This almost brings me to tears…..

I love the music, the nostalgic home scenes, and friendly, happy people!

Breakin’ Up Winter is old-time all the time, demonstrating the roots of what we know today as bluegrass music. Pick away!

5/13/23: Thank you, David. Come to Breakin’ Up Winter in March 2024. Pick away!

Great Doc David, weirdly I’m decended from a very famous Cowboy by the name of Earl Bascom…out West

Gave you health care so the women didn't die in child labour. But let's not care about the truth let's storm the capital and kill a cop. Qanon maga

@@catwrangler7907 What the hell's that fiasco got to do with mountain folk, you prejudiced moron? Don't act obtuse, the quote is meant to say you can be money poor and rich in spirit. Hateful folk like you are why this country is so divided. Shut your trap and enjoy the music for a spell.

@@catwrangler7907 Ironic thing is, bringing more children into this shit show of a world seems more amoral than your kids dying of natural causes like they did for all of history until the last 100 years. The last 100 years also happens to be exactly when the exponential curve of the world turning into a shit show really took off...

@@catwrangler7907 You call *that* "storming the Capitol"?? There were easily enough people there to tear the building down brick by brick had they wanted to! "Insurrection" my A**. It was hardly the storming of the Bastille! No fires started. No mass destruction of property (unlike the many Antifa/BLM riots.) NO "cop was killed", only an unarmed young woman shot in the face by a "security guard" who got off scott free. The dead cop you mention so casually actually died of natural causes the next day (from a stroke, his family have said.) NO firearms were found on any of the people arrested (often unneccesarily) by the Capitol police, according to the Chief of Police himself. You really need to stop believing your lying, Marxist MSM and parotting their lies.

This Cat Wrangler fella seems to be a victim of tribal thinking. He came to hate on what he believes are his enemies. I don't know about you guys, but I'm here to enjoy the music.

Does GPS give you trouble?

Haha... Man there is a region between VA and West VA.. Where the roads don't have names that show up on GPS.. Or your phone and GPS lose signal... Like when you get past Buffalo Gap headed west over the Blue Ridge Mountains.. God's Country

@@oljimeagle6779 Here in PA, we got more roads than names.

@@Ohnyet I love that tri-state area.. (Maryland, Delaware,Pennsylvania)Lived in Fair Hill Md. and Id drive over into PA and let myself get lost in the country. Any place where there are more horses than people is a good place to be.That whole area is something special in the spring and early summer.

Machete Yo *x* keep her lit sir🤠

That is so sad but so true. Makes me want to cry. I'm afraid we'll never see that wonderful America again.

Same every western country the corporations won. The way neighbours came together looked after one another, broke bread and formed a community a village is definition of socialism the heartless corporations are capatalism in a nutshell. Free yourselves

You got that right brother. Much of our culture of independence is lost. I'm just a millennial and even I long for a freedom that seems to have vanished from the ether of the US.

@@Nobodynewduh For sure....and younger folks from your generation are getting screwed-royale by corporates and so called "gig" work which amounts to indentured slavery. I feel for the youngsters trying to navigate through whatever the hell this place has turned in to.

