Where can I learn more about Jethro Burns?

[John Parrott]

Thanks to Ryk Loske for posting that great clip of John Pizzarelli and equating it with the general spirit of Jethro, Don, and the rest of the greats. Spot on, sir.

Chet was very much influenced by Homer and Jethro well before anyone got famous. H and J were in a band out of Knoxville called "The String Dusters" that Chet heard on radio, and he was influenced by their arrangements and the way they swung. He loved Homer's rhythm work, but he never could figure out how to play those chords. I asked Jethro about the chords Homer played, and he just shook his head, and said he had no idea, but they sure worked. I got the same response out of Chet. "He'd just grab a handful and go."

Jethro showed Chet quite a bit of guitar, and someday maybe a Time Machine will drop me off in the hotel room in Cincinnati when they are figuring it all out. And of course, H and J helped jump start his career with RCA.

Jethro got a lot of his chord melody guitar style from Roy Lanham, of the Whippoorwills. You can hear him and Roy on some of those Delmore Brothers recordings, the ones with the boogie woogie sound.

Anyone who wants to know more about Jethro should also look up some of those early RCA recordings. Some have made it to Bear Family as "Jazz From the Hills". Chet's early recordings often featured H and J, and they are still available on Chet anthologies. Look for songs like "Main Street Breakdown" and "Gallopin' on the Guitar". The instrumental work is amazing, and Homer's rhythm guitar is an engine to be reckoned with. They are first-rate for any era.

[Frankdolin]

Jethro jammin'