Duffey proposed some rules that the others agreed to including playing only one night a week at local clubs, doing occasional concerts and festivals on weekends, making records, and keeping their day jobs. Duffey repaired musical instruments, Eldridge was a mathematician, Starling a physician, Auldridge a graphic artist, and Gray a cartographer with National Geographic. The Scene's first home was the Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, Maryland, where they spent six years before starting weekly performances at The Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Virginia.
Bluegrass reached a second peak in popularity in the early 1970s, and the progressive bluegrass style played by The Seldom Scene was particularly popular. Duffey's stratospheric tenor anchored the group, but the vocal blend of Duffey/Starling/Auldridge set a new standard that attracted new audiences to what had been a niche music. Their weekly shows included bluegrass versions of country music, rock, and even classical pop. The band's popularity soon forced them to play more than once a week--but they continued to maintain their image as being seldom seen, and on several of their early album covers were photographed with the stage lights on only their feet, or with their backs to the camera.
Though the Scene remained a non-touring band, they were prolific recorders, producing seven albums in their first five years of existence, including two live albums (among the first live bluegrass albums). But the band's philosophy of not touring and maintaining their day jobs eventually caused some changes in membership.
In 1977, John Starling left the group to focus on his medical career, and was replaced by singer and songwriter Phil Rosenthal, whose song "Muddy Water" had been recorded by the Scene on two earlier albums. Around the same time, the group switched record labels from Rebel Records to Sugar Hill; however, while Starling had been officially the band's frontman, these changes made little significant difference to the band's overall sound.
The band recorded several more albums in the 1980s and firmly established themselves as one of the most influential bluegrass bands. In 1986, Rosenthal and Tom Gray both left the band to focus on other pursuits, and were replaced by Lou Reid and T. Michael Coleman, respectively. Coleman proved to be very controversial, as many purists objected to his use of an electric bass in what is an acoustic genre, but the albums produced by the band after Coleman's arrival maintained the traditional appeal of any of the Scene's earlier albums.
Reid left the band in 1993, and Duffey convinced former member John Starling to return to the band for the next year. During that year the Scene recorded the album "Like We Used To Be," but Starling did not wish to stay with the band long term. He was replaced in 1994 by lead singer Moondi Klein.
Throughout these changes, John Duffey remained the group's spiritual center and greatest influence, and his initial ideas about keeping a light touring schedule and staying close to home continued to prevail. Though there had been disagreements about this philosophy before, it wasn't until after Starling left for the second time that it cost the band a majority of its members at once. During 1995 and 1996, Klein and Coleman, along with original member Mike Auldridge, left the group to form a new band called Chesapeake. This new band became a full-time project for its members, and for a time the Scene stopped recording.
Duffey and Ben Eldridge, the two remaining original members, recruited resophonic guitar player Fred Travers, bassist Ronnie Simpkins, and guitarist and singer Dudley Connell to join the band, and the reconstituted group recorded an album in 1996 and resumed live appearances.
For 25 years The Seldom Scene remained extremely popular in bluegrass circles even with the near-constant personnel changes. But the band was dealt what seemed a crushing blow in late 1996, when founder and leader John Duffey suffered a fatal heart attack. The band again stopped recording and made no live appearances for some years. Duffey had been widely regarded as one of the most powerful and entertaining stage performers in bluegrass, and there was no one who could replace him.
Nonetheless, the band was simply too popular to disappear for good. Banjoist Ben Eldridge, the sole remaining original member and a significant force in banjo music in his own right, assumed leadership of the band. Former guitarist Lou Reid rejoined the band on mandolin. Initially the new Scene concentrated on live performances, but in 2000 the group recorded a new album, "Scene it All." The Seldom Scene continues to tour, and remains on the Sugar Hill label for future recordings.
The band currently consists of Dudley Connell (guitar/lead vocals), Ben Eldridge (banjo), Lou Reid (mandolin/tenor vocals), Fred Travers (dobro/lead vocals), and Ronnie Simpkins (bass/baritone vocals).
John Starling died in May 2019.
