>> From the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. >> Elizabeth Peterson: My name is Betsy Peterson. I'm the Director of the American Folklife Center here at the Library of Congress, and on behalf ot the staff I want to welcome you all today to the latest in our Homegrown concert series. And the Homegrown concert series is an opportunity for the American Folklife Center to feature music that, or dance, that is rooted in place, rooted in community, and rooted in shared cultural traditions. When we put on this series we work throughout the year with networks of folklorists, folk arts coordinators, other cultural specialists throughout the United States who help us identify the very best traditional musicians and performers to come and share their art and culture with all of you and all of us here in Washington, D.C., and we're all the better for it I have to say. One caveat before we begin the concert. One of the other things that's nice about this series is that it allows us to record the music here, and the music and the concerts here become part of the Archive of the American Folklife Center so that it will make it onto our website through webcasts so people around the world can hear, and for future generations to hear. So with that said, if you have a cell phone or any other electronic device, I would ask you to turn it off right now. And I also want to say that as we work with folklorists around the country we also work with organizations here to make this happen, and I do want to acknowledge our co-sponsor today, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, for helping to make this possible and we really appreciate their help. So, with that said, I'm not going to bring up someone else to tell you a little bit more about the concert today, and that is Cliff Murphy. Cliff is formerly the Director of the Program for Traditional Arts at the Maryland Arts Council. He is now the Director of the Folk and Traditional Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts. He's also, in his own right, a musician, a country musician, a rock musician, and all sorts of other things. He also has a degree in Ethnomusicology from Brown University. But I'm going to bring him out here right now. Cliff, along with Henry Glassie and Douglas Peach. just did a wonderful, wonderful book slash recording that has just come out, Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line, and I encourage you to look for it. It's on Dust to Digital. So, with that said, I want to introduce Cliff Murphy. [ Applause ] >> Clifford Murphy: Thank you, Betsy. Hello, everybody. How is everybody today? Good? All right. I hope you're excited to hear some great music. Are you, yes? >> Yes. >> Clifford Murphy: All right, that's good. Welcome to your lunch break. My name's Cliff Murphy and I'm very proud to be here today to present today's group and to introduce you to some folks that I've had the pleasure of working with over the last seven years or so leading up to, in some ways, today's event and the publication that has just come out, Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line. I've been involved here with my friends and colleagues, Henry Glassie and Doug Peach. If you guys could wave [laughter]. My co-authors and fellow adventurers. And Alan Burdette who's here from the Archive of Traditional Music in Indiana. It's been a great adventure. For those of you -- how many people here are familiar with Ola Belle Reed? There's a lot. Okay. So for those of you who don't know, Ola Belle was really a remarkable singer, songwriter, banjo player, traditional musician, country philosopher -- would you say that's a fair term? -- who lived in Rising Sun, Maryland. Was originally from Lansing, North Carolina. Moved up to the Mason-Dixon Line region of -- along the Maryland/Pennsylvania/Delaware border during the Depression with a large wave of Appalachian migrants who came up for good jobs and good, cheap farmland, and settled in the region. Brought a lot of music with them. Also brought other traditions, but what has really kind of survived in a lot of ways is the music. And so Ola Belle passed away a little over 10 years ago but joining us today is her