Mississippi Chris Sharp
Just glad to be here!
Just glad to be here! |
| These items were all moved from the Home Page!!! 09/12/06 THE LARRY WALLACE BAND If you want to see right-smart a pile of ribs, tater salad, baked beans, Texas toast, and sweet tea disappear quick, just set a mess of them down in front of these boys and stand back! I cooked the ribs, and my gracious and wonderful bride, Debbie, did the rest. The next evening, she laid out a spread of sandwich meats and trimmings for a hungry bunch of tired musicians who had not ea The buzz is already started in some Bluegrass circles about this recording. It seems that there has been some public anticipation about any recordings that might be forthcoming from this band. Larry Wallace and Lyle Meador are both very influential players at the top of their game . . . Add Jim Brock, Sr., to the mix and you've got MORE than enough to please the most discriminating ears. I've heard "retro" Bluegrass, which was designed to imitate, and I like it. This, though, is not "retro" Bluegrass; It is simply the real stuff, performed by seasoned entertainers who know what delivery is all about. Folks are anxious for real-time-hard-driving Bluegrass that delivers the old-time punch. I am satisfied that if that is what one is looking for, The Larry Wallace Band is the place to find it! Thanks, Larry, for choosing me to help you with the recording of this project! Photos: Left side from top - Larry Wallace, Lyle Meador, Larry Wallace and Jim Brock, Sr. Right side from Top: Alan Sibley, Cory Burton, and the inimitable Raymond Huffmaster. Photos are ©2006 J. Christopher Sharp
08/02/06 Fiddling Pat Flory's spoof of the Bluegrass Festival experience, "A MIGHTY EVENT" is being published here in installments. This is an hilarious, farcical expose of the thoughts and motivations behind many festival attendees. Tune in on a regular basis for the publication of new installments. Thanks, Pat, for allowing me to publish this here. Click on the link bar "A Mighty Event" to the left to go to the page with the story! 7/17/06 Seems like all I'm reporting on is the Sucarnochee Revue these days, but there's lots to report. The 7/14/06 show was another great one, featuring our host, Jacky Jack White, and the outstanding songwriter, Wood Newton, who penned such songs as PRIVATE ANDREW MALONE and DADDY WENT TO HEAVEN IN A PICKUP TRUCK. Also on the show were regulars Britt Gully, Joyce Shearer, J. Burton Fuller, and yours truly with Jang-A-Lang. Other show guests were repeat guests Russell Gully; Scott McQuaig, one of my favorite singer/songwriters; and Karen Elmore, along with her husband John. Karen stole the show with her fabulous, soulful singing. When it's showtime, she really puts it in there!!! The Steve Watson Jazz Quartet was back by popular demand, and they featured Jodie Tartt White belting it out on a tune entitled SKYLARK. My mother, Betty Hopper, closed out the show playing the piano for us as the entire cast sand HOW GREAT THOU ART. I had lots of friends and family in attendance at the show, including John and Betty Hickman whom I had not seen for many years; my Aunt Anne and Uncle Sonny Johnson, their daughter and my much beloved cousin, Ava Barr, all of whom are precious and dear to me, and my brother Newt and his bride Dottie. Thanks to Brian Henson and his grandfather for attending. Of course, no function would be complete without Ike Hopper. Thanks, Ike, for all your support! Blues Harpist Paul Shoffner was there playing with Russell Gully, and I'm looking forward to some of the great photos that he took during the show. I'll post some here as soon as I receive them. Look for a new CD release, soon. MISSISSIPPI CHRIS AND THE JANG-A-LANG STRANG THANG: LIVE FROM THE SUCARNOCHEE REVUE is coming out right away. This recording is all live from the stage of the Sucarnochee Revue. Show 16, which is a compilation featuring Jang-A-Lang music only is now making it's way through the broadcast cycle. You can visit www.shadygroveradio.com and hear it webcast twice a day! Lots of thank you's: Grant Brown for your help and support. Kenny Suire, or KABANA PRODUCTIONS for doing such a great job on the sound, along with his cohorts Bobby Martin and Ricky Holcomb, Julian Tomay and Tony Holt, and all the sponsors of the Sucarnochee Revue. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6/27/06 The Sucarnochee show on June 23 was a resounding success. There were lots of great performers on the show: Kasey Lansdale from Nacogdoches, TX; great songwriter George Teren from Nashville; Robbie Neal from Meridian, MS; Tony Lisenbee from Livingston, AL; writers Nan Graham, Ruth Watkins, Allen Brown, and Madeline Thurn; Jodie Tartt White from Livingston, AL; and Steve Watson and his jazz quartet from Meridian, MS were all putting it in there. The show also featured cast regulars J. Burton Fuller, Britt Gulley, Joyce Shearer, our host Jacky Jack White, and of course, Mississippi Chris and Jang-A-Lang. Jacky Jack was greatly assisted by the most excellent fiddler, Tom Morley, from Fairhope, Alabama. As many of you will remember, Tom is the fiddler with the celtic band, MITHRIL, which was a featured act on the Sucarnochee a few shows back. It was a great show. I hope to have a few sound clips up in a couple of days. A few things were different this time. I was called on to assist in the recording and front of house sound. I had excellent technical help from Tony Holt from Tuscaloosa, AL, a long time media engineer with Alabama Public Radio, and Julian Tomay, the A/V technical director for the University of West Alabama. We got an excellent recording and will be doing the post-production work for the broadcast edition of this show. The next broadcast show will be a special edition, featuring an entire broadcast show of Mississippi Chris and Jang-A-Lang. That should be quite exciting, at least it is to me, of having an entire show of original music from Jang-A-Lang. When you hear that show broadcast, the Jang-A-Lang regulars appearing with me are Cousin Ed Dye, Clint Jordan, Augie Joachim, Bryan Hayes and Butch Robins. Also helping out on a couple of songs are Jetson Neal and Terry Baker. If you cannot hear this show broadcast where you live, it is webcast at www.shadygroveradio.com twice a day. Visit Shady Grove Radio and our friend Kenny Laing for the station schedule and webcast times. My friend Jack A. Neal, a noted photographer, was in attendance supporting his nephew songwriter Robby Neal who was featured on the show. I noticed Jack taking some photographs. Perhaps he will send us a link in the near future so you can see photos from the show. I was far too busy this time to take any pictures. I had several friends and family members in the audience. Of course my mother and step-father were there, Ike and Betty Hopper. Also attending were my Brother and his wife, Newt and Dottie Sharp. My friend Lloyd Hutcherson was there I heard, but I missed seeing him. Thanks to Dr. Rick Young and his bride for attending. Rick is the president of East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi. Also in the audience and doing the opening announcement for the show was friend and songwriter Colonel Thomas Vaughn, from McMinnville, Tennessee. Jacky Jack White is a great host. Thanks, Jacky Jack, for having the vision and drive to push this show along to success. And a great big THANK YOU to all the sponsors who provide the funding to make it happen: The University of West Alabama, The Sumter County Fine Arts Council, and Weyerhauser. Thanks to Augie, Canaan and Brandon for their help in all the SCHLEPPING, STEPPING and FETCHING. We all worked hard to pull this one off. BRAVO!!!! 6/6/06 Had a large time at Taylor Saturday night, June 3. Oxford was packed with the NCAA regional Baseball Tournament, which is still going on, today. Ole Miss was a winner Saturday and the crowd at Taylor was in a festive mood. Jang-A-Langing with me was the core band of Ed Dye, Clint Jordan, Augie Joachim and Bryan Hayes. We missed Butch Robins, who was attending the Midwest Banjo Camp in Lansing, Michigan, as one of the instructors. Uncle Butchie, you were missed!!! We had a thick crowd all night, and were pleased to see our friend Mr. Calfee. The music was a little stilted and stiff until about the third set, when Jang-A-Lang fell in a groove that would last the rest of the night. Thanks to J.W. and Betty Lou Jones and J.W.'s brother and sister-in-law for the kind words. The Jones' enjoyed their catfish and the music. Enjoy your week! 5/23/06 Here's those sound files I promised. All live from Taylor Grocery, some of these were recorded in March and others in May, 2006. Hope you like them! At various times, the band is Butch Robins on banjo, Clint Jordan on round neck resonator guitar, Bryan Hayes on guitar, Jetson Neal on mandolin, Wes Tabor on dobro, Ed Dye on dobro, Augie Joachim on bass, Piper Sharp (lead vocal on Across the Great Divide), and Mississippi Chris on vocals and rhythm guitar.
You banjo enthusiasts might want to download the Sally Goodin/Grey Eagle Medley. Butch Robins is absolutely burning the banjo up on that one. He is simply without peer when it comes to the banjo. A BIG TIME IN TAYLOR SATURDAY NIGHT!!!
