arw - Posted - 08/24/2011:  06:12:18

Morgan Sexton was featured on Art Rosenbaum's radio show this morning.

I had never heard of Mr. Sexton.  I'm blown away by the nuance of his two finger picking and his voice.

youtube.com/watch?v=l_CqziMHOqg

Any one have his one CD?

Andy

gailg64 - Posted - 08/24/2011:  06:40:19

Yes! You have stumbled upon one of the finest Kentucky singer-banjo players ever recorded. Born in 1911, he was a musical "holdout" even for that generation. There's a Morgan Sexton CD available from Appalshop titled "Shady Grove", he apears in a film available on Folkstreams, and there's a Field Recorders Collective CD of his nephew Lee Sexton. Lee plays in a similar style (thumb lead 2 finger).

​What makes Morgan Sexton's sound so goosebumpy to me is the contrast between the ethereal tone of his mastertone and the roughhewn quality of his voice. And he knew lots of old songs, ballads & mysterious fragments of half-forgotten songs. One of my favorites is the modal-sounding "It's a Pretty Little Doll" (what the?) where he sings what sounds like old irish "mouth music" nonsense syllables against the silvery punctuation of his banjo.

​G

quote:

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Originally posted by arw

Morgan Sexton was featured on Art Rosenbaum's radio show this morning.

I had never heard of Mr. Sexton.  I'm blown away by the nuance of his two finger picking and his voice.

youtube.com/watch?v=l_CqziMHOqg

 

Any one have his one CD?

 

Andy

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mojo_monk - Posted - 08/24/2011:  08:07:03

As Gail said, you've definitely stumbled upon one of the most interesting recorded banjo players to date. Get a cd of his recordings here: Morgan Sexton - Shady Grove (at appalshop.com).

It is easily in my top 3 list. So good you might forget about clawhammer banjo for a while and learn 2 finger thumb lead banjo. Happened to me.

Here's a little write up about the man with a wonderful picture.

And here's the video Gail mentioned. 28 minutes of pure gold.

-Sean

BackDraft307 - Posted - 08/24/2011:  08:20:14

WOW, Thanks for sharing that... Reminds me of my late Great Grandpa.  

R Buck - Posted - 08/24/2011:  09:19:25

There is a DVD of Mr. Sexton available from Appalshop too.  Well worth getting IMHO.

whyteman - Posted - 08/25/2011:  11:02:17

Another Morgan fan here! His "Lonesome Scenes of Winter" is devastatingly beautiful. In the Shady Grove liner notes, Paul Brown mentioned that Mr. Seton every now and then did use his middle finger to "roll" out of certain rhythmic situations. I found that little tidbit very helpful as I took up 2 finger picking.

You've really got it down, Mojo!

Don

gailg64 - Posted - 08/25/2011:  18:41:37

Yes, Morgan Sexton's way of throwing in the 3rd finger to negotiate certain phrases shows there's really no clear cut boundary between 2 & 3 finger old-time styles. No one would ever think of his playing as bluegrass, that's for sure!

​G

quote:

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Originally posted by whyteman

Another Morgan fan here! His "Lonesome Scenes of Winter" is devastatingly beautiful. In the Shady Grove liner notes, Paul Brown mentioned that Mr. Seton every now and then did use his middle finger to "roll" out of certain rhythmic situations. I found that little tidbit very helpful as I took up 2 finger picking.



You've really got it down, Mojo!



Don

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oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 08/25/2011:  18:52:20

My policy has long been to buy any LP or CD by anyone named Sexton ------ and I've never been disappointed by the recordings I've gotten.

DoubleG - Posted - 08/25/2011:  19:13:42

He's one of my favorites - a real natural. I bought Shady Grove. Love the track "Making Moonshine".

gailg64 - Posted - 08/25/2011:  20:02:09

And that Little Brown Jug he plays along with the Moonshine cut is drop dead gorgeous. Whoever started the saying "old-time music--it  isn't pretty"--must have never heard Morgan Sexton. His banjo playing & singing has a profound beauty that goes way beyond pretty.

quote:

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Originally posted by DoubleG

He's one of my favorites - a real natural. I bought Shady Grove. Love the track "Making Moonshine".

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Marc Nerenberg - Posted - 08/25/2011:  20:18:47

I watched that film that's mentioned above very late one night a couple of months ago, and was mightily impressed. Now I'm downloading the album, as I type this. Thanks for these great leads.

Paul R - Posted - 08/25/2011:  22:31:35

Thanks for all this.

It's interesting the twists and turns one takes in life. I thought that as Morgan Sexton spoke of his early life in the film. Not to sidetrack things, but my father, too, had to help support the family at age thirteen when his father died. The difference is, he ended up an executive in an office on the top floor of Montreal's tallest skyscraper, while Morgan Sexton ended up on a farm. What might have been?! Morgan's dark eyes had a brightness about them, and his speech had an eloquence about it. I couldn't help but think, with slight changes in his circumstances, he could have been almost anything else, but, if he had, we would be poorer for not seeing and hearing his music.

DoubleG - Posted - 08/25/2011:  23:12:45

I watch that film at least once a month. It really humbles one. Morgan finally got recognized after such a long hard life. But he wasn't fazed by it in the least. He just kept playing that banjo through it all -- what an inspiration.

I sent an inquiry to Rich Kirby at the Appalshop where I purchased "Shady Grove" (best $8 you'll ever spend) stating I had just discovered Morgan Sexton and was just curious if anyone there knew what kind of Banjo he played? Also, once he got a few bucks from Concerts and such what was the first banjo he bought to replace his old one he got from his sister.

arw - Posted - 08/26/2011:  06:06:30

quote:

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Originally posted by DoubleG

I watch that film at least once a month. It really humbles one. Morgan finally got recognized after such a long hard life. But he wasn't fazed by it in the least. He just kept playing that banjo through it all -- what an inspiration.

I sent an inquiry to Rich Kirby at the Appalshop where I purchased "Shady Grove" (best $8 you'll ever spend) stating I had just discovered Morgan Sexton and was just curious if anyone there knew what kind of Banjo he played? Also, once he got a few bucks from Concerts and such what was the first banjo he bought to replace his old one he got from his sister.

Rich said he could not name the old banjo he started on but that once he got a few bucks he went out and bought a new Mastertone and that's all he ever heard him play. Just a little insight into a special banjo man.

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Wow. Thanks for sharing the film link.

mwc9725e - Posted - 08/26/2011:  08:05:54

quote:

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Originally posted by whyteman

Another Morgan fan here! His "Lonesome Scenes of Winter" is devastatingly beautiful. In the Shady Grove liner notes, Paul Brown mentioned that Mr. Seton every now and then did use his middle finger to "roll" out of certain rhythmic situations. I found that little tidbit very helpful as I took up 2 finger picking.



You've really got it down, Mojo!



Don

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 I'm trying to watch him and figure it out, but does he use thumb lead or index lead, or does he mix them up? It looks to me like the latter, but I can't be sure.

whyteman - Posted - 08/26/2011:  12:36:24

Thanks for confirming what I wrote Gail, as some would be skeptical. Your fingerstyle is wonderful too, and much to be learned from as well.

Don