Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest - The Stanley Brothers and Doc Watson

Rainbow Quest was a U.S. television series hosted by Pete Seeger. It was filmed in black and white and featured musicians playing in traditional American music genres such as old-time music, bluegrass and blues. The program operated on a low budget and Seeger and his fellow producers eventually had to fund the program from their own pockets. The money eventually ran out entirely and the program went off the air. Almost 40 hour-long programs were recorded at new UHF station WNJU's Newark, New Jersey studios in 1965 and 1966, produced by Seeger and his wife Toshi with Sholom Rubinstein.Seeger was an amiable, if slightly awkward, host. There is a long entry on Seeger and his trials in Wikipedia. The production skills were not especially smooth - there are a number of abrupt camera changes, resulting in Seeger and his guests searching for the currently active camera while maintaining their train of thought. Typically, Seeger would open the program with his theme song, sing two or three additional pieces, have his guests come on and sing their pieces, chat about one thing or another, do some pieces together, and then sign off with the theme song again.Among the guests featured on the program's 38 episodes were Johnny Cash & June Carter, Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, The Stanley Brothers, Elizabeth Cotten, Patrick Sky, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Donovan, Richard and Mimi Fariña, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Mamou Cajun Band, Bernice Johnson Reagon, The Beers Family, Roscoe Holcomb, and Shawn Phillips. Many of the segments can be seen on YouTube, but at a lower resolution and audio quality than the DVD's. Unfortunately, only 12 of the 40 programs have been issued by Shanachie - on six two-hour discs. They are: Shanachie 605 with The Stanley Brothers, Cousin Emmy, and Doc Watson Shanachie 606 with Johnny Cash & June Carter, Roscoe Holcomb, and Jean Redpath Shanachie 607 Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Hedy West,Mississippi John Hurt and Paul Cadwell Shanachie 608 The New Lost City Ramblers, and The Greenbriar Boys Shanachie 609 The Clancy Bros. with Tommy Makem, and Mamou Cajun Band Shanachie 610 Judy Collins, Elizabeth Cotten, Rosa Valentin and Rafael MartinezThis Disc is one of the best. While records, radio and TV saved many of the particular styles and sounds of the old-time mountain, western, and blues musicians, they have also brought about changes in styles and a certain homogeneity. The performers on this disc already show to a varying degree the effects of radio and recording. In the semi-professional musician/part time farmer style of Doc Watson and his neighbors, Fred Price and Clint Howard, one feels that we are close to what the previous generations of mountain music performers (Clarence Ashley, Buell Kazee, Doug Wallen, Gid Tanner, et al) sounded like. This is vibrant, no frills, deeply felt, and honest music making - the sort that could probably be heard all over homes in Appalachia prior to the radio and Victrola's.With the Stanley Brothers, one can see the "bluegrass" influence of Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs, where the instruments (especially banjos and mandolins) are moving to the fore with fancy picking and accelerated tempi, dragging the vocals along with them. One can also see a certain artificial patter and attempts at a crowd-pleasing humor, developed for radio broadcasts and road shows, that are so patently insincere and rehearsed that they jar us with their irreconcilable contrasts with the still present integrity of the music.With Cousin Emmy one sees this phoney, crowd-pleasing humor and mindless chatter carried to a truly disgusting extreme. Her antics and protestations of undying love for whoever might be watching are the nadir of what was once and honest, straight-forward tradition of singing the old tunes of our ancestors.Contents:1. Theme Song (Pete Seeger)2. Unknown Song with yodeling (Pete Seeger)3. John Riley (Pete Seeger)4. Living in the Country (12 string guitar instrumental, Pete Seeger)5. It Takes a Worried Man (Stanley Brothers with The Clinch Mountain Boys*)6. Clinch Mountain Backstep (Banjo instrumental, Ralph Stanley)7. Butter Paddle Buck and Wing (Corny jokes & clogging, Chick Strickland)8. Jacob's Vision (Ralph & Carter Stanley with George Schuffler)9. I'm Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad (Cousin Emmy with banjo)10.Turkey in the Straw (Cousin Emmy by slapping her face, guitar accompaniment)11.Un-named Square Dance (Cousin Emmy on fiddle with calling)12.You Are My Sunshine (Cousin Emmy playing an inflated rubber glove!)13.Tenbrook and Molly (Cousin Emmy singing w. banjo)14.I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes (All)15.I Never Will Marry (Pete Seeger, banjo with group accompaniment)16.Single Girl, Married Girl (Stanley Brothers with The Clinch Mountain Boys)17.Knick Knack Song (Cousin Emmy singing w. banjo)18.Down in the Valley (Pete Seeger, guitar with group sing-along)19.Theme Song (Pete Seeger)20.Theme Song (Pete Seeger)21.Old Dan Tucker (Pete Seeger with banjo)22.Original Song about the Death Penalty (Pete Seeger with guitar)23.Old French Ballad (Pete Seeger a capella)24.Late Last Night When Willie Came Home(Doc Watson, Fred Price & Clint Howard)25.Rude and Rambling Man (Doc Watson, Fred Price & Clint Howard)26.Daniel Prayed (Doc Watson, Fred Price & Clint Howard a capella)27.Lee Highway Blues (Doc Watson, Fred Price & Clint Howard)28.Sweet Heaven When I Die (Doc Watson, Fred Price, Clint Howard & Pete Seeger)29.St. James Hospital (Doc Watson)30.Lady Margaret and Sweet William (Pete Seeger with banjo)31.Cackling Hen (Doc Watson, Fred Price, Clint Howard & Pete Seeger)32.Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss(Doc Watson, Fred Price, Clint Howard & Pete Seeger)33.Careless Love (Doc Watson, Fred Price, Clint Howard & Pete Seeger)34.Theme Song (Pete Seeger)* The Clinch Mountain Boys at this time were: George Schuffler, Guitar, Don Miller, Fiddle & Chick Strickland, Bass FiddleEspecially good are #'s 5, 8 & 16, where the high tenor of Ralph Stanley, the supporting bass of George Schuffler and the mellow baritone of Carter Stanley (whom Bill Monroe called "the finest lead singer I knew") are all shown to good effect. Unfortunately, Carter had a serious drinking problem, and would die within a year from cirrhosis of the liver.All of the Watson/Price/Howard bands are very fine; the last few bands, where the always amiable Seeger joins in on the banjo are especially notable for the informal camaraderie and warmth of old time music making.Pete Seeger was an outstanding instrumentalist, and always expressed great warmth and humanity. He was not blessed with a great voice, or with much sense of authentic style. His "I Will Never Marry" is about as good as it gets, and is very good in itself.I believe I expressed my thoughts about Cousin Emmy sufficiently already.Highly recommended.

