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On our way back to the old home 2003 2001 2000
On Thursday we made plans to go back to Rosine again: this time to visit the newly restored boyhood home of Bill Monroe. This home was restored by the newly formed Bill Monroe Foundation's "Rosine Project." This organization, headed up by Dr. Campbell Mercer, has acquired the property and Mr. Monroe's legendary 1923 Gibson Lloyd Loar mandolin. Restoring the old home place is only one phase of the multi-phased Rosine project. Eventually, there will be a museum, a festival, restoration of Charlie Monroe's home, a full restoration of the rest of the farm, and Uncle Pen's cabin. Take time here to visit the other links of the restoration project, the dedication, and the link to the many pictures we took while there that beautiful early fall day. Here are some links to the Bill Monroe Foundation and the unveiling and ribbon cutting of the restored old home place, as well as news coverage of the event. This organization has done an awful lot in the last few months for our kind of music, and they've just started! www.billmonroefoundation.com
The road trip there was filled with memories, laughter, and the legendary stories Bill Knowlton kept us in stitches with (get the nails, Ray!). We were accompanied by Bill Knowlton of the Bluegrass Ramble and Andy Alexander, promoter of "Pickin' in the Pasture." It was a first for Andy as he had never been to Rosine. The sight was almost indescribable, the feeling surreal, as we rounded the last curve of "the road (that) winds goin' up the hill," seeing with our own eyes the original home of Bluegrass Music. The house Bill Monroe was born in. The very spot where bluegrass music itself can be traced to, and the first area of the world where the sounds of what became bluegrass music could be heard! To quote Campbell Mercer, "Bluegrass is the only form of music with origins that can be directly traced to one country, one state, one town, one farm, one house, and one man, Bill Monroe." To be able to go back to that place, and knowing that it actually still exists and is in the process of being completely restored, was a moving and humbling experience. How fortunate we are to have such a treasure to enjoy. I hope that you enjoy this section and these photos as much as I did designing it! ~Scott Corbett, October 2001
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Home To Rosine
What an honor! We had been to the Old Home Place and Rosine twice, in 2000 and 2001, while at the IBMA Convention in Louisville. The last time we were there, the guide was telling us about all the special things Campbell Mercer had in mind to do to the old place. He pointed to the woods behind the house and said they wanted to have a festival "Down there, in the holler behind the house." What holler? All I could see was woods so thick a field mouse could barely make it through. Even though I did not know Campbell Mercer then, I did know a little about his determination. The first year we went to Rosine, we went mainly to see -- Rosine. The Jam barn, the cemetery with Mr. Monroe's gravesite. Ray wanted us to see it as he did when he attended the funeral of Bill Monroe in 1996 with friends Steve Lundberg and Mark Orshaw. It was such a moving and emotional experience to the three of them that it prompted Steve to pen the tune "Monroe's Lament," which we recorded on our Full Spectrum CD. That was in 2000. We didn't know if there was anything left at all of the Old Home Place, had no idea where it would be, or if you could even get to it (you could not). We were sort of afraid to ask anyone for fear of invading their privacy. A few short months later, out of the clear blue, All too often it seems that with the many good intentions one may have to realize a dream, without the influx of some pretty serious dollars and countless hours of participation from volunteers, it's just not possible to attain it, especially one the size of THIS. (I would suggest you go to the Foundation website, http://billmonroefoundation.com, and see for yourself just how big this undertaking is.) As far as unattainable? -- WRONG! When we went back there just one short year later, not only did we have no trouble finding the place, we were completely blown away with the progress that had been made, mostly in the restoration of the house. It had been almost beyond repair, quite a story in and of itself! The determination of Campbell Mercer and the rest of the Bill Monroe Foundation is indescribable. You really need to read their story and see the photos at their website to believe it. There are many photos of our previous visits to Rosine and Jerusalem Ridge on our website in the photos section. There's a lot of significance here. In no other musical genre can the roots be traced to one area, one state, one county, one town, a particular section of property in that town, yes, even to one man. Bill Monroe was a man who formulated and then played bluegrass music all of his life and witnessed its development, watched and encouraged its evolution all the while it was evolving until just a few short years ago, when he went "home." When you are there, you can feel what he must have felt. The influence is still there. All of what is now known as bluegrass, and all that it entails: the instrument industry, the bluegrass recording industry, the festivals, the books and literature -- it all started right THERE on the Monroe family farm on Jerusalem Ridge. When you're there, lyrical lines from Monroe songs come to mind, and for the first time they start to make real sense. They were not just words strung together in melody. They have meaning. They came from real places. Real people, events, tragedies and beliefs.
Take a song that is THAT familiar to people who listen to bluegrass, couple it with the first-hand realization that it's REAL, and it comes together being a powerful scenario. We are so fortunate to have this place on Jerusalem Ridge, once again to go to and see and enjoy. Talk about a pilgrimage?!
Not so this time! As soon as I found out we were going to Rosine, I emailed Lou, and within minutes he emailed me back and sad he'd be there. No "ifs, ands or buts." He was there all right. He got there a day before we did! What a great reunion! We got to Rosine about noon Saturday, checked into the hotel in nearby Beaver Dam. We got cleaned up, went over our first set and then set out for the festival. Wow! We certainly were not "alone" this time! Then I started to see people. Familiar faces from years
spent in the business, but people I'd only seen photographs of. It's
kind of like when you're at IBMA. You look at people constantly because
you never know who you'll see, We played our first set on the main stage not knowing
if we would be accepted (we ARE a band from the other side of the "line"
after all!). Then there were the "stage dogs" I took quite a few pictures
of these guys! See, Dr. Campbell Mercer is a Veterinarian.
There was a row of chairs along the back wall of the stage.
