Roscoe Holcomb Porch Banjo

[mrchalcomb]

u can find his music in the smithsonian & buy it

[mrchalcomb]

he's is my great uncle & my dad does the same

[bpproductions195]

I have a request. Can you upload the beginning where Roscoe is sitting on the porch with his guitar and singing Across The Rocky Mountains?

[nukecell]

The old "High Lonesome" sound is sadly lost to us now. Stanley,Flatts and Roscoe Holcome were the last of their breed. I grew up in WV and still remember families who played these old songs together at pig roasts and the such, They all lived pretty much in poverty and little to no education, but boyhowdy they could play like the dickens .We'd be eating,drinkin shine/homebrew and singin all night long. I miss those days, and now i have to watch this on youtube instead of live.

[gngranger]

Where is this footage from?

[WRECKEDEMWRECKORDS]

@gngranger there is an incredible dvd out by John Cohen that documents his visits to Daisy, KY and Roscoe Holcomb. Highly recommend it. Find it on Amazon

[MCrouch1984]

ya dumb shits here in app-ah-latch-ahh , we say scotch-irish not scots-irish, and they aint rednecks -nuthin redneck about this /--rednecks are proud to be ignorant, these hill folks were just isolated in appalachia if there were ignorant it wasent cuzz they ment ta be , ye dumb shits,...come to southern west virginia er eastern kentucky n youll meet the nicest folks youll ever meet.im from southern west virginia-west by god virginia the damm state,not virginia dont get it mixed up..

[bluegrasslives60]

@MCrouch1984 You got that right mister!!!!!!

[fastacid714]

@MCrouch1984 I agree, these were mountain folk thats all. Good people, grey, bad people and just like today in the appalchians, around the world. Hopefully Music will help transend stupid intolerance.

[billytackett]

@fastacid714 Eric Clapton said that Roscoe was his favorite country musician. Bob Dylan was a fan. Roscoe's music has already transcended ignorance.

Unfortunately there are those among us that can't say the same.

[topholewhat0]

i didn't realize roscoe hung around with iggy pop's dad!!!!!

[msb1963]

the music and dance are remnants of these peoples' scots-irish heritage

[bybster1]

down home and oh so cool!

[dantheman500]

haha from about 1:12 - could u be any more redneck ?

[willwkrueger]

that tune he's jamming on the porch is 'black eyed suzie'

[SovietTelevision]

I've seen a few video clips of Holcomb, one of them was in color and newer than this. Are there documentary films or somethoug out there about him? I wanna see everything I can about this man, he's an amazing musician.

[TheUnknownTribe]

@SovietTelevision This was filmed by a Archivist and banjo player named John Cohen. He put out a few movies that are available through Smithsonian. The High Lonesome Sound is the most popular.

[benhanbury]

What a legend.

[FancyGapClawhammer]

The playing was great, but I'm really impressed with that flatflooting too.

Roscoe Holcomb is my hero.

[TheSmokeyBoots]

what is this video from? a documentary or self shot? and where can i find it?

[awt43watkjaorg]

the fellow dancing on the porch is like a hillbilly iggy pop

[DYLandCO]

Just great ! Thanks to youtube to give this to all banjo players !

[DurhamRebel]

lol, my dad dances like that guy on the porch

[ArkRed1]

Little Birdie is the name of Roscoe's second song. First one sounds an awful lot like Black Eyed Susie.

[oitwork55]

whats the name of his second song?

sounds great'''

[bostonteabagger71739]

@oitwork55 little birdie

[dbetchkal]

I still can believe the shot of those two dogs. Incredible.

[banjojack47]

Something about that video touches the soul. A simpler place and time. No worries and stresses of life. I love it.

[almostblue22]

He talks about "worries and stresses of life", though.

He says there's no work, no money, hard times.

But simpler, yeah.

[crabtrap]

pre-internet,when instead of watching people play across the world on utube,we actually walked across the street and played/sang with them . now we play fake instruments on XBOX . stupid

[therikjones]

@crabtrap That is an irrelevant comparison. There are still people that play around the world and walk across the street and sing and all that. And the people that play Guitar Hero/Rock Band don't actually think they're musicians. I think it's wonderful that technology has allowed people to be able to discover this type of thing. Boundless discovery.

[crabtrap]

@therikjones if my comment was "irrelevant"in your opinion;you have never experianced a shindig or hootinanny.

you probabley will never understand what "soulful tone" is in music either as your mind has been corrupted with commercial garbage.

[therikjones]

@crabtrap I'm listening to this, so obviously I haven't been completely corrupted. I'm just saying that this spirit and soulfullness is still alive and well in the world; it is not completely gone. Guitar Hero and the like are just games, they have nothing to do with music outside of themselves.

[unsafe68]

It is John Cohen's film.

[flunyc]

Beautifully made little film. Who shot this thing?

[kennyholcomb1]

I really liked that, it was nice. ....Kenny Holcomb

[lynnedjones]

how come their shoes are so slippy lookin when they dance?

is there metal on them?

fab video footage btw

[checkraisedbywolves]

it is a gift.....a gift to us,the listeners

[evanazo]

its the real deliverance!!! seriously tho this guy is great

[ray8up]

Rock on Roscoe!!

