The following interview video with David Lundy is an oral history of his personal and musical background; the history of Lundy Recording Studio; his family's musical talents; and his recollections of Bluegrass musicians Frances and John Reedy who recorded there.
We arrived at the Lundy Recording Studio around 10:00 a.m. on February 4, 2010. Berea College Sound Archivist Harry Rice was already there as we had invited him to meet Mr. Lundy and participate in the oral history interview. Mr. and Mrs. David and Viola Lundy were very friendly and hospitable and welcomed us into the ground-floor studio in their home. Tammy shot some footage of the studio and of Harry, Timi, and Mr. and Mrs. Lundy talking before and after the formal interview.
Mr. Lundy shared a fairly detailed history of the Lundy Recording Studio and his family's own musical talents and recording/performing accomplishments. In addition to his recollections of John and Frances Reedy, Mr. Lundy also pulled a file with a photo of John and most of the invoices from their Lundy recordings. So he was able to provide exact dates for the LP and three 45's they recorded there. He also shared several names (and contact information) of potential interview subjects, one of which we already knew of and the rest new leads:
Mr. Lundy shared a fairly detailed history of the Lundy Recording Studio and his family's own musical talents and recording/performing accomplishments. In addition to his recollections of John and Frances Reedy, Mr. Lundy also pulled a file with a photo of John and most of the invoices from their Lundy recordings. So he was able to provide exact dates for the LP and three 45's they recorded there. He also shared several names (and contact information) of potential interview subjects, one of which we already knew of and the rest new leads:
- Charlie Bays (former band member of Brush Creek Grass who recorded with the Reedys)
- Don Frederick (former member of Brush Creek Grass)
- Homer Lee Jackson (Barbourville DJ)
- Ray Hoskins (formerly Laurel Leaf Records in London, Kentucky)
- Dallas Hoskins (son of Ray)
Tammy asked Mr. Lundy about regular studio musicians (other than his family members who regularly play in studio sessions), and he mentioned several additional names; however, some of them were inaudible when Tammy listened the first time (and to the video when she captured it), and we also need to clarify whether they were contemporaries of the Reedys or current session musicians who play at the studio. This may be as simple as reviewing the video of this part of the interview, but we might also need to follow-up again with Mr. Lundy if it still isn't clear.
It was extremely helpful to have Harry along because of his personal knowledge of the local area as well as his broader expertise in Appalachian music. Mr. Lundy also seemed very pleased that Harry was there and expressed great interest in learning more about the preservation techniques used at the Berea College Archives. Their rapport was such that an ongoing relationship or at least interaction seems likely. Harry expressed interest in participating in future interviews with other folks, so we plan to include him on the project as much as possible. He's such a great resource!
Mr. Lundy expressed his gratitude and great honor in being included in the project about the Reedy family. He mentioned John Reedy more than Frances, and he erroneously referenced John as the guitar player in the group (Frances actually played the guitar while John played the harmonica; both sang vocals). This oversight was minor relative to the valuable information he provided and his genuine interest and enthusiasm in speaking with us.
Tammy promised to send Mr. Lundy a link to the documentary project blog as well as to share a DVD of the oral history interview and a CD of the Reedys' Lundy recordings that have been digitized.
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Visit the Lundy Recording Studio with David and Viola Lundy, Harry Rice, and Timi Reedy and listen to "Somebody Touched Me" and "My Warfare Soon Will Be Ended" performed by Frances and John Reedy and recorded at Lundy Studio.
It was extremely helpful to have Harry along because of his personal knowledge of the local area as well as his broader expertise in Appalachian music. Mr. Lundy also seemed very pleased that Harry was there and expressed great interest in learning more about the preservation techniques used at the Berea College Archives. Their rapport was such that an ongoing relationship or at least interaction seems likely. Harry expressed interest in participating in future interviews with other folks, so we plan to include him on the project as much as possible. He's such a great resource!
Mr. Lundy expressed his gratitude and great honor in being included in the project about the Reedy family. He mentioned John Reedy more than Frances, and he erroneously referenced John as the guitar player in the group (Frances actually played the guitar while John played the harmonica; both sang vocals). This oversight was minor relative to the valuable information he provided and his genuine interest and enthusiasm in speaking with us.
Tammy promised to send Mr. Lundy a link to the documentary project blog as well as to share a DVD of the oral history interview and a CD of the Reedys' Lundy recordings that have been digitized.
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Lundy Recording Studio Tour
Visit the Lundy Recording Studio with David and Viola Lundy, Harry Rice, and Timi Reedy and listen to "Somebody Touched Me" and "My Warfare Soon Will Be Ended" performed by Frances and John Reedy and recorded at Lundy Studio.
Looking for a phone number and came up with this. Looks like fun, but I will have to wait for my next trip to the coffee shop to hear the Lundy Recording piece.
ReplyDeleteBest regards to you both!
Phillip [of Clear Creek]