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Subject: NN: an essay for Sue Peete (long and rambling) 
   From: "Hank Van Slyke" (chevelle@pnx.com> 
   Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 16:40:00 -0500 

>From a newspaper column:
"We go through life sometimes not letting people know how much we mean to
each other. Friendships really help make life's tough stuff bearable."

Sometimes we remember to thank our friends for helping us fix the car, or
lending an ear when we have a problem to solve.  It might be a handshake, a
look, a quick "thanks, man" or another beer offered, but it's a thanks
nonetheless.  For a good time shared, we might shake hands and say "Enjoyed
it, see you soon" and wave as we drive off, but the sincerity is there.  I
don't think any of us take the quick everyday expressions of thanks for
granted, I just wonder if it is always felt in the heart as much as the
memories of those thanks are when one of your friends goes away.  Going away
by moving to another state, getting Alzheimer's or by dying, they are still
our friends and are missed.  Some of my friends who went away 30 years ago
are still remembered warmly and it is bittersweet to come across their name
in print or see them in an old photograph.  Today I saw an obituary for the
mother of one of those long-gone friends, and it brought back many pleasant
memories of the days when my friend was here.  Friday my wife emailed me at
work to tell me of Bill Peete's untimely passing, and it brought back many
good memories of Holiday Tape Exchanges and friendly bantering on the
NanciNet.

This morning in church I had a revelation of sorts, a metaphysical and
spiritual event that was definitely different.  My church is a charismatic
standing-on-the-Word group that is loosely associated with the Assembly of
God.  While we were all standing up and singing praise songs, I looked
around at the crowd and saw the people as both physical bodies and as
spiritual bundles of light, all alive and praising the Lord as best they
could.  In many books I've read and movies I've seen, the human spirit is
portrayed as a bundle of light, but this is the first time I'd "seen" it in
person.  None of the bundles of light were brighter than another, they were
all bright, but soft bright.  It got me to thinking about how each of us
shines brightly in the area around of us, and how our light touches others
and others' light touches us.  I thought of how the light can shine through
written word, such as emails and letters, or over the phone.  It might be
the awareness of the light that shines from our friends that makes them so
special to us, sometimes their light is so strong that we don't have to be
aware of it to know they are special.  Then I thought of how the shadows
creep in when a light goes out, when a switch is thrown and the room goes
dark.  Jokes have been made about "what is the speed of dark" but I can tell
you that it is the speed of the news of a special light's "going away" as it
spreads to all the family and friends.

When I'd read a post here by Bill Peete, it always made me wish I lived in
his area or passed through sometime.  When he organized the Tape Exchange,
and I got the eagerly-anticipated email about who I would be exchanging
tapes with, I felt the warmth of someone who truly wanted to spread holiday
cheer. All of the stories you good folks posted here about the good times
you shared with Bill and Sue were heart-warming and light-filled.  Thanks
for sharing all that with us.  I really mean it.

Sue, it's so tough to do anything right now and it's going to be tough for a
long time.  I and several others here know the pain of losing a spouse and
friend, and it's the hardest thing in the world to learn to walk again after
that.  Please take a little comfort in knowing that Bill's light is shining
brightly in Heaven as he plays guitar with the likes of Kate Wolf and Woody
Guthrie and a whole raft of others, and this time he's not playing by
himself.  We'll all get to meet again "over yonder", yet it seems like an
eternity until then.  Undoubtedly your family and friends are close by with
support, and the entire NanciNet is shining a light in your direction.  We
love you.

Hank "still learning" Van Slyke

(I don't know if anyone else wants to do this, but it might be a nice
tribute to Bill if we put "thanks, bill" at the end of our messages, so here
goes)

thanks, bill


-----------------------------------------------------


Subject: Re: NN: very very sad news 
   Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 00:18:47 -0500 
   From: "Ed Maier" (evmaier@sbcglobal.net> 

Sue,

Please accept my most sincere condolences.

Ed Maier

-----------------------------------------------------

Subject: NN: Goodbye, Bill 
   Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 18:59:25 -0600 
   From: Molly Prive (prive@charter.net> 


I, too, had the pleasure of meeting the Peete's at a concert. I even have
picture of a group of us "NanciNetters". I thought the concert was just
so-so, but the look on Bill's face was pure rapture. I will never forget
that encounter or what the contribution the Peete's have been to this
on-line community.

Molly P. in Oregon

Thanks Bill!

-----------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: NN: Future music? 
   From: RoanInish@aol.com 
   Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 13:39:48 EDT 

In a message dated 7/19/02 11:26:50 AM, nanci-digest-approval@world.std.com
writes:

(( Nickel Creek.  THIS SIDE.  Sugar Hill.  8/13/02
Allison Moorer.  MISS FORTUNE.  Universal South.  8/13/02
Kelly Willis.  EASY.  Rykodisk.  9/10/02
Elizabeth Cook.  HEY Y'ALL.  Warner Brothers.  8/27/02
Kim Richey.  RISE.  Lost Highway.  Oct.?/02
Kathy Mattea.  ROSES.  Narada.  7/30/02 >>

Also coming down the pike:

Linda Thompson (yes THAT Linda Thompson!!!) -- FASHIONABLY LATE  7/30/02.
This will be her first solo release in 17 years!  

