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9/23/26
“What I was Attempting to Do was Humorous”
The following is an excerpt from the preface of Buzz Busby: Father of Washington, DC, Bluegrass by Kip Lornell & Tom Mindte ©2026, University of Illinois Press.
Used by permission of the publisher, who would like me to mention that the book is available at https://www.press.uillinois.edu/
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One night in 1987 when I was filling in for [Dean] Stoneman [at Larry’s Place in Mechanicsville, Maryland], Buzz Busby and former Blue Grass Boy, guitarist Lucky Saylor came into the joint, no doubt expecting to hang out and have a few beers with Dean. Instead of Dean Stoneman, they got me. I suppose Buzz was a little disappointed, so not wanting the evening to be a total waste, he decided to have a little fun at my expense. After nearly every one of my mandolin solos, Buzz would point at me and let out a cackling laugh. Needless to say, it was disturbing to be heckled that way by my hero.
After that set, I went to Buzz’s table which abutted the stage and asked him if he thought my playing was that horrible. He replied, “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings son, but I just thought what you was attempting to do was humorous.” As you may well imagine, that didn’t ease my mind, and I probably looked like a child who had lost his puppy. Buzz must have realized that I was devastated, so he invited me to come to his apartment and learn to play “the right way.” I eagerly took him up on the offer and started my “lessons” the following week. Those lessons consisted of hanging out, having a beer or two, and playing a few tunes.
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That’s the end of the excerpt from the book, but I’d like to let you know that I eventually ended up playing bass in Busby’s band, the Bayou Boys, for six years.
During one of my visits to Busby’s apartment, he told me that he had recorded about sixty hour-long cassette tapes which had started out as an audio diary but had morphed into an autobiography. His stated purpose for making the tapes was to provide information to a potential biographer.
Those tapes, plus about thirty interviews with his bandmates, family members, and other important people in Buzz’s life, inform the biography. If you should decide to order the book, I believe you’ll find it a good read.
Photos:
1. The Book
2. Me and Buzz, 2001
Tom Mindte
September 2026
Me and Buzz, 2001