Notes of Blue

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  • Color Me Black

    So I wrote this Bluegrass song Saturday, March 22. I plan to make a video of me singing it for you in the very near future, but I wanted to share the lyrics with you today.

    I managed to work some local geography into this one. “Tunnel Hill” is just east of Rosine, less than a mile I’d say.

    It gets its name from the fact that the train used to travel through a tunnel under one of the highest hills in the area before heading on to Elizabethtown or Louisville. If you go online to wckyhistory-genealogy.org, you’ll find where author Jerry Long compiled a history of Rosine.

    Two sources he included, among others, were The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by John E. Kleber and Fogle’s Papers: a History of Ohio County, Ky by McDowell A. Fogle.

    Construction of the railroad began in 1871. One of the leaders of that project was Colonel Henry D. McHenry. His wife Jenny published a book of poems titled Forget Me Not. Guess what her pen name was…that’s right, ROSINE!

    The town, which in 1872 had been called Pigeon Roost, was officially named Rosine in 1873.

    Anyway, Col. McHenry, who among other things was a coal man and a U.S. Congressman, was influential in getting the railroad built through Rosine.

    As I said earlier, when the railroad was built it went through a tunnel just east of Rosine. That area to this day is called Tunnel Hill.

    Folks may remember when some local gentlemen, Jeff Morris and Elmer Daugherty included, named their Bluegrass band Tunnel Hill. I apologize for not remembering all the members. It’s been many years since they disbanded.

    Sometime between 1871 and now, the tunnel was blasted away so the tracks could run through a cut in Tunnel Hill.

    I remember as a kid, me and Jeff’s brother Roger Morris climbing the cliffs on either side of the tracks ‘til perched on a ledge up under the Hwy 505 bridge and tossing small rocks into the rail cars filled with black Kentucky coal as they passed. We were such outlaws! Lol!

    Roger and I were best men at each others’ weddings. He died from cancer in January of 2018. He was still young at 50. I still think about him quite often and miss him dearly.

    The song…since I put a railroad and train in this new composition, I was able to incorporate Tunnel Hill. So here it is, “Color Me Black.”

    Now, blue, it’s my favorite color

    But I’m ponderin’ on switchin’ to black

    For ever since you left me, Darlin’

    I’m slummin’ by the railroad tracks


    Those big locomotives black as the coal

    They burn up like you burned me down

    To hear ‘em come rumblin’ up old Tunnel Hill

    Sure paints some sad on my brow


    Color me black, black as the night

    You walked out and brought on this pain

    Color me black, black as these clouds

    Pourin’ your memory in rain


    Whatever happened to blue skies

    When we were together in spring

    Along came the doldrums of winter

    When, Darlin’, you changed everything


    If ever I find another Darlin’

    I might go from black back to blue

    But that blue won’t ever be pretty

    As it was when my Darlin’ was you


    Oh, color me black, black as the night

    You walked out and brought on this pain

    Color me black, black as these clouds

    Pourin’ your memory in rain

  • New Guitar!

    In the last 40 years or so, I’ve owned beaucoup guitars. I’m pretty sure there are currently seven in the house. Could be eight. I have, in fact, self-diagnosed myself with GAS! For you guitar newbies, that’s Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. It means you’re addicted to the adrenaline rush from acquiring a new guitar.

    It’s kinda like cows looking for greener grass. They can be surrounded by lush pasture but still go roaming for better grass. Pickers suffering from GAS can have a perfectly good guitar and still look for something better, or shinier, or louder, etc.

    Take me, for instance. No matter how many guitars I have, I’ll always want a Larrivee SD44R. I haven’t found one for the right price, or I already would have one. Here’s the thing, though! When I do finally find and purchase one, there’s no guarantee I’ll keep it. I’m just as likely to form a crush on another guitar.

    I recently sampled some Gallagher guitars at SPBGMA in Nashville and set a goal of owning one within five years. But that’s another story for another blog post. Coming soon!

    Recently, I needed some extra cash to pay some bills and had to sell my best guitar, a 2023 Martin HD28. Without a doubt, this was a hoss–hands down the best guitar I’ve ever owned. I hated to part with it, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

    To replace it, I decided to try a cheaper Martin. HD28’s go for $3500 new these days. I know, I know…some of you are thinking that’s outrageous for a guitar to cost that much, but, Folks, that’s still not even close to what can be paid for a new , or used, guitar these days. And not just Martin’s. I think you can get a Gibson J-45 new for about $3200, a Martin D-41 new for about $6000.

    There are plenty of guitars from brands like Martin, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, Collings, Thompson, Gibson, etc. for $10,000 on up. The truly high prices are for vintage Martins. $20,000 is not uncommon. $100,000 is not unheard of. Right this very minute I’m looking at a guitar online at Guitar Center for $134,999! A Martin Limited Edition D-200 Deluxe.

    Like I said earlier, I needed to replace my HD28 and decided to go the other direction in price–down. So after a Saturday at SPBGMA back in February with my great friends Kenneth and Angie Newell, we decided to stop by Guitar Center.

    Actually, I had begun sampling guitars while still at SPBGMA. Recording King had a booth, and I tried their RD328, RD318, and RD342.

    I continued sampling at Guitar Center. I tried two Martins, a D13 and a D10e. In addition, I tried a Yamaha FX3. Of all these models, I preferred the sound of the Martin D10e, although I wasn’t fond of the white, mother-of-pearl rosette around the soundhole. Still, when I left Nashville and headed home, I had it in my mind to do more research and look for a good price on a D10e.

    Back at home in Rosine, Kentucky, I quickly found that the D10e goes for $850-$950 new. It didn’t take long to discover something interesting at Sweetwater.

    It seems Sweetwater has contracted with Martin to produce a custom D10e. The complete name of this model is the Martin Sweetwater Select Vintage Inspired Road Series D-10e.

    The first thing I noticed is they asked Martin to get rid of the mother-of-pearl rosette that I didn’t like anyway. The Sweetwater model also has an upgraded fretboard and bridge, opting for striped ebony instead of Richlite, although I didn’t like the stripes. For those who don’t know, Richlite is synthetic wood.

    Sweetwater had Martin switch to open-back Grover tuners and swap out the standard fretboard dots with diamond and square inlays. Also, they exchanged straight black binding with antique-white binding.

    The standard D10e has non-scalloped x-bracing; Sweetwater’s version has scalloped x-bracing. Both versions of the D10e have a solid spruce top, but Sweetwater’s has aging toner added to give it a vintage look.

    Both versions sport a Performing Artist neck profile. Both versions are satin-finished. Both versions have a Corian nut, Tusq saddle, and plastic bridge pins. Both versions have sapele back and sides. Sapele is similar in tone to mahogany. So basically what you’re getting with the Sweetwater version is a budget D18.

    Oh, I almost forgot! Both versions are electric with a built-in tuner!

    All the upgrades come with an added $50 to the sale price. That’s a good deal. Needless to say, I went for it. These models must be selling well because it was backordered.

    After waiting an extra month or so, mine arrived. First thing I did was order a set of Tusq bridge pins. I would prefer bone, but remember I was going budget here. High quality bone pins are more expensive. The set of Tusq pins was around $25.

    I will say that there are some really cheap bone pins (less than $10) on Amazon, but it’s a crapshoot, and you’ll need to be prepared to do some sanding to make all six fit your bridge pin holes. Quality control is basically non-existent when it comes to these cheap bone pins.

    I’ve had the guitar about a month now. The Sweetwater Martin D10e will never measure up to a Martin HD28, or a D18, but I didn’t expect it to. Mainly, it doesn’t have the warmth and balance of the higher end models; however, I do believe it’s going to be good guitar. And it’s only going to get better.

