Jimmy Martin was one of the Bluegrass Boys with Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass. Jimmy billed
himself "The King of Bluegrass", and it was painted down the side of his bus. They didn't like him at
the Grand Ole Opry for some reason. Three of the musicians on this recording are no longer with us
and Dixie Hall(Tom T's wife), introduced on this recording, has also passed away.
So I wanted to see Gillian Welch and the only show she had scheduled all year was at Ralphs Festival
because she was busy with the Oh Brother movie. So I ordered tickets in the mail and we (me and my
daughter) headed East the Sunday before it started. On day two in Hazard, Kentucky my clutch went out.
There was no way I could make it over Pound Gap with a weak clutch. So we got a room in Hazard and
took the Explorer to Hazard Ford the next morning. At about 4 pm we walked over to check on the
progress of repairs. They hadn't started yet and indicated it would probably be tomorrow. As if on
cue, my daughter started crying. I conforted her and holding this crying child I told the service
manager I would hansomely tip any mechanic willing to stay late and get us on the road. Ten minutes
later the most wildly strange and amazing person appeared. He was a total hillbilly, incredible mechanic,
no teeth, and very difficult to understand. He pulled the Explorer into the bay and just threw down.
About two hours later I dropped five 20's in his tool box, paid the bill in the office, and we were
back on the road. We made it there well before sundown. The last ten or so miles to the Hills of Home
were on a narrow winding country road. A very large SUV was behind me most of those then miles. When
we arrived at the gate that vehicle pulled up and parked next to us and Dr. Ralph Stanley got out of it
and intoroduced himself. He noticed our Kansas tags and asked if we had driven all the way from Kansas.
We said yes of course. He then introduced the caretaker who was the man that built the stage and
outbuildings that made up the Hill's of Home. He told him to get us a spot in the RV camp so we
camped next door to this mans camper sleeping in the truck and stowing our gear in a tent. It was
Wednesday and the Festival started the next day. I was amazed that hardly anyone was there yet. The
Winfield Festival has a land rush a week before it starts and hundreds of people are in line to get the
prime spots and then stay for a week before the festival even starts. This festival was more like a
family reunion. Folks just show up when it starts and come and go over the four days that it lasts.
Ralph was cool with video recording but not audio recording. So I had to tape stealth. The cool thing
was you pick your seats on Thursday first come first serve and those are your seats till the end. My
daughter made friends with Ralphs granddaughter and had a ball. We both got our first taste of
hillbilly steak (fried bologna sandwiches). We met a lot of coal miners. We visited Carter's grave on
the way home. The sound wasn't always consistent but wasn't too bad. The year before we saw Ralph and
the Clinch Mountain Boys as well as the Dillards at a festival in North Carolina and after the first
day it rained so much we finally just gave up. Tapes from the first day were okay though. Ralph's
festival gave us perfect weather and an unforgettable experience that we will always treasure.

AT-933 Omni's > D-8
tracked to cd w/ Harmon Kardon CDR-2
CD ripped to Wave w/CyberLink Power2Go
rig set up under chair about 6 rows back right of center

Jimmy Martin And The Sunny Mountain Boys
Dr. Ralph Stanley's 31st Annual Memorial Bluegrass Festival
May 24, 2001
Smith Ridge - Hill's of Home
Coeburn, Virginia

1. Big Country
2. You Don't Know My Mind
3. band introductions
4. If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven
5. Train 45
6. Fraulein
7. Stormy Waters
8. Wild Indian (Vernon Derrick)
9. Freeborn Man
10. Letras de Feast Here Tonight (w/Ralph Stanley) (written by David Grisman)
11. The Year That Clayton Delaney Died (w/Tom T. Hall)
12. Me And Jeasus (w/Tom T. Hall)
13. I Love (Tom T. Hall solo and Dixie Hall intro)
14. Save It! Save It!
15. Sunny Side of the Mountain
16. Brakeman's Blues

Jimmy Martin - guitar / vocals
David Nance -guitar
Vernon Derrick - fiddle
Dereck Dillman - mandoline
Ray Martin - banjo ??
Ernie Sykes - bass

special guests Dr. Ralph Stanley and Tom T. Hall






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