The Horsepens 40 Tracks of the StoneBear ROF
Steele, Alabama circa ~ 1974 - 1975
Bluegrass Banjos - On Fire
On several weekend journeys from college went up to the Bluegrass festival - Horsepens 40 - up on Chandler Mountain in Steele, Alabama. This is rural foothills of Appalachia Alabama. On the tip/ point of Chandler mountain there were huge limestone rock formations with paths through the somewaht trails. This was Native indian ceremonial ground from way back. They could corral the horses; they wouldn't jump off the cliff... so it was a natural hore pen/ corral. The views off the mountain tip vista were of the beautiful Alabama valleys below. supposedly,... the indian corralled their horses here on the tip of the precipice during ceremonial events & councils.
The owners somehow got into hosting bluegrass music at the natural sloping entrance to the pens,... a natural ampitheater. No seats, just throw your blanket on the ground and enjoy the music on the small wood deck stage.
Drive up I-59n from Birmingham, hang a left , go about 20 miles out into the backwoods. The parking lot was a field. Admission was like $6 a daypass.... $10 for the weekend. This was 1974.
Saturday there would be maybe 800 people there. Maybe 1,000.
Now this is not Country music. It was Bluegrass.... with a lot of banjo music/ songs. But it was really Southern Appalachian music. A lot of Appalachian rooted songs/ music... acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, drums, and some other mountain instruments. A lot of percussion instruments... tambourines, cajun accordian, rubboards, some bands had a jug player, some even played a crosscut saw. And of course; The Dulcimer. Real Southern Appalachian music. Some gospel, some mountain music, some had the tempo/ sound of the old union organizing tunes. Many times fans would get up and clog... clog dance to the music. It was powerful . It was a phenomenon.
There was a little stand/ store you could get a coca cola, a moon pie, and some other basics to keep from starving. a primitive makeshift grill... I'm sure the health dept: didn't know about this... to get a hamburger for $5 with a small bag of chips. NO french fries.
Many patrons would throw a tent and camp out near the parking lot and cook/ grill/ Camp... this was before there were RVs. ... at least no RVs in Alabama. Mostly it was a campsite tent where all the somewhat hippies could smoke some pot while grilling food after the days music. It was a fun place. And reallySunday Eve I drove back home to Centerpoint; it was still habital then ... now it's a war zone. unique. No cops. No hassle... it was like Alabamas own little Woodstock. There were no nude acid heads dancing.... maybe out in the campground at their tent. Many slept in their car; this was before Rvs came to Alabama. Get the Marine Corps sleeping bag out and stay around someones campfire. A very laid back atmosphere.
Some was gospel mountain music. sometimes amazing grace. one of the local BHM young bands just starting up was "Three on a String", 3 acoustic players and they were good THEN... in later years they were so good that Ken Burns used their music in his Civil War series. It was unique folk music.
One of the acoustic-- they were amplified so it would project over the amitheater- guitar player I remember was Glen Tolbert, a down home country guy wearing overalls, played "Shuck the Corn"; absolutely good southern music.
In the 80s I came back up from Florida and asked a friend if they still held the festival? He said it was mostly drug dealers doin drug deals in the parking lot and it was not as good. I guess all things come to an end. Don't know if they still have a festival, but in 1974... this was really good music.
