"The Wreck Of The Old Southern '97" Ernest Thompson

[MrWazzup987]

thank you much , one of my all time favorites

had a mint copy on the Col banner label , sure is nice that there's

saving this stuff on the 'net

[silvanski]

this must be one of the earliest recorded versions of this song, 1924 or so... Ernest Thompson suffered an accident in a sawmill at age 18 which left him blind

[BBYMRLCCOTN]

I think you might be right. I didn't know anything about a sawmill accident. What happened? I'm glad you enjoyed this video. Thank you for watching, Brian

[silvanski]

Thompson, who lived in Winston-Salem North Carolina, lost his sight at age 18 in a sawmill accident. Although he attended the State School for the Blind and learned skills commonly taught at the time (piano tuning, broom making), he became most interested in developing his musical skills. Becoming a one-man band adept at 26 different instruments, Thompson performed as a street musician and at dances, building a large repertoire of songs.

[BBYMRLCCOTN]

26 instruments, that's awesome! I'm glad he took up music and not broom making. He would have been a really cool person to meet. Thank you for the info, and have a great day! Brian

[Mandolin1944]

@BBYMRLCCOTN Very cool recording -- since they did not have multi-track in 1924 I guess he is not playing all the instruments here. LOL But its a great record!

[willgonow]

great song !!!!

[BBYMRLCCOTN]

Thanks! Have an awesome day!