Interview with the Ozaki Brothers, June 26, 2004

Partial Transcript: Today is Saturday, June twenty-sixth, two thousand and four.

Segment Synopsis: The Ozaki brothers and Tatsuo Arita introduce themselves and talk about when and where they were born. Yasushi Ozaki then talks about the first time he heard country music. The brothers talk about the musical influence of their father, who studied in the United States in the 1920s. The brothers then serenade the interviewer with the song, "She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain." They then discuss the difficulties of growing up in Japan during World War II. Arita then tells the story of how he was introduced to country music during the Japanese occupation by the United States.

Keywords: Armed Forces Radio Service; Banjos; Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Childhood; Cigar cases; Country music; Duos; Famines; Food shortages; Grand Ole Opry (Radio program); Guitars; Japan; Japanese Occupation; Mandolins; Matthew C. Perry; Mountain music; Musical families; Musical instruments, homemade; Owensboro (Ky.); Perry, Matthew C.; Radio; Records (models): 78s; River of Music Party; Rockabilly music; She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain (Song); Soldiers; Trios; United States; World War II

Subjects: Banjo; Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Cigars; Country music; Famines; Grand Ole Opry (Radio program); Guitars; Japan; Mandolins; Music--History and criticism.; Musical families; Musical instruments; Owensboro (Ky.); Perry, Matthew Calbraith; Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858.; Radio; Records; Soldiers; Trios; United States; World War II

Partial Transcript: Where did you meet the Ozaki brothers?

Segment Synopsis: Arita talks about how he met the Ozaki brothers through the American Folk Music Society in the 1950s. The trio then talk about how they met Don Sano, who played banjo in a country music band at a rival university. They also share a photograph of the East Mountain Boys and talk about their time with the group. The brothers and Arita talk about how much money they were paid for their performances, which frequently included payments in food. The brothers then tell an anecdote involving sneaking food out of a venue in a guitar case. The trio then talk about recording a record with the East Mountain Boys and talk about Bluegrass’ popularity in Japan.

Keywords: Accordions; American Folk Music Society; Bluegrass music; Christians; Don Sano (Artist); East Mountain Boys, the (Artist); Engineers; English (language); Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Gospel music; International Business Machines (IBM); Japan; Jobs; Life insurance salesmen; Live music; Managers; Mandolins; Marriages; Money; Music Life (Magazine); Music--Anecdotes; Music--Performance; Occupations; Ozaki Brothers, the (Artist); Pharmaceuticals; Photographs; Records; Records, plastic; Salaries; Sano, Don (Artist); Smokey Mountain Boys (Artist); Song lyrics; Songs; Sound recordings.; Sound--Recording and reproducing; The East Mountain Boys (Artist); The Ozaki Brothers (Artist); United States Army; Universities; Wives; Yokohama (Japan)

Subjects: Accordion; Bluegrass music; Bluegrass music--1951-1960.; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Christians; Engineers; English (language); Gospel music; International Business Machines Corporation.; Japan; Life insurance; Lyrics; Mandolin; Marriage; Money; Music--Anecdotes; Music--History and criticism.; Music--Performance; Occupations; Photographs; Records; Salary; Songs; Sound recordings.; Sound--Recording and reproducing; United States. Army.; Wives; Yokohama (Japan)

Partial Transcript: I'm going to s, s, stop you and have you go back.

Segment Synopsis: Arita talks about his 1960 trip to the United States, where he promoted the East Mountain Boys’ record. The Ozaki brothers then talk about trips they made to the United States in 1960 and 1967. Hisashi Ozaki also discusses buying a mandolin in Minneapolis (Minn.).

Keywords: Ain’t it Silly, but Ain’t it Fun? (Song); Back Up and Push (Song); Cincinnati (Ohio); Indian Boogie (Song); Mandolins; Mandolins, Gibson A-12; Minneapolis (Minn.); Musical instruments stores; Ozaki Brothers, the (Artist); Raney, Wayne (Artist); Records; The Ozaki Brothers (Artist); Trading stamp companies; Travel; United States; WCKY (Radio station); Wayne Raney (Artist)

Subjects: Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Cincinnati (Ohio); Mandolin; Minneapolis (Minn.); Music--History and criticism.; Raney, Wayne, 1920-1993; Records; Travel; United States

Partial Transcript: At this time, did you have another band? Uh, the, the East Mountain Boys finished in nineteen sixty.

Segment Synopsis: The Ozaki Brothers talk about dissolving the East Mountain Boys to focus on their business careers and marriages. The two then explain the difference between what the Japanese call a flat mandolin, which is known as a tater bug in the United States, and a regular mandolin. They also talk about the second generation of Bluegrass fans and musicians in Japan who began several music festivals. Next, Arita talks about the first Japanese musicians to come to the United States.

Keywords: Bean Blossom (Ind.); Beanblossom (Ind.); Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival; Bluegrass festivals; Bluegrass music; Business; Cafes; Children; East Mountain Boys (Artist); Generations; Grand Ole Opry (Radio program); Mandolins, flat; Mandolins, tater bug; Marriages; Music festivals; Musicians; Ono, Yoshio (Artist); Radio programs; Radio stations; Records, 45s; Shoji Tabuchi (Artist); Tabuchi, Shoji (Artist); Teachers; United States; Watanabes; Yoshio Ono (Artist)

Subjects: Bean Blossom (Ind.); Bluegrass festivals; Bluegrass music; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Business; Cafés; Children; Generations; Grand Ole Opry (Radio program); Mandolin; Marriage; Music festivals; Music--History and criticism.; Musicians; Ono, Yoshio; Radio programs; Radio stations; Records; Tabuchi, Shoji; Teachers; United States

Partial Transcript: And, then you retired from business career. When did you retire?

