Orange Blossom Boys: The Untold Story of Ervin T Rouse, Chubby Wise and the World's Most Famous Fiddle Tune

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Summary: Family Reunions with Ervin T. Rouse
Review: I am proud to know that Ervin has finally been recognized for his raw genious in playing the fiddle, composing music, performing for us when I was growing up, and telling about many of the episodes written about in the Orange Blossom Boys. Rany Noles did his research and answered questions which needed to be made known about the life of Ervin, Gordon, his siblings and the joy they brought to many as they sang and made music with the best of Artist, including Johnny Cash. I learned more than we ever knew, as I sat, spellbound, reading the book. Now, I can say I have read the book through and through several times. It is wonderful. I was born April 28,1929 and was privileged to record the Rouse's music when they visited my home. It is my hope that a Documentary will be forthcoming. Ervin ranks right up there with Bill Monroe, The Carter Family, Flatt and Scruggs,Doc Watson, Roy Acuff, etc. He is an Icon in Blue Grass, and respected by the best of them in the business. The Orange Blossom Special is likened to The Star Spangled Banner by me and my relatives. Audrey W. Hartsoe, 24 Scott Place, Clinton, N.
C.28328 PS I did speak with Randy Noles upon receipt of the book; it is wonderful!

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Summary: The Untold Story
Review: I would like to know where the book tells about Chubby's other family living in Georgia and Florida. He had a wife before Rossy and she was no stupid farmgirl. He also had a daughter that loved her father more than anything. Where in the book does it talk about them. It does not say a single word because of one women could not stand to have anything to do with his other family. If women would leave married men alone (this goes both ways), maybe the right family would be in the book. The picture of Chubby's step-grandson is a slap in the face to my husband. He is the bloodline of Chubby Wise. I feel my husband's family deserves a right to tell the unknown years of what really happened and how Rossy became Mrs. Wise. I enjoy knowing Chubby was my husband's grandfather, but on the other hand, I get really upset when I hear how much pain and greif was caused by this piece of history.

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Summary: Incredible Book, Bonus CD is a "Must Have"
Review: Randy Noles has written a compelling book about the history of the 'Orange Blossom Special' and the lives of the men who were involved with it. There is some mystery involved in the book, since Ervin T. Rouse holds the copyright for the tune, but Chubby Wise always claimed to have co-written the song. In fact, I would suggest that you listen to the first four tracks of the CD before starting the book. The first track is of Ervin's brother Gordon telling about how they wrote the song, and the second is their raw recording from the 30's. The third track is an interview with Chubby telling his version of how the song was written, and the fourth track is him fiddling the tune at an outdoor festival in the 60's. Just as interesting is the biography of both men. Ervin grew up as child vaudevillian doing trick fiddling, and ended up as a hermit in the Evergades. Chubby was raised by relatives until he was forced to live on his own at the age of 10 after being nearly killed in a farm accident. He ended up as a famous fiddler with Hank Snow and Bill Monroe's bands. These men both led incredible lives!

The bonus CD also includes several different versions of the Special on different instruments, and some old recordings by the Rouses' and Wise of other songs- some which have never before been released.

This book and CD are all about the raw origins of bluegrass and folk music, and the kind of people who started it all.

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Summary: A captivating tale..part mystery, biography, history
Review: The 1930s were an exhilarating and exciting time for the formative years of bluegrass music. Author Randy Noles takes a well-researched journalistic approach to present the interesting stories of brothers Ervin and Gordon Rouse, Chubby Wise, and the song "Orange Blossom Special," written in 1938 to honor the Seaboard Air Line's passenger train which ran from New York to Miami. By interweaving the parallel biographies of Rouse and Wise, one gains an insight into the nomadic life and tribulations that vaudevillians, buskers and musicians faced in that era. Like a couple of gypsies with fiddles, these men moved and lived in a fast lane, perhaps energized by the speed of The Special itself. This glimpse into their lives also includes a darker side, with tales of childhood abandonment, abuse, tragedy, alcoholism, womanizing and mental illness.

Noles also give us a chapter on old-time and trick fiddling, as well as one on the train that inspired the tune. For many years, the answer to who exactly wrote "O.B.S." was a matter of conjecture, based on information that had been exaggerated or embellished. Noles presents a strong and documented argument to definitively answer this languishing question.

The book addresses Johnny Cash's involvement with the famous song, and Noles discusses Chubby Wise's tenure as a sideman with Bill Monroe and Hank Snow. The book's preface, written by John Hartford, encourages us to get "vapor-locked,"while Marty Stuart's foreward says that knowing the origins of "Orange Blossom Special" will enable us to appreciate its magnificence all over again. A 21-track 78-minute CD includes a multitude of versions of "Orange Blossom Special" featuring the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, dobro, and harmonica as lead instruments. One might, however, want to listen to these in small doses. Just how many versions of the "O.B.S." can one listener take in a sitting? Of particular interest on the CD are the vintage Rouse Brothers recordings from 1938-39, Ervin performing his song about his mother ("Sweeter Than the Flowers") in the early-1960s, and four songs played by Chubby Wise. I also enjoyed the 24 pages of black and white photos that grace the center of this book.

Randy Noles has written an engaging book that revolves around the mystique of a passenger train, the song it inspired, and the lives of a couple intriguing fiddlers who sawed off the tune. Part mystery and part biography, this historical perspective captures the spirit of these legendary musicians. "Orange Blossom Boys" is a tale of yore, and a tribute to two fiddling men who captivate us with their rambling ways. Pick up this book, rosin up your bow, get some sand in those traveling shoes, and climb aboard for an exciting adventure right on down to the end of the Seaboard trail. -- Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now

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Summary: finally, the real story is told!
Review: What a wonderful job Mr. Noles does in telling the story and interweaving the lives of these two unfortunate souls against a backdrop of old Florida. He is able to convert his massive research into such an interesting read; I had difficulty putting it down!