Orange Blossom Special

[@keithandshawn]

My Uncle Gilbert played the fiddle and he could play this with his eyes closed. My Uncle Jack played the banjo and the dobro, and my mama played the guitar and the banjo, argue with that! I love my family!

[@MikeyG72034]

No matter what type of music is your favorite, your can't help but appreciate the massive amount of talent on this stage. WOW, we miss you Vassar

[@rkviolin]

I'm a mostly classical violinist - but I sure do like this country fiddlin'!!!

[@susanhe6785]

Raphael Klayman Me too!

[@jimdavidson413]

Awesome, great American classic

[@flakyace]

this music is true America , i feel so much pride in my country , that we can make music like this,, so deeply heartfelt and genuine,, and real.. thanks for putting it up here,, a great classic,, thanks

[@BenAliGtor]

I count myself fortunate that I got to hear Vassar live in a small club about 25 years ago.

[@alueris1971]

I was 11 years old when i first heard this orange blossom special. Today Im almost 40 and i feel the same happiness to hear this song again with such very talented musicians. Greeting from Mexico...

[@paperfiddler]

I learned to play this when Vassar himself taught me - and it's been my big show stopper ever since - just wish I could've been part of this evening.

[@scottrackley4457]

Imagine being 80 years old, taught everyone on the stage to play, and still are the best.

[@stevesprinceofsteaks]

Vassar made sound no one else ever has. Wonderful bunch there playing and honoring one of the very best of the best. May he rest in peace.

[@Regulation12]

Brilliant! Remember listening to this tune before I had hairs on my chest. From a UK steam railway fan

[@Twangbanger72]

Even with your eyes closed, you can always recognize Vassar's playing amongst all the other players. Truly one of the greatest to ever pick up a fiddle.

[@chunter5100]

Unreal...double shuffle to a cosmic level lol lol...I mean Alison Krauss is just one of these fiddlers..omg...how incredible this must have been to be there live....wow!!!

[@GayleMI]

Vassar got that white soul thing going on. Saw him once at a club in the '80's, doing this kinda cheesy fusion thing. As a change-up, Vassar did "Listen to the Mockingbird" complete with bird calls & we all went nuts. Thanks for preserving this.

[@Drewtazy]

Fantastic! Awesome! The fiddle is the 8th wonder of the world!

[@MsNickie1001]

I had the pleasure of meeting him many years ago at a jam session. I hid my fiddle under my chair, and he and Doc Watson blew me away.

[@Jolenekaye]

this was my dad's favorite songs RIP daddy

[@DaveM1260]

So awesome it brings tears to my eyes.

[@RameyRocks]

+Dave McKenzie Glad to know I wasn't the only one LOL

[@samwiggins5349]

me too

[@ariesfiddler]

this is just lovely, rediculous fiddling mayhem!!! I love it! Oh to have been there to see it live.....le sigh....

[@tommietempleton]

Miss ole Vassar. Love his style. (Thanks).

[@mmelindam]

OMGoddess...words are not capable of describing how amazing that was...Thank you so much for posting this!!!!

[@loubock3238]

The BEST, Bless Vassar Clements RIP dear sir!

[@YouCanCallMeReTro]

Born and raised in the north but I love this music

[@MarkBlackburnWPG]

