McDibbs
Encyclopedia
McDibbs, a music house in Black Mountain
, North Carolina
pioneered the development of both the non-smoking bar, and the now thriving Asheville area music scene. David Peele founded McDibbs in the late 70's to showcase local talent. His innovations in running McDibbs eventually drew high profile regional acts like Bela Fleck
while retaining a rich bohemian vibe within the establishment. McDibbs reflected a community reminiscent of the Greenwich Village Folk Revival of the 1960s, and reflected a non traditional aesthetic. The community of musicians, artists, and storytellers viewed McDibbs as a cultural landmark that set the stage for the rise of the Asheville area's music and art scene. It was from this environment that current international acts like David Wilcox
and Poetry Alive began at McDibbs.
North Carolina
, which is just east of Asheville. Originally established at the former Wonk's Dymaxion Bar, McDibbs offered an immediate change of atmosphere.
McDibbs eventually moved to another location a few doors north to 119 Cherry Street. Moving into the former Anne's Cafe', a Black Mountain icon around for more than 40 years, McDibbs utilized friends of the community to construct and refurbish the location. Certain staple items in McDibbs were leftover from Anne's Cafe', like the cookstove in the rear of the bar used to house anything from beer to paintings.
The rich social environment was coupled with a nostalgia inspired decor. The McDibbs rat served as the mascot for the establishment, often showing up on the covers of the monthly calendars showing the upcoming acts. The rat and it's tamberine served as the 'hat' for compensation for artists on a night without a cover charge. A regular would sit at the wood grained bar facing a full mirrored bar. The only beer served was import and microbrewed beer. Bass ale, David Peele's unofficial favorite beer, among others, was often on tap or by the bottle. Also adding to the McDibbs atmosphere were winter plants. Asparagus ferns and Jade plants showed up behind the bar during the winter months. The atmosphere was not that of a typical bar, but of a hangout. Its this environment that is so often emulated in the Asheville area.
McDibbs' role as developing a sense of community can also be seen from the Swannanoa Food Co-op utilizing McDibbs as an occasional center for operation. With McDibbs vacant during daylight hours, the co-op would get permission from David Peele to meet and operate. The development of a community within McDibbs doors led it to be an icon among locals for identity. Locals could identify with the community that came with being a regular at McDibbs.
McDibbs regular and occasional performer Adrienne Hollifield offered her recollection of McDibbs.
Other comments on what made McDibbs unique:
The legacy of McDibbs' model is shown through the rise in the popularity of the Non-Smoking Bar in the Asheville area. Most notably emulating this model is The Orange Peel, The Grey Eagle, and Jack of The Wood. In November 2008 another music venue opened, using this model. White Horse Black Mountain www.whitehorseblackmountain.com , owned by Bob Hinkle www.bobhinkle.com, who was the former manager of Harry Chapin, Tom Chapin, the J. Geils Band, Etta James, Manfred Mann, Kenny Rogers, and Dottie West.
In 2011, McDibbs' founder David Peele and Don Talley (who operates a local music website called The Black Mountain Music Scene) launched a new concert series to honor the "listening room" legacy of McDibbs. The new series is called McDibbs Reunion and features past McDibbs performers.
Always an innovator, David Peele added a new twist to the new concert series. Past performers and McDibbs audience members play a role in creating the new series and are invited to created their own "reunion" events to celebrate the memory of McDibbs.
http://www.mountainx.com/opinion/1998/1021letters.php
Black Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,511 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge range in the Southern Appalachians.-History:Black...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
pioneered the development of both the non-smoking bar, and the now thriving Asheville area music scene. David Peele founded McDibbs in the late 70's to showcase local talent. His innovations in running McDibbs eventually drew high profile regional acts like Bela Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
while retaining a rich bohemian vibe within the establishment. McDibbs reflected a community reminiscent of the Greenwich Village Folk Revival of the 1960s, and reflected a non traditional aesthetic. The community of musicians, artists, and storytellers viewed McDibbs as a cultural landmark that set the stage for the rise of the Asheville area's music and art scene. It was from this environment that current international acts like David Wilcox
David Wilcox (American musician)
David Patrick Wilcox is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter guitarist. He has been active in the music business since the late 1980s.-Career:...
and Poetry Alive began at McDibbs.
Founding
McDibbs was founded in 1978 on Cherry Street in Black MountainBlack Mountain, North Carolina
Black Mountain is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,511 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is named for the Black Mountain range of the Blue Ridge range in the Southern Appalachians.-History:Black...
