A TRIBUTE DONALD “DONNIE DOBRO” SCOTT 

by Barbara Bamberger Scott

Donald Allan Scott, known in later life as Donnie Dobro, was born in Taylorsville, North Carolina, on September 10, 1946, at home, the third of four children, with a midwife assisting his mother Hazel. After military service in WWII, Donnie’s father Arnum moved to the Ohio River area to work on oil rigs, better-paying employment than anything to be found locally. Hazel and the children moved to Williams, Kentucky, also on the river.

Donnie grew up in what would now be seen as extreme poverty. Arnum offered little financial support, and Hazel scratched out what income she could as a seamstress, primarily working on soldiers’ uniforms. In addition to her sewing skills, Hazel had a storehouse of acquired infor-mation, probably from her own humble origins, on plants that could be eaten or used medicinally. Donnie recalled often going with his mother scouring the woods for edible plants. The children were given food by local charitable churchgoers of the Pentecostal Holliness faith, his mother’s religion.  But Donnie went to bed hungry.

Donnie once took me to Williams – a memory trip for him and a discovery trip for me. One recollection he shared was going to the Williams public swimming pool (still extant when we visited) – a large facility with a pool surrounded by a tall metal fence. Donnie told me how much he and his brother and sisters enjoyed watching the other children diving and swimming. “But,” I asked him, “Weren’t you swimming, too?” He replied that there was no way Hazel could have afforded the perhaps 10-cent admission for each child to the pool itself, so they watched the fun through the fence.  Back in Taylorsville, Donnie spent much of his youth living with his paternal grandparents and learning a lot about farming. His grandfather had apple orchards up in the Brushy Mountains, part of the Appalachian foothills. Donnie helped with the collection and sale of apples. He told me that it was not until he was grown up and away from home that he ever ate a really good apple, since Grandpa Scott kept the best ones for selling. In later years, Donnie canned and shared numerous types of apples, all pure and unsweetened, demonstrating his chemical skills as well as his knowledge of apple varieties and flavors.

Donnie completed eighth grade in Taylorsville. He recalls that in school, he and his siblings were considered “trash.” This meant that though Donnie knew he was smart, he was treated like he was stupid – though he might raise his hand to answer a question, the teachers would never call on him, concentrating on those youngsters who had a chance at a respectable future.  

At some point Donnie and his older brother Gilbert, also a musician, were taken as passengers with Arnum who had to become a truck driver. Doubtless, this was an experience that would later serve Donnie well. In his mid-teen years, Donnie went to Michigan to stay with family there and work in a factory, work for which he was not suited – tedious, repetitive, and uncreative. When he returned to North Carolina, at age 17, he and a friend decided to join the Navy. They enlisted locally and were sent by bus to Raleigh to await a trip to a Naval base in San Diego, California. In Raleigh they had a hotel room, money for food, and movie tickets – all very exciting – but while they were there, President Kennedy was assassinated, America was in upheaval, and military duty seemed even more crucial. 

I am sure that Donnie was in culture shock when he arrived and settled into the military and into the hustle and bustle of San Diego, another place we once visited together. One of his best stories of boot camp was being roused to get up around 5 am the first morning. One of his fellow recruits loudly complained, “I can’t get up at 5 am!” The next morning, as that young man lay stubbornly in his cot when the wake-up was called, soldiers overturned his cot and dumped him on the cement floor. As Donnie liked to say, “He learned he COULD get up at 5 am!” Donnie himself states that he was rather defiant as well, always given the roughest assignments as discipline.  Still, Donnie’s life improved considerably. He had enough to eat and joined a zestful culture of camaraderie, bar-going and women-pursuing. Moreover, he was tested and found to have a very high IQ and excellent grasp of math, chemistry, and engineering, which lead to his assignment in Viet Nam as a Radarman on patrol boats. His experience of war hit hard: upon first arriving in Viet Nam, his barracks was attacked by the Viet Kong and several of his buddies were killed.  

Donnie would later state that “Perhaps those years in the Navy were my most musically formative years, because I was exposed to a lot of different styles of music. I learned to like much of the Oriental Music.” (Singing at the Clothesline by Susi Lawson). Returning to the US after four years in the Navy, Donnie would marry, adopt a daughter, Shannon, and father a son, Joseph, known early on as Jody. This first marriage, like many such, ended in bitter divorce. After he and I became wedded (I could say welded), Joseph, to whom Donnie had given his first mandolin and who combined that with a strong, unwavering vocal style, stayed close for some time, making sterling music. Donnie and I would later share family occasions with Shannon, her husband John and their two children, Leandra and Caleb, who have grown into musicians performing with their college bands.

Donnie was a trucker for ten years, then used military benefits to attain a BA in Mathematics Education from the University of North Carolina, the first in his family to complete college. He was also able to pursue his core interest in music, attending, sometimes with Jody / Joseph in tow, local weekend conventions and jams and developing his talent with his preferred instrument – the dobro.

Having given up on school teaching after one frustrating year, Donnie found work as a chemical tester in a local asphalt plant and was recruited by a large paving company as an Estimator. When he started what would be his longest career stint, he was the company's only employee with a college degree, his math, engineering chemical and trucking skills all coming into play, allowing him to rise in responsibility, pay level, and general stature as the years passed. 

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In April 1994, I returned from living overseas (England, Spain, Africa, Latin America) to settle again in the US and reunite with my three children. I had attained a bachelor's degree via Quakers for whom I worked in Botswana and had studied and performed old-time / folk music in London with Peggy Seeger, Ewan McColl, and Tom Paley. I settled in Black Mountain, NC, where a friend advised me to go to the long-standing, well attended Fiddler’s Grove Fiddlers Convention on Memorial Day weekend. There I met Donnie Scott, aka Donnie Dobro.

Our initial meeting occurred when he offered me a cold potato as I was strolling about – he had cooked taters at home, iced them and was preparing to heat them when I crossed by. We joked, perhaps flirted for a short while. Later, again wandering, I encountered him and his band practicing. He played dobro – an instrument I had only limited knowledge of - and the group sang like real hillbillies, though not all of them fit that designation as well as Donnie. That night I joined an informal jam with Donnie and others, singing and picking. I was enthralled but felt very much out of place – in London I had been, as an American singer, a big fish – here in the real America, I was drowning.

The following day, a friend of Donnie’s informed me that he had told his friends that “I’ve met the woman I’m a-gonna marry!” And so it turned out, as so often did Donnie’s declarations bear the fruit he had planted in them. We were married two years later at Fiddler’s Grove, on the porch of an old log cabin. But I have always felt convinced that when we met in 1994 we exchanged our true and permanent vows: as we were saying goodbye on the last day of the convention, we had a friendly hug and Donnie, knowing he was younger than me, asked if he could be my “toy-boy” - and I responded that I would enjoy being “the older woman.” Deal sealed with a friendly kiss. From that moment onward, we were a couple - for 30+ years.

Donnie and I had a strong inner connection, even though he was everything my mother warned me against: sailor, truck driver and mountain man. But he was also brilliant, witty, highly musically gifted, and perhaps the friendliest person I have ever known. I’m sure many would agree with that. We saw each other on weekends, living apart even for a while after we were married. He enjoyed driving - the commute from Black Mountain to and from his home in Taylorsville was about 80 miles each way, and as time would tell, travel became a major template in our relationship. With his oversight I was gradually introduced to real folk music – old time, bluegrass, you name it. I don’t know if he learned anything from me – except that he could be loved unconditionally – and I learned that from him as well.

