The Pressley Girls – Fall 2016 Marble, NC
We’ve been learning the Steeldrivers song If it hadn’t been for Love for the last two years. It’s an awesome song and man did the Steeldrivers do an amazing job on it. Their version is just wow.
The girls and I thought we’d never get the hang of the song, but Paul kept encouraging us and Pap said Paul and the girls’ three part harmony really made the song come alive so we kept at it.
We didn’t even know Granny had noticed the song until one day she said “Sing that one about that o’le boy that went and got hisself in all that trouble in Birmingham and Louisiana.”
Every time we practice Granny makes us sing If it hadn’t been for Love before we quit.
Paul put up the video below a couple weeks back. It’s full of mistakes-Chitter swaps two of the lines and Chatter says the wrong word at some point, but the video still ended up with a good feel to it. We filmed it just before Christmas and if you watch the bloopers at the end you can see it was a stormy day with the lights trying their best to go off.
I hope you enjoyed Granny’s favorite song.
Tipper
Enjoyed! Love that fiddle playing.
Enjoyed! Love that fiddle playing.
Enjoyed! Love that fiddle playing.
Enjoyed! Love that fiddle playing.
I very much enjoyed Chitter or Chatter, whoever – sang solo, and I liked the harmony when they all sang together. Never heard of the Steeldrivers, but I will check them out on you tube. Always enjoy Pap and Paul’s singing. Their harmony was beautiful!
I’m still not sure if I can tell your girls apart but Cory (green jacket?) gets the cutest little impish grin right there at the end.
I had never heard the song before. I can see it isn’t an easy vocal. The urgency of the guitars paired with the mournful cry of the violin seems to be saying, “Act in haste, repent in leisure” which surely fits the story.
Tipper,
I love it when Paul joins in with the girls, and like Cindy said, I didn’t even notice anything but good singing. Hope you all had a good time at Stecoah and those folks at Mount Moriah are in for a real treat. …Ken
By the way I don’t live in Granite Falls. I worked in Granite Falls. Actually it was part of the city of Hickory but across the river from the rest Hickory and completely surrounded by the town of Granite Falls. I call it political confusion. I thought about moving closer to work but it was so messed up, I’d have never found my way to work and back.
As I put on YouTube it’s “My new favorite!”
Me and Granny know what we like and right now that is it!
As you might have deduced I am not a big fan of Country Music but I don’t consider what you folks do Country. I like a little Folk, a little Blue Grass, a little Southern Gospel and a whole lot of Mountain Music. I consider younz a perfect blend of the four.
I have never heard of the Steeldrivers and hearing you all do their song doesn’t make me want to. But it makes me want to hear more from you. I feel no urge to go hear them do it. No reason to! I don’t need a comparison.
I wouldn’t walk across the road to see a Blake Shelton or a Miranda Lambert if you paid me to. If I heard good music coming from across the road, I would surely stop and listen. Some people think I am crazy. “OK and your point is?”
At work one time there was this song came on the radio,
“That’s Eric Church!”
Me, “Who’s Eric Church?”
“He’s from right here in Granite Falls!”
Me, “Do you know when he is going to be in town?”
“Are you gonna go see him?”
Me, “No, but I’d like to know so I can straighten up my place a little in case he comes to see me.”
One of the neatest things about playing acoustic instruments is that you don’t have to stop because the lights went out…
Shore would like to larn how to talk that mountain-talk…
It is easy to see why this is a favorite for Granny. Planting time, but still trying to catch The Blind Pig.
Love the Steeldrivers. They came to Brevard to the Mountain Song Festival either last year or the year before. I really like “River Runs Red”. Such a sad song about the terrible loss
on both sides during the Civil War.
Oh, I see why Granny likes it! I do too! Especially the 3-part harmony!
That is a great version. As you know, we, at the Karshner house, enjoy the kitchen versions of Pressley Girls music. We really liked this, too.
I’m a big fan of Chris Stapleton. He is the only country singer my wife will listen to.
My favorite Steele Drivers song is “Where Rainbows Never Die.” Stapleton wrote that one and it really shows his skill as a song writer and his understanding of the deeper levels of mountain music. I think it may be the most perfect bluegrass song ever written. I could go on…but if you haven’t listened to it, you owe it to yourself to give a try.
Great music again, thanks!
That is a very nice song, good enough that I didn’t see the problems you mentioned. It’s funny to see that picture with everybody bundled up after the heat we’ve had for a couple of days but maybe with the rain last night it’ll be a little cooler today!