Discography
Act I (Rebel, 1972)
Act II (Rebel, 1973)
Act III (Rebel, 1973)
Old Train (Rebel, 1973)
Live At The Cellar Door (Rebel, 1975)
The New Seldom Scene Album (Rebel, 1976)
Baptizing (Rebel, 1978)
Act IV (Sugar Hill, 1979)
After Midnight (Sugar Hill, 1981)
At The Scene (Sugar Hill, 1983)
Blue Ridge with Jonathan Edwards (Sugar Hill, 1985)
15th Anniversary Celebration (Sugar Hill, 1986)
A Change Of Scenery (Sugar Hill, 1988)
Scenic Roots (Sugar Hill, 1990)
Scene 20: 20th Anniversary Concert (Sugar Hill, 1992)
Like We Used To Be (Sugar Hill, 1994)
Dream Scene (Sugar Hill, 1996)
Scene It All (Sugar Hill, 2000)
External links
Official site
Boots Of Spanish Leather
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm sailin' away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place that I'll be landing?
No, there's nothin' you can send me, my own true love
There's nothin' I wish to be ownin'
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona
Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'
That I might be gone a long time
And it's only that I'm askin'
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy passin'
Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
It only brings me sorrow
The same thing I want from you today
I would want again tomorrow
I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from her ship a-sailin'
Saying I don't know when I'll be comin' back again
It depends on how I'm a-feelin'
Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
I'm sure your mind is roamin'
I'm sure your heart is not with me
But with the country to where you're goin'
So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of the stormy weather
And yes, there's something you can send back to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather
In The Seldom Scene's song "Boots Of Spanish Leather," the singer is preparing to leave his true love and sail across the ocean. He asks if there is anything he can send her from his destination, but she declines, simply wishing for his safe return. The singer persists, offering gifts of silver and gold from Spain, but ultimate declares that he would forsake all of these for a simple kiss from his love. The two exchange their goodbyes, with the singer receiving a letter from his love later on, stating that she doesn't know when she'll be returning. Despite the implication that his love's heart may be with the country she has traveled to, he requests that she take caution in the stormy weather and sends a request for Spanish boots of leather as a reminder of his love.
One interpretation of "Boots Of Spanish Leather" is that it is a song about the sacrifices people make for love. Despite the singer's initial request to send something from his travels, he ultimately realizes that the greatest gift he can give his love is his safe return. He is willing to give up material possessions and endure the pain of separation in order to be with her. The boots of Spanish leather represent a physical reminder of the love they share and serve as a way to keep that love close no matter how far apart they may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I'm sailin' away my own true love
I'm leaving my true love and sailing away.
I'm sailin' away in the morning
I'll be departing in the morning.
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
Can I send you something from where I'll be?
From the place that I'll be landing?
From my destination?
No, there's nothin' you can send me, my own true love
I don't need anything from you.
There's nothin' I wish to be ownin'
I don't want anything material from you.
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
Just return to me as you are now.
From across that lonesome ocean
From across the vast sea.
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
I thought you might want something nice.
Made of silver or of golden
Made of precious metals.
Either from the mountains of Madrid
From the mountainous regions of Madrid.
Or from the coast of Barcelona
Or from the coastal areas of Barcelona.
Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
Even if I had the most valuable things.
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
And the rarest gems.
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
I would gladly give them up for a kiss from you.
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'
That's all I want to have.
That I might be gone a long time
I might be away for a while.
And it's only that I'm askin'
I'm only asking this.
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
Can I send you something to remember me?
To make your time more easy passin'
To make your time more bearable.
Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
How could you ask me that again?
It only brings me sorrow
It only makes me sad.
The same thing I want from you today
I want the same thing from you today.
I would want again tomorrow
And I would want it tomorrow too.
I got a letter on a lonesome day
I received a letter one lonely day.
It was from her ship a-sailin'
It was from the ship she was on.
Saying I don't know when I'll be comin' back again
Saying she doesn't know when she'll return again.
It depends on how I'm a-feelin'
It depends on her emotional state.
Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
Well, if that's how you want to think.
I'm sure your mind is roamin'
Your mind is probably wandering.
I'm sure your heart is not with me
Your heart is probably not with me.
But with the country to where you're goin'
But with the country you're going to.
So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Be careful of the western wind.
Take heed of the stormy weather
Be wary of stormy weather.
And yes, there's something you can send back to me
And yes, there is something you can send me.
Spanish boots of Spanish leather
Spanish-made leather boots.
Writer(s): BOB DYLAN
Contributed by Isaiah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.