When I was growing up, Lee Weaver was one of the finest clawhammer banjo pickers in the area. Lee grew up on Haw Orchard Mountain in Grayson County, Virginia. He was an older brother to Wiley and Vance Weaver; they recorded for Columbia Records back in the 20s and were pretty well-known musicians; Vance played a finger-style banjo and sang; Wiley picked the guitar and vocalized as well. When Charlie Poole broke his arm, Vance filled in on a recording session for him on the banjo on a few numbers.
Lee never recorded, but was recognized as one of the top rated banjo players around. One of his signature tunes that he was known for playing was "Scoot Old Rabbit"; it was the same melody as Johnson Boys, but had a little different roll to it, and a little better timing in my opinion. Lee said it was a forerunner to "Johnson Boys". Lee would sing "Rabbit eat my lettuce, rabbit eat my cabbage, scoot old rabbit, scoot, scoot, scoot old rabbit scoot." Lee could get an awful pretty sound out of his banjo; on the first part of the tune, he would brush his strings and thumb it and I never heard anyone play it as good as Lee since. There are a few stories that I can share about Lee.
Gaither (Gace) Farmer was another good banjo player around here. Gace Farmer could play "Cluck Old Hen" real well, he could do a trick where he swung his banjo straight out and back while plucking the strings at the same time and never missing a lick. Albert (Hash) said that they had a little fiddlers' convention at Mt. Rogers School in the late 30s. Gace played "Cluck Old Hen" and swung his banjo, and the crowd cut a big shine. Albert said there weren't too many musicians there, it was just about over, and Lee Weaver came in and played "Scoot Old Rabbit". It was almost over and Albert told Gace, "I believe you won the banjo contest." Gace said, "No I didn't Albert, "Scoot Old Rabbit" (what he called Lee) beat me, I knew he did when he hit the first lick."
Wiley Weaver moved to West Virginia and worked and lived there til he died. He would come here to Whitetop to visit about once a month in his big Cadillac, and Lee lived on Horse Creek then.When Wiley came to visit, some of us boys would go with him to Lee's house to play music. As Lee got older, his health and mind had declined due to some health issues, and he would sleep a lot. One time, Lee set there with his eyes shut, and I thought he was asleep, and then, he'd wake up and say "how are you, Spencer?" Wiley would say, "what do you want play, Lee? And he would say, "Scoot Old Rabbit". Then Wiley would explain to some of the other pickers that it was the same as "Johnson Boys".
Another time we went, and played some, and their neighbors came over. They played gospel music, and had a piano. They wanted Wiley and us to come down to their house, and play and sing with them some. We just brought a guitar and went down there. As we walked through the house, we noticed an old banjo laying on the bed in one of the rooms. Everyone sang and played a while with the guitar and piano. Afterwhile, Lee got up and set in the other room where the banjo was on the bed. He started playing the "Arkansas Traveler", and everyone's mouth flew open, he played it that good. He quit, and everyone was bragging on it. We said, "play it again", but Lee would play "Soldier's Joy". We would tell him that wasn't it, "play the "Arkansas Traveler" and Lee would say, "alright", but play "Soldier's Joy" again, his mind was bad at that time. He never did play it again that day, but it was a wonder how great he played it that one time.
Another story that comes to mind, is in the 80's, Lawrence Russell, a banjo player from Marion, was at the house jamming with me and Emily. We started to play "Johnson Boys", and Lawrence brushed his banjo at the beginning and thumbed it, and I said, "that reminds me of Lee Weaver". And Lawrence just quit playing and said, "Man, wasn't he a smooth banjo picker." I never knew that Lawrence knew Lee Weaver, but he had he heard him when Lee lived in Marion a while. Lawrence knew that Lee called it "Scoot Old Rabbit" and knew the words to what Lee sung as well.
