Bluegrass, Etc. Frank Hoppe - KCSN 88.5
This show is a party to the memory of Warren Argo.
6:00
Crooked Jades – California Blues (Copper Creek CD) The Unfortunate Rake v. 2 Yellow Mercury (1:21)
Blue Canyon Boys – Matterhorn (self produced CD) Mountain Bound (3:03)
Lonesome River Band – I’m Not There Yet (Rural Rhythm CD) No Turning Back (3:07)
Steve Martin – Saga of the Old West (Rounder CD) The Crow (3:24)
Daughters of Bluegrass – How’s It Feel (Blue Circle CD) Back to the Well (2:59)
Mac Martin – Darling Think of What You’ve Done (private CS) Rough Takes 3/13/2002 (2:30)
Laurie Lewis – The Light (Rounder CD) White Dove (3:53)
Donna Ulisse – Cover Me (Hadley Music Group CD) Holy Waters (2:42)
Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen – Our Savior’s Hands (Rounder CD) At Edwards Barn [New release.] (4:23)
Isaacs – Little Bit of Heaven (Gaither CD) Naturally (2:37)
6:30
Chuck Wagon Gang – Is Your Name in the Book of Life (Columbia 78) N/A (3:13)
Blind Joe Taggart – Waded in the Water Trying to Get Home (Document CD) V. 2 [12/29.] (3:09)
William Harris – Early Mornin’ Blues (JSP CD) A Richer Tradition [10/11/28.] (3:11)
Sid Hampton – I’ll Be with You when the Roses Bloom Again (Columbia 78) N/A [5/3/30.] (3:19)
Leake County Revelers – Memories (Document CD) V. 1 [12/13/28.] (3:13)
Uncle Dave Macon – I Ain’t Got Long to Stay (Bear Family CD) Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy [9/8/26.] (2:52)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – The Wreck of the Tennessee Gravy Train (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (3:12)
Jim Oakden-- "I'll never forget a workshop Warren gave at Fiddletunes in the 80s, entitled something like "Sound self-defense for musicians". He discussed approaches we can use in dealing with less-than-competent sound techs, lousy sound systems, terrible acoustics...all the various real-world situations that musicians encounter. He... also talked about how he dealt with surly or over-critical musicians (I really liked his pseudo knob-twiddling...like the placebo effect in medicine). His insights have stood me in good stead over the years. His approach to sound combined technical brilliance, artistic good taste, and good-natured compassionate psychology--a combination very rarely encountered. I'll miss him."
7:00
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Kansas City Reel/Bill Cheatham (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (6:25)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Single-Footing Horse (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:07)
Cathie Whitesides-- "Warren was booked to call and do sound for the Thursday night contra dance with our band (Rhythm Rollers --me, WB Reid, and Laurie Andres) and for the days prior we just stumbled around in shock. Sherry Nevins helped us figure out that having the dance was definitely the way to go. She said she'd open the mic up to cal...lers who wanted to call and we decided to open up the band to anyone who wished to play tunes in honor of Warren. Thelma, Warren's wife, brought Warren's fiddle and set it on the callers' box. It hit me hard -- I finally began to say goodbye to Warren. We ended the night with a waltz Warren wrote, "Tears of Love". Lots of folks helped so much that night -- can't thank you all by name but you know who you are I hope!!! Love, Cathie [Whitesides]"
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Lowery’s Quadrille (Wheatland LP 006) Sixth Annual Wheatland Festival [1978.] (2:37)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Polecat Blues (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:13)
Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa – Oh Merrie (self produced CD) Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa (3:07)
Tim O’Brien – Letter in the Mail (Howdy Skies CD) Chicken & Egg (3:37)
Ed Littlefield, Jr. – Going to the West (Sage Arts CD) Going to the West [Listener request.] (4:18)
Ernie Thacker – Keith How Many (Pinecastle CD) The Hangman (3:30)
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys – The Lonesome River (Rebel CD) 1971-1973 (1:44)
7:30
Bartley Brothers – Cold Dark Ground (Rural Rhythm CD) Hit the Road (2:59)
Lester Flatt – He’s Coming Back (Music Mill CD) Gospel (2:09)
Bankester Family – Shield of Faith (Covenant Hills CD) Somewhere in Between (2:46)
Bill Monroe – Farther Along (Bear Family CD) 1959-1969 [11/23/62.] (3:30)
Jim Eanes – Let Him Lead You (Rebel CD) In His Arms (2:28)