“O.B.S.” (Fiddle Players' National Anthem) CMT managing editor Calvin Gilbert shared with readers a favorite quote about Vassar Clements - from MARTY STUART one of the featured commentators on “PBS Ken Burns Country Music.” Marty was speaking at the time of Vassar Clements' death, age 77, of lung cancer (2005) and recalled the first time he heard Clements playing on a recording: “It was the most lonesome, scary sound coming out of a fiddle I’d ever heard. I played the mandolin, and once I heard this music, I ditched everything I ever knew and went back and tried to play mandolin like Vassar played fiddle. Years later, I played the Opry, and I saw this man playing fiddle. He stood straight, with his eyes closed and he was playing the prettiest music you could ever imagine. It froze me on the spot. This man is probably my favorite fiddle player on earth.” So what's the fuss about the late Vassar Clements? If you can spare five-and-one-half-minutes, this video featuring an 'orchestra' of some of the world's greatest fiddlers, will tell you all you need to know about “The Isaac Stern of Fiddlers” (as he was dubbed by a classical music critic). From an April night at the Opry in 2003. Almost every living fiddle great on stage with him - with subtitles introducing each by name - including a young Alison Krauss - as well as a fiddler I'd just been wondering about this week -- featured in the PBS Country Music (2019) video - Stuart Duncan - in the all-star band accompanying Hank's grand daughter Holly on “I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY.” At the 2:55 mark (after Ricky Scaggs' "Kentucky Thunder" fiddler Andy Leftwich) comes Mr. Duncan (not then associated with any band - just another great 'Nashville Cat' sessions musician). Each fiddler takes barely 15 seconds or less to contribute some signature licks of their own. Be advised: As this progresses you may experience waves of goosebumps. Thanks for sharing, "brewhead."

[@texydanl5239]

I'm 66 yares old and that's the best differential I ever red between a fiddle and a violin. And I got to write this while listening to this great rendition.

[@catboneguitar]

A SPECIAL fiddler!!!!! The others guys are SPECIAL too! So SWEET to the ears. Who in the hell doesn't like this?

[@nobodys909business]

i've only just discovered vasser,what a musician.cant stop playing this.thaanks vasser.frank from england

[@marymartin165]

lookin at his face is awesome. the way he is thinking it out as he plays. he's feeling it, listening and in the moment..

[@johnnymossville]

I was just talking to my Dad on the phone and he mentioned his favorite song. Of course I had to come listen. :) What a great song.

[@yalahamike]

3 years ago I had the rare opportunity to play bass while Vassar and a couple of close friends played this song.......A 6min rendition I will never forget. I miss him dearly.

[@MrTeto43]

a truly american heritage of very beautiful music,i-moving my feet along with my heart

[@mtnmomwv]

My Dad's favorite song...thanks.

[@alsdouble]

Chill right up and down my spine. Magic.

[@popeye1250]

Wow! What a collection of talented fiddlers! And a great classic too! Even the Irish fiddlers love playing "The Orange Blossom Special!"

[@salsorana1954]

This fabulous video makes me weep.... How fantastic can it get????? We miss you, Vasser!!!!

[@suuzzee5]

This is one of the most amazing pieces of music I've ever heard... it's like walking among the gods...

[@williamspedale3164]

I love the way you talk!

[@pma4usa]

Wow, Great song! My favorite! I love how they all play it at the same time as they go into part B. !

[@MckayMoar09]

My papas favorite ..orange blossom special

[@zeldaetmario]

Great Sound/Song ! Magical violins ! RIP VAssar ! died in 2005...

[@wavepainter]

ahieeeeee!!!!! Help me....I just heard heaven aloud!!! Oh that Vassar. Woweee Dang that's the real stuff. Dancing with tears in my eyes... Thank you.

[@NHfiddle]

Vassar, you can count on him to lead the pack in the fiddle department. I learned from him first, everyone else after that.

[@bugfarmery]

meet him at the belle starr in 81,picked him up at dever airport with reco for show in steamboat springs co. 85 seen him again in mayville ny in2002 i think.he still remember me.just a poor hippy boy.what an gentelman.miss ya

[@bob0s062]

Love the video. My stepdad found one person who could keep up with his fiddling this. The guy played in a rock band.

[@john77905]

there IS SOME AWESOME FIDDLING TALENT ON THIS STAGE. THANK YOU FOR POSTING GREAT VIDEO.

[@pauliegualtieri8558]

Always awesome to hear a fellow fiddler player, Fiddles for life!!!!

[@patrickogrady9418]

Logan Barlow It is my opinion that fiddles only reign destruction. Ive never seen a fiddle player not destroy.

[@bluerailroad]

This just brings tears to my eyes. Such a wonderful musical moment.

[@jayhershey7525]

I wish I could give them TWO thumbs up!

[@bobbymoretti]

Remarkable song, nailed to perfection.

