The Country Gentlemen Labor Day Weekend ( Sept. 1, 2 & 3 ) 1st Annual Berryville Bluegrass Festival* Watermelon Park Berryville, VA September 3rd, 1967 AUD > reel ( recorded by Mr. John Briggs from NC ) **- special Sunday Artists' Choice Slot 01 introduction by Carlton Haney 02 Are You Waiting Just For Me ? 03 Long Black Veil 04 Buffalo Gals ( Come Out Tonight ) 05 Dark As A Dungeon 06 Today Has Been A Lonesome Day 07 Under The Double Eagle 08 Bringing Mary Home 09 Bluebell 10 Heaven 11 Tom Dooley 12 Get In Line Brother 13 theme from the movie ( Exodus ) 14 Mocking Banjos 15 Cripple Creek Charlie Waller - Guitar John Duffey - Mandolin Eddie Adcock - Banjo Ed Ferris - Bass * - This particular festival was arranged by Carlton Haney. The following excerpt will explain what can appear to be a confusing story if not told correctly ; John Pugh , in September of 1983 , interviewed Mr. Carlton Haney for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine in a story titled " Carlton Haney, True Great ". One must remember that Mr. Haney had organized the first multi-day ( 2 days ) bluegrass festival in 1965 on Cantrells' Horse Farm ( Roanoke/Fincastle, VA ).He expanded to three days in 1966 and it was a great success.After the show Ralph Rinzler ( Director of the Office of Public Services for the Smithsonian Institution ) wrote that " the greatest concert in American Music was performed at Fincastle, Virginia, September 4th, 1966 ".It was the first time The Osborne Brothers had sung with the undisputed "Father" of what we all consider " Bluegrass "; Bill Monroe. Back to Mr. Pughs' 1983 interview with Carlton Haney ( verbatim ); " Miller was already doing Sunday music shows at Watermelon Park. The schedule, he ( Haney ) said was Roanoke on Friday night, the Old Dominion Barn Dance in Richmond on Saturday and Watermelon Park on Sunday." When Haney asked to move his Labor Day Festival to the Park, ( because the owners of the horse farm in Fincastle wanted to triple the rent on Carlton ) Miller had doubts but didn't refuse. " It's cold up here," was Millers' reply as he added "You're welcome to use my place." "In two years," Haney said, he found out Miller was right. " It was cold in September on that river." Haney decided to buy land in Reidsville, NC for his Labor Day Festival, but he had another proposition for John U. Miller. "Do you want to start one with me on the Fourth of July ?" From 1967 to 1979, Haney says, " the 4th of July Festival at Watermelon Park ( in its' festival heyday, referred to more commonly as 'Berryville' ) became a byword among those who enjoyed bluegrass." Haney said "almost every big promoter came to Watermelon Park to learn how to put on a festival, even those who put on the historic Woodstock celebration in New York........" .....Bluegrass Unlimited, a national magazine promoting bluegrass music, also got its first large public exposure at Berryville. In 1968, it was a little mimeographed sheet, which was sold at Watermelon Park during the Festival. Now it is a slick paper production with international circulation." So this, 1967, was the 1st Annual Berryville Bluegrass Festival but in essence, this was Mr. Haneys' 3rd Annual large, multi-day Bluegrass Festival. He is properly credited with beginning ( Fincastle 1965 ) what we still model festivals after today with workshops and fan/musician interaction, etc. Perhaps Mr. Miller may have planted a seed since the two men had worked together before and Carlton managed Bill Monroe for some time. The very first all-day " Bluegrass Day " concert with multiple top-shelf artists' was held by Mr. John U. Miller at Watermelon Park on August 14th, 1960. In 2005 Eddie Stubbs' made mention of its' 45th anniversary and how many in the bluegrass community fail to recognize the importance of this date in bluegrass music history. Also Mr. Bill Keith told us of the trip he and his budding New England bluegrass musician friends took " down south " in search of some of the sources of this bluegrass and old-time mountain music that they had fallen in love with. Bill didn't really say much about their destination or travels except that on the way home, while passing through the Washington D.C. area, they tuned-in a local radio station to pass the time. As fate would have it, they immediately heard an advertisement about 'an all-day bluegrass music show' in which some of their Grand Ole Opry idols would be performing at that very day. Needless to say, they took a slight detour. Legendary disc jockey Don Owens', serving as Master of Ceremonies that day as well as on a regular basis during the 1960 season, claimed there were three-thousand people in attendance. On the show that day, in the order of appearance in the advertisement in 'The Winchester Star'; Mac Wiseman, the Osborne Brothers, Scotty Stoneman, Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, Don Reno & Red Smiley, Buck Ryan & Smitty Irvin and Bill Harrell. Luckily for us, Mr. Keith was a persistent young man ( with a tape recorder of some sort perhaps ) for he noticed someone recording the show and he doggedly requested a copy be made. Finally this mystery person gave-in and Bill Keith and his friends headed north towards home with an entirely different and exciting new perspective on bluegrass music and the hillbillies who play it and also one amazing audio document/souvenir. In less than three years Bill Keith would be on stage as a 'Blue Grass Boy', playing banjo for the great Bill Monroe. Look for the documentary " Music Across the River " for Bill Keiths' telling of this story & the impact this show had on his musical approach to the banjo and his life in general. ** - (track one) Carlton Haney explains what this Gentlemens' set is about. There was apparently a special Sunday slot in the show and the musicians themselves would vote for their favorite act to perform. This was The Gentlemens'second year in a row of winning. This would be John Duffeys' second to last appearance with the Gentlemen at Watermelon Park ( the last being Labor Day Weekend, August 26 - 29, 1968, John having left in the spring of 1969 ). He would of course help headline each July 4th weekend show with The Seldom Scene from 1971 until 1979, when someone was seriously injured in an altercation and Mr. Miller closed the Park; because he felt he could not guarantee all paying customers the safe & respectable setting that had help make Watermelon Park so popular to begin with. In retrospect, around seven-hundred fans attended Carltons' 1966 Fincastle show ( his 2nd Annual Bluegrass Festival ). An article written in the Washington Post from mid-July 1971 reports the attendance level right around twelve-thousand people. As I have conducted research over the last three years, several times I have heard or run across the estimated number of attendees' by the time they shut down in 1979; forty-some thousand ! It seems that with some help and a truely unique location, Mr. John U. Miller could grow more than just watermelons ! --------------------------------------------------------------------