Jam at Tut Taylor's

Tut and Lee Taylor

What happens when two novice pickers are invited to the home of one of the bluegrass greats for a jam? They go? When the pickin' starts they get out their instruments. And they have a great time. Tut Taylor, the flat pickin' dobro man, is, of course, a bluegrass legend. He was an original partner with George Gruhn and Randy Wood in what became Gruhn's Guitars in Nashville. He appeared on the Steam Powered Aereo Plane album with John Hartford, Norman Blake, and Vasser Clement, one of the most influential musical contributions to the development of what became known as Newgrass. He and his son Mark founded Crafters of Tennessee, one of the fine makers of American acoustic instruments. At age 85, he's still inventing new instruments and engaging actively in the world of acoustic and bluegrass music. The other participants, all friends and family of the Taylors, are professional musicians at some level. And we're truly novice pickers, slow and pretty insecure. And we were welcomed into their arms and the jam circle, felt we were making a contribution, and had a wonderful evening. And that doesn't even include the wonderful dinner of barbecue, beans, corn bread, squash caserole, and deserts that Tut's good wife Lee put out for all of us. The pictures tell the rest of the story.

Donnie Swaim
with
A Tut Taylor Decorated Dobro Case

Steve Barker Playing Frankie
A 1976 Bicentennial Made of Black Walnut
Available from Tut

Tut, Lee, and David Taylor

Linda - A Friend

The Jam
Lynn Swaim Displaying Decoration
by
Tut Taylor & Lynn Swaim

David Taylor, Ted Lehmann, Lee Taylor & James Smith

James Smith - The AutoHarpMan from Al-La-Bam

Laury Barker

Tut Taylor Plays the Tutbro

His Newest Design Resonator Guitar

Tut Played Mandolin on the Stage
at the Grand Old Opry
the last time Roy Acuff played
Wabash Cannonball there