    I’m still trying different strings on it to find what I consider its best sound. I need to adjust the action just a tad lower. As for the striped ebony, I’m slowly getting used to it. I tried some lemon oil on the fretboard to see if it would darken. Not even a little. The stripes are there to stay.

    I hear that some people actually prefer the stripes. I suppose they think it’s a mark of character. Not me. I prefer the ebony to be uniformly black as black can be. My HD28 was like that, and I loved it.

    They say the striped ebony and non-striped have no tonal differences. The striped pattern just indicates both heartwood and sapwood is used. I read that the lighter stripes are from the heartwood, although I would have guessed the opposite.

    I haven’t plugged in yet to check out the electronics, but I am very much liking the built-in tuner. It’s user-friendly and accurate.

    Anyone looking for a budget friendly acoustic electric guitar should seriously consider this Martin model. By the way, it does come with a soft shell case.

    Ultimately, when The Rosine Barn Jamboree opens Friday, April 4, 6pm, I’ll be leading the open-mic segment with my new Martin Sweetwater D10e. That’s less than three weeks away. Wow! Hard to believe the 34th season of The Rosine Barn Jamboree is already upon us. I’m ready! Are you?

  • On the Bus

    A question last night from a good friend reminded me I need to read Mark Hembree’s 2022 book On the Bus: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass.

    Hembree played bass for Bill Monroe from 1979 to 1984. He was also a founding member of The Nashville Bluegrass Band. Since I haven’t read it, I can’t comment on the book’s content or quality. Once I have read it, I’ll write a review and post it. Soon!

    I recall that back in ’03, for my Bluegrass Connections column, I read and reviewed Richard Smith’s year 2000 Monroe biography Can’t You Hear Me Callin’: The Life and Times of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass.

    Perhaps what I remember most is how one Bluegrass Boy, a friend of mine, disagreed with my assessment of Smith’s book. Apparently, Smith was loose with the facts, something only those close to Monroe would know.

    I still appreciate the book for its portrayal of Monroe as human, flawed and imperfect as we all are. Monroe’s vice, if he had any, was women.

    As for Mark Hembree’s book, we shall see. I’m looking forward to reading it, particularly for any insight into Monroe’s 1980 heart attack and how Monroe was taken by ambulance to play a show and then by ambulance back to the hospital. What a feat!

    As far as I know, I’ve read every other book there is about Bill Monroe, and quite a few are out there. Obviously, some are better than others. Seems that might be an appropriate subject for a future blog post here at Notes of Blue–a rundown of existing Bill Monroe books.

    But first, let’s find a copy of Mark Hembree’s On the Bus: My Five-Year Ride with the Father of Blue Grass, probably from Amazon Books. (Wow! There’s another future post–notice Hembree spelled it as two words, “Blue Grass”; whereas, Smith spelled it as one, “Bluegrass.” A retired English teacher like me can’t resist the topic of spelling).

    ‘Til next time…adios!

    (Also, stay tuned for design changes to this blog)

  • Macon, Georgia

    Just wrote this song about thirty minutes ago. It was one of the quick ones. Sometimes it’s like they write themselves. I just pour them out on the screen.

    It started with a line that came to me…walkin’ streets in rain at night in Macon, Georgia…(I don’t know why Macon).

    You can expect these from time to time. Writing songs is a passion. Sometimes I take them from mere words in my head to fruition and record them with my guitar.

    I keep my songs stored in Google Docs (I have managed to learn enough of that tech to get by). I also print copies and keep them in a binder. I think I have close to two-hundred in there now.

    As you read it, try to hear a bluesy, country sound, maybe Chris Stapleton’s voice, or Steve Wariner, Tom T. Hall perhaps…And stay tuned as I may end up adding guitar and recording…

    Macon, Georgia

    Chorus

    Walkin’ streets in rain at night in Macon, Georgia

    Just tryin’ to get a little sense of where I need to go

    The bus just left the station, she was on it, Lord, leavin’ Macon, Georgia

    Five more hours ’til sunup, guess I’ll head on down this weathered road

    There’s an old man in a cardboard box, starin’ out into the rain

    How many miles did he go before he ended up right here

    Suppose he finally gave it up, lookin’ for his life to finally change

    Hope I don’t end up like him, waitin’ for gray skies to finally clear

    Repeat Chorus

    You know the last thing that she said to me as she was stepping up into the Greyhound

    She said, find yourself, find someone, find your life, wish I’d found it with ya

    Then she sighed and went on in, the door closed, man, it’s really hit me now

    I watched her ’til her tail lights disappeared, damn this rain can really chill ya

    Repeat chorus

    Bridge

    If I make it down another street, there will be another

    And one more after that, they go rolling on as Macon, Georgia thunders

    Repeat Chorus

    Todd Autry March 13, 2025

  • Here We Go!

    Here We Go!

    Twenty-two years ago in this month of March I started my newspaper column “The Bluegrass Connection” in The Ohio County Messenger. I wrote that column through the rest of 2003 and barely into 2004 before life took me in another direction.

    In the long years since then, I’ve often wished I could start up writing those articles again. But something would always come along to hinder that.

    Well, this time nothing came along, so, better late than never, here we go!

    But wait! This isn’t a newspaper. And I do love reading the newspaper. Let’s consider this an electronic newspaper.

    The world is changing just as it has throughout history. Folks who know me very well know that I am not a fan of technology. I fear where it is leading human civilization. So, this endeavor is a major leap of faith for me.

    Please bear with me as I try to make these tools, like Chromebook, Bluehost and WordPress, work for me. They say I can reach my audience better in this day and age by letting go the pen and paper.

    You may wonder why I am not using “The Bluegrass Connection” name this time around. It’s because I easily discovered that it was being used by a bluegrass band or two and another publication as well. Why not start fresh anyway?

    So my first task was coming up with a new name, which would also be what the blog and internet world refers to as my domain. My brother Kevin helped me come up with Notes of Blue. I love it!

    Just as my 2003 column was about topics connected to Bluegrass, so too will this blog. What does that include?

    Primarily, I’ll be writing about things closely connected (sometimes perhaps not so close) to the world of Bluegrass music, such as artists, instruments, songs, songwriting, festivals, events, etc.

    But I won’t stop there! You see there will be loose connections, too. My great state of Kentucky is the Bluegrass State. I will be writing about life here, particularly rural life. I might even write about a particular shade of blue—UK blue!

    Along with the writing, I plan to include pics and videos, assuming I can decipher the tech.

    For now, in the beginning, you’re going to see the tech kick my hind end. For example, in the post Macon, Georgia, I couldn’t figure out how to double space lines and group stanzas and change margins, so it looks awful.

    Please bear with, and together we’ll see this thing grow for the better.

    I’m going into this with eyes wide open, letting the journey go wherever it needs to —and in its own time. The blog experts say to post to your blog on a regular schedule. About the best I can do there is to say my plan is to have posted material each Monday.

    Some writers are disciplined enough to produce daily amounts of words. I’m not one of those. I can go days without so much as a word. But I can go the other direction, also. For instance, there are days when I feverishly write three or four songs. And the next day the same. Days like that can go on for a week or so before falling off to a lighter output.

    I tell you this so you will know that, yes, there will be a blog post each Monday; however, don’t be surprised if you find more than one, many more even.

    You’ll see weeks when I post everyday. And there will be weeks when I post only on Monday. For those who desire a tighter, more regular schedule, I apologize in advance.

    When I was an English/Language Arts teacher (retired in 2021), I taught my students the writing process—and that each writer must find his or her own process, one that works for them.

    I suppose this whole blog thing is just another process, much the same as communicating through the newspaper. When you get right down to it, it’s just communication, only it wears a different suit.

    I look forward dearly to the opportunity to communicate with you , to “blog” for you, for ever how long this journey lasts. Here we go!