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, which is just east of Asheville. Originally established at the former Wonk's Dymaxion Bar, McDibbs offered an immediate change of atmosphere.
McDibbs eventually moved to another location a few doors north to 119 Cherry Street. Moving into the former Anne's Cafe', a Black Mountain icon around for more than 40 years, McDibbs utilized friends of the community to construct and refurbish the location. Certain staple items in McDibbs were leftover from Anne's Cafe', like the cookstove in the rear of the bar used to house anything from beer to paintings.
Atmosphere
McDibb's non-smoking environment created an atmosphere that put emphasis on the music. McDibbs became a hangout for both musicians and listeners, and led to the development of a strong sense of community. A.D. Anderson, both a frequent patron and musician, offered this memoir of McDibbs.
I think that was one of the first real differences that set McDibb’s apart – it was, by David Peele's design, a true “listening room”, as opposed to a bar with music in the background, and performers really dug it. Word got out regionally, probably in large part thanks to Fred and the dance community, and people started coming from Atlanta, Tennessee and beyond. And performers heard and responded – all of a sudden we were able to see Norman BlakeNorman Blake (American musician)Norman Blake is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk and Country groups...
, Doc WatsonDoc WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
, Taj MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
, John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
and John HartfordJohn HartfordJohn Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
on a regular basis! And since the place only held about 150 seats, there was no bad seat in the house. Plus, there was no “Green Room” for the performers, so they pretty much had to hang out and visit with the fans. It was truly unbelievable, and many a legendary night was experienced.
Of course, it wasn’t all folk music and gentle listening. I used to rock the place, with as many as 250 people crammed into that tiny space. I remember exchanging nervous glances with your dad as the speaker cabinets, placed precariously on top of beer boxes, would sway and rock, as the floor sagged and groaned under so many happy feet. Several times we drank the place dry, but it was really rare for there to be any unpleasant drunkenness or weirdness. Women brought their babies and nursed them on the dance floor, then lined them up on blankets behind the speakers to sleep through the ruckus. Good dogs were always welcome – mine would sleep on the stage to avoid being trampled by dancers. Many winter nights were so cold outside and so hot inside that the windows would drip with condensation, and on more than one occasion the evening would end with a snake line of dancers flooding out onto Cherry Street. It was all very groovy.
The rich social environment was coupled with a nostalgia inspired decor. The McDibbs rat served as the mascot for the establishment, often showing up on the covers of the monthly calendars showing the upcoming acts. The rat and it's tamberine served as the 'hat' for compensation for artists on a night without a cover charge. A regular would sit at the wood grained bar facing a full mirrored bar. The only beer served was import and microbrewed beer. Bass ale, David Peele's unofficial favorite beer, among others, was often on tap or by the bottle. Also adding to the McDibbs atmosphere were winter plants. Asparagus ferns and Jade plants showed up behind the bar during the winter months. The atmosphere was not that of a typical bar, but of a hangout. Its this environment that is so often emulated in the Asheville area.
McDibbs' role as developing a sense of community can also be seen from the Swannanoa Food Co-op utilizing McDibbs as an occasional center for operation. With McDibbs vacant during daylight hours, the co-op would get permission from David Peele to meet and operate. The development of a community within McDibbs doors led it to be an icon among locals for identity. Locals could identify with the community that came with being a regular at McDibbs.
McDibbs regular and occasional performer Adrienne Hollifield offered her recollection of McDibbs.
McDibbs was THE place to be--the ONLY place to be. David Peele was instrumental
in bringing folk and blues music to the fore in this area with the creation of
McDibbs and the Black Mountain Festival. No one else was doing it at the time.
Now you can go hear different kinds of music in a variety of places. Not back
in the days of McDibbs. He set the standard. And I am proud to say that during
some of the open mic sessions (I'm not sure they were called that), I got to
sing at McDibbs. What an honor! It was also a family place. Clyde and I did a
puppet show there, I know. And when Reuben was born, and when we could manage to
drag our sleep-deprived bodies out for an evening, we could bring our little
tyke to McDibbs to run and play while we enjoyed a beer.
Other comments on what made McDibbs unique:
Asheville just didn't exist culturally yet outside of the traditional music or folkart. It felt very much like McDibbs was the beginning of Asheville becoming hip musically. The Black Mountain Festival grew as an extension of what was happening at McDibbs. It was the cultural hub. -- Hobey Ford, puppeteer
“Ahhh yes - McDibbs were the place to go for folkies - and David Peele was so open to storytelling! I remember performing there a LONG time ago! And the weekend I got married at Lake Eden, we even had our "post-rehearsal-dinner-celebration" there - with about 10 storytellers from around the country entertaining us all!” -- Connie Regan-Blake
With the passing of time, things we sometimes took for granted become legendary; time brings perspective , and the loss of something so central to a unique community of people becomes a defining icon to an era. Such is the legacy of McDibb's in my view, and perhaps to thousands of others who were apart of that time and place......McDibb's was a unique and striking alternative to the superficiality of the disco era and the general mediocrity of so-called music venues that were then and remain today little more than an excuse to sell food and alcohol......There is a remarkable energy that can happen in music, where something electric and deeply felt can be created and shared equally between all who are fortunate enough to be there to witness it; I personally think it is why people seek music,and why musicians play it, to touch and be touched by that elusive, elemental magic. You can go out seeking it many times and never find it, but having felt it even once, you keep searching, knowing that it exists, like some grail of experience that cannot be faked but must be sought, to simply feel it again. In this year of 2011, it has become harder and harder to find and connect with this magic; it happened constantly over the years that our fortunate community gathered at McDibb's. Thank you, David Peele. --- Dan Lewis
Influence and Legacy
Area businesses regard McDibbs atmosphere as the model for a successful music environment. In a dispute regarding area music establishments, The Mountain XPress printed this statement.
It [The Grey Eagle] was started with an attempt to create a McDibbs type of ambiance for the customers – both old and young. The first lessees, Edd and Lee Ann Knopka, ran a clean place with a friendly, receptive atmostphere, [hosting] a number of charitable events for the community, as we had requested of them.
The legacy of McDibbs' model is shown through the rise in the popularity of the Non-Smoking Bar in the Asheville area. Most notably emulating this model is The Orange Peel, The Grey Eagle, and Jack of The Wood. In November 2008 another music venue opened, using this model. White Horse Black Mountain www.whitehorseblackmountain.com , owned by Bob Hinkle www.bobhinkle.com, who was the former manager of Harry Chapin, Tom Chapin, the J. Geils Band, Etta James, Manfred Mann, Kenny Rogers, and Dottie West.
In 2011, McDibbs' founder David Peele and Don Talley (who operates a local music website called The Black Mountain Music Scene) launched a new concert series to honor the "listening room" legacy of McDibbs. The new series is called McDibbs Reunion and features past McDibbs performers.
Always an innovator, David Peele added a new twist to the new concert series. Past performers and McDibbs audience members play a role in creating the new series and are invited to created their own "reunion" events to celebrate the memory of McDibbs.
National and International Performers on the McDibbs Stage
- Alex DeGrassi
- Andy IrvineAndy Irvine (musician)Andrew Kennedy 'Andy' Irvine is a folk musician, singer, and songwriter, and a founding member of the popular band Planxty. He is an accomplished player of the mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, guitar-bouzouki, harmonica and hurdy-gurdy....
- Bela FleckBéla FleckBéla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
- Bruce MolskyBruce MolskyBruce C. Molsky is an American fiddler, banjo player, guitarist, and singer. He primarily performs old-time music of the Appalachian region.Molsky was born in 1955 at New York Infirmary in Manhattan, and grew up in The Bronx...
- Cathy Fink
- Connie Regan-Blake(The Folktellers)Connie Regan-BlakeConnie Regan-Blake is an American storyteller and author who has been awarded the Circle of Excellence in 1996 by the National Storytelling Network after being recognized by her peers as a master storyteller. She is a regular performer at the National Storytelling Festival...
- Dan CraryDan CraryDan Crary is an American bluegrass guitarist.He helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flatpicking style of guitar playing. He is also a Speech communications Professor at California State University, Fullerton...
- David Holt
- David WilcoxDavid Wilcox (American musician)David Patrick Wilcox is an American folk musician and singer-songwriter guitarist. He has been active in the music business since the late 1980s.-Career:...
- De Dannan (Ireland)De DannanDe Dannan was an Irish folk music group. They were formed by Frankie Gavin , Alec Finn , Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh and Charlie Piggott as a result of sessions in Hughes's Pub in An Spidéal, County Galway, subsequently inviting Dolores Keane to join the band...
- Doc WatsonDoc WatsonArthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
- Gamble Rogers
- Gatemouth Brown
- George Hamilton IVGeorge Hamilton IVGeorge Hege Hamilton IV is an American country musician. He began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s.-Biography:Hamilton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...
