REEL SOUTH

- These guys come in on that bus.

They started playing, and they were awesome.

- I believe you there.

I'd like to see it in person, but hey, I believe you.

- You missed it.

ANNOUNCER: From Kobe, Japan, the Bluegrass 45.

[bluegrass music plays] [ambient music] ANNOUNCER: Support for Reel South is provided by the ETV Endowment.

And the National Endowment for the Arts.

[grass rustling in wind] [cheering, applause] MAN: If you're ready, we're going to do a breakdown here.

[bluegrass music] MAN: Probably the group that's absolutely the group that's come the farthest this weekend to be with us, have come all the way from a different continent, 10,000 miles to be here this weekend.

And they've set a tremendous record wherever they've gone this summer.

If you haven't seen them before, get together now and welcome, from Kobe, Japan, the Bluegrass 45!

[cheering, applause] [bluegrass music] - Freight train whistle blowing I'm on my way back home I love that girl, love her best And paper boat to go [fiddle playing solo] [laughter] [music stops] [calm music] [bluegrass music] [cheering, whistling, applause] [cheering continues] ["I WONDER WHERE YOU ARE NOW" PLAYING] - The rain is cold and slowly falling Upon my windowpane tonight And though your love was even colder I wonder where you are tonight - Yay!

- Yay!

- The rain is cold and slowly falling Upon my window pane tonight And though your love was even colder I wonder where you are tonight - Thank you.

[laughs] [calm music] ["ophelia" playing] - Ophelia, where have you gone?

Was it something that somebody said?

Mama, I know we broke the rules Was somebody up against the law?

Honey, you know I'd die for you They got your number, scared and running But I'm still waiting on the second coming, Ophelia Come back home Oh, Ophelia Please come back home [laughter] [playing banjo] - In my dear old southern home I was happy as I could be Where the mockingbirds sing at night while they rest In that little old sunny spot by the sea [laughs] [applause] [bluegrass music] - [laughs] Left a good job in the city Workin' for the man every night and day And I never lost one minute of sleepin' Worryin' about the way things might have been Big wheel keep on turning Proud Mary keep on burning Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' on the river [phone rings] - [speaking japanese] [chuckles] ["just because" playing] - Made me spend all my money Laughed and called me old Santa Claus I'm telling you, honey, I'm through with you Because, just because I'm telling you, honey, I'm through with you Because, just because Hey!

[applause, cheering] [bluegrass music] - [speaking japanese] [laughter] REPORTER: Sharing American forces overseas.

This is the Far East Network.

[bluegrass music] - Oh, just let me hear that theme just one more time.

- Relax and enjoy 25 minutes of good country and western recorded music.

[country music] [ship horns, birds chirping] [bluegrass music] [cheering, applause] - Ready?

[bluegrass music] [cheering, applause] [bluegrass music] - Go ahead and play a little bit so they can hear you.

[bluegrass music] First of all, welcome to the Tri-Cities.

And tell us, you guys are celebrating 50 years together?

- Yes, sir.

We started the group in 1967.

- Where do you hail from?

Where do you come from?

- We are from Kobe, Japan.

- So what brought you guys to bluegrass music?

Here, we were very familiar with it, but-- but what brought you guys to our music, as we would say?

- Well, Japanese people like pop music, jazz, rock.

But we decided to pick bluegrass.

- OK. You're going to play for us this afternoon as well.

Check them out this evening at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

It's Bluegrass 45, everybody.

- OK?

- Yeah.

["AN OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG" PLAYING] - Just an old-fashioned love song One I'm sure they wrote for you and me It's just an old-fashioned love song One I'm sure they wrote for you and me - Fantastic.

Good job, guys.

Thank you all so much.

We'll be back with more News 5 at Noon in just a moment.

Stay with us.

["Cry Cry Darling" playing] Cry, cry, darling My eyes willl cry and never dry if you should go Cry, cry, darling When shadows creep I'll just weep all night, I know Oh, weep every night If you should ever go Cry, cry, darling [knocking] - Hello.

[bluegrass music] [gentle music] [faint chatter] - Good to see you.

Yes, hello.

Uh, Toshio?

- Yeah, Sab.

- Yeah, Sab.

Yeah, Sab.

Toshio's your brother?

- Yeah.

Right.

- Right.

OK.

It's the Bluegrass red carpet, Knee Deep in Bluegrass.

Congratulations on Bluegrass 45 and the anniversary, and getting to be here in North Carolina to perform.

- Uh, yeah.

- And people still talk about that great DVD from Camp Springs, North Carolina, when you came out and you're playing behind your head and-- - No more.

- (LAUGHING) Can't do that anymore.

