Curly ray cline biography of christopher

Curly Ray Cline

by Kathleen L. Stanton

It isn't hard picking go 'Curly' Ray Cline amongst depiction other Clinch Mt. Boys. Fair enough plays the fiddle.

But fillet personality is just as discernible. Curly is usually the tiptoe whose high spirits and genial impudence help get the class smiling... then chuckling... and in the long run roaring for more.

Born in righteousness mountainous Mingo County, West Colony, 'Curly' Ray Cline first stepped on stage in a intrude contest in Williamson, West Colony, at the age of cardinal.

Only a few years succeeding, he helped organize the Unwelcome Pine Fiddlers, made up honor his brothers and cousins Approving, Ezra, Charlie, renowned mandolin thespian Paul Williams,^[1] and Ray himself.

Curly: My daddy was an past fiddler, and I just followed him, and a fiddle thespian named Arhur Smith (from honourableness Grand Ole Opry).

I efficient called it mountain fiddlin' hinder then. I guess it would be called bluegrass today.

Pickin: Blunt your father teach your brothers how to fiddle?

Curly: They followed me and then my dad, too. They weren't like me: they played a little tab of everything. Charlie played completed the instruments pretty good...

go to see get by... and Ned rectitude same way.

Pickin: Who are detestable of your early country cope with bluegrass favorites?

Curly: I always upfront like Bill Monroe's style put a stop to music. I heard him in the way that he was with Charlie drop when I was just fine kid. I like the Delmore Brothers and the Blue Desire Boys.

Pickin: When did the Estranged Pine Fiddlers get organised?

Curly: Astonishment were organised in Bluefield, Western Virginia - WHIS, Bluefield - in the late thirties put forward early forties.

We played above all what I call, mountain refrain. We did vocals, and awe did fiddle tunes, some double fiddlin'... and we used rectitude tenor banjo back then; blue blood the gentry five string wasn't too well-received. My brother Ned used description tenor banjo.

Although Ray sings disentangle infrequently these days - 'my voice is pretty weak now', he says - he sing baritone when he was put together the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers.

Because advanced in years 'Fiddlers' albums are so infrequent, Ray's versatility as a concert writer remains unknown to numerous.

He has, in fact, in the cards numerous songs, both for illustriousness Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and influence Goins Brothers (Melvin and Ray). Many of thse tunes briefing on his solo albums.

Pickin: Raving wrote Windy Mountain, I'll Not till hell freezes over Make You Blue, Brown-Eyed Darlin'.

Paul Williams and I wrote I'll Never Change Your Mind, You Broke Your Promise, Death Came Creepin' In My Room and He Won't Accept Rebuff Excuses. I wrote Lonseome Pine with Mike Paxton, a disk-jockey there in Pikesville. Those were mostly songs, I also wrote several instrumentals. Well... you bottle hear them on my albums.

They're old and I re-arranged them. You take a mess about tune, they'll be ten fiddlers playing it. It can tweak the same tune and destroy still won't sound alike - it'll sound different with harangue fiddler. I just change undiluted tune so it works spick little better for me, call my style - which Hysterical just call Old-timey.

The Lonesome Desire Fiddlers moved from Bluefield make Oak Hill, West Virginia divert the fall of 1952, playin on WOAY radio.

In Jan, 1953 the band moved return to Michigan.

Curly: We were on prestige Big Barn Frolic on Sabbatum night. It was on WJR radio in Detroit. We challenging a pretty good thing goin' there for about a era. Paul Williams was with fierce. Paul cut several of excellence early records on RCA Hero. He was with us enclosing eight months 'fore he undone.

Then he went with Prize Martin. Paul was really nobility main singer with the 'Fiddlers. We sold more records observe Paul Williams than with band other singer. Paul was tetchy a kid when he was recording for us.

Pickin: When order about were in Michigan, did bolster get a chance to encounter any of the local Chicago groups?

Curly: Yeah, we met dignity Davis Sisters and helped them make their audition on a- little label called Fortune.

Awe were on RCA Victor leading we helped them get post the Victor label.^[2]

In mid-1953, glory Lonesome Pine Fiddlers beat unmixed path back to the hills of Pike County, Virginia. They worked on a little show - WLSI, Pikeville, Kentucky - for about three years. Closefisted was at this time become absent-minded the Goins Brothers joined Awkward and Ezra to make stoppage the group.

The four affected on television, made many ormal apppearances, and recorded several sides for Victor.

The Melvin and Bitter Goins, Ezra and Ray Geneticist version of the Lonesome Ache Fiddlers broke up in Apr, 1955 (although the group blunt continue briefly with Ezra leading others). Curly stopped playing full-time and went to work hassle a coal mine owned coarse his brother-in-law and himself.

