Senator Robert Byrd: Will The Circle Be Unbroken (1978 Recording)

Cover photo on the LP shows Sen. Byrd in his office -- which is where he ended up recording this album. See below for more information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please note: As of August 27, 2010, I am uploading music videos to a new channel:

http://youtube.com/davidhertzberg

If you enjoy this video and would like to subscribe to new material that I upload please visit that channel and subscribe. Apologies for the inconvenience. regards, david
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senator Robert Byrd (1917-2010) of West Virginia (fiddle and vocals) is accompanied in this 1978 recording by Doyle Lawson (guitar), James Bailey (banjo) and Spider Gilliam (bass). I recorded this track from the LP, "U.S. Senator Robert Byrd - Mountain Fiddler," produced in 1978 by Barry Poss and distributed by County Records (serial number County 769). (Mr. Poss is the 2006 recipient of the Americana Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his accomplishments in music as a record executive. He has served on a variety of Boards including the Association for Independent Music, North Carolina Folklife Institute, Blue Ridge Institute, Foxfire Fund, International Bluegrass Music Association and others.) All the program notes on the rear LP jacket cover are included in this video.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpts from a July 1, 2010 article from the Charleston Daily Mail website - http://www.dailymail.com/News/201006301735 - about how Sen. Byrd approached the recording of this LP:

Begin text:

Byrd's recordings were originally released in 1978, during his first stint as U.S. Senate majority leader from 1977 to 1981. Barry Poss, the eventual founder of Sugar Hill Records but then a graphic designer at County Records, was chosen to produce the album.

Freeman said Byrd started putting the songs on tape in a northern Virginia recording studio, backed by top bluegrass musicians and Country Gentlemen members Doyle Lawson on guitar, Spider Gilliam on bass and James Bailey on banjo.

Byrd played his fiddle and sang traditional tunes like "Turkey in the Straw," "Rye Whiskey," "There's More Pretty Girls Than One" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

But recording didn't go very well at first, Freeman said.

Intimidated by the professional studio surroundings, Byrd's nerves got to him and his performances suffered, he said.

The session's recording engineer suggested taping the performances in a more comfortable setting, so the entire operation - recording equipment and all - moved to the senator's Capitol Hill offices.

End text.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A 1978 Time magazine writeup of Byrd as fiddler can be viewed here:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,919337,00.html

More information about the genesis of this recording here:
http://motherjones.com/riff/2010/06/music-monday-senator-robert-byrd-fiddle-o...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Senator Robert Byrd
• West Virginia
• Doyle Lawson
• Will The Circle Be Unbroken
• James Bailey
• Spider Gilliam
• Mountain Fiddler
• County Records
• Barry Poss
• County 769
• Fiddle
• Banjo
• Guitar
• Bass
• President pro tempore
• Raleigh County
• Clark Kessinger
• Hazel & Alice
• Bill Monroe
• David Johnson
• Lester Flatt
• Earl Scruggs

[WildeNotesMusic]

Extraordinary man, exceptional fiddler. Byrd worked tirelessly for what he believed. Fortunately, he was a man who continued learning and growing long into adulthood, and his beliefs and valued grew and evolved too.

He will be missed.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful bluegrass recording.

[classicvinylbiz]

@WildeNotesMusic Thanks for writing, and I am glad you enjoyed it. regards

[MOPEDER01]

You will be sorely missed by our country, Mr. Byrd. RIP

[TruegrassBoy]

Robert Bird was an awesome man. He is sorely missed both by union people and those who love their folksy roots. Thank you for letting his wonderful fiddle playing live on.

[ralph5656]

If you think he was a bad senator then why don't you give it a run yourself. We are in desperate need of a GOOD senator. Racism is alive and well. Some just can't handle the fact Obama is president. Byrds' past didn't hurt his playing a bit. A talent that a lot wish they had. If he was still living he would still get my vote.

[cory1thackston]

@davenewcreator west virginia isnt even a southern state... there is a difference between country and southern. West Virginia and Missouri basically make up that difference.

[ertel6]

Yeah, if only Byrd could have left his racism behind, and his US-destroying pork-barrel politics, he might have been remembered as a decent senator.

[vakeraj]

Senator Byrd, the king of pork barrel politics.

[eddybaby58]

@davenewcreator DemOcrats ARE southern hicks, and city slickers, and Okies, and desert trash and everything else you can imagine, good and bad. We are people, and you shouldn't be surprised to find a West Virginia Democrat, considering they have a legacy of Unions and worker's struggles second to none.

[WildeNotesMusic]

@davenewcreator We accept people for who they are now, not based on what they were several decades ago. Some people do change, learn and grow throughout their lives.  Robert Byrd was a fine example of this.

[davenewcreator]

@WildeNotesMusic

I thought demacrats hate those southern hicks but I guess they make an execption for Byrd. 

[amw1416]

he will be missed i live in the town he grew up in his death was felt by every body round these parts

[byan70]

WE MISS YOU