Interview with Jim Shumate, November 10, 2004

Partial Transcript: Well--(coughs)--I'm Jim Shumate.

Segment Synopsis: Shumate talks about his musical roots and bluegrass influences from childhood. Shumate recalls how he received his first fiddle, which he played throughout his career. Shumate then talks about performing with notable bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. Shumate also describes what it was like to play at the Grand Ole Opry.

Keywords: Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass fiddlers; Bluegrass music; Don Walker (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Influences; Musical instruction

Subjects: Appalachian Mountains; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bowed string instruments; Childhood; Early life; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Nashville (Tenn.); North Carolina; Violins; Wilkes County (N.C.)

Partial Transcript: Yeah, I wanted to back up just a bit and--um--uh--um--wanted to get a little bit of--uh--more of a history about your family.

Segment Synopsis: Shumate discusses what growing up on a subsistence farm was like. Shumate considers some of the influences on his musical style. Shumate offers his opinions on the development of bluegrass music. Shumate also lists some the instruments he learned to play as a child.

Keywords: Bluegrass music; Entertainment; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Guitar players; Guitars; Musical instruments

Subjects: Ancestry; Appalachian Mountains; Bluegrass music--History; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Childhood; Early life; Farms; Music--America; Music--Kentucky; Music--Performance.; Musical families; Musical performance; Musicians; North Carolina; Parents; Poverty; Rural; Subsistence farming; Violins; Wilkes County (N.C.)

Partial Transcript: At what age did you leave the mountain and come down into Hickory?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate explains why he moved away from his childhood home to Hickory, North Carolina when he was nineteen. Shumate discusses his music career during this time.

Keywords: Bass; Bluegrass music; Don Walker (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddles; Gigs; Guitar players; Guitars; Job offer; Live performances; Musical instruments; Radio programs; Recruited

Subjects: Appalachian Mountains; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Early life; Hickory (N.C.); Kentuckians; Kentucky; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; North Carolina; Radio stations; Reputation; Violins; Wilkes County (N.C.); Wilkesboro (N.C.)

Partial Transcript: What was the station that you were on?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate discusses the various radio stations he worked at in Hickory, North Carolina before joining Bill Monroe.

Keywords: Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Bluegrass radio stations; DJs; Radio programs

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bowed string instruments; Disc jockeys; Hickory (N.C.); Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; North Carolina; Radio; Radio stations; Violins

Partial Transcript: So, it must of been, like [19]44 or so when you went to Nashville? 1944?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate recalls living in Nashville during the end of World War II. Shumate describes his music career during this time.

Keywords: Agreed; Banjo players; Banjos; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Celebration; David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); Different; Earl Scruggs (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddlers; Fiddles; Hotel; Howdy Forrester (Artist); Moving; One-man show; Relatives; Return; Shows; Strange; Stringbean (Artist); Style; Tour; Tunes; U.S. Navy; WSM (Radio station); World War II

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bowed string instruments; Cities; Fishing; Food; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Home; Illinois; Jackson (Miss.); Listening; Mississippi; Money; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Nashville (Tenn.); Nineteen forties; North Carolina; Population; Radio stations; Roommates; Tennessee; Violins; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Well, I wanted to ask you about--you said earlier, that--uh--when you were talking to Bill Monroe about Earl Scruggs, that--uh--you thought--uh--Earl's banjo-playing was pretty different than Stringbean's style.

Segment Synopsis: Shumate offers a comparison between the banjo playing styles of David "Stringbean" Akeman and Earl Scruggs.

Keywords: Banjo players; Banjos; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); David Akeman (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Stringbean (Artist); Style

Subjects: Banjo music; Banjo music (Bluegrass); Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Comparisons; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; North Carolina

Partial Transcript: Now were y'all mainly based in Knoxville in those days?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate discusses living in Bristol, Virginia while playing with the Blue Grass Boys. Shumate describes the bluegrass scene in Bristol during this time. Shumate explains why he decided to leave Flatt and Scruggs.

Keywords: Bill Monroe (Artist); Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys (Artist); Black Mountain Blues (Song); Bluegrass music; Buck Ryan (Artist); Curly King (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddlers' convention; Fiddles; Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Guitar players; Guitars; Hank Snow (Artist); Important; Jimmy Dean (Artist); Lee Highway Blues (Song); Leslie Keith (Artist); Lester Flatt (Artist); Live performances; Mac Wiseman (Artist); Quit; Salary; Scruggs, Earl (Artist); Stanley Brothers (Artist); Thankful; The Mockingbird (Song); Won

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Bristol (Va.); Money; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Songs; Virginia

Partial Transcript: And, do you--uh--do you have any stories of--of being on the road with--uh--

Segment Synopsis: Shumate tells stories about traveling on the road with the Blue Grass Boys.

Keywords: Appreciative; Auto repair shop; Bed; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys (Artist); Birthday; Bluegrass music; Bus; Bus station; Cafe; Cost; Department store; Dinner; Dress; Driving; Expensive; Fans; Forgot; Friends; Hotel; House; Keep; Leaving; Lester Flatt (Artist); Lost; Mannequin; Nervous; Paper bag; Pay; Pool; Rack; Repairs; Rubber band; Saleswoman; Shoe salesman; Son; Stay; Store; Waiting; Wife

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Cards; Cold; Mississippi; Money; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; People; Poker; Shoes; Sick; Size; Snow; Table; Threats; Tours; Travel; Trust; Walking

Partial Transcript: What was it like to travel with--uh--Lester and Earl?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate recalls traveling on the road with Flatt and Scruggs. Shumate briefly performs a tune on the fiddle.

Keywords: Audience; Bluegrass music; Cars; David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); Earl Scruggs (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddles; Fight; Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Ford; Gone; Lester Flatt (Artist); Live performances; Microphone; Musical instruments; Parking lot; Stage; Stringbean (Artist); Talking; Tent; Trash; Waiting

Subjects: Appalachian Mountains; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Buick automobile; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Kentucky; Mississippi; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Night; Schools; Songs; Sponsors; Tennessee; Tours; Travel; Virginia; Woods

Partial Transcript: He had a lot of money...

Segment Synopsis: Shumate discusses the death of David "Stringbean" Akeman, who was murdered along with his wife in 1973. Shumate plays "Mule Skinner Blues" on the fiddle, a song that Stringbean frequently played.

Keywords: Attacked; Bluegrass music; David "Stringbean" Akeman (Artist); Double murder; Grandpa Jones (Artist); House; Live performances; Mule Skinner Blues (Song); Stringbean (Artist); Undertaker; Wife

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Burglars; Money; Murder; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Nashville (Tenn.); Overalls; Police; Robbery; Tennessee

Partial Transcript: One night I'd just got in the bed--(coughs)--

Segment Synopsis: Shumate tells stories of Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs.

Keywords: Backroads; Bed; Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Breakfast; Clothes; Cotton mill; Driving; Earl Scruggs (Artist); Farm; Horace Scruggs (Artist); John Hartford (Artist); Motor; Shows; Slow; Speedometer; Surplus; Truck

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Brother; Buick automobiles; Federal government; Illinois; Luck; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Night; Shelby (N.C.)

Partial Transcript: Was there a different music here than in the mountains?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate explains why he believes that Appalachian bluegrass music is not different from bluegrass music as a whole. Shumate describes his friendship with Lester Flatt.

