Celebrated Thanksgiving the other day. Sitting out in the sun, dogs all around. Nephew just got out of the hospital after a long stay and all of my siblings were there for the first time in years. And I had your music playing. We all just sat and listened. So today, among other things, I am thankful for the music you make.
I'd never heard Sugar Hill until this here and I loved it as it struck me as sort of pensive, lonesome and woeful. I searched for some other bluegrass takes and I found I preferred your playing of it. I guess it's just that solo banjo and the tempo at which you play as it lends a thought to dark rivers and smoky mountains. You play it lovely.
The lyrics to this song really struck me as well:
If you wanna get your eye knocked out, if you wanna get your fill
If you wanna get your head cut off, just go to Sugar Hill
Ten cents in my pocketbook, can't you hear it jingle
I'm gonna court them pretty girls as long as I am single
Yea, red bird on the mountaintop and blue bird on the ground
Jay bird in that sugar tree shaking that sugar down
Yonder come that gal of mine, how do you think I know?
I can tell her by her Shoe Fly dress, it comes from Sugar store
Well grab your banjo off the wall, and get your fiddle, Bill
Hitch your horses to the sleigh, we're going to Sugar Hill
If you wanna get your eye knocked out, if you wanna get your fill
If you wanna get your head cut off, just go to Sugar Hill
I'm an Irish banjo player, this video has blown me away. I only thought I could play. You are amazing, lovely tune and fantastic skills. god bless you lady.
Playing so clean you could eat off it, this is absolutely amazing. I've tried off and on for YEARS to get my clawhammer anywhere close to presentable but it's so much harder than you'd think.
Your versions of Sugar Hill and Sally in the garden are probably the best i have heard by far. I would gladly pay for tabs of both if you were to release them on pateron or something. Trying to work it out from a video takes me forever.
I grew on this stuff, and her excellent rendition brought the words of Uncle Dave Macon back to me after 75 years. βIf you want to get your eyes knocked out, want to your fill, If you want to get your eyes knocked out, go to Sugar Hill.β And so on. Thanks, Phoebe!!!