As far as I could tell, just about anyone who wanted to could sit there!
Doc Mercer even picked a couple with us on his mandolin,
as he did quite frequently with many bands during the festival! He played
Bill Monroe's "Jerusalem Ridge" with the band. I can't blame him for
wanting to -- we were STANDING IN Jerusalem Ridge!
WOW! Then after our set was the grand finale. Wayne Lewis, Frank Buchanan, Butch Robbins, Joe Isaacs, Doc Mercer, and many others came to the stage. Butch Robbins made a very touching speech about the place, the festival, the Bill Monroe Foundation, and what it meant to all of us, and stated it perfectly.
Last, we sang "I'm On My Way Back To The Old Home" and the meaning and the truth of the lyrics to that song came back to me again. The "Old Home" is within sight of the stage. It was dark, but we knew it was there. When we came to that line in the chorus that says ".....But there's no light in the window, that shines on the road where I live..." That was correct. There wasn't one, 'cause I looked! Now that weekend in Rosine Kentucky has been relegated to the "recent memory" department of the old memory bank. I hope it does not turn to a distant memory before we get to go back there someday. I think we all left a small part of ourselves there. I know I did. How could you not? I can't explain it, but there's something very "homey" about the "Old Home Place." It's not my home, but in a sense somehow it feels like it is. I miss it already. If you want to experience a down-home type festival like nothing you've ever experienced, then make plans to attend this one. It's different. I'm not even sure if it was intended to be that different, or if it's just the ambiance of the place. It doesn't matter anyhow. It's where history meets the present and the future, all pulled together by a central theme, a music form that after all this time has finally gone back home. Back Home to Rosine. Scott Corbett Delaney Brothers Bluegrass September 3, 2003 Schedule | Recordings | CD Reviews | Photos Members |Links | Contact Info
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I
won't soon forget the night I received an email from Ray Delaney to
inform us that we had been invited by Dr. Campbell Mercer, the Executive
Director of the 
I
had always thought it was a very simple cabin, or little more than a
shack, but Bill Monroe's father was an extremely hard worker and a man
of considerable means for the day, although far from wealthy. I read
for the first time about the newly formed Bill Monroe Foundation, Campbell
Mercer, and all of the plans and dreams for the place.
For
example, in the song "I'm On My Way Back To The Old Home," in the chorus
there's a line that says "The road winds goin' up the hill." It Does!
"But there's no light in the window that shines on the road where I
live."
The tour guide will show you the exact window of the house that he was
talking about.
We
loaded up the BOGmobile (Brothers Of the Grass) and left for Rosine
Friday night, August 29th. We were all excited about what we were (in
only 14 short hours, but after a LONG 14-hour overnight drive) going
to experience. I own an auto appraisal company, and had already been
on the road all day that day covering almost 500 miles myself before
we left, and I was STILL excited! We talked about what it might look
like now, nearly two years after we had seen it the first time. When
we went there then, we were the only people there.
We
were anxious to see our old friends, Lou and Debbie, from Alabama. Lou
used to be a DJ up our way. He followed our band until a few years ago,
but we sort of lost track of him until just before we went to Nashville
a couple years ago. He found our website one night while surfing and
emailed me, and an old friendship was rekindled.
The
place was jammed with people in spite of all the rain they had been
getting. Vendors all over the place. GOOD food too. Ever had fried pickles?
Joe even had fried Twinkies! (We usually get him to try stuff like that
before we do.) There was even food backstage for the bands and staff
people.
and
there were some fairly notable people there that weekend: Bluegrass
boys like Wayne Lewis, Frank Buchanan, Butch Robbins, and Art Stamper.
We spent a little time with (the legendary, IMO) Art Stamper. I took
some great photos of Joe fiddling with Art Stamper, and a nicer fellow
you'll never meet! Karl Shiflett, Jesse McReynolds, Ronnie Reno -- the
list went on and on.
They
welcomed us with open arms! The crowd genuinely enjoyed what we did,
and their sincerity made all of us feel it was worth it, let me tell
you!
He
has LOTS of dogs. In fact one of them had a fresh new pair of hips he
was still getting used to! The dogs just sort of hang out. They don't
bother anybody. In fact they enjoy the music! One set I had one at my
end of the stage lying right next to me during the whole set!
At
one point Sunday afternoon, one of the festival goers came down to the
stage area with his dog on a leash. Campbell was up on stage talking
when the four legged "stage hand" saw the other dog, went right to the
front edge of the stage and barked at him! Yes, it came over the omni-directional
mic perfectly! Without missing a beat, Campbell Mercer said, "Does that
dog have his wrist-band on?" Classic!
That
was just too cool! And the stage manager Dwight? Now THERE'S a laid
back sort of guy. He's as nice and polite as you could imagine. He just
sat there all day enjoying the bluegrass. When it was near the end of
your set, he'd say "Two more". That was about it! What a great job to
have, huh Dwight?
Near
the end of our time there, there was a massive thunderstorm and downpour.
I mean it came DOWN! For about half an hour. Then it was over. I wasn't
sure we were gonna be going home after that one, but I somehow got the
impression it happens quite often in the mountains, especially when
it's 95+, and a thousand percent humidity!
We
played our final set of the festival Sunday night, "Late in the evening,
about sundown...." The crowd had diminished somewhat in size because
of the rain, but they more than made up for the lack in numbers with
their obvious appreciation. I'm here to tell you they made us feel welcome!
We
played a lot of Monroe standards like "Jerusalem Ridge," "Rawhide,"
"The Bluegrass Stomp." We did about a twenty minute medley of old favorites
like "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", "I Saw the Light", and "Somebody
Touched me" (and our own "Flower City Flash" never missed a beat on
the old upright bass!).
