This was amazing, absolutely beautiful! Thank you Nora! Virgil was my Grandpa,...~tell ya a little story...-when Grandpa was a young man (21yo) he made his way over to hills of Rocky Branch KY looking for a little gal he had heard so much about that played banjo named Mabel Troxell. Well, he found her at a work-camp where she (then 16yo) was working as a cook for the laborers. They sat and spoke for a spell, maybe an hour or two near the end of the day, and her uncle came to tell her that it was time to head on home. But that day Grandma told her uncle, "No, today I go this way." Although he tried to convince her to come on and go, she had made up her mind. He didn't know it then, but she and grandpa had decided they were going to walk all the way to Tennessee and get married - and that they did leaving that very moment! Now, the video of the ol' home where they were sitting on the porch, and him playing this song is the very path they cut over Rice Mountain, which later in the 1950's they purchased for $350 (over 140 acres if I remember correctly)..., yes, just $350! (The guy who sold it to them never thought they could pay the money in the time he allotted to him). Well, as you can imagine, her older brothers, when they caught wind that she was "heading off with some stranger" went after them on horse back with shotguns - and tried as they did, could not find them two love-birds! The next evening, they made it back, man and wife,...and to be sure, had it not been for her mother Great-Grandma Troxell, they'd likely have buried Grandpa somewhere where the dogs couldn't have found him! But her mother, being from a well educated family, having been ousted for marrying a hillbilly Troxell - she would not let her daughter suffer the same indignity of mistreatment. Now here's the family secret, and the point of this story, Grandma Mabel was the real musician behind the Anderson family talent/love of music. Oh, don't get me wrong, Grandpa loved music, and so did all the family,...but Grandma was above the others bar none! The reason most don't know this, is because in WW2, when her first born Herschel was in the South Pacific, she prayed God hard every day, and begged that if she gave up playing music would he please have mercy and bring her baby boy home safe - and that he did. She never played, or rarely even touched an instrument again. The only time I ever knew she even touched an instrument was when my oldest brother Eric sat as a young teen-ager in her yard upset that he couldn't play something, and she showed him a chord or two that he didn't understand. Because you've now been able to earn the music, by doing the work, you now know something you can take with you on your journey from whence it came. God bless - and never let the music die! If you're inclined to know more about some of Anderson's and our music, I'd like to offer that you look up Scotty Anderson Guitar...~you wont be disappointed. Take care.
Thank you- what an amazing comment. Nora's a huge fan of Virgil and she's lately been getting into Clyde Troxell - working on the tune called French Waltz. We checked out Scotty- super good. We would love to know more stories about Virgil (and possibly Clyde) if you have any. We can connect via email or message through FB @Norabrownbanjo
I sent you an invite, his daughter is Deborah Posey (my second cousin)....she's on my FB, feel free to add her....~she can help you with all kinds of information on uncle Clyde.
This was amazing, absolutely beautiful! Thank you Nora! Virgil was my Grandpa,...~tell ya a little story...-when Grandpa was a young man (21yo) he made his way over to hills of Rocky Branch KY looking for a little gal he had heard so much about that played banjo named Mabel Troxell. Well, he found her at a work-camp where she (then 16yo) was working as a cook for the laborers. They sat and spoke for a spell, maybe an hour or two near the end of the day, and her uncle came to tell her that it was time to head on home. But that day Grandma told her uncle, "No, today I go this way." Although he tried to convince her to come on and go, she had made up her mind. He didn't know it then, but she and grandpa had decided they were going to walk all the way to Tennessee and get married - and that they did leaving that very moment! Now, the video of the ol' home where they were sitting on the porch, and him playing this song is the very path they cut over Rice Mountain, which later in the 1950's they purchased for $350 (over 140 acres if I remember correctly)..., yes, just $350! (The guy who sold it to them never thought they could pay the money in the time he allotted to him). Well, as you can imagine, her older brothers, when they caught wind that she was "heading off with some stranger" went after them on horse back with shotguns - and tried as they did, could not find them two love-birds! The next evening, they made it back, man and wife,...and to be sure, had it not been for her mother Great-Grandma Troxell, they'd likely have buried Grandpa somewhere where the dogs couldn't have found him! But her mother, being from a well educated family, having been ousted for marrying a hillbilly Troxell - she would not let her daughter suffer the same indignity of mistreatment. Now here's the family secret, and the point of this story, Grandma Mabel was the real musician behind the Anderson family talent/love of music. Oh, don't get me wrong, Grandpa loved music, and so did all the family,...but Grandma was above the others bar none! The reason most don't know this, is because in WW2, when her first born Herschel was in the South Pacific, she prayed God hard every day, and begged that if she gave up playing music would he please have mercy and bring her baby boy home safe - and that he did. She never played, or rarely even touched an instrument again. The only time I ever knew she even touched an instrument was when my oldest brother Eric sat as a young teen-ager in her yard upset that he couldn't play something, and she showed him a chord or two that he didn't understand. Because you've now been able to earn the music, by doing the work, you now know something you can take with you on your journey from whence it came. God bless - and never let the music die! If you're inclined to know more about some of Anderson's and our music, I'd like to offer that you look up Scotty Anderson Guitar...~you wont be disappointed. Take care.
Thank you- what an amazing comment. Nora's a huge fan of Virgil and she's lately been getting into Clyde Troxell - working on the tune called French Waltz. We checked out Scotty- super good. We would love to know more stories about Virgil (and possibly Clyde) if you have any. We can connect via email or message through FB @Norabrownbanjo
I sent you an invite, his daughter is Deborah Posey (my second cousin)....she's on my FB, feel free to add her....~she can help you with all kinds of information on uncle Clyde.
What a fabulous story. Thank you.
This is the greatest comment I've ever read on social media. History, meaning, family, culture. Bravo Jason.