In Session 4 of “The Banjo Style of J.D. Crowe” Bill talks about J.D.’s playing in the early 1970’s as the leader of his own band, the Kentucky Mountain Boys. The band’s 1971 album Ramblin’ Boy was reissued as Blackjack in 1978. In addition to showing you how to play the title track, Bill talks about J.D.’s approach to slow-song backup and his playing on the song “So Afraid Of Losing You Again.”

“So Afraid of Losing You Again”

“So Afraid of Losing You Again" is a bluegrass cover of a Charlie Pride country hit and is one of the first recorded examples of the innovative techniques that J.D. developed to play leads and back-up on slower tempo tunes. Bill takes a look at J.D.’s intro and his backup to the first verse, played out of G position with the capo at the second fret. 

“So Afraid of Losing You Again” original recording on Blackjack.

“So Afraid of Losing You Again” 1999. J.D. recorded this tune again as part of the 1999 project Come On Down To My World. On this recording, the band plays the tune in F and J.D. plays without a capo. 

 “So Afraid of Losing You Again” Live performance from 2009. While the band is recorded from a distance, the footage is sharp and you can see J.D.’s techniques clearly if you watch it on a larger screen. 

 “So Afraid of Losing You Again” Here’s another video from 2010 with a much closer view of J.D.’s amazing country banjo techniques.

“Blackjack” 

“Blackjack” is a very fast instrumental in the key of B, played out of G position with the capo at the fourth fret. We’ll be analyzing this recording from the original album recording.

“Blackjack” on The American Music Shoppe, a television show in the 1980s and 1990s on the Nashville Network that featured many great bluegrass performances. This is a wonderful version of “Blackjack” from an All-Star band consisting of J.D. Crowe (banjo), Tony Rice (guitar), David Grisman (mandolin), Mark O’Connor (fiddle) and Mark Schatz (bass).

“A Kentucky Treasure: The J.D. Crowe Story”

Parts six and seven of the Kentucky Educational Television’s “A Kentucky Treasure: The J.D. Crowe Story” follow the continued development of J.D.’s band sound and the classic 1975 lineup with Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas. In preparation for Session 5 on March 15, include these new sections in your viewing. Here are links to all of the sections we’ve covered to date: 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4: “The Jimmy Martin Years” 

Part 5: “The Joslin Brothers, J.D. Crowe & the Kentucky Mountain Boys” 

Part 6: The Kentucky Mountain Boys, Part 1 

Part 7: The Kentucky Mountain Boys becomes the New South: Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas join the band  

“Crowe on the Banjo: The Music Life of J.D. Crowe”

In preparation for Session 4, read through Chapter 6 of Marty Godbey’s book. For Session 5 on March 15, read through Chapter 7, covering the years of the classic New South band with Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas.

Don’t forget that Ron Stewart will be Bill's special guest on Wednesday, March 29, and they’ll be coming to you live from Nashville.