Bill Monroe – Berryville, VA (08/14/60)

Bill Monroe , Mac Wiseman And Don Reno Reunion 1960
1960-08-14 (Sunday)
Watermelon Park
Berryville, Va.

1 Travelling Down This Lonesome Road
2 Can’t You Hear Me Callin’
3 Will You Be Lovin’ Another Man
4 When He Reached Down His Hand For Me
5 I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling
6 Bluegrass Stomp
7 When You Are Lonely
8 Lonesome Road Blues

This set has previously circulated incorrectly as Newport 1960. Bill Monroe did not play Newport until 1963 so we know that was incorrect.

Neil Rosenberg helped to track down the correct date, with a resource at Bluegrass Unlimited: Walt Saunders

“I tracked down the date of the show Don Owens produced at Watermelon Park, in Berryville, Va. The date was Sunday, August 14, 1960. It was billed as ‘Blue Grass Day.’ I found the ad in the newspaper archives of the Handley Library in Winchester, Va. It appeared in The Winchester Star several days before the event. The ad listed the artists. Here they are, misspellings and all, in the order and pretty much how they appeared:

MAX WISEMAN
and the OSBORNE BROTHERS
and
SCOTTY STONEMAN,
BILL MONROE and the BLUE GRASS BOYS,
DON RENO and RED SMILEY,
BUCK RYAN and SMITTY IRWIN, BILL HARRIS.

The print for Wiseman, the Osbornes and Stoneman was bold and larger size than the other artists, which indicates who Owens considered to be the biggest draw, not only in the northern Shenandoah Valley, but also in the Washington, DC area, as he advertised in on his TV show.

Don knew all of these artists personally, so I assume the misspellings were not his, but likely the folks at the newspaper. Bill Harris of course is Bill Harrell, and Buck and Smitty were in his band.
This show was approximately a year before the one at Luray (I believe July 4, 1961), which has received all of the attention ever since.

First seeded in the Bluegrasshub by J Norstad
Research and identification by aikowolf
March 11, 2012

Bill Monroe – Luray, VA (07/04/61)

Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys
07/04/61
Oak Leaf Park
Luray, VA

Watermelon On The Vine
Panhandle Country
I Gotta Travel On
Blue Moon Of Kentucky
Put My Rubber Doll Away
Rawhide
Linda Lou
Sugar Coated Love (1)
What Would You Give (1)
Can’t You Hear Me Callin (2)
Travel That Lonesome Road (2)
Whitehouse Blues
Y’all Come

Comment
Bill Monroe
Beth Lee
Billy Baker
Bobby Smith
Tony Ellis

1 w/ Carter Stanley
2 w/ Mac Wiseman

The first event that used the words, “Bluegrass Festival,” was promoted by the legendary singer and recording artist, Bill Clifton. The location was Oak Leaf Park in Luray, Virginia, and the date was July 4, 1961. This was also the first time that more than two well-known Bluegrass acts were booked on the same show. Prior to that occasion, one or two Bluegrass bands would be booked on a country show of that period. The festival was a one day event that featured Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, The Country Gentlemen, Jim and Jesse, Mac Wiseman and Bill Clifton. This was also the first time that Bill Monroe called former members of The Blue Grass Boys to the stage to play and sing. When 2,200 people attended the show, it opened up a new venue for Bluegrass music.

Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman And Don Reno Berryville, VA (08/14/60)

Bill Monroe , Mac Wiseman And Don Reno Reunion 1960
1960-08-14 (Sunday)
Watermelon Park
Berryville, Va

1   Travelling Down This Lonesome Road
2   Can’t You Hear Me Callin’
3   Will You Be Lovin’ Another Man
4   When He Reached Down His Hand For Me
5   I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling
6   Bluegrass Stomp
7   When You Are Lonely
8   Lonesome Road Blues

This set has previously circulated incorrectly as Newport 1960. Bill Monroe did not play Newport until 1963 so we know that was incorrect.

Neil Rosenberg helped to track down the correct date, with a resource at Bluegrass Unlimited: Walt Saunders

“I tracked down the date of the show Don Owens produced at Watermelon Park, in Berryville, Va. The date was Sunday, August 14, 1960. It was billed as ‘Blue Grass Day.’ I found the ad in the newspaper archives of the Handley Library in Winchester, Va. It appeared in The Winchester Star several days before the event. The ad listed the artists. Here they are, misspellings and all, in the order and pretty much how they appeared:

MAX WISEMAN

and the OSBORNE BROTHERS

and

SCOTTY STONEMAN,

BILL MONROE and the BLUE GRASS BOYS,

DON RENO and RED SMILEY,

BUCK RYAN and SMITTY IRWIN, BILL HARRIS.

The print for Wiseman, the Osbornes and Stoneman was bold and larger size than the other artists, which indicates who Owens considered to be the biggest draw, not only in the northern Shenandoah Valley, but also in the Washington, DC area, as he advertised in on his TV show.
Don knew all of these artists personally, so I assume the misspellings were not his, but likely the folks at the newspaper. Bill Harris of course is Bill Harrell, and Buck and Smitty were in his band.
This show was approximately a year before the one at Luray (I believe July 4, 1961), which has received all of the attention ever since.

First seeded in the Bluegrasshub by J Norstad
Research and identification by aikowolf
March 11, 2012

to The Midnite Cafe via Raoul Duke 03-17-2012