son, David Reed, and two, let's see, her nephew, Hugh Campbell. There are also other relatives in the house. I know that there are members of the Campbell family here today with us. If you guys could wave. I think there's quite a few of you. So it's a real honor to have you here today. And we also have Alex Campbell, Ola Belle's brother and performing partner for many years. Alex's son, Rob, is here today. It's great to have you with us. And it's a funny thing about this tradition. So, Ola Belle and Alex started a couple of country music parks in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and these became important stopping points for a lot of musicians that many of you may have heard of -- people like the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe. Backstage we were talking beforehand. There's a picture of Dolly Parton from when she performed on this stage, and Rob, Alex Campbell's son, was telling me that his job used to be to interview Dolly when she would come through and play on the family's radio program. So it tells you a little bit about the interactions between these musicians who many of us think of as local musicians, and with kind of the national stars and how that was a very fluid thing for a very long time. And these traditions kind of pass across these boundaries of national/local music. And also joining us today is I think what we'd call a passel of Paisleys. We have Danny Paisley, Michael Paisley, and Danny's son, Ryan, who I think is 15? Is that correct? We'll just say yes. Ryan plays mandolin. And the Paisleys play a brand of bluegrass music that really blends honky-tonk, country music traditions with bluegrass, with old time music. And they're joined by fiddle player TJ Lundy. There are a lot of ties between all of these musicians and the collections that are here at the Library of Congress and the American Folklife Center. TJ's great-grand-uncle, Emmett Lundy, was recorded by John and Elizabeth Lomax a little over 70 years ago, and those recordings reside here. And also, Ola Belle was somebody who, and Alex, were recorded by Mike Seeger. And many of those recordings reside here as well And then, or course, Henry Glass's recordings of Ola Belle, so -- which are included in this [inaudible] digital release that we hope you'll check out. And enough about that. I think that you're all here for music instead of a lecture. Is that right? Did I get the memo? Okay. So, if you would please give a warm welcome to, and I will introduce them one-by-one, Mr. Dave Reed on guitar and banjo. [ Applause ] You guys can start coming on out. Mr. Hugh Campbell on guitar and vocals and [applause]. Both of these guys will be playing some of their original songs. We also have Mr. Danny Paisley on guitar and vocals, Michael Paisley, his brother, on the upright bass, Ryan Paisley on mandolin, and TJ Lundy on fiddle. Have I got you all? >> David Reed: I think so. >> Clifford Murphy: All right. [ Applause ] Enjoy the music, everybody. [ Music ] >> All right [inaudible]. >> You all ready? >> David Reed: Yeah. [ Music ] >> Hey. [ Music and Singing ] >> We could go all the way through, too. [ Music and Singing ] >> Hugh Campbell: Danny Paisley, ladies and gentlemen. [ Applause ] >> You know the amazing thing about that song? You can keep going as long as you can, until it took me a get a string on, you know? >> David Reed: At least 100 years. >> Yeah,, darling' you can't love 140. >> Yeah [laughter]. >> How's everybody doing at lunchtime? Everybody happy? Well, we're all here trying to play a little music in honor of Ola Belle Reed. I'm sure everyone remembers such a sweet lady that Dave's mom was. And they're going to do some songs that she wrote and some songs that they recorded, and some songs we've done. And we'll just have a big time, so everybody clap your hands and have fun, and we'll proceed for the next few minutes and play some old-timey music, all right? Hugh, you got a tune, don't you, bud? >> Hugh Campbell: We do. We're going to do a tune called "Don't You Call My Name." This song was written by Uncle Herb Campbell way back in the day, back in the late '60s. Been record by the likes of the Johnson Mountain Boys, Del