As anyone who knew Donnie would attest, our attachment to music took us to many different venues, with Galax, Sparta, and Mt. Airy becoming part of our yearly circuit. But even as importantly, to us, was that during the winter months – December through March – when the paving business basically shut down, and I worked mainly parttime in social services, we were free to get in the car and just go. In the ensuing years, we traveled many thousands of miles in all the lower 48, finding places we enjoyed returning to – mountains, motels, hot springs, Texas barbecue cafes – you name it. From his trucking years, it seemed Donnie knew every highway and back road in America. We took full advantage of our travel opportunities while setting up comfy living quarters in Surry County, NC, first in Dobson, then Mount Airy – both pleasant, convenient home fronts. We also biked often – when I first met Donnie, he spoke proudly of having done a “century” (100 mile) bike ride. Our forays ranged from 5 to 30 miles in state parks and local, mountain, coastal, and urban settings.

Winning prizes for his dobro skills at the various fiddlers and music conventions he attended was only one channel for his talents. Donnie was a writer, utilizing the rapidly evolving computer modalities. His many zingers, first via email and then on Facebook, hallmarked his clever wordsmithing and his underlying political, social, and spiritual viewpoints. His remarks, often recalling historic events, geographical illuminations and current happenings in the wider world, were enjoyed and sometimes argued about among his large scope of net friends. The result, Donnie’s book, Two Lane Traveling, to which I contributed editing and occasional droll remarks about him (to match his about me). Two Lane Traveling is still available on Amazon.

Everyone who knew Donnie, even for a short time, would doubtless have stories to tell – most of them likely funny or in some way appreciative. He and his buddy Tom Mindte helped many young musicians – from age 5 and upwards – to get a start pickin’ and singin’ - and several now are well known in the music scene. Tom was an invaluable support throughout the years, both as a close friend / bandmate, and as manager / owner of Patuxent Music, where six of Donnie’s music productions were recorded and distributed. Donnie and Tom always enjoyed being with young aspiring musicians, encouraging their musical efforts, often including them in their competition band, The Ragged Edge. One remarkable connection came via Facebook: Donnie began communicating with the Brandenburgers, an Amish family in northern Indiana who wanted to master bluegrass singing and instrumentation. Donnie was soon “adopted” by them. He imparted his musical wisdom and we enjoyed their warm hospitality and an opportunity to observe and mix in their unique, faith-based lifestyle. The family band has become well-known and can be seen on YouTube.

Bluegrass Unlimited gave Donnie Dobro’s productions positive reviews. The December 2001 issue noted that "Donnie Scott is a maestro of the resonator guitar ... Scott proves to be both an adept musician and serious composer..." Donnie is one of many well-known local Appalachian musicians cited in author / photographer’s Susi Lawson’s remarkable book, Singing at the Clothesline. In Lawson’s conversation with Donnie, he stated that, “My style is my own...I never had any music teachers, so my style is unique.” Donnie is featured in the Jan-Feb 1995 pamphlet “Country Heritage” with photos, a review of his cassette On the Edge, and an interview in which he states that “...if it doesn’t come naturally to me, I can’t play it.”

DONNIE DOBRO’S PASSING

Donnie Dobro passed away on February 1, 2025, after a very long period of deteriorating health, with heart, lung and kidney weaknesses. He was courageous to the end, never wishing to burden others with complaints about his pain, though in his final year he had many hospital stays that surely caused some worry among his close friends, who often visited him in his magnificent Man Cave - half of a two-car garage made into a chamber full of instruments, posters and portraits of friends and family, and plenty of room for Donnie, me, and whatever dog we had at the time, to nestle in and listen to good ole vintage recordings. Donnie had been rated as 100% disabled by the Veterans Administration resulting from his Viet Nam War service. There was no formal funeral, as he had often insisted, “I don’t want people crying about me.” An appropriate military commemoration was held at the Veteran’s facility in Salisbury, NC, where his ashes are ensconced in a stone niche. Soon after, as he had wished, a lively, happy-faced music celebration was held at the MacArthur Inn in Narrows, VA, a venue we had often visited for their cozy, friendly Thursday night jams. All who loved Donnie Dobro and whom he loved will doubtless long celebrate his time on earth with fond reminiscence.

DONNIE DOBRO RECORDINGS:

ON THE EDGE: Heritage, 1992.

