People, Places & Adventures – Discovering The Real America

Partying at the Dumas Walker House

May 30, 2019 by Moragh Carter Leave a Comment

Party preparations at the Dumas Walker House

My First Visit to the Dumas Walker House

I was in Celina, Tennessee, visiting my friend, Kathi, when the day for the party at the Dumas Walker house drew near. This was the first party I went to there, though not the last, as a party became a regular feature of my visits to this small town in the north of Tennessee, close to the Kentucky border. The weather was kind, giving us a pleasantly warm and sunny day.

The Venue for The Party

The venue was a big old house about four miles out of Celina, half a mile off the main road. It belongs to Kathi’s sister, Michele, and her husband. The grassy field alongside the house served as a car park for the party-goers. Temporary toilets were set up outside for all the men and boys to use, with women and girls being allowed to use the indoor bathroom.

This house had been the birthplace of Dumas Walker, who had been a well known trader in Moss, on the Tennessee / Kentucky border and the house is still known locally as The Walker House. Dumas Walker was also a champion marble player. Learn more about him here

The Kentucky Headhunters, a country rock group, wrote a song about him which starts with the words, ‘Let’s All Go Down to Dumas Walker’s’.

Moragh with the Kentucky Headhunters at the Robin 2, in Wolverhampton, UK, 2016

Spreading the Word

Word about the party was spread among family and friends, by word, phone, text and email. Anyone who cared to show up was welcome. The only stipulation was that they each brought food or drink with them, which was to be laid out on large tables, ready for everyone to help themselves. Jack and Misty, Kathi and Michele’s parents, were with me on this trip and their presence drew a big crowd.

Making Music

All the musicians who came brought their voices and instruments. They set their instruments and speakers up on the front porch. Then, once everything was plugged in and ready, the music started.

Joe, Guy, Mike and others had brought their guitars. Bill was on drums. Someone had brought a keyboard along. Joe’s wife, Roxanna, sang in her usual off-key voice.

Joe Groce and Guy Harden jamming together

Guy Harden was almost certainly one of the best guitarist there. He was a former band member with the Waylon Jennings Band & also with Alabama, amongst other bands. Most of the other guitarists there were good too. Jack and Misty played the keyboards and sang some of their songs, while many people, including Kathi and me, sang along or danced to the music.

Jack and Misty playing the keyboards and singing

Getting Sidetracked

At one point, 7-year-old Luke, one of Kathi’s grandsons, pleaded with me to help him build stick houses. I duly obliged him. Many more of her grandchildren were there too, along with their parents … so many people, in fact, that I had great difficulty working out and remembering who was who. Fortunately, I met many of them on later trips, which helped me sort out who they were.

At one point, a guy who was related to the family showed up at the party, drunk, as usual. He stayed for a little while before someone persuaded him to leave before he caused any trouble.

More Music, Dancing and Feasting

The music, dancing and feasting continued all afternoon and into the evening. Our hosts had set up chairs in the front yard, along with a couple of gazebos, so people could either sit in the open while they chatted, or take shelter from the sun.

Youngsters trying their hands on the keyboards

The Party Day’s End

The festivities continued until after dark, by which time people started to drift away. My torch came in handy when we were ready to leave. It lit the way down the steep little bank leading to the car parking field and over the rough ground. After I took Kathi home, Jack, Misty and myself returned to the small motel where we were staying.

We had all had a thoroughly enjoyable time. In addition to all the party fun, Jack and Misty were very happy to have this chance to meet up with so many of their extended family again. They don’t see them very often because they live about 650 miles away, down in Florida. There were four generations there that year, but now their family has grown to five generations … and still growing.

My 2007 trip to Boston, Massachusetts

August 27, 2018 by Moragh Carter Leave a Comment

In 2007 I took my first solo trip to the USA. I included a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, to visit my sister, Janet, who has lived in that area for over forty years. Due to the distance between us, we don’t see each other very often. My decision to cross the Atlantic that year was also fuelled by the desire to meet up with a number of my e-mail friends, a lot of whom I had first met via MySpace. Janet and I spent a week together during this month-long trip.

My Arrival

I had arrived in Orlando in April and, during my three days stay in Sanford, I met successfully up with five Florida friends. I then headed back to Orlando airport and flew up north to Boston. Janet met me at Logan airport. This was actually my second trip to Boston as I had been once before, in 1996, with my husband, Frank. That trip was the one and only trip to America my husband ever made, as his disability rendered him unfit to fly after that.

