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'Mother Maybelle' remembered at Reedy Church July 4th
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The Reedy Church Ruritans once again celebrated July 4th with style and fun at Edmund Pendleton School with an auction followed by a chicken barbecue that about 150 attended. That in turn was followed by a concert by Ronnie Williams & The Carter Family Sound, a traditional July 4th event for the Ruritans going back so many years nobody can remember.
"I don't know how many years we've been comin' down here," Williams told the crowd. "I don't wanta say, 'cause it'll make us sound old."
This year was special for everyone because it was "Mother Maybelle" Carter's 100th birthday. She and her daughters played several times at Edmund Pendleton School before going on to the Grand Ole Opry and the Johnny Cash Show. Ronnie Williams met her when he was 12, becoming a close friend with her and her family, and as the years progressed he learned to play her music.
His band's 4th of July concert at Edmund Pendleton School usually ends early enough to give everyone time to get to the high school for the fireworks. But with this year's fireworks cancelled, the concert went longer than usual, going on to almost nine and giving solo performers plenty of time.
Among them was Bass-player Bill Kelly who, in a sonorous tenor, sang "Blue-eyed Daddy of Mine" and "I Saw the Master this Morning." Likewise, guitarist Beth Newsome sang a comic song, "Burglar Man," and mandolin-player Calvin Smith featured on a number of tunes. Patsy Verling's and Beth Newsome's harmonies were beautiful.
In a nice surprise, 72-year-old Cora Crump, known as "Corky," got up from the audience, and after being helped on stage, played several tunes with the band on accordion, including one featuring the lyrics –
I've got a brand new bottle
And it's filled with Holy Ghost wine.
Another surprise was Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer who was hauled up on stage. Spencer was bashful, saying that since the birth of his daughter Josie and the start of his "new job," he'd had no time to practice. Nonetheless, he did a great job performing "I'm Holdin' to the Law" and "This Land is Your Land."
The main event though were the songs Ronnie Williams performed that Maybelle made famous like "Sun's Gonna Shine in My Backdoor Some Day" and "Come Home, It's Suppertime."
Ruritan and singer Wick Coleman wrote a poem dedicated to Maybelle which he read while the band played "Wildwood Flower." A few of the lines went something like this –
Friend, today let us reflect on the life of Maybelle.
She lived a full life and served her friend (Ronnie Williams) well.
She taught him all she knew and he learned so well.
So close your eyes... is it Ronnie or Maybelle?
For the band's last song, Williams had everybody stand for"Keep on the Sunny Side."
The song, with its lyrics about keeping a positive, friendly, "sunny" attitude, is a kind of anthem for sweet-natured country folk, the kind of people Mother Maybelle sang for and who abound in Caroline County. |
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| by Ed Simmons Jr. |
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