Today's post is about Sophronie, a song that Billy has played 54 times over the years.
The musical DNA here traces back to 1958, when Jimmy Martin first recorded this gem written by Alton Delmore and D.C. Mullins. Martin, the self-proclaimed "King of Bluegrass," had the powerhouse J.D. Crowe on the 5 for the original recording.
According to bmfsdb.com, Billy's been playing "Sophronie" everywhere from theater shows back in 2017, when he played it in 19 shows, to arena gigs at Bridgestone in Nashville and UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. In the years since 2017, it's been more rare, with no subsequent year having more than 7 plays.
Here's one where Billy lets his Jimmy Martin flag fly.
SecondHandSongs.com doesn't have a ton of covers listed, maybe because it tracks studio releases.
The song structure itself is a masterclass in songwriting economy – verses that lay out the premise, a chorus that delivers the goods, and enough space for instrumental breaks that let the pickers really dig in. Jimmy Martin's original arrangement, with his driving rhythm guitar paired with Crowe's machine gun banjo and some nice harmonies, created a template that works.
Billy's version adds his flavor while keeping the traditional heart intact. It's that same quality you hear in Tony Rice's approach to older material – reverent but not reverent to the point of being static.
If you're a flatpicker looking to dig into this one, pay attention to how the melody moves around the chord changes. The original uses simple runs to connect the vocal phrases, nothing fancy but everything in service of the song. Billy's version doesn't go to outer space, but he puts the pedal down for sure.
Some choice versions:
No comments:
Post a Comment