Play “Rocky Top”
My “Song of the Day” on FaceBook was “Rocky Top.” I’ve always heard one time someone asked Bobby Osbourne what his favorite bluegrass song was and he smiled and said, “Is there another one besides Rocky Top?”
Given the royalties they’ve seen, you can’t blame him for the answer. Rocky Top is the number one song a non-bluegrass crowd will request. It is the bluegrass “Free Bird.”
One time we played “Rocky Top” at a hoop-te-do rich person’s hootenanny. When we finished some red-faced patron yelled out, “play ‘Rocky Top.'”
I replied, “Sir, we just played it.”
He threw down a hundred-dollar bill, and said, “By God, I said play ‘Rocky Top.'”
We played it again, and over and over till he ran out of money, then slipped away in the dark. I thought he wanted to fight, and didn’t think that’d look good in the morning paper for Doc or bluegrass either one.
Sometimes I still chuckle and think of think of him. I wonder if he woke up the next day and said, “Where the h#%% did I put my money?”
Dr. B
Tags: Rocky Top
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Dr. Tom Bibey: Stories of the Bluegrass Music Road 
December 28, 2010 at 11:11 am
Great song…recollect playing that one several times myself…seems like everyone wants to hear that song…might as well learn it and get used to playing. Someone is going to want to hear it! And it is a pretty good tune. Have a great New Year my friend. “Doc” Jackson
December 28, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Elwood,
Tis is bluegrass prerequisite, huh?
Checked out your blog; fine stories. I put you on my blogroll, and look forward to reading more.
Dr. B
January 13, 2011 at 8:44 am
Thanks for the ‘read’ Dr. B, I really enjoy taking a break like this and readin and writin some…never figured I would do much of that as an adult…at least not ‘by choice’! But thanks to your encouragement, I think this is working out to be some good ‘therapy’ for the old counselor. We don’t get to do much ‘therapy’ on ourselves, and who else can you trust to talk to?…Well, have a good’un!
January 13, 2011 at 9:51 am
Doc,
Mark Twain used to say when he saw hard times he would “write his way out of trouble.” We are in good company.
Dr. B