Sweet Blue Eyed Darlin'

In 1978 Disneyland's Entertainment Booker, Sonny Anderson, gave Dick Hardwick an assignment..... to put together a bluegrass band for the opening of Disney's newest ride, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Dick already had been working with Doug Mattocks since 1973 so he was the first pick for 5-string banjo. On a commerical shoot Dick met John Jorgenson and later Charlie Warren. John could play the clarinet and a little mandolin - Doug was a 4-string banjo player who could play a little 5-string and Charlie Warren was a classical musician who played tuba and string bass. Dick Hardwick was an excellent drummer who now had to play the washboard and he could also play a little guitar. Somehow the band clicked and they started learning, on the job, from each other and from anyone else who would help them. The results of all this work were the Main Street Maniacs, which played Dixieland music for part of the day and the Big Thunder Mountain Breakdown Boys (later shortened to Thunder Mountain Boys) which played Bluegrass. The band went from 1978 until sometime in 1981 when Hardwick was tapped to take the place of the retiring Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Review. Raul Reynoso then came on board to replace Hardwick on guitar and washboard.
Edit by Doug Mattocks
http://www.dougmattocks.com
http://www.johnjorgenson.com
http://www.dickhardwick.com
http://www.chasmusic.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• bluegrass music
• folk music
• John
• Jorgenson
• Dick
• Hardwick
• Doug
• Mattocks
• Charlie
• Warren
• Disneyland
• Golden
• Horseshoe
• Reveiw