Art Shows

Pegasus

October 21, 2019

For the 60th Annual Boone County Bank Art Show, the BRC founder submitted his “Pegasus Rising ” banjo to the autumn exhibit among over 200 paintings, sculptures, fiber, wood, and glass works. This creature from Greek mythology is the winged horse that heroic Bellerophon rode to defeat the monstrous Chimera.

During World War II, the image of Bellerophon astride Pegasus was adopted by the British paratrooper corps as their sleeve insignia. During the D-Day Invasion in 1944, the British 6th Airborne Division captured a vital French bridge near Caen amidst bitter fighting, and the span was forever renamed the Pegasus Bridge.

At the art show, the banjo garnered a ribbon and promptly sold as indicated by the red dot on the tag.

The British 16th Air Assault Brigade still wears the unchanged Pegasus sleeve insignia today, depicting a white steed and bold warrior on a field of crimson (below right).

A life long student of military history, the BRC founder crossed the English Channel in 1984 with a tour group of D-Day combat veterans inorder to share with them the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. They walked the sands of Omaha Beach together and attended commemorative ceremonies at Pegasus Bridge.

One of the tour group members recounted piloting a LCVP (Higgins boat) during the desperate June 6th assault ferrying tense platoons of infantry through troubled seas to landing beaches raked with shot and shell. He had since lived a quiet life in Miami and was active in administrating the annual Orange Bowl parade and festivities. He gave the BRC founder a souvenir stick-on fabric orange blossom that has adorned the truss rod cover of the banjo builder`s favorite mandolin (below left) ever since.

Pegasus, a prominent constellation in the northern sky, is signified by a mother of pearl sun and star on the truss rod cover of the BRC banjo. This theme is repeated on the heel of the 5-stringer with a winged horse bracketed by the sun and moon, and this signature mother of pearl locus is for the eyes only of the musician.

Bio

Idyllic Times

October 7, 2019

In 1960, the BRC founder assembled a long neck 5-stringer from two damaged banjos procured at a fire sale. After visiting a Washington Square jam session in NYC and Izzy Young`s Folklore Center, he purchased his first store-bought banjo. Virtuoso musicians Eric Weissberg and Marshall Brickman, former classmates at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, released their iconic "New Dimensions in Banjo and Bluegrass" album in 1963. This stunning compendium of 5-string classics was a brilliant and instructive symposium of 3 finger picking. As members of the Tarriers, a progressive urban folk music group, Weissberg and Brickman appeared at the `Potting Shed` near Tangelwood, MA, that summer.

The above gig photo appeared in a South American issue of LIFE magazine which was retrieved by the BRC founder`s brother while serving in the Peace Corps. Brickman is facing the camera, and Weissberg has his back to the lens. As a novel change of pace, they are playing the Luis Bonfa tune “Manha de Carnaval/One Note Samba” in a spirited guitar duet. The arrow points to a teenage BRC founder in Buddy Holly glasses and a neck tie. This youthful fan went on the next year to attend the Newport Folk Festival where Doc Watson, the Osborne Brothers, and the Kentucky Colonels performed. Nine years later, Weissberg won a Grammy Award for “Dueling Banjos.” He later autographed the above archival photo at a banjo camp. Brickman became a screenwriter and was co-recipient of an Oscar in 1977 for Best Original Screen Play for the movie “Annie Hall.” Fondly remembered, those were idyllic times.

G&F Singers

In Praise of Harmony

September 21, 2019

In the mid 1990`s, two ladies joined with the BRC founder as harmony singers to perform for the benefit of our Children`s Hospital. Tara and Pippa have entertained at the bedsides of hospitalized kids to the mutual enjoyment of visiting parents and siblings.

The musical twosome, both far right in the below photo, sang regularly at summer street parties for the Children`s Miracle Network.

At Holiday time, they dressed in red and performed seasonal favorites for in-patients on the psychiatry ward.

In the Spring, we have entertained at the “Safe Day Kids” indoor festival at the university field house. Can you pick-out Tara and Pippa in the below photo?

Tara is far left in the black hat, and Pippa is front row center with her fiddle. When performing, group vocal singing is the BRC founder`s favorite part of the music. Thank you ladies for decades of your joyful harmonious voicings.

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Art Shows

A Pilgrim on Gossamer Wings

September 7, 2019

For its autumn exhibition, the local art league challenged its membership to fashion works based on paintings and drawings crafted by youngsters in a project at a nearby elementary school.  The BRC founder selected an image from this artful collection that appeared to depict a grade school athlete nearing the finish line in a foot race.Angel (1)

The running  figure with outstretched arms reminded him of his youngest granddaughter who devotedly pursues fluttering butterflies in her quest to someday capture one of these elusive winged creatures of fragile beauty.IMG_0451

 

In retrospect, the theme of a butterfly 5-stringer was subliminally suggested to the BRC founder months earlier when he visited a zoo with grandkids and was photographed in his “banjo is best” t-shirt next to a boldly colored poster of a swallow-tailed species.IMG_1671

 

 

 

 

 

 

The incredible Monarch butterfly accomplishes a spectacular migration from North America to Central Mexico each autumn traveling 50-100 miles per day. On this yearly pilgrimage, these aerial travelers are mostly guided by the sun and internal photoreceptors. Because of environmental changes, the number of Monarchs is declining. Hopefully, these precious beauties will come under federal protection soon.

Grade-schoolers, parents, and teachers thronged the gala opening reception at the gallery to view the paintings, jewelry, stained glass and fiber works fashioned from the youngsters` inspirations. The curious kids were allowed to strum the “Chasing Butterflies” banjo while it was hand-held by the builder.

Jamming

The River Retreats Till?

August 17, 2019

The Missouri River flood of 1993 swallowed-up fertile crop fields, barns, houses, and towns. The BRC founder helped sandbag a levee around the Hitching Post saloon in Hartsburg to deflect the menacing flood waters surrounding the Sunday jam session venue. After Big Muddy later reluctantly returned to its banks, he wrote a tune “The Hitching Post Song” which became a wrap-up anthem for the jamming pickers and singers. The barkeep installed a poster behind the bar to celebrate preservation of the saloon and its weekly music session.bluegrass

A few years later, the jam session moved up river to a new locale in McBaine, as “Lucy`s” tavern was adjacent to the city water plant and perceived to be beyond the reach of potential river spill-over. The Flood of 2011, however, submerged Lucy`s under nearly 6 feet of Missouri River flood tide. When the tavern was refurbished and thereafter re-opened, the musicians were photographed near a window that bore a bath tub ring-mark at eye level documenting the previous height of the murky waters.  When cyclists from the nearby bike trail would stop-by for a soft drink and ask about the recent flood level, they were pointed to the stained window.judi,gary, guys@lucy`s

The springtime Flood of 2019 again swallowed-up large tracts of the Show-Me state. A few weeks ago, the Big Muddy finally shrunk below flood stage. Bluegrass jammers convened at a yogurt shop in our capital city located on a central thoroughfare aptly named High St. because the avenue is built on the bluffs safely above the Missouri River.IMG_2003

During the evening song fest, a listener passed-by and recognized the BRC founder from the 1990`s Hartsburg jam sessions and requested the Hitching Post Song from yesteryear. We sang:

Back in `93 the Flood came half through town/ But the sandbaggers turned the River `round/ God bless them all for this dry ground/ I’m riding home late from the Hitching Post tonight!