Janet drove me to her house, where I got myself settled in and had a nice meal with her. At this time she was living in Charlestown, just across the Charles River from the main city of Boston, much nearer the city from where she had lived before. Her house was near the top of the hill and, from there, she had a panoramic view of the Boston rooftops and skyscrapers.

Views over the rooftops from Janet’s Charlestown home.

Going Dancing

While in Boston, Janet twice took me contra dancing (something I had not tried before). It is a difficult style of dance to describe, but this video will show you how it’s done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsvBiTfY7lI. There is a lot of spinning round in this style of dancing and by the end of a dance I was having trouble staying upright, as I was so giddy. They tell you that, to reduce dizziness, you should look straight into your partner’s eyes … slightly embarrassing when you are dancing with a total stranger. Alternatively, you can fix your eyes on the middle of their forehead, but even this didn’t work for me.

Contra Dancing in Boston

Apologies for the photo being a bit blurry, but my camera couldn’t cope with the speed of the whirling dancers.

One evening I managed to persuade her to take me to a local line dance class instead. We enjoyed the evening, even though Janet wasn’t as keen on line dancing as I was.

Later that week she took me to the North East Folk Festival Association (NEFFA) folk festival about 30 miles away, in the town of Mansfield, southwest of Boston. It was held in the buildings belonging to Mansfield High and Middle Schools. The festival has a long history, having run every year since 1944. There were many craft stalls available, where one could browse through their colourful wares. Various groups of musicians were set up in different classrooms for the listening audience and there was dancing in various styles in the main hall. There were also some workshops available for anyone interested.

Folk dancing at NEFFA festival 2007

Craft Stalls at the NEFFA folk festival

Exploring Boston

Janet was still working part-time, so while she was at work I explored the city on my own. Some of the places I went to were the Museum of Science, Quincy Market and nearby Faneuil Hall. This was not my first visit to the Museum of Science. Frank and I had been there during our 1996 trip, but there is so much to see there it was well worth another visit.The shear number of exhibits takes my breath away. Have a look here …

Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall are also fascinating places to wander round. The variety of wares sold there is huge, something for everyone. Apart from the extensive indoor markets on two floors, there are the outdoor market stalls between the two halls. Hours could be spent there browsing around. A poster says there are now more than 70 shops, 10 pubs and restaurants and 40 pushcarts in Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The bustling scene at Quincy Market

Pushcarts displaying colourful goods for sale

Colourful pushcarts at Quincy Market, Boston

Down by the Harbour

The New England Aquarium can be found down by the harbour. It features a gigantic glass tank, with a multilevel walkway spiralling around and up the side of it. From this walkway I could get a good view of many types of fish and other water creatures in the tank. I could also look down and see the penguins, which were in pools on the ground-floor level. The aquarium claim to have about 600 species on display here.

Penguins at New England Aquarium, Boston

Nearby there were boat trips around the harbour on offer, but I didn’t take one on this trip.

Part of Boston Harbour

At the end of that week with my sister in Boston, I flew down to Nashville for my first visit there. More trips were to follow, but I will write about those in in future posts. Please Sign Up to be notified of future posts.

At Reni’s Redneck Yacht Club, Yulee

July 27, 2018 by Moragh Carter Leave a Comment

An afternoon at the Redneck Yacht Club

On one of my earlier trips to the States, I went to stay for a few days in Yulee, Florida, with my friends Mike and Wanda. The year was 2009. While I was there, Mike took me to visit Reni’s Redneck Yacht Club on US-17. This was a venue where he often played with his band. We set off in his truck to travel the four miles or so from his home to get there.

Just before the road crossed the river, we turned down onto the unpaved parking lot. Ahead, I could see the red wooden building that was set to one side of the highway. In front of it, a dozen or more motorbikes and some trucks were parked up. As we got out of the truck, we could hear the sound of the music from the band that was playing that day. Some people were seated at an assortment of tables outside the club. Others were standing while listening to the music, or chatting among themselves as they drank their beers.

Outside Reni’s Redneck Yacht Club.

This Riverside Bar

The Redneck Yacht Club a small bar situated on the river front of the Nassau River. This is a meandering river that weaves its way through the Nassau County countryside towards Jacksonville. There were some tables and chairs on the wooden deck in front of the building by the entrance door. A couple of large, straw-covered parasols gave some welcome shade for when the sun was strong.

