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
Breakin' New Ground
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love would last forevermore
And it took me by surprise
When you up and walked out the door
Been suffering through this dry spell
With no relief in sight
Well, you're sowing oats with another girl
And raising cane all night
Is by breaking new ground
Yeah, the only thing you left
When you left me was no choice
Gonna plant my love in another field
With no rocks beneath the soil
It's high time I was leaving this old town
Start breaking new ground
Well, I'm finding out that I can live without you on my side
The grass is getting greener slowly as the days go by
Somewhere I'll find someone to help me tear down these old walls
Fill my life on a solid love, I'll rise above it all
I won't let your memory get me down
I'm breaking new ground
Yeah, the only thing you left
When you left me was no choice
Gonna plant my love in another field
With no rocks beneath the soil
The only way a new life can be found
Is by breaking new ground
Yeah, the only thing you left
When you left me was no choice
Gonna plant my love in another field
With no rocks beneath the soil
And it's high time luck was a'leaving this old town
And start breaking new ground
The Seldom Scene's "Breaking New Ground" is a song that explores the pain of a romantic breakup and the desire to move on by starting fresh in new ventures. The singer of the song is having a hard time coping with a separation, as they were led to believe that their love would last forever. However, their partner left them abruptly for another woman, leaving the singer stranded in a dry spell with no end in sight. In response to this, the singer decides to take matters into their own hands and find a new love to help tear down the old walls that were erected in their past relationship. They no longer want to be held captive by the memory of their ex, and instead, they want to start "breaking new ground" by finding a new life.
The song's lyrics highlight the singer's journey and their determination to find a way to move on. They realize that the only way to make it through the drought of loneliness and heartbreak is to plant their love in another field with no rocks beneath the soil. They want to start afresh and leave their old life and luck in their previous town behind. In the end, the singer expresses their will to find a solid love that will help them rise above the situation.
Overall, "Breaking New Ground" is a song that speaks to the universal experience of dealing with a broken heart and finding the courage to move forward. It encourages the listener to embrace change, take risks, and trust that there is a brighter future ahead if they keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, you told me when we met
You promised your love would be eternal when we first met
Your love would last forevermore
You assured me that your love would stand the test of time
And it took me by surprise
I was caught off guard by your sudden departure
When you up and walked out the door
When you left me without warning or explanation
Been suffering through this dry spell
I have been enduring a prolonged period of loneliness and heartache
With no relief in sight
Without any indication of things getting better anytime soon
Well, you're sowing oats with another girl
You are now with someone else, fooling around without any commitments
And raising cane all night
Causing trouble and chaos all night long
The only way I'll make it through this drought
The only way I can move on from this emotional drought
Is by breaking new ground
Is by starting fresh and taking on new challenges
Yeah, the only thing you left
The only remains of you
When you left me was no choice
After you left, I had no option but to move on
Gonna plant my love in another field
I am going to give my love to someone new
With no rocks beneath the soil
Starting with a clean slate, free from any obstacles or hindrances
It's high time I was leaving this old town
It's about time I leave this place behind
Start breaking new ground
And start anew
Well, I'm finding out that I can live without you on my side
I have come to realize that I can be happy and move forward without you
The grass is getting greener slowly as the days go by
Life is slowly getting better day by day
Somewhere I'll find someone to help me tear down these old walls
I will eventually meet someone who will help me let go of my emotional barriers
Fill my life on a solid love, I'll rise above it all
With a strong love in my life, I will overcome all my struggles
I won't let your memory get me down
I will not let thoughts of you hold me back
I'm breaking new ground
I am moving forward and taking on new experiences
And it's high time luck was a'leaving this old town
It's time for good luck to find me in a new place
And start breaking new ground
So I can start anew and leave the past behind
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CARL E. JACKSON, JERRY DEAN JR. SALLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind