Ohio County Judge Executive David Johnston usually does the Rosine Cemetery tour stop for tour groups coming to Rosine. I’m his backup.
Last year, when I filled in one time for a tour group from the Netherlands, I told Ohio County Tourism Director Jody Flener that I enjoyed it and that I would be glad to do it again some time.
Yesterday, she took me up on it! But this time the group was from Germany.
If you find that hard to fathom—that people would come here from The Netherlands or Germany—just let it soak in and believe it! Bill Monroe’s name is global; therefore, his hometown is, too.
Germany in particular is not surprising. Bill Monroe toured there in 1975 and 1989 (Wikipedia). In fact, a live album was recorded and released in ‘75.
(from Rare and Obscure, YouTube channel)
Bill’s live version of the classic Bobby Helms song “Fraulein” is on that album.
”Fraulein” is one of those songs that is distinctly American. It’s been recorded by many, many artists from Willie Nelson and David Allan Coe to Jerry Lee Lewis and Towns Van Zandt.
Most recently, Kolter Wall and Tyler Childers teamed up to record their own version, and I happen to love it. My brother Kevin and I sing it like Wall and Childers. Kevin sings the lead.
In retrospect, maybe I should have sung a little bit of “Fraulein” for the Germans yesterday. I suppose hindsight is 20/20.
Spending time with these Germans reminded me of the early 80’s when my father was preparing to spend time one summer training in Germany with his Army Reserve unit.
He was designated to be the driver for his Military Intelligence unit. Before he could officially drive in Germany, he had to pass a test. I remember helping him study for that.
I wonder what it would be like to take a test in Kentucky if you couldn’t speak English. I hope the Germans I met at Rosine Cemetery didn’t have to worry about that. I didn’t notice if any of them were driving.
They happened to be in Kentucky on a “US Music Tour.“ According to Jody Flener, they came from the ROMP Bluegrass festival in Owensboro, and they would eventually go to Nashville and Bristol, Tn.
Right away, Jody told me this group was unique. How? You ask. Well, get this—they had an interpreter. How cool is that?!
I would speak a couple sentences and let the interpreter translate my English to German before moving on. Needless to say, this was a first, and I found it to be a fresh and exciting experience.
I would do it again in a heartbeat. I thanked Jody for the opportunity when it was over.
I also thanked her for taking plenty of photographs that I can now share with you.
This first one is a photo of them placing quarters on Bill’s monument, a tradition since his burial because he would often give kids quarters.
(photo from Jody Flener)
One thing I noticed—there weren’t many coins or picks on Bill’s monument when we arrived. I wonder, where do all the coins and picks go?
The next photo is at Uncle Pen’s grave. I explained the influence Pendleton Vandiver had on Bill Monroe’s music. Then I sang a verse and chorus from “Uncle Pen” the song.
(photo from Jody Flener)
Before we left, a group photo was suggested.
(photo from Jody Flener)
After they left, the tour group went to the Bill Monroe Museum and were in a band with The Man himself.
(photo from Jody Flener)
The German folk were really nice; they even offered a tip. I refused it, of course, but certainly appreciated the gesture.
However, I could not turn down the Phat Bellies gift certificate Jody gave me for helping with the tour. Talk about good food. Yum! Thank you!
My maternal grandfather Cecil Roeder was of German descent, so being with these folks from Germany was especially meaningful for me. When they heard his surname, I could tell they recognized it.
Maybe we’ll reverse roles one day, and I’ll travel to Germany and be the music tourist. It is true that historically some of the most famous classical composers came from Germany, particularly Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, and Handel.
There’s something about music and the role it plays in our lives, our cultures, our histories. What would we do without it. I for one can’t imagine, don’t really even want to imagine because music is just that monumental to being human.
’Til next time. Auf wiedersehen!
