Back in the 70's I had just finished a summer as a Tankerman on the Mississippi River hauling fuel from Gulf Oil's refinery in Ostrica, LA (approx. 70 miles south of New Orleans) to Memphis. If you've never been on a tow in the Summer when the barge decks are 120 degrees+, you just wouldn't understand. When I stepped off the boat I went by a record store in Memphis and there was Mark Twaing. I wore that record out. After my ten days off I returned to the boat and immediately taught this song to all the crew and it became our River Chant. That fall I saw him play at a small bar in Birmingham, AL. During a break he was signing posters for the fans. I waited my turn and upon meeting him and telling him that I too worked on the river he invited me to sit down. I met his wife who I remember as being a strikingly good looking lady and very kind to me as well. I was just a kid of 19 years. John had already played with some of the greatest, been a standard on the Glen Campbell Show and written "Gentle on My Mind". Suddenly I was among one of the greatest songwriters of my generation, someone who I had seen on TV from my childhood, but one of the warmest down to earth people true spirits I've ever met. We spent the rest of the evening talking about different places on the river, landmarks, islands, towns, locks on the upper and the heat on the lower Mississippi. Places on the Illinois river, the Ohio, the Cumberland and of course the Tennessee River, one of the most beautiful of all in my opinion though I loved them all. He ended up giving me his address and home phone number and told me to call him sometime. I still have it. All of my friends who were seated at another table just about lost it when I came back to our table and sat down. One said I'll be, all I got was a signed poster and you came back with his address and phone number". I was to leave the Life on the Rivers three years later but the Rivers are still with me and I still live on the Delta next to The Mississippi. I photographed every bridge, town, locks and dams from the upper to Beaumont, TX. John left a lasting impression on me that I carry to this day. He was an American icon that I'm sure will be remembered as a part of the "good ole days" which are fading fast in this country. My heart goes out to his family and friends... may he live on in our memories and his songs in our hearts and may we be better for having known him.
Brightened my day to read this. I was born in Louisiana, just a walk from the Mississippi, grew up there, and spent 6 years in New Orleans. I worked on boats for a bit, and it gets in your blood. One of my favorite things is still to sit by the river and watch them go by. I'm sure he was absolutely thrilled to talk to someone that felt the same as he did about it all.
As a towboater and huge fan of John Hartford the original version is way better than The Turnpike Trubibors! This is some good old river music! This song runs through my head all the time when building tow!
i work all day mowing grass and listen to a local radio station that plays folky and bluegrass all day and i must say as a 21 year old i am super glad i found this that long hot summer day! made my day!
My Dad loved Hartford and I remember him playing records all the time! Gum Tree Canoe comes to mind. I know my Dad did go on the Mississippi on a few River Boats due to his attraction to the music of John Hartford.
If John Was his reason for getting on a towboat I bet he was in for a shock. I started when I turned nineteen the legal age to work on the boats. I was 6’3” and in top shape but the first day we had to make up a tow of gas barges. By the time I got through tightening winch wheels, toting miles on steel wire ropes my guts were slapping my knees. Thanks bud
When I was in high school I attended The Walnut Valley Spring Thing (southeast Kansas) and got to hear John Hartford. Loved his music. Bought several of his albums.
This is so familiar! Very much like seeing him at the Bluebird in Bloomington, IN . Let's see; probably early 80's. I was in my early to mid 20's, and I was blown away. WOW! He put his whole self out. He danced on a sheet of plywood with sand on it, and a microphone. That was his percussion. He sang, played the fiddle, and a harmonica.
Saw him at the Illinois Country Opry in Petersburg IL Fourth of July weekend, 1978. He was a great showman as well as musician, and in that hot, humid, outdoor venue, he finished with the fastest, cleanest Orange Blossom Special I have heard. Love this one - used to drive thru Beardstown on the way to college, and have a friend in Havana (and one in Joliet. Have this on vinyl.
This is exactly as I remember him performing this song at the Main in Evanston, Ill., around 1978. What an unforgettable performer he was. Thanks for Sharing.
RIP John, one guy with a violin who thought a lot about riverboats brought joy to many especially Cinti. Oh. First tall stacks event, with his days on the riverstories..."Big Roc k Candy Mountain" other originals, I believe 1988. I didnt know it would be last last time I'd see him. Those who loved him like I miss him dearly. Blessed your gift to all to live on in this post....
Thanks to you Jeffrey for your post. I had the great pleasure to see him at the Exit/In in Nashville. A good friend of mine was friends with John through the banjo school he use to teach at Cedar of Lebanon State Park. Truly an amazing and important artist. If it wasn't for his work, modern bluegrass music would not be what it is today.
I worked for Ingersoll Rand had the honor of working on the jadwen fixed her compressors she was in for refit. They treated me so good 😁👍 I had to stay away from them old boats my wife would have killed me ! God bless the old hands who work the river. BTW my grand dad told me as a young man growing up in Mississippi " Son that river will kill you " and I never forgot that. I respect that old girl.
I knew the turnpike troubadours version, so when he started, I was like 'wth?!' but it start liking it more and more the longer I watch this video! Thanks for sharing!
This song is on the album Mark Twang. I bought the record in 1978. It is another reason for having a record player. Just make sure you don't leave your records in the sun.
“They get all wavy and they just won’t run, They just won’t play, just want play, just won’t play no more. Well I had me this record that I really did like it was the last one they had in the store , I left it laying in my car backseat and now it just won’t play no more!
@ecullis18 I had a wonderful evening at the Tennessee Shines Hartford Tribute last July in Knoxville's Bijou Theatre. I so enjoyed your Dad and all involved sharing their stories about and music they made with John - it was a very special night!
If you'll listen to the intro to this track on Mark Twang you'll hear he dedicates the song to Zachary Hartford Cullis. My little brother . Miss ya Uncle John ..hope your tapping your feet on that Steam Powered Aeroplane in the sky.
I’m so glad to see that someone in John’s family took the time to read my story. If we can’t write a story about our lives we just didn’t have much to look back on because we didn’t do anything. Thanks again Mr. Cullis. John was always trying to coax me into coming out on an excursion boat and play some music with them. But, unfortunately it never panned out. I was making $50 a day and $50 per barge, load or unload. That was in 1976 dollars and I was making so much money loading and pushing gas, jet fuel and a bunch of weird chemicals like Toluene and Benzene that I couldn’t leave it. Those were magical days and I look back on them with fondness. You can’t explain what it’s like to someone that’s never been there. But ah, youth. It’s a fleeting thing so I always took the dangerous jobs over working behind a desk. Ah youth! We were young once….. and we were beautiful. They say youth is wasted on the young, but not in my case. I always took the “Road less traveled” and now I have the stories to tell. Thanks again.
I watched that as well "kush", I also seen her last Friday(4/10) along with Old Crow Medicine Show at the Fox Theatre in ATL, she did this and the place went crazy!
John Hartford was truly one-of-a-kind. A one-man minstrel show - something from another era. I grew up on the Arkansas river, and back in the early 70's, he came to town at least once a year - I never missed a show. Rest in peace, old friend. You are still loved and remembered here....
I've always been scared of paying for lessons: I'm afraid I'm going to get some teacher that doesn't really understand my goals (and therefore gives me homework that I won't do, mostly out of disinterest).
@acjlarsen08 Just for clarification.. he dad were close friends ( look up Doc Cullis or Dismembered Tennesseans ) and we just called him Uncle John ..no actual blood relation though ..just childhood memories.
Sara Watkins does this and (God strike me dead) she does it better than Hartford. And I never thought I'd ever say that about JH. If you loved this--and who couldn't?--check out her version. Thanks for sharing.
well, he doesn't play anything like him but he does hold a banjo and strike a few chords. he also looks just like him. (in a way). mr. scott avett from the avett bros. check em out. watch at least 20 vids before being judgemental. no songs sound exactly alike. good luck putting them in a genre
Back in the 70's I had just finished a summer as a Tankerman on the Mississippi River hauling fuel from Gulf Oil's refinery in Ostrica, LA (approx. 70 miles south of New Orleans) to Memphis. If you've never been on a tow in the Summer when the barge decks are 120 degrees+, you just wouldn't understand. When I stepped off the boat I went by a record store in Memphis and there was Mark Twaing. I wore that record out. After my ten days off I returned to the boat and immediately taught this song to all the crew and it became our River Chant.
That fall I saw him play at a small bar in Birmingham, AL.
During a break he was signing posters for the fans. I waited my turn and upon meeting him and telling him that I too worked on the river he invited me to sit down. I met his wife who I remember as being a strikingly good looking lady and very kind to me as well. I was just a kid of 19 years. John had already played with some of the greatest, been a standard on the Glen Campbell Show and written "Gentle on My Mind". Suddenly I was among one of the greatest songwriters of my generation, someone who I had seen on TV from my childhood, but one of the warmest down to earth people true spirits I've ever met.
We spent the rest of the evening talking about different places on the river, landmarks, islands, towns, locks on the upper and the heat on the lower Mississippi. Places on the Illinois river, the Ohio, the Cumberland and of course the Tennessee River, one of the most beautiful of all in my opinion though I loved them all.
He ended up giving me his address and home phone number and told me to call him sometime. I still have it.
All of my friends who were seated at another table just about lost it when I came back to our table and sat down. One said I'll be, all I got was a signed poster and you came back with his address and phone number".
I was to leave the Life on the Rivers three years later but the Rivers are still with me and I still live on the Delta next to The Mississippi. I photographed every bridge, town, locks and dams from the upper to Beaumont, TX.
John left a lasting impression on me that I carry to this day. He was an American icon that I'm sure will be remembered as a part of the "good ole days" which are fading fast in this country.
My heart goes out to his family and friends... may he live on in our memories and his songs in our hearts and may we be better for having known him.
Thanks for writing that. My parents had this record when I was a kid and I greatly admired this man and his craft. I played that record a lot.
Wonderful story Jeffrey, thanks for sharing.
jeffrey gaston David Rife..
Brightened my day to read this. I was born in Louisiana, just a walk from the Mississippi, grew up there, and spent 6 years in New Orleans. I worked on boats for a bit, and it gets in your blood. One of my favorite things is still to sit by the river and watch them go by. I'm sure he was absolutely thrilled to talk to someone that felt the same as he did about it all.
Just simply wow! Thank you so much for your story
God should allow some people to live forever. John Hartford is one of those.
We'll never see another man like John Hartford. God bless him.
As a towboater and huge fan of John Hartford the original version is way better than The Turnpike Trubibors! This is some good old river music! This song runs through my head all the time when building tow!
the turnpike troubadours have covered this, they do a great job.
No they don't, this song was perfect, they went to over the top
i work all day mowing grass and listen to a local radio station that plays folky and bluegrass all day and i must say as a 21 year old i am super glad i found this that long hot summer day! made my day!
Those were the days.
Grew up on the Illinois watching barges go by.
My Dad loved Hartford and I remember him playing records all the time! Gum Tree Canoe comes to mind. I know my Dad did go on the Mississippi on a few River Boats due to his attraction to the music of John Hartford.
If John Was his reason for getting on a towboat I bet he was in for a shock.
I started when I turned nineteen the legal age to work on the boats.
I was 6’3” and in top shape but the first day we had to make up a tow of gas barges. By the time I got through tightening winch wheels, toting miles on steel wire ropes my guts were slapping my knees.
Thanks bud
When I was in high school I attended The Walnut Valley Spring Thing (southeast Kansas) and got to hear John Hartford. Loved his music. Bought several of his albums.
ruclips.net/video/rTuXSPkxEYI/видео.html
I seen John 3 times at Winfield and once in Telluride. Such a cool cat and good guy.
Nothing holds a flickering flame to this. Nothing.
Mighty fine fiddling by Mr. Hartford.
