I will never forget, John played at the "Sweet Springs Saloon" in Los Osos, California in 1989? Guessing, it was packed and we did not think we would make it inside to hear him. We then walked to back of the building to smoke a reefer. Right when we light it up, John comes out this back door and he I saw him and handed him the joint. He said perfect timing. He was funny, we told him we can not get it to here you. He let us in the back door and told the guards were the roadies and we sat in the back in 3 chairs. I ain't making this up . I ain't lying. The show was fantastic, He played all kinds of stuff, banjo, fiddle, guitar and a local back up band. We used to see him up at the Strawberry Bluegrass/Music Festival a-lot from 1984 to 1994, is when I used to go camping and a picking weekend. Always a great time had. We miss John, he is in our hearts forever. Perhaps he is having wine with Jesus right now. Hallelujah! The music will never end and the road goes on forever!
this is the rawest best video on youtube. no band and lights and bullshit. just john with a banjo and a piece of PLYWOOD! and its more entertaining and talent driven than anything on mTV
So Cal in the 70's, a friend invited me to go along to a free concert at Cal State Fullerton, on the grass, with the grass and a bottle of wine, I was intorduced to this man and his music. My taste at the time went from Lead Zeplin, Hendrix, and because of Dylan, Johnny Cash....the first time, he was solo and i was blown away by the way he pounded out the bass with his feet while singing, playing banjo, guitar, fiddle and harp....a true troubadour of our time....he is in a catgory with Ramblin Jack Elliot, Townes Van Zandt and Fred Neil....RIP John
His rhythm is impeccable! I love how his feet keep a slow, comfortable pace, while the banjo plows ahead at breakneck speed. There's something very zen about that.
Surely this is by a country mile the best American song ever: Though the wheatfields and the clotheslines and junkyards and the highways come between us. Peerless.
I miss this man and his glorious style of writing songs you could actually relate to. I simply cannot relate to the current "country" music that is all about bars, alcohol, sex and wanting nothing more than that. REAL people...with morals and brains...don't want that crap. We want to know something about a love that never dies...like this song.
Used to watch Glenn Campbell show just hoping I'd see Hartford in the line up. Exhudes the essence of the best of Americana...prairies, valleys riverboats and the lightness of being and love. RIP John.
A beautiful performance of a superb song. I'm 60 now, and am just realising what I was missing all these years. Glen Campbell's cover is wonderful but John's original version is sublime
John Hartford was a good friend of my moms. I remember when she got to go on tour with him and Tanya Tucker. Use to see him live as a child. Great guy...awesome bluegrass musician.
possibly the last of the great old classic artists, truly a throwback to 1800's. I've loved Hartford since I bought his Aereo-plain back in the 1970's. Brilliant and honest.
This guy was a master of the banjo, a witty lyricist and quirky performer. I just love "gentle on my mind" played in synch to amplified tap dancing, so great.
Over and over, completely agree. To me the mark of great art is that each time we experience it, we learn something new. Handel or Hartford. Always adds a piece to what makes us human. Gentle on My Mind always managed to make me a bit sad but then it elevated me, each time I heard it.
Interesting series. Of course I will always picture John playing to live audience- fortunate to have seen him 5 times. Wish I had video camera in the mid-80's when he played Red Rocks CO. A signature of his live performances was to fiddle Orange Blossom Special down from the stage to the rear of concert hall and back again. I found it incredible he could navigate the entire Amphitheatre in the thin Mile High air- all without skipping a note. An amazing performer. Miss him a whole lot. RIP John.
"...though wheatfields and the clotheslines and the junkyards and the highways come between us - and some other woman's cryin' to her mother 'cause she turned and I was gone...." Maybe the greatest line of lyrics in all American music...
John Hartford was a truly gifted musician and an Southern American original with few peirs. He was MC at Merle Fest when I saw him last. In spite of his advanced illness, his personality, genius and presence was unforgettable.
David Johnson I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Hartford briefly at the 1999 Tennessee Fall Homecoming. He was obviously quite ill, but gracious, nonetheless. Shortly after, he appeared on stage and performed as though it were his first ever appearance. You would not suspect that he was not well by the way he fiddled and danced; quite an inspiring performance.
@@kenberner4051 I had the honor of meeting him and talking with him for a couple of minutes in 1986 after Mountain Stage. He was a great man, and a brilliant musician.
Thanks for sharing. I was fortunate enough to see him on a small college campus 50 years ago. A friend was on the student committee that booked him, and as hinted by @Macdz, it was in his contract that there be supplied a full 4x8 sheet of 3/4" Birch plywood (nothing else would do). He used it quite effectively.
I am in awe of John Hartford, and I agree, it would have been a blessing if he had lived to be an older man. I'm sure he would have been a gracious, kind and fun old musician. Love to you John!!
Had the pleasure and honor of spending a little personal time with John after a booking at U of GA...about '95. Still feel a keen sense of loss, even though he's still with us in many ways. Truly one of the greats. A HEAVY, HEAVY CAT.
Here it is 2022...the world is going to hell and I'm listening obsessively to John Hartford pickin' n singin' and shufflin'... Still love you John Hartford...
John, isn't from SE Missouri. His father was a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He went to a fine private school, John Burroughs in Ladue where he started playing bluegrass with a friend of mine, Dr. David Kieffer. We went to the Dillard Home together way back when John was a DJ at KFAL in Fulton, MO.
Thanks for uploading this, Johnny. I worked with John a few times in the late 1980's; all his rebel was out of him by then and he was a wonderful and kind gentleman.
Saw John play Red Rocks, Colorado. Started Orange Blossom on stage, fiddled all the way up to the top row, Stopped for a few minutes, then continued on down back to the stage. Just AMAZIN! Past spring on way to FL stopped in the Museum of Appalachia just north of Knoxville, TN. They have nice exhibit of some of John's items- derby hat, banjo, shoes, etc. Definitively worth a visit.
He gave up his career as a musician to become a pilot on a Mississippi river boat - I always think of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn - memory connects in so many ways !
I loved the opening moments of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour when John Hartford would stand up amidst the audience with his banjo and begin Gentle On My Mind. Loved that song and the sound of his banjo. These musicians were my biggest influence as a kid.
I was fortunate to see John at the Grand Ole Opry and he did his songs with a banjo on a platform just like this. It absolutely blew me away. The best act of the night
I would of loved to have seen that but I was born in another time when I was just lucky enough to enjoy what the 90's had to offer. There were so many musicians during the 50-80's that were so amazing, John Hartford could write one of the best song anyone ever heard but he also was one of a kind. Too much computorized crap today that you cant tell if it being played the whole time or on a loop. I like raw talent,a voice and an instrument with no special effects.
I saw John H. doing a different song, but doing this same soft shoe semi tap thing on the Smothers Brothers show in the late 60's / early 70's. I thought it was fascinating then and still love it.
+Buffy Holt Two distinct talents, John was awesome, and so was Glen...music is meant to be enjoyed and I for one can enjoy both and admire each for their own distinct styles.
Thanks so much for this. The passing of Glenn Campbell has gotten a lot of much-deserved publicity, but not the man who more or less put him on the map.
...man, what a beautiful cat...love the man.☮
I will never forget, John played at the "Sweet Springs Saloon" in Los Osos, California in 1989? Guessing, it was packed and we did not think we would make it inside to hear him. We then walked to back of the building to smoke a reefer. Right when we light it up, John comes out this back door and he I saw him and handed him the joint. He said perfect timing. He was funny, we told him we can not get it to here you. He let us in the back door and told the guards were the roadies and we sat in the back in 3 chairs. I ain't making this up . I ain't lying. The show was fantastic, He played all kinds of stuff, banjo, fiddle, guitar and a local back up band. We used to see him up at the Strawberry Bluegrass/Music Festival a-lot from 1984 to 1994, is when I used to go camping and a picking weekend. Always a great time had. We miss John, he is in our hearts forever. Perhaps he is having wine with Jesus right now. Hallelujah! The music will never end and the road goes on forever!
this is the rawest best video on youtube. no band and lights and bullshit. just john with a banjo and a piece of PLYWOOD! and its more entertaining and talent driven than anything on mTV
John was (is) one of the most intriguing musicians ive ever seen. He just smiled and made beautiful music.
How many people can walk away not happier than they were before they listened to his songs?
