I am writing this in my living room and I wonder where to start. On September 6th & 7th of 2002 Vassar stood right over there. His daughter, Midge, is who I booked him through. She told me a few days before they got here, “he likes his coffee strong” she said “in fact if you made a pot today and just left it on till he gets there it would be about how he likes it”. Sounded like Vassar and me had a common vice, I knew we were gonna get along just fine.

He got here on Friday night just to scope out the place. Daughter Midge and her husband George were with him. He hung out here in the house and people would come in and visit and get him to sign stuff, he posed for pictures as long as people wanted him to. He was polite and nice a true gentle man. People were in absolute awe of him, but he never showed that he even noticed, he was just Vassar. Hey Vassar!!! Vassar look here, Vassar did you ever?? What you need Vassar?? He knew he was the center of attention but just acted like he was proud to be here and had a what can I do for you attitude. I loved him. He even took a rattle from a snake I killed and rubbed it and handed it to a girl who I thought should put it in her fiddle.

He agreed to come and just let me hire a band for him to play with; I promised they would be able musicians. So imagine the thrill for me when I got to call a few people and say hey would you like to do a set with Vassar Clements? That band consisted of Greg Jones, Ed Pickett, & Herb Trotman, and for the night set Butch Baldassarri & Tim Robinson also played.

The boys I hired to play with him had practiced among themselves a time or two but had never even met Vassar until they got together to rehearse in here on Saturday morning. Well the personalities and the vibe among them clicked, as I thought it just might. They did their first set that afternoon on the front porch. People that couldn’t fit onto the porch were all around on the ground below listening. All of em shined, man they were getting to play with Vassar Clements. The mood and the situation worked and people saw something that afternoon.

Midge and George sat on the carport and sold albums, I mean they sold a bunch of albums. People saw what a collection of stuff Vassar had played on that they had never realized. Nice people raise nice kids. I am not sure I ever saw Midge when she was not laughing at something going on. Sitting under that car port all day during a show especially for a first timer can be real interesting. She had been to a lot of festivals but hadn’t ever seen anything like this.

Well about two weeks before the show Herb Trotman who I made band leader and banjo player gave me some news. He knew I owned a banjo and told me I had to play one song with them on stage. I really did not want to, but he insisted. So for the next couple of weeks I played Cripple Creek a lot of times, I was very nervous about it. Well most of the set got recorded that night on stage but the CD ran out before they brought me out to play. HOWEVER when we practiced in the house someone had recorded me playing my one song, and mailed it to me. So I think we can arrange for you to hear that recording of Vassar and me playing Cripple Creek. The voice you hear is mine, apologizing to the musicians and making Herb take the blame for wanting me to play. We did it on stage just like we did in practice. Do I think it is a big deal to have a recording of me and Vassar playing together? The memories that keep going through my mind of things that happen up here are priceless. When I’m an old man I will sit around a camp fire and tell stories that will be hard to top.

Vassar’s other vice was his pipe and I knew that was a part of him. When I asked if I could have it for our museum he said “MY PIPE!!!!” well daughter Midge said she would mail us one of his pipes when she got home. So about a week later one showed up in the mail along with a pack of “his brand” of tobacco. It was a very special gift that will forever give Vassar Clements a presence in my house.

Mary Colurso was here and as a reporter is very talented at engaging people in conversation. So her job that night was making sure we had a pot of real strong coffee at all times in the kitchen. She had him talking about life on the road and even his association with Hank Williams

Vassar is the fourth person that we have had play up here that is no longer with us. With y-alls help we really are making history.

Below are some pictures of that weekend, they were all taken by Wanda Biggs except where noted.

Steve Masterson

The afternoon show people could ask questions and even sit in.

Vassar Clements & The Hillbilly Jazzers

Lee, Caitlyn, Vassar, Melanie, Neal, Tuck & Greg

Vassar made himself available to everyone, and people loved it.

Me, Midge & Vassar.
He is laughing because I had already paid Midge, but I told her if he died before he went on stage that I wanted my money back.

His latest album was called Full Circle. We had provided a round table for them to use. It may not be symbolic but every time I look at this picture I have to think that it was all part of the mojo of that weekend that just happened.

Me & Vassar. Thank you Herb Trotman for making me do that.

Vassar played at a lot of places and saw a lot of things. He spent one weekend in this world y-all helped to create and I bet he never forgot it.

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