The Glory-Beaming Banjo

Maybe it's because I've been thinking of Spencer & Rains since my last post . Maybe it's just because I simply don't know many G tunes. But "Stumptown Stomp" has been on my mind recently. "Stumptown Stomp" comes from the playing of Eck Robertson , who many consider to be the first commercial country musician. He first recorded for Victor in 1922, with "Sally Gooden" and "Arkansaw Traveler" being the first two sides released. Between 1922 and 1930, Victor released a total of 16 sides of Robertson's fiddling. He wouldn't be recorded again until 1963, when Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Tracy Schwarz of the New Lost City Ramblers paid him a visit. Those recordings were later released in 1991 on County Records 202, Famous Cowboy Fiddler , which included Robertson's playing of "Stumptown Stomp." The tune seemed to bubble to the surface in my local old-time circles after it was included on Spencer & R

The Field Recorders’ Collective has announced two new releases for 2019. Vernon Spencer and Jim Shumate seem to represent opposite ends of the old-time spectrum. Spencer was a gas station operator from Big Springs, Kansas, who played in a family band. Shumate was a professional fiddler who played with the likes of Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs in the early days of bluegrass. These fiddlers, disparate though they may be, provide vital a link for today’s old-time enthusiasts. Spencer was the grandfather and main influence to one of today’s fiddling luminaries, Tricia Spencer, of Spencer & Rains . Shumate, on the other hand, exemplifies the blurred lines between old-time and early bluegrass with a fast, smooth style and repertoire filled with traditional fiddle tunes. Vernon Spencer of Big Springs, Kansas (FRC726)  features 39 tracks and includes two excellent album notes from his granddaughter that are available on the FRC website. One features detailed track notes ,