Aimee Mann - LOST IN SPACE -- 8/27/02 -- Five tracks may be heard in their
entirety at Amazon.  The entire album will be available for streaming at
www.aimeemann.com soon!


-------------------------------------------------

Subject: Goodbye Bill
   From: lippert@nauticom.net
   Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 00:30:09 -0400 (EDT)

NN'ers,
The first and only time I met Bill and Sue was during that magical
Nanci-Kate Campbell weekend in Atlanta two years ago.  What I remember most,
and what always strikes me about this group of people, is how instantly we
connected.  I had had some email back and forth to Bill and Sue, some were
about posting pictures of their "Flyer" (which I think I still have on my
hard drive somewhere, but I am out of town now and can't look them up). But
just those few exchanges and the greater number of public exchanges on  the
NanciNet, were enough to sow a seed of friendship.  I wish I had gotten to
know Bill better - I'm sure my life would be much richer for it, but the
sorrow I feel now would be even greater as well.  That is the risk we take
when we create and nurture these bonds.  As I was walking with my family
through the Torrey Pines Nature Preserve down here near San Diego, I thought
of Bill and his love of the outdoors, and how much that must have influenced
his tastes in music and the open road.

I will miss meeting you again Bill, thank you for the friendship and
laughter you gave to me.

Sue, you are in my thoughts and I hope we do not lose you from this
community as well.  We are scattered and diverse, but we are your friends
and we love you.

kenn

| kenn lippert                     "See Kate Campbell" 
| lippertNO@SPAMnauticom.net         KateCampbell.com
|
| "I have loved the stars too fondly     "The moon, the music, and me."
|  to be fearful of the night."            -Vince Bell, Texas Plates
|        -Sarah Williams                        www.VinceBell.com
|           3ap.org

-------------------------------------------------

Subject: Songbirds
   Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 19:30:52 +0100
   From: Graham Shipley (gjs@le.ac.uk>

First, may I say how shocked I am to hear about Bill Peete, particularly as
I am a cyclist. Such are the dangers of most roads today, our loved ones are
anxious until we return. My condolences to his family. 

Second, on a happier note, or notes: I don't know if this has been
mentioned, but a friend has recently recommended this compilation (details
taken from amazon.uk):

Songbirds
Various Artists 
Number of Discs: 2 
Label: Manteca
ASIN: B00005V346
Catalogue Number: MANTDCD206 

Disc: 1
1. Sitting Down Here - Lene Marlin
2. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb
3. Adia - Sarah McLachlan
4. She Cries Your Name - Beth Orton
5. Circle - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
6. You Don't Love Me Anymore - Lynn Miles
7. Fields Of Gold - Eva Cassidy
8. Forever At Your Feet - Oh Susanna
 9. Holding Your Hand - Thea Gilmore
10. Sharon Shannon Libertango - Sharon Shannon (feat. Kirsty MacColl)
11. The Wild Goose - Kate Rusby
12. Midnight On The Water - Waterson:Carthy feat. Norma Waterson
13. Trouble In The Fields - Maura O'Connell
14. Jealous Heart - Maire Brennan
15. A Perfect Indian - Sinead O'Connor
 
Disc: 2
1. Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris
2. The Wing & The Wheel - Nanci Griffith
3. Kathy's Song - Eva Cassidy
4. Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
5. Why Walk When You Can Fly - Mary Chapin-Carpenter
6. When I Close My Eyes - Rhonda Vincent
7. Holdin' On - Rory Block
8. The Gardener - June Tabor
 9. Waiting For My Prayer - Christine Collister
10. Time In The Son - Eliza Carthy
11. Denis - Jemima Price
12. Slip Of The Tongue - Mary Gauthier
13. He's Young But He's Growing - Cara Dillon
14. Love Song - Lesley Duncan
15. It Could Have Been Better - Joan Armatrading
16. They Don't Know - Kirsty MacColl
 
Sounds good to me!

Graham Shipley 


-------------------------------------------------

Subject: NN: Bill Peete
   Sent: Monday, July 22, 2002 7:44
   From: "Panchyshyn,Roman" (panchysr@oclc.org>


> My condolences to Bill's wife and family. We've all lost a friend today
> Roman from Ohio


-------------------------------------------------

Subject: NN: Bill, Dave, Alan Lomax RIP 
   From: "Kenneth A. Steffel" (hickorywind@inos.com> 
   Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 00:10:26 -0400 


Aum  Shanti  Shiva  Shankara  Bill, Dave, Alan.

