UPDATE: I know that scrolling to the newest comments is a bit of a pain. But reversing the order (so newest appear on top) makes hash out of replies. I have broken the thread into sub-pages, so you won’t have to scroll too far. I have also enabled ‘nesting’, for replies to comments right under them. We’ll see how that works.
Note that you can always comment on Home Page posts, when relevant. Just click on the headline, or the Comment link at the bottom of the post. /CL 27Feb15
This page, or series of pages, will be essentially an Open Thread, for Hillbilly at Harvard friends and neighbors. Here’s a place for you to comment, suggest, request, opine, recollect, or just discuss the show and the music.
Why a new page? The free WordPress does not allow the user to create posts on any pages except the Home Page (or equivalent). So an Open Thread on the Home Page will eventually get pushed down by newer posts. But I can allow comments on a new page (like the Country Calendar page). With a lot of participation, it could get over-long, but then I can create a new Open Page (as I’ll call them), and keep the old one(s) for archival purposes.
Will this work? It should, but we’ll see. Comments will be of course be moderated, and seriously off-topic comments will be snipped, as will insults and vulgarity, though I don’t expect any here.
Have fun! /CL 13Oct13
Hillbilly at Harvard 
suchomimocity, I don’t play ‘blocks’ of songs, so perhaps it was part of the Hillbilly Jamboree that follows Hillbilly at Harvard. HAH airs from 9-11 AM these days; the undergraduates program the time thereafter.
All I meant was there was more than one song that I liked. Thanks!
Stacy Phillips was a guy.https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/stacy_phillips_obituary
Oops! I should have remembered. Thanks for the correction, and the link to the excellently detailed obituary. /CL
Actually, I made another mistake, identifying the Wheaton, Maryland country station as “WDLW,” which of course was the Waltham, Massachusetts station where I worked for a time (and helped change from kiddie rock to country). The Wheaton station, which played ‘Bringing Mary Home’, was WDON. It later became a Spanish station, with different call letters, though oddly through various permutations ‘WDON’ is now back, though still Spanish.
WDLW, named as I recall for its Chicago owner’s girlfriend, later became WRCA, now based in Watertown carrying financial news. /CL
Stacy did have a sense of humor. I think. The next to last time he was at the Joe Val festival he did a Friday Dobro clinic. I had arranged with him for a private Dobro lesson after the clinic had finished.
I played Flatt Lonesome for Stacy, and when I got to that peculiar backward roll over two frets with three strings, which puts the middle string between frets, he said, “Aaaah!”
Back to the sense of humor. We finished and I was paying him his small fee. “Do you prefer cash or check?”
“Cash. It’s already been laundered.”
Was “Aaaah!” the sound of approval, or of resignation? /CL
Happily, it was definitely approval, said with a smile.
CL, Just wanted you know that I enjoy HAH nearly every Saturday morning and have for many years. I appreciate all the effort you must put in and hope you keep it going for many more years. One time several years ago you played my “Minor Turbulence” from a Pine Hill Rambler CD and that was a nice surprise. Thanks
Randomly landed at 95.3 at 10:45 am on a Saturday morning. This is great stuff! Good old fashioned genuine rootsy / bluegrass / county. Enjoying the music and the knowledgeable presentation.
Welcome, Jeff! You won’t be disappointed it is 2 great hours every Saturday. Used to be a couple of hours longer, but we won’t go into that.
Always happy to have new listeners! Remember HAH starts at 9 AM!
Or 9:03, as “Hillbilly Jamboree.” David Elliott must be spinning….
I don’t often look at the blog, but I try to listen to HAH – it’s such a touchstone on Saturday morning since way-o-way back to those days living in Davis Sq around the corner from Sinc. I get that at times the university might need to have some time for students to do shows, probably tied to some fun course around the music, region or era. I just hope the people running the station appreciate the legacy of the show and all it means to the community at large. I have donated in the past and would donate again to keep HAH on air. I wrote to president@whrb.org to tell them that. I also listen to Sunday Morning Country on wzbc, and was wondering if you knew what happened to cousin Kate? In this pandemic (post now), one always fears the worst. These two shows are such a part of our weekends, gardening (or hanging out in some sunny spot, working) while listening to some good music. Are there plans for you to return to live programming? Do you want to? I can imagine that being able to prepare them at your own leisure might be nice at this point in life. Thanks for all of the effort, and keep up the good work!
