Posted by Steamboat Willie on June 11, 101 at 09:56:41:
In Reply to: i forgot something.. posted by bruce again.. on June 11, 101 at 09:12:18:
Some years back, John Hartford was on the DELTA QUEEN, and I was the Mate. The Purser was a young lady from a prominent family in Natchez, Mississippi where we were about to land. She cornered me and asked if I'd invite John to come to the "Under-the-Hill Bar" to hear a song that some friends of her's had written. I replied that I was reluctant to ask favors of my friend, but would pass along her request.
After the boat landed at the foot of Silver Street, I told John of the Purser's request, and he said he'd be happy to go to hear her friends sing the song they'd written. Much to everyone's surprise, John came into the bar with his fiddle and banjo. The little group of local musicians deferred to "the old pro", and asked him to go ahead and play some of his music before they did their piece for him.
If you've ever been to the UTH Bar, it's halfway up the loess bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and the front wall of the barroom can be opened up in nice weather, much like places are in Key West. There was a big crowd. Many of the passengers and most of the crew of the DELTA QUEEN were there, and just about everyone was thrilled that John Hartford, himself, was preparing to perform an unannounced concert in the little river bar.
As John began singing some of the old-time river tunes we all loved to hear, a table full of drinks became loud and boisterous, and it was evident that John was becoming annoyed. There were attempts to get the people to quieten-down so the rest of us could hear John Hartford sing and play, but the drunks only got louder and more abnoxious with each request to desist.
After a few more minutes of a their annoyance, John just quit. He packed his fiddle back into its case, picked up his five-string banjo and hightailed it out and back down Silver Street to the DELTA QUEEN, crossed the stage, and went to his room. Of course, the Natchez musicians were heartbroken that John never heard them perform, but John Hartford demanded an attentive audience or else he wouldn't waste his time.