fieldnotes: country music potluck jam (allen county folklife project)

8/2/2019 Fieldnotes: Country Music Potluck Jam (Allen County Folklife Project)

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FIELDNOTESPROJECTTITLE: AllenCountyFolklifeandOralHistory

ProjectPROJECTRECORDINGNUMBER: ACS.11.11.11.Potlu.aud.jj

INTERVIEWEE: PatsyMurray,WandaSloan,PatLowery,GeriGregory,BettyJoeMounts,Evelyn

Cook,RuthHarrison,MaryBritt,Lucille

Smith,DougBlankenship

INTERVIEWERANDRECORDIST: JenniferJameson

INTERVIEWDATE: November11,2011

LOCATION: Country,Gospel,andBluegrassJamand

Potluck,WashingtonCenter,110S.CourtStreet,Scottsville,Ky.

OTHERSPRESENT: CaitlinCoad,WKUFolkStudies,100orso

attendees.

KEYWORDS: Foodways,music,localhistory,religion,

communityevents

OnNovember11,2011,IarrivedinScottsvilletocompletebothofmy

documentationinterviews,thefirstbeinganinterviewwithanemployeeofLos

MariachisMexicanRestaurant,andthesecondbeingadocumentationofthe

monthlycountry,gospelandbluegrasspotluckandjamwhichoccursintheevening,

everysecondFridayofthemonth,onthesecondflooroftheWashingtonCenterin

downtownScottsville.

FellowFolkStudiesgraduatestudentCaitlinCoad,whowasalreadyin

ScottsvilleonAllenCountyFolklifeProjectduties,metupwithmearound5:30pm,


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andwearrivedtotheeventtogether.Shecameforthepurposeofwritingonthis

communityeventforafieldnotesprojectinDr.ErikaBradysFieldworkMethods

course.Wecommunicatedthroughouttheevent,butlargelydocumentedthe

eveningindependently.

Iwasveryexcitedtobedocumentingthiscommunityevent,asIhadlooked

forwardtoitforsometime.Ihadmeanttodocumentthepotluck/jamamonth

earlier,butIneededtowaituntilNovember,becauseofmydutiesattheAmerican

FolkloreSocietyannualmeetingsinOctober.RachelHopkinhadattendedtheevent

inthesummertime,asamemberoftheACSAdvanceTeam,soshesuppliedmewith

greatnotesabouttheevent,somecontext,andideasaboutwhoIshouldorcould

speakwithandinterview.

WhenCaitlinandIwalkedintotheWashingtonCenter,wewereinabrightly

litcommunityspacewithseveralroundorrectangulartablestotherightfor

attendeestosit,eat,andchataround,andthefullarrayofpotluckdishesontables

shapedinanLformat.Coffeeandteafixingsweretotheleftagainstthewall.At

thefarendoftheroomwesawabout8menjamminginasmallcircle,andtotheleft

ofthemwasasortofstagesetup,completewithmicrophonestandsandamplifiers.

Behind,throughapairofdoubledoors,isadressingroomtypearea,with

restrooms.

Clearly,noteveryonehadarrivedyet,andthepotlucktablewasstillwaitingto

befilledtothebrimwithdishesanddesserts.Theconstituencywaslargelyelderly,

perhapsmorewomenthanmen,byamargin.Therewere,however,someyounger

folkslikelyintheir20sor30swhokepttothemselvesthroughoutthenight,and


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stayedinonecorner.IfIrecallcorrectly,theentireeventscrowdappearedtobe

Caucasian.Iimmediatelywentuptoafewladieswhoweresettingupthetableand

introducedmyselfandtoldthemabouttheAllenCountyFolklifeProjectthatCaitlin

andIwereworkingonthatevening.Iaskediftheymightliketobeinterviewedat

somepointduringtheevent,ortokeepaneyeoutforsomeonewhomightbemore

keenonparticipatinginaninterview.IthenaskedforanAnnieScruggs,whoIwas

toldbyRachel,wouldbeanexcellentinformant.Tomyknowledge,Ms.Scruggswas

notinattendance.

Next,IsawandspokewithMaryBritt,agospelsingerwhomIhadknown

previously.RachelintroducedmetoMaryandherhusbandDeppBrittattheACFP

kickoffevent,andCaitlinCoadandIfollowedupwitharapportbuildingvisittothe

BritthomeinScottsvillelateOctober.Thatevening,weaskedthemtotellusmore

abouttheirlongparticipationincountryandgospelmusicinthearea.Deppisa

fiddlerwhoplayedinagroupcalledtheAllenCountyRamblersformanyyears

theyplayedattheRenfroValleyBarnDanceandeventriedoutforNashvillesGrand

OleOpry,buttheywererootedintheCounty.Maryandhersistersanggospel,and

eventuallyteamedupwithDeppandhisbrother,formingafamilybandofsorts

(bothsistersmarriedaBritt!).Today,DeppplaysintheHighway52band,andhe

andMarysingandplaygospelattheirchurch.

At6pm,theeventsorganizer,DougBlankenship,whoplaysguitar,announced

theprayer,andaskedafellowmusiciantodothehonors.Everyonequietedforthe

prayer,thenBlankenshipwelcomedeveryone,madeafewannouncements,and

thenthenowlargercrowdformedalinebehindthepotlucktable.Iquicklygrabbed


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mycameras(digitalANDfilm!)andtooksomesnapshotsofthefood,andthosein

line.

MarywasasortofinforbothCaitlinandI,assheinvitedustositattable

withherfriendsafterfolkshadfilledtheirplates.Ithoughtforaminuteabouthow

togoaboutdocumentingthiseventIunderstoodthatsoundqualitywas

important,butitseemedunnaturaltopullaside1informantfromthetableata

time,soIsimplyaskedifIwouldbewelcometoplacethemicrophoneonthetable,

andasksomequestionsoftheentiregroup(about7folks,inandout).Withtheir

permission,mymaininterviewcommenced,andalthoughitsLOUDandsomewhat

busy,withquitealotofambientnoiseinthebackground,Idobelieveitwasa

relativesuccess,asthegroupdynamicallowedformultiplepointsofview,some

joking,aswellasgroupconsensus.

Next,Iplacedtherecordernearthestageareatodocumentafewsongsets,

andsnappedphotosduringthattime.Afterdinner,allperformersplayedonthe

stageratherthaninajamformat.Thatevening,severalmenfromtheHighways

52bandledtheway,collaboratingmostlywithasetofmusiciansfromoutside

countylines.ThroughouttheeventIaskedforclarificationanddistinctionaboutthe

genresofmusicplayed:Wasitbluegrass,gospel,country,countrygospel,or

somethingelseentirely?Iwasleftwithnosingleresponse,perhapsasitshouldbe,

butdecidedtobroadlycategorizeitascountrymusicformyownreference!

Throughoutmyconversations,itwasapparentthattherewasnoconversationof

thefoodattheeventwithoutspeakingofthemusicoftheevent,andviceversa,as

theseelementsareintrinsicallytied.


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Throughoutthenight,Iranaround,slingingvariousrecordingtechnologies;I

photographedthis,Irecordedthat,andIworkedallangles!Iwasremindedhow

difficultitistoblendinwhenyouareworkingtogetgreatsoundofanexcellent

snapshot.

ImadeitapointtoconductabriefinterviewwithDougBlankenship,the

eventsorganizer,beforetheeveningconcluded.Neartheend,wesatdownnearthe

stage,andIaskedhimalittleabouttheoriginsoftheevent,abouttherelationshipof

thefoodandthemusic,andwhatitallmeanstohim.IregretthatIdidnotaskhim

moreabouthimselfIwouldhavelikedtoknowwhathedidbeforehisretirement,

forexample.

AhighlightoftheeventwasseeingMartha,aguitaristwhoIdpreviously

interview,onleadguitarandvocalsonthelastsetofsongs.Atthatpoint,everyone

whowantedtoparticipatehadpiledintothestageareaonanOprystyleconcluding

set,andthemencalledoutMarthatoleadthegroup.Shedidexcellently,anditwas

greattoseeafemalefrontandcenter,asthemusichadbeenlargelydominatedby

mentheentirenight.Everyonecheeredasthegroupplayedamedlyofclassic

countrysongs,includingIllFlyAwayandWilltheCircleBeUnbroken?

ThosewehadconnectedwithhuggedusandencouragedCaitlinandItocome

onback,andweexpressedourgenuineinterestindoingso.Itoldthemwedbein

touch,andpassontheresultsofthefieldworkdocumentation.

fieldnotes: country music potluck jam (allen county folklife project)

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