V/A - Larry Fuller's Winter Bluegrass Bash

1996-1997

(CRFRC ZAP-107) 1997

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This is a rather obscure live cassette recorded at 1996-1997 and released on the "Charles R. Freeland Recording Company" (CRFRC) - "ZAP Recording Co" imprint. Ralph is featured on three cuts, with additional material by former CMB's Larry Sparks, and Charlie Sizemore.

Details of Larry Fuller's Winter Bluegrass Bash remain illusive, but it must have taken place at McKee, Kentucky in 1996/1997, from the information on the cassette sleeve. I can't find any matching reference to any gigs or festivals in either 'Bluegrass Unlimited' or online newspapers, so I don't know whether it was a single event or recorded over multiple shows. Ralph did play with Larry Fuller & Phillip Akeman on 4 Jan 1997 in Meadowgreen Park, Clay City, Ky, which is about 43 miles from McKee, Ky. So it's possible perhaps that it was a single event at the end of 1996 / start of 1997.

In the intro to Sitting On Top Of The World, Ralph mentions that Jack Cooke is the longest running Clinch Mountain Boy saying "June will make him 27 years", and also makes fun of his dyed black hair: "...when he went to work for me... his hair was a grey as a mill house rat... now look at it."

Ralph sings lead on Will You Miss Me, rather than his usual tenor part, and the final cut is an a capella Amazing Grace.

Larry Sparks is featured on three tracks: - a mandolin showcase for Scott Napier, Lonesome Mandolin, and a couple of Larry's classics, Blue Virginia Blues and A Face In The Crowd.

The Charlie Sizemore cuts include the instrumental Onion Creek, a splendid rendition of Joe Isaacs' I Pressed Through The Crowd (which Charlie recorded on his 1989 Singing With The Angels LP) and the Stanley Brothers' A Little At A Time.

Other acts include the Kirby Knob Boys, who I think were a local group from McKee who had a handful of self-produced CD-R albums & appeared on some of the 'Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass' promotional CDs. Personnel seems to have been Doug Miller (mandolin), Larry Miller (bass), Ricky Miller (banjo/guitar), Anthony Miller (guitar) & Dan Caldwell (dobro/guitar).

New Rendition also appear to have been a local act.

Phillip Akeman was Stringbean's nephew. A barber in Gray Hawk, who ran the Stringbean Memorial Festival.

The Gary Brewer tracks include live versions of Reach Out & Touch The Lord from their 1993 CD 'Nearing Jordan's Crossing'; and Walking In The Parlor from their 1994 CD 'Money To Ride The Train'. The other track, The Rumba Beat appears to be unique to this cassette.

Larry Fuller was born c1949 in Smiths Fork near Phelps in Pike County, Ky. He began learning guitar aged 13. After one year at Phelps High School he quit and moved to Columbus, Ohio and then to Chicago & Detroit, where he drove a truck for about 10 years. In the early '70s he put moved back to Kentucky and spent 17 years working in the mines. He also put together Pike County Grass with John Stiltner (bs), Herb Wolford (bjo) and Kenny Stiltner (ld gtr) with one 45 being released in 1976 (Foggy Mountain Breakdown / It Ain't Right For God Gave You To Me (Lucky 13 LS-1208) 1976). A back injury meant he had to quit the mines, and he then moved to Irvine & Richmond, Ky. In the mid-80s he formed the gospel act Larry Fuller and The Born Again, with at least two CDs being released, and in the early '90s the Larry Fuller Band.^[1] One of his later releases included a Tribute To Curly Ray, which borrowed some parts from Uncle Pen.^[2]

The tracks by Larry Fuller on this cassette, include I'd Like To Go Back, a nostalgic piece he originally recorded in 1984, and the recitation Little Jimmy, which was the first song he wrote when he was 18. Larry's band at the time included Rick Oldfield, who is currently playing with Fenced In, along with Steve Sparkman, John Rigsby and Curnie Lee Wilson. Nicknamed 'Ralph 3' by Larry, Ricky Oldfield is featured on Last Day At Gettysburg and Rocky Island.

Larry unfortunately died tragically in 2007 when his tour bus caught fire. An obituary in the Lexington Herald-Leader mentioned that he'd recorded 21 CDs.^[3]

Also in 1997, Ralph recorded a version of Larry Fuller's I'll Be Wearing A Crown Of Glory on his My All And All CD.

Other artwork / related images:

[1] Info mostly taken from an article on Larry Fuller in 'The Mountain Eagle' newspaper from Whitesburg, Ky. 27 Jun 2007 (p.5)
[2] released on Larry Fuller's 'Something Old & Something New' CD. Also included on 'Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass Vol. 62' (KBC-CD-0062) Mar. 2003.
[3] Lexington Herald-Leader, 25 Sep 2007, (p.15)