J.D. Crowe Playing Banjo at Home – Extremely Rare Bluegrass Footage

In 1949, a 12 year old JD Crowe saw Lester Flatt Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mtn Boys live for the first time. The trajectory of bluegrass banjo was altered that evening. This video was recorded in the late 1980s at the home of JD. Crowe. Famed capo maker, Tom McKinney, is singing / playing guitar and well know banjo builder, Frank Neat, is manning the camera. I don't know anything about the occasion, but it appears that JD plays 3 separate banjos over the course of the recording, so he may have been possibly looking to buy one of them. Or, it was just an excuse for 3 good bluegrass buddies to get together. This video is presented in the memory of William Felty of Lexington KY who devoted much time and effort into recording and collecting recordings of live bluegrass and acoustic music and also to the late Jack Chaffins of Avilla Indiana, who owned the VHS tape this digital copy was made from. In 2003 Jack asked if I could transfer the VHS recording to digital for him. He allowed me to make myself a copy with the stipulation that I not make any other copies and distribute them among my other friends. He felt that JD wouldn't want it out there. So I didnt. Fast forward nearly 20 years, and both JD and Jack Chaffins have passed on. I felt I had held up my deal of the bargain to Jack while also knowing the recording was really a treasure for fans of JD Crowe and bluegrass banjo and it would be a shame if it was never seen.