The Stanley Brothers/Doc Watson DVD of their appearances on Rainbow Quest arrived at my home last week, but the DVDcontained the Johnny Cash/Roscoe Holcomb appearances instead.The Cash/Holcomb material will appeal to old time and rootsmusic afficienados, but will disappoint those like myself whohad expected to receive the correct program material.

I bought this DVD because it is the only one that I found that had Carter and Ralph Stanley. I think it's a great DVD. It's taken from Pete's show in the 60's so it's in black and white and not of great visual quality, but given that it's from that era, it's fine with me. The DVD also has a session with Doc Watson which is really great. He does Way Downtown, St. James Infirmary and a gospel song and has a nice interview with Pete. Cousin Emmie is also on the DVD and Pete does several songs that I liked. I really like the format of the show and wish that there was a modern-day equivalent, but it would be really hard to find someone like Pete Seeger to host it.

The DVD contains some good music but I was disappointed that the Stanley Brothers weren't featured longer. I felt their song selection could have been much better. I've listened to and played bluegrass music for over fifty years and bought the DVD thinking I would hear and see some good vintage Stanley Brothers. It was good to see them. If you are buying this for bluegrass music, forget it.I am an old-time fiddler and enjoyed Fred Price's fiddling.

I chose this DVD because I like Pete Seeger and Doc Watson. I had heard of The Stanley Brothers but did not know much about them. This is another Rainbow Quest show from the 1960s

I saw this footage before, and knew that Cousin Emmy was on the program and delivered the goods. The DVD says in small print "with Cousin Emmy". The Stanley Brothers and Doc Watson are also in top form, but pale in comparison. I read a couple of reviews that call Cousin Emmy a novelty act, but the same could be said of any other old time musician. A master of the minstrel arts. She delivers on banjo, fiddle, and several other "instruments." If you like old time music, you need this dvd.

To much of Pete Seegar, and so little DOC AND STANLEY BROS!!!! plus pete seegar is awfull.. a lil less of pete in the video would be ok! (alot less!!)

Good quality DVD. Sounds good too.

とにかくカズン・エミーのパフォーマンスに圧倒されるの巻。スタンレー、ドクともに若い、かっこいいがそんなものではない。このおばちゃまはマルチ・インストルメンタリストでコメディエンヌなのである。タイトなドレスで細いヒールのハイヒール、あでやかにフィドルを弾き歌う姿に、ああ尊敬。口の空けしめしてほっぺたをたたいたり、風船の口を両手で伸び縮みさせ、曲を奏でる姿は、神々しいよまったく。パフォーマーたるものは必見。ちなみにフレイリング・バンジョーもすごいんじゃけ。たまらんわ～。