ANW - Posted - 03/03/2022:  14:24:47

Hi! About a year ago I uploaded footage to Youtube of Pete Steele playing and posted links here. I just uploaded 2 more short films of him playing and wanted to come back and post the links for all who may be interested in seeing them.

The 1st one is a colorized silent film shot by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax on March 29, 1938 at Pete's home on 160 Rhea Ave across from the Champion Paper plant and is part of the Archive of American Folk Song Film Collection (AFC 1990/017). This was 18 months after Pete moved from Laurel County, Kentucky to Hamilton, OH and 2 days after Lomax first encountered Pete performing onstage at the Ohio Valley Folk Festival. The corresponding audio is not available, but Lomax's field notes indicate he was playing "Pretty Polly" at the time. Pete is seated playing the banjo with wife, Lillie, standing behind him and their oldest son, Craig (my great-grandfather) standing in the doorway.

The link: youtu.be/NoeS6yDEa3I

The 2nd one is a black and white movie with audio of Pete and Lillie Steele performing "Galilee". It was recorded at the Steele home on Rhea Ave in February 1959 by Pete Seeger and is part of the Pete and Toshi Seeger Film Collection. I have a copy of a letter Pete Seeger wrote to Pete Steele Dec 3, 1965 asking permission to air these clips on Seeger's television program, Rainbow Quest. So while I believe it appeared there, I do not know the specific episode number or date it aired.

The link: youtu.be/WeUAPYvOmiI

35planar - Posted - 03/03/2022:  14:31:53

Very cool!
Looks like an old 38+ hook Buckbee thing in the silent and a fancy Kay resonator in the gospel tune?

BeeEnvironment - Posted - 03/03/2022:  14:36:39

quote:

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Originally posted by ANW

Hi! About a year ago I uploaded footage to Youtube of Pete Steele playing and posted links here. I just uploaded 2 more short films of him playing and wanted to come back and post the links for all who may be interested in seeing them.



The 1st one is a colorized silent film shot by Alan and Elizabeth Lomax on March 29, 1938 at Pete's home on 160 Rhea Ave across from the Champion Paper plant and is part of the Archive of American Folk Song Film Collection (AFC 1990/017). This was 18 months after Pete moved from Laurel County, Kentucky to Hamilton, OH and 2 days after Lomax first encountered Pete performing onstage at the Ohio Valley Folk Festival. The corresponding audio is not available, but Lomax's field notes indicate he was playing "Pretty Polly" at the time. Pete is seated playing the banjo with wife, Lillie, standing behind him and their oldest son, Craig (my great-grandfather) standing in the doorway.



The link: youtu.be/NoeS6yDEa3I



The 2nd one is a black and white movie with audio of Pete and Lillie Steele performing "Galilee". It was recorded at the Steele home on Rhea Ave in February 1959 by Pete Seeger and is part of the Pete and Toshi Seeger Film Collection. I have a copy of a letter Pete Seeger wrote to Pete Steele Dec 3, 1965 asking permission to air these clips on Seeger's television program, Rainbow Quest. So while I believe it appeared there, I do not know the specific episode number or date it aired.



The link: youtu.be/WeUAPYvOmiI

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Hey ANW,

Thank you very much for this!! I love the music of Pete Steele AND Pete Seeger, and I have documented and uploaded all of his Rainbow Quest TV show programs from 1965-66 on my youtube channels:

youtube.com/channel/UCjsU2nvNK...Mb2xsIFag

And, here is a playlist of all the Rainbow Quest videos I uploaded. Unfortunately, 2 are missing, one about the Mamou Cajun Band (Episode 25), and the other was episode 28, which cannot be found anywhere online.

youtube.com/playlist?list=PLik...ClKg2hV3Z

I know FOR SURE the footage you describes is not in episodes: 2, 4, 15, 21, 24, 26, 31, 32, 33 (maybe??), 38, and 39 (since I watched them entirely for sure).

If I had to make a guess, I think it MIGHT be on episodes: 36, 18, 17, 13, 12, 6, and 1

And, please, if you have any Pete Seeger archives of anything you can think of (especially films), I would absolutely love looking through them!!

Russ A.

