I’m gonna dedicate this post to my new readers, folks like jel and 4 minutewriter. As I read 4minute’s thoughtful comment on my Earl Scruggs and Family post some time back, I realized through the efforts of a country doctor who loves traditional music, I had been able to write in a way that young, bright people became interested in the music I love.
It moved me to start a new page on my blog, called “The Reader’s Music Selections.” I kicked it off with some of my personal favorites, but I hope you will chime in via the comments with your own choices.
Mine will reflect our personal home and office IPOD, and will tend to be bluegrass, but I’m eclectic, and there will be many other genres represented.
They can be famous, but they don’t have to be. If you know a regional artist who strikes your fancy, put ’em on the list. Who knows, maybe someday you’ll be able to say, “I predicted that one a long time ago; you can look it up on old Dr. B’s blog.”
Also I added a new page called “All Things Southern.” As I run across things I consider southern, I’ll post and file them away here. These will range from barbecue joints to magazines, and will be in no particular order. I hope you’ll add yours in the comments on this page too.
Keep in mind for my purposes “southern” is a state of mind, not a place. It encompasses anything which embodies the spirit of people who live with a sense of community, regardless of geographic location. Take traveling Ted Lehmann for example. He and his wife Irene are southern to me. Maybe it’s ’cause they’re from southern New Hampshire, but it’s mostly because they do so much to document the world of bluegrass.
My primary blog focus this year will be the back-story and development of my second novel, “Acquisition Syndrome,” a true fiction expose of the transition of medicine from healing art to business. (Don’t worry; I’m gonna fight that all the way to the end.) I promised my Lit agent I would have a manuscript editor ready by Jan. 1, 2012, and I always do what I can to deliver what I promise.
So, I’ve thanked my new readers, but I want to be sure to thank my old ones too, folks like the English Professor, the Two Quote Kid, and Billy the truck driver. As Sam Snead used to say “dance with who brung ya.” I’d never have gotten this far without you. All the best guys, and keep the art going. It keeps us all halfway sane in what can be a nutty world.
Dr. B
Dr. Tom Bibey: Stories of the Bluegrass Music Road 