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
What Am I Doin' Hangin' Around?
The Seldom Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't have much time to spend, about a week or so.
There I lightly took advantage of a girl who loved me so.
But I found myself a-thinkin' when the time had come to go...
[Chorus:]
What am I doin' hangin' round?
I should be on that train and gone.
What am I doin' hangin' round?
She took me to the garden just for a little walk.
I didn't know much Spanish and there was no time for talk.
Then she told me that she loved me not with words but with a kiss.
And like a fool I kept on thinkin' of a train I could not miss...
[Chorus]
Well it's been a year or so, and I want to go back again.
And if I get the money, well I'll ride the same old train.
But I guess your chances come but once and boy I sure missed mine.
And still I can't stop thinkin' when I hear some whistle cryin'....
The Seldom Scene's "What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round" tells the story of a man who travels to Mexico and falls in love with a woman who takes him to the garden and confesses her love to him. Despite her love and affection, the man cannot stop thinking about leaving and missing his train. He takes advantage of her love and leaves without a second thought, only to regret his decision later on.
The song speaks of the regret and longing one has for missed opportunities and chances not taken. It also touches on the idea of selfishness and the consequences it can bring. The chorus of the song, "What am I doing hanging 'round? I should be on that train and gone," expresses the man's realization that he should have chosen love over his own selfish desires.
The lyrics of the song are accompanied by a lively bluegrass tune, adding an upbeat quality to an otherwise melancholic story. The use of Spanish in the song also adds to the exotic and foreign atmosphere the song creates.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a loud mouth Yankee I went down to Mexico.
I travelled to Mexico being inquisitive and vocal.
I didn't have much time to spend, about a week or so.
Due to limited time, I had to rush through my visit.
There I lightly took advantage of a girl who loved me so.
I exploited the affection of a girl with ease.
But I found myself a-thinkin' when the time had come to go...
Despite leaving, I couldn't stop thinking about her.
What am I doin' hangin' round?
Why am I still lingering in this place?
I should be on that train and gone.
I ought to have left on the train.
I should be ridin' on that train to San Antone,
I should be travelling to San Antone by train.
What am I doin' hangin' round?
What made me stay here?
She took me to the garden just for a little walk.
She showed me around the garden, taking a short walk.
I didn't know much Spanish and there was no time for talk.
I lacked sufficient knowledge of Spanish, and there was no space for communication.
Then she told me that she loved me not with words but with a kiss.
She conveyed her love for me through a kiss and not with words.
And like a fool I kept on thinkin' of a train I could not miss...
I foolishly kept thinking about a train I shouldn't have caught.
Well it's been a year or so, and I want to go back again.
After a year, I desire to return once more.
And if I get the money, well I'll ride the same old train.
If I manage to obtain enough money, I'll take the same train back.
But I guess your chances come but once and boy I sure missed mine.
Opportunities often strike once, and I regret missing mine.
And still I can't stop thinkin' when I hear some whistle cryin'....
Even now, I get lost in thought whenever I hear the whistle blow...
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL MURPHY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Big Daddy
A bluegrass version by one of the greatest bands of all time the Seldom Scene !! Love it
Richard Dalin
Love this. This was the first version I heard, years before I learned it had first been done by the Monkees.
twocandycains
Love it!
Cameron Hall
Interesting version. Pure country as opposed to country rock version by Mike Nesmith.
A.J. Walker
Last chorus should be "...ridin' on that train to MEXICO"
(Considering he's wanting to go back). This is what the writer, Michael Martin Murphy wrote and sang. Why the Monkees and bluegrassers do this is dumbfounding. Heck, some even change the first line of the lyrics....
ラデッシュYuri
今聴くと、ハイボイスにビックリ！