First Photo: Bryan Hayes, Jetson Neal and Mississippi Chris belt one out! Second: Clint Jordan (Fleetus Digitus) lets fly on his Tennessee 10. Third: A suave and svelte Cousin Ed Dye shows off his new California Ninja outfit at Taylor Grocery Saturday night. All the Jang-A-Langers were so proud to to be there for his return. Mississippi Chris told Cousin Ed that the entire band would be simply crestfallen if Ed were not able to make this gig! Not wanting to be responsible for band-wide crestfall-age, Cousin Ed came early and stayed late, and was an inspiration to us all! Fourth: Butch Robins, Jetson Neal, Mississippi Chris Fifth: Butch Robins, Jetson Neal, Clint Jordan, Bryan Hayes, Ed Dye, Augie Joachim, Mississippi Chris, relaxing after the show. STAY TUNED: Sound clips to follow, soon!!! 5/4/06 HOT NEWS!!! THE RETURN OF COUSIN ED!!!! Come on Down to Taylor Grocery, Taylor, Mississippi, Saturday night, May 13 for a raucous time, graduation night at Ole Miss; celebrate with good music, good food, proud graduates, and even prouder parents (Got Junior graduated off, and those tuition and living expense bills are over!!!), and a huge dose and welcome back for COUSIN ED DYE, who is making his musical re-appearance after an extended sabbatical in California!!! It'll be pretty crowded at Taylor . . . expect to wait a while for a table, but sit outside and enjoy the music. We'll be playing inside AND OUTSIDE for the entertainment of the people!!! You can get the full Jang-A-Lang experience with Mississippi Chris, COUSIN ED DYE, Butch Robins, Clint Jordan, Bryan Hayes, and Augie Joachim!! COME ON DOWN TO TAYLOR, YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE!!!! Showtime is 5:30PM . . .until???? If you want to eat, come early. If you want to stay and listen to the music, come late!!!!! If you can't make it, tune in on Monday for photos and a full update!! ED SAYS, "I'm glad to be home!" 4/18/06 Jackie Jack White, J. Burton Fuller and his bride Mary Dean and yours truly made a trip to the ancient and delightful city of Natchez, Mississippi yesterday, for a visit Under-the-Hill to the Steamboat THE DELTA QUEEN. We performed in a "guitar-pull" configuration, doing old country and original tunes. We were featured on "country night" for a group of bicycling couples traveling down the Mississippi to Baton Rouge. These couples would disembark at various ports of call with their TANDEM bicycles for rides and tours around the port cities. They certainly were having a good time. So were we! A usual, Jackie Jack was a charming and witty host. The affable J. Burton Fuller was his usual charming self. I was just glad to be there! It was delightful for me to entertain passengers on the Delta Queen. My love of Steamboats began when I first read Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi and continues to this day. I first went aboard the DELTA QUEEN in 1977, when I was working on river tug THE MISS JULIE. We were fortunate enough to be fueling up the boat one day when steaming up comes the DELTA QUEEN. Of course, we had passed her, her sisters the MISSISSIPPI QUEEN and the NATCHEZ in the Mississippi river many times, thrilling to the sound of her steam whistle, or to the awkward grace of her calliope, but never had we been at port when a steamboat had pulled alongside to fuel up. A call from the Master of my boat to the Master of the DELTA QUEEN resulted in an invitation to come aboard, where we were shown the wheel house, the engine room, and all the things that were far more interesting to one who works on a boat than to the passengers who ride them for pleasure. My love for Steamboats also turned an already more than casual interest in the music of John Hartford into a passion. It was great to be able to play some of my original river songs for the crew of the Delta Queen, and some of John Hartford's river songs for them, too. The love of the boats, and John Hartford's music, is a special bond shared by all people who have spent time on the river. It was a wonderful time in my life. I cherish every hour I spent on the Mississippi river on a boat, and I had a delightful time once again being treated with royal courtesy aboard the DELTA QUEEN. Thanks to the entire crew for their courtesy and hospitality. Please visit the DELTA STEAMBOAT COMPANY website.