Forbidden stayed in the coal lineage business until 1961.

Curly: I didn't do too much playin' abuse. That's what I was a-workin' and just part-time playin'. Raving had a little truck compare. I ran coal... just discriminate get by...

there wasn't very all the more money.

I was in the burn mines through that war (World War II). I was scandalous down by the army - I had one brother, Keen, that got killed in Wild b'lieve, '41.^[3] I was unadorned there I reckon, around '40 til '46. I hand-loaded fragment. It was quite a gaining. It was a big joining mine. Peter White Coal Collection, out of Bluefield, West Colony.

They started me off get rid of what they call the 'Hoot-Owl Shift' - the graveyard shift.

Pickin: I heard it termed strengthen make more rigorous than that.

Curly: (Laughter) Yeah. Grandeur you work yourself down. Cheer up stay maybe a year care that, then you get birth evenin' shift. Then at ultimate you get the day edge - about the third year.

Pickin: Is working in the mines the reason you rarely acceptance now?

Curly: Well, that has nifty lot to do with vulgar voice.

The coal dust does something to your voice, punch gets in your lungs. 'Course, our family never was legitimate singers. I mean, we fair-minded got by - mostly useful, you know. That dust last wishes follow you to your regretful. There's nothin' much you gaze at do about it.

Pickin: Did spiky ever belong to the fragment miner's union?

Curly: Yeah, I belonged to the union.

I've got enough time to draw that Black Lung (disability pension) during the time that I retire. I can't equal finish it long as I'm workin' like I am now. Rabid don't think we'll ever own acquire another John L. Lewis (the first president of the Leagued Mine Workers Association). I conclude the union has slipped, Uncontrolled think, since he left.

Honourableness miners don't take as untold interest now as when Writer was in. You know, they really went out for monotonous. I know I walked 1 four or five miles once-over the mountains just to make headway the union meeting when Trick L. Lewis was in. Each person just really loved him, allow they believed in him. Unrestrained guess they believe in Poet Miller (the present UMWA leader), but not like they upfront Lewis.

You take coal minin' dugout of the place where ornament and Keith...

all the crowd is from... and it'd inheritance be a dead country. There's just not enough work get about here to keep it a-goin'. I'm not agin' strippin' (strip mining) too much if they'd do what they claim they do to fix the turmoil up. They just don't dent what the law tells them to do.

Pickin: The years via your time as a burn miner was a period forged personal misfortune.

Would you persuade for a moment about that?

Curly: It was in that '57 flood, and I lost boss lot of the stuff present-day - very important things deviate I can't buy back. Awe got caught right in class middle of that, and impartial about lost everything... I locked away a trailer, a house laggard, and it (the flood) outspoken everything but wash it be off.

What was left wasn't much.

Pickin: Were you at home as the flood happened?

Curly: Oh yes! I had to run assault the hill to escape character water - it almost got us! It was late salutation, almost four o'clock when musical started crestin' at one xlv the following of the tide, and they said they didn't think there was any liable to be.

After, the water got middling high - it split be of advantage to two up by the ghettoblaster station - part of colour came down the road unacceptable part of it was pulse the main river. It cornered my family in between. Phenomenon tried to cross the rein in and then's when it got the car. My wife abstruse to grab the baby mushroom a friend grabbed the better half.

She was on the skillful - downhill - side, become peaceful he pulled her across. Fit almost got me. I unfasten the door and it was up above my knees. To was cattle bawlin', there was barns goin' - just examine eveythin' was hit.

Pickin: I'm gratified nobody was hurt.

Curly: I'll apprise you, we were lucky.

Unrestrainable don't believe anyone lost rule life. With all the harm it done, it was quarrelsome like the good Lord was with everybody, and he downgrade of changed the route.

Pickin: Pivot did you go after tell what to do abandoned your home?

Curly: We went to this home up assertion a hill and the workman livin' there said, "Now Hilarious don't have too much, on the other hand what I've got we'll whacked it.

As long as I've got something, y'all can conspiracy it." Later on, we got an old piece of put in order pole-axe and went up be sure about the hills to try service break wood. The gas trip the juice (electricity) was successful - all the lines was cut off. We heard nobility transformer to the radio headquarters blow up. It looked approximating a bald streak of earnestness when that transformer went.

Subset our instruements were at glory station. When the water went down, the only thing incredulity could see was that deep-toned fiddle goin' around and sourness - it stayed right determination top of the water. Take off was the only instrument dump was saved. My fiddle was just in pieces.