Steam-Powered Aeroplane is one of the greatest albums ever recorded.
Man I love John Hartford with my entire soul.
Some people should be allowed to be immortal. John Hartford is one of those.
He is
He is!!!!
agreed
Especially in 20/20.
He is truly missed… What nights they were watching him just like this, by himself
So Cal in the 70's, a friend invited me to go along to a free concert at Cal State Fullerton, on the grass, with the grass and a bottle of wine, I was intorduced to this man and his music. My taste at the time went from Lead Zeplin, Hendrix, and because of Dylan, Johnny Cash....the first time, he was solo and i was blown away by the way he pounded out the bass with his feet while singing, playing banjo, guitar, fiddle and harp....a true troubadour of our time....he is in a catgory with Ramblin Jack Elliot, Townes Van Zandt and Fred Neil....RIP John
His rhythm is impeccable! I love how his feet keep a slow, comfortable pace, while the banjo plows ahead at breakneck speed. There's something very zen about that.
Christ, I do love this man and his music. I watch this clip regularly, it always cheers me up. A sad loss.
Same!!!!!
John Hartford... Such an underrated songsmith and entertainer. "Gentle on My Mind" is total Genius!
Surely this is by a country mile the best American song ever: Though the wheatfields and the clotheslines and junkyards and the highways come between us. Peerless.
one of the most beautiful songs ever written. i can't think of a song i love more.
It has been my favorite song since I was about 11-12 yrs old, I saw Glen Campbell perform it on Tv, & dad bought me a guitar & lessons
Thank you for hunting down and preserving this beautiful document!
I miss this man and his glorious style of writing songs you could actually relate to.
I simply cannot relate to the current "country" music that is all about bars, alcohol, sex and wanting nothing more than that. REAL people...with morals and brains...don't want that crap. We want to know something about a love that never dies...like this song.
this is bluegrass friend, i was never a country guy, but bluegrass is different, it has more heart and soul
@@drew535 I'm not sure this is quite bluegrass either, to be honest.
@@samuelbarham8483 well when he came to Wisconsin the bluegrass hippies were the ones he hung out with
Used to watch Glenn Campbell show just hoping I'd see Hartford in the line up. Exhudes the essence of the best of Americana...prairies, valleys riverboats and the lightness of being and love. RIP John.
How can he pick and shuffle at the same time!!!!
Ah, that famous Hartford shuffle. John Hartford, a lost treasure. Peace, brother.
I wish they would release this as a DVD. so awesome. John's such an inspiration to anyone who written a song or picked up a banjo.
A beautiful performance of a superb song. I'm 60 now, and am just realising what I was missing all these years. Glen Campbell's cover is wonderful but John's original version is sublime
John Hartford was a good friend of my moms. I remember when she got to go on tour with him and Tanya Tucker. Use to see him live as a child. Great guy...awesome bluegrass musician.
This guy was a bad ass. A true musician and a dying breed
possibly the last of the great old classic artists, truly a throwback to 1800's. I've loved Hartford since I bought his Aereo-plain back in the 1970's. Brilliant and honest.
One of the best album covers of all time!
RIP John Hartford ---- Dec 30, 1937 - June 4th 2001.
I appreciate the simplicity of this video! Just John Hartford and his banjo! Heaven :)
What a genuine comforting voice. His picking is a pleasure to relax and start my morning. Thanks.
Seriously, dude is so relaxed and in his element, just truely natural
John had me already and then the shoes droped. So looking forward to delving into his work.
This guy was a master of the banjo, a witty lyricist and quirky performer. I just love "gentle on my mind" played in synch to amplified tap dancing, so great.
I am going to watch this over and over until I completely absorb it
awwww.
@@amyabramajtys2100 back again
Over and over, completely agree. To me the mark of great art is that each time we experience it, we learn something new. Handel or Hartford. Always adds a piece to what makes us human. Gentle on My Mind always managed to make me a bit sad but then it elevated me, each time I heard it.
