Arvil Freeman & Roustabout

Thanks to #Seth Rhinehart for the audio. #Arvil Freeman - fiddle #Randy Burgess - mandolin #Jack Dillen - guitar #Maryann Young - bass 01. Sweet Bunch of Daisies 02. Tacoma 03. Midnight on the Water 04. Dusty’s Hornpipe 05. Angeline the Baker 06. Tombigbee Waltz 07. Golden Slippers 08. Redwing 09. Lonesome Moonlight Waltz 10. Jerusalem Ridge 11. Over the Waterfall 12. Big Mon 13. Faded Love 14. Soldier’s Joy Back in 1986–1988, I used to see Arvil Freeman regularly at Bill Stanley's BBQ & Bluegrass in Asheville, NC. He played with the house band five nights a week, and they were one tight unit. The lineup featured Jimmy Martin & the Sunny Mountain Boys alumni Marc Pruett on banjo and Steve Sutton on guitar. Mike Hunter, a tone generator of the highest caliber, played mandolin, while Randy Davis—who was Bill Monroe’s bass player for many years— added authority based on experience and talent. With Arvil on fiddle, they had a powerful, well-rehearsed sound. Playing two or three sets five nights a week is certainly one way to build a solid ensemble. This is a copy of a CD that Arvil recorded back in 2000 at Moonfarm Studio in Asheville. The band consists of some of the finest area musicians of that era. On bass is a formidable player I once joined in a jam session with Michael Cleveland, Seth Rhinehart, Mark Kuykendall, and Nick Dauphinais at IBMA several years ago. Jack Dillen is also featured, proving himself a fine guitar player on both rhythm and lead. The mandolinist for this session was my dear friend Randy Burgess, whom I first met in 1986 at the Bluegrass Center on Hendersonville Road. We stayed in touch over the years until his passing in 2021. Arvil Freeman could have been a household name among followers of traditional bluegrass had he chosen to extend his stint touring with Reno & Smiley. However, the road was not Arvil's cup of tea; he preferred to stay around Asheville, working as a butcher by day while playing and teaching at night. He had a profound impact on fiddlers throughout Western NC and beyond—an influence detailed in an article from the Caldwell Journal regarding his life and career. Among the many fine musicians impacted by Arvil are Laura Boosinger, Josh Goforth, and Danielle Bishop.Thanks to Seth Rhinehart for the audio. From The Caldwell Journal comes the article below: Courtesy of Blue Ridge Music Trails www.blueridgemusicnc.com "Fiddlers and fans of music across Western North Carolina are mourning the recent loss of Arvil Freeman. Arvil grew up in the isolated Paw Paw section of Madison County and learned to play music with his brothers. While still a teenager, he fiddled on a national tour with Bascom Lunsford. He went on to play with many of the leading early bluegrass bands and was heard by countless listeners over airwaves on multiple radio shows. For years, he worked a day job as a butcher then played music at Bill Stanley’s Barbecue in Asheville at night. As the house fiddler for numerous festivals and events, including Shindig on the Green and the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, his smooth, longbow style was heard by thousands. Anyone who’s heard live music in Asheville over the past fifty years has almost certainly heard Arvil Freeman’s music. But his students are by far his greatest achievements. After years of full-time performing, Arvil shifted his focus to teaching. With limited resources from which to learn, Arvil had to work extremely hard to learn the fiddle, so he vowed to share whatever he knew with anyone who wanted to learn. Today, many of his students are professional players, many have students of their own, many enjoy playing in their living rooms, but all of them treasure Arvil’s devotion to them and to the music." bluegrass, music transcription, music lessons fiddle lessons guitar lessons blues flatpicking mandolin lessons Finale 2014 translating Scandinavian languages Blue Grass the old numbers bluegrass history Bluegrass Music mandolin bass vinyl lp Fiddle Guitar mandolin lessons Jan Johansson Bluegrass lessons guitar lessons Cary NC Raleigh NC Fiddle lessons mandolin lessons Blue Grass The Old Numbers Johansson Acoustic Music Cary NC Jan Johansson And Friends Music Editing Composing Historic music video archive Bear down