This is so familiar! Very much like seeing him at the Bluebird in Bloomington, IN . Let's see; probably early 80's. I was in my early to mid 20's, and I was blown away. WOW! He put his whole self out. He danced on a sheet of plywood with sand on it, and a microphone. That was his percussion. He sang, played the fiddle, and a harmonica.
very nice, i missed that performance.
very nice to know people still love the Hartford!
Saw him at the Illinois Country Opry in Petersburg IL Fourth of July weekend, 1978. He was a great showman as well as musician, and in that hot, humid, outdoor venue, he finished with the fastest, cleanest Orange Blossom Special I have heard. Love this one - used to drive thru Beardstown on the way to college, and have a friend in Havana (and one in Joliet. Have this on vinyl.
This is exactly as I remember him performing this song at the Main in Evanston, Ill., around 1978. What an unforgettable performer he was. Thanks for Sharing.
RIP John, one guy with a violin who thought a lot about riverboats brought joy to many especially Cinti. Oh. First tall stacks event, with his days on the riverstories..."Big Roc k Candy Mountain" other originals, I believe 1988. I didnt know it would be last last time I'd see him. Those who loved him like I miss him dearly. Blessed your gift to all to live on in this post....
My favorite Hartford song.
I love you John.
What a treasure to have this recording and video
This is so inspiring, this guy is my hero!
I like how the last note of his fiddle sounds like a tug boat horn. He's a walking sound machine.
Thank you for this and the others. This is the way I remember John.
Thanks to you Jeffrey for your post. I had the great pleasure to see him at the Exit/In in Nashville. A good friend of mine was friends with John through the banjo school he use to teach at Cedar of Lebanon State Park. Truly an amazing and important artist. If it wasn't for his work, modern bluegrass music would not be what it is today.
One of a kind
I worked for Ingersoll Rand had the honor of working on the jadwen fixed her compressors she was in for refit. They treated me so good 😁👍 I had to stay away from them old boats my wife would have killed me ! God bless the old hands who work the river. BTW my grand dad told me as a young man growing up in Mississippi " Son that river will kill you " and I never forgot that. I respect that old girl.
I love this! I remember being in his audiences and singing along but I had forgotten all about it until now. Thank you thank you thank you.
❤❤❤
very very cool . thanks for the story on this.
My wife & I get a lot of enjoyment reading people's comments on these old videos.
heard that line abt the Havana Bridge!! not on the TT version or in my lyric searches... greetings from Havana IL
Thanks for posting this. Living in Australia I never saw him, but I bought heaps of his albums. What a wonderful player and songwriter. Vale.
He was a good friend and one of the people that I kept from my friends at home.
Wow AA this is some hot stuff. I'm going to be looking through more of this later. Not even finished listening and I like it.
I knew the turnpike troubadours version, so when he started, I was like 'wth?!' but it start liking it more and more the longer I watch this video! Thanks for sharing!
Gerben Hartford actually worked for a living. More authentic.
Great story Jeffrey Gaston! Wonderful image to go with the tune :) Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for letting me entertain you for a moment. Now I am old and have seen and done a lot more.
Maybe I’ll get the time to share some more stories.
Jeffery
That is a real fine tribute as well as an interesting story. Thanks for posting that.
John Hartford was sooooooo
talented, it's uncanny!!! He was such a passionate musician!!! Thank you for posting this great video up on RUclips!!!🎻🌞👍🏻
This is insanely good
This song is on the album Mark Twang. I bought the record in 1978. It is another reason for having a record player. Just make sure you don't leave your records in the sun.
“They get all wavy and they just won’t run,
They just won’t play, just want play, just won’t play no more.
Well I had me this record that I really did like it was the last one they had in the store ,
I left it laying in my car backseat and now it just won’t play no more!
Thanks so much johnny85er for posting these delicacies. Some know and some don't...
this song gets stuck in my head for days
This song gets stuck in my foot
this was shot at OU in Athens, OH in fall of '79. I saw me and my ex in front row at the end of one of them. He was a great guy.
I love wild small world stories like this, wish I could have been there with you guys!
Good capture!