[@adundasclan]

My good friend Jeff West who now lives in Tenn played with Vassar, he acted like he just wanted to play with friends at a local jam session. Very good people, those bluegrasser's.

[@fergiesr01]

Now this people is how a fiddle is suppose to be played, watch and learn from the Master himself, perfection at it's finest :-)

[@Gods2ndFavoriteBassPlyr]

That poor bass player! Hang in there, man! Wow....what a convergence of such awesome talent. This really is what it's all about!

[@Exzeluke]

YAY - lots of fiddles! Thanks - this is just a great performance.

[@murraydickson3920]

FABULOUS FIDDLES!!!

[@TheLawdogx]

Thank you for knowing who really wrote this song!

[@Poweredparachuteman96]

Good ole Vassar Clements.

[@RicardoLiricosjr]

just wonderful ... congratulations ... greetings from mexico

[@KevinBriggz]

I mean... he's up there playing with all of those young, well-practiced fiddle mo sters and he's in a stratosphere all of his own. The rules and conventions are there to be dismissed at any second, and he's never out of place. Sweetness.

[@phidler]

vassar. oh my. what a legend. this is amazing.

[@18hopkins]

thanks, fabulous vidéo many thanks

[@faroukabad]

he's playing the hard part faster than the tempo, usually the fiddlers are struggling to keep up

[@dhcHANDofGOD]

Vasser Clements, one of the Best if not THE Best .Micheal Cleveland is a close second. And Del McCoury is another of my favorites, no to mention all the rest in this video.

[@Whiskeybuisness]

IF EVER WAS A MEANING TO THE TERM "FIDDLING AROUND", THEN I GUESS THIS WOULD BE IT! FINE JOB ON ALL PARTS!

[@zeldaetmario]

i love this sound/song ! Magical violins !!!

[@fiddleplay]

Great version. Always someting new to learn.

[@MrJimDF]

That was awesome! So many great fiddlers up there.

[@andyeverett1957]

A little more than two years before he died, I guess he did not slow down much. What a master.

[@Dallas-Nyberg]

Fabulous... Thanks for posting

[@christfollower6772]

Wooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! That was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@mrfiddleman]

Interesting! I've played OBS a zillion times and had never realized there was a Chubby Wise connection. Nobody is calling him a liar. There is an interesting book that delves into the connection between the two guys and the song. I suppose the reason the Rouse Brothers got the credit for it is that they were apparantly the first to record it.

[@deansurratt7936]

No..u're the one who got it all wrong! Ervin Thomas Rouse is the one who actually penned the OBS. Chubby Wise had nothing to do with it. They were friends & Chubby helped put it on the map, but he had no part in writing it. Wise & Ervin was at Gene Christians house (Gene is a fiddler himself who used to play with Bill Monroe & a friend of Ervin & Chubby) & he asked ..who actually wrote the song? Chubby looked at Ervin & then back at Gene & said, "he did"! The Rouse brothers played it everywhere they went & Wise & others were trying to steal it from Ervin, so that's when he had it copywrited. I know what happened bc Ervin Rouse was my uncle , brother to my dad & i'm 82 yrs old & remember it well.

[@mrfiddleman]

