Nashville, TN--Just got back from an unbelievable trip to Nashville. Took Lawrence Peters as my sound and lighting person. Thinking about it, I guess it was the trip of being around great people. We had the honor of interviewing WSM Disc Jockey and Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs. What a fountain of knowledge! He was able to talk to us in incredible detail about Jimmy’s recordings and his impact on bluegrass music. Also just a class individual who I have a great deal of respect for. 

That same night Jimmy organized a raccoon hunt with his friends Jay Hunter and Curly. We’ve been wanting to film a hunt since we started production on this project. When I talked with Jimmy last week he said it was getting awful cold for hunting. I was afraid it might not happen. On the way down to Nashville we stopped at a filling station and called Jimmy and Mary Ann to tell them we were running a little late. Jimmy said we might just get out and shoot a raccoon on this trip. Though we weren’t really prepared as far as lighting equipment and such, we jumped on the possibility and made it work with what we had. All I can say about the coon hunt is that it will be in the film, and if you have never been before you’ve never seen anything like it. End of story. 

The next day Lawrence and I spent the morning hanging out with Jimmy’s best friend, Red Roberts (who has been playing fiddle with the Sunny Mountain Boys as of late) and his wife Denise and daughter Robin. What a great family….and great musicians. Red is a fantastic fiddle, banjo, guitar, and ukulele player and without question one of the coolest people I have met during the process of making this film. I feel really lucky to have met Red, Denise, and Robin.

Red Roberts

We then went back to Jimmy’s house and interviewed his longtime girlfriend Mary Ann Garrison. Mary Ann is one of the nicest and most sincere people you will ever meet. She is so good to Jimmy. She also treats me and the crew as if we were her own children. I love just getting to sit down and talk with her. She has given me great insight into Jimmy’s life and knows a ton about the history of bluegrass. I hope to stay friends with her well after the film is finished. 

We then went to the Grand Ole Opry and interviewed Opry sound engineer Vic Gabany. Vic also worked for Owen Bradley at Bradley’s Barn and has recorded such greats as Loretta Lynn, Ernest Tubbs, Bill Monroe, and Jimmy Martin. He was a great interview and talked about Jimmy as an unparalleled entertainer who changed bluegrass music when he joined Bill Monroe’s band and helped form the high lonesome sound. Vic is also one of the friendliest people you could ever meet and made me and Lawrence feel at home in his sound booth at the Opry. I feel extremely fortunate to have gotten to know him. 

Now, we’re back in Chicago. Doing a little bit of recovering and planning our next shoot, which looks to be a weekend of rabbit and squirrel hunting in Tennessee.