Keywords: Are You Waiting Just for Me (Song); Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Bond; Contributions; DJ; Daisy Mae (Song); Different; Ernest Tubb (Artist); Experimentation; Feelings; Fiddle players; Fiddles; Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Guitar players; Guitars; Lester Flatt (Artist); Live performances; Magazine; Mandolin players; Mandolins; Mountain music; One Hundred Years from Now (Song); Permission; Same; Shows; Similar; Slow; Standard; Start; Started; Today; Tunes; World War II

Subjects: Appalachian Mountains; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Duet; Father; Friendship; Good; Grand ole opry (Radio program); History; Money; Montgomery (Ala.); Mountains; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; People; Personality; Research; Respect; Singing; Songs; Tempo; Unique; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: [Shumate plays the fiddle]

Segment Synopsis: Shumate performs a few short tunes on the fiddle.

Keywords: Bill Monroe (Artist); Bluegrass music; Buckle Up the Backstrap (Song); Fiddle players; Fiddles; Live performances; Songwriting; Unusual; Up and at 'Em (Song); Wife

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Churches; Letters; Library of Congress; Music; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Proud; Recognition

Partial Transcript: What are some of your favorite songs?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate lists some of his favorite fiddle tunes. Shumate plays one of his favorite Lester Flatt fiddle tunes. Shumate briefly considers the best methods by which to teach students how to play the fiddle.

Keywords: Bluegrass music; Bluegrass tunes; Expectations; Felice Bryant (Artist); Fiddle players; Fiddles; Hank Williams (Artist); Lester Flatt (Artist); Liked; Live performances; Old Rocky Top (Song); Student

Subjects: Appalachian Mountains; Artists; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Music--Instruction and study.; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Musicians; Satisfaction; Singing; Songs

Partial Transcript: Well, what's some advice you'd give to young musicians?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate gives advice to aspiring bluegrass musicians. Shumate speculates upon the future of bluegrass music.

Keywords: Anything goes; Bad; Bluegrass music; Country music; Different; Disliked; Fiddle players; Fiddles; Natural; No shirt; No standards; Old; Records; Schedule; Strict; Study; Talent; Weekends; Willie Nelson (Artist)

Subjects: Advice; Artists; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Branson (Mo.); Change; Country music--Awards; Good; Grand ole opry (Radio program); Legacy; Listening; Music--Performance.; Musical ability; Musical performance; Musicians; Nashville (Tenn.); Piano; Television; Violin

Partial Transcript: "Up and at 'Em," we'll do that.

Segment Synopsis: Shumate performs a few more short tunes on the fiddle, including some tunes that Shumate wrote. Shumate also considers how he became a musician through hard work and improving his technique on the fiddle.

Keywords: Alabama Jubilee (Song); Arthur Smith (Artist); Curly Fox (Artist); Desire; Determined; Effort; Encouraging; Entertainment; Failure; Farm; Favorite fiddler; Fiddle players; Fiddles; Glad; Help; Idol; Lee Highway Blues (Song); Left-handed fiddler; Liked; Live performances; Musical notes; Nice; Open; Practice; Recordings; Rookie; Secretive; Sold; Teenager; The Pioneers (Artist); Unexpected; Up and at 'Em (Song); Willing

Subjects: Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Father; Gentleman; Learning; Library of Congress; Mail; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); North Carolina; Parents; Popular; Success; Surprise; Teaching; Wilkes County (N.C.); Women; Young

Partial Transcript: Did you perform in many of the festivals?

Segment Synopsis: Shumate shares his personal views on music festivals. Shumate explains how he made a living through music and running a business.

Keywords: Appreciative; Band; Bluegrass music; Busy; College; Difficult; Disc jockey license; Disc jockeys; Drivers; Driving; Evening; Family; Fiddle players; Fiddles; Flatt and Scruggs (Artist); Leaving; Necessity; Old; Restricted; Television shows; Thankful; Tired; Unimportant; Union card; WSM (Radio station)

Subjects: Blessed; Bluegrass festivals; Bluegrass music.; Bluegrass musicians; Business; Children; Christianity; Greed; Health; High school; Knowledge; Life; Money; Music--Performance.; Musical performance; Nashville (Tenn.); Night; Nineteen fifties; Radio stations; Religion; Time; Travel; Unions; United States; Winston-Salem (N.C.); Work