Like the Everly Brothers sang

I wish that we could sit back on a bed in some motel, and listen to the
stories it (Hank Williams' guitar) could tell. And I bet you it still rings
out like a bell.

Or perhaps...
Rastaman live out... no can kill de almighty.
*******************
Musicologist Alan Lomax Dies
The Associated Press
Jul 20 2002 2:57AM

NEW YORK (AP) - Alan Lomax, the celebrated musicologist who helped preserve
America's and the world's heritage by making thousands of recordings of
folk, blues and jazz musicians from the 1930s onward, has died. He was 87. 

Lomax was the son of folklorist John A. Lomax, whose 1910 book "Cowboy Songs
and Other Frontier Ballads" was a pioneering work in the field of music
preservation. Among the famous songs it saved for posterity was "Home on the
Range."

Two songs from the younger Lomax' collection were featured on the 2002
Grammy-winning soundtrack of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Lomax died Friday at Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Fla.,
according to Lisa Kissinger of Vin son Funeral Home. Kissinger said she
didn't know the cause of death. He had moved to the Tampa area from New York
in 1996.

Alan Lomax was still in his teens when he began assisting his father's
efforts to interview and record musicians of almost every stripe.

Long before tape recording became feasible, the work entailed lugging around
recording equipment that weighed hundreds of pounds.

Lomax said making it possible to record and play back music in remote areas
"gave a voice to the voiceless" and "put neglected cultures and silenced
people into the communications chain."

Among the famous musicians recorded by the Lomaxes were Woody Guthrie;
Huddie Ledbetter, known as Leadbelly; "Jelly Roll" Morton; Muddy Waters; and
Son House.

Much of their work was done for the Library of Congress, where the Archive
of American Folk Song had been established in 1928.

Some of the music that seemed exotic in the '30s had a profound influence on
the development of rock 'n' roll. In "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History
of Rock & Roll," critic Robert Palmer wrote about a black religious "ring
shout" song, "Run Old Jeremiah," recorded by the Lomaxes in a tiny rural
church in 1934.

"The rhythmic singing, the hard-driving beat, the bluesy melody and the
improvised, stream-of-consciousness words of this particular shout ... all
anticipate key aspects of rock & roll as it would emerge some 20 years
later," Palmer wrote.

As interest in folklore and minority groups' culture has grown in recent
decades, experts and fans alike have been able to draw upon the recordings
made so long ago.

When interest in Cajun music and its cousin, zydeco, exploded in the 1980s,
for example, a two-album set of the Lomaxes' recordings from the 1930s was
issued.

The Lomaxes "were recording people who were old then, and taking machines to
houses and recording home music," Louisiana folklore expert Barry Ancelet,
who edited the album, said in 1988.

Lomax recalled the Louisiana recording sessions vividly.

"At the time, it was wonderful, but simply bewildering. All these new kinds
of songs were simply mysteries," Lomax said. Citing one song with a
particularly complex rhythm, he said, "When I recorded it, there had been
nothing like it in America before."

His book "The Land Where the Blues Began" won the 1993 National Book Critics
Circle award for non-fiction. It documented the stories, musicians and
listeners behind blues music.

In 1990, Lomax' five-part documentary series "American Patchwork" was shown
on PBS, exploring such topics as the blues, Cajun culture and the British
roots of Appalachian music. The final episode, "Dreams and Songs of the
Noble Old," featured elderly balladeers and musicians who pass their music
to the young.

"It's not preservation, it's process," Lomax said. "It's keeping things
going."

In his research, Lomax would photograph the musicians and record their
thoughts as well as their tunes, asking them where they learned the songs
and what the songs meant to them.

The 1994 off-Broadway show "Jelly Roll!" as well as the book "Mister Jelly
Roll" were based in part on Lomax' 1938 interviews with Morton.

Lomax didn't limit his efforts to the United States, doing extensive work in
Spain, Italy, Britain and the Caribbean. He worked to compile a world survey
of folk songs, which deepened the understanding of the links between
peoples.

Lomax believed our centralized electronic communications system is imposing
"standardized, mass-produced and cheapened cultures everywhere. If those
absolutely important things are ignored, of how we speciated, how we adapted
to the planet, then we're going to lose something precious," he told The
Associated Press in 1990. "There won't be anywhere to go and no place to
come home to."

Lomax is survived by a daughter and a sister.

On the Net:

http://www.alan-lomax.com/



one_love.    ken_steffel


------------------------------------------------


Subject: NN: John and Alan Lomax radio show 
   From: "ADW" (wizard@mersinet.co.uk> 
   Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 10:16:38 +0100 

There's an Archive Hour show about the Lomaxes on BBC Radio 4 next
Saturday-27th July at 8 pm BST/ 3pm EDT

As always, you'll need RealPlayer

Alison

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