Oral History Interview with Johnny Pharris Part II

Interview Summary

Part two of interview includes comments from John Hartford

Hartford brought his violin and played a few tunes

The music triggered Pharris’ memory of the old tunes

Pharris offered occasional comments

Pharris discusses a mean man, Squire

Shares story about Squire

Quotes several bible verses

Hartford asks Pharris about Rob Dockery' relationship to Uncle Pen.

Uncle Rob married one of Uncle Pen's sisters, the other girl is Bill Monroe's mother, there were two girls and three boys in the family

Dockery married Hadley, and Pen's brothers are Stanley, and Ross (??)

Ross died at 32, but Stanley lived a long life

Pharris recalls dancing to the tune of Pen's fiddle.

Pharris describes Pen as a “powerful feller,” and says that Stanley was “full of meanness.”

Pharris says that Pen was a dancer

Pharris laments that all of his family members have passed away, quotes bible verse about death

Pharris's dad could play the banjo, talks about going to Caneyville play a dance

Pharris’s dad would not go to church

Shares stories about father, drinking, and Squire

Shares stories about Uncle Will

Alludes to violence and people who were killed in the area

Pen played fiddle faster than everyone else, granddad could play, but not as good as Pen.

Pharris’s grandfather used banjo and pick behind Uncle Pen