Yep that's right the good old days, simpler times people don't even realize just how life is good, when you have family friends and your freedom you have everything you need. Here I am an American been denied social security when I've already put in for it, I have benefits coming but they're being jerks, the United States government is preventing me from having a plain simple cabin, and the size of that cabin will be a 16x20, a single room with four or five windows, possibly two doors. One small wood burning stove with an oven, one small bed, a composting toilet, 6 ft kitchen counter, a root cellar to keep food in, no electricity, a couple of solar panels , my banjo, my acoustic guitar, a nice comfy chair, a small radio, my bibles, no t.v. needed. A propane burner stove, a propane freezer if I want one, a 3000 gallon water tank to be filled from time to time, a 3X3 shower in the corner, a 10 gallon propane water heater, three or four windows, in a rocking chair for picking on the front porch and drinking lemonade. Now that's really not a lot to ask to be able to live a simple life, as an older retired man, and a godly Man at that, the United States government is denying lots of people a nice comfortable way to live just because of their stupid so-called rules, and all it is is about money all they want is money money it's always about money with the government, and that's local government too that's state federal and local government, if they're not getting a mighty dollar from you, you're not allowed to live a simple life, I guess they figure you're cheating that the utility companies out of utilities if you live without it, just like people live for many hundreds of thousands of years on this here Earth. I just want to live a simple life and have those people leave me alone and let me live. I worked and earned for my social security. There's no reason for it. It's a clerical error they say, meanwhile I have to try to survive in a tiny little camper in my truck with no money coming in while I try to save to do what I need to do to live a simple life, meanwhile I have to figure out everything on my own. Well you know what I have to say about that, the same as what a lot of other people would say but I have to draw back to the Lord on this one, because I'm just going to have to trust in the Lord, no matter what happens no matter what I have to do the Lord is with me. Here I am just trying to pick myself up keep myself above ground level be obedient to the Lord and live a simple life, I have a halfway decent truck, I have a halfway decent small RV, I have one acre of treed property that's real nice that's paid for, when the government of the United States gets done with me it's a good possibility that I might have to sell my property give them all the money because we know what we think of them they're bad people I might have to lose my truck lose my trailer lose my blankets lose all my personal goods lose my musical instruments all because of the government and they made a technical error in their office, while I sit by idly trying to figure out what to do next next and survive for who knows how long a year two years I just thought I'd speak out about this matter, I figure at least this way somebody else knew, it's kind of nice to let other people know how nice the government is I'm raking you over the coals and spitting yeah out. It would be real nice if everybody joined together in a group called A.F. N.G. THAT NAME is Americans for new government, join all Americans that are fun loving freedom fighters Patriots to stand up against the federal government local and state governments, we need change, we need government to stay out of our business, okay pay taxes fine, but not be over taxed and stay out of our house, and don't tell us how to raise children, give parents control over their children once again. America needs to wake up, I'm not the only one there are other people out there, and I figured that this is one way to let other people know how I feel about this garbage or should I say wrong doing, I'm tired of all the wrongdoing in this country, what I'm trying to say is I think we all need to do our part until the good Lord comes back for us, Jesus is coming for his children. I'll do what I can or things that I have to do to survive I don't have no problem with that this makes me a little angry how the government does what they do, they want to ask you questions why this and why that, but when they have a mistake that they made on their part, they won't even apologize to you, and if you don't fight for what belongs to you they'll just keep it, they won't give it to you you have to ask for it or fight for it, meanwhile if you do owe them something one way or the other, by gosh you're guilty and they want it right now, what's yours is theirs, and what's theirs is theirs. But what I say is the Earth and everything in it belongs to God, and the government's going to have to answer to God In The end. Y'all have a good day and I hope you don't have to go through anything like I'm going through. God bless all the poor people God bless all his children, father God turn all the evil people and all the sinfulness away from the devil and have them all turn to you Lord in the name of Jesus I pray amen.

Oh so it was decided by God, God decides fate. Same for children that have raped, God decided that?

@@hamilt55467 stop baiting on a fiddle video lil bro

@@hamilt55467 left wing secularist spotted… G-d gave us rules to live by and rural folk don’t need the world. They just need enough to be happy, most importantly food, family, and friends

Best comment.

Best for sure

Right right

😒X-RING !😍✨

You won this. Sir.

Thats beautiful

That's what I tell my millennial, young adult children. I tell them not to get involved in the social media scrum because, at the end of the day, nobody cares about you as your family and friends do. I also tell them that they have the freedom to choose to engage or not, which is a privilege that is unprecedented in history. It's not a perfect analogy but, I hope you see what I mean.

I didn’t know there were people in North Dakota back then

So true....gives me chills to think about that statement in the context of today’s world

Ain't that amazing? We take so much for granted nowadays.

I am with you those memories! The world is foreign today.

As my Scottish mother said when my sister asked if we were poor, "Of course we're no poor! We just don't have any money. There's a difference, lass."

Nonetheless, they led good lives and I am proud to call them fellow citizens. They are the salt of the earth, and God is no respector of persons.

THANK GOD for old-time country music!!! And, many thanks to your brave, proud, and noble Scottish ancestors, who brought their music with them across the ocean for full-blooded Italian-Americans like me to enjoy and love. YEE-HAW!!!

@@franklopresti2870 French Americans, too. 🎼🇫🇷🇺🇸🎵

‘Saor Alba’ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

And deeply anti-vax. Stop idolizing inbreeding and lack of education.

@@bustaplz I think Id take no education before whatever turned you into such an awful person

@@bustaplz say you watch too much news, without telling me you watch too much news.

@@bustaplz Idiot...they haven't heard of covid, let alone covid vaccine. WTFU

unfortunately they have been nearly annihalated by an opioid epidemic :(

That's just how we talk round North Carolina ma'am.

Exactly. Was just thinking of the Jumping Frog. :-)

🤣 Just two hollars past that dead cat

Novel? He told them exactly, where to go and it worked! This boy knew his county!

Thought it was a little Girl...

Such great memories made just from music and the circle of people you come into contact with. Thanks for the virtual visit.

That is too awesome Dean! 😊🎵

Glad to hear that his circumstances improved.

Cool, thanks for sharing!

Wow, I'm taken aback by their talent and beautiful music. Inspiring, I'm lost for words. Thanks so much for sharing.

That happens in rural Pennsylvania too!

Always insert one or two colloquialisms that no outsider could possibly know ("Take a left turn as soon as you pass Ed Furnley's place") or ("Cross over the bridge that used to be painted silver"). Then, at the very end, add a shocker that will make him forget everything else you said ("look for the house with the dead cow in the driveway; it's right after that") ("then keep your eyes open for the yard where the naked girl's chained up"). -Ideas copped from the MAD Magazine Gas Station Attendant Primer

As a fellow Appalachian this is how I still give directions and how I heard them growing up. I've lived in the same small town almost my entire 33 years of life and I still don't know most of the street names but I can tell you how to get there and where not to go lol.

Grew up in ND and I still navigate by landmarks. Spent several years in rural Ireland and lived on a road with no name. I asked why they didn't put addresses on houses. The answer was "We wouldn't want to be doing that now.". Thing is it made perfect sense to me.

A true art

I truly luv this kind wish there was more available to hear.

Heavy hearts and light wheelbarrows?

@doctordonuthin I sure hope so.

All of these Old Folks from the 50's are long gone now, but although they were without the Luxuries of the outside world even at that time, they didn't know it. They were happy. Most living over a Hill or Holler from each other, but the word got out after Winter & they would meet up to play in someone's barn & they would eat, dance, & drink. This Film Producer found out just how poor they looked to him, as even his Host were getting on in Age & were having trouble with where Lost John lived. It comes with age, but did you see how quickly that driver... through directions from that Youngster brought back exactly where to go & what turns & roads he spoke of immediately. Recall!! Even the wife stated that to her husband that I don't believe you ever brought me over here to Johns. He said Noooo, I never did. But instantly they knew each other. Make No mistake word traveled when someone was in trouble or someone in a family passed, within a 5-10 mile radius. And you didn't just go into the Hills & Hollers to cause trouble. Most thought them Dumb. But make No Mistake, within a few words & them being Cordial to you, word would be out & passed along within the day. These people could read you like a book. They were the Ultimate at surviving and all before getting Older in life were Buckboard Strong. In older age, You didn't push them Oldtimers as they were still very dangerous. It was best if you were to get lost in those mountains to be Friendly & certainly Not ask the Wrong Questions. These people are all gone now, but think of hard these Folks Parents & Grandparents were who came before them. Most of these in the Mid 50's living in the tiny Homes in Hollers & Hills that were passed down to them. Any normal (what we called normal say from a city), wouldn't have lasted a Year in the Mountains. They lived there lives like we all should, & that's to enjoy each & every day you have on this earth. We are now fighting Covid here in 2020 but worse, although Technology & Advancement is Great, how often and everyday are you stressed from the rush of always seeming behind. Not enough hours in a 24 hr day. Simply exhausted from the Rush of life in a day that we've created ourselves. I love my simple life. I make a point Not to get involved in to many things or projects in my life. I have learned not to be on FB, Intsta, etc, & 3 years ago got rid of Cable Tv. I bought a simple Antenna, & get about 20 channels & get local News. I now watch the morning News & then turn off that Tube, that I used to have access to 500 channels or so too. I go for walks & get out in nature more to see the Beauty as I did as a Child. Hit a few parks & enjoy fawn & fauna. You will find less is more, & more is less, & for certain, much more healthy for your body & mind! Merry Christmas to All and I pray these Vaccines are the Miracle we all need right now, so that 2021 will be a New Year of healing. God Bless Everyone 🙏🎄💕

