Interview with Tommy Scott, August 20, 2005

Partial Transcript: Alright, I am Doc Ramblin' Tommy Scott.

Segment Synopsis: Scott describes what his early career as a bluegrass musician was like.

Keywords: Auditorium; Band; Bars; Cakewalks; Check; Coleman Vause; Displays; Doyle Thompson (Artist); Eat; Entertainment; Events; Fiddle players; Fiddler's conventions; Fish sandwiches; Friends; Glenn Clark (Artist); Great Depression; Guitar players; Guitars; House; Jack Richardson (Artist); Mandolins; Medicine show; Met; Method; Movies; Musical instruments; Nickname; Oliver Humphries; Pay; Performing; Places; Playing; Practice; Pump organ; Silent movies; Snake oil; Son; Stores; Stuck; Ticket; Tour; Visiting; Wife

Subjects: Banjo; Beans; Belle Glade (Fla.); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brother; Dances; Death; Depressions--1929; Farms; Father; Florida; Food; Home; Hunger; Learning; Memory; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Name; Night; North Carolina; People; Photographs; Poverty; Rain; Rural; Schools; Selling; Singing; Social; South Carolina; Streets; Television; Water; Windows; Winter; Work

Partial Transcript: But, me and you went through some of the earliest I guess there was.

Segment Synopsis: Scott briefly discusses the history of fiddlers in the U.S. Scott also describes his time spent in Belle Haven, Florida playing music and working at picking beans with Doyle Thompson.

Keywords: Accident; Accompany; Airplane; Apart; BBQ; Bars; Bartender; Blotting; Bluegrass music; Bootlegger; Brave; Broke; Cap; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Clayton McMichen; Company name; Corner; Country; Difficult; Dinner; Disliked; Doyle Thompson (Artist); Dumping; Early; Eating; Entertainment; Eugene Talmadge; Familiar; Famous; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Fire screens; First fiddlers; Flat tire; Gene Autry (Artist); Governor; Guitars; Hard work; Hat; Hillbilly music; Hired; Hurry; Jimmy Rogers (Artist); John Carson; Kilgore Seed Company; Leaving; Living; Moving; No drinking; Office; Outline; Outside; Paid; Palm trees; Pay; Picking beans; Playing; Porch; Profession; Radiator; Re-sold; Refused; Rescued; Sign; Sitting; Song requests; Split; Stayed; Talking; Todd Guess (Artist); Together; Towns; Vegetable companies; Westerns; Wire house; Wise

Subjects: Alcohol; Beans; Beer; Belle Glade (Fla.); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brother; Building; Canals; Christmas; Color; Crops; Cuba; Dark; Farmers; Florida; Georgia; Home; House painting; Hunger; Income; Labor; Learning; Lemonade; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Paint; Paintbrushes; Painting; Pictures; Population; Poverty; Rum; Selling; Singing; Songs; Tipping; Toccoa (Ga.); Trade; Travel; West Palm Beach (Fla.)

Partial Transcript: Pretty close after that then I went my way and we--we didn't hardly see each other for a long time.

Segment Synopsis: Scott recalls his work at a radio station in South Carolina. Scott describes his music career following his split with Doyle Thompson professionally.

Keywords: A. P. "Doc" Durham; After; Audience; Brittle; Busy; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Different; Doyle Thompson (Artist); Family; Fees; Great Depression; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Left; Liked; Living; No feeling; Packaging; Places; Playing; Problems; Quit; Racket; Rare; Records; Scams; Separated; Show; Shysters; Slowdown; Talk shows; Teams; Theatres; Tim McCoy (Artist); Today; Tough; Tour dates; Towns; Trim work; U.S. Army; Unable; WAIM (Radio station); WSPA (Radio station)

Subjects: Anderson County (S.C.); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brother; Depressions--1929; Fingers; Greenville (S.C.); Health; House painting; Longevity; Luck; Marriage; Merchants; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; North Carolina; Painting; People; Percentage; Population; Promoters; Radio; Radio stations; Rooms; Schools; Selling; Singing; Spartanburg (S.C.); Sponsors; Success; Telephone calls; Tickets; Virginia; Work

Partial Transcript: Tell me a story about--uh--Tommy when you all were in school together.

Segment Synopsis: Scott recalls his early education with Doyle Thompson in Toccoa, Georgia.

Keywords: Admission; Belt; Car; Caught; Charged; Confused; Door; Doyle Thompson (Artist); Drinks; Dropped out; Evening; Farm; Funny; Graduation; Head of school; Late; Living; Loud; Made; Medicine show; No trouble; Peach tree; Polite; Quit; Schoolhouse; Senior play; Sent; Smart; Sold; Stay; Stayed; Steps; Store; Throwing; Tree limb; Whipping; Window; Worn out

Subjects: Boys; Building; Change; Christmas; Discipline; Education; Father; Firecrackers; Good; High school; Home; Manners and customs; Money; Music; Night; Principal; Proud; Punishment; Reading; Respect; Shoes; Teacher; Teachers; Tickets; Time; Toccoa (Ga.); Walking; Women

Partial Transcript: Wh--tell us about your parents, when you were born, and what they were like, and what music it was in your--uh--household when you were growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Scott and Thompson discuss their childhoods and early musical influences.

Keywords: Bass; Black people; Changing chords; Dinner; Doyle Thompson (Artist); Eating; Fields; Finger; Funeral; Guitar players; Guitars; Help; House; Influence; Musical instruments; Old people; Organ; Pedals; Problem; Pump organ; Real name; Records; Standard; Unable

Subjects: African Americans; Age; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Blues; Childhood; Children; Chords (Music); Corn; Cotton; Credit; Death; Early life; Father; Listening; Man; Mother; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nicknames; Parents; Piano; Plowing; Quartet; Running; Singing; Sister; Sound; Teaching; Toccoa (Ga.); Work; Young

Partial Transcript: So--now you started out working with--uh--a medicine show?

Segment Synopsis: Scott remembers how he became a cast member on Doc Chamberlain's Medicine Show. Scott discusses his experience with the show and with Doc Chamberlain.

Keywords: Agreed; Bands; Banjos; Beauty contest; Bed; Blaze; Bluegrass music; Burning; Commitment; Courthouse square; Crowd; Different; Dinner; Doc Chamberlain; Dress; Effort; Elaborate; End; Farm; Guitar players; Guitars; Hammering; Hired; Ignored; Impact; Influence; Insults; Interested; Jar; Lamp; Late; Leaving; Lightbulbs; Long; Medicine man; Mixing; No batteries; No electric lights; Pawn shop; Pay; Platform; Purchase; Quick; Repairs; Salary; Sales pitch; Saturday; Shelter; Show business; Stage; Steering wheel; Talking; Truck; Wagon; Waiting; Wick; Wife; Wind

Subjects: Anger; Applause; Biscuits; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Candles; Chords (Music); Cooking; Engine; Experience; Fall; Georgia; Good; Hearing; Kerosene; Learning; Man; Medicine shows; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Mystic; Parents; Patent medicines; Power; Rooms; Singing; Sleeping; Smoke; Television; Time; Toccoa (Ga.)

Partial Transcript: Well, he certainly must have had a powerful--um--hold on you for you to stay in this, uh, uh--I mean, pattern your whole life after what he did.

Segment Synopsis: Scott describes his life after graduating from high school.

Keywords: Art college; Baptist Church; Crossroad follies; Doc Chamberlain; Dropped out; Eating; Encouraging; Flaws; Graduated; Guest artist; Guitar players; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Met; Performance; Plate; Return; Singer; Staying; Talent

Subjects: Age; Artists; Atlanta (Ga.); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Education; Father; Great Depression; High school; Listening; Macon (Ga.); Marriage; Medicine shows; Meeting; Money; Morning; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Painting; Radio; Radio stations; Singing; Time; Work; Young

Partial Transcript: So, what was your repertoire? What did you play? What did you sing?

Segment Synopsis: Scott details some of the performances he gave while he was in Doc Chamberlain's Medicine Show. Scott considers how Doc Chamberlain influenced his career in show business.

Keywords: Arrival; Arrow; Attention; Audience; Black paint; Borrowing; Bottle; Broke; Case; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Close; Convincing; Cure; Curly Seckler; Demonstration; Different; Doc Chamberlain; Doc Chamberlain's Medicine Show; Dropped; End; Even; Followed; Formulas; Glass bottle; Guests; Happy; Hillbilly music; House; Illegal; Influence; Interactions; Interested; Jaw; Lawsuit; Lawyer; Laxatives; Leaving; Left; Liquid; Lost; Lunch hour; No sponsors; Ownership; Popular songs; Potential; Pure Food and Drug Act; Reasons; Refused; Registration; Regulations; Salary; Sales pitch; Same; Setup; Shade tree; Show business; Showman; Shtick; Sitting; Songwriting; Spent; Split; Stage; Stronger; Telephone promotion; Tonic; Towns; Unable; Unpopular; Unsure; Wagon

Subjects: Advertisement; Age; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Copyright; Courts; Drugstores; Federal government; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Hair; Hot; Ketchup; Learning; Lines; Marriage; Medicine shows; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Patent medicines; People; Photographs; Pills; Popularity; Power; Radio; Raleigh (N.C.); Retirement; Running; Selling; Singing; Songs; South Carolina; States; Stealing; Success; Trust; Virginia; Voice; Work

Partial Transcript: Tommy Scott back again and doggone here comes somebody I ain't seen in a long time. His name is Ed Jordan.

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks of his friendship with Ed Jordan over the years.

Keywords: Amazing; Band; Daughter; Disc jockey; Disinterested; Disliked; Distance; Driving; Ed Jordan (Artist); Eddy Arnold (Artist); Great Depression; Hillbilly music; Left; Loved; Met; Movies; Pee Wee King (Artist); Private school; Records; School house; Show date; Singer; Talent; Trailer; Unable; Wife

Subjects: Aging; Babysitting; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Depressions--1929; Diapers; Education; Friendship; Gainesville (Fla.); Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Parents; Radio stations; Role models; Singing; Teachers; Teaching; Time; Toccoa (Ga.); University of Florida; Westminster (S.C.); Work; Young

Partial Transcript: Did you play anything else back then?

Segment Synopsis: Scott describes the early stages of Ed Jordan's career in hillbilly music.

Keywords: Alone; Attitude; Away; Bluegrass music; Bus; Car; Closing; Clyde Moody (Artist); Curly Seckler (Artist); Dancing; Different; Earl Scruggs (Artist); Ed Jordan (Artist); End; Entertainment; Family; Fiddles; Good life; Granddaughter; Great man; Greatest occupation; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Hired; Husband; Lake Champlain; Lester Flatt (Artist); Matinee; No arguments; Pay; Pleasant; Quarters; Rare; Records; Salary; Show; Stage; Stayed; Stringbean (Artist); Talent; Thread mill; Tim McCoy (Artist); Today; Tour dates; Unexpected; Unhappy; Verses; Visit; Wife

Subjects: Atlanta (Ga.); Bass; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Business; California; Cats; Columbia (S.C.); Death; Drums; Embarrassment; Entertainers; Fame; Health; Joy; Marriage; Money; Mountains; Murder; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; New York; North Carolina; People; Pioneers; Recognition; Singing; Sister; Spartanburg (S.C.); Success; Surprise; Telephone calls; Travel; Work

Partial Transcript: You was as good a blackface as I've ever seen in my life.

Segment Synopsis: Jordan considers Scott's best routines from his shows and performances over the years.

Keywords: Accepted; Black doll; Black people; Boards; Charlie McCarthy; Clean; Closing act; Clothes; Confused; Different; Doc Chamberlain; Dress; Drinking; Drunk; Funny; Good speller; Hillbilly music; Hit; Knocked off; Lid; Loud; Minnie Pearl (Artist); Non-intentional; Pretty; Quit; Slapped; Slapstick comedy; Stage; Talent; Television shows; Today; Unfamiliar; Wife; Writer

Subjects: African Americans; Age; Beer; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Change; Comedy; Dolls; Face; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; New York (N.Y.); Noise; Popular; Songs; Songwriting; Ventriloquism; Ventriloquists; Ventriloquists' dummies

Partial Transcript: Well, hi, Luke.

Segment Synopsis: Scott performs one of his ventriloquist routines. Scott briefly explains how ventriloquism works.

Keywords: Charlie McCarthy; Frown; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Homemade; Routines; Spelling; Suit

Subjects: Hands; Health; Jokes; Liver; Magic; Mathematics; Mouth; Singing; Smile; Songs; Spring; Ventriloquism; Ventriloquists; Ventriloquists' dummies; Wire

Partial Transcript: We had--uh--Frankie's brother that--uh--came out on the stage when Tommy was in blackface.

Segment Synopsis: Scott continues to discuss some of his more successful routines. Scott also describes how he ran his show business operations.

Keywords: Association; Attention; Audience; Baby bottle; Back pocket; Banquet; Big business; Blank contract; Booked; Booking fee; Boss; Broadcast; Cast; Clothes; Crowd; Dates; Different; Distance; Enjoyed; Entertainment; Equipment; Family show; Fascinating; Funding; Funny; Gone; Hammer; Hard; Help; Hillbilly music; Hired; Hometown; Knew; Laughing; Leaving; Liquor bottle; Monkey; Offer; Offstage; Open; Owners; Package shows; Reaction; Refused; Repetition; Schedule; Show business; Shows; Silly; Sitting; Slap; Slapstick comedy; Sold; Sold out; Sponsor; Stage; Straight comedy; Talent; Talking; Teams; Ticket taker; Today; Unusual; Vacation; Venues; Versatile; Visiting; Wacked; Wife

Subjects: Adults; Artists; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brother; Canada; Change; Children; Churches; Friendship; Independence; Leaders; Magic; Milk; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; North Carolina; Oklahoma; Peanuts; Pianos; Pioneers; Presbyterian Church; Promoters; Radio stations; Recognition; Reputation; Selling; Singing; Songs; Stephens County (Ga.); Successful; Telephone; Television; Television stations; Texas; Tickets; Time; Toccoa (Ga.); Travel; Ventriloquism; Ventriloquists; Walking; Women

Partial Transcript: What's something else that you done there that--that--that might get me to thinking?

Segment Synopsis: Scott and Jordan discuss the overall value of Scott's show in terms of providing a truly family friendly show. Scott briefly describes an incident with one of his songs being sold abroad without his permission.

Keywords: Accompany; Attorney; Back money; Bed; Boss; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Clean; Close; Corporation; Curly Seckler (Artist); Daughter; Defunct; Different; Difficult; Disliked; Enjoyed; Entertainment; Family show; Full house; Happy; Hillbilly music; Hiring; House; In touch; Lawsuit; Living; Loser; Motor home; Name; Nice; Offer; Old; Overseas; Ownership; Parade; Pay; Pay off; Plane ticket; Playing; Profits; Record; Respectable; Return; Salary; Show business; Slapstick comedy; Song; The South; Thread mill; Thrilled; Ticket prices; Today; Turned down; Visiting; Win

Subjects: Adults; Age; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Children; Choices; Copyright; Deals; Death; Employees; Factories; Father; Friendship; Georgia; Great Depression; Honesty; Learning; Money; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Night; People; Selling; Sister; Teenagers; Telephone calls; Time; Truth; Ventriloquism; Young

Partial Transcript: That's true and it's a business like any other business is.

Segment Synopsis: Scott details the logistics behind running a show business operation. Scott also recalls the first show he played with Jordan.

Keywords: A. P. "Doc" Durham; Angry; Audience; Bad check; Band; Bank; Borrow; Broadcast; Busy; Cash; Cat act; Check; Contest; Curley Williams (Artist); Cut; Ed Jordan (Artist); Expectations; Famous; Good show; Hired; Houses; Leave; Limitations; Manager; Museum; Nice; Notice; Old; Open; Pay; Permitted; Present; Purchase; Restoration; Ritz Theater (Toccoa, Ga.); Salary; Show business; Silent movies; Snake oil; Split; Staying power; Talent show; Terrible; Towns; Unable; Unaffordable; Unknown; Vote; Votes; War bonds; Wife

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Books; Business; Cats; Children; Christmas; Fall; Father; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Logistics; Macon (Ga.); Management; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Night; Patent medicines; People; Reputation; Salaries; Schools; Selling; Students; Telephone; Texas; Toccoa (Ga.); Walking; Wire; Work

Partial Transcript: Tell us about the Kentucky Partners.

Segment Synopsis: Scott describes his time spent playing in a hillbilly music band called the Kentucky Players with Charlie and Bill Monroe.

Keywords: Arrival; Audience; Beat up; Bill Monroe (Artist); Blue Fields; Broke; Bunks; Bus; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Close; Clyde Moody (Artist); Curley Seckler (Artist); Disagreement; Distance; Driving; Drunk; Farm; Fighting; Fired; First song; Foolish; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Hired; Hit; Hotel; Insults; Kentucky Partners (Artist); Kicked out; Letter; Lincoln car; Mandolins; Mayor; Medicine show; Motel; On air; Open; Packed house; Pawn shop; Pay; Purchased; Ramblin' Scotty; Registration; Second act; Separate; Shows; Sponsor; Submitted; Talking; Telephone call; Texas Slim; WPTF (Radio station); WVVA (Radio station); Western band

Subjects: Atlanta (Ga.); Blood; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brothers; China Grove (N.C.); Copyright; Cost; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Kentucky; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Names; Nicknames; Patent medicines; Percentage; Radio stations; Raleigh (N.C.); Rates; Singing; Singles; Songs; Threats; Voice; Wheeling (W.Va.)

Partial Transcript: I did--uh--thirteen week--uh--movies with you--

Segment Synopsis: Scott briefly discusses some of the short films he was in during the 1930s. Scott also discusses Curley Williams and his life.

Keywords: 16 mm film; 35 mm film; Accident; Curley Williams (Artist); Ed Jordan; Expensive; Farming; Gospel music; Hillbilly Jamboree; Hillbilly music; Idea; Lost; Movies; Nightclub; Poster; Purchased; Records; Rosemary Clooney (Artist); Savings; Short feature; Sold; Son; Strickland Films; Tapes; WLAC (Radio station); WSM (Radio station)

Subjects: Atlanta (Ga.); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Compton (Calif.); Death; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Hay; Heart attack; John Daniel Quartet; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Percentage; Radio stations; Short films; Songs; Time

Partial Transcript: How many mus--country music hall of fames do you belong to?

Segment Synopsis: Scott considers some of the recognition he has received for his work in bluegrass music. Scott also describes several different acrobatic routines used in his shows over the years.

Keywords: Baby; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass Magazine; Broken ribs; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Clean; Daughter; Discount; Dislike; Dropped; Experimental; Family show; Flying; Free; Gone; Hillbilly music; Horse riding; Humble; Important; Joined; Knocked down; Knots; Left; Letter; Matinee; Mementos; Monkey bars; Movies; Musicians' Union; Name change; Nice; No problems; Opportunities; Pay; Pee Wee King (Artist); Phone call; Picture; Reconnect; Second oldest member; Show; Signature; Social Security card; Sponge; Stage; Stage name; Storage; Subscriptions; Swinging; Trailer; Unaware; Unbelievable; WHAS (Radio station); Wife

Subjects: Acrobatics; Aging; Airlines; Article; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Books; Change; Circus; Country Music Association (U.S.); Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum (Nashville, Tenn.); Danger; Death; History; Louisville (Ky.); Mail; Membership; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Rope; Social security; Sponsors; Success; Time; Unions; Ventriloquism; Ventriloquists' dummies; Wheeling (W.Va.); Woman; Young

Partial Transcript: Well, can you think of anything unusual that--uh--when you and I got together there?

Segment Synopsis: Scott recalls working with Joel Price and some of the more unique performances Scott has given throughout his career.

Keywords: Audience; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bra; Chase; Clothing; Difficult; Doc Chamberlain; Doctor; Dolly Parton (Artist); Dress; Electric bass; Fan; Fell; Fiddles; Funny; Gene Autry (Artist); George D. Hay; Grocery store; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Improvise; Jimmy Rogers (Artist); Joel Price (Artist); Joined; Judy Lynn (Artist); Kickstand; Little Jimmy Dickens (Artist); Medicine show; Movie; Musical instruments; Pantyhose; Pedal; Playing; Price Candy; Prize; Sales pitch; Script; Sophisticated; Texas Slim; Toy; Turning; Washboard; Wheelbarrow; Wife

Subjects: Advertising; Age; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Candy; Comedy; Cost; Death; Drums; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Harmonica; Horses; Laughter; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nicknames; Running; Singing; Songs; Sponsors; Strings; Taffy; Time; Work; Yodeling

Partial Transcript: And to be honest with you, I didn't care that much for the movie thing. But then when I got to caring a little bit about it then I fooled around and I played for Alfred Sack in--in Dallas, Texas.

Segment Synopsis: Scott details his career as an actor in short films during the 1930s. Scott also recalls some of his more recent appearances on call-in talk shows selling patent medicines.

Keywords: Air time; Alfred N. Sack; Audience; Black movies; Black people; Book; Bookings; Busy; Call-in talk shows; Child; Confusing; Coonskin cap; Cow manure; Cures; Expensive; Flat rate; Footage; Hillbilly jamboree; Hillbilly music; Homemade; Idea; James Oliver Curwood; Long; Manager; Matinee; Mill; Movie theater chain; Network; Never completed; News; Non-offensive; Oat bark; Oat trees; Offer; Order; Pay; Picture; Price; Ratings; Ray Whitley (Artist); Real Art Pictures; Remedies; Remedy book; Replacement; Return; Reuse; Salary; Script; Segments; Snake oil; Sold; Star; Surplus; Tape; Tonics; Trail of the Hawk; Viewers; Water wheel; Wife

Subjects: Acting; African Americans; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Caring; Character; Christmas; Commercials; Cost; Dallas (Tex.); December; Diseases; Fall; Gifts; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Holidays; Iced tea; Mississippi; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Painting; Patent medicines; Segregation; Short films; States; Success; Successful; Tallahassee (Fla.); Telephone calls; Television; Television stations; Tennessee; Women; Writing

Partial Transcript: Clarabelle is right down here.

Segment Synopsis: Scott identifies himself in several pictures from his traveling music show days. Scott also describes his career after splitting from Charlie Monroe.

Keywords: A. P. "Doc" Durham; Cadillac; Cakewalks; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Chauffer; Clarabelle; Curly Seckler; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Fiddlin' Dale Cole; Guitar players; Guitars; Hawaiian music; Hillbillies; Hillbilly music; Inside; Joel Price (Artist); Left; Lettering; Matinees; Met; Minnie Pearl (Artist); Non-commercial; Performing; Ray Whitley (Artist); School song; Show; Similar; Slide guitar; Songwriting; Stage name; Trailer; Walkway of stars; Wife

Subjects: Advertising; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum (Nashville, Tenn.); Cowboy boots; Great Depression; High school; Money; Monologue; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Painting; Photographs; Popular; Principal; Radio; Recess; Schools; Sister; Toccoa (Ga.); Travel; Ventriloquists; Work

Partial Transcript: --You and Luke at WRAL, now where was that?

Segment Synopsis: Scott continues to show pictures from his career. One picture is a newspaper clipping of Scott and another performer in blackface.