“Not only did On the Edge showcase Donnie’s technical mastery of the dobro, but it also revealed his heartfelt connection to the stories behind the music, blending traditional sounds with his own poignant experiences and wit. Friends and fans alike have remarked on the distinctive, almost narrative quality of his playing, which seemed to capture both the joy and struggle of his life’s journey.” The cassette, directed entirely by Donnie, is daring and highly creative, including four tunes that Donnie composed – On the Edge, Sweet Shay, Tet 68 - a mournful tune harking back to his service in Viet Nam – and From Murphy to Manteo, referencing his regard for his home state. Musicians include Steve Kilby, Bill Williams, Tim Lorsch, Randy Greer, Arnie Soloman, James Ford, Tom Mindte.

GENERATIONS: Patuxent.

Musicians: Barbara Scott, Joseph Scott, Becky Barlow, Mark Delaney, Merl Johnson, Steve Kilby, Danial Knicely, Nate Leath, Jim Loyd, Victoria McMullen, Joe Meadows, Jeff Michael, Lujean Michael, Tom Mindte. Original songs by Donnie and Barbara Scott: Leaving Tug Valley, Faded Rose, Yesterday I Didn’t Know, Everyone Has to Answer.

THE GREAT DIVIDE: Patuxent, 2007.

Liner notes by Barbara Bamberger Scott: “Donnie was immersed in what he likes to call ‘mossy bluegrass,’ the kind of music he grew up hearing on the radio around Taylorsville and as a long-distance trucker crossing and recrossing the lower 48.” Scott Family Band: (Donnie on guitar, Barbara on guitar, fiddle and vocals, Joseph Scott on mandolin and vocals, with Fred Mock on bass). Original songs by Barbara Scott: The Great Divide, Crossing the Great Divide.

RANK OL’ BLUEGRASS: Patuxent, 2009.

Liner notes by Joseph Scott: “My summers were spent in a rusty old van, going to and from bluegrass festivals with my dad...his dobro playing speaks for itself.” Musicians, calling themselves Carolina Native Sons: Clarence Greene, Joseph Scott, Nate Leath, Mark Delaney, Neil Knicely. Original songs by Donnie and Barbara Scott: A Couple a Dozen, Changing Winds Changing Times. This production was created to honor Clarence, a notable regional music figure with whom Donnie had done music from an early age and who passed away shortly after its release.

FOUNTAIN OF THE USED-TO-BE: Patuxent, 2017.

Liner notes by Jim Beaver: “’If you love a song, carry it along.’ This tenet of Barbara Scott is responsible for this collection of songs.” Barbara Scott, guitar and lead vocals, Donnie Scott, guitar, with Elizabeth Baker, Taylor Baker, Merl Johnson, Tom Mindte, Fred Mock. Original songs by Barbara Scott: Drink to Fair Annie, Fountain of the Used-to-Be.

DONNIE DOBRO’S RIDE: PATUXENT, 2018.

Liner notes by Jim Beaver: “’Most of these people I’ve known since we were children,’ says Donnie.’” Donnie met Tom Mindte in 1979...they connected over a mutual love of ‘those old morbid graveyard songs.’” With Brennan Ernst, Nate Leath, Casey Driscoll, Mason Via, Mary Dunlap, Taylor Baker, Mark Delaney, Fred Mock, Ben Silcox, Elizabeth Baker, Tom Mindte. Original song by Barbara and Donnie Scott: Romany Rye. Donnie Dobro compositions: Donnie Dobro’s Ride, D-String Bounce.

RETRO: Compiled by Patuxent, 2023.

Liner notes by Donald Scott: “These are some recordings that I have done in the past...I hope you can look past the mistakes and appreciate what is here.” Collection of pre-recorded numbers from various sources. With Joseph Scott, Barbata Scott, Merl Johnson, Danny Knicely, Brennan Ernst, Lujean Keepfer, Steve Kilby, Jeff Michael, John Boulding, Joe Meadows, Becky Barlow, Tom Mindte, Clarence Greene. Original song by Barbara Scott: Bonnie Brown.