Back in the day, every banjo player around here that you mentioned "Johnson Boys" or "Scoot Old Rabbit" to, would say, "you'll have to get Lee Weaver to play that one." That was his specialty tune. I was a teenager when I heard Lee play "Scoot Old Rabbit" for the first time, and now that I am in my 70's, I am not sure that I have heard anyone play it as well.
Lee never recorded, but was recognized as one of the top rated banjo players around. One of his signature tunes that he was known for playing was "Scoot Old Rabbit"; it was the same melody as Johnson Boys, but had a little different roll to it, and a little better timing in my opinion. Lee said it was a forerunner to "Johnson Boys". Lee would sing "Rabbit eat my lettuce, rabbit eat my cabbage, scoot old rabbit, scoot, scoot, scoot old rabbit scoot." Lee could get an awful pretty sound out of his banjo; on the first part of the tune, he would brush his strings and thumb it and I never heard anyone play it as good as Lee since. There are a few stories that I can share about Lee.
Gaither (Gace) Farmer was another good banjo player around here. Gace Farmer could play "Cluck Old Hen" real well, he could do a trick where he swung his banjo straight out and back while plucking the strings at the same time and never missing a lick. Albert (Hash) said that they had a little fiddlers' convention at Mt. Rogers School in the late 30s. Gace played "Cluck Old Hen" and swung his banjo, and the crowd cut a big shine. Albert said there weren't too many musicians there, it was just about over, and Lee Weaver came in and played "Scoot Old Rabbit". It was almost over and Albert told Gace, "I believe you won the banjo contest." Gace said, "No I didn't Albert, "Scoot Old Rabbit" (what he called Lee) beat me, I knew he did when he hit the first lick."
Wiley Weaver moved to West Virginia and worked and lived there til he died. He would come here to Whitetop to visit about once a month in his big Cadillac, and Lee lived on Horse Creek then.When Wiley came to visit, some of us boys would go with him to Lee's house to play music. As Lee got older, his health and mind had declined due to some health issues, and he would sleep a lot. One time, Lee set there with his eyes shut, and I thought he was asleep, and then, he'd wake up and say "how are you, Spencer?" Wiley would say, "what do you want play, Lee? And he would say, "Scoot Old Rabbit". Then Wiley would explain to some of the other pickers that it was the same as "Johnson Boys".
Another time we went, and played some, and their neighbors came over. They played gospel music, and had a piano. They wanted Wiley and us to come down to their house, and play and sing with them some. We just brought a guitar and went down there. As we walked through the house, we noticed an old banjo laying on the bed in one of the rooms. Everyone sang and played a while with the guitar and piano. Afterwhile, Lee got up and set in the other room where the banjo was on the bed. He started playing the "Arkansas Traveler", and everyone's mouth flew open, he played it that good. He quit, and everyone was bragging on it. We said, "play it again", but Lee would play "Soldier's Joy". We would tell him that wasn't it, "play the "Arkansas Traveler" and Lee would say, "alright", but play "Soldier's Joy" again, his mind was bad at that time. He never did play it again that day, but it was a wonder how great he played it that one time.
Another story that comes to mind, is in the 80's, Lawrence Russell, a banjo player from Marion, was at the house jamming with me and Emily. We started to play "Johnson Boys", and Lawrence brushed his banjo at the beginning and thumbed it, and I said, "that reminds me of Lee Weaver". And Lawrence just quit playing and said, "Man, wasn't he a smooth banjo picker." I never knew that Lawrence knew Lee Weaver, but he had he heard him when Lee lived in Marion a while. Lawrence knew that Lee called it "Scoot Old Rabbit" and knew the words to what Lee sung as well.
Back in the day, every banjo player around here that you mentioned "Johnson Boys" or "Scoot Old Rabbit" to, would say, "you'll have to get Lee Weaver to play that one." That was his specialty tune. I was a teenager when I heard Lee play "Scoot Old Rabbit" for the first time, and now that I am in my 70's, I am not sure that I have heard anyone play it as well.