Keywords: Act; Advantage; Afternoon; Announcements; Bill Monroe (Artist); Blackface comedian; Bluegrass band; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Charts; Common; Construction; Curly Seckler (Artist); Daughter; Eddie Williams (Artist); Fiddles; First song; Georgia Peanut Band; Governor; Grass skirt; Guitar players; Guitars; Hillbilly music; Later; Laughing; Left-handed; Lloyd Royal (Artist); Mountain Capers; Movie; Name; On air; Opening; Pay; Recording; Show business; Sold; Stage; Theatres; Verses; WRAL (Radio station); WTPF (Radio station); Washtub; Well-known; Wife

Subjects: African Americans; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Chords (Music); Circus; Clowns; Competition; Countries; Father; Hounds; Medicine shows; Mississippi; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Performances; Photographs; Popularity; Publicity; Radio stations; Raleigh (N.C.); Segregation; Singing; Songs; Sponsors; Stereotypes (Social psychology); Success; World; Young

Partial Transcript: Tell us about--uh--comedy in bluegrass, I mean that was more of an integral part than it is now.

Segment Synopsis: Scott discusses the role of comedy in bluegrass music, which was a major part of his career and style.

Keywords: Audience; Banjos; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Bookings; Britches; Charlie Monroe (Artist); Coleman Vause; Comedy lines; Costumes; Country music; Curly Seckler (Artist); Different; Dramatic shows; Entertainment; Factory; Fiddles; Gone; Hillbilly music; Migration; Modern country music; Movies; Old-time music; Partner; Paul Prince (Artist); Performing; Playing; Preview; Refused; Required; Shorter; Singer; Smart; Strings; Style; Talent; Talking; Today; Towns; Water bag; Weekends; Wife

Subjects: Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Comedy; Countries; England; History; Kentucky; Medicine shows; Michigan; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Names; People; Popularity; Radio stations; Singing; Sound; Time; United States; Ventriloquists; Ventriloquists' dummies; Water; Weather; Woman

Partial Transcript: Uh--Jim Bulleit--Jim Bulleit--uh--was an announcer.

Segment Synopsis: Scott recalls what it was like to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.

Keywords: Agreed; Angry; Audience; Balcony; Complaining; Dates; Difficult; Followed; General manager; George D. Hay; Guitar players; Guitars; Harry Stone; Hillbilly music; Jim Bulleit (Artist); Kicked off; Late night show; Later; Left; Material; Minnie Pearl (Artist); No electric instruments; Not paid; Pay; Ralph Emery (Artist); Record announcer; Roy Acuff (Artist); Service manager; Show business; Sweet; Talent; Unaware; Weekends

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Commercials; Dance; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Night; Performances; Popular; Singing; Time; Ventriloquism; Ventriloquists; Ventriloquists' dummies; Work; Young

Partial Transcript: This is Frankie as well.

Segment Synopsis: Scott details his wife's career in on stage and briefly in film. Scott shares more pictures and other memorabilia from his music and performing career.

Keywords: Bluegrass music; Box office; Chair; Courthouse; Crowd; Curly Seckler (Artist); Custom truck; Daughter; Different; Driving; Escaped; Family; First fan letter; Gun; Hillbilly music; Hired; Hollywood (Calif.); Introduced; Kentucky Partners; Left; Listen Ladies (Radio program); Matinee; Motor home; Night show; Office; Outside; Penny Singleton (Artist); Performers; Permit; Profits; Radio show; Series; Shows; Theater; Tied up; Today; Trailer; Turned down; WHAS (Radio station); Water tank; Weekends; Wife

Subjects: Applause; Artists; Bathrooms; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brothers; Chains; Children; Christmas; Columbia Pictures; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Income; Letters; Louisville (Ky.); Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Popular; Radio stations; Rooms; Rope; Sewage; Short films; Singing; Songs; Toccoa (Ga.); Travel; Tricks; Unions; Wheels

Partial Transcript: So, now after you left Monroe and you and Curly, you all worked--uh--how long together?

Segment Synopsis: Scott illustrates his musical career with Curly Seckler. Scott explains what his career was like after parting ways with Seckler.

Keywords: Airplane; Al St. John (Artist); Best friend; Breakfast; Curly Seckler (Artist); Daughters; Difficult; Famous; Fast draw; Gene Autry (Artist); Guns; Hillbilly music; Hollywood; Hospital; In touch; Left; Medicine show; Party; Performance; Questions; Radio show; Separated; Stringbean (Artist); Sunset Carson (Artist); Talking; Tim McMcoy (Artist); Together; WRDB (Radio station); Westerns; Whip act; Wife; Willing

Subjects: Anderson (S.C.); Arkansas; Asheville (N.C.); Augusta (Ga.); Birth; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bulls; Death; Food; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Greenville (S.C.); Heart attack; Las Vegas (Nev.); Mail; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Owensboro (Ky.); Pain; Popular; Radio stations; Shooting; Singing; Spartanburg (S.C.); Travel; Wealth; Westerns; Women

Partial Transcript: --with a number of bluegrass artists. Uh--we're looking at one here. Can--why don't you talk about your relationship with--or who Stringbean is.

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks of his friendship and work with notable bluegrass musician David "Stringbean" Akeman.

Keywords: Agreed; Banjo players; Banjos; Bluegrass music; Charlie Monroe (Artist); David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); Early; Eccentric; End; Freezing; Funny; Help; Hillbilly music; Hired; Introduced; Key; Leaving; Long run; Odd; Pay; Return; Salary; Skinny; Sponsor; Stringbean (Artist); Strings; Talent; Tall; Unaffordable; Unnecessary; WHAS (Radio station); Waving; Winking

Subjects: Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Cold; Comedy; Dance; Greensboro (N.C.); Greenville (S.C.); Kissing; Louisville (Ky.); Morning; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Patent medicines; Photographs; Radio; Radio stations; Secret; Teaching; Walking; Weather; Winter; Woman

Partial Transcript: Alright well--uh--speaking about writing songs...

Segment Synopsis: Scott shares his songwriting process and some of the stories behind his songs. A photo of Scott in blackface is shown.

Keywords: Bathroom walls; Coal miner's song; Common name; Confusing; Cousin; End; Estanollee (Ga.); Four seasons of my life; Greenville; Hillbilly music; Interested; Juke joint girl; Music business; Overseas; Peanut Band; Rainbow of my dreams; Records; Rosebuds; Songwriting; Story; Tapes; The toilet song; Town; Versatile; Wife

Subjects: Alabama; Artists; Blackface; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Canada; Change; Comedy; Countries; Death; Fiction; Georgia; Greenville (Ala.); Greenville (Tex.); Humor; Love songs; Lyrics; Marriage; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Names; People; Photographs; Quartet; Selling; Singing; Songs; Songwriters; Stephens County (Ga.); Stereotypes (Social psychology); Tennessee; Texas; United States; Work; Writing

Partial Transcript: Well, the instrumentation in your music...

Segment Synopsis: Scott discusses the evolution of his music style in the quest for a signature sound. Scott reveals some of the successes other artists have had with his lyrics. Scott also talks of the success of his music abroad.

Keywords: Attempts; Banjos; Before; Bluegrass music; Catchy; Costumes; Curley Williams (Artist); Daughter; David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); Different; Ed Jordan (Artist); Elvis Presley; Experimental; Gospel music; Governor; Guitar players; Guitars; Half as much; Hank Williams (Artist); Hillbilly music; Hit; Hollywood; Johnny Cash (Artist); Lewis Family (Artist); Marty Robbins (Artist); Music charts; Music video; Number one; Observations; Output; Overseas; Peanut band; Peanut man; Public broadcast; Reasons; Records; Royalty check; Schedule; Shows; Signature sound; Songwriting; Stringbean (Artist); Style; Sunday; T. Boots Harris; Teams; Variety; Wife

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Change; Comedy; Countries; Discussion; German; Gospel singers; John Daniel Quartet; Languages; Lyrics; Money; Mood; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Peanuts; Popularity; Radio; Ragtime; Rock music; Rockabilly music; Russia; Songs; Songwriters; Writing