Segment Synopsis: The Ozaki Brothers and Arita discuss retiring from their business careers and taking up professional music once again. They then talk about playing in the United States for the first time and discuss their favorite Bluegrass musicians.

Keywords: Anglin, Jack (Artist); Arnold, Eddy (Artist); Bluegrass music; Bluegrass musicians; Business; Concerts; Country and western music; Eddy Arnold (Artist); Jack Anglin (Artist); John Sano (Artist); Johnnie & Jack (Artist); Johnnie Wright (Artist); Louisville (Ky.); Music--Performance; Musical genres; Ozaki Brothers, the (Artist); Professional musicians; Resonator guitar music (Bluegrass); Resonator guitars; Retirement; Sano, Don (Artist); The Ozaki Brothers (Artist); Tokyo (Japan); United States; Wright, Johnnie (Artist)

Subjects: Anglin, Jack, 1916-1963; Arnold, Eddy; Bluegrass music; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Business; Concerts.; Country music; Johnnie & Jack; Louisville (Ky.); Music--History and criticism.; Music--Performance; Resonator guitar; Resonator guitar music; Retirement; Tokyo (Japan); United States; Wright, Johnnie, 1914-2011

Partial Transcript: Now, Don Sano, who played Rockabilly brought the song "Indian Boogie" to the East Mountain boys.

Segment Synopsis: The Ozaki brothers and Arita talk about the song "Indian Boogie," by Buster Pack and the Lonesome Pine Boys, which was a highly unusual mix of Rockabilly music and Bluegrass music that influenced fellow East Mountain Boys musician Don Sano. They then talk about how Sano originally heard the song from a United States sailor--who happened to be Buster Pack himself.

Keywords: Bluegrass music; Buster Pack and His Lonesome Pine Boys (Artist); Don Sano (Artist); Foggy Mountain Boys (Artist); Indian Boogie (Song); Jerry Lee Lewis (Artist); Lewis, Jerry Lee (Artist); Mule Train (Song); Pack, Stuard Lesley “Buster” (Artist); Record labels; Rich-R-Tone Records; Rockabilly music; Sailors; Sano, Don (Artist); Stuard Lesley “Buster" Pack (Artist); United States Navy; Yokosuka Naval Base (Yokosuka, Japan)

Subjects: Bluegrass music; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Lewis, Jerry Lee.; Music--History and criticism.; Records label; Rockabilly music; Sailors; United States. Navy; Yokosuka Naval Base (Japan)

Partial Transcript: Well, that's a different story.

Segment Synopsis: Arita discusses living in the United States in the late 1960s to run his pharmaceutical business, a time in which he learned about country music and Bluegrass music. The trio then talk about the culture exchange that occurred between the United States and Japan.

Keywords: Banjo players; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass Day; County Gentlemen, the (Artist); County Records; David Freeman; Freeman, David; Greenwich Village (New York (N.Y.); Honolulu (Hawaii); Japan; Japanese companies; Lexington Park (Md.); Mac Wiseman (Artist); Matthew Perry (Artist); Monroe, Bill (Artist); Ozaki Brothers, the (Artist); Pack, Stuard Lesley “Buster” (Artist); Perry, Matthew (Artist); Pharmaceutical companies; Shoji Tabuchi (Artist); Sound trucks; Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys, the (Artist); Stanley Brothers, the (Artist); Stuard Lesley “Buster" Pack (Artist); Tabuchi, Shoji (Artist); The Ozaki Brothers (Artist); The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain Boys (Artist); United States; Universities; Wiseman, Mac (Artist)

Subjects: Bluegrass music--1961-1970.; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Companies; Country Gentlemen (Country group); County Gentlemen (Musical group); Freeman, David; Greenwich Village (New York, N.Y.); Japan; Japanese; Lexington Park (Md.); Monroe, Bill; Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996; Music--History and criticism.; Stanley Brothers; Tabuchi, Shoji; United States; Wiseman, Mac

Partial Transcript: The last thing we'll do is ask each one of you to say anything else that you would like to say about your life and about Bluegrass music.

Segment Synopsis: Yasushi Ozaki gives his final thoughts about the role that Bluegrass music has played in his life. Tatsuo Arita and Husashi then talk about their love for Bluegrass music. They then discuss Sam Bush’s song Sapporo, which he played as a tribute to Japanese Bluegrass music fans. The Ozaki brothers then talk about their mission to promote Bluegrass music in Japan.

Keywords: Akuno, Toro; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Bluegrass music; Bush, Sam (Artist); Computers; Country music; Mandolin songs; Monroe, Bill (Artist); Owensboro (Ky.); Ozaki Brothers, the (Artist); Retirement; Sam Bush (Artist); Sapporo (Song); Soba noodles; Songs; The Ozaki Brothers (Artist); Toro Akuno

Subjects: Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum; Bluegrass music; Bluegrass music--History and criticism.; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bush, Sam; Computers; Country music; Monroe, Bill; Monroe, Bill, 1911-1996; Music--History and criticism.; Owensboro (Ky.); Retirement; Soba (Noodles); Songs