Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/11/2014:  13:41:10

I am so excited tell everyone about recently discovered historic live Don Reno audio.  I was so fortunate to purchase 7 reel to reel tapes of Don Reno and His Tennessee Cut-Ups on the "Carolina Show Time" TV show on channel 7 WSPA TV from 1965.  This is from the period after Don and Red split and Don fronted the Tennessee Cut-ups by himself.  Until now very little live audio was available of this configuration of the Tennessee Cut-Ups.  Don was really in his prime during this period and it shows!  Not only does he play the banjo but also the electric guitar and fiddle!  To my knowledge these have never been heard since they originally aired!!  If you are a Reno fan you are going to love these truly historic rare performances!  I will be uploading the other shows as we process them. So please check out my channel periodically for the other reels.  I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I do!

This is reel #5. Recorded February 9th thru 19th 1965.

Don Reno - banjo, electric guitar, fiddle

Ronnie Reno - mandolin

Chuck Haney - guitar

Ray Crisp - fiddle

Duck Austin - bass  

Songs include:

1. Foggy Mountain Rock

2. Fire Ball Mail

3. Falling Back To You

4. Lonely Tombs

5. Willing You Be Loving Another Man

6. Snow Deer

7. Cotton Eyed Joe

8. Carolina Waltz

9. Sugarfoot Rag

10. Mansion Over The Hilltop

11. We'll Meet Again Sweetheart

12. I'm Willing To Give You My Heart

13. Will the Circle Be Unbroken

14. The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise

15. Roanoke

16. You're Running Wild

17. Billy In The Low Ground

18. I'll Fly Away

19. Turkey In The Straw

20. What Do You Know About Heartaches

21. The Bells Of Saint Marys

22. Black And White Rag

23. Chicken Hot Rod comedy skit

24. Interview with Don Reno

25. Devil's Dream

25. Cripple Creek

Edited by - Bill Rogers on 09/12/2014 12:41:07

Andyincov - Posted - 09/11/2014:  14:03:49

Thanks jason - this stuff is like gold dust! There is an absolutely crazy run in that first tune that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up :-0

cabinwood - Posted - 09/11/2014:  17:23:10

Thanks! Great stuff!

Luvmoochine - Posted - 09/11/2014:  18:21:51

Wow thanks! Good stuff. 

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/11/2014:  18:43:22

quote:

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Originally posted by Andyincov

Thanks jason - this stuff is like gold dust! There is an absolutely crazy run in that first tune that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up :-0

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Haha! Yes he loves to use that one! It's a flurry of triplets that can be play fast or slow.  It's a variation of the same one he uses here : youtu.be/NYPKyPyFnL0?t=1m58s  He often uses it for a great ending lick too.  You can also string them together like I did here on "Walk On By" youtu.be/nuN0oxEhby8?t=2m2s  Very versatile lick!!  And I know what you mean about the hair standing up on your neck. Whenever I get fed up, bored, or irritated with playing, I can listen to Don and he always inspires me to pick it back up.   Don is the only banjo player that does that for me. 

Andyincov - Posted - 09/12/2014:  01:56:25

Like most banjo players I started out as a pure Scruggs man but I've evolved into a Reno and Stanley obsessive.  Although the two styles are completely different, for me the pack the same visceral and emotional punch

BanjoFlyboy - Posted - 09/12/2014:  03:33:52

Glad you were able to find and post this!  Ronnie Reno  might be interested in including some of this in one of his shows,,,,?  This was way cool!  Thanks!!

mmuussiiccaall - Posted - 09/12/2014:  07:09:27

Here's that lick:

TIMTIMTIM - Posted - 09/12/2014:  10:40:00

Thank you,Jason thats some real nice stuff..

Andyincov - Posted - 09/12/2014:  13:15:06

quote:

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Originally posted by mmuussiiccaall

Here's that lick:

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Hey - cool - thanks a lot

The Old Timer - Posted - 09/12/2014:  13:55:58

Ray Crisp and Duck Austin played with Johnny & Jack in earlier years! Good players!

That is some LIVELY 5 string playing right there! Haney on the guitar sounds just like ol' Red too!

Wonderful!

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/12/2014:  14:03:11

Andy here is a free beginning Reno style tutorial I did a few years ago.  You may have already seen it but it teaches the basics of that lick and Reno style in general.  If you need any help or have in questions feel free to give me shout.

banjohollow.ic24.net/renoWShop1.htm

Luvmoochine - Posted - 09/12/2014:  14:07:31

Do you have any tips on that double pull-off out of the "F" position like in "Big Train"? I cannot for the life of me find a way to make that sound right for whatever reason. 

Thanks. 

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/12/2014:  14:16:22

quote:

---

Originally posted by The Old Timer

Ray Crisp and Duck Austin played with Johnny & Jack in earlier years! Good players!



That is some LIVELY 5 string playing right there! Haney on the guitar sounds just like ol' Red too!



Wonderful!

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YES!  They were REALLY REALLY GOOD!  That's why these reels are so exciting to me.  There's not much available of them with Don.  I was extremely impressed with Ray Crisp and Chuck Haney on these shows.  I was just telling Jeremy Stephens yesterday I thought Chuck really made a great effort to play similar to Red.  Not sure if Don instructed him to do so or if he just did it on his own, but either way he definitely did a great job!  Ray was a killer fiddle player too!  And both Ray and Chuck were incredibly fine singers.  And Don and Ronnie always sang so well together.  They sounded like two Don Renos! haha!  Personally I think this band was better than the later Reno and Harrell band.  To me Don's singing blended much better with Chuck, Duck, and Ray than Bill Harrell.  Too bad they broke up.  Of course no one was a better partner for Don than Red! =)  He was so awesome! 

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/12/2014:  14:27:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by Smurf2dope

Do you have any tips on that double pull-off out of the "F" position like in "Big Train"? I cannot for the life of me find a way to make that sound right for whatever reason. 

 

Thanks. 

 

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Here is a little video I did to help folks on Big Train if you haven't seen it already.  You can use this lick in any F 7th shaped position. Make sure you move away from the bridge to get the right sound.  Hit the 4th string with the thumb and then play the 1st and 2nd strings together with the index and middle.  Pull off the two notes with the left hand at the same time using your index finger laying flat on the strings.  Pull it downwards.  It's hard to explain.  It takes practice to get it to sound right.  Don't let it ring out too long.   Don used this A LOT!  Especially in any tune involving a train. haha!

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/12/2014 14:28:44

Luvmoochine - Posted - 09/12/2014:  14:48:02

Thanks for the video and response. I'm just going to have to keep doin' it till I can do it. I even got a pair of white shoes to channel my inner Don. 

Thanks again. 

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/12/2014:  15:08:51

Here's a few more examples of how you use the "Big Train" lick.  It's a great rhythmic type lick that really can add a lot of kick to the song.  Especially if you have a mandolin player that can mimic you like my son does!  He steals all my licks!

Don using it for "Boogie Grass Band".  It's a great rock and roll lick.

Another version of Big Train by my band.

You can use that lick as back up or in a solo. Here's how I use it through the bridge in "Rawhide".

Here's Don using it a little in A for Fire on The Mountain.

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/12/2014 15:19:37

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/12/2014:  15:13:18

quote:

---

Originally posted by Smurf2dope

Thanks for the video and response. I'm just going to have to keep doin' it till I can do it. I even got a pair of white shoes to channel my inner Don. 

Thanks again. 

 

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HAHA! Yes you will get it!  And you will fit right in in your town (Las Vegas) with those shoes man!    Glad I could help.

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/12/2014 15:13:52

Bart Veerman - Posted - 09/13/2014:  06:36:57

Quite a treasure, thanks for posting that Jason!

If you need any help dehissing the tapes shoot me a PM, I have some pretty cool software to do that.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 09/13/2014:  13:50:06

pure gold jason,,  his stuff still just blows me away,,, i don't know if learning scruggs style first is a good thing or not if you try to grasp reno style.  it is such a different bear all together.  i have always struggled with reno style.. some stuff i can pull off with no problem ,,but the majority is alot ,, i  mean alot of repetition practice to clean it up for me... maybe its because i play upside and left handed , but anyone such as yourself that can play it correctly has my most upmost respect,, i really mean that.    thanks for putting this on here !!!!!

P.S.   and who is the bass player on BIG TRAIN ,,,,, that guy is a freak man,, love the way he plays back up on that thing !!!   whoa !!!!!!!

terry m

Edited by - 1935tb-11 on 09/13/2014 13:56:57

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/13/2014:  16:39:08

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

pure gold jason,,  his stuff still just blows me away,,, i don't know if learning scruggs style first is a good thing or not if you try to grasp reno style.  it is such a different bear all together.  i have always struggled with reno style.. some stuff i can pull off with no problem ,,but the majority is alot ,, i  mean alot of repetition practice to clean it up for me... maybe its because i play upside and left handed , but anyone such as yourself that can play it correctly has my most upmost respect,, i really mean that.    thanks for putting this on here !!!!!

 

P.S.   and who is the bass player on BIG TRAIN ,,,,, that guy is a freak man,, love the way he plays back up on that thing !!!   whoa !!!!!!!

 

 

terry m

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Glad you enjoyed it Terry. And thank you for the compliments.  But I still struggle with it myself.  It's tough for sure.  I don't play much at all anymore and you really have to keep in practice to be able to do a lot of that stuff smoothly and up to speed. 

Are you asking about the bass player in my band or the video of Reno playing Big Train?  The bass player in the Reno video is George Shuffler.  He played with the Stanley Brothers for years.  He was really an incredible bass man!  The bass player in my band is Gary Wayne Laws.  He used to play with the Stevens Sisters.  He is probably the best player I have played with in person and he's a great guy too.

By the way I am playing Don Reno's Old Nellie in that video of our band doing Big Train.  It is really surreal to play tunes on the very banjo that I have watched my hero play a 1,000 times in those videos!  Don Wayne let me keep it for a little over a month to set it up and use it to record with.  Just thinking about all the incredible music Don recorded on it and the miles this banjo has seen on the road with him is really amazing.  It was quite an honor to be trusted with such a historic instrument. But trust me I was ready for it to go back home with Don Wayne!  I was afraid to have it in my house any longer!  Imagine having one of the most important instruments in American music history laying in 100 different pieces on your pool table!  Tearing it down and seeing it completely apart was VERY scary and exciting at the same time!  Here's a few pic I took while I had it apart.

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/13/2014 17:02:58

Old Nellie torn down

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/13/2014:  17:40:11

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bart Veerman

Quite a treasure, thanks for posting that Jason!

If you need any help dehissing the tapes shoot me a PM, I have some pretty cool software to do that.

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Thanks Bart! Actually I took a lot of the hiss out.  I have several programs I use sometimes.  I usually use adobe soundbooth.  I don't like to remove too much because it ends up removing a lot of the high frequencies.  And it seems the more you mess with the original recording it begins lose something and get kind of "digital" sounding if that makes sense?  Kinda like if you download a lower quality audio file off the internet.

By the way, I am still using those thumb picks you sent me!!  I love them!  I tell everyone I can about them!  Can't thank you enough for those!  I hope you are doing well!

PS- I am thinking about experimenting with an aluminum bridge.  You wouldn't happen to know if anyone makes them would you?

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/13/2014 17:41:37

1935tb-11 - Posted - 09/13/2014:  20:50:58

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jason Skinner

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

pure gold jason,,  his stuff still just blows me away,,, i don't know if learning scruggs style first is a good thing or not if you try to grasp reno style.  it is such a different bear all together.  i have always struggled with reno style.. some stuff i can pull off with no problem ,,but the majority is alot ,, i  mean alot of repetition practice to clean it up for me... maybe its because i play upside and left handed , but anyone such as yourself that can play it correctly has my most upmost respect,, i really mean that.    thanks for putting this on here !!!!!