@@deansurratt7936 mrfiddleman 13 years ago Orange Blossom Boys: The Untold Story of Ervin T. Rouse, Chubby Wise and the World's Most Famous Fiddle Tune with CD (Audio)... by Noles, Randy This Wikipedia version is much newer and refutes Wise's contention that he wrote the song. Wise's story was that he and Rouse wrote it after touring the train. Most historians believe that story was at the very least "enhanced" by Wise's telling of it. But it is an interesting read. Rouse copyrighted the song before the Orange Blossom Special train ever came to Jacksonville. Other musicians, including Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise, have claimed authorship of the song. Wise did not write it although he claimed for years that he had. Rouse, a mild mannered man who lived deep in the Everglades never contested the matter. Years later, Johnny Cash learned of Rouse and brought him to Miami to play the song at one of his concerts. In a video on KZbin, Gene Christian, a fiddler for Bill Monroe who knew both men, confirms that Rouse wrote and copyrighted the song.[2] Christian says in the interview that Chubby Wise popularized the song by playing it weekly on the Grand Ole Opry. As Wise tells the story, he and Rouse decided to visit the Jacksonville Terminal in Florida to tour the Orange Blossom Special train. ... even though it was about three in the morning we went right into the Terminal and got on board and toured that train, and it was just about the most luxurious thing I had ever seen. Ervin was impressed, too. And when we got done lookin' 'er over he said, "Let's write a song about it." So we went over to my place ... and that night she was born. Sitting on the side of my bed. We wrote the melody in less than an hour, and called it Orange Blossom Special. Later Ervin and his brother put some words to it. Rouse copyrighted the song in 1938 and recorded it in 1939. Bill Monroe, regarded by many as "the father of bluegrass music", recorded the song (with Art Wooten on fiddle) and made it a hit. Since then countless versions have been recorded, among them Wise's own, as an instrumental in a 1969 album Chubby Wise and His Fiddle. And that version, said Wise, "is the way it was written and the way it's supposed to be played".[3] Leon "Pappy" Selph says that he was the author of The Orange Blossom Special in this interview in 1997. He states that he wrote it in 1931. [4] Lyrics ................ This version may have some elements of truth in it, I dunno, I wasn't there but my take on it is that Ervin Rouse should have the credit for creating the song.

[@mrsjbigos]

One of my grandaddy's favorites. RIP

[@dhcHANDofGOD]

Vasser Clements, one of the Best if not THE Best .Micheal Cleveland is a close second.

[@mrfiddleman]

It is not a Chubby Wise song, it was composed by Ervin Rouse in the 1930's. Chubby was a great fiddle player and did a great job on it but he didn't compose the song.

[@chunter5100]

Absolutely right Vidman!!! Thanks for correcting me on that....I worked for Sound City recording studios and this group called the Aman Folk Ensemble told me that it was called the 'double shuffle", but again, your right, and I just learned something!!!!

[@sleaponit21]

this vidio is a national treasure

[@pegcage]

That's some sure fire fiddlin'! One better than the other.

[@wa1ufo]

most excellent Captain!

[@alcarg]

Desde Spain me emociono viendo this video. Thanks

[@sideditch100]

Vassar Clements I first discovered in Old and in the Way album on Rounder Records label. with Jerry Garcia, David Grissmam, Peter Rowan.

[@mrspacecase]

Alison Krauss was just on Prairie Home Companion today. Love the video and the music!

[@auntbenben]

These guys are GREAT!

[@hoopenhanger]

I love the way tyhe girl on the fiddle jumps up and down as she plays!

[@TheLawdogx]

Thank you, Denise!!

[@dsuperfan23]

absolutely amazing that would have been a great show.

[@n00bdelan00bn00b]

this is officially the best piece ever, :O

[@grayzinger6674]

great job luv it

[@auntbenben]

This is amazing.

[@LPFreeBackingTracks]

Great video! Thanks

[@JerryToneStore]

@nailswood exactly. I've tried playing this with a couple of friends, and it just about makes my arm just be like "alright. I quit. have fun without me". but what a great song!!!

[@JohnDeathMetal]

im the only 16 year old that loves this it seems like.

[@chenteguitarra]

ESpectacularrrrrr! EXCELENTE! MUY BUENO!!

[@genevie08]

Guauuuuu que manera de alegrarme la noche con esta melodia por demas hermosa..... esta interpretacion me ha inyectado una energia!!!!

[@dohertykaki]

Great music!!!!!

[@lullimuppi]

Great Music❤

[@dnkidd]

Wonderful!

[@SagDec15]

the most awesome strings players alive today!

[@stellingbanjos]

vassar,bobbby hicks,glen duncan are my favorite. when you heard vassar you knew it was him!!

[@loularry]

The greatest!!!

[@mcfrdmn]

Wonderful performance

[@mbabist01]

You can really hear the locomotive in this piece. Great fiddling!

[@johnab7]

Brilliant!

[@scottrackley4457]

Rhonda is the best fiddle player out there. If you've never heard her in person, you should

[@lesmay9871]

Shame they confused Rhonda and Allison Krauss in the on screen graphic