McCoury, and most recently by Dailey and Vincent, TJ. >> Yes. [ Music and Singing ] >> Davey. [ Music ] [ Applause and Cheering ] >> That's some good singing there, Hugh. >> Hugh Campbell: Thank you. >> Yeah. Your uncle wrote that, too, right? >> Hugh Campbell: Uncle Herb Campbell, otherwise known as Hub. >> Hub. [ Inaudible Speaker ] [ Laughter ] >> How did he get the name Hub? Can we ask? >> Hugh Campbell: No. >> Probably shouldn't. >> Dave Reed: All right. [ Music ] >> My son, Ryan Paisley, right there on the mandolin. [ Applause ] He'll get us started off here on this here, "My Home Across the Blue Ridge Mountains." [ Music ] [ Applause ] [ Inaudible Speaker ] >> Oh. Tell them all about it, Davey. >> David Reed: He's waiting for me to talk and I'm waiting for him to talk. >> Okay. >> David Reed: he name of this song [inaudible], "John Hardy." Got a question. How many people can tell I'm a hillbilly? Can you tell it? Why? Because of my size? Oh, no. "John Hardy," boys. Here we go. One, two, three, [ Music ] Ryan Paisley. Go ahead, Ryan, and go for it. [ Music ] Give him a hand. Come on, now. [ Music ] Oh, yeah. [ Music ] TJ's on the other fiddle, [inaudible]. Yeah. Woo. Give him a big hand, too. [ Music ] Ryan. [ Music ] TJ, come on, TJ. Play that fiddle for us. [ Music ] That was good. Thanks. Do it fast now. >> All right. [ Music ] Oh, yeah. [ Music ] Woo, yeah. [ Music ] Come on, TJ. Get in that microphone there, buddy. Come on. [ Music ] Oh, yeah. [ Music ] All right. We're going to end it now, boys. [ Music ] [ Applause and Cheering ] What do you think of them there hillbilly pickers? We're the northern hillbilly pickers. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. You all come back now, hear? I'm going to shut up. >> That was David Reed, everyone. Give David a good hand. [ Applause and Music ] We're going to do a honky-tonk sort of cheating and loving tune that his mother wrote. Ola Belle wrote this tune [laughter]. And I learned it from a live recording that my buddy TJ gave to me. We recorded it on a record a number of years ago. And I believe David's mother, Ola Belle, and Uncle Alec -- >> David Reed: Yes. >> -- they recorded it also. Was it on the New River Record Label, I believe? >> David Reed: I think it was Starday. >> Starday Recordings. One of the early -- >> David Reed: One of them. >> -- bluegrass and country music record labels. >> David Reed: One of them [inaudible]. Yeah, I think so. >> Honky-tonk sort of thing. My brother, Michael Paisley, back here will walk this bass fiddle on the way through. >> Yeah, Mike. Come on, Mike. >> One, two, three. [ Music ] Yes, Kenny. Oh, yeah. [laughter]. Kenny. Thank you. >> Hang in there. [ Applause ] >> Thank you. "I'm A-longing for a Love I'll Never Know." That's a sort of honky-tonkin' song. Hugh, how you doing over there? You're smiling and looking good. >> Hugh Campbell: I was trying to hold on. I'm trying to hang on for dear life with this world-class bluegrass band up here. I'm what you call a -- I've got sort of a poet kind of a dude. I can't play to keep up with them. I'm kind of faking it is what I'm doing. But I'm having a good time doing it, and we're really enjoying being here. Everybody's been very nice to us. Thank you so much, and as soon as Dave gets in tune here I'm going to kick off a song I wrote sometime back. Are you about ready, are you? >> David Reed: I'm ready for Freddie [laughter]. What are we doing? >> Hugh Campbell: We're going to do "Footprints Left Below." >> David Reed: Okay. >> Hugh Campbell: I wrote this song about an old man I knew when I was a boy. It's about 95% true. [ Music ] David. [ Music ] Dave Reed, ladies and gentlemen. >> David Reed: Listen to -- [ Music ] [ Applause and Cheering ] >> Hugh Campbell. Thank you. Thank you, very much. [ Applause ] >> David Reed: You want to stay with him? You stay with him. >> I'm allowed to stay with you? >> David Reed: Yeah, [inaudible]. >> All right. >> Yes, you will sit. >> You fellows are going to do a couple of tunes together, right? >> Hugh Campbell: Yeah. >> Yeah. [ Music ] >> David Reed: The name of this next song is "Simple Man." It's a gospel song I wrote. And this song, I was working on the