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In the years before radio and record players it was not unusual for people to make their own music. Folks would buy a low-cost instrument from the Sears catalog, or make one at home. They would sit in their parlors or on their porches and would play music, not for fame and fortune, but for the pure joy of playing. This is the heart of the Old-Time/Good-Time tradition. Along with that is the music itself. Old-Time/Good-Time music is a mixture of traditional folk, jug band music, classic country, and vintage pop songs. This is the music that people enjoyed, so it is the music they played.


There is something about the music of the past, especially the old-time mountain songs and the jug band music of the 20's and 30's, that speak to me at a primal level. Though I am a city boy, I feel connected to those folks who played music on instruments that were homemade or bought from the Sears Roebuck catalog. These folks would sit in their living room, or out on the porch, and would play for the fun of playing, to please family and neighbors. They might get together with others and play for a barn dance. They may have been accomplished musicians or they might have played just well enough to get by, but they are all my musical heroes. The same goes for the jug-band musicians who might set up on a corner in 1920's Memphis and play guitar, banjo, washboard, harmonica, and, of course, the jug. Some of these groups, like the Memphis Jug Band and Cannon's Jug Stompers, made some records, many have gone unnoticed by history. They are all an inspiration to me.

As our world becomes more complicated, I feel it is important to remember this simpler past. We need to rediscover the joy of music played to lift the heart and soul. I like to remind folks of the role that music has played in the building of a nation. The music tells a history that goes beyond the great accomplishments; it heralds all the individual hopes, dreams, and accomplishments of the people who make up a culture.

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