Well, I'm looking forward to Bluegrass 45.

I get to introduce you on the stage-- - Oh, good.

- --this weekend.

And enjoy the show tonight.

- OK.

Thank you very much.

INTERVIEWER: Thank you.

Enjoy your evening.

Hey, folks, come on up.

[cheering, applause] [indistinct conversations] ANNOUNCER: All the way from Kobe, Japan, celebrating their 50th band anniversary-- it's Bluegrass 45!

[cheering, applause] [bluegrass music] - There's a place in the sun Where there's hope for everyone Where my poor restless heart has to run Can you find me a place - Everybody!

- In the sun - Thank you very much.

[cheering, applause] - Thank you!

- [laughs] Hello!

Are you Mark?

- I'm Mark!

- Akira.

- My first band on this bus-- if you look right up in there, you can see there's Bluegrass 45.

I didn't know anything about it until I saw that, really.

[laughs] Was any of this there?

- If you look at the movie, you see them interviewing us here.

- Oh.

- Josh goes over there.

Josh, over there.

- Wow.

- But there was a man up in West Virginia that had this bus.

I buy old vehicles and stuff.

And he was going to scrap it.

- Uh-huh.

- And I was-- I couldn't let him scrap it because it was-- it was so unique.

- Oh, yeah?

- And so he said, I don't know, some bluegrass band had it.

I don't know who it was.

He said, but I think it was from another country.

AKIRA OTSUKA: Is it true that it moves?

MARK BOGGS: Well, let's see if it'll start.

[chatter] [rattling] [creaking] [car starting] [engine whirring] [chatter] [somber music] [chatter] - I can't believe it's running.

MARK BOGGS: The motor was not locked up or anything.

- [laughs] MARK BOGGS: Well, I have no title.

But I don't need it.

I ain't planning on selling it.

[laughs] I just want to fix it up.

You had the Bluegrass 45 on the side plate that lit up there.

BAND MEMBER: Yeah.

- Did you have it on the back anywhere?

AKIRA OTSUKA: That, I don't remember?

- Well, now, did y'all run out of gas?

[laughter] AKIRA OTSUKA: Several times, it broke down, too.

MARK BOGGS: If you're coming through here, you just stop.

AKIRA OTSUKA: Yeah, of course.

BAND MEMBER: Yeah.

AKIRA OTSUKA: Thank you very, very much.

- You're very welcome, sir.

AKIRA OTSUKA: Take care.

- Good to meet all of you.

[laughs] [metal creaking] That was really cool.

TOSHIO WATANABE: [speaking japanese] JOSH OTSUKA: [speaking japanese] TOSHIO WATANABE: [speaking japanese] - [laughs] TOSHIO WATANABE: [speaking japanese] [somber music] MAN: We country.

We don't know many people from nowhere.

And I was, like, 14 years old.

These guys come in on that bus.

They started playing, and they were awesome.

They were awesome.

And then they get out there and they start taking these things and putting them instruments and putting them behind their heads and playing them as good as they did in front of them.

[laughter] MAN: Teddy was there.

- A long time ago.

MAN: Long time ago.

- Oh, yeah?

- You could hear the music, the bluegrass music, over next to the park.

When people played bluegrass, you'd think of the South.

That was it.

But with these guys, when they come around, it was like, wow, you know?

Who are these guys?

But they could really play.

They could really, really, really play.

- Yes, yes, yes.

I'm glad you guys dropped by today.

- Nice to meet you.

- I'm glad you stopped by.

- It's good to meet you.

It's great to meet you.

That's awesome.

- Oh, yeah.

- A lot of the old people that used to go to it are gone now.

They're no longer with us.

But me, being 52 now, I barely remember because I was a young fella then.

But I'd like to see it come back.

But you know, I don't know if it ever will.

[strings playing] [gentle music] [footsteps crunching] [rustling] [rustling] [gentle music] - Mm.

- Mm.

- [laughs] - Woo.

- Hoo!

[distant cheering] FESTIVAL HOST: The Bluegrass 45 from Kobe, Japan.

Did you like them?

[crowd cheering] Do you want to hear some more?

[crowd cheering] Let's bring them back for one more number.

Send them out, Billy, the Bluegrass 45 from Kobe, Japan.

They're going to do one more.

[crowd cheering] - Thank you very much.

We really enjoy to play here at Camp Spring.

Now we'd like to do a song that was done by someone you know.

They called it "Mocking Banjo."

["mocking banjo" playing] [crowd cheering] [somber music] - Speedy?

BAND MEMBER: Speedy.

MAN 1: Speedy.

[crowd cheering] - [laughs] HOST: Bluegrass 45.

[gentle music] [gentle music]