job one day. I had an idea in my head and went out. I normally do the tune first, but what I did was I started writing the words. They started coming real fast. And I'd like to thank Cliff Murphy and Doug Peach and Henry Glassie for allowing this song to be on there. It's called "Simple Man." One, two, three, four, five, six. [ Music ] [ Applause ] Thank you very much there, folks. Appreciate that. >> Hugh Campbell: [Inaudible] boy? So we send this song out to Henry Glassie, here with his lovely wife, Aveena [assumed spelling]. Tell me you name. >> Doug. >> Hugh Campbell: I know. Doug Peach [laughter] Who's that guy? Send that guy a song [laughter]. >> David Reed: You better be quiet [inaudible]. >> Hugh Campbell: Cliff Murphy. The three people involved in getting this book out to you. I hope you like it. >> David Reed: Let's give them a hand. [ Applause ] If it hadn't of been for them, this wouldn't be happening today. Thank you. Stand up. Let everybody see you. You three. Come on, stand up. They're still sitting there. Get up. Get up. They want you to stand up. Come on now. Yeah. That's -- yeah. I'm giving you a stand -- I've giving you a standing ovation even though I look like I'm sitting down. >> Hugh Campbell: That's the big three right there. >> David Reed: Yeah. Whoo. Yeah. I don't know if Cliff liked that. He's looking at me like oh. Give credit where credit's due. [ Music ] >> Hugh Campbell: Take it, David. [ Music ] Go ahead, David. [ Music ] Dave Reed, ladies and gentlemen. [ Applause ] >> Dave Reed: Smile. [ Music ] [ Applause and Cheering ] >> Hugh Campbell: Thank you. [ Applause ] >> That's some fine singing there, Hugh. Good job, buddy. >> Hugh Campbell: Thank you, Danny. Thank you. >> As you all can probably see we've not played a whole lot together. We rehearsed about two evenings, didn't we? >> Hugh Campbell: Yeah, we did. >> David Reed: About 10 minutes. >> Yeah [laughter]. >> Hugh Campbell: One hour tops. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, we'd get together and try to rehearse a little bit with the [inaudible]. Sat around and reminisced, didn't we? >> Yeah. >> Brian, can you grab that strap back here? We're going to feature this young man here on the mandolin if I can ever get strung up here on this [inaudible]. He's 15 years old and he's been playing bluegrass music since he was a young, young child. And he's travelled all around the United States and Canada with me. And I think he's becoming one of the top mandolin players in the bluegrass music. That's Ryan Paisley, right there. Give Ryan a good hand. [ Applause ] Ryan Paisley. >> Good to go. >> This is the first bluegrass instrumental wrote for a mandolin, right? For Bill Monroe, father of bluegrass music. Let's sing blues right along pretty quick, but you just back her down a little bit. It's only noontime, all right [laughter]? >> David Reed: All right. [ Music ] >> Hey, oh. [ Applause ] >> David Reed: Good job, Ryan. [ Applause ] >> Yeah. This weekend he got to play on stage with Marty Stuart, one of the famed country and bluegrass music mandolin pickers, and he invited Ryan up to come and play with him on his show up in New Jersey. So that's quite a treat for a young man like that, I think [inaudible]. We'll do you a tune that comes out of the mountains of Southwest Virginia, Galax, Virginia way. TJ Lundy's father was Ted Lundy, and my father was Bob Paisley, and they played music together well over 30 years, and did a lot of recordings for different [applause] record companies. Right across the -- my father was in Grassy Creek, North Carolina, right where David's family, the Campbell's, moved up to Pennsylvania. They all moved to the southeast corner of Pennsylvania and the northern eastern corner of Maryland, and a little pocket of Delaware, right in that little tri-state area where they all managed to come together. All the families moved up there and we have such great music as the Campbell's and the Reed's and the Miller family. The Lundy's and the Paisley's and we could go on and on. And in our area that flourish with the -- Sunset Park was an old country music park. And New River Ranch right up in Rising Sun, they kept everybody entertained and brought everybody together on a Sunday afternoon, and between the music and the fellowship, to this day -- >> David Reed: Here we are. >> Here we are [laughter]. Carrying on the tradition, right [laughter]? So, we count it as an honor to be able to [applause] remember those days of bygone. This is a -- back to the song. "The Old Swinging Bridge." David, you got it? [ Music ] [ Applause ] Thank you. I believe David's going to grab his guitar and he's going to sing a tune I know his mom used to sing, right? >> David Reed: Yes, sir. >> Yes, she did. Everyone always liked to hear her sing this tune. [ Music ] >> David Reed: It's called "Tear Down the Fences." This is one of the most requested songs. I don't think this song has gotten the popularity of maybe like "On a Mountain," but my wife and I, we'll go around and sing in the churches, and they love this song in the churches. It's one of the most requested songs I do. Just listen to the message. One, two, three. [ Music ] [ Applause ] >> Beautiful song right there, David. [ Applause ] Mr. Hugh, I believe you got something picked out there, don't you, bud? >> Hugh Campbell: Yeah, we're going to do "I've Endured." >> Yeah, yeah. >> Hugh Campbell: We've been trying to learn this three or four different ways, right? >> There's a bluegrass way, then there's an old-timey way, and then there's your way [laughter]. >> David Reed: It is the way we [inaudible]. >> Hugh Campbell: I'll tell you why. >> And today could be even new. >> David Reed: Yes, it can. >> So stick with us, folks. It could be a new song for all of us. >> David Reed: Yes, it could. >> Hugh Campbell: Well, you know, this song -- the first line in this song is, "Born in the mountains 50 years ago." It was written by Ola Belle. And, of course, that song has been around for a long time, but it didn't mean anything to me, really, as a 30- and 40-year-old guy. But when I turned 50, of course, it started getting a lot more important to you, you know [laughter]. And for quite a few years now I've been 50, so -- You know, I'm just going to -- I'm going to do it my way, okay? I'm just going to launch into it. >> David Reed: All right. We'll be right there with you. >> Hugh Campbell: All right. >> David Reed: All right. [ Music and Singing ] >> Hugh Campbell: David. [ Music ] Somebody play it. [ Music ] [ Applause ] Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's a pleasure being here with you. [ Applause ] >> David Reed: Do we got time for the gospel medley? >> Folks, we've had a good time, haven't we, everybody? >> David Reed: I know I have. >> Yeah [inaudible]. A nice hand for TJ Lundy on the fiddle right there. [ Applause and Cheering ] Ryan Paisley, right there, on the mandolin. [ Applause and Cheering ] Michael Paisley keeping us together back there on the bass fiddle. [ Applause ] And my old buddy, Hugh Campbell, right there, doing all them good songs. That's him. [ Applause and Cheering ] And this little rascal right here. I've known him for a long, long, long time. >> David Reed: About a hundred years isn't it, Danny> >> That's right. That's right. >> David Reed: It's getting there, ain't it? >> It's getting there. Very close aren't we? David Reed, everyone. [ Applause and Cheering ] Sing along with us, all right? >> David Reed: "I'll Fly Away." [ Music ] >> David Reed: Everybody go. [ Music and Singing ] >> David Reed: There you go. >> Oh, yeah. >> David Reed: Right on the money. [ Music ] Everybody now. [ Music and Singing ] >> Everybody. >> David Reed: Everybody sing it. [ Music and Singing ] Okay. [ Music ] Everyone. [ Music and Singing ] Everybody sing real loud, all right? [ Music and Singing ] Hah-hah. [ Cheering and Applause ] >> Thanks everyone. Have a good afternoon. [ Applause and Cheering ] >> Elizabeth Peterson: What do you think? >> Clifford Murphy: Danny Paisley and the band, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming out. We've had a great time. Thank you, Henry, Doug, Cliff Murphy, and Claudine. You're beautiful. >> Elizabeth Peterson: Hugh Campbell, David Reed, Ryan Paisley, Michael Paisley, TJ Lundy. [ Applause and Cheering ] >> This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc.gov.