gentlemen as I recall) I gave up trying to find it and had my LP burned onto a CD.
I wasn't aware of those Rebel albums you mentioned, Alan. I'll have to check them out for sure!

[Willie Poole]

Charlie....I think I have that "Hootnanny" album, at least I did have...I`ll check and let you know, I can PM you and let you have my e mail address and I`ll burn you a CD of it if I can locate it....

Willie