Song, gentle has a feeling more than a creativity. I could say a John Denver song is a masterpiece too
Interesting series. Of course I will always picture John playing to live audience- fortunate to have seen him 5 times. Wish I had video camera in the mid-80's when he played Red Rocks CO. A signature of his live performances was to fiddle Orange Blossom Special down from the stage to the rear of concert hall and back again. I found it incredible he could navigate the entire Amphitheatre in the thin Mile High air- all without skipping a note. An amazing performer. Miss him a whole lot. RIP John.
I couldn't help but grin when he started shuffling! Great post ...thank you
"...though wheatfields and the clotheslines and the junkyards and the highways come between us - and some other woman's cryin' to her mother 'cause she turned and I was gone...."
Maybe the greatest line of lyrics in all American music...
I’m love that way he is singing and dance 🕺 it’s incredible
Doc Watson was a true American treasure
I will always miss him and John Hartford
John Hartford was a truly gifted musician and an Southern American original with few peirs.
He was MC at Merle Fest when I saw him last. In spite of his advanced illness, his personality, genius and presence was unforgettable.
David Johnson Johnny Cash too :)
David Johnson I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Hartford briefly at the 1999 Tennessee Fall Homecoming. He was obviously quite ill, but gracious, nonetheless. Shortly after, he appeared on stage and performed as though it were his first ever appearance. You would not suspect that he was not well by the way he fiddled and danced; quite an inspiring performance.
+Тимофей Жидков everyone knows about johnny cash there are many other masters besides him, doc watson, tony rice etc.
+David Johnson I AM SO SORRY TO HEAR OF HIS PASSING.
@@kenberner4051 I had the honor of meeting him and talking with him for a couple of minutes in 1986 after Mountain Stage. He was a great man, and a brilliant musician.
Thanks for sharing. I was fortunate enough to see him on a small college campus 50 years ago. A friend was on the student committee that booked him, and as hinted by @Macdz, it was in his contract that there be supplied a full 4x8 sheet of 3/4" Birch plywood (nothing else would do). He used it quite effectively.
Just can't get enough of John's musical talent. Genius!
I am in awe of John Hartford, and I agree, it would have been a blessing if he had lived to be an older man. I'm sure he would have been a gracious, kind and fun old musician. Love to you John!!
You are beloved & greatly missed, John !! Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, & John Prine, also "top-shelf" writers/pickers..
A REAL TREAT TO HEAR SUCH A GREAT SONG PERFORMED SO WELL BY THE MAN WHO WROTE IT.
Had the pleasure and honor of spending a little personal time with John after a booking at U of GA...about '95. Still feel a keen sense of loss, even though he's still with us in many ways. Truly one of the greats. A HEAVY, HEAVY CAT.
+John Wilson HE WAS THE GREATEST.
I love her now as I loved her then knowing her beautiful smile might catch my eye in yours. Some things seem pure in a timeless kinda way .
Here it is 2022...the world is going to hell and I'm listening obsessively to John Hartford pickin' n singin' and shufflin'...
Still love you John Hartford...
John, isn't from SE Missouri. His father was a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He went to a fine private school, John Burroughs in Ladue where he started playing bluegrass with a friend of mine, Dr. David Kieffer.
We went to the Dillard Home together way back when John was a DJ at KFAL in Fulton, MO.
I saw John Hartford in concert twice. He is easily the most entertaining individual I’ve ever seen. A man of limitless talent.
Thanks for uploading this, Johnny. I worked with John a few times in the late 1980's; all his rebel was out of him by then and he was a wonderful and kind gentleman.
He was a big part of my youth
Saw John play Red Rocks, Colorado. Started Orange Blossom on stage, fiddled all the way up to the top row, Stopped for a few minutes, then continued on down back to the stage. Just AMAZIN!
Past spring on way to FL stopped in the Museum of Appalachia just north of Knoxville, TN.
They have nice exhibit of some of John's items- derby hat, banjo, shoes, etc. Definitively worth a visit.
What a unique artist. I always think of riverboats when I watch this video. Rest in peace.
He gave up his career as a musician to become a pilot on a Mississippi river boat - I always think of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn - memory connects in so many ways !
I saw this on PBS and became an avid John Hartford fan following him fro that time forward till the end. He is one of a kind. Love this music.
I loved the opening moments of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour when John Hartford would stand up amidst the audience with his banjo and begin Gentle On My Mind. Loved that song and the sound of his banjo. These musicians were my biggest influence as a kid.
458,820 veiws... a coulple hunderd of those are mine... l love this!!!
Great Musician. Great Showman.
Love John Hartford. Thanks for the post...
Saw him in Charleston in 1980. Miss that guy!
Oh this is so sweet! What a shame this man is no longer with us 😢
Thanks! This is excellent. Music at its best. This guy was a genius
I was fortunate to see John at the Grand Ole Opry and he did his songs with a banjo on a platform just like this. It absolutely blew me away. The best act of the night
I would of loved to have seen that but I was born in another time when I was just lucky enough to enjoy what the 90's had to offer.
There were so many musicians during the 50-80's that were so amazing,
John Hartford could write one of the best song anyone ever heard but he also was one of a kind.
Too much computorized crap today that you cant tell if it being played the whole time or on a loop.
I like raw talent,a voice and an instrument with no special effects.
I need a heart button to click! Miss JH so much.
Thanks for posting this. John was and remains a treasure.
thank you always enjoyed him with Glen on hiss show,,Glen seem to really enjoy his company
I knew Mr Hartford. He really knew his music.
I saw John H. doing a different song, but doing this same soft shoe semi tap thing on the Smothers Brothers show in the late 60's / early 70's. I thought it was fascinating then and still love it.
Geez ! I finally found this guy ! I love him ! I remember him playing with Glen Campbell. Could NOT remember his name . Wonderful !
What a magnificent performance in every sense from the boy from south east missura
Seriously one of the best musicians to ever walk the earth!
I know it for a fact!
Thanks for the wonderful song John. Such beautiful lyrics.
Thank you! He is missed, but alive in my heart. This was incredible!
What a great performer and such a wonderful voice !!
Immensely gifted person and the sort of person you would want to meet. Thks for postin this
Shhhh.... Gods BeatBoxin. Thru the shoes.
I don't know how anyone ever listens to Campbell after hearing John...
+Buffy Holt Two distinct talents, John was awesome, and so was Glen...music is meant to be enjoyed and I for one can enjoy both and admire each for their own distinct styles.
Buffy Holt
About 10 million thought he did it better. John got paid every time anyone performs it.
Saw John back in the 70's live at blue grass festival,,,,thems were the really good ol' days
Pure poetry. He was our later day Steven Foster.
Immortal and a sound that last a life time of entertainment so incredible cool
Ciao Maestro.
A true legend. Thank you. Ramcey in Nashville
Best song ever written. Miss you John!
It really floored me to learn that millennials don't get John Hartford. smh so sad
Thank you, John, somewhere out there.
John Hartford wrote "Gentle on My Mind"
musical genius on multiple levels
I left my records in the sun. Thanks John
Thank you so much for taking the time to upload this!
I have never seen someone shuffle their feet in a rhythm like that
Marvellous combination of banjo and person with great heart! Thank you for reminding us John Hartford.
I love this music. Saw this man in WV in Ronceverte. Y'all 'member. Spunky was described as lookin' like a 'carp in the sun'.
Happy Birthday !
What the F-ing hell is wrong with the 46 a-holes who gave this a thumbs down! This is fantastic!
Multi-talented individual. RIP, Mr. Hartford.
Thanks so much for this. The passing of Glenn Campbell has gotten a lot of much-deserved publicity, but not the man who more or less put him on the map.
It was most certainly mutually beneficial exchange.
I met John at Merlefest, damn fine man. I watched him on Glen Campbell when I was a kid. What a genuis! I have to rate him a 10.5, whatever's highest!
My God, it keeps getting better ❤
Backing tracks? drummers? These are things for weaker musicians, John only needs a plank of wood and some shoes
I hear ya John... I miss ya.
BEYOND A GIFT DISCOVER THIS
Americana at its best ... WTG John. May we not let our culture fall by the wayside.
LIKE A BEAUTIFUL WORK OF ART. ***
Nobody would ever confuse John for Scruggs or any of his clones. John had a distinctive style of his very own Just as distinctive as Earl.
Classic ambassadorial representation of Americana; John Hartford is a solidly cemented American Classic Treasure.
Proving that just "being yourself" is certain route to anonymity.
Celebrate the singer / song writers of this world!!!!!