 

P.S.   and who is the bass player on BIG TRAIN ,,,,, that guy is a freak man,, love the way he plays back up on that thing !!!   whoa !!!!!!!

 

 

terry m

---

Glad you enjoyed it Terry. And thank you for the compliments.  But I still struggle with it myself.  It's tough for sure.  I don't play much at all anymore and you really have to keep in practice to be able to do a lot of that stuff smoothly and up to speed. 

Are you asking about the bass player in my band or the video of Reno playing Big Train?  The bass player in the Reno video is George Shuffler.  He played with the Stanley Brothers for years.  He was really an incredible bass man!  The bass player in my band is Gary Wayne Laws.  He used to play with the Stevens Sisters.  He is probably the best player I have played with in person and he's a great guy too.

By the way I am playing Don Reno's Old Nellie in that video of our band doing Big Train.  It is really surreal to play tunes on the very banjo that I have watched my hero play a 1,000 times in those videos!  Don Wayne let me keep it for a little over a month to set it up and use it to record with.  Just thinking about all the incredible music Don recorded on it and the miles this banjo has seen on the road with him is really amazing.  It was quite an honor to be trusted with such a historic instrument. But trust me I was ready for it to go back home with Don Wayne!  I was afraid to have it in my house any longer!  Imagine having one of the most important instruments in American music history laying in 100 different pieces on your pool table!  Tearing it down and seeing it completely apart was VERY scary and exciting at the same time!  Here's a few pic I took while I had it apart.

  

---

yeah i bet you were a bit nervous about it for sure,,,,  i bet don wayne was glad to get it back too,,, i was talking about the bass player in your band,, i know bass,, and i know a few bass players ,, that guy is great,,,  very impressed,, tell him cudos from north carolina,

oh yeah have you ever noticed how much ronnie renos son looks like don sr. ?

terry m

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/13/2014:  21:41:37

quote:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

yeah i bet you were a bit nervous about it for sure,,,,  i bet don wayne was glad to get it back too,,, i was talking about the bass player in your band,, i know bass,, and i know a few bass players ,, that guy is great,,,  very impressed,, tell him cudos from north carolina,

oh yeah have you ever noticed how much ronnie renos son looks like don sr. ?

 

terry m

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I will tell Gary for sure!  He really is great.  He was with The Stevens Sisters for quite a while on the road.  He has played the Opry many times with them and all over world.  Oddly he hadn't heard much Reno and Smiley or old traditional bluegrass at all before he met me.  He grew up listening to and playing more contemporary bluegrass.  Now he really enjoys all the old stuff because it's all new to him and he took to it like a duck in water! haha!  I showed him the video of George Shuffler playing Big Train with Don and asked him "Can you do it like that?"  He had never even heard of George Shuffler!  Within 10 minutes he had it!!  He is one of the best musicians and best people I know.  He's like a brother to me.  Gary and Tim Decker both are.  And it makes big difference when you really enjoy being around the people you pick with.  You can be a fantastic picker but if your personality or attitude stinks or have a substance abuse problem....I'd rather play with someone else.  I always told my son "There's more to being a good musician than just learning how to play an instrument well.  No one wants to play with a jerk."

Are you talking about Ronnie's son Justin?  He is a doctor now.  It's funny I had never met him and then one day I got an order for my Reno style DVDs from Justin Reno.  I thought "Wait a minute?  I wonder if he is kin to Don?"  So I emailed him and asked him and he said "Yes. He is my grandfather.  I am Ronnie Reno's son."  I promptly told him "Your money is no good here! You can have whatever you want!"  He told me he was going to school right here in Johnson City TN about 10 mins from me!  So I invited him over to meet and pick!  He wanted to learn to play Reno style banjo to surprise his dad but I think he got too busy with his school work.  Which is understandable.  Medical school is TOUGH!  Besides...banjo players don't make the money doctors make.  I wish they did!  haha!  He's a nice guy and definitely favors the Reno family.  Ronnie, Don Wayne, Dale, and even Mitzi all favor Don more the older they get.