4/17/06 Thanks to Johnny Alford for having us at the East Central Mississippi Bluegrass Festival in Mathiston, Mississippi this past weekend! Lots of jamming under the shade trees, beautiful weather, lots of young musicians! Good to see Donnie Buckner, Larry Wallace and Barbara Wallace, Doug Anderson, Mike Godwin and Family, John Traweek, Sharon Fiveash, Scott Pinter, and Andy McCain. Lots of good pickin'! We Jang-A-Lang-ed until we were just beside ourselves. This performance was the last one on the books for the Grants Ferry Band, though it was pretty much Jang-A-Lang that had this event covered. There were some photos taken and I hope someone will send me some to post on the website. Wood College is a lovely campus with very nice facilities for hosting an event such as this. UPDATE!!!! For all you Banjo enthusiasts, and my friends at the BANJO HANGOUT! The order of the banjos is revealed!!!! See Below on the mp3 links. Identity of each banjo revealed on 4/17/06 Here's some fun for you. ROYCE, from the banjo hangout, posted a blind (or should I say DEAF?) test a couple of weeks ago, so we could all pick which banjo we thought was which brand. It was a lot of fun. I've posted recordings of me playing ROANOKE on seven different banjos. If you are a Banjo Hangout member, visit it and make your guesses as to which banjos you think are what. If you are not a member, visit www.banjohangout.org and join up. There's THREE pre-war Gibsons in this mix. Both RB-4's are original pre-war 5 string Mastertones. They are not conversions. Of course, one is a flathead and the other a ball bearing. The value of these banjos I used range from $500 to $150,000+. That's a lot of banjo horsepower in that list. They ALL sound good. Each has their own character and distinct sound personality. I have to admit that I was absolutely SICK of playing Roanoke before I got through with this yesterday. Read more about it HERE! These are all MP3 files.
3/31/06 Changing up the web site a bit. I don't have a CLUE about what I'm doing. Everything I seem to accomplish while building and modifying a web site can just vanish with one seemingly innocent click on the "publish" icon. Wish me luck! I've been getting lots of hits on the website. Thanks to all of you who visit here. We Jang-A-Lang-ed at Taylor Grocery last weekend (3-25-06) and had a great time. Jang-A-Lang-ing with me were Butch Robins, Clint Jordan, Augie Joachim, Wes Tabor and Bryan Hayes. We were sorry to learn that our host, the affable and delightful Lynn Hewlett was confined to home after recent back surgery. We wish for our friend Lynn a speedy recovery. Look for some sound files in the next few days from our gig at Taylor. Thanks to all our fans for turning out to see us. A special thanks to Frank Witherspoon and his family for their loyal support. Thanks to Big D, Sasha, Cindy, Kay, Susan, Bear and the gang for their hospitality. Tuesday evening (3/28/06) saw us on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, where we entertained for the annual student crawfish boil. Thanks to Bryan (who is a professor at MC) for setting up this event. It was well organized and EVERYONE seemed to enjoy themselves. The Crawfish were GREAT! Thanks, T-Beaux's! Sucarnochee Revue: 4/7/06. Y'all Come 2nd Annual Central Mississippi Bluegrass Festival, Mathiston, Mississippi, on the campus of Wood College, April 14 & 15 Good family entertainment. Y'all Come! Thanks for all your comments on "200 Dollar Pants." Several folks asked me to record the tune on my Crafter's of Tennessee MAPLE DELUXE, so they could hear the difference. I did that last night, and here it is. I'll post BOTH links again so they're easy to get to. The jury's still out on the Fostex VF160. Seems like it has a lot of artifacts that somewhat sully the recording, but then again, I just don't really know how to use it yet. Here you go: 200 Dollar Pants played on a Crafter's of Tennessee MAPLE DELUXE 200 Dollar Pants played on a Crafter's of Tennessee WALNUT DELUXE To my ear, the Maple sounds the best on a recording. There is something that happens on the ear, live, with the Walnut that makes me like it better, but today, the Maple definitely satisfies. I think the Maple has fewer overtones than the Walnut, which makes for a better recording. Of course, Maple has a characteristic sweetness when playing up the neck. But all in all, the Walnut's still got my vote and is my first choice; the one that I reach for nearly every time. They're both SUPERB banjos . . . thanks, Mark and the gang! 3/13/06 Been a little under the weather, lately. Thanks for all your calls and cards. I'm feeling much better now. I have been working on a banjo tune. While I was ill last week, had a chance to give her a basic record, along with guitar. It's called 200 Dollar Pants. It's an MP3 file. Hope you like it. Some info on the recording: Instruments: Crafter's of Tennessee Walnut Deluxe Banjo; medium gauge D'Addario strings, Scorpion banjo bridge, Bob Perry Cobalt picks. Guitar: 1939 Martin D-18. Recording: AT3035 microphone into Peavey VMP-1000 Tube Mic Preamp, into FOSTEX VF160 Digital Workstation. This is the first time I have used the FOSTEX recorder. It is very awkward, and I swear the Owner's manual is written in Greek. I've had this for several months but have never used it until yesterday. I admit that part of the awkwardness is because it is all new. The operation of this recorder is not nearl as intuitive as my AKAI DPS16, which was far easier to learn, and has less of a hard edge on the recording. I mixed this down to an Alesis Masterlink 9600 deck, and ripped the WAVE file to MP3 using a freeware program called CDEX. I think it would have sounded better using the AKAI, but I needed to learn how to use this FOSTEX unit. Still a lot to learn!! 200 Dollar Pants ©2006 J. Christopher Sharp/Stump Whipped Music/ ASCAP/All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll be changing a few things on the website, taking some of he older items cluttering up the home page to an "archive" link. Look to the left for the "ARCHIVE" button to see anything that was on this page that is now missing. If you have any links to anything that was here, you might want to update those links. Spring is here in Mississippi. Some strange weather patterns we experienced over the winter have diminished, and spring-like weather is here. It's been 80 degrees here within the last couple of days. I'm glad to see it. I'll be looking forward to April, when the inimitable Cousin Ed Dye returns from California. Thanks to Mike Compton for providing a link to my website from his. If you haven't been to Mike's site, or enjoyed reading his online journal, visit him here, or at http://www.mikecompton.net This is an excellent website created and maintained by Jim Richter at Richter Digital Media. The artistry of Mike Compton's music has no peer. Lightnin' Leon Williams visited at Stump Whipped Studios on February 25. Leon was full of new material he has written. We are looking forward to a doing a project together, starting now, and finishing ????? Look for it in the next few months. Here's a few photos you may find interesting.
