Happy 10th Anniversary Fiddle and Banjo Jam!

Amazing! Tempus fugit, indeed. The jam just turned 10 and it was a typically excellent one. Somebody told Doug he could miss it, and that Joe could bail out on a blistering version of Roanoke, but it was still great. A fine cake was there. Our fine friends were there, miss Lucy was there and Ms. Ruth. Our long lost pal Wilson. The prodigal Susie Gaskins! I'm gettin' teary eyed just thinkin' about it.

Wayne told me the theme was to play the first song you could remember playing at the jam. I do not have a distinct memory of a first song so I tried a likely one - Bill Monroe's "On and On" in G. Later I decided that "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" might have been more likely an Ralph agreed, though he doesn't know either. Wayne said he played "Little Georgia Rose" which is probably the first one I remember him playing.

I'm gettin' to feel like an old-timer. I came to the jam when I moved to Radford in June of ought-three and I've been comin' out Mondays ever since. I've said that it adds about $10,000 to what I think my house is worth, but it's probably more than that. Not every town has a solid regular jam like this where people can come out as beginners and become really good, just by sittin' in and playing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you come to the jam week in and week out, you'll GET good. And you'll have a good time doin' it. Once you get a jam like this in your back yard, you'd have to be crazy to move away.

Back in 2003, I remember Tom Layton was there a lot. We used to see a lot more of Vernon Elkins. Susie was usually the bass player. I don't think I had a conversation with Wayne for the first year. I know the first couple times I made the jam I got lost on breaks, I lost the beat, I forgot words, but the jam was always super supportive. No matter how I butchered a break, they told me to take another one. Thanks!

So let me go back to my other point (if I may ramble...where was I????) Not only does every town NOT have a jam, very few towns do. And fewer still have a regular every-week jam, and fewer still have a friendly jam that encourages anybody and everybody to join in and be a part of it. It's very special, and we know that we owe the biggest debt to Ralph Berrier for being the anchor, and showing up week after week to keep the jam going as it was getting started, and over ten long (short!) years as musicians came and went and were replaced and came back.

Here's to Ralph and here's to the musicians, and here's to ten more years!