[kycuntry]

real music from the hills of ol ky

[hedleyclive]

Wonderful! I loved the people with him on the porch, the bloke in particular. He could have been the Appalachian Iggy Pop...

[mdben6130]

The second song is Little Birdie

[mdben6130]

I belive the song is the black eyed susie tuning is gCGCe

[l2p]

Any idea what the song is? Or maybe the tuning?

[l2p]

The first song...

[ray8up]

lol

[moaningatmidnight]

i love youtube

[artbrosmpt]

RH wasn't filmed until he was in his late 40s

[fostoriaohiousa]

The women had way to much moonshine. (hanging onto the pole)

[topflight90]

haunting

[edcerc]

i want 2 dance like that

[aanndy]

who made this film (dir.?) ? -thanks

[Banjomountain]

This is from the film "High Lonesome Sound" I believe. It was made in 1961 or 1962 and I forgot the director's complete name, but I think his first name was Ralph.

[aanndy]

Thanks !

[thebetterhalf37]

i have the VHS of high lonesome sound and this is not on it.

[mudws]

Right title, High Lonesome Sound, directed by John Cohen, 1962. Unforgettable!

[fartsinwind]

amazing!

[paddymcharp]

I think Roscoe was only 28 when this was filmed. Hard times back then!

[rarapis]

Just love it plus he look's like my Dad and my Dad is 87 and going strong. thank you.

[klrkevin]

This man reminds me so much of all the people that I grew up around,the house looks just like my grandmothers old place.Very awesome,very talented.

[mizjessie44]

I loved the dancing! I play clawhammer banjo and always enjoy hearing the many styles of playing. This is a haunting video...I grew up in the rural south in Louisiana and these houses brought back memories.

[wachman]

i hope this is where all simple folk go when they die. back home in the magical woodlands where we originated. i'd give any part of me just to have a taste of the experience.

[jds44252]

I play hard rock guitar...one day I'm gonna learn how to play one o' them BAN'GERS' though...too cool ! Rock on Roscoe !

[jds44252]

OMG ! It's "DELIVERANCE" ! Really a wonderful piece of a bygone era of Americana !

[cymbula]

Wonderful to see this footage. Apart from seeing him play and hearing him talk, what an amazingly atmospheric piece of film.........the mist, trees, dogs, pump and no cars. Truly a vanished world.

First came across him on the soundtrack of Zabriskie Point in the 60's playing "I wish I was a single girl again"; great to now have albums on amazon and footage on here.

Thanks to the person who had the foresight to film it originally, and thanks to the people who put it up on here.

[lukeydon]

where is this filmed

[snoopyismydog]

i think this was filmed in kentucky by a man name john cohen

[bnjrpkr]

You are correct. John Cohen was a founder member of the New Lost City Ramblers as well as a folk music historian.

[zkafel]

know where you can get these vids or what they're called? prolly at the library of congress or something.

[GloomMaven78]

It was filmed in Daisy, KY.

[77pigpen]

who, when and how did these video's come about?

[devo83]

super cool. i'd give my left pinkie toe to be on that porch.

[maeviac30]

that was without a doubt,the gayest thing i've heard all day..

[willieskaw]

ECGCD i think.

[jeanhoel]

what a BEAUTIFUL document !!! thank you.

[willieskaw]

anyone tell me what tuning this is?

[johnnyjackpot]

Thanks so much for this!

[adamsfancy2]

This is just great!

[willieskaw]

i think thats the best style ive ever heard,whatever its called..

[soulrevolution]

Actually that style of playing is used by many mountain musicians and even dates back to the Senegambian Akonting, an ancestor of the banjo.

[Banjer]

I am not sure but they used to call it two finger style

[rustkingswv]

It's mountain banjo- or Carolina Style as my Uncle called it, he played like this. I do a variation with a flat pic and middle finger pic. Most of the old timers played like this. Gotta remeber- Scruggs didn't come along til the late forties!

[buffleheadcabin]

Roscoe actually didn't play much "clawhammer", here he is picking with thumb and index finger and from the sound of it brushing with the back of his index finger on the off-beat which gives somewhat of a frailing sound. Like most rural musicians his style is just something he came up with himself.

[urwhat]

WOW ! AWSOME !

[millikeith]

when I lived in GA I rented this video. It's called that high lonesome sound. Incredible singing and playing.

[willieskaw]

god that was good, can anyone tell me what style hes using and where id find a video on how to play like this.

[SgtSMOKE78]

its called clawhammer, try to do a search for Homespun Tapes, they have alot of good instructional material.

[bigkittywilliams]

it exists! wonder who made this, john cohen?? the shot with the dogs makes me think so

[RagtimeAnnie]

I give it five stars - but I like this kind of thing!Roscoe Holcomb's music WAS a gift from God - to him first, and then to all of us...

Strange movie though - cinema verite and all, but I guess you really get the feel of the place - beautiful !