Jeff McRae with Mervin and Nettie Penner, and his new LP collection
This article is another recurring contribution from Bluegrass Canada, the quarterly magazine of the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada. Editor Mike Higgins has promised to send us periodic updates from the scene up north. This one comes from the Manitoba Bluegrass & Old Time Music Society (MOBS), and was written by John Sawatzky.
Mervin and Nettie Penner of Steinbach have been avid bluegrass fans for over 70 years. Both having been born and raised in southern Manitoba, they did not have much opportunity to attend bluegrass festivals to see the “big stars.” So, in their married years they traveled extensively to the southern states and attended many festivals, including several trips to Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival in Indiana.
Mervin began collecting LPs at the age of 17, and had accumulated 648 vinyl albums by his late 80s. Many of these included complete discographies from several artists, with styles ranging from Flatt & Scruggs to Lonesome River Band, and Béla Fleck.
Mervin and Nettie had been looking to transition from their own house into a seniors’ complex, and this large collection could not be accommodated in their new living space. Mervin was looking for someone to take it all, so he contacted Tim Verwey to see if MOBS could assist. Tim posted the information on the MOBS Facebook page and there were several inquiries, however no one was willing to take on the whole collection.
Jeff McRae from Nova Scotia has been a MOBS member for several years, and played banjo with CSI whenever he was in Manitoba. After seeing the Facebook post, he expressed sincere interest in the collection, as he too had been gathering bluegrass LPs for a few years. Bluegrass records in good condition are hard to find, and Jeff had many notable albums still on his wish list – surely, a treasure trove of this size would tick a few boxes?
I took Jeff to meet the Penners and discuss the collection. With tastes and influences ranging from first generation, traditional artists to modern, contemporary, and progressive sounds, Jeff appreciates all forms of bluegrass. “Like Mervin, my collection is all about listening value, not dollar value. While there are several rare, hard to-find LPs here, I really just want to listen to them! There’s nothing like the original cuts, and the mixes used on vinyl just aren’t the same as digital music.” After a good visit and discussion, Mervin graciously allowed Jeff to take this collection back with him to Nova Scotia.
When not cataloging his new collection, Jeff is largely involved in organizing the annual Nova Scotia Bluegrass & Oldtime Music Festival – Canada’s oldest bluegrass music festival. He also plays bass with Common Ground, a newly formed band in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
After some quick “LP math” (in the Canadian Tire parking lot), examining dimensions, average thickness, and weight, we were off to find the best containers to safely transport these gems in flight. Next came the task of sorting and packing in my garage-turned-sorting-station. While familiar with the list, Jeff was like a kid in a candy store as he examined each album. While there were plenty of exclamations including, “OH MY!” and “NO WAY!,” one LP stood out.
Widely recognized for being a landmark album in bluegrass music, the debut, self-titled, 1975 album, J.D. Crowe and the New South, featuring a young Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, as well as Bobby Slone – more often referred to by its registration number, Rounder 0044 – made Jeff’s eyes jump out. This wasn’t just any copy of “double-oh four four,” but a rare version of the original album cover depicting Crowe’s hand still in the form of a certain gesture he had made to Slone during the album photo shoot.
The story goes, after developing the film, the New South band and Rounder officials realized that photo was the only one where all four members were smiling, and with publication deadlines to meet, it was sent to print. Naturally, the gesture was quickly noticed by some eagle-eyed fans who took offense with the “scandalous” finger, and the cover was promptly replaced with an updated photo of the band, sans gestures.
Jeff had previously purchased what he thought would be a copy of the “finger album” online, but was disappointed to receive the replacement version. “I’ll have to make sure both get a spin,” he joked. “It’s just really cool to have these pieces of bluegrass history.”
