St Andrews Folk Club with the Red Clay Ramblers 19-6-77 (full concert)

The Red Clay Ramblers were a North Carolina–based band founded in Durham, North Carolina.
Original members included Mike Craver (guitar) Tommy Thompson (banjo), Bill Hicks (fiddle), and Jim Watson (mandolin, bass).

Their first record (FTS31039) was released by Folkways under the title The Red Clay Ramblers with Fiddlin' Al McCanless. They continued their recording career with Stolen Love (FF009) on the Flying Fish label in 1974 and Twisted Laurel (FF030) in ‘76. By which time Jack Herrick had joined the band as a bass and trumpet player. Their 1977 recording, Merchants Lunch, (FF055) describes a trucker's disastrous visit to a Nashville diner. Musically the title track is old time country and SERIOUSLY funny while the old timey bluegrass feel of the album is excellent.

In 1977 the Ramblers undertook their first overseas tour, from from Sweden to Romania, Switzerland to Scotland, playing St Andrews Folk Club on the 19th June of that year.
For Club members and guests this was one of the great highlights of the club’s many years.

From the moment the group arrived the atmosphere was electric.
Finding an old broken down and well out of tune piano with a number of dead keys, in a corner of the venue, Mike Craver asked to use it - then proceeded to retune it to add a honky-tonk sound. The group then made sure their other instruments were all in tune with the piano. Those who were there at the time were amazed by the sound they produced!

Following an opening set from one of our resident singers the band took to the stage and proceeded to entertain their audience with two sets featuring a great selection of songs, tunes and anecdotes for the remainder of the evening.

Between the band’s sets the audience were treated to performances from some of Scotland’s finest.


FOOTNOTE: As the band, rightly - for their performance in such a small venue - chose to go acoustic, the normal stage/recording microphones were pushed to the side and back of the stage.
A recording for private purposes continued to be made via these microphones but the sound on the recording fell below par. After nearly fifty years the tape itself also suffered some deterioration. However with the assistance of available software this upload attempts to recreate some of the pleasure of listening to a live performance of the Ramblers as at 1977.
ENJOY!