Lester Flatt

Its hard to beleive that it has been 32 years since Lester Flatt passed away.

I was working at Alice Lloyd College and had just came in and turned on the evening news. I think it was Roger Mudd who said "Today in Nashville Tennessee, Country Music Entertainer Lester Flatt died". I sat and tears flooded my eyes. I had been working with Bill Monroe when he and Lester "Buried the Hatchet" after a long time feud.
As I sat there I remembered all the times that he and Bill got together on June 20, 1971 after they walked on stage at Bean Blossom, shook hands and sang Little Cabin Home on the Hill. While Bill was taking a mandolin break, Lester looked over and said "Its been a long time, Bill", Bill was in mid break and nodded. Few heard this because its not on the tape of that reunion, but I was sitting at the corner of the stage and heard it.

In the fall of 1971 after returning to college, I attended a show at Sandy Ridge School when Lester appeared there. I was sitting in the 3rd or 4th row and when they took an intermission Roland White came out and told me that Lester wanted to see me. I went down the hallway to the classroom where they were and Lester was talking to someone, I spoke to Haskel McCormick and when Lester finished his conversation he kinda nodded his head sideways for me to come over as if he wanted to say something that he didn't want others to hear. He ask me how I was doing and after I said things were fine, he asked "Did you and Bill have words?" I said no that I had left the band to go back to school to which he said "Well, I'm glad to hear that" and that "me and Bill had worked a date a couple of weeks ago and I saw that you weren't with him".
It was so nice to have someone like Lester to even care.

I sure miss you Lester.