That falsetto tho
Greatness
Thank god for the turnpike version
Austin Sehlke the turnpike troubadours couldn’t carry Hartford’s case.
@ecullis18 I had a wonderful evening at the Tennessee Shines Hartford Tribute last July in Knoxville's Bijou Theatre. I so enjoyed your Dad and all involved sharing their stories about and music they made with John - it was a very special night!
If you'll listen to the intro to this track on Mark Twang you'll hear he dedicates the song to Zachary Hartford Cullis. My little brother .
Miss ya Uncle John ..hope your tapping your feet on that Steam Powered Aeroplane in the sky.
❤️
I’m so glad to see that someone in John’s family took the time to read my story. If we can’t write a story about our lives we just didn’t have much to look back on because we didn’t do anything.
Thanks again Mr. Cullis.
John was always trying to coax me into coming out on an excursion boat and play some music with them. But, unfortunately it never panned out.
I was making $50 a day and $50 per barge, load or unload. That was in 1976 dollars and I was making so much money loading and pushing gas, jet fuel and a bunch of weird chemicals like Toluene and Benzene that I couldn’t leave it.
Those were magical days and I look back on them with fondness.
You can’t explain what it’s like to someone that’s never been there. But ah, youth. It’s a fleeting thing so I always took the dangerous jobs over working behind a desk.
Ah youth! We were young once….. and we were beautiful. They say youth is wasted on the young, but not in my case. I always took the “Road less traveled” and now I have the stories to tell.
Thanks again.
I watched that as well "kush", I also seen her last Friday(4/10) along with Old Crow Medicine Show at the Fox Theatre in ATL, she did this and the place went crazy!
I want to get this good with the fiddle great song 😊
When the magic happens...
actually it's called Long Hot Summer Days and was released on the LP Mark Twang as track number two.
No one could ever say John copied anyones style.
John Hartford was truly one-of-a-kind. A one-man minstrel show - something from another era. I grew up on the Arkansas river, and back in the early 70's, he came to town at least once a year - I never missed a show.
Rest in peace, old friend. You are still loved and remembered here....
"Towboat makin up barges"
I know I've shared this before, but seriously, this song makes me want to learn how to really sing.
#F
Lisa (who's been taking singing lessons) says you should take some singing lessons and adds that you'll be glad you did. :)
I've always been scared of paying for lessons: I'm afraid I'm going to get some teacher that doesn't really understand my goals (and therefore gives me homework that I won't do, mostly out of disinterest).
Sing in the shower. Acoustic feedback is better than teacher feedback :)
yep
@acjlarsen08
Just for clarification.. he dad were close friends ( look up Doc Cullis or Dismembered Tennesseans ) and we just called him Uncle John ..no actual blood relation though ..just childhood memories.
those turnpike troubadours should cover this
One would have to go a long ways , to best John t anything .
Checked her out and negative. Like her stuff though. Good name drop.
+Jeffrey Gaston good story
This is Tiny Tim. I'm not an idiot.
crowd doesn't know what to make of it> Oh my god he wants us to join in?! How irregular! What do we do?!
sara watkins does this song real good ya hear:)
"Let me hear you clap" -- crowd normalizes to 1 & 3.
Sara Watkins does this and (God strike me dead) she does it better than Hartford. And I never thought I'd ever say that about JH. If you loved this--and who couldn't?--check out her version. Thanks for sharing.
well, he doesn't play anything like him but he does hold a banjo and strike a few chords. he also looks just like him. (in a way). mr. scott avett from the avett bros. check em out. watch at least 20 vids before being judgemental. no songs sound exactly alike. good luck putting them in a genre
This was the weirdest song I probably ever heard…. Thank God turnpike redid this song like it deserves to be played . Sheesh
turnpike troubadours did it SO much better
SO what! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT? Hartford is just wonderful here.
It's a Hartford song.. w/o John Hartford there would be no Turnpike version.
You're an idiot
This dudes voice sounds like a cat being microwaved.
It was a tribute to JH - their version was great. JH was a true original. Nothing and nobody can really compare.