A notice, fixed to a post alongside the steps leading up to the deck, read, “If you B.Y.O.B, you will be asked to L.E.A.V.E – and don’t come back”. The bar owners obviously weren’t planning on losing any sales of their own beer.

In spite of it’s name, I am not sure how much sailing was done from this place. I never saw any yachts in the vicinity. It was, however, a popular haunt for rednecks and bikers. Mike certainly came under the latter category, being a keen biker. He is also a brilliant musician. However, the day we went there was his day off from playing. I didn’t know the name of the band that was there, though I’m sure Mike did.

The band was set up on an raised outdoor platform, under a car-port-style roof, which passed as a bandstand. This roof gave them some shelter from the sun, or rain, depending on the weather on the day. I’m glad to say, it was a bright sunny day for my visit, though cool enough for me to be wearing my thick red cardigan.

About Fred, the Cockerel ‘Guard Dog’

Fred, the cockerel ‘guard dog’.

Weaving his way in and out of the legs of people and tables legs, was a large cockerel, or rooster, named Fred. He was a magnificent looking bird, with shiny russet plumage. He was perfectly content to mingle with the crowd as they drank their beers or other beverages. However, so I was told, he had a character change at night. Woe betide any intruder who tried to enter the premises after closing time as they would find themselves being viciously attacked by a large ball of beak and feathers. Fortunately, I didn’t have to witness this spectacle.

The Band

The band playing that day were a six-piece group: four guitarists, a drummer and a vocalist. They were playing loud, up-beat, rock-style music. I don’t recall being familiar with any of the songs they were singing. Behind the open-backed stage, the reeds alongside the river banks and a large tree could be seen. Unfortunately, because the band were in the shadow of the stage roof, and the sky behind it was so bright, the photo I took of them was very under-exposed … my apologies.

Musicians at the Redneck Yacht Club

The crowd were evidently happy with the bands offerings, as they listened and chatted among themselves. Mike knew a number of people there, though they were all strangers to me, and he spent some time talking with them.

We had a couple of drinks each while we were there – mine was a non-alcoholic root beer. Later, when we felt we’d been there long enough, we headed back to Mike’s home to have a meal that Wanda had prepared for us.

A Near Miss … or Two

February 22, 2018 by Moragh Carter Leave a Comment

Driving on unfamiliar roads in the United States has led to a near miss or two for me. Coming from the UK, I’d always been used to driving on the left-hand side of the road. I was not yet used to being on the right-hand side. I also had to learn the customs and norms of driving in America.

The first near miss

I had reached a junction with a road with three lanes going each way. From the side road I was on, I needed to make a left-hand turn to get onto the south-bound lanes. Having already safely crossed the three north-bound lanes, I’d paused on the median while preparing to move into a south-bound lane. I had seen a truck in the far distance that was travelling south, but reckoned I had plenty of time to get myself onto the near-side lane before he reached that point. Getting onto the nearside lane would be normal practice in the UK and I’d expected the truck driver to overtake me using the centre lane, if he needed to.

What I hadn’t yet learned was that it is common practice, certainly in the southern states, for vehicles to overtake one another on either side. As a result, the truck driver wasn’t expecting me to pull over into the same lane that he was in. He must also have been travelling faster than I had anticipated, probably well above the speed limit.

As he drew close to me, he suddenly realised that I had pulled into his lane. He slammed on his brakes and swerved, skidding onto the hard shoulder. He stopped momentarily and, as we drew level, I signalled an apology to him.

Driving a bit further down the road, I pulled into the first forecourt I came to. I was expecting him to pull up there too and to give me a verbal ticking-off, or worse. But, no. He just carried on driving and I never saw him again. He must have realised that I was not a local, deciding that I was just an ignorant foreign tourist. Either that, or he just thought me a stupid old lady.

Wrong Turn near Nashville

On another occasion, on the outskirts of Nashville, I was looking for the turn-off I needed. My SatNav (GPS) was telling me to take the next left turn. I saw what I thought was the turn-off. It momentarily crossing my mind that this was a very sharp turn. However, as I turned, it was only then that I realised that I had turned too soon. I had, in fact, turned onto the ramp, or slip-road, that was bringing traffic onto the road that I was trying to leave.