Lilimae Whitaker & the Dixie Gospelaires – Do Lord (Rural Rhythm LP) Jesus Has Called Me (1:35)
Bud Billings – How to Make Love (JSP CD) Serenade in the Mountains [12/28/28.] (3:17)
Bob Nichols & Riley Puckett – In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (Columbia 78) N/A [1/3/27.] (2:54)
Monroe Brothers – The Forgotten Soldier Boy (RCA Japan CD) The Legendary Collection [Listener request.] (2:36)
Blue Sky Boys – The Prisoner’s Dream (Bear Family CD) The Sunny Side of Life [1/25/38.] (3:02)
Da Costa Woltz’s Southern Broadcasters – Richmond Cotillion (JSP CD) Gennett Old Time Music [5/27.] (2:55)
8:00
Betsy Branch-- "Warren always had a big hug for me, and only lovely things to say. He was full of life and joy and passion, and was one of the first people I met when I started playing contra dance fiddle. I can still hear him singing "O Them Golden Slippers" down at the Tractor Tavern. Now he's walkin' them golden streets. My last dance with Warren was earlier this month at Northwest Passage. We danced a beautiful, elegant English Country Dance. It was sweeping, flowing, and the music was so gorgeous. By the time we got to the end of the line, Warren had tears streaming down his cheeks, he was so overcome by the beauty of it. That got me crying too. He was a true lover of beauty in all forms, and brought beauty and light to so many around the world. He is unforgettable!"
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Grub Springs (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:12)
Tom Knoblauch-- "To me, Warren was THE bright, shiny, happy, welcoming face of contra dancing. When Mariette and I were just contra newbies, it was Warren who was always first to offer a handshake, say 'Hi! Great to see you guys back again!', and make you feel as if you'd known him forever. I don't think I'd ever once seen him without a smile on his face or that uniquely Warren-like twinkle in his eye.
"God, how I will miss looking across the room toward the sound board as I finish a hey and seeing the big, happy guy in the tie-dyed shirt who contributed so much to make contra in this area so special.
"Warren may have left the set after progressing to the top of the hall, but the dance will continue to go on and on."
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Upper Lehigh (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (2:12)
Ann Trail-- "Within a week of moving to Seattle in 1984 I was in a clogging class, and Warren was one of the musicians who played for us. Couldn't have been all that much fun for him . . . playing tunes painstakingly slow over and over. But he did it. Enabling yet another person in what was to become her folk habit. Sharing his enthusiasm. What I will remember most about him (other than those famous bear hugs) was that when he greeted you he always made you feel like you were just the person he was hoping to see."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Coot from Tennessee (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:38)
Dan Kluger-- "I'll always remember, years ago as I was learning to play the banjo, one late night by the Sweet's Mill pond, Warren told me, 'it's all about the notes you don't play.'
"I'll miss you, Warren."
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Chilly Winds (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (3:10)
Linda Coral Slater-- "When I think back through all the years of playing old time music, 30 years now, Warren's presence always made me smile. He had a big bear hug for everyone, always. I also remember one particular banjo workshop at Fiddle Tunes he taught. He was physically in the room with all us rookie banjo players, but he was really somewhere out in the cosmos, talking a mile a minute about the cosmic aspects of playing the banjo. I am grateful to have known Warren. Peace."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Ship in the Clouds (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:42)
Sean Gaskell-- "My fiancee Megan and I met Warren through the contra dancing community in Olympia. I'll remember Warren because of his genuine warmth and his fulfilling bear hugs, and he was my favorite caller to dance to. He was also the caller at the first dance that I ever attended in Olympia, which also happened to be the dance ...that I met Megan. Whenever the caller asks for long lines forward and back, I will always remember to 'watch your partner get bigger and smaller.' You will be missed Warren."
