I have no idea if it's truth or fiction, but Bill posts on here occasionally. Maybe he'll see your thread and comment.

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Originally posted by Texasbanjo

I have no idea if it's truth or fiction, but Bill posts on here occasionally. Maybe he'll see your thread and comment.

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Bill passed away almost 5 years ago ago.

I can't answer your specific questions about Stelling, but I certainly remember the shooting incident.

The Country Gentlemen had been booked for a concert at the University Of Cincinnati on a date that was shortly after Emerson had been shot. The Gentlemen still made the concert date with a fellow named Tim Spradlin filling in for Emerson on banjo. Tim was a fine banjo player from Portsmouth, Ohio, who played regularly in Cincinnati with Earl Taylor and Jim McCall. Those of us who were aware of the shooting incident were surprised when Emerson showed up with the band. His arm was in a sling, and he couldn't play the banjo, but he could still sing his harmony part on the trios.

Thats the first i ever heard of Emerson being shot. The5es another Bill Emerson known as Wild Bill Emerson. There seens to be conflicting stories about any shooting of either

I've lived most of my life in the same county as the Red Fox Inn, heard the Seldom Scene there almost every week the summer and early fall of 1972, and went to the Sunday jam there most weeks that same summer . . . and if I ever heard of Bill Emerson being shot there, I must have forgotten about it ages ago.

February 1972 was still a few months before my interest in banjo and bluegrass, so I would not have been there or even heard of the Country Gentlemen or the Red Fox (though I drove past or near it often).

That was, and still is, one of the safest places in Montgomery County (if not the whole DC area), so this is some strange anomaly.

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Originally posted by danielburdett

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Originally posted by Texasbanjo

I have no idea if it's truth or fiction, but Bill posts on here occasionally. Maybe he'll see your thread and comment.

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Bill passed away almost 5 years ago ago.

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Oops, I must be thinking about someone else.  My apologies for the erroneous post. 

Another mention of the incident:

"However, that link-up with the Country Gentlemen was abruptly terminated as in February 1972 in a frightful incident outside the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland, Emerson was the victim of a drive-by shooting, suffering a wound to his right forearm. When he had recovered fully he joined the U.S. Navy Band the next year, assuming the rank of Master Chief Petty Officer."

https://bluegrasstoday.com/on-this-day-53-bill-emerson-turns-80/

Having worked on banjos for him, I knew Bill Emerson, and this is the first I have know about the drive-by shooting! Apparently he didn't think he needed to publicize it and kept it mostly to himself.

As for the red fox connection, he seemed to have an affinity for red foxes in life as well as in literature, as evidenced by the Red Fox Inn, several songs about red foxes, and the idea for the Red Fox banjo. Although my taste in inlay design differs in general, I was the one mostly responsible for the inlay design of the Red Fox banjo.

danielburdett, well Sherry did say he only posted occasionally.

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Originally posted by sunburst

Having worked on banjos for him, I knew Bill Emerson, and this is the first I have know about the drive-by shooting! Apparently he didn't think he needed to publicize it and kept it mostly to himself.

As for the red fox connection, he seemed to have an affinity for red foxes in life as well as in literature, as evidenced by the Red Fox Inn, several songs about red foxes, and the idea for the Red Fox banjo. Although my taste in inlay design differs in general, I was the one mostly responsible for the inlay design of the Red Fox banjo.

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I have not had much experience with the Stelling Red Fox, but from what I see, the inlays are based on maple leaves. Is that correct or am I way off. 

Boy, looking at Stellings, Didn't Geoff make consistently beautiful banjos? Miss him being an integral part of the banjo world. Great craftsman. 

Thanks,

ken

The fingerboard inlays were maple leaves. Geoff asked me to draw some maple leaves, so I drew a bunch of different ones, different angles, different maple species, figuring he could make a design using some of them. As it turned out, he used nearly all of the drawings I made and simply placed them in the fingerboard.

Geoff drew the original red fox for the peghead inlay, and since I was doing the finish work at the time, it fell to me to try to make the multi-piece, wood and pearl inlay look like a fox (by drawing, dying, engraving and inking). I didn't think I could get good results so I told Geoff that I would have to re-draw the fox in order to get good results. The first Red Fox banjos following the prototype had the pearl fox that I drew, and all since had the same pearl inlay. The drawing and engraving changed depending upon who was dong the finish work.

As I said, it was never my favorite design, but Bill was happy with it.

quote: FWIW: I think it is a real pretty design. 

ken

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Originally posted by sunburst

The fingerboard inlays were maple leaves. Geoff asked me to draw some maple leaves, so I drew a bunch of different ones, different angles, different maple species, figuring he could make a design using some of them. As it turned out, he used nearly all of the drawings I made and simply placed them in the fingerboard.

Geoff drew the original red fox for the peghead inlay, and since I was doing the finish work at the time, it fell to me to try to make the multi-piece, wood and pearl inlay look like a fox (by drawing, dying, engraving and inking). I didn't think I could get good results so I told Geoff that I would have to re-draw the fox in order to get good results. The first Red Fox banjos following the prototype had the pearl fox that I drew, and all since had the same pearl inlay. The drawing and engraving changed depending upon who was dong the finish work.

As I said, it was never my favorite design, but Bill was happy with it.

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quote:

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Originally posted by sunburst

The fingerboard inlays were maple leaves. Geoff asked me to draw some maple leaves, so I drew a bunch of different ones, different angles, different maple species, figuring he could make a design using some of them. As it turned out, he used nearly all of the drawings I made and simply placed them in the fingerboard.

Geoff drew the original red fox for the peghead inlay, and since I was doing the finish work at the time, it fell to me to try to make the multi-piece, wood and pearl inlay look like a fox (by drawing, dying, engraving and inking). I didn't think I could get good results so I told Geoff that I would have to re-draw the fox in order to get good results. The first Red Fox banjos following the prototype had the pearl fox that I drew, and all since had the same pearl inlay. The drawing and engraving changed depending upon who was dong the finish work.

As I said, it was never my favorite design, but Bill was happy with it.

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Wow, I never thought the person who did the design would respond. Thank you for all the details. I want you to know that I find the design fantastic - it was what initially caught my eye compared to other more traditional Stellings like the Sunflower. The combination of the reddish maple, the fox on the peghead and the abalone leaves... It's different for sure but in a really good way!