There I was, facing a line of traffic coming down the ramp. All the approaching cars just came to a halt and waited while I reversed back and turned to face the way I should have been. They were all so very polite, no hooting of horns or aggressive behaviour. I’m not sure that UK drivers would have been that courteous, but maybe drivers in that area were used to foreign tourist making errors like that. Anyway, I won’t be making that mistake again in a hurry.

However, on each occasion, I’m glad to say, I was spared what could have been a very serious outcome. I have since driven many thousands of miles in the States and have avoided any similar mistakes, I’m glad to say.

More Visits with Cowboy Jack

July 22, 2017 by Moragh Carter Leave a Comment

My second visit with Cowboy Jack

In my last post, I mentioned that I’d forgotten to take my camera when I visited Cowboy Jack Clement for the first time. If you missed that post, you can read it here: Meeting Cowboy Jack Clement

However, two days later, I’d arranged to meet my friend, Arlene Faith. Arlene had worked with Cowboy Jack a few years earlier when she was recording a country album of her own. She was only too happy to take me back to his home, as she said she’d love to see him again. So my return visit was arranged.

Arriving back at Cowboy Jack’s house, I was able to get all the photos that I wanted. Cowboy Jack kindly posed for me in his office, and members of his staff and other people there were quite happy to pose for me too. I took lots pictures that morning, though most that I took in his recording studio upstairs didn’t come out very well as the light was too low. I also got a few pictures of Jack’s yard, and of his swimming pool where he liked to swim regularly.

After getting my pictures, we went into the room next to Jack’s office. Sitting round the table, I spent time talking to other people there. I always jotted down the names of people I met and took photos of, as I knew that I’d forget many of their names otherwise. My memory for names has never been good. Jack’s son, Niles, was working in an adjoining room and I had a brief chat with him too.

Some of the other people I met there

Another person I met was Luke Chalk, one of Cowboy’s sound engineers. Luke had moved to Nashville from London, UK, a couple of years earlier. He worked alongside Brooks Watson, Jack’s senior engineer. Brooks was working in the studio that day, on the mixing desk. Chance Martin (a.k.a. Alamo Jones) was there again. Chance, who was my first contact there, was a long-time friend of both Cowboy Jack and of Johnny Cash. It was Johnny Cash who named Chance ‘The Voice in Black’. Chance took care of much of the photography and video work for Jack, as well as usually being the one to answer the phone.

Chance also co-hosted a weekly radio show with Cowboy Jack on XM/Sirius Outlaw Country up until Jack’s death. He continues the legacy with The Alamo Jones Show in that same time slot. Mary Todd was another stalwart who I met several times over the years. Her role was to keep all the Clement-Vision business accounts in order. I also met Cowboy’s partner, Aleene.

While we were chatting over drinks of Cowboy Jack’s lemonade, a girl known as C.J. (a.k.a. C.J.Flannigan) came by again. She, too, is a photographer and was also webmaster of the Clement Vision website. I’d first met her first on my visit two days earlier. That day, when she’d realised I didn’t have a car with me, she offered me a ride back to my hotel. That ride became a mini-tour, showing me the location of many of the recording studios and music landmarks in the Music Row area. However, with it being a pretty speedy tour, and everything being so new to me, I was only able to remember a few of the places she’d pointed out.

It’s a small world

During my visit in 2009, I met some more people at the Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa. This was the name Cowboy gave to his studios. Two people I particularly remember were Sunday Sharpe and Cley Reynolds, both singer/songwriters.

A couple of weeks later, back in Florida, I visited Jack and Misty’s home again, just before flying home. I showed them the photos that I’d taken and Misty was startled to see the picture of Sunday Sharpe. It turned out that they were old friends. She told me that she and Sunday used to go to the laundromat together when she and Jack lived in Nashville in the 70s. It turns out to be such a small world.

Introducing Jack & Misty to Cowboy Jack

Because of the number of times I visited Cowboy Jack, there are too many stories to fit them all in here. However, there was one special highlight during my 2011 visit.

I was travelling with Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan this time. We’d been to visit their family in Celina, two hours drive north of Nashville. On our return journey, we spent a few days in Nashville.

In all the years Jack & Misty lived in Nashville, even though they were working in the same building as him, they had never actually met Cowboy Jack. Jack & Misty’s manager at the time was Cowboy’s partner, Bill Hall, but they had only ever seen Cowboy from a distance.

