Tondeleo: As you know, Doc and Marilyn play outdoors frequently, and when it is warm weather, and they have bills to pay, they will be found outdoors on a regular basis, singing, playing and passing the hat. Sometimes their friend Thurman Goodlett dances for them, which helps get a crowd and increases the income. He is a fantastic dancer and is very professional. From their outdoors playing, they get asked to play at various events and venues.
Doc says that when they play outside it is "givin' away free samples," so people will let them play at other places. This is how they get most their gigs at BBQ's, family reunions, outdoor parties, and clubs and even festivals. People hear them, like their sound and find out how likeable both Doc and Marilyn are, and that they will play almost anywhere.
One Sunday, back in March, they played indoors at Scott's II in Welcome Maryland, along with Joey Tippet and the California Ramblers. The California Ramblers are a popular bluegrass band who also donated their afternoon to raise funds for a local young mother who was diagnosed with leukemia a year ago. She was pregnant, and had some problems and they discovered that she had leukemia. Marilyn said that Katie, the young mother, lost her baby, and had a month of chemo treatments, and then "the Lord touched her body" and there is no sign of leukemia, but there are other problems.
Marilyn: Tondy, when Katie got the leukemia, all of us was prayin' and askin' the Lord to touch her body and heal her. She prayed too. She believes in healin' like we do. At the end of last March, they tested her and the leukemia was gone! No sign of it! They let her out of the hospital!
But the doctor what takes care of her after wards said leukemia doesn't just go away - she ain't never heard of the Lord healin' people - so she started Katie on chemo again. And every month they tested her for cancer, and guess what, Tondy? NO CANCER! Not even one cell!
But still her her doctor says she MIGHT have some cancer there and they just can't find it! So they keep her on that chemo and stereo-roids, anyway - but no sign of cancer cause the Lord healed her.
She got money problems cause she got two little boys she's tryin' to raise, an' she can't work a job, but still has to pay the rent and the light bill and gas for the car, and food.
So they had a fundraiser for her and asked us to help out. It was us and some bluegrass bands. We ain't exactly into bluegrass, so we din't know how it would be, and we didn't know if they would hate us because we play country roots blues and Doc uses a electric guitar, and bluegrass don't allow no electric guitars or drums, an' Doc also brought his box what he rigged up with a foot pedal to sound like drums. I like playin' indoors.
Well, it went GOOD! A lot of people came. The bluegrass bands was good, too. One was Joey Tippett and the California Ramblers! They was really good and they was nice to me and Uncle Doc. They let us use their mic, which was nice. They did a couple sets and we did a couple of sets, and another bluegrass band did, and also a rock band called Naked! They was all boys but I thank God they was not naked! They would've embarrassed themselves for sure, Tondy! But they sounded good. And kept their clothes on. That name they got for their band, Naked, Doc said is just boys bein' boys.
I heard that they raised about two thousand dollars to help her pay the rent. Churches are helping her out with food and such. It's really hard when a person ain't got no income and all their friends are poor, Tondy. But when everybody pitches in, and bakes cakes and pies for auctionin' off and brings in other things to sell, it helps. We all pull together. Even the bands played for free to help out. And Uncle Doc bought a fishin' rod and lures,and a camo fishin' stool to sit on, an' he don't even need 'em! He said he just wanted to help Katie pay her rent, and he had $30 on him. He has a soft heart, Tondy, but don't tell him I told you. But he's a softy inside!
Tondeleo: Marilyn gave me some pictures from this event that were emailed to her so here they are. She also got some video from it that I put it on my Youtube account for them.
