RE: Goodbye Bob, Hello Woody

["Laughton, Bob" <LaughtonB@xxxxxxxxx>]

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Steve Shaw:

> I have one track of him playing fiddle (it's enough!)
> so it isn't too surprising that he also played the
> mandolin, though I wasn't aware of that. =20
> Do you know of any tracks that feature this?

"Woody's Rag" for mandolin was recorded by Pete Seeger on 'The Goofing =
Off Suite' on Folkways, there might be Folkways recordings of Woody =
himself playing the tune. It is a brilliant piece in the key of D, =
taking advantage the natural sound of the open strings of the mandolin. =
I still use the opening phrases to help tune up a mandolin by ear.

Woody was truly gifted and original, the whole package. To me it's silly =
to isolate a minor facet of his talent and, say, compare his harp =
playing to a practiced virtuoso of the instrument.

Bob