Don Reno And Red Smiley 1962 Pilot TV Show Pt4

[sharpman141614]

Irving Sharp passed away he 1993. He is my Grandfather and a great man.

[williamanesbitt]

What a D-run ... boom-boom-boom-boom BOOM...

[landruss555]

I think the show was "Top of the Morning" on WDBJ

[gofer03]

Don Reno's banjo backup with Fisher's Hornpipe sounds quite Texas swing fiddle style rythem. Never heard a banjo do this before

[TruegrassBoy]

Must be a difficult tune - I've never seen "Mac" stay that still when playing a break. Reno's break is awesome - what tone he gets!

[stellingbanjos]

reno and smiley are the best!!!! PERIOD!!!! EARL TAKE SOME LEASSONS!!!

[boblackey1]

I well remember Flatt and Scruggs playing in Roanoke on a Friday night in the mid 60's and they sounded great that night. I got to go back stage and Earl was stitting in a room with the door open and I said "Earl many say your are the best banjo player out there". Earl looked up and said "I don't know about that now. There's alot of great musicians out there. There's Don Reno, Bill Keith, well I better stop I don't want to leave out anybody". Back then Earl seemed such a shy and humble man.

[boblackey1]

I was born in Roanoke in 1947 and grew up watching WDBJ. Do your parents remember Hal Grant, Dudley Townsend and Ron McDonald? They were others on the air back then. I got to go down to the station back then. It was downtown in the newspaper building and Don, Red, Irv Sharp were all very nice men. Always willing to chat and answer questions. Someone mentioned Earl and Ralph. Both were good friends with Don. Its a shame Don is gone. Lester Flatt thought a lot of Don too. Nobody sounds like don.

[cyrus621]

Interesting they play Fisher's Hornpipe in the correct key (F) -- Don's chords are amazing.

[gospelmusiclover48]

Don could play in any key without a clamp!

[CARROLLCTYDOBROGIRL]

Yes, just like Josh Graves on dobro.. Isn't that incredible ?

[acousticguitarfinger]

@gospelmusiclover48  But he had to retune the 5th strin, right?

[BDWong]

Oh man, somebody's GOT to put a DVD of this stuff out. I was only five years old and barely remember, but it sho' was good. Still is. Bluegrass as played by the masters. Irv Sharpe's a piece of work himself!

[mjsevera]

Actually a dvd was released a couple of months ago with much of this stuf on there as well as with a few songs with the stanley brothers. google "reno and smiley 1963 bluegrass dvd" and you'll get links to a few places that sell it.

[mandolinman2006]

I don't usually like musicians that dance around a lot when they play. I've seen "musicians" use choreography to compensate for their musical inabilities. But, when you are as good as Mack, Don, Red and the rest of the boys, I guess it doesn't really matter what you do, it will always be great! Thanks for posting these!

[panamintjoe]

Red Smileys Martin D-45 was only 20 years old or so when the show was filmed and it sounds awesome. I wonder what it sounds like now?

Thanks.

[FalconSupreme1]

Pure Southern Bluegrass ! Could sit here listen to these great musicians 24 hours a day. But then where would all that sleep go ? Thanks for posting.

[RenoScruggs]

to me Don Reno is the greatest hes my favorite banjo player.Scruggs and Ralph Stanley are favorites of mine but Reno is number one.Great video,,, can anyone tell me if Irving sharp is still living ?

[renopicker]

You have good taste in banjo pickers! Unfortunately I believe Irvin Sharp has passed away. I would have liked to have met him.

[fab4crazystill]

I had the opportunity to meet Irv Sharp back in the late 80's. My son was a little fella at the time we met him, and he quickly became a fan. He loved that man dearly. It was nothing to run into Irv at the old Crossroads Mall, and he always spoke ans chatted for a bit. Come to find out, he used to come to the little town that I lived in and performed in the local variety shows here. Those days are lost forever.

[JCB1986b]

Irv Sharp has indeed passed away. Sometime in the early 1990s. My parents worked for WDBJ which was the television station Irv worked for also (and where this clip was filmed). I met him a few times when I was a tiny kid. :D

[Dude1469]

Boy's It don't get any better than this...

and everythang !

[Buddawg1960]

Really wild stuff! Mack Magaha, pre- Porter Waggoner! As an amature country music historian, I could watch stuff like this all day long.

[tob5tag]

i wish television was like that now

[ncmedic57]

Great stuff for who ever posted it!

[a7d9]

The banjo player is the father of Hayseed Dixie's two Renos (?)

[kalimazoop]

yes that is correct. Don Reno is the Father of the Reno boys of Hayseed Dixie.

[arvinwynn]

This was just about the best show I think I have ever watched on line , I so remember this show as a kid living in south side Virginia and channel 7 was just one of three stations that you could watch at that time.Thank you so mush for this...if only to could be this good again.

[kmcfar1948]

Memories start flowing back waking up to the Morning Show on WDBJ in Roanoke Virginia. This show was on in the early morning and my dad always had it on its in my soul and I will always love it. I did not know that I watching pure perfection though!

[whipsnade13]

Absolute gold!

[kg4muc]

Great to see this material again!!! I once feared it was lost forever! I too would buy anything Kroger sells to see this kind of entertainment!

[ramblik]

I'll buy whatever Kroger has if I can watch Don Reno

[zekepig]

if you don't mind dead pigs, that is