Phebel wright....

[Steve Cantrell]

I've been listening to a great deal of country blues lately--sort of a short course for trying to get my head around Monroe's style--and stumbled across Phebel Wright. For those interested in Monroe and his style this guy deserves a listen. The only track on iTunes I can find for him is "Linthead Stomp", but this is a really rowdy number that at times is so reminiscent of Monroe on the mandolin it's amazing. The date on this recording would likely be sometime in the forties,so you have to wonder who influenced who.

Is anyone else aware of this artist, and where I might be able to find additional recordings of him? I encourage Monroe fans to check him out.

[Mike Bunting]

Found this on answers.com...any help?

This Kentucky mandolinist is about the furthest away one can get from the notion of a "city slicker" bluegrass musician. Although he made records that have been considered examples of early bluegrass, including the amusing cotton-mill song "Lint Head Stomp," he has spent most of his life in the isolated hamlet of Elkhorn City, KY, spending a great deal of time composing instrumentals as well as lyrical songs. Although his name may be "Phebel," his mandolin playing most certainly not feeble. He made records in the '50s, including for labels such as Essex, and also recorded special pressings for the Kentucky WISI radio station, with sidemen such as guitarist Junior Morgan and Estil Stewart, playing something known as a "bull bass." When contacted about liner note information for the compilation reissue The Early Days of Bluegrass, Wright did not provide information about the bull bass instrument -- if it is an instrument, perhaps it is a large fish of some sort -- but did come up with tantalizing details about other instruments in his life.

His first instrument was apparently a mandolin, which he bought from a friend for a quarter; that's right, 25 cents (musical instrument salesmen can daydream about the commission on this sale). The next time he bought an instrument the investment multiplied, manyfold. He spent 4.45 dollars on a guitar. Wright's father, an old-time banjo player, was not about to let an investment as large as this lie fallow, and immediately put the lad into service playing square dances. Devoutly religious, the mandolinist does not believe in the reputation of non-secular music as "sinful," instead feeling his interest in music is a natural outgrowth of his family upbringing. His combo Phebel Wright & the Music Mountain Boys cut a pair of EPs for the Wright-Tone label, which includes a rip-roaring, hee-haw, rather than "ho-ho-ho" version of "Santa Claus Is Coming"; the personalized instrumental "Wright's Swing," which shows the mandolinist venturing practically into progressive bluegrass territory; and a track entitled "Thick Ack-A-Thouin'," perhaps the most mangled name for a song in country music history. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

[Steve Cantrell]

Definitely. The first paragraph was edited into a short bio I read on another site...the second paragraph is more useful. This guy is riding the line between country blues and bluegrass...although I doubt he would even have known what bluegrass music was when "Linthead Stomp" was recorded. I recommend him, in any case. Good stuff.

[Fred Keller]

LOVE this tune! I'm slowly working this one up to play on stage. I started tablediting it a few months ago but got side tracked. If you pm me with an email--AND you use tabledit--I'd be happy to send you what I got.

Great to know more about him, too. Thanks!

[Steve Cantrell]

I'd love to have that tab, Fred. Cool tune, huh? Looks like you're a Compton student as well. This is definitely one I'd like to work out with him. Still looking for more Phebel, but no luck so far....

[Fred Keller]

It's a great tune. I got it as part of Juneberry's early bluegrass discs--check here for online samples and ordering info. It's great. They also have a lot of old time, blues, Irish, etc.--on line and for purchase. It's low-tech: they burned me a disc of the mp3 collections. On the other hand, $20 got me 10 discs worth of music.

Yep, I'm a Comptonian. Trying my best to keep up and absorb it all.

PS--sent you an email + attachment. Let me know if you get it.

[Steve Cantrell]

Thanks Fred! I'll grab it when I get back to my house this evening. Much appreciated--and thanks for the Juneberry pointer there. Sounds like my kind of deal.

