Jimmy Driftwood_The legendary folksinger

This is the legendary Jimmie or Jimmy Driftwood filmed on his ranch in Timbo/Ark. back in 1988. Jimmy was one of the greatest singers and storytellers of all time best known for writing Battle of New Orleans, founder of the Ozark Folk Center, friend of president Jimmy Carter, beeing a history teacher, star at the Grand Ole Opry, and of his extraordinary picking style mostly performed on an old homemade guitar!!

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Music

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• jimmy
• driftwood
• legendary
• folksinger
• battle
• of
• new
• orleans
• arkansas
• storyteller
• timbo
• country
• music
• mountain
• view

[TheMakemFolksinger]

brillant . cheers The Makem Folk Singer

[beaverdamgap]

I knew Jimmy in Mountain View when I lived there in the 70's. Really great to see him again.

I have a pickin' bow but sure can't play it like he did!

thanks So much!

Karen

[PurpleHazeGoofyGrape]

Love this stuff! Classic!

The "Jimmy Driftwood Barn" in Mtn. View

is Awesome, good times.

[fifthworld]

You can get the (semi-) complete Driftwood at Amazon etc. A 3 CD set by Bear Family records. Great stuff, some that I hadn't heard before (I had some old tapes I'd gotten from Moutainview back in '92 I think); and a nice thorough "book" included in the LP-size package, with wonderful info.

[cwknig2]

I have everything Earl has available on CD. He is my hero.

[docsavage98]

He's still got it too. If you haven't seen the DVD or listened to the Cd of "The Three Pickers" (Scruggs, Doc Watson and Skaggs) you gotta get it. Earl picks "Who will Sing for Me" on the guitar. I have heard him do this repeatedly over they years and he is so smooth now. Doesn't have that raw energy he did back in the 60's and 70's but he's matured into an untouchable master with wonderful style. But let's not diminish Mr. Driftwood here.

[cwknig2]

I would absolutely love to be able to play acoustic like Lester Flatt. As far as rhthym BG guitar goes, that guy was it. Also, Earl had an amazing technique, and he actually was probably one of the main contributers the Mother Maybelle Style, even though she picked like that, Earl played a lot of guitar stuff for their albums. I don't think he gets enough credit as genius guitar picker because he was so well known for banjo.

[docsavage98]

I grew up just up the road from Lester in the next county. I don't use a thumb or finger pick but I play a similar style..guess us hillbillies think alike. Jimmy's motion looked a little different from ours. It's easy to do if you grew up doing it but I started some flatpicking a while back and stopped finger styling and it takes me a while to get back in the groove...being an old fart now might have something to do with it too.

[cwknig2]

People like Merle Travis and Earl Scruggs adapted this type of style to a two finger style where they played almost entirely with thumb and Index finger. Lester Flatt used a thumb pick and finger pick, and instead of strumming with the back of his finger actually pinched all the strings in the chord to make a strumming sound. They were all great old mountain techniques. Mother Maybelle Carter is another great old finger picker. Then along came guys like Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed.

[cwknig2]

That old guitar pickin' like that was similiar to some of the old banjo pickin', but not entirely. The thumb played all down strokes, and ussually carried the rhythm. You'd also see them do some pinches and bass note walking with the thumb. Then the finger would up stroke for melody notes, and you would use the back of your finger nail to strum. This is a pretty tough technique to use if your playing very melodically. However, it accompanies singing very well.