Life is short - begin every day with a smile!
Like many from my local area, I had the pleasure of watching Carson Peters grow up singing and playing his trademark sizzling fiddle.
The first time I saw this young man perform was in nearby Bristol, Virginia on the stage of a local Bluegrass Music show called The Pickin’ Porch.
He was all of 8 years old, but he played that fiddle like he was already a seasoned veteran – and in a very real way, he was.
Ronnie Reno has delighted Bluegrass and Country Music fans as a performer, songwriter and television host for six decades.
In addition to recording and touring with his own band, he also performed alongside some of the biggest names in the music world – the Louvin Brothers, Merle Haggard, The Osborne Brothers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Johnny Paycheck…the list just goes on and on.
If you’re a fan of traditional American music, it’s a good bet that Ronnie played a major role in shaping your musical experience.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ronnie about his life and long career performing in not one, but two genres of American music.
Here are ten questions and answers with Ronnie Reno…
It’s common for artists to “cover” songs that were huge hits for other performers, but only rarely does the cover version do justice to the original.
Well I’m about to share one of those rare instances with you right now…
“And all your money won’t another minute buy…“
-–”Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)
Like many teenagers back in the day, I enjoyed listening to Rock music.
And during that period of the 1970’s American Rock was anchored by the group Kansas, a close-knit group of singers and musicians whose vocals and instrumental work blended together on a level that seemed to approach perfection.
“You know, there’s really only three female singers in the world: Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, and Connie Smith. The rest of us are only pretending.“
-–Dolly Parton
That’s some pretty high praise right there, especially coming from someone who is a Country Music giant herself.
You could easily convince me that Dolly’s exaggerating a bit with the “The rest of us are only pretending” part, but…