FRIDAY MUSIC: John Hartford, by JD

You may not be familiar with the name John Hartford but you will most certainly know his most famous song, “Gentle On My Mind”.

John Cowan Hartford (1937 – 2001) was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hartford

He liked to joke that the song had been good to him. He once said that royalties from Gentle On My Mind gave him the security to indulge himself with a steamboat on the Mississippi river.

As well as being a talented songwriter, banjo picker and fiddle player he had a habit of tap-dancing while he was singing and playing as you can see in the videos which follow.

Following the success of the film “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” all or most of the artists who had contributed to the film’s sound track gathered together for a concert which was filmed and released on DVD under the title “Down From The Mountain” John Hartford was the compere of the show as well as making his own musical contribution to it.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284067/

When I first heard that song I thought it was just another typical whim of Hartford’s very fertile imagination combined with his wry sense of humour. But no, there really was a steam powered aeroplane. Designed and built by the Besler Brothers in 1933 in Oakland, California.
You can read all about it here – http://rexresearch.com/besler/beslerst.htm

And this is some archive film of the test flight -
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/aviations-latest-wonder-1/query/wildcard