Interview with Everett Lilly, September 25, 2008

Partial Transcript: We're here at the home of Everett Lilly.

Segment Synopsis: Everett Lilly is introduced. He talks about his childhood in West Virginia and how he and his brother Bea became interested in music, mainly through singing in church. He talks about the hymns their father would sing during their childhood and their parents' negative opinion of secular music.

Keywords: Bea Lilly (Artist); Brothers; Callahan Brothers (Artist); Cars; Churches; Concerts; Everett Lilly (Artist); Fathers; Get-togethers; Gigs; Guitars; Hymns; Learning to play; Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Mandolin players; Mandolins; Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Money; Parents; Payment; Religious beliefs; Salary; Serenader mandolin; Shows; Singing; Songs; Wages; What A Friend We Have In Jesus (Song)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability in children.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance; Religion

Partial Transcript: Um, tell us about, uh, your first, uh, experiences playing on the radio and where those were.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about the first radio show he and his brother Bea played, at WHLS in Beckley, West Virginia. He talks about how they later played the Wheeling Jamboree. He talks about the other members of the band at that time.

Keywords: Banjos; Bea Lilly (Artist); Beckley (W. Va.); Belcher, Red (Artist); Benjamin Franklin "Tex" Logan, Jr. (Artist); Cars; Concerts; Contacts; Don Stover (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Everett Lilly (Artist); Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Flatt, Lester (Artist); Gigs; Lester Flatt (Artist); Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly Land Company; Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Logan, Jr., Benjamin Franklin "Tex" (Artist); Logan, Tex (Artist); Miss Welch; Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Radio shows; Red Belcher (Artist); Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Shows; Sponsors; Stover, Don (Artist); Tex Logan (Artist); Traveling; Virginia Theater; WHLS (Radio station); Wheeling Jamboree (Radio program)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: Um, so after Wheeling, what, what happened?

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about how their band was in residence in Boston for many years. He talks about some of the characters who worked at the Hillbilly Ranch. He talks about the members of the band at that time and the outfits they wore on stage.

Keywords: 78 rpm records; 78s; Audio recording; Bea Lilly (Artist); Benjamin Franklin "Tex" Logan, Jr. (Artist); Characters; Children; Clothes; Confederate Mountaineers (Artist); Confederate uniforms; Country music; Everett Allen Lilly; Everett Lilly (Artist); Family; Hillbilly Ranch (Venue); Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Logan, Jr., Benjamin Franklin "Tex" (Artist); Logan, Tex (Artist); Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Music recording; New England; North; Outfits; Pizza Frank; Radio shows; Recording sessions; Recording studios; Recordings; Rice, Tony (Artist); Ricky Skaggs (Artist); Skaggs, Ricky (Artist); Tex Logan (Artist); Tony Rice (Artist); WCOP (Radio station)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Boston (Mass.); Clothing and dress.; Fashion.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.; Sound recordings.; Sound studios; Sound--Recording and reproducing

Partial Transcript: So you're in Wheeling--you're in Beckley and then Wheeling and then Boston.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly briefly talks about his work with Flatt and Scruggs, and the other people who were part of the band at that time. He talks about how the Lilly Brothers ended up touring in Japan.

Keywords: Bass players; Bassists; Bea Lilly (Artist); Charles "Little Jody Rainwater" Johnson (Artist); Cousin Jake Tullock (Artist); Don Stover (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Everett Lilly (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Flatt, Lester (Artist); Hillbilly Ranch (Venue); Japan; Japanese businessmen; Johnson, Charles "Little Jody Rainwater" (Artist); Lester Flatt (Artist); Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Mandolin players; Mandolins; Meeting; Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Paul Warren (Artist); Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Singing; Stover, Don (Artist); Tenor vocals; Tokyo (Japan)American folk mountain music; Touring; Traveling; Tullock, Cousin Jake (Artist); United Service Organizations (U.S.O.); Venues; Warren, Paul (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Now when you were starting out, did you have any idea that there would be a trip to Japan or, uh, uh, radio stations and all that...

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about his role as the businessman for the band, and booking shows before Manny Greenhill became their manager.

Keywords: Bea Lilly (Artist); Booking; Booking agents; Breakfast; Businessman; Contacts; Contracts; Everett Lilly (Artist); Folk festivals; Food; Greenhill, Manuel "Manny"; Legacy; Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Managers; Manuel "Manny" Greenhill; Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Newport Folk Festival; North; Radio shows; West Virginia

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass festivals; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music business; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: When you were--later on, uh, when you're starting to play on the radio and stuff...

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about where he and his band found new material and talks about some of the bands that influenced them.

Keywords: Albums; Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (Artist); Callahan Brothers (Artist); Carter Family (Artist); Family; Jimmie Rodgers (Artist); Learning to play; Meeting; Monroe Brothers (Artist); New material; Radio shows; Records; Rodgers, Jimmie (Artist); Songs; Watson, Arthel Lane "Doc" (Artist)

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Folk music.; Folk songs.; Music icons; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance; Radio programs.; Radio stations.

Partial Transcript: Um, well let's see.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about where he fell in the birth order among his siblings and whether that affected his later ability to play music.

Keywords: Bea Lilly (Artist); Brothers; Everett Lilly (Artist); Jobs; Leaving home; Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Parenting; Playing music; Siblings; Singers; Singing; Sisters; Work; Younger

Subjects: Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical families

Partial Transcript: Um, Bill Monroe, uh, is the guy who started playing the F5 mandolins.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about his first mandolin, learning to repair it, and how he added extra frets to the instrument. He also talks briefly about playing the fiddle.

Keywords: A4 mandolins; Admission; Bill Monroe (Artist); Cost; Dances; Extra frets; F5 mandolins; Fathers; Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Gibson mandolins; Guitars; Monroe, Bill (Artist); Repairs; Songs

Subjects: Music--Performance.; Musical instrument makers.; Musical instruments.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Now, um, both of you were really fine singers.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about singing with his brother Bea and where they learned to sing. He talks about Don Stover singing baritone in the band as well as his role as the comedian.

Keywords: Banjo players; Banjos; Baritone vocals; Bea Lilly (Artist); Churches; Comedians; Comedy in bluegrass music; Don Stover (Artist); Everett Lilly (Artist); Lead vocals; Learning to play; Lilly Brothers (Artist); Lilly, Bea (Artist); Lilly, Everett (Artist); Lilly, Mitchell Burt "Bea" (Artist); Methodist churches; Mitchell Burt "Bea" Lilly (Artist); Music teachers; Playing by ear; Roles; Singers; Singing; Stories; Stover, Don (Artist); Tenor vocals

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical ability in children.; Musical ability.; Musical families; Musical groups.; Musical performance

Partial Transcript: Well you've been, uh, you've been awarded a lot of, uh, prizes.

Segment Synopsis: Interviewer Tim O'Brien lists some of the awards Lilly has received throughout his career. Lilly gives his advice for the younger generation of musicians.

Keywords: Advice; Awards; Dickens, Jimmy (Artist); Generations; Grand Ole Opry; Honors; International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA); Jimmy Dickens (Artist); Lilly Brothers (Artist); Mistakes; Perseverance; Practice; Practicing (Music); WWVA (Radio station); West Virginia Music Hall of Fame; West Virginia musicians; Young musicians

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Instruction and study.; Musical groups.

Partial Transcript: Can you, can you tell us, uh, what you're the most proud of?

Segment Synopsis: Lilly talks about the annual Lilly family reunion held in West Virginia.

Keywords: Anderson, Bill (Artist); Bill Anderson (Artist); Connie Smith (Artist); Entertainment; Family names; Family reunions; Lilly family; Personality; Pride; Proud; Smith, Connie (Artist); Snakes; West Virginia

Subjects: Families.; Genealogy; Music.

Partial Transcript: Well listen I think maybe we should, uh, finish up here.

Segment Synopsis: Lilly and interviewer Tim O'Brien give their final thoughts on the impact of music. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Impact; Playing music

Subjects: Bands (Music); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Performance.; Musical groups.; Musical performance