Back to the Cabin in Caroline
A Tribute to Bluegrass Pioneer, John 'Ralph' Pennington
Featuring Herb Pedersen,The Truffle Valley Boys, Kristen Scott Benson, and more.
About The Project
Setting the record straight on a bluegrass pioneer.
The late John Ralph Pennington (3/2/23 - 1/20/1992) was a native of Wilkes County, North Carolina. Ralph began playing music at an early age. By the age of 14 he was playing guitar and fiddle with his older brother Junior Ross Pennington and his wife Anna Lee Pennington. By his late teens he was playing professionally but put his music on hold to serve in the US Navy during WWII.
After serving in the Navy, Ralph Pennington spent his younger years performing with a host of notable Wilkes County musicians. His musical journey included stints with The Church Brothers, Jim Hall and the Crazy Mountaineers, Roy Hall and the Blue Ridge Entertainers, and Don Walker and His Blue Ridge Boys. During these pioneer years, he recorded historically significant tracks with both The Church Brothers at WPAQ and L.W. Lambert.
Beyond his talents as a musician and luthier, Ralph was a prolific songwriter. He penned songs for The Stanley Brothers and wrote the iconic "My Cabin in Caroline"—which became the very first song recorded by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and the Foggy Mountain Boys during their inaugural Mercury Recording Session in Knoxville, TN in 1948. A humble man, Ralph never sought credit or payment. He never realized how valuable those early recordings would become as the music industry grew, delighting simply in hearing the success of the music rather than seeking recognition for his writing.
Ralph's influence inspired his daughter Vivian's lifelong commitment to preserving traditional music. She learned at an early age from her father and his comrades that "it's ok to stay up all night and pick 'til the roosters are crowing at dawn." This passion led her to travel the bluegrass festival circuit for over 25 years with her late husband, operating "The Fifth String & Co." and working as bluegrass festival emcee. She currently hosts the Montgomery General Store Friday Night Jam at Historic Gold Hill, NC, now in its 20th year.
This project acknowledges the vital research of Wilkes County, NC native, David Johnson from an interview with Vivian about her dad's music career for his upcoming book. It was during this interview that the idea of a recording project was first mentioned. It also acknowledges the work of Jordan Nance (producer of "Broadcast-A Man and His Dream" the WPAQ Radio, Mount Airy, NC Story), and Ben Niblock, who spent months with Ralph in the year preceding his death in 1992. It also credits Ralph Stanley for sharing information with Vivian about the shared songwriting ventures with her dad and Carter Stanley. However, it was the specific interest of Italian researcher, Matteo Ringressi, in these early pioneer bluegrass bands that ultimately inspired this preservation effort.
"This project serves to set the record straight, finally giving John Ralph Pennington the recognition he deserves."
History & Inspiration
Notes on the original recordings and the stories behind the songs.
Originally recorded by The Church Brothers on WPAQ. This song was written following the loss of Ralph's third child, a little girl who lived just short of 24 hours. She was born the day before her mother's birthday and passed away on her birthday. Ralph stayed with her and held her until she passed.
A bluegrass standard written by Ralph in 1948. It was the first song recorded the same year by the legendary Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys on their inaugural Mercury Sessions in Knoxville, TN. Having just left Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, Lester and Earl were seeking previously unrecorded original material and writing new songs. Ralph and Jim Shumate were performing on live radio at WHKY Radio, Hickory NC, where Lester and Earl would also occasionally visit with them and perform. Lester approached Ralph about letting him record “My Cabin in Caroline'. He agreed to pay Ralph fifty dollars ($50) to let him record it. The rest is history.
These lyrics were found among other song lyrics and music notes in Ralph's files. The song was sealed in an envelope addressed to Wynwood Music in Broad Run, VA. The letter's intent was to gain copyright credit for recording. The letter was never mailed. Vivian conferred with her oldest brother, Johnny Pennington, who had worked on the song with their dad, and together with him and fellow musician, Danny Bowers, they came up with a melody arrangement that is close to Ralph's original melody. Although Johnny's declining health prevented him from being involved in the recording, he was instrumental in the final decision on the melody arrangement, and we felt it should be included in this album.
An original instrumental piece that had never been recorded until the release of this album. Ralph had only performed this piece live a few times. We were very fortunate that he taught the tune to Jeff Michael. He and Dale Mills performed extensively in bands with Ralph, and both were excited to bring their talents to this project on this instrumental. To take the tune to the next level, producer, Vivian Pennington Hopkins, brought in mandolinist, Wayne Benson, to create a twin mandolin duo piece.
A response song penned by Ralph's daughter, Vivian Pennington Hopkins, continuing the story of the original classic. The idea for the song came while driving the winding mountain roads through the foothills of the Blue Ridge on her way back to the family homeplace and birthplace of the original song penned many years ago by her dad. The line in the song, “That's where he met his blue-eyed darling”, came to Vivian as she rounded the last curve and saw the homeplace which sits by the river at the foot of a pine-covered mountain.
Originally performed and recorded by LW Lambert & the Carolina Neighbors with Harold Tomlin on lead vocal and mandolin, Ralph Pennington on fiddle and tenor vocal, LW Lambert on banjo, and Curly Kilby (Steve Kilby's dad) on guitar. Written during the months following the ending of WWII after losing a friend in the Korean Conflict.
Originally performed and recorded by LW Lambert & the Carolina Neighbors with Harold Tomlin on lead vocal and mandolin, Ralph Pennington on fiddle and tenor vocal, LW Lambert on banjo, and Curly Kilby (Steve Kilby's dad) on guitar. The original song was recorded at WPAQ Radio in Mount Airy, NC. On this project, Steve Kilby plays guitar on this cut in tribute to not only Ralph Pennington but also paying tribute to his own dad.
An original composition by Vivian Pennington Hopkins celebrating the family heritage. The iconic featured cut on the album “My Cabin in Caroline” is written about Vivian's mother and the family homeplace where her mother grew up. The 'cabin' was a 1905 forest pine farmhouse on a 100-acre farm. Vivian and her six siblings spent many days, nights, weekends and summers growing up on the farm with their grandparents, whom they fondly called 'Granny and Poppy'. 'Papa' Johnson's farm was prominent landmark in the community and memories of childhood there inspired the lyrics of this song.
Featured Videos
The Music Contributors
The talented musicians who brought these songs to life.
The Video Contributors
The visionaries, filmmakers, and faces who translated these stories to the screen.