Here's a few tunes recorded LIVE at Taylor Grocery in January, 2006. Hope you enjoy them. Lots of background noise, but the music is good. Riverboat Song Live from Taylor Grocery January 06 Indian Ate the Woodchuck Live from Taylor Grocery January 06 Sally Goodin Live from Taylor Grocery January 06 Flat Land Blues Live from Taylor Grocery January 06 All these files are MP3's. 2/22/06 Video of Mississippi Chris and Butch Robins on Butch's website! Butch and Chris are playing Chris' song "FRIEND" at the suite at the IBMA in Nashville back in October. Thanks to Butchrobins.net webmaster Jim Richter for getting this up and running and to friend and Jang-A-Lang co-conspirator Butch Robins for allowing it on his website. You'll need the latest version of Quick Time for this to play. Here it is -- FRIEND VIDEO Sucarnochee Revue last Friday, Feb. 17 - This was the best show ever. A full slate of professional talent excited the capacity crowd at Bibb-Graves auditorium on the campus of the University of West Alabama. The Celtic band MITHRAL, Sawyer Brown's Rockin' Bobby Randall, Joyce Shearer, Britt Gully, bluesman Russell Gully, bluesman Sam Moore, J. Burton Fuller, our host Jacky Jack White, and of course, Jang-A-Lang and others were puttin it in there for the crowd. Thanks to Jacky Jack for a great show. Thanks also to technical producer Barry Little with Nomad Productions, and his entire crew, for the excellent sound. Be sure to come to Livingston, Alabama for the next SUCARNOCHEE REVUE in April. INTERNATIONAL FOLK ALLIANCE, AUSTIN, TEXAS FEB 10, 11, and 12 RECAP: Mississippi Chris and Jang-A-Lang made a whirlwind trip to Austin to accompany Butch Robins at the International Folk Alliance Convention (IFA). The folks in Texas know good music, that's why they seemed to enjoy their Jang-A-Lang experience so much. While Jang-A-Lang and Uncle Butchie were playing in room 408, the great Johnny Gimble was playing next door. You never know who you will see in Texas. Later on, I was shocked and pleased to find myself standing next to Judy Collins. She didn't seem to recognize me!?!? [grin] The IFA went like this:
Each one of these showcases was a tremendous amount of fun for Uncle Butchie and the band. Thanks to Boulder Acoustic Society's Michelle, and the NashVegas Showpalace's Cynthia for being so hospitable. Thanks everyone for the Lone Stars, and the Old Chubb's. Thanks to Black Crow Booking's Alana Stewart for having all the details nailed down so all the band had to do was just show up and go to playing. Thanks to friends who are good travel companions. Thanks to local friends who were gracious and a joy to visit. Thanks to Austin for being a hospitable city. Thanks for cab drivers with a sense of humor. Thanks to the Bats who seemed pleased to stay put while I was there, and that was just fine with me. Thanks to the beautiful scenery in the Hill Country. Thanks to the River City Grille in Marble Falls, Texas, for that Smoked Sirloin I enjoyed so much. Thanks to Jack and Daye for being so courteous and supportive when I was a child and still being my friends now. Thanks to Jessie for her courtesy and charm, and for putting up with Bruce. Thanks to a kind heaven that let Bruce find such a good woman. Thanks to Bruce Tinnin for a lifetime of friendship and inspiration. Thanks to Butch Robins who shares his musical genius so freely. Just simply, Thanks. I enjoyed my trip to Marble Falls to visit at the home of Jack and Daye Tinnin. Sometimes a confused teenager needs all the help he can get. Jack and Daye always treated me like one of their family. For this I will always be grateful. Daye Lackey Tinnin is one of the most charming and beautiful Southern ladies I have ever met. Her every word, smile and gesture is filled with a grace as lovely as bluebonnets swaying in a warm April breeze. All the Lackey sisters are that way; it must be their Mississippi upbringing. It must be from soft words spoken in the middle of warm Mississippi nights. It must be from singings and dinners on the grounds. It must be from hands which gave blessings and mouths that offered words of encouragement. It must be from putting others first. It must