[kennyo]

Phebel Wright was a great mandolin player as well as a good neighbor. He passed away a few years back. He was actually my grandfathers 1st cousin. His family still lives next door to me and I see them often. They have a few cassettes left of the last album he did. It is some good stuff. If you would be interested I could probably get them to send you one. That album also has some killer fiddle playing by Marion Sumner and some good bass work by Blake Stiltner who also played with Buster Pack and Hobo Jack Adkins. I had the opportunity to buy the mandolin that Phebel used to record Lint Head Stomp when I was a teenager (an A model Gibson) but I didn't have the resources. I also had the opportunity to get his Gibson F5 a while back but once again it was bad timing. Mr. Wright taught me a lot about the mandolin and it is great to find out that others know about him. He was out there grinding at the same time Bill Monroe was back in the early days. His family tells me that they have proof that he recorded a tune called Wright's Swing, that sounds remarkably similar to Bill's Bluegrass Special, a few years before Bill did.

[kennyo]

I'm sorry when I said Wright's swing I meant Lint Head Stomp

[Steve Cantrell]

Sent you a PM kennyo. Appreciate the information there. It's cool when a guy like Phebel gets some due.

[Fred Keller]

Ditto on the PM from me too, Kennyo...a few days ago I think. If you didn't get it, I'm at fkeller AT scicable DOT net. You've dangled some red meat in front of this here Phebel Wright fan and I'd love to hear more

[Tom Mylet]

Great thread. I'd love to have anything by Phebel Wright and would gladly put any cassettes or lps on to disc.

Also, Lint Head Stomp (8 variations) is tabbed out in Steven Parkers "Ragtime for Fiddle and Mandolin."

Tom Mylet

[Rob Michalski]

I just discovered "Lint Head Stomp" and love the tune. Here's a half hour TV show from the '80s that features Phebel Wright:

https://archive.org/details/2324PhebelFloraWithMarion

[M.Marmot]

Thats some toe-tapping, shoe shuffling, smile inducing music on that documentary - thanks to all who contributed to this thread.

[Charles E.]

That was fantastic! I was confused about the mandolin he is playing, clearly he is not playing a Gibson ( an Ibenez, maybe?) but he has a segment where he shows his Gibson. Well any way I sure enjoyed the music.

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's the best thing i've seen & listened to at 7-45 on a Sunday morning ever,what a gem of a film !! & many thanks to Rob for posting the link. I have to say a big thanks to Steve Cantrell for allerting us all to Phebel Wright & ''associated musicians''. To me it's very 'Old Timey' music,but with Phebel's Bluegrass mando.threading through it - utterly fabulous in every way.
Doc's prescription - ''to be taken as many times a day as possible,with a huge smile on your face'',
Ivan

[Mike Bunting]

I'd heard of Marion Sumner before but didn't realize that he had such a broad background and history, he's a great swing player. Phebel is a terrific player from playing the bluegrass here and swing and those couple of old timey tunes. It would be a pretty narrow view to classify Wright as solely old time since he seems quite at home in various genres.

[Jeff Wright]

I've been listening to a great deal of country blues lately--sort of a short course for trying to get my head around Monroe's style--and stumbled across Phebel Wright. For those interested in Monroe and his style this guy deserves a listen. The only track on iTunes I can find for him is "Linthead Stomp", but this is a really rowdy number that at times is so reminiscent of Monroe on the mandolin it's amazing. The date on this recording would likely be sometime in the forties,so you have to wonder who influenced who.

Is anyone else aware of this artist, and where I might be able to find additional recordings of him? I encourage Monroe fans to check him out.

Phebel was my Uncle, He always played mandolin and was invited to play for President Johnson in the mid 1960's. His wife Flora has loads of his recordings, they sang together on lots of songs he wrote. My father is a banjo player. Phebel and he played together since they were children. Have so many fond memories of Phebel, he was a dear man and with his odd way, so unique, his second love was gardening. He was a brilliant musician playing up until a short time before passing away.

[swampy]

I just discovered "Lint Head Stomp" and love the tune. Here's a half hour TV show from the '80s that features Phebel Wright:

https://archive.org/details/2324PhebelFloraWithMarion

Oh My! Watch this movie people! That right hand is awesome. What terrific shuffle and swing this guy has.

Kudos Steve. Just goes to show, for every Bill Monroe or Doc Watson that gets famous, there is a musician or two quietly living their life and playing/creating amazing music.

Wow. makes my day.

[Fred Keller]

I've never even seen a picture of Mr. Wright much less an entire half-hour video. How awesome is this! I do so want to hear more.