- Georgia Sea Island SingersGeorgia Sea Island SingersThe Georgia Sea Island Singers are an American folk music ensemble from Georgia, United States. Formed in the early 1900s, the group is formed of African Americans who travel performing songs and other elements of the Gullah culture...
- Guy CarawanGuy CarawanGuy Carawan is an American folk musician and musicologist. He serves as music director and song leader for the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee....
- Indigo GirlsIndigo GirlsThe Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school students in Decatur, Georgia, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
- Jerry Jeff WalkerJerry Jeff WalkerJerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...
- John HartfordJohn HartfordJohn Cowan Hartford was an American folk, country and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore...
- John SebastianJohn SebastianJohn Benson Sebastian Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000...
- John FaheyJohn Fahey (musician)John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
- John McCutcheonJohn McCutcheonJohn McCutcheon is an American folk music singer and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 34 albums since the 1970s. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and...
- Jonathan Edwards
- Kevin Burke
- Kristen HallKristen HallKristen Alyson Hall is an American folk rock singer/songwriter. In 2002, she was a founding member of the country music group Sugarland. She left the group in December 2005.-Lawsuit:...
- Leon RedboneLeon RedboneLeon Redbone is a singer and guitarist specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics....
- Maura O'ConnellMaura O'ConnellMaura O'Connell is an Irish singer and actress. She is known for her contemporary interpretations of Irish folk songs, strongly influenced by American country music.-Background:...
- Mick Maloney (Ireland)
- New Grass RevivalNew Grass RevivalNew Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, releasing more than twenty albums as well as six singles....
- Norman BlakeNorman Blake (American musician)Norman Blake is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk and Country groups...
- Peter Rowan
- Poetry Alive
- Taj MahalTaj Mahal (musician)Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
- Taj MahalRare AirRare Air, formerly Na Cabarfeidh, was a Canadian band that played an eccentric mix of instruments, including bagpipes, flutes, whistles, bombardes, bass guitar, and keyboards. The group, founded in the late 1970s as a celtic folk music band, was originally led by bagpipe virtuosos Grier Coppins and...
- Red Clay RamblersRed Clay RamblersThe Red Clay Ramblers are a North Carolina-based band founded in Durham, North Carolina, performing continuously since their formation in 1972. The original members include Tommy Thompson , Bill Hicks and Jim Watson...
- Robin and Linda WilliamsRobin and Linda WilliamsRobin and Linda Williams are a husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia. They began their musical association in Nashville, TN in 1971, performing in local clubs....
- Rosalie SorrelsRosalie SorrelsRosalie Sorrels is an American folk singer-songwriter who resides in the mountains near Boise, Idaho. She began her public career as a singer and collector of traditional folksongs in the late 1950s. During the early 1960s she left her husband and began traveling and performing at music festivals...
- Roy Book BinderRoy Book BinderRoy Book Binder is an American blues guitarist. A student and friend of the Rev. Gary Davis, he is equally at home with blues and ragtime, he is known to shift from open tunings to slide arrangements to original compositions, with both traditional and self-styled licks...
- Tannahill Weavers
- Tom PaleyTom PaleyTom Paley is an American guitarist, banjo and fiddle player. He is best known for his work with the New Lost City Ramblers in the 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:Paley was born and raised in New York City, United States...
- Tom PaxtonTom PaxtonThomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
- Tony TrischkaTony TrischkaTony Trischka is an American five-string banjo player.-Biography:Tony Trischka was born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A in Fine Arts, and was inspired to play the banjo in 1963, listening to the Kingston Trio's "Charlie and The MTA". Trischka was a...
- Townes Van ZandtTownes Van ZandtJohn Townes Van Zandt , best known as Townes Van Zandt, was an American Texas Country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet...
- Vassar ClementsVassar ClementsVassar Clements was a Grammy Award- winning American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and bluegrass along with roots also in country and other musical...
Other Regional and National Performers on the McDibbs Stage
- Jim Bickerstaff & Bruce Crichton
- Pete Neff
- Malcolm Holcombe
- Hobey Ford and The Goldenrod Puppets
- Phil and Gaye Johnson
- Wayne Erbsen
- Bill Melanson
- Annie Lalley
- A D Anderson
- Chris Blair
- Joe and Karen Holbert
External links
http://www.answers.com/topic/david-wilcox-american-musicianhttp://www.mountainx.com/opinion/1998/1021letters.php