@@jimroushing7534 well said

If they lived today, they'd have just as low energy and heavy hearts as everyone else.

Great point: limited materially ('stuff/thing-poor'), but rich in humanity and musical expressiveness. How loaded with inherent bias are the simple words rich and poor.

Outsiders have always been fools to the real beauty of our culture. Sadly it's a culture long gone replaced by the outsiders themselves. I have not only been fortunate enough to live hard myself but to have known folks that lived like this man. Dirt floor, thin saw milled siding, no power, and some still without running water inside. I am only 40 and can recall atleast 6 kids through school who never had power growing up. It was somewhat normal to us because many in the community had or still lived the same. Technology has destroyed what was beautiful in the NC mountains. My people have been here for over 270 yrs and I can guarantee I'm the last of that line to have had a glimpse of how the people and community really was. By the time my children were born most of the remnants in my County were gone.

@latest plague peace and blessings, what is old is new again. We will be forced to discover the old ways, or parish. Back to homesteading, raise or hunt for meat, garden, and can or dry our food, save seeds , heat and cook with wood. The last month only spent 90$ at the store for food. Back to living as we should , close to the land.

@Ben Noah same to you and agreed, mother nature will find a way. Whether it's plague, war, or nature's fist there will be a reckoning for the way society has gone out of control. Don't know if I will live to see it. Sadly alot of the old ways have been lost, we are the dumbest smart people to ever exist when looked on as a whole.

Exactly what I was thinking! 👍

This is the sort of thing I mean when I say that there's poor and there's broke. Both mean little to no material wealth. The dividing line is despair.

He may have been one of the richest men alive. Wealth should never be measured by money.

Well put. Interestingly I know dozens of Cubans in Cuba that are poor but very very far from poverty with rich full lives. I also know several wealth Canadians that live in abject poverty. Interesting your statement. Causing thought.

Thank you for that perspective, he was rich indeed

It's on the trail of the Alan Lomax Archive. Why wouldn't we have... let's say... David Hoffman Archive, too?!?;-)

Great stuff reminds me of growing up in north ga mountains

Although I am an outsider I do so stand with you upon this risen conviction

Best comment ive seen in a while

@@kengibson2605 I grew up in the county that Bascom Lamar lunsford grew up in and, while most of the people he learned from, knew of, glorified for being better than him; because in most cases they were, his knowledge of everything/one is still praised and taught about. It doesn't hurt that he is essentially the only famous person to have come from our county. Sadly he's not even considered famous anymore.

As a little girl growing up in a small community call Windy Gap NC, Lost John and his family lived just up the road from me. I remember he was a little different than other people. His kids were like that also. I was very surprised to see this video as he must have been living in a different area when this video was made. But this is surely him, cause my mama told me about him playing the fiddle. The old house is still partially standing there, and is all grown up around it. I just wonder if this video was made before he moved to our community, cause that is def not the house he lived in in Windy Gap!

Becky, was he blind? He hardly opens his eyes

@@andreegross As far as I know he could see, he did jobs and tried to make a living. I was very small when this video was made. He lived in my community a good while after that. He made music with one of my neighbors and his boys. They were quite the thing, and did quite a bit of traveling. The neighbors wife told her son in law, who told me, that he had one good suit of clothes, I guess for making music in. She said they had to take the suit away from him because he would wear it to the garage, and to the garden. I believe he only had about 3 sets of clothes to his name! Part of the old house is still standing, I believe, I intend to go by there one day soon and see if there is any remains of it!

@@beckywelborn1379 thank you for taking the time to answer with so much information. I wondered because he appears to have kept his eyelids almost closed. Yet, he did seem to look right at anyone who was speaking. Thank you.

@@andreegross you are very welcome!

When misery comes knocking it's not any less miserable just because it doesn't look the same as it once did. If you're stuck day in and out wondering whether you should put off rent or food this week, that doesn't make it any more or less terrible because you have a toilet with running water instead of an outhouse. Isn't that the point of these little videos? To show that you can empathize with others, regardless of if they're familiar to you or not?

@@werewolf4358 no. The point of the videos is the music

@@nikkijo9999 I think that's a rather simplistic approach to this. If it were *just* about the music, why would more than half the video be introducing the lives of the people who made it? It would make much more sense to just say "yeah, I went to such and such area at this period of time and here's the music I found." But instead of that, we're really introduced to these people. Told about their lives, their problems and somewhat about how they deal with it all. To me, that's setting the viewer up for a good old fashioned dose of connection with strangers.

@@werewolf4358 the man that made the fill said that it was about th music

They were poor in the true meaning, because they worked as hard as work gets and still didnt have enough to eat. Nowadays you get a check while sitting on your ass, and inventing every reason in the world for you're disadvantaged. Get off your ass. There are many jos. Btw, I am as liberal as they come with the exception of my strong belief in the 2nd Amendment. Cheers all!

Thank you for your comment. If your resources allow, I would sure appreciate your using the THANKS button under any of my videos including the one you have commented on. It is something new that KZfaq is beta testing and would mean a great deal for my continuing efforts. David Hoffman filmmaker

You got that right ! These folks radiate happiness,they will enjoy and be grateful. Thank you your all the best .

Andy, as long as what you’re hearing ain’t Dueling Banjos 😮😄

@@deewaddellinstudio_1886 paddle faster!

Most people from these mountains are of Irish decent. As are we.

They're Irish most likely

I'm from Ireland but I would have to add that this music is rooted in the Irish and the Scots, especially the Scots-Irish. Traditional Irish dancing is almost exactly the same as Appalacian mountain dancing.

Ulster Scots

@@melissagannon5711 the scots have been in and around the apallachians since the 1500s. many a scottish sang and fiddle tune there. a few scots words also

Me too and then I had tears of anger when someone mocked him in the comment section.

@@imaginarycanary9956 I can't believe people make fun of such a kind hearted individual.

I agree. He reminds me a lot of a friend that died last year.

@@michaelbarnett2527 so sorry to hear that.

@@eldenrivas7842 They are what Hell is for. They don't see, they don't hear, they are idiots.

Thank you Jeff.

dear sir that “other” fiddler is a legend and I was shocked to hear that famous melody…

The Darlings were not something concocted for the TV show, they were a real bluegrass band, actually called The Dillards. Led by brothers Doug (a great banjo player!) and Rodney Dillard from Missouri, they were a bit younger than the old folks in this video but still the real deal.

@@theronb1177 That's so cool. I never knew that. Thanks for the info.

Thank you for your kind thoughts. I feel fortunate to have done what I have done and be able to share it. David Hoffman filmmaker

To

A beautiful reflection and remembrance, Lavonne. I can remember dancing around my bedroom when at 16, I heard the music on my radio from the grand ole Opry. Pure joy. David Hoffman filmmaker

You're spot on.

M y sons are Smokestack Relics. They started blues. Love it!

@Lord Of The World Agreed!

@@inthemaze7441 That is awesome, You must be very proud :) 👍

I am from mountain folk in Poland and their music is quite unique. Polish Highlanders or Goralska Muzyka...check it out. Thanks for another history lesson.

There are old-time festivals out there, you can sit around and listen

Thank you for your comment. If your resources allow, I would sure appreciate your using the THANKS button under any of my videos including the one you have commented on. It is something new that KZfaq is beta testing and would mean a great deal for my continuing efforts. David Hoffman filmmaker

@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Always. 😉

​@@cam_webb Got me bang to rights, it's a fair cop!. I hail from the Lea Valley Delta, just south of Enfield!

@@cam_webb i can do better than both i live in ulster were its that bad these folks in the video had to run away from it nr 300 years ago 😂😂

@@whitetroutchannel Is that why I'm in N.C. as I type this now?, born here infact. I've crossed the big pond & found y'all to be real pleasant folks!!!! Cheers mates. Well their was that lady who looked at me like I was an arse-face. To be real I wasn't use to being told to, "cue up" so I was thrown off & confused. I can only guess my face resembled a bum to her & possiblely the whole of England. But now I get it. "Mind the Gap" fellows.

I totally agree!

David, thank you for sharing mate! Brilliant 💜🙏🏽

They are your people my friend!

They are your people!! Klopt. Zit ook bijna elke dag te zoeken naar deze fantastische muziek. Bijzonder...

@@paulkuijer8129 Me too.

Truly universal music. Bluegrass has origins in northern Europe folk music and resonates over time. Just like when I visit the Netherlands and hear Dutch. I think, "The Dutch can't wait to go home and to relax with English." (Apologies to my Dutch friends and Garrison Keillor of "Prairie Home Companion" for stealing his joke. :)

My mother was from Middlesborough Kentucky, and was half Dutch and half Cherokee. Her mother's maiden name was Holland. There were a lot of settlers from the Netherlands in the Cumberland Gap region of the Appalachian Mountain range. You may be distantly related to some. .....HELL, .....maybe even ME!😂

Amen

Right on Otto.. I'm from Maritime Canada and we have the music that came over with the first settlers.. I imagine mountain music and our music are very close because at one time they were the same... The music could bring a simile to the races of hard working women and men.. that kind of Music will always be with us thank God ...

@Otto Scorzany And English folk music. Or doesn't that count?

@Otto Scorzany A staggeringly ill informed not to say utterly bizarre comment - your grasp of the history of the British Isles and its folk traditions is wanting to say the least. 'There is no English folk music'. So what were the English farm labourers, cowherds, shepherds, blacksmiths, weavers, millhands etc etc singing and playing in the years up to the First World War and modern mass entertainment? Of course they sang Irish, Scots and 'Welch' songs but predominantly their own English folk songs. Do you just make this stuff up?

@Otto Scorzany Again, but this time in English.

That's how a working man holds a fiddle. After a lifetime of manual labor, the shoulders don't like to be forced into the unnatural position a violin player uses. Just a couple minutes on the shoulder is enough to make both hands tingle and burn for the rest of the week. I can appreciate the love he puts in every note.

Unfortunately with non of the grit and quiet strength these people had. Too soft these days

@@jcp012000 Not everyone. The deep country and mountain people, now those are some people that's not to be messed with. 😏

@@randyboring9089 where did you go instead and what happened in life that you are not happy with, if you dont mind sharing more? And what town in Tennessee? I've been driving through tennesse lots over last year going to ohio for medical appointments. Nice state. As a teenager I traveled a few times to Dunlap area down from Chattanooga for canoeing on the Sequatchie river.

@@randyboring9089 oh okay. My dad and my brothers are in Washington state. My step mothers family was first to homestead on vashon island in Puget sound seattle/tacoma. I'll have to look up turtle town tennessee, interesting.

These are fine people, they humble me with their decency and goodness. As a child, I remember folks like this in the backwoods and swamps of Florida. Somehow, people aren't as epic niwadays.

Lol