Identifier9321404
Created AtTue May 23 2023 23:54:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Media TypeCDR
Media Count1
Trades Allowed
Performance
Bill Monroe 1960-08-14 Watermelon Park, Berryville, VA
Set 1Traveling Down This Lonesome Road
Can't You Hear Me Callin'
Will You Be Lovin' Another Man
When He Reached Down His Hand For Me
I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling
Bluegrass Stomp
When You Are Lonely
Lonesome Road Blues
Set 2
Set 3
Commentwith Mac Wiseman and Don Reno

this set has previously circulated incorrectly as Newport 1960, Bill Monroe did not make his Newport debut until 1963, when I got this file set I decided to investigate further because fo the discrepancy,
Neil Rosenberg and Walt Saunders got all the credit for tracking down what seems to be the correct date on this one.

email from Walt to Neil

Hi again Neil:
I tracked down the date of the show Don Owens produced at Watermelon Park, in Berryville, Va. The date was Sunday, August 14, 1960. It was billed as "Blue Grass Day." I found the ad in the newspaper archives of the Handley Library in Winchester, Va. It appeared in The Winchester Star several days before the event.
The ad listed the artists. Here they are, misspellings and all, in the order and pretty much how they appeared:

MAX WISEMAN
and the OSBORNE BROTHERS
and
SCOTTY STONEMAN
BILL MONROE and the BLUE GRASS BOYS
DON RENO and RED SMILEY
BUCK RYAN and SMITTY IRWIN
ILL HARRIS

The print for Wiseman, the Osbornes and Stoneman was bold and larger size than the other artists, which indicates who Owens considered to be the biggest draw, not only in the northern Shenandoah Valley, but also in the Washington, DC area, as he advertised in on his TV show.
Don knew all of these artists personally, so I assume the misspellings were not his, but likely the folks at the newspaper. Bill Harris of course is Bill Harrell, and Buck and Smitty were in his band.
This show was approximately a year before the one at Luray (I believe July 4, 1961), which has received all of the attention ever since.