Rip vernon derrick

[flatthead]

I heard yesterday that multi-instrumentalist Vernon Derrick passed away Friday morning, in Alabama. He was 74 years old. He played most notably with Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Hank Williams Jr. as well as many more. He was a great player and played on many tunes that are now considered standards of the Bluegrass Cannon including Arab Bounce, Big Country, and Sunny Side of The Mountain.

[AlanN]

On fiddle with the Boys From Indiana back in the 90's:

"Here's a little tune called 'Back Up And Push...Honey'".

He played some ahead-of-his-time stuff, such as the little blues lick he threw into Big Country. I have a solo LP he did some time ago, need to dig that up, slap it on the USB turntable and...er...ah...never mind.

RIP, Vernon Derrick

[JimRichter]

I agree with you about Big Country, Alan--or any of that mandolin stuff off of Big and Country Instrumentals. Vernon played stuff way ahead of his time.

RIP

Jim

[Steve Williams]

From Jimmy Martin to Hank Jr...the man could play with just about anyone...so versatile. He'll be missed.

Steve Williams
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Old Red]

Here's another vote for Big Country, with that incredible lick in the second half of the A part, and similar bluesy licks and great tone in Coming Round the Mountain and You Are My Sunshine (believe it or not!). #And #those endings! #His recordings with Jimmy Martin were unlike anything else being played at the time (mid-60s). #And he was a fiddle virtuoso too. #He will be missed.

Andy

[Tom Mullen]

I was told he was the fiddle player on "Love Me Darlin Just Tonite" by the Stanleys. Anybody know that for certain?

[f5loar]

He was a master of the mandolin and fiddle and one heck of a showman on stage. He worked so well beside Jimmy Martin it was as if they were brothers. One of few Martin mandolin pickers that didn't pick Jimmy's old F4. Vernon played his trusty 50's Gibson F12.

[David M.]

RIP, Mr. Vernon. #He'll be missed. #I'll have to go break out my record w/Heart of Dixie Waltz on it.

BTW, didn't he write Heart of Dixie Waltz?

He was an amazing fiddler.

[Scotti Adams]

Courtesy of The Bluegrass Blog

Veteran fiddle and mandolin player Vernon Derrick passed away on Friday morning (1/4) at the age of 74.

He performed with both The Stanley Brothers and Jimmy Martin during the 1960s after gaining some exposure during a brief stint with Flatt & Scruggs. A memorable contribution to the bluegrass repertoire is his instrumental Arab Bounce, originally recorded by Martin and The Sunny Mountain Boys in 1970, and re-cut dozens of times by other artists since.

Country music came calling as well, and Vernon spent time with artists as varied as Lefty Frizzell, Merle Travis and George Morgan to Hank Williams, Jr. It was with Hank Jr. that Derrick saw his greatest prominence, playing fiddle on #1 hits All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down and Country Boy Can Survive.

Vernon had been in poor health this past few years, and suffered from both renal and congestive heart failure. He underwent surgery in December and though he came home briefly after Christmas, he was hospitalized again earlier in the week.

Funeral arrangements can be found on The Arab Tribune web site, which also published a comprehensive overview of Vernon Derrick’s career some time ago.

Another pioneer lost…

[swampstomper]

I well remember his happy, smiling, even (Arab!) bouncing face on stage with Jimmy Martin. Not only was he great instrumentalist, but perhaps the perfect sideman, complementing his boss musically and visually. I have been working on Arab Bounce for years -- those triplets!! so simple to hear and so hard to play. He is also on some of the great Stanleys cuts. RIP.

[David M.]

pic from the Arab Tribune: