EARL SCRUGGS-AMERICA’S BANJO MAN

EARL SCRUGGS’ STUNNING MUSIC

By Doc Lawrence

NASHVILLE—Earl Scruggs’ immortal soul left this city and his beloved Southland and for a few moments I pondered what he meant to me. While I was a student at Emory University, I saw the quiet, soft-spoken man who literally elevated the 5-string banjo to its exalted status as a purely American instrument. Scruggs was a member of The Foggy Mountain Boys and a then unknown Bob Dylan was the opening act. The students loved the music.

Years later in Boston, booked into the Parker House, I turned on the radio to Harvard’s radio station. The program was “Country in Cambridge,” and there was Earl playing one of his signature songs, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” Scruggs’ bluegrass music and banjo recordings traveled well, earning him a multicultural fan base. I still have the vinyl recording of the Foggy Mountain Boys at Carnegie Hall.

The South’s voice is found in the art forms, particularly our indigenous music. It’s core Americana, a synthesis of Europe and Africa. In Bluegrass, gospel music remains indistinguishable from secular. This is the birthplace of rock and roll, jazz, blues, gospel and yes, bluegrass. Earl Scruggs mastered each form (check out his recordings with his son Randy as “The Earl Scruggs Review”), and earned acclaim, garnering awards including the National Medal of Arts.    

During the Vietnam War, Earl appeared in Washington to perform at anti-war concerts, a very brave act during those turbulent times. Scruggs, usually along with his son, performed throughout the world, taking his music to new generations.

Earl Scruggs with the Byrds and many other rockers, inspiring other musicians including the cerebral comedian, actor, author Steve Martin, who plays Scruggs-style banjo

Johnny Cash, Elvis, Hank Williams, the Eagles, Marshall Tucker Band, Bill Monroe, Gram Parsons, Bella Fleck, the Carter Family are part of Earl Scruggs’ music legacy. I plan to walk the grounds of Emory University to recall that night long ago when the music from Earl Scruggs transformed my life. Strength, I learned, was made of dignity, modesty, immeasurable talent and skill blended with a measure of courage.

 Weekend trips or major vacation planning? Visit www.winesdownsouth.com

ATLANTA BRAVES 2012

  

SPRINGTIME WITH THE BRAVES

By Doc Lawrence

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL—Baseball’s spring training is a Florida ritual that dates back to the earliest days of America’s national pastime. The older parks like the Detroit Tigers facilities in Lakeland may host some of the ghosts of baseball’s greats. A few cocktails and it’s possible for even the casual fan to feel the presence of Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantel, Roger Maris or Casey Stengel.

The 2012 Atlanta Braves train and play in comfort at Disneyworld, close enough to the attractions to keep the games sold out. Spring training isn’t designed to produce a winning season, and good managers never concern themselves with losses. The objective is to get into shape, look at players in a competitive environment and decide the official roster for this year.

Bad memories of last year’s monumental collapse still linger and still defy explanation. Deep inside, there is a longing for something good to happen again. Like 1991 and 1995. All things are possible in baseball where surprises and miracles still happen.

This is Chipper Jones’ last year in uniform and chances are he will take on a high profile position with the Braves next year wearing a business suit. Baseball might be a great team sport, but by September, it is more about pitching than anything. What about the resiliency of Messrs. Hanson, Hudson and Jurrjens? Will the bullpen be able to meet the extra demands of the Braves’ system which has them pitching in every game?

Fredi Gonzalez, nice guy and likeable, has a season for redemption. Baseball fans can be very forgiving, but the specter of collapse has to be met with renewed enthusiasm and a positive record. Realistically, this team could have a great season. McCann and Ross are the best 1-2 catchers in baseball, Freeman at first base is a winner, Haywood is still a kid getting better, and Martin Prado should return to form.

Keep you fingers crossed about the pitching. Like all other teams, it’s the critical ingredient.

GO BRAVES!

A vacation in the South? Visit Wines Down South: www.winesdownsouth.com.

THEATRE IN THE SQUARE IS GONE

                LOSING A FRIEND

By Doc Lawrence

MARIETTA, GA--News of the closing of this lovely city’s Theatre in the Square felt like a kick in the stomach. This was where I took my kids to learn about life’s components: interpretation, the power of performance, music and dance, cultural heritage, risk and most of all the time-proven, soul-enriching gifts created on the live stage. I always believed that Tennessee Williams, Bernard Shaw, Arthur Miller and Oscar Wilde haunted the theater building. Blanch and Stanley, Big Daddy and Maggie the Cat, Willie Loman, Truman Capote, Reverend Thomas Dorsey, Maria Callas and Patsy Cline were there in spirit.

During the 1996 Summer Olympics I took new friends from foreign countries to see the wonderful musical “Zion,” a tribute to things spiritual and an anthem of reconciliation. Later, I “met” Mahalia Jackson as portrayed by the incomparable Bernadine Mitchell, a singer/actress that we in Georgia proudly call our own.

Theatre in the Square spawned actors, set designers, musicians, playwrights, directors and producers that did the South proud. Never just another local community theater, it was at times on the level with some of the great stages in large cities: Miami, Washington, New York, Chicago, Houston and yes, Atlanta.

According to Atlanta lawyer Sarah Mallas Wayman, who is Greek-American, “the art of performing stories before audiences came from ancient Greece. How many realize that great Biblical stories were often performed in Greece by early Christians?”

Like all great theatrical companies, Theatre in the Square stayed on the edge, refusing to put a wet finger to the air. It lived according to a high standard. However, let it be said that they gave the community a healthy dose of diversity. “The 1940’s Radio Hour,” The Gospel of John,” “The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” had a good home there.

I am grateful for all the blood, sweat and tears, and pray this is not a harbinger of things to come. As Kenny Leon says, the magic in the live stage performance is that, unlike movies, we all breathe the same air.

My flesh and blood had the blessing of watching actors become so real they made them-and me- laugh and cry. That is part of the legacy of Theatre in the Square.

A society that relegates the arts to the trash heap temps triggering the law of unintended consequences. I didn’t say that, but a very prominent Georgia business leader did.

Enjoy a journey along Georgia’s Civil War Trail, following the path of “The Great Locomotive Chase” from Atlanta to just south of Chattanooga:

http://www.winesdownsouth.com/culture/greatLocamotiveChase-foodandWine/GrtLoc.pdf

ATLANTA’S IRISH HERO

                  Father Thomas O’Reilly

By Doc Lawrence

Since childhood days, I’ve known about the incident. Every word is true and remains one of the most fascinating stories I know about the Civil War and St. Patrick’s Day.

This wasn’t about battlefield courage, a strategy that resulted in a monumental victory, or a stirring, inspirational speech. No, it was about how an Irish immigrant priest acting alone on behalf of God and innocent civilians, confronted a mighty warrior, faced impending execution squarely in the eye and peacefully won a victory that somehow escaped history books.

A native of County Cavan, Ireland, Thomas O’Reilly, appointed as pastor of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, arrived in Atlanta in 1861. Atlanta was a strategic transportation center for the Confederacy, and in 1864, the Union army, commanded by Gen. William T. Sherman, held Atlanta under siege with intense artillery bombardment. During the horror of Sherman’s extended assault, Father O’Reilly ministered to the wounded and dying of both armies, along with civilian casualties.

After the Battle of Atlanta, the city fell, and the decision was made to destroy Georgia’s infrastructure as part of Sherman’s well-known “March to the Sea.” Sherman issued the order for Atlanta to be burned, including all homes and churches. Enraged, O’Reilly gained an audience with Sherman at his headquarters, which is now the site of the Carter Center and Presidential Library.

The confrontation was unpleasant. O’Reilly, failing in his efforts to persuade Sherman to spare the city, was told by Sherman that he was pondering whether to have the priest summarily executed by firing squad. Undeterred, O’Reilly reminded Sherman that his army was substantially Irish Catholic conscripts who would likely mutiny before burning a Catholic church. O’Reilly also informed Sherman that, in the event of the destruction of churches, he would take official measures to have every Irish Catholic soldier in Sherman’s army excommunicated.

Sherman relented. Although the city was destroyed, five Atlanta churches were spared—three (Immaculate Conception, Trinity Methodist and Central Presbyterian) remain active today.

O’Reilly was not executed. Upon his death in 1872 at age 41, he was buried in the basement of his church. A few possessions are on display. His resting place, which may be viewed by appointment emits the feel of a sacred shrine. I have visited there regularly over the years.

Each year, at the end of Atlanta’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, the Hibernian Benevolent Society of Atlanta places a wreath at the memorial for Thomas O’Reilly, which stands on the corner of Atlanta’s city hall. It was erected long ago by the congregations of the churches he saved.

The courage and tenacity of Father Thomas O’Reilly embody the ecumenical spirit

that continues to make Atlanta an international beacon for human rights.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

STONE MOUNTAIN: THE GRANITE SENTINEL

 

HERALDED CIVIL WAR NOVEL

     AVAILABLE AS e-BOOK

 

By Doc Lawrence

 



DR. GEORGE COLETTI



Noted author Dr. George D. N. Coletti shared some very exciting news. His masterpiece, Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel, is available from many eBook retailers and this opens up a world of enjoyment for those who love a story brilliantly told about one of the most tumultuous periods in America’s history. Coletti’s exciting 796 page historical novel of the Old South is a well-documented fictional account of life before and during the Civil War, and follows the lives of the Jernigan family and their friends as they face life, death, love and war. 

George Coletti, whose own life is a worthy story, lives and works in the historic village of Stone Mountain, and his contributions to the city’s cultural heritage are legendary. General Sherman’s March to the Sea actually began near Coletti’s home and it was largely through Coletti’s efforts that a monument was dedicated last year commemorating what history calls “Sherman’s Neckties,” a destruction of railroad tracks that crippled the South’s ability to supply food and soldiers during the final year of the Civil War

Dr. Coletti’s monumental book is an eye-opener, awakening me to how little I knew about my ancestors. Prompted by these brilliantly told stories, I began visiting many of the places described in the book. The Andrew Johnson cemetery, holding the remains of a Stone Mountain founding family, the Stone Mountain Cemetery with the mass graves in the Confederate section, an uncomfortable experience as you think of the wartime tragedy leading to such impersonal burial, knowing how their surviving families likely never knew what happened to them.

Grown men make war and everyone somehow loses something, a life, a few years of youth, a healthy body or hope. There are magnificent heroes in The Granite Sentinel to be sure, but the overriding sentiment is that war is senseless, attacking the core of our collective humanity. That's not to take anything away from the brave soldiers who gave their lives-my own family shares a similar heritage-but more a personal lament that any of God's children had to die unnaturally.

It takes a mighty effort to bring a reader's interest back to the events of long ago, but Coletti is equal to the Herculean task. The characters seem to leap from the pages grasping for a heartstring. There is a message: "Never forget us."

All the elements of greatness are drawn together in The Granite Sentinel: romance and love, loyalty and duty, chivalry and generosity, and most of all, honor. Reading the debate between two of the South's finest statesmen-orators, Alexander Stephens and Robert Toombs during Georgia's Secession Convention in 1861, is a stunning example of the remarkable power of language, history, law and love of place. Two men destined to lead the Confederacy, one as Vice President, the other as Secretary of State. One opposed to Secession, the other in favor. Both were close friends and shared a love for the South that transcended differences.

That's just one of the powerful lessons Coletti leaves us. The Granite Sentinel is a profoundly important book that readers throughout the world can now enjoy.

The eBook retailers include:

Apple (Bookstore for iPad)

Amazon (for Kindle)

Barnes & Noble (for NOOK)

Reader Store (For Sony Reader)

Kobo

Copia

Gardners

Baker & Taylor

eBookPie

The range of access is staggering: 16 languages and 200 countries.

STIRRIN’ IT UP

RADIO COOKING WITH CHEF JOHN FOLSE

By Doc Lawrence



CHEF JOHN FOLSE

I learned to cook, drink good wine and enjoy the culinary pleasures of life sitting in front of the television on Saturdays, watching wizards like Julia Child, Justin Wilson, Nathalie Dupree and John Folse make magic in their studio kitchens. John Folse’s “A Taste of Louisiana,” became a weekly ritual, one of those pleasures where you learned something about joie de vivres, Louisiana style, meaning good manners, soft spoken humor and elegantly prepared dishes. 



Chef John Folse invited me to be his guest on the amazingly entertaining radio show, “Stirrin' it Up.” We talked about wines that we used in cooking, poaching, baking and in particular which wines worked best with particular dishes. “You can’t go wrong using any wine,” said the chef with laughter, “but if you want a white sauce, maybe you shouldn’t put red wine in unless pink is the desired effect. “

Accompanied by his accomplished staff of Michaela York and Dr. Shirley Sands, we explored a few boutique Southern wineries, particularly the outstanding Ponchatrain Winery in Covington, Louisiana where John Seago produces a red Cynthiana/Norton, a knockout white with Florida origins named Blanc du Bois and the delicious after dinner wine, Port of New Orleans.

The show will be aired on March 3 and you can listen using this link:



http://www.jfolse.com/stirrin/listen.htm

Inspired by such greats as Chef John Folse, I took a little trip down to the Mississippi Gulf vacation paradise of Biloxi and Gulfport, eating oysters raw and served as they say there, "every which away." The friendliest folks in America know how to cook and entertain. Stay tuned for a bunch of stories about this divine experience here and in my magazine columns.

Meanwhile, you will want to join in the festivities as Florida gets set to celebrate  its 500th anniversary.Here's one of many stories I will be producing through 2013:
http://www.bytheseafuture.org/DocLawrence_Southwind_02-17-12.html

PAS DE DEUX

A VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT

“He who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long.”

                                                              Martin Luther

By Doc Lawrence



BILTMORE ESTATE PAS DE DEUX

With Valentine’s Day positioned right in the middle, February should be an uninterrupted celebration of love.  Getting started is easy and so romantic. Some of the greatest love stories-The Black Swan, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle- are told through dance, highlighted by iconic pairings of dancers, or pas de deux, a French ballet term meaning “steps of two,” in which two dancers perform together.

The pas de deux usually includes an entrée, adagio, two variations (one for each dancer) and a coda all throughout which the dancers communicate expressions of love and emotion. Wine pairing should have this same romantic balance and I have found few for Valentine’s Day more lovely than the sparkling wine named Pas de Deux.

The creator of this bottled treasure is Sharon Fenchak, a visionary winemaker at Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I asked her how this particular wine with the enchanting name was born.

“I was inspired, “ she told me,  “to craft this wine following a stint in Italy’s Veneto.  After enjoying some of the classic Moscato of the region, I dreamed of creating my own sparkler on home soil.” She added that her dream became a reality “when I landed here at Biltmore, a property where sparkling wine has been part of the culinary and entertaining tradition since George Vanderbilt opened his doors to guests back in 1895.”  Crafted in the classic Methode Champenoise, the wine’s lively bubbles, according to Ms. Fenchak, symbolize a celebration, while its delicate sweet flavors and crisp finish “are the perfect foil for the rich, creamy texture and complexity of chocolate confections and decadent Valentine’s Day fare.”

The slow, elegant, unfolding movements of two dancers mark an adagio. Pas de Deux serves as the perfect start to a Valentine’s feast. All great love stories must end. The coda, or conclusion, of your own Valentine’s Day with Pas De Deux assures a refreshing finale on a high note.

From Maldova's ancient winemaking tradition, Exclusiv Moscato Sparkling wine is a beatiful production, delicious and versitile. If a sparking wine is only part of your wine plans and because of the special meaning of Valentine’s Day, think about a lovely bottle of Rosé. No, this isn’t "white zin" that comes in a huge jug. Complex, yet gentle, food friendly, cool on the palate and memorable, look for bottles from New York, particularly Wolffer Estate, or from Provence, Spain or Italy. Rarely are they overpriced and be forewarned, that you likely need more than one bottle.

NOTE: Stories on the horizon include a visit to Biloxi/Gulfport on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, retracing the “The Great Locomotive Chase” in North Georgia, farm to table dining in Tallahassee/Thomasville, equestrian North Florida and new plays on the great stages in Southern cities.