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Robert C. Byrd (D-WV) was a character, how to say... controversial, let's put it that way. He represented (the?) West Virginia in Washington from 1953 to 1959 as a Congressman, and then, most notably, as a Senator from 1959 until 2010, passing away at the ripe age of 93 with his posterior firmly and indissolubly riveted to his chair. So far, nothing unusual, but there's more: an old-school Democrat, very old-school, in his youth, our Sen. Byrd joined the KKK enthusiastically, becoming a recruiter (Exalted Cyclop in the terminology of that charming organization). During World War II, he refused to enlist as a volunteer to avoid fighting side by side with the hated blacks. Of course, decades (many decades) later, he would express regret (?): he earnestly advised the younger generations not to join the KKK, also showing a broader and more open view of racial issues by stating, verbatim, that he had known many "white niggers", seriously!
In half a century in the U.S. Senate, Bob Byrd distinguished himself for his fierce opposition to the Civil Rights Act and his skill in diverting federal funds to local projects in his home state (pork barrel spending in political jargon); considering that today many areas of West Virginia are economically depressed following the decline of coal mining (of which the Appalachian Mountains are abundant), one might think that the concept of "economic diversification" was entirely unknown to him; basing one's economy on a depletable fossil fuel that is also obsolete and highly polluting is not exactly an example of foresight. But Robert C. Byrd, among other things, was also a skilled musician, apparently one of the most powerful figures in the Nashville country establishment, and in this role, if you don't mind, I'd venture to say he had his reasons.
Looking at the cover of "Mountain Fiddler," his first (and I believe only) LP, dated 1978, one can notice a subtle touch like the portrait of Stonewall Jackson in the background, the famous Confederate general who was also originally from West Virginia, which at the time was still part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A landscape dominated by low mountains covered with dense vegetation, a distinctly rustic character, WV lies in the heart of the Appalachians, and Bluegrass was born in the Appalachians. A legacy of Irish and Scottish immigrants, music that flows with the same rhythm as a lively mountain stream, Bluegrass is in a sense the ante-litteram dance of country folk: fast rhythms, continuous and incisive "solos" of fiddle alternated with equally concise and rapid vocal passages, with the banjo (or similar instruments) as a binder. That blacks have rhythm in their blood is well-known and acknowledged, but perhaps not everyone knows that crackers are certainly no less.
In this album, Senator Byrd sings (well) and plays the fiddle (equally well), presenting fourteen traditional Appalachian Bluegrass tracks; instrumentals like "Durang's Hornpipe" and "Red Bird" keep their Celtic roots practically intact, while the sung tracks have a more endemic feeling and form the backbone of the album; I particularly note "Cripple Creek" and "Turkey In The Straw". Occasionally, the rhythm slows down, and when it does, a confluence with more traditional country emerges: "Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die" and the ballads "There's More Pretty Girls Than One" and "Come Sundown She'll Be Gone" (this last one a cover of Kris Kristofferson), definitely among the highlights of the collection.
But why start with a character like Robert Byrd to talk about Bluegrass? Because that's the way it is if it seems to me, let's say there are also "strategic" reasons for such a move. A simple amusement, a gift for his loyal voters, however you want to interpret it, "Mountain Fiddler" is a very enjoyable and entertaining listen. The senator had passion and talent, one cannot deny that, and with this album, he represented the tradition and cultural heritage of a part of America that rarely comes under the spotlight.
I don't know about you, but between Kanye West and Bluegrass (yes, even that of Robert Byrd!), I choose Bluegrass, I say it without any problem. "And let these words resooounnd, from hill to hill, from mountain to mountain, from v-valley t-t-to vvvalley, across this broad land!"
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