Howdy Alastair— Sorry for the late response, but I haven’t really any news. Don’t know what’s happened to Cousin Kate; I’ll ask around. Dunno about live air, either. Still managing at home for now, though library is limited. Many thanks for listening all these years, and for your understanding. Stay tuned! /CL
PS Re Cousin Kate: One respondent says she moved to Rhode Island. The WZBC website reveals that original SMC host George Hauenstein is now covering the 10 AM – 12 noon slot, by remote broadcast. Meant to listen yesterday, but didn’t get to it.
PPS: Check out my ‘April Update’ for more:
Looking for music by Johnny White other than his Memories album. Do you have any info on him or contact info for him?
Howdy Sheila— I asked listener Gerry Goss, who knew Johnny, after I got a telephone message from you back in January. He said he had heard nothing recently. Here at home I do have a CD that Johnny made in 1994, called My Country Roots on Janelle Recordings, with 10 songs, including three originals. I have played a couple recently on the ‘home-brewed’ shows I’ve been doing. I can’t find a listing for this album anywhere, so he might have just distributed it privately.
Anyone out there who knows more about Johnny White, please let us know. /CL
Hi, Lynn, and Happy New Year.
After playing “Tennessee Border No. 2,” On December 30, you read writers’ credits, including “Haynes and Burns.”
That would be Homer and Jethro, the source of many such parodies.
Lonzo and Oscar were also steeped in this tradition and had regular Opry exposure.
Homer and Jethro were not on the Opry but still got around, even spending a year or more featured on the morning network radio program “Don McNeil’s Breakfast Club, which I think originated in Chicago.
Steve Bartlett
“Kudos to Cousin Lyn for playing the “The Lime Hill Strathspey / Banks of Spey / Lexy McAskill” set from Hanneke Cassel’s “Dot the Dragon’s Eye” album during today’s “Hillbilly at Harvard” program on WHRB 95.3FM, and for conveying the influence Celtic tunes and fiddling has on “hillbilly” music.
Hanneke’s website – https:/www.hannekecassel.com/“
Cross-posted to
New England Old-Time, BlueGrass and String Band Music – https://www.facebook.com/groups/106978732745084/
&
Celtic Culture in New England
https://www.facebook.com/groups/253094621401373
Thanks for playing my record Lynn!
Entirely my pleasure, Nate! Glad to hear you’re listening!
Re No Mail
Leon Payne’s “Mailman” would explain it all.
Hi Lynn: Thank you for continuing “Hillbilly At Harvard” from your home studio. I “found” the original show on my car radio in 1998 and have been a fairly steady listener ever since. An old East Tennessee native, I grew up hearing many live broadcasts of country music on Knoxville radio stations (WNOX, WIVK, etc.) and first got to the Ryman Auditorium about 1955. Your broadcasts have been a pleasure and memory-waker. I’m sure there are many listeners like me who sing along with your records by past and current musicians. I’m grateful to WHRB for keeping your show on the air. I hope you don’t get worn out putting it together.
Howdy Jim, and sorry for the late response and comment approval. We’re traveling in the Southwest and I haven’t been keeping up with email.
I greatly appreciate hearing from long-time listeners (and short-time, too!). It gives me an incentive to keep on, even if these ‘home-brewed’ hours are not a patch on the show in the old days.
It would be fun to hear you and the other listeners singing along. Maybe we should start a Zoom version of HAH!
Wow, now a zoom version of HAH would certainly be a blast. I too, have been listening to HAH since the 70’s and have always loved it. My Mom always had it on her radio on Saturday mornings when I was growing up and I continued to make it a regular staple of my Saturday mornings when I moved into my own place and have continued to do so all these years. I so look forward to it every Saturday! Thank you!