The Steel Guitar Forum

Subject: John Hartford - sad news...

A note to ask my friends to send out a good thought and prayer for
one heck of a guy. John Hartford is about to pass on and is not able
to communicate now. I have found out that his family is not answering
any phone calls, but he is at home now from the hospital.
John Hartford has been a friend of mine since he flew to Nashville
from L.A. to be on my 2nd recording back in 1975 when I was just
thirteen. He was a prince and has always been there for me as a
friend and a colleague. When I was trying to figure out how to play
unaccompanied performances twelve years ago, it was John who gave the
words of encouragement I needed to have, while many others simply
doubted the possibility of my doing it.
John was also my mother's favorite person in the music business.
Thought he hung the moon. Just before losing my mother to cancer
almost 20 years ago, one of her last wishes was for my sister and I
to drive her across the country from Seattle to see John one last
time in Tennessee. It is also cancer that will take John Hartford
away from us very soon as well.
A collective prayer from my mailing list towards John Hartford would
be something great. The wonderful modern day minstrel one man show,
the author of one of the greatest hit songs of all time, Gentle On My
Mind, and those early memories of him and Glen Campbell on "The Good
Time Hour" in the late 60's prime time television will last with me
for ever and I am sure will endure with many of you. He was a
champion for the fiddle and collected as many original fiddle tune
manuscripts and the various literature as anyone I know. He continued
to practice furiously on the fiddle even until recently, setting out
to get better and better. And he did! He would come to my fiddle
camps in Tennessee and just hang out on the porch of the mess hall
playing away until way past the sun going down. For all of that and
more, I will think of you and love you forever John Hartford.
I also love your home there looking over that Cumberland River. The
thoughts of you dreaming about the old steamboats coming past you
from days gone by is a poignant one at this time.
I was on the nomination committee of the Kennedy Center Honors last
year and did nominate John Hartford. I bet one day you will get that
one too John. May God be with you.

Mark O'Connor




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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

Mark.

I certainly would like to join you in a prayer for John. He certainly did it his way.

Leigh

Ah man, not John... I was looking at his website the other day and thinking about all the great songs he has written, checking out some of his 'progressive' albums etc.

Janice,

Thanks for passing that along. John is a great guy and a fabulous musician and entertainer. We will miss him.

John was a gifted songwriter who had a talent for storytelling with his songs. In the way that old folk music was used to spin a tale that you'd both visualize and remember, his style created lasting images in the mind of the many who saw and heard him. His songs were always easy to recognize, and interesting to listen to. We will truly miss his talent.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 12 May 2001 at 04:10 AM.]</p></FONT>

Please add my name to the prayer list for John.
He was my favorite on the Glen Campbell show.
What a talent!

God be with him and his family.
Bill Ferguson

Just walked into my house from my studio with my fiddle to find my 2 girls, 6 and 11 arguing. I started playing "Hey babe, you wanna boogie". They stopped fighting immediatly, and started laughing, dancing and singing. Everyone is happy now. thank you, John. Please add me to the list.

This is indeed sad news.I have always liked the gentle nature of this man,his music and how he would stay long past performances to talk to fans...I can say no more our prayers for John will say the rest.

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CJC

Amen!, what a talented man. God Bless you John.

I lost my wife to cancer 2 years ago this june,and a sister inlaw last saturday, I well know what the family and friends are feeling. Please add my name to you list.
Frank.

Yup. John Hartford.
Not only a great banjo player/musician,
but a rebel of sorts. He, along with "Willie and Waylon and The Boys"-------decided long
before many of us became aware, that TrashVille is/was/will be/ no-where.

He stood his ground.....just kept on playing,
and not worrying too much about it......

Was part of the controversial/you'll-never-see-this-again-on-TV - "SMOTHER'S BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR".

As another great artist/musician summmed
it up ----- {HE} "I DIDN'T BOW DOWN".

That's what I liked about John...he walked his own path. God Bless.
CF

A very sad moment, indeed. John has always been ever so gracious to me. I will miss a person who made the world just a little better place to be. My prayers are with you. Pete

Please everyone, let's not put him in the grave yet. Yes, he's in bad shape and our prayers should be with him and his family. I for one am praying he pulls through. Best, Boomer

Our Prayers go out to John and his family.

Jackie and David

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www.steelinusa.com

Always one of my heroes-Liz and my prayers go out to he and his family.

John

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel

"Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun" is one of my favorite J.H. songs. He is a true entertainer and people could learn a lot from him. I know I have. My prayers to him and his family.

Please include me on your prayer list. This is very sad news. Johns many performance that I had a chance to see are burned forever into my head. What a tremendous talent with the resolve to do what most of us day jobbers just dream about.

I saw JH twice circa 1975. Once solo, once sharing the bill with Vassar Clements.

He's a great entertainer. His songs about Nashville, "Nobody Eats at Limebaughs Anymore" and "They're Gonna Tear Down the Grand Old Opry" touched my heart.

His humorous songs, "Don't Leave Your Records in the Sun" and "My Rag", became part of my repetoire.

I just came back from an Everly Brothers concert. Of course Buddy was great, he was introduced as "The Maistro".

The legondary Albert Lee,their normal guitarist,couldn't make this part of the tour due to commitments in Europe.

His replacement, on tele and mandolin, was John's son Jamie Hartford.

Jamie did a fine job, even singing some harmony with the brothers.

God Bless ya Johnny!

-j0e-