I was about to contact you to see if you and Cindy have gotten back from your trip.
I was going to suggest to you that the Folk Legacy Trio do Buck Dancer’s Choice as an instrumental
In … 1967 I was living in Louisville, and I was in law school at the University of Louisville.
I’m originally from Lexington, and my friend from Lexington, Tom McGoodwin, called me to tell me that Glenn Yarbrough was doing a show in Lexington in a few days. The show was going to be at Memorial Coliseum where the Trio had done a show in 1963, that I had my friends, John Bell and Mike Marsh record the show … that became the CD, “Flashback,”
At the time, Tom was a student at the University of Kentucky getting his Master’s in English, and he was writing for the student newspaper, “The Kentucky Kernel.”
Tom had gotten Glenn Yarbrough to agree to allow him to spend a week with him and his band … on the road. Tom did this, and wrote an article about it. His week’s adventure was going to end when Glenn did a show in Lexington.
During this adventure, Tom had met Glenn’s road manager, Rein Neggo. Rein had agreed to allow Tom to record the show in Lexington. Tom and I had made some bootleg recordings in the past … and he called me to tell me to come to the show with a tape recorder. Which I did.
Here’s a photo that I took of Tom and Glenn
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/yy53/maxhschwartz/Copy%20of%20TomGlen2.jpg?width=590&height=590&fit=bounds
As you indicated, Brian Davies and Clark Maffitt were Glenn’s guitar players. Before the show I met them and Rein.
(As you indicated, Glenn and Lou and Alex did many shows with the Trio, and Tom and I went to a good many of them. We were always glad to see Rein. The last time I saw Rein was at the first show the Trio did where Nick had rejoined the group. Bob had hired Rein to do the sound for this show. We made a recording of the show. A few weeks after the show, I got a cassette tape in the mail from Rein. I don’t know how it happened, and Rein didn’t know how it happened, but somehow, the only microphone that was on the tape was the one for Bob’s guitar. So, I have a complete recording of the first show after Nick’s return, and all you can hear is Bob’s guitar. It’s kind of interesting to listen to for a few songs. Sadly, Rein died from cancer not long after this. )
At the show in Lexington, before the intermission, Glenn introduced Maffitt and Davies. They did several songs, and among them was a version of Buck Dancer’s Choice, which they did a little slower than the recording, without a banjo.
They also announced that they had an album coming out, which I eventually bought…
I got a very good tape of the concert. I played it often.
Sooooooooooooooooooooo
That was how long ago ????????????????????????
Ever since then, every couple of years, I hear those guys doing Buck Dancer’s Choice in my head. It took them a few minutes to get their guitars tuned. I can remember it all.
It’s one of those songs that can haunt you forever. It happened again a few days ago, and I went looking for it again … on the internet. For the first time.
My problem was … I could remember Brian Davies name…but not Maffiit’s.
But, I remembered that that their names were on the back of the “For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her” album.
Incredible song
One of Glenn’s best albums.
Here’s Brian and Clark playing for Glenn
All of my albums have been boxed up since 1999.
But, I went on e-bay and found the album, and found Clark’s name.
Having found that their names were Maffitt and Davies… I was ready to go searching for their version of Buck Dancer’s Choice on the internet.
Now George …. Here’s what you have let slip through your memory.
Not long before Bob retired from the road, you guys did a show in a small town in Kentucky… Winchester. At a beautifully restored tiny movie theater.
You got stuck at the Cincinnati airport and didn’t get into Lexington on Friday afternoon, when everyone else arrived in Lexington. You had to stay in Cincy Friday night and fly into Lexington on Saturday morning.
I picked you up at the airport on Saturday morning. We went to our house and Jackee showed you her garden. I showed you this paining that a guy I knew in college had made from the “Time To Think” Album.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/yy53/maxhschwartz/.highres/TrioOil.jpg?width=590&height=590&fit=bounds
Then we went to a restaurant for brunch. Afterward, I showed you the neighborhood where Tom and I grew up. Tom lived in a split level house, and his room was in the basement, which everyone entered from a room in his house. This was where I first heard The Kingston Trio. Tom’s older brother, Bill, who was in college, had gotten the Hungry I album.
From there, we went to downtown Lexington. Where … that night, at the Kentucky Theater, there was going to be the premier of the movie, Seabiscuit, part of which had been shot in Lexington.
We then went to Winchester to the motel where everyone was staying. Bob had just gotten the Martin commemorative D-28 with the double pick guards and he showed it to me.
We then went to the theater for the sound check. After the sound check, I’d brought my Wollensak tape recorder, and I played for you and Haworth the part of the Glenn Yarbrough show where Maffitt and Davies played Buck Dancer’s Choice. I told you and Haworth that you should do an instrumental of the song in your show. You and Bob said it might be worth trying.
I think I know where that tape is in our basement…I’m going to have to make a digital recording of it and post it here.
Right now… I’m busy finishing writing the first act of a movie script. It’s a mystery that involves the recovery of Bob Shane’s banjo… his first plectrum that he played on the original recording of Tom Dooley. It was a Bacon & Day Silver Bell.
I’m writing this like a Hitchcock movie, and all of Hitchcock’s movie had their MacGuffins. It’s what the movie is about … but, it isn’t. Hitchcock said that it didn’t matter what the MacGuffin was … as long as it was important to the characheters in the movie.
In this instance, the MacGuffin will be important to Trio fans.
I was very much interested in this banjo, and I once talked to Bob about it. He said he gave it to one of the road managers… he couldn’t remember which one. I saw one on e-bay once, and told Bob about it… he wasn’t interested in it. I wish I’d bought it.
In my movie, the road manger (Played by Kris Kristofferson ) let some weasel get away with stealing the banjo. He and his granddaughter (played by Brandi Carlile) are trying to get it back. To do this, they have to form a folk group, and win a big Folk Festival Contest in Statesville North Carolina… the Tom Dooley Festival.
I’m about to write the part where they set out to find three guys for their folk group. All of this happens in the second act. This is where the fun begins. Everything I’ve written up until now is back-story. Not very exciting. They have met two interesting people. One is played by Jeff Bridges… who has his own band in real life. The other one is played by Adam Arkin. His dad, Alan Arkin was in Lee Hays’ Baby Sitters group, and Adam was in one that was formed by his dad.
Of course there’s a part in the story for The Folk Legacy Trio…. right now… I’m thinking that Cindy saves the day… in the movie Cindy is played by….Hmmm George… you tell me who. I’m thinking Catherine Hicks, or Bess Armstrong.
Next, I’ll re-write what I’ve written so far…then, I’ll start on the second act… should take a while.
When I finish it… I’m going to make it a podcast. Then, maybe it might become a movie.
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