For some time I’d wanted them to be able to meet Cowboy. Now, at last, was my chance to get them together. I phoned Chance to arrange a suitable time to visit. Then I drove Jack & Misty down to Cowboy’s home. They had a long chat with him and, while we were there, Cowboy’s son, Niles, took this lovely photo of the three of them together.

Jack, Misty with Cowboy Jack Clement (By permission of J. Niles Clement)

A few days later I was also able to introduce Jack & Misty to the Americana duo, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper. I’d met Eric & Peter in Liverpool, UK, a couple of months earlier and I’d seen that they had a gig booked at The Basement on 8th Avenue South. So I took Jack & Misty along with me to meet them and we had a very enjoyable evening.

Cowboy Jack, the singer

Although Cowboy Jack was a good singer and musician, his main focus in life was his recording and publishing business. He never attempted to make a name for himself as a singer and he only recorded a handful of recordings of himself. The only time I heard him singing live was during this 2011 visit. He was performing at a charity event at the Belmont Theater, in Belcourt Avenue. Also with him were Riders in the Sky, Chuck Mead and the Belmont Bluegrass Choir from the University. Jack & Misty came to the theater with me to see him. I was so glad that I got the chance to hear him performing live at least once. Watching videos of him performing was never quite the same.

Although he did not record himself much, Cowboy Jack wrote numerous well known songs. These songs were recorded by many other people, including Johnny Cash. A huge number of well-known singers passed through his studios at one time or another. There are simply too many to list here. Think of any well-known artist and chances are that Cowboy had had a hand in recording at least some of their songs. So, apart from the songs he wrote, his main influence on the music industry was through his recording and production businesses. For more about his achievements see this obituary in the Guardian newspaper.

The Fire

Cowboy Jack Clement’s house in Nashville.

On 26th June 2011, Cowboy Jack’s house was badly damaged by fire. In one of the video clips shown on the news later that day, Cowboy Jack could be seen sitting on a lawn chair, in his bathrobe, watching the firemen tackling the blaze. The fire ripped through the upper floor, totally destroying the studios, along with most of the archived tapes of recordings made over the years. Fortunately, they did manage to rescue most of Jack’s guitars and other instruments, including his favourite guitar. There was only two or three people in the house at the time and no one was hurt. Even the cat was rescued.

Most of the damage on the first floor (ground floor) was water damage and his daughter, Alison, and friends had the huge task of laundering curtains and soft furnishings. The house was later re-built, restoring it pretty much as it had been before the fire. The work was overseen by Cowboy’s cousin, Bob Clement, who ensured that an excellent restoration job was done.

By the spring of 2012 the work was almost complete. I was in Nashville again that spring and was privileged to be one of the first people to set foot inside the house after it was rebuilt. All the structural work had been completed, but the studio equipment was still awaiting installation. An excellent job had been done and it looked little different than it had done before the fire, save for the new furnishings.

My last visit to the Cowboy Arms Hotel

Whenever I visited the Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa, I never knew who else I might meet there. It was like an open house and I remember once being told that anyone who visited regularly for three months or more was given a key to the door.

My last visit there was in May 2013. I’d known for some time that Cowboy Jack had cancer. I wasn’t even sure if I would see him that day, as he was sleeping in his bedroom when I arrived. I spent quite a long time talking with Chance Martin and Mary Todd, and with other people there. It was getting near the time I would have to leave, as Chance had an appointment elsewhere.

However, much to my delight, just before I was due to leave, Cowboy came through from his bedroom. He came over and gave me a big hug, and I wished him well. Then, who should follow him down the corridor, but Johnny Cash’s son, John Carter Cash. It was such a fleeting meeting with John that he may well have forgotten meeting me by now, but it’s lodged in my memory. If I ever meet him again, I will ask him if he remembers me. Sadly, Cowboy Jack died just two months after that visit.

Since Cowboy Jack’s death

I miss my visits to that house, but times move on. Since Cowboy Jack’s death, the house has been sold. The new owners wanted to continue Jack’s legacy, but came up against an obstacle. The house was in an area zoned as residential. They had to fight to get the house re-designated as an official Nashville Neighborhood Landmark. Without that designation, they would not have have been able to run a business from the house. Jack had been able to run his business there because he’d started it many years before these designations had been set. Fortunately, the new owners were successful with getting this re-designation. They have now moved in and music is being recorded there again. Cowboy Jack would have been very happy about that.

Partying at the Dumas Walker House

My First Visit to the Dumas Walker House

The Venue for The Party

Spreading the Word