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/13/2014 21:46:50

Dave Magram - Posted - 09/13/2014:  21:53:29

Hi Jason,

What a treasure! Thanks very much for rescuing this bit of bluegrass history and sharing it.

I was very interested in how Don played not only Earl’s part on “Foggy Mountain Rock”, but also Josh Graves’ Dobro part—it was great. Is that Don playing second fiddle on “Roanoke”? I had no idea he played fiddle.

I was curious—is Chuck Haney related to Carlton Haney, Reno & Smiley’s booking agent for many years (and later the promoter who organized the first weekend-long bluegrass festivals)?

I also struck by some of Don's comments that point to how difficult it was for most bluegrass bands to make a living back in the 1960’s. Around 9:55 on the clip, Don announces their upcoming dates: Saturday Feb. 13 in North Carolina, Saturday Feb. 20 in Ohio, and Saturday Feb. 27 in South Carolina. That’s just one gig a week—and a lot of driving! And although they were doing the TV show every weekday at the ungodly hour of 7am to 8am, I don’t imagine they were getting paid very much for their daily TV appearances. I suspect that they must have had to work at day jobs to make ends meet—do you know anything about that?

Bluegrass music in those days was definitely not for sissies.

-Dave

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/14/2014:  00:43:00

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dave Magram

Hi Jason,

What a treasure! Thanks very much for rescuing this bit of bluegrass history and sharing it.

I was very interested in how Don played not only Earl’s part on “Foggy Mountain Rock”, but also Josh Graves’ Dobro part—it was great. Is that Don playing second fiddle on “Roanoke”? I had no idea he played fiddle.

I was curious—is Chuck Haney related to Carlton Haney, Reno & Smiley’s booking agent for many years (and later the promoter who organized the first weekend-long bluegrass festivals)?

I also struck by some of Don's comments that point to how difficult it was for most bluegrass bands to make a living back in the 1960’s. Around 9:55 on the clip, Don announces their upcoming dates: Saturday Feb. 13 in North Carolina, Saturday Feb. 20 in Ohio, and Saturday Feb. 27 in South Carolina. That’s just one gig a week—and a lot of driving! And although they were doing the TV show every weekday at the ungodly hour of 7am to 8am, I don’t imagine they were getting paid very much for their daily TV appearances. I suspect that they must have had to work at day jobs to make ends meet—do you know anything about that?

Bluegrass music in those days was definitely not for sissies.

-Dave

---

What is really interesting to me is that Don recorded "Foggy Mountain Rock" many years later for CMH on his 30th Anniverary album.  I think it was recorded in 1978 or 79.  I have A LOT of live shows of Don from 1948 to 1984 and I have never heard him play FMR on any of them.  So I was very interested to hear how he played it in 1965.  And it was basically the same version he recorded in 1978!  Really cool!  The 1978-79 version has a really great double stop brush break that he does but the 1965 version's recording quality is much better.  Check out the 1978 version if you get a chance.  Don did a lot of recording for CMH in the 70's and the recordings weren't the best.  A lot of them were over produced (by Arthur Smith who owned CMH at the time) and had a lot of reverb or echo.  Some even had disco type electric bass and drums going on! lol!  And most of the CMH recordings were done his Stelling not old Nellie.  Here's an example: youtu.be/YY82Mb-5i1k  The banjo tone and sound just isn't the best but I still like it!! 

As far I know Chuck Haney was not related to Carlton Haney.  I think I asked Ronnie about that one time and he said no I believe.  But it's been years ago since we talked about it.

