Bill Clifton - Longing for Old Virginia

     My friend Jean and I decided to drive to Mendota to visit some old friends after our Sunday brunch at Ruby Tuesday's. Mendota is northeast of Bristol across the North Fork of the Holston River.

     This is a barn I've always wanted to photograph and Sunday I did. The huge rock is one side of the barn, and yes, that is a "little white church in the dell," to quote an old song. If I remember correctly, it is a Baptist Church and is very well maintained as are the grounds. You can see how curving the road is which is named Nordyke Road. Coming home, our GPS got a little mixed up and we drove on a narrower road named "Barnrock Road" and sure enough it eventually joined Nordyke and we knew we were on our way home.

A closer look at the barn rock.

Bill (Marburg) Clifton and Tineke Labrie

     Mendota  is the home of Bill Marburg and Tineke Labrie, old friends of ours we'd lost contact with until Rocky's memorial service. They sang several duets a cappella and Bill told a story to remember Rocky by.

     Bill's performing name is Bill Clifton and he has been a performer of folk songs and country music for over 50 years since he was very young. He came to Hiltons, VA, which is just down the road from Mendota, when A. P. Carter was still living to study with him. A. P. took a liking to Bill and they developed both a musical and personal relationship that lasted until A. P. died. Bill has performed all over the world and was admitted to the Country Music Hall Of Fame a decade ago.


     I first met Bill through his wife, Tineke, who is from Holland. I was a social worker and she was a volunteer at the Crisis Center where I was Assistant Director when I first moved to Bristol. I remembering meeting Bill at a pot-luck dinner at the Center, and he and my husband, Rocky, hit it off. We began a lot of visiting back and forth. Mendota is a long drive from Bristol because the roads are now back roads and very curvy as they respect the river and the low range of mountains and hollows.

     I know Bill on a social basis and as a personal friend. His impressive musical ability was really lost on me, I hate to say, until recently. Ironically, he is better known to the public in Europe and Japan than he is in this region except for Appalachia and Nashville musicians. But what a delight to discover him now. One of his more recent performances is published below at the end of this post.


     Tineke, Bill's wife, is an extremely charming and interesting person. She is very creative artistically and enjoys a challenge but once she's mastered it and made as many items as she wants, then she is ready to go on to another challenge. Her most recent project that she's about completed is making stain glass window inserts for some of her windows. She is now more interested in setting up what she calls her "museum." A handyman neighbor built a small cabin in their large backyard, right next to the river, and Tineke is putting up shelves and then displaying all her small gifts friends from other countries have given her and souvenirs she has brought back. I didn't think to take a picture of it, but I will the next time I visit when it will be more complete. So far she has shelves devoted to Russia, Japan, Thailand, and Holland, of course.


     So Jean and I had a delightful time and I'm pretty sure Bill and Tineke did too. What a pleasure for me to have finally discovered Bill's professional side. I'm going to iTunes to buy some of his cd's very soon. Here, have a listen:
This was recorded in 2006 and sent to YouTube by "americanamama".  Enjoy,  Mimi