The Hillmen

In high school while my contemporaries were making their cars faster and slicker, it was my intention to keep up with them with my music. Playing the mandolin eight hours a day I figured I was operating at 33 1/3 rpm. When not playing, most of my time was spent getting adequate T.V. reception from Los Angeles. Channel 13 had weekly shows of such prominence as “Cala Corral” and “County Music Time.” The stars were the Golden State Boys featuring Vern and Rex Gosdin on guitar and bass and Don Parmley on banjo. I was with the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers in San Diego and was greatly impressed with these gents. I was 17 and they were 22. The Squirrel Barkers broke up and I headed for San Francisco...Just as hunger was about to overtake me I received a call from Don Parmley in Los Angeles. The Gosdin Brothers were in need of a mandolin player, so I unstuck from San Francisco and headed for Los Angeles. We hit it off right in front, and after a bit of rehearsal, we were booked at the world famous HAREM LOUNGE in Lynwood, California, where I, with a fictitious I.D. proceeded to play for standing room only and capacity crowds of 15-20 people. Not allowing this immediate success to spoil us, we worked the squeaking Decon radio show in Los Angeles. At this time we ran into young Jim Dickson who took us under his paternal wing and spent three months, late 1962 and early 1963, rehearsing and taping these sides. Fortunately, at this time the folk scene was coming to an abrupt halt. The planet Earth was not ready for BLUEGRASS. So into the vault went our story. The area was saturated with folksy folk, so we folded our tents and crept away. I put down the mandolin, picked up the bass and became a Byrdie. Vern and Rex went to Capitol Records and are now the Gosdin Brothers. Don Parmley, that fine five string banjo picker went to Continental Trailway Bus Company.  

Where does he get off being a success? Eh! Near Bakersfield.