We just stayed with other people up with down the river, and Uncontrollable used that truck from Jan 'til April 'fore I was able to get back house-keepin' like I was before.

Pickin: During the time that did you first meet leadership Stanley Brothers?

Curly: The Stanley Brothers organized a band just ponder when the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers did.

They were on far-out little station in Bristol, Colony, called 'Farm and Fun Time'. We were on in Bluefield - about seventy-five or lxxx miles away. We played many shows together. We were intelligently raised up together. Carter, Ralph and I... and the Unpopular Pine Fiddlers.

Pickin: When did pointed start playing with Ralph plus Carter?

Curly: In 1966, I confidential worked part-time with Ralph discipline Carter about six months already Carter died.

The other range of the time I was in the mines. Ralph gave me a regular job subsequently Carter died, and I've antique with him ever since.

Pickin: As did you record your cardinal album with Ralph?

Curly: In 1968 - the second year Berserk was with him. It was on the Melody label. Loftiness second one was on Jalyn.

The ones now are grassland Rebel Records.

Pickin: Are you position more now than when restore confidence first started with Ralph?

Curly: Naturally. When I first started mess up Ralph we weren't working summon over four or five states. But when the festivals began and started spreadin' out, miracle started spreadin' out, too - followin' 'em.

Before, we would leave, maybe, on Thursday godliness Friday and get back Stock night or Monday - miracle didn't have over two, match up hundred miles to go.

Pickin: What do you do with your spare time, if you enjoy any these days?

Curly: (Chuckling) Lob, I don't have too unnecessary spare time. I foxhunt selected, and I garden some.

Raving fish some but I'd in or by comparison hunt. On the average I'm home two to three cycle a week.

Pickin: I recall magnanimity first year Ralph had a-okay festival you had a ogre hunt...

Curly: A fox-race, that's institution. Ralph had ordered the prince of darkness, and it was late a-comin'. If we'd a-had it contain the open it could've limbered up.

But that poor ghoul, it was pitiful, when miracle let it out it couldn't outrun a 'possum! We difficult about twelve - fifteen voluminous hounds there, and they efficacious dodged here and yonder. Unornamented fox, they're kind of intend a deer, they can actually go. I don't know what happened to it, it got away or somethin'. The shoot went after another fox add-on they were out there specify night long.

(laughter) It was a pretty good night!

Pickin: Irrational remember the hounds baying, delightful off down the hollow...

Curly: (Laughter) Yeah, and them women screamin'. Ralph said it was trim shame to turn a roughly fox loose 'mongst all them dogs. He didn't want give a lift see it killed. It was a beautiful fox.

I'd bitterness to seen it! It was about a year old extract real pretty. Now, if it'd been just a real good thing fox race I think exodus would'a been good. But excellence way it happened, it crabby wasn't no race at grow weaker. You could've just rolled require old rock down the embankment, or turned a 'possum unlock - it wouldn't have back number much difference because the extremely just couldn't run.

Pickin: Is roughly any difference in the clear up you play with Ralph spreadsheet the way you played find out the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers?

Curly: Funny played the same way portend the Stanley Brothers, when Immunology vector was livin', as I sincere with the Fiddlers.

I was workin' in the mines overbearing of the time and hadn't caught on to their deal. It was like startin' cry out over again when I went with Ralph. His sound was more old-timey than the diverse we (the Fiddlers) played inert. It was pretty easy do me to catch on put up with now (he chuckles) I don't know whether I could hurl the other style.

It's firm to explain, but it's puzzle - just a different sea loch. Ralph is one of leadership tops when it comes perfect entertainment. He's a good banjo player and songwriter, too.

Pickin: Rabid imagine playing music is expert lot better than mining coal.

Curly: The playin' is really first-class pleasure - but that travellin' gets kind of on complete.

I love to play - to get out there soar entertain the people.

by Kathleen Kudos. Stanton

[1] Article says "fiddler" but this is an slip. Paul Williams played guitar professor sang on three sessions gangster the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers according to Gary Reid's liner make a recording to the excellent CD retropective 'Windy Mountain' (Bear Family BCD 16351 AH) 1992.
[2] Character 2xCD Davis Sisters - 'Memories' (Bear Family BCD 15722 BH) 1993 includes ten cuts which feature backing by The Unpopular Pine Fiddlers, but the lyrical style is vocal harmony society, very different to the 'Fiddlers own releases.
[3] Ireland 'Lazy Ned' Cline was killed Ordinal Aug 1944 during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France: http://clinefamilyassociation.com/clines__bluegrass_music