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
Gardens & Memories
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking thru my garden of memories
Gathering the flowers from the past
Listening to the sounds of yesterday
Knowing that nothing ever lasts
Sunflowers shining brightly in the sun
But when she left what we had begun
I looked and my garden had grown
Sunshine, memories in the rain
Walking til dreams were green
Yesterday, Yesterday from sunshine in the rain
Mary how does your garden grow
Do you mind it every day
Or will i die when the north winds blow
Wondering where the children play
Sunflowers shining brightly in the sun
She was the one that i had known
But when she left what we had begun
I looked and my garden had grown
Break
Yesterday, Yesterday from sunshine in the rain
The Seldom Scene's song Gardens & Memories is reminiscent of a time long gone, where memories are all we have left of the past. It paints a picture of someone walking through their garden of memories and collecting the flowers from the past. The lyrics touch on the idea that nothing ever lasts, and that we must cherish the moments we have. The sunflowers shining brightly in the sun symbolize a relationship that once provided warmth and beauty, which has since ended. The line, "but when she left what we had begun, I looked and my garden had grown," emphasizes how life goes on despite our past relationships and memories.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of time and how it changes things. The line, "yesterday, yesterday from sunshine in the rain," highlights how we have good days and bad days, and time affects our perception of those moments. The mention of Mary's garden also shows how individual experiences shape the way we think and feel. The question, "Mary how does your garden grow? Do you mind it every day?" suggests that everyone has their own way of dealing with their past and that it is up to us to decide whether we want to hold onto our memories or let them go.
Overall, The Seldom Scene's song Gardens & Memories is a reflection on the past and how it shapes our present. The lyrics suggest that we need to hold onto the moments that matter, as nothing in life is permanent, and that it is up to us to decide how we want to remember our past.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking thru my garden of memories
I am walking through the memories of my past experiences
Gathering the flowers from the past
I am collecting the good memories from my past
Listening to the sounds of yesterday
I can hear and recall the memories and events from my past
Knowing that nothing ever lasts
I am aware that nothing is permanent, even the memories I am holding onto will eventually fade away
Sunflowers shining brightly in the sun
I remember her bright smile and her happiness, represented by the sunflower in my memory
She was the one that I had known
She was the woman I loved and I knew her very well
But when she left what we had begun
After she left me, our relationship was unfinished and incomplete
I looked and my garden had grown
I realised that my life went on, and new experiences and memories were added
Sunshine, memories in the rain
My memory holds the bright and beautiful moments, but also the sad and painful ones
Walking til dreams were green
I walked until I achieved my dreams, and made them flourish like green plants
Yesterday, Yesterday from sunshine in the rain
I am still living the memories of my past, both the good and the bad
Mary how does your garden grow
I am asking Mary how she is taking care of her own memories, and if she is doing it differently than I am
Do you mind it every day
Do you tend to your memories on a daily basis?
Or will I die when the north winds blow
Will my memories perish and fade away when I reach the end of my life?
Wondering where the children play
I wonder where the innocence and carefree nature of youth went
Break
Instrumental break
Yesterday, Yesterday from sunshine in the rain
Repeat of the earlier line, meaning the same thing
Writer(s): john starling
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.