Posted by Derek From Cincinnati on November 09, 19102 at 15:51:12:
Howdy folks. Well, some great people from this board have taken the step of contacting Tall Stacks in a positive way about including the heart of all the past Tall Stacks Steamboat Festivals, John Hartford. But we need more emails sent as all this starts to get noticed. Here is the response that Tall Stacks has been sending out;
"Thank you for your interest in the Tall Stacks Music, Arts & Heritage Festival. We have received several pieces of correspondence regarding a memorial for John Hartford. The Entertainment Committee is reviewing all the correspondence and will make a decision regarding this matter in the beginning of 2003."
So, folks, we need more. An email to info@tallstacks.com, with a positive message about John H would be great. Mention or put in the subject line something about the 'Entertainment committee' and/or John Hartford, or both. One excellent letter I saw talked about how this wonderful person learned about Tall Stacks through John. Otherwise, tell your angle, like it is. We need ya'.
I think a musical get-together, and a riverboat get-together, at the same time, would be great. As for now, email.
Thanks folks. Below is the original message about this subject I wrote before. If you have read it,disregard. If not, check it out. sincerely, Derek H
Howdy folks. Although I was not nearly as good a friend of John Hartford as Earl and Louise Scruggs were, and many others of you out there, I was lucky enough to spend some great times with John. Here is what we have got.
Well, folks, the Tall Stacks Steamboat Festival people are in the process of not giving a dern about the heart of all of the previous Tall Stacks, John Hartford. The next Tall Stacks will be in October 2003. I am about to marshall the troops to make some noise. The word from the preparations for Tall Stacks unfortunately has been one of , 'John is dead and gone, we want acts that will make money, having Elvis impersonators is more important than putting together a tribute, both musical and riverboat side, to John'. - The view is that some of the acts from Nashville will probably 'mention his name'. By the way, I am not joking about the Elvis Impersonators. see;
http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/10/20/tem_sunlede20.html,
Tall Stacks lost some money last time, mostly due to bad weather. That is what is driving them now. They do not understand that a tribute to John has the potential to draw people from all over the world. My info on this goes farther than a newspaper article. I am in a unique position to get something going to try and change this from both John's music side, and his riverboat side. For those of you that are not familiar as the rest of you here are, check out my article on John and Tall Stacks that was published here in the States as well as in England, in the British BLuegrass News, and in Australia;
http://www.gritz.net/FTRjhartford.html,
So, I need ideas. A pile of letters or printed out emails? Now is the time to make a difference. Tall Stacks has a new producer and booker of talent who normally works for the Cincinnati Symphony and does not have any idea about John and past Tall Stacks. John was a part of every one of them, played many times at every one, hosted the closing ceremonies at the first one, introduced all of the boat Captains (because he knew them all by name as he himself was a Captain) , was the host and voice for the Tall Stacks commemorative video, wrote all of the best and true riverboat songs that he played at every Tall Stacks, and so on. Other folks here can add to that.Please do.
I need some responses and ideas people. We do not want to be yelling at these folks, but to get something going. I have talked to many on the music side that have been interested in putting something together for a while now. But, no interest on the Tall Stacks side. Ridiculous. By the way, the General Jackson will be a part of this event for the first time, so if anyone has any sway or connection with Gaylord, that might be a place to start.
If anyone else wants to help or have any ideas, now is the time. I need the call to go out to all on the riverboat side and the music side. If some of you out there has to remind a bunch of us of John's time on the various riverboats over the years, or the music side of him, than cool, lets do it.Now is the time.
Talk to all of you soon, Derek Halsey