“Arnold Shultz and Uncle Pen”

Oil on 6”x8” cradled wood panel

There are no known recordings of Arnold Shultz or Uncle Pen, so why would I include them in our show on Kentucky musicians that I think kick much booty?    Well, their influence on others is mythical . . . most notably on Bill Monroe.  Uncle Pen was Monore’s true uncle and lived with him for a period (and he inspired my favorite Bill Monroe song, “Uncle Pen”).  Monroe played with both Uncle Pen and Arnold Shultz.  Shultz supposedly gave Monroe his first paying gig.   It has been said that Shultz “put the blues in Bluegrass.”  But Shultz’s influence went way beyond Monroe, as he is credited with much of the development of “Travis Picking” popularized by the likes of Merle Travis and Chet Adkins.  I have fantasized, if I was a writer, writing a story about finding unknown recordings of Shultz thereby rewriting music history!  It has been stated, such recordings would place Shultz amongst the giants such as Robert Johnson. 

$475