be from all these things, but foremost, it must be from consciences which have been minded in such a way that the beauty that is on the inside manifests itself by washing away every hint of time and care so that grace and joy are all that's left to see. Claire and Betsy (those other Lackey sisters previously mentioned), I hope you get to read this, too. You all have been a blessing to me. I promised Bruce and Jessie Tinnin that I would be back soon for us all to take a trip out to the hill country, the Big Bend, and on out to Marfa, Alpine and Balmorrhea, my favorite parts of the great Lone Star State. I intend to keep that promise. Texas is what Mississippi would like to be when it grows up. A worthy goal for any state. Folks, Bruce is a founding partner in Powerhouse Animation Studios. You might not know them by name, but you are familiar with their work. Here's a link to their website. http://www.powerhouseanimation.com/ If you are on dial up, this site might not work well. I enjoy it every time I go there. Since they are professional graphics people, you'd expect them to have a fine website. Well, they do! They are excited about new projects they have coming up. We had a few bumps in the road on our trip down, but we made it there and back just fine. Another thing we are thankful for! Some photos:
From Left: Chris with Daye, Bruce and Jack Tinnin; Jessie Tinnin; Bruce Tinnin; Chris, Bruce and Stella. These photos were taken near Marble Falls and Highland Haven, Texas.
The above photos were taken by Bruce and Jessie Tinnin. Thanks Bruce and Jessie. From Left: Augie and Terry; Chris and Butch; Augie, Chris and Butch; Terry, Augie, Chris, Butch and Clint; Cletus Magnificatus Resonatus.
See all the photos taken by Jack A. Neal, Photographer, during our latest show at Taylor Grocery. Click on the banner to the left called JACK'S PHOTOS. Thanks, Jack, for your permission to post these photos here.
2/4/06 Great visit this weekend from Leon "Lightnin'" Williams. Thanks, Leon, for coming by during our rehearsal session. It was good to visit with you. And folks, no sooner than Leon showed up when an opportunity to work on a music project together manifested itself. I'm hoping for lots of projects. Here's a Sound File for you. We're Jang-A-Langing on Saturday, Feb. 4, and Clint comes up with a modification of the "Jang-A-Lang" name and calls us the JANG-A-LANG STRANG THANG. Here's the JANG-A-LANG STRANG THANG, sitting around 4 large diaphram condenser mics arranged in a tight circle facing out, we're in a larger concentric circle facing in, and just tearing up "I'm Going Fishin'" while the Mississippi weather is nice and warm for a FEBRUARY. The signal from these mics was going into two Peavey 2 channel VMP-100 Tube Mic Preamps, and from there into an Akai DPS16 Digital Recorder, mixed down to an Alesis Masterlink Hard Disk Recorder. Butch was complaining later to Alana Stewart about being cold here in Mississippi while on the phone with her, and Alana was in Chicago! I laughed when I heard someone in Mississippi complaining to someone in Chicago about how COLD it was! As we recorded this, I could look out across the pond at my house and see the ripples from the fish stirring in anticipation of Spring. I began to think of my fishin' pole. I began to think of my fly rod. I began to think of hot peanut oil and a corn meal battered filet hitting the hot oil! Here it is, "I'm Going Fishin'", CLAMS, COUGHS, FEET TAPPING ON MIC STANDS, SOME NOISE AND GENERAL GOOD TIMES ALONG WITH THE CONFUSION, for your listening enjoyment. Get it while you can. It'll disappear in just a few days. If you like LIVE music, this is it! Let me know if you like it! Butch Robins and Ed Dye do NOT like it cold! You can count on that! I, myself, prefer about 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity, and barefooted sitting in the grass with my fishin' pole. Soon as the weather turns, I'm going fishin'. Here it is . . . . . I'M GOING FISHIN'.mp3
Mississippi Chris and the Jang-A-Lang Strang Thang at the Sucarnochee Revue. Photo Courtesy of Betsy Compton From Left: Bryan Hayes, Augie Joachim, Mississippi Chris, Butch Robins, Clint Jordan.
Photo at right: Unkl Butchie contemplating the banjo at Timberview Lodge, 1/21/06. Butch and I spent two glorious weeks playing music every night after his return from his tour of Japan with Kazuhiro Inaba. He'll be back this way on February 1, for us to prepare for our trip to the Folk Alliance in Austin, Texas on February 10. Butch is shown with his 2005 Gibson Granada. He also sports a 1934 RB-4, which was present when this photo was taken, but unattended. I took this photo with a Nikon D70. And now, for something completely different . . . B Banjoists, from left: Butch Robins, Mississippi Chris Banjos, from left: 1925 Gibson RB-4 (Chris') 2005 Gibson Granada (Butch's) 1927 Gibson TB-1 Conversion (Chris') 1934 Gibson RB-4 (Butch's) 2005 Tennessee Flathead Walnut Deluxe (Chris') 2004 Tennessee Flathead Maple Deluxe (Chris')
Above: Depending on one's point of view, this is a heavenly photo, or a hellish nightmare! And now, for something really, completely different . . . Ol' "Big in Taylor" had a big time at Taylor Grocery Saturday night, January 14, 2006. It was absolutely packed! The band consisted of a marriage of Jang-A-Lang and Grant's Gerry, with Butch Robins on Banjo! The crowd could hardly be contained because of their excitement over the music. Thanks to Butch Robins for a Stellar, Jaw-Dropping performance! Thanks to Terry Baker, Bryan Hayes, Wes Tabor, Jetson Neal, Augie Joachim, and Clint Jordan. We all wish Cousin Ed could have been there. The crowd delighted to two full sets of all original music. This was the first time we sprang ALL ORIGINAL sets on a crowd, and they seemed to love it. CD sales were brisk at the front counter, and many fans turned out to request originals such as ROOSTER TOWN and CORNBREAD MAN. Thanks to Lynn and Debbie Hewlett for being such gracious hosts. Lynn said he'd never seen the crowd so excited about the music before. Thanks to Keith, Cheryl, Alli and Mary Clarke for coming out to see us, and also John McCollum and Jack Neal who drove all the way from Jackson. (When you've got fans who drive 3 hours to come see you, you've got some loyal fans. Look for another update soon on Unkl Butchi's visit to Timberview Lodge. We've been picking banjos for two weeks now, ever since his return from Japan! More photos to come!!
December 9, 2005 - SUCARNOCHEE REVUE! Jang-A-Lang performed on the Sucarnochee Revue with the December 10, 2005, 3:00 to 5:00 PM: Mississippi Chris, Terry Baker, and Clint Jordan accompanied the COMPLETE 2005 IBMA REPORT HERE!!!!
11/18/05 - Just in: Video from Butch Robin's Website. Filmed and posted to Butch's website by www.butchrobins.net webmaster Jim Richter during IBMA in Nashville. Butch Robins (banjo), Phil Zimmerman (mandolin and harmony vocals), Danny Jones (mandolin), Augie Joachim (bass), Clint Jordan (round neck resonator guitar) and Mississippi Chris (guitar and vocals)! You'll need the latest version of Quicktime to view these videos. Here's the link for Toy Heart Butch Robins: Toy Heart Here's the link for Paddy on the Turnpike Butch Robins: Paddy on the Turnpike Here's the link for East Tennessee Blues Butch Robins: East Tennessee Blues
Photos from Taylor Grocery, August 13 - Left to Right: Our Host, Lynn Hewlett, and Gene Bush discussing a recent horse trade; Bryan Hayes, Mississippi Chris and Clint Jordan on a hot trio; Gene Bush and Bruce Nemerov doing some fine acoustic blues; Augie Joachim and Clint Jordan on the porch after the show; Mississippi Chris and Bryan Hayes (It's HOT in here!) Well, it is August, and it is MISSISSIPPI! Give me a big glass of ice tea to go with that catfish, please! SUCARNOCHEE REVUE webcast on Shady Grove Web Radio! Hear the Sucarnochee Revue. Visit www.sucarnocheerevue.com The new record ONE OF THESE DAYS is NOW AVAILABLE. This CD is finished is available off of this website! It is also available from CDBABY! Orders are now being accepted. There are 18 tunes on this recording, 15 of which are original tunes, all featuring Mississppi Chris, and friends Ed Dye, Jetson Neal, Terry Baker, and Bryan Hayes. Also featured is Piper Sharp singing a duet with her dad. A three day recording session was held at Timberview Lodge (Porterville, Mississippi ) over Memorial Day weekend, with Mississippi Chris and JANG-A-LANG (Clint Jordan, Augie Joachim, Jetson Neal) and friends Ed Dye, Terry Baker, and Butch Robins. 13 all original tunes were recorded, and final work is being done in the next couple of months to get this record ready. For a sound clip of a couple of the tunes (rough mixes) visit www.johnhartford.org and my friend John Hotze (John does a tremendous amount of work bringing obsucre music to the masses . . . Thanks, John!) Thanks to all y'all who visit my website and support my music. If there's anything you'd like to see on this site,
Bottom three photos: Upper Right - Butch Robins, Chris, Ed Dye - Timberview Lodge May 2005; Left - Butch Robins, Jetson Neal, Ed Dye, Chris, Clint Jordan, from the stage of the Sucarnochee Revue, May 2005; Right - Jerry Ragland (fiddle), Bryan Hayes, Clint Jordan, Jetson Neal, Chris, playing outside during a "break" at Taylor Grocery, Taylor, Mississippi May 2005. ©2005 J. Christopher Sharp Photos ©2005 J. Christopher Sharp unless otherwise noted |
©2005-2009 John Christopher Sharp/All Rights Reserved
My good friend Larry Wallace and 
s!) Everyone worked hard but had a good time, and the music is dynamite. I think Larry will hit the Bluegrass charts with this one. As Raymond said, "straight ahead old time Bluegrass that hits like a jackhammer!" Everyone, be on the lookout for this record when it is released! Be sure and visit Larry's website at the above link. 
ten since breakfast. Thanks, Debbie, for being such a good sport when I inflict large crowds of hungry musicians on you at the drop of a hat! We all love you, especially me!!!!!!
5/15/06 Hey! Howdy!! and, HELLO!! What a big time in Taylor, Saturday night, May 13. Lots of happy moms and dads and grandparents, and equally happy Ole Miss graduates turned out for the fine food and GOOD MUSIC at Taylor Grocery. Our hosts, Lynn and Debbie Hewlett were gracious, as always. Lynn was back to his old pleasant self after recovering from back surgery. COUSIN ED RETURNED FROM CALIFORNIA WITH BELLS ON!!! Everyone was glad to see Ed, as always. He was looking fit and tanned from his sabbatical, in rare form, motivating and inspiring the entire band. Thanks to Frank and Martha Witherspoon for their continued support of our music. Frank and Martha turn out EVERY time we play at Taylor. We missed Mr. Calfee this time, but heard that he was doing well and are glad of that. The great Butch Robins came all the way from Virginia to Jang-A-Lang with us at Taylor. Thanks to Butch for his great devotion to this band. We were fortunate to get to see Cindy, Kay, Sarah Margaret, Forrest, Sasha, Brandon, Brad, Ricky, Colleen, Keith Stewart, and Piper Sharp, who sang a tune with us!
anjo Mania!
, super Songwriter Karen Staley, blues performer Little Lee, and Sucarnochee Host Jacky Jack White, and show regulars Joyce Shearer, Britt Gully, and J. Burton Fuller. This show was broadcast LIVE on WPRN in Butler, Alabama. Thanks to Darrell Jackson for this live broadcast. Be sure to catch the Sucarnochee on all Alabama Public Radio Stations, WPRN, WYLS, Shady Grove Web Radio (
The Jang-A-Lang band for this show...Clint Jordan, Augie Joachim, Terry Baker, Bryan Hayes. Cousin Ed Dye has taken ill while visiting relatives in California. Let's pray for his speedy recovery. Uncle Butch(ie) Robins is preparing for a tour of Japan with consummate musician, Kazuhiro Inaba. Sorry they could not be with us this time. They'll be back to the Sucarnochee Revue in February!
(Geno and Zeno) to Birmingham's Moonlight Music Cafe, located on Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills. A good crowd turned out for this matinee event which had the Fedoras at their best. Guests artist playing with the 
were Birmingham mandolinist Jason Bailey, Long-time Fedora friend Robert Fowler, from Montgomery, and Mississippi Chris and Clint Jordan, from Jang-A-Lang for a rousing rendition of "I'm Going Fishin'." Thanks to Moonlight Music Cafe owner Keith Harrelson for a gracious reception, and providing a superior venue for acoustic music. The photo at right is Geno and Zeno Fedora, or as they are known in another life, Gene Bush and Bruce Nemerov.
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