Dede Wyland – Going Away (Patuxent CD) Keep the Light On (3:38)
Balsam Range – Trains I Missed (Mountain Home CD) Trains I Missed [New release.] (3:48)
GrassCats – I Bought the Shoes That Just Walked Out on Me (New Time CD) Desperate Times (2:39)
8:30
IIIrd Tyme Out – The Moonshiner (CMG CD) Round III at the Mac (3:11)
Dierks Bentley – Pride in the Name of Love (Capitol CD) Up on the Ridge (4:09)
Marksmen – It Took a Long Long Time (Old Homestead CD) The Prodigal (1:54)
Wildfire – Lesson Learned (Pinecastle CD) Rattle of the Chains (2:23)
Morris Brothers – Angels Rock Me to Sleep (MBM CD) Heart to Heart (3:44)
John Miller – Bad News for the Devil (Rural Rhythm Christian CD) Look to the Light (3:04)
Common Strings – Beyond the Mist of Blue (Rural Rhythm Christian CD) Somewhere in Glory (3:16)
Carter Family – Give Me Roses while I Live (Bear Family CD) In the Shadow of Clinch Mountain [6/17/33.] (3:03)
Henry L. Bandy – Sail Away Ladies (Yazoo CD) Kentucky Mountain Music [10/17/28.] (3:00)
Darby & Tarlton – Birmingham Jail (Columbia 78) N/A [11/10/27.] (3:29)
9:00
Wade Mainer & Zeke Morris – Just as the Sun Went Down (JSP CD) The Early Years [2/14/36.] (2:32)
Blue Ridge Mountain Singers – Sinful to Flirt (Columbia 78) N/A [4/21/30.] (3:06)
Anita Anderson-- "I always loved Warren's way with words. He put a lot of thought into his words of praise or encouragement, so that you felt you were getting a customized reaction. For example, he once told me that my piano playing provided 'forthright and driving underpinnings.' I always wanted to put that on my musical resume somehow... And when one of my bands got too cerebral for him (he liked his dance music simple, without fancy chords ), he shook his head and said that we suffered from 'restless intellect.'"
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Mama Scolds Me for Flirtin’ (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (1:49)
Richard Letts-- "One night when Warren was doing the sound I mentioned to that I could not hear one of the instruments too well. 'Don't worry,' he said, 'They aren't that good.'"
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – I Only Want a Buddy Not a Sweetheart (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (1:22)
Clyde Curley-- "Please humor me with this memory: I've had the fortune to share the stage with Warren as musician on quite a few occasions, and I treasure every one. Best, though, was at Wannadance, when I was asked, as one of the musicians that year, to play for a square dance workshop on fiddle. Warren, as sound guy, was assigned to play with me. Just the two of us, fiddle and banjo, and I don't know when I've ever felt so secure as a fiddler as I did on that occasion (and I did have some anxieties about the situation). Warren's playing was rock-ribbed solid. His presence was supportive, warm and positive. We made beautiful music together! I was in a band with Warren Argo, and it was just the two of us! The gods smiled."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Milwaukee Blues (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (3:22)
Cheryl Phillips-- "I met Warren at my very first Seattle area contra dance - the last one put on by the Mountaineers at Floral Hall. I knew no one in the dance community, and not very many people in the Seattle area at all. I'd found the flier for it at the free Cross-roads concert and knew that since it was a Mountaineers sponsored event it would be safe for me to attend alone. He was the caller and in the band (I don't remember which band). His face lit up when I walked into the hall, he was so warm and welcoming, putting me immediately at ease. He encouraged me to go to the Thursday night dance at the Ballard Eagles. When I gathered my courage and a girlfriend to try it, he was there with his famous hug to welcome me.
He always you feel like it made his day to see you.
I'll miss him greatly.
