Heres a News Paper Article about Johns Visit to Grand Rapids Mich.

A Concert in a Dive Bar ..Now That’s Special ! !

 

Feb. 17,1977

Almost 30 years ago

………………………….Thanks To Jonathan Borrello

………………………………….******for Typing this out

            One Man Band John Hartford Breezes Through Grand Rapids Michigan-Feb.17, 1977

 

By Marianne Rzepka

 

  There's no such thing as a bad John Hartford concert; he makes an audiance dance despite itself.

Hartford, introduced as the "one man band," played to a crowd of about 200 at Eastown Saloon Thursday night.

 

The singer-songwriter rolled into Grand Rapids in his full-size bus, a vehicle that would make Greyhound green with envy, following a concert in Indianapolis.

 

After the show (nearly midnight), he jumped back into his home on wheels and headed for someplace in Minnesota, according to Eastown owner Bruce Wilson.

 

            "He said no interviews," said Wilson. "He's burnt out. He's been on the road several weeks; he'll have three days off and go another three weeks."

 

The word for Hartford is "professional." He was at the bar and set up before the weekend band. "Grass, Food, and Lodging," was even in town.

 

"Grass" put on a good warm-up show for the crowd, no matter that the group arrived late.

 

Hartford, a virtuoso on banjo, fiddle and guitar, was flawless, but there was no snappy repartee or exchanges with the audience between songs.

 

A short, lean man with dark, curly hair, Hartford might be said to have bedroom eyes, if only they would focus on someone.

 

But he's a professional, and his concentration is intense. He's so good, the audience was singing, clapping and stomping with little encouragment from Hartford.

 

Beginning with a medley of fiddle tunes, the performer used his flashing feet on a specially wired floorboard as percussion and a range of vocal sounds to complement the music.

 

Just to remind the audience who he was, Hartford played his three-time Grammy award winner, "Gentle on My Mind," as his second selection.

 

He had the people singing and laughing during his string of "fun" songs, including "Don't Leave Your Records In The Sun," a tune which uses Hartford's unique talent of sounding like a stuck, scratched and misused record.

 

In a change from the country-bluegrass sound, hartford played "The 6 O'Clock Train," which seemed a throwback to his earlier tunes. The change started a ball of enthusiasm rolling as the performer went into "The Cabin on the Hill" and wound up with "Rollin in My Sweet Baby's Arms."

 

Customers paid attention even in the bar's fringe areas, where the speakers were turned not quite as high to cut off conversation.

 

With flying fiddle and feet, Hartford had them pounding on the bales during his encore. "The Orange Blossom Special."

 

He left with cries of "more" and clapping hands and stomping feet. Finally, the light came on and the applause died.

 

Apparently, there had been a misunderstanding. While Hartford was saying he'd done his hour-and-a-half show. the management was convinced the contract was for                          .        Two Hours

 

Five minutes after some persons in the crowd had settled down, Hartford wandered slwoly through the crowd as if looking for a beerHe wound up back on stage to a thunder of auplause and proceeded to give the crowd more of a Hartford show than before.

 

This half-hour set included more of his recorded "fun" songs, "Up on the Hill (Where they Do, Do the Boogie)" and "Hey Babe, You Wanna Boogie?"

 

Hartford seemed more at ease, finally smiling a little at the audienceand even seeming to enjoy his big blooper of the evening when he forgot a line in a song.

 

A new compostition, which shows Hartford's adaptability, is sung for "Bob Marley and his Reggae Band," a group far more removed from country and western. The music, while mentioning Marley and reggae but mostly with marijuana, is done on fiddle with a country beat.

 

The audience which had followed the show through fiddle tunes and sing-alongs, Helped Hartford wrap it up with a drawn-out ending to "Turn Your Radio On."

 

It may seem a little strange for someone who must still be taking in the royalties on his hit "Gentle on My Mind" to work on-night stands.

 

"But that's the thing about John Hartford," said Wilson, "he's for the people. His prices are exhorbitant though."

 

Grand Rapids Press .

Feb. 17 1977

By Marianne Rzepka

 

Re typed for this Message by

,…………………...Jonathan  M. Borrello

 

For : JohnHartford-Memorial-Tribute

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