And yes it was incredibly hard to make a living playing bluegrass back then.  Even in 1965 the interstates and highways weren't the best or didn't exist yet.  Don and all the originators of bluegrass and country music traveled on terrible roads (many of them gravel) in terribly uncomfortable cars back in the 40's and 50's.  Terrible suspensions, straight axles, no power steering, and no AC!!!  Traveling 100's of miles in one day to get to the next gig.  And staying in terrible cheap motels too.  One story in particular stands out in my mind.  It was when Don first joined Bill Monroe in 1948.  Don heard Bill was looking for a banjo player because Earl had just quit the Bluegrass Boys.  So Don jumped in his car and DROVE all the way from Spartanburg SC to Nashville!!  Once he got to Nashville he found out Bill had left and was playing Taylorsville NC.  So Don turns right around and drives all the way back to Taylorsville NC!!  As soon as he gets there Bill was just starting his show, Don just gets his banjo out and walks right on stage!!  I mean HOLY COW!!  Even with the cars and roads we have today that would have been a nearly 12 hour round trip!  So I sure it took him much longer than that and would have been incredibly uncomfortable and tiring.  Once I got to Taylorsville and be ready to go into a coma and sleep for two days!  But Don gets right up on stage and picks!!  DAMN!!  That is hardcore!! lol!

Don and Red had an early morning TV show in Roanoke for many years.  And they would sometimes travel 100's of miles to go a show and then rush in the middle of the night back to Roanoke to do the morning TV show at 6 am or 7 am.  Sometimes they didn't sleep at all the night before.  Then factor in the hangovers from the night before...haha!  And all for very little money!  It was harsh man!!  Those old guys were tough as nails!!  These young musicians today cruising around in there comfy tour buses have no idea how good they have it!! 

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/14/2014 01:00:37

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/14/2014:  01:44:07

If anyone would like to download Don Reno's out of print autobiography and songbook here is the link: mediafire.com/view/myyy5rymnmm..._Reno.pdf   There is a lot of great information on Don's life and career and of course a lot of songs too.

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/14/2014:  03:29:58

Here's reel #4 guys. More great stuff!  Recorded February 4th thru 9th 1965.

Don Reno - banjo

Ronnie Reno - mandolin

Chuck Haney - guitar

Ray Crisp - fiddle

Duck Austin - bass  

Songs include:

1. Sweet Dreams Of You

2. Walking In Jerusalem Just Like John

3. Beaumont Rag

4. You Never Mentioned Him To Me

5. The Bells Of Saint Mary's

6. If I Should Wander Back Tonight

7. Lonesome Hearted Blues

8. Old Joe Clark

9. Precious Memories

10. Bill Cheatham

11. Molly And Tenbrooks

12. Can't You Hear Jerusalem Moan

13. Here Rattler Here

14. You Never Mentioned Him To Me

15. Remington Ride

16. Silver Bell

17. You'll Be Rewarding Over There

18. Bully Of The Town

19. Lost Indian

20. I'll Fly Away

21. Bile Them Cabbage Down

22. Liberty

23. I've Gotta Travel On

24. Long Gone

1935tb-11 - Posted - 09/14/2014:  04:20:31

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jason Skinner

quote

:

---

Originally posted by 1935tb-11

yeah i bet you were a bit nervous about it for sure,,,,  i bet don wayne was glad to get it back too,,, i was talking about the bass player in your band,, i know bass,, and i know a few bass players ,, that guy is great,,,  very impressed,, tell him cudos from north carolina,

oh yeah have you ever noticed how much ronnie renos son looks like don sr. ?

 

terry m

---

I will tell Gary for sure!  He really is great.  He was with The Stevens Sisters for quite a while on the road.  He has played the Opry many times with them and all over world.  Oddly he hadn't heard much Reno and Smiley or old traditional bluegrass at all before he met me.  He grew up listening to and playing more contemporary bluegrass.  Now he really enjoys all the old stuff because it's all new to him and he took to it like a duck in water! haha!  I showed him the video of George Shuffler playing Big Train with Don and asked him "Can you do it like that?"  He had never even heard of George Shuffler!  Within 10 minutes he had it!!  He is one of the best musicians and best people I know.  He's like a brother to me.  Gary and Tim Decker both are.  And it makes big difference when you really enjoy being around the people you pick with.  You can be a fantastic picker but if your personality or attitude stinks or have a substance abuse problem....I'd rather play with someone else.  I always told my son "There's more to being a good musician than just learning how to play an instrument well.  No one wants to play with a jerk."