Thanks, Warren" "
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Broken Down Gambler (Heritage LP) 43rd Annual Old Fiddlers Convention [1978.] (1:57)
Susan Michaels-- "I keep seeing his lovely liquid eyes full of love and laughter and warmth and curiosity. I can feel that hollow in his chest where I could nestle in one of his fabulous, generous bear hugs. I can hear his booming voice and laugh. I am swinging him in my imagination. This is just too hard, friends. Warren taught me so much about calling, music, a life well lived, cutting to the chase, and above all being kind to oneself and others."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Sporting Cowboy (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:18)
Tom Paul-- "Warren was our first guest caller when Alaska Folk Festival started its dance venue in 1992. The sound man cobbled together a bunch of old, suspect equipment for this new venue. Sat. evening, middle of a dance, maybe 300 dancers in motion, the speakers start smoking, on fire. Gasps and hubbub in the hall. Warren calms the crowd as he reassuringly continues calling to the end of the dance cycle. Then, in a matter of 15 minutes he reconfigures the equipment so the dance can safely continue. From then on for the last 18 years he has been the chief sound engineer at AFF. That week every April is the best of the year in Juneau not just because of the festival but because Warren is here. Warren of boundless enthusiasm, endless encouragement, encyclopedic knowledge, exemplary vocabulary, joie de vivre, cogent insight, and enormous heart. Marvelous world to have had a Warren in it. What will we do now?"
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder – Gallatin Rag (Skaggs Family CD) Instrumentals (4:08)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Big Scioty (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:41)
David Long-- "I was a fairly new guitar player trying to keep up at the Monday evening dance/jam at the New Melody Tavern (now, the Tractor). I would stand next to Warren if I could because he had The Rhythm in his fiddle playing. One time, on a stage of 20+ people, I stopped playing for a moment in the middle of a tune. Warren looked over, smiled, and called out, 'Hey, where's my guitar player?' Classic Warren! -- I'm so sad that he had to go, yet so blessed with many wonderful memories of his friendship and community collaboration."
9:30
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Chinese Breakdown/Wooden Nickle (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (4:45)
Barry Shultz-- "Warren was a big man in every way. He made friends everywhere he went. I never in all the years that I knew him ever saw him be unkind to anyone. I will never forget him. I had many years of friendship and music with him that I will always treasure."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – The Miller’s Will (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (3:06)
Amy Hanson Wimmer-- "One of my favorite memories of Warren was at the Lake City contra dance, the night of my first calling gig, August 23, 2007. I was nervous, pacing around, reviewing my dance cards. Warren was setting up the sound gear. He came over, put his arm around me and asked if I was nervous. I said yes. He said something I'll never forget, 'Just remember, it's not about you, it's about them,' meaning the dancers. His gentle guidance, so helpful in a time of stress, served its purpose and helped me relax. If ever anyone deserved contra sainthood, it's Warren. Saint Argo, play on."
Dillards – Cannonball Blues (Varese Sarabande CD) Early Recordings 1959 [Listener request.] (2:19)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Grub Springs (Voyager LP) Northwest Regional Folklife Festival v. 2 [1978.] (2:49)
David W. Goldman-- "Still finding it impossible to believe that the world no longer has Warren in it... One memory out of so many: At Folklife a decade or two ago, I was standing by the side of the Roadhouse stage during a contra set. (Can't recall the band or caller.) At the time I was in a very unhappy mood, feeling quite down about som...ething or other, and very self-pitying. All of a sudden Warren comes charging up beside me, bopping up and down to the music with a huge grin, and he exclaims to me, "Do you hear that tune? That's that 'Bad Hair'! What a great tune!" I tried to hang onto my unhappiness. I really did. Couldn't manage it. Those five seconds of Warren left me smiling the rest of the weekend -- and still get in the way of self-induced unhappiness, to this day."
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Wish I’d Stayed in the Wagon Yard (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:18)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Valley Forge (Wheatland LP 006) Sixth Annual Wheatland Festival [1978.] (3:15)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – River of Jordan (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (2:17)
Gypsy Gyppo String Band – If I Lose, Let Me Lose (Bay CD) The Gypsy Gyppo String Band (3:11)
Sandy Bradley & the Gypsy Gyppo String Band – Because, Oh Just Because (Alcazar LP) Potluck & Dance Tonight [1978.] (1:40)
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