Transcript

File: baglolesidney-oh-gettingstarted_M.mp3

Speakers:

SB – Sid Baglole

KP – curator Ken Perlman

KP: What year were you born?

SB: 1912

KP: 1912n

SB: Yeah, I'm 80 years old. Just had a birthday, just gone by.

KP: Did you come from a musical family?

SB: Well there's some, yes. Yes some, a little yeah.

KP: Who were the ones who were musical in your family?

SB: Well a little on both sides. A little on both sides - Camerons, Camerons and Bagloles.

KP: Did they play fiddle?

SB: Yeah. Fiddle and organ. Organ them days. And we had a violin in the house and I couldn’t tune it. First when I started.

KP: You said you started at 8.

SB: Yeah, that's right, yeah. So I got ahold of it and I learned right quick. It didn't take me no time before I.- I never played by note, all by ear, all by ear.

KP: How did you learn?

SB: Just picked it up. Just picked it up. It's all by ear.

KP: Did you watch anyone?

SB: No. No.

KP: You just heard it?

SB: Once you know the tunes, you know. You get the tunes up here [points to head] and you work from that.

KP: Where did you hear the tunes?

SB: Oh... from the old people.

KP: Which old people?

SB: The old people around.

KP: Yeah, well which ones?

SB: The Bagloles and the Camerons. They were musical.

KP: They would play the tunes?

SB: Yeah, yes that's right.

KP: Did anyone jig or tune [sing] the tunes?

SB: Yes they did. They used to do that. Yes.

KP: Who used to do that? All those people?

SB: Yeah... yeah, that's right.

KP: When would you hear them do that?

SB: Oh... most anytime, yeah. Used to be a lot of dance parties, you know, them days, house parties, you know, they used to dance and they'd have a birthday, somebody'd have a birthday and they'd put on a dance you know, yeah.

KP: Would this happen every week?

SB: Oh yes, most have a dance every week, somewhere.

KP: In the summer you say?

SB: Yeah... oh winter too. Yeah in the wintertime too.

KP: Would there be more parties than once a week?

SB: Oh yes... yes.