Edited by - BeeEnvironment on 03/03/2022 14:39:38

ANW - Posted - 03/03/2022:  14:39:46

He had a bad habit of banjos "disappearing" because he'd use them as collateral in the local taverns. Haha! So he never kept the same one for long and went through a great many of them. I'm sure that's where the one in '38 went and not being a banjo player myself, don't know anything about it. But I do believe the banjo he was playing in Galilee is the same one currently in the possession of Stephen Wade and it was gifted to Pete Steele by Pete Seeger the day he filmed this.

ANW - Posted - 03/03/2022:  14:47:10

BeeEnvironment I actually do have copies of several letters and pictures of Pete Seeger and Pete Steele's interactions as well as some royalty receipts for Coal Creek March. They stayed good friends for the rest of Steele's life. I will go hunt them all up and share them here. In the meantime, here is a picture of a copy of the letter I referenced in my post. What I have is just a photocopy. Pete's daughter has the original letter...

Edited by - ANW on 03/03/2022 14:51:33

 

BeeEnvironment - Posted - 03/03/2022:  15:02:46

ANW,

Thanks so much! I always enjoyed reading about Pete's life, and seeing his interactions and photos/films of him and others!

Russ A.

ANW - Posted - 03/03/2022:  15:17:28

BeeEnvironment Well, as a family member who is big into genealogy, I'm actually working on a full book about Pete Steele that will have all kinds of info about his life, family, and background and will include all kinds of stories. Like the time in Dec 1929 when he hosted a hoe-down at his home in East Bernstadt, KY where a melee broke out and a wealthy coal baron named James Robert "Bob" McNeill was murdered by Elier Robinson. Although he had nothing to do with the shooting, Pete was arrested and held as a witness in the case due to it occurring at his home. So there will be lots of new info like that in it! Hopefully I will have the book completed soon and if you would like, I'd be happy to come back here and update you when I do?

Edited by - ANW on 03/03/2022 15:18:51

BeeEnvironment - Posted - 03/03/2022:  16:06:52

quote:

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Originally posted by ANW

BeeEnvironment Well, as a family member who is big into genealogy, I'm actually working on a full book about Pete Steele that will have all kinds of info about his life, family, and background and will include all kinds of stories. Like the time in Dec 1929 when he hosted a hoe-down at his home in East Bernstadt, KY where a melee broke out and a wealthy coal baron named James Robert "Bob" McNeill was murdered by Elier Robinson. Although he had nothing to do with the shooting, Pete was arrested and held as a witness in the case due to it occurring at his home. So there will be lots of new info like that in it! Hopefully I will have the book completed soon and if you would like, I'd be happy to come back here and update you when I do?

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Sure! That sounds great! Please do let me know about the book, and any photos or Pete Seeger memorabilia you might have! 

Russ A.

chip arnold - Posted - 03/05/2022:  07:36:47

My favorite Steele tune is Coal Creek March. I learned it from the 1938 tape made by John Lomax.

banjohangout.org/myhangout/med...archived=

Mtngoat - Posted - 03/05/2022:  08:27:13

I drove through East Bernstadt and Pittsburg just last week on a family visit. I drove by the railroad tracks and that actually jogged my memory of Pete's story about greasing the rails as a prank. This is the first time I've heard about the McNeill murder. I will be interested in your book.

ANW - Posted - 03/15/2022:  21:59:14

quote:

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Originally posted by Mtngoat

I drove through East Bernstadt and Pittsburg just last week on a family visit. I drove by the railroad tracks and that actually jogged my memory of Pete's story about greasing the rails as a prank. This is the first time I've heard about the McNeill murder. I will be interested in your book.

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Yeah, that was a crazy story! Actually, the infamous Andy Whitaker who taught him Coal Creek March was there. Andy wasn't involved in the murder, but when the law showed up & started breaking it down, he lit out of there like a scalded dog. So when they heard Andy went running, just assumed he was involved. That's why when the "big city folk" went asking around about him a few years later all the mountain people in Laurel County denied even knowing who he was! Haha! Of course they all knew him though.

Andy Whitkaker ended up dying in maybe early 50s? (Would have to look up the exact date because I'm just saying from memory) from jumping out of a moving truck in East Bernstadt. 

Here's a pic of a news article about it though...