Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Charlie McCoy and the Nashville Number System

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Trust Winslow to get to the bottom of it and give us the correct  
information. Way to go!
 
....and speaking of Charlie McCoy....he headlined at the Kansas City,  
SPAH...and as far as I know (will stand corrected if anyone who was there can  give 
better information), had his own back-up musicians onstage with him. He  gave 
a wonderful performance that night...playing Shenandoah (among many other  
great songs) for a recently deceased friend of his...leaving not a dry eye  in 
the house... given that we'd all just found out about and Pat Missin  had  just 
played a moving tribute to his friend, SPAH  President Douglas Tate. 
 
What a SPAH! I had a front-row seat to Charlie McCoy  playing Orange Blossom 
Special. Sat about 6 feet away so got to see  everything he did in close up. 
Doesn't get much better than that for a new  fan...and he hung out beforehand 
and afterwards taking photos with and  signing CD's and autographs for his many 
fans and friends in our  harmonica world.
 
Rumors and innuendoes abound online. Even here. The truth is the only way  to 
silence falsehoods, so I especially appreciate Winslow's way of always  
seeking to verify the real facts. To that end as well I want to highly recommend  
his book: 'Harmonica for Dummies', which I'm about a quarter of the way 
through,  as of today. It was one of my Christmas presents and, due to other issues I 
 hadn't yet found the time to simply sit down and read it. Now I'm working my 
way  through it...although I haven't yet played the audio. That's next on my 
list. He  explains everything so well the book works for Newbie harmonica 
players as well  as those who already see themselves as accomplished players (from 
the many other  comments I've read).  Kudos, Winslow.
 
Elizabeth
 
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 14:05:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Winslow  Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Charlie McCoy and  the Nashville Number System
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

According to Chas  Williams, author of the book "The Nashville Number 
System,"  


http://nashvillenumbersystem.com/

Neil Matthews, developed  the Nashville Number System for the Jordanaires to 
use in the studio, and  Charlie was an early adopter who came up with some 
extensions. This overlaps  with PT Gazell's statement.

The oral accounts from Charlie's band members  that you cite are statements 
of belief by informants who may or may not have  accurate knowledge, even if 
they are Nashville session guys. They may have come  on the scene after the fact 
and formed an impression that, while sincere, may or  may not be accurate. 
Given Charlie's significant involvement in its development,  they may easily 
have formed the impression that he invented the system. Calling  them the horse's 
mouth is an overstatement. The real horse's mouth, at least as  regards 
Charlie's individual involvement, is Charlie himself.

Other  websites refer to the "evolution" of the system, indicating that 
several  individuals may have been involved in the development of the system as it 
is now  known. Charlie may well be among this group.

Third-party attestations,  especially when they seem attractive (for 
instance, when they affirm an  cherished belief or lend glory to a valued individual), 
must be treated  skeptically and evaluated with care.

Winslow

Winslow  Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
**********************************


Charlie was very happy when I told him I'd
bring in his hand selected  Nashville musicians for this particular gig, as 
they
haven't played together  in years. 
 
 
 
 
So, my verification is from horses' mouths and was good enough for me  to
repeat here. Winslow, on the other hand, may like more official  
documentation -
perhaps something in writing....?
 
 
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