Are you talking about Ronnie's son Justin?  He is a doctor now.  It's funny I had never met him and then one day I got an order for my Reno style DVDs from Justin Reno.  I thought "Wait a minute?  I wonder if he is kin to Don?"  So I emailed him and asked him and he said "Yes. He is my grandfather.  I am Ronnie Reno's son."  I promptly told him "Your money is no good here! You can have whatever you want!"  He told me he was going to school right here in Johnson City TN about 10 mins from me!  So I invited him over to meet and pick!  He wanted to learn to play Reno style banjo to surprise his dad but I think he got too busy with his school work.  Which is understandable.  Medical school is TOUGH!  Besides...banjo players don't make the money doctors make.  I wish they did!  haha!  He's a nice guy and definitely favors the Reno family.  Ronnie, Don Wayne, Dale, and even Mitzi all favor Don more the older they get.

---

yeah i met him over at the blueridge music center last year,, my buddy robin smith was going to be there on bass and ronnie was doing a show,, and back stage me and robin and ronnie were standing there talking when justin came by.  i looked at him twice,, and ronnie introduced him as his son.  i could not believe how much he looked like don sr.  got to meet mike scott that evening too,, nice guy and great picker too. they really did a good show of traditional stuff with some of dads stuff thrown in too that night... that is such a good place to play and watch a show up there.... nice stage,, great sound on and off stage and a natural ampitheatre ,,,beautiful setting in the blueridge mountains.

terry m

The Old Timer - Posted - 09/14/2014:  09:23:49

Oh man, I liked Don's commercial for Reno Brothers' Grocery Store in Union SC!!!! 3lbs of bacon of $1, and the best Don ever tasted!

There's a very hot Blue Grass Breakdown in there, not listed in your song list! Between Bill Cheatham and Molly & Tenbrooks.

I like that Lonesome Hearted Blues number real well.

Jason Skinner - Posted - 09/14/2014:  09:45:13

quote:

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Originally posted by The Old Timer

Oh man, I liked Don's commercial for Reno Brothers' Grocery Store in Union SC!!!! 3lbs of bacon of $1, and the best Don ever tasted!



There's a very hot Blue Grass Breakdown in there, not listed in your song list! Between Bill Cheatham and Molly & Tenbrooks.



I like that Lonesome Hearted Blues number real well.

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Dang it!  You're right! I missed it.  I posted this at 4:47 am so that doesn't surprise me.  I was barely awake!  Thanks for letting me know! =)  Yeah that commercial break was really long. He was really pushing it! haha!  Here's a couple of pics of Don's old grocery store as it was a few years ago.  I believe fellow banjo hangout member Banjo Diva sent these to me.  If you download Don's song book from the link I posted you can see it as it was in 1965.  You think maybe they still got some bacon left in there? It might be on sale now.      haha!

Edited by - Jason Skinner on 09/14/2014 09:54:58

The Old Timer - Posted - 09/14/2014:  11:11:20

That looks like the kinda store you kin git cracked eggs half price on Friday nights after the shootin' match...



I am absolutely eating this stuff up about Donald Reno!  Another BHO member told me years ago that's the name he was known by around his home in Buffalo and Union area -- Donald.

Edited by - The Old Timer on 09/14/2014 11:12:33

Andyincov - Posted - 09/15/2014:  05:51:37

I just finished listening to that commercial break - Old Don sounds like he really means it!  Man, I want some of that hamburger - only the best beef goes in!

Brett - Posted - 09/15/2014:  07:13:51

about the Don Reno playing fiddle part and no one knew he played fiddle, doesn't the legend have it the Granada was in bad shape when Earl got it from Don?  and part of the legend says a cake of rosin had melted and messed up the banjo some.  I think it was something to do with Don putting the granada up and going off to the Army and the rosin melted, maybe under a bed or in a closet?  so, that starts to make sense now.  Never knew he played fiddle, and I may have part of that story wrong.  I know he could wear a guitar out.