June, 2000

Bean Blossom, IN--Went down to the 34th annual Bill Monroe Festival in Bean Blossom, IN with Jason LaBrosse and Lawrence Peters. I grew up right down the way on Greasy Creek Road. My dad still lives down there. I remember going to see Bill Monroe at his 80th birthday party at Bean Blossom. The place has come a long way since then. Dwight Dillman, the current owner, deserves a bunch of credit for all that he has done to the place. If you live remotely close to Bean Blossom and have never been there, you should definitely plan on going in 2001. The 35th Annual Bill Monroe Festival will take place from June 12-17 of next year. Jimmy will be playing on Saturday, June 16th with Marty Stuart.

Well, this was a special trip because the highlight of the week-long fest was Jimmy Martin sharing the stage with his good friend Tom T. Hall. But, before the two commenced to tear the house down, Jimmy and Tom T hosted a supper for all the fans at Bean Blossom. The story of how this supper came about goes like this--Jimmy asked Tom T if he would come and sing some songs with him at Bean Blossom again (T made a surprise appearance the year before). Tom T. Hall is retired and doesn’t play out any more, so he asked Jimmy if instead of payment, he and his hunting buddies Kenny and Earl Tillery and Russell Van Winkle would hunt up enough rabbit and squirrel to feed the masses at Bean Blossom. Jimmy agreed. The dinner also included sliced tomatoes, bologna, and Dixie Hall’s ‘Jimmy Martin’ cornbread. You could tell it was quite a treat for folks to get to spend time talking and taking pictures with Jimmy and Tom T. Hall. The rabbit and squirrel barbecue was superb and Dixie’s cornbread was unbelievable. I even caught Lawrence grabbing him a couple pieces while holding the boom mic during an interview. During the supper, we were able to interview Tom T. Hall. It was really amazing. He was so open with us and really just a complete gentlemen. I have always been a big fan, but was really struck by just how genuine he was. That night Jimmy was on fire. Of all the shows we have shot to date, he and his band sounded the best on this evening. Looking back at the footage it is clear why Jimmy is so fond of David Nance and Ronnie Prevette. They both sounded fantastic. Despite a pretty good rainfall, the crowd stayed put. When Tom T. hit the stage the place went wild as they did Clayton Delaney, I Love, and Me and Jesus among others. It is clear that Tom T has not lost any of the magic that made him such an American icon. Rain and all, folks would have been happy to sit there all night and listen as two great performers shared the stage. It was really a pretty amazing day. We left Bean Blossom wet, exhausted, and hopeful about the moments we captured on tape.