Episode 18: Ron Buchanan (Square Dance Tunes)

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends. The Old Time community is of full of internal rock stars. Some of them realize how impressive they are and they act accordingly, and I’m not trying to throw shade, I think everyone appreciates a little well-earned swagger. But for every conspicuous virtuoso, there are dozens of humble, unassuming musicians who are utter revelations on their instruments.  My guest today, Ron Buchanan, is an Old Time bodhisattva. He’s one of the warmest, gentlest souls in the community; he’ll play with anyone, anytime, and thank them for it. But nobody plays the fiddle like Ron. He’s especially good at breathing life into tired, overplayed tunes. In the latter half of the show we play Spotted Pony, Arkansas Traveler, and Soldier’s Joy, basically Free Bird, Stairway to Heaven and a third culturally relevant example. It was like playing them for the first time again. Ron loves old time music, and he plays it with a joyfulness that is thoroughly earned.  Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool