June 5, 2004
Dear Renee:
Always held me spellbound, too. I used to cry like a baby & the
hair stood up on the back of my neck when he sang that song-still
does. His age, the beautiful, now-so-wrinkled hands that pluck the
banjo, the fact that before any of us want to think of it we may ourselves
face Death.....all those we've lost to the Ever Powerful Death who cares not
what we want but takes whomever it wants whenever and however it wants----it
all plays a part, don't you think? Ralph has always been able to
sing in that way. All I can say is the casting director and/or T. Bone
Burnett who produced the soundtrack for "O'Brother" knew what he was
doing. For the few minutes that ghostly, haunting and very
familiar voice sounded during the movie "O'Brother", we were all
transported to a the place where a black man faced a grisly, unjust death just
because his skin was black and everyone who heard that music felt Mr.
Johnson's terror, desperation, helplessness and sense of horrible
injustice. Anyone who can do that.....gets respect.
Cordially,
Doris Stanley Bradley
(I finally got my auto-mail to stop signing my professional
signature)
* (laughs) Oh Doris, that last sentence is cute as all getout
... here I thought you were marking your territory.
Lol.
Isn't that the most Beautiful song?? I don't know, maybe it's
only special to us. Sometimes I feel that way.
I'm **So** glad to hear it touches your heart too. I was
beginning to feel like I was raised by Gomez and
Morticia. <grin> You know? I
hear Ralph sing these songs, but I see Mammie Stanley in the kitchen
singing them and cooking. Isn't it great how a song can bring
a memory back like we were living in that moment?
I gave my George a "Forever" ring during "O Death". He laughs
about it now. (shrugs) I meant well. :o)
All four of my Granparents sang like that. It's almost a lost art
unless we go way back into the hollers to visit an
elder. That's what makes Ralph special though .... he didn't
change it. He hasn't changed it. There's BG,
then there's Mount'n Music. The moans sang from the back
of the throat. My Grammaw use to say everyone
sang "thata way" because they were trying to clinch their teeth to keep
'em from fallin' out. ;o)
Yes, I love 'O Death'. Waaaay before "Oh
Brother!! We're Out There!!". :o)
Unfortunately, my history or that movie didn't get my 3 children in to BG
.... NickleCreek did. Lol.
They use to be like "Ralph who???".
:os
I know I'm probably gonna' get flogged and stoned for saying this, but
since when did I ever keep my mouth shut?!
I did not like the group Orabelle, or whatever they're
called. I Laughed So Hard... when an
elderly lady next
to me poked me and said "Where'd they get them??! We'd a' chased
'em out with a stick whur I came frum."
My Absolute favorite moment was.... of course... watching the
cloggers. lol.
(chuckles again) (and ducks and dodges the potential
stones)
((hug)) Renee'
