Interview with Mrs. Jesse McReynolds (Joy McReynolds) found in The Sunny Side of Appalachia, Bluegrass from the Grassroots

Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys

Dear Betty,
Thanks so much for your interest in our Pick Inn. We did an interview recently, and here it is. As you can see, Jesse is a man of few words. I, on the other hand, could go on about the Pick Inn all day!

Feel free to use what you like, or ask more questions, and thanks again so much. Joy & Jesse
From Jesse--

1. Why did you decide to establish a bluegrass-themed bed & breakfast, at this point in your career?

After traveling on the road for 60 years, I want to slow down on touring but still have a place to play my music.

2. Are you still planning to tour some and play dates on the road?

Yes, I will be doing some touring on some special dates in 2008.

3. Can you tell me more about the kinds of shows you will be hosting in the dinner theater?

What can visitors expect to see and hear? The dinner theater is something that we plan to do in the future. It will be a family-type show with me and my band and special guests. And we will be booking other bands on different occasions. We want to feature traditional bluegrass and gospel music.


From Joy--
4. If folks come and spend some vacation time at the Pick Inn, they will get to to meet you, as well as Jesse. Could you tell the bluegrass fans reading this column a little about yourself, and your connection to the music?

I think of myself as a farm girl, raised in the pretty countryside around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My first recollection of bluegrass music was as a little girl, around the late 50's or early 60's. I was sitting in the back seat of our car with my sisters, and heard the most wonderful sound come on over the radio. I asked our Dad what that music was, and he said it was "Campbell's Corners". I wanted to go there in the worst way! Dad also told us about a place called "Sunset Park" which was right close by. We never did get there as a family, but I never forgot that music.

It wasn't until 30+ years later, after I became a music reporter, that I finally got to Sunset Park. It felt like coming home. By this time my parents had passed on, but I took the rest of my family with me and we all fell in love with it. When the park closed down a few years back, it was like losing a friend. That was the one and only music park I ever visited, and it is a treasured memory. But perhaps more of a loss than the music, I really miss sitting at the picnic tables with my sisters during the supper break, under those big old shade trees. I hope we can provide that kind of experience at our Pick Inn. A feeling of "this is our home in the country where I can bring my family, or just come by myself and be with people that feel like family, and enjoy good music".

Jesse and I married in May of 1996. I really believe that a finer man has never walked the earth. So kind and gentle, while at the same time a dynamo in perpetual motion. You need a lot of energy to keep up with Jesse. I love it. He keeps me young!

Jesse has lived on this beautiful property in Gallatin, Tennessee since he and his brother Jim bought the 90 acre farm back in 1964. They split it up and lived side by side all their lives. Jesse gave his children a few acres, and the Pick Inn is on the 10 acre parcel he and his first wife, Darlene, gave their oldest son, Keith, back in the 1970's. Keith loved this particular property for it's serenity and view of Old Hickory Lake. He called it "Meditation Hill".

Jesse helped Keith build the log cabin at the Pick Inn. Keith and wife, Debbie, had two lovely children, Amanda Lynne (Jesse named her!) and Garrett. Keith was a wonderful man, musician, father, and man of great faith. Keith got his religious foundation from Jesse and Darlene, who sadly passed away in 1993. Then, after a long bout with MS, Keith passed away back in 2000. Over the last few years, Garrett and Amanda started joining Jesse on his shows, and we could see how special that was, and we appreciated how the kids showed so much respect and enthusiasm for singing & playing music with Jesse.

Last November of 2006, it was decided to sell their childhood home at an auction, and Jesse and I didn't think we had much of a chance to buy it because we thought it would be too expensive. But Jesse sent me and Garrett up to the auction and he said he was staying home to pray. Talk about the prayers of a righteous man availing much! I thought Garrett and I would just be bystanders watching it sell, but the bidding stopped, and Garrett turned to me and asked, "How about a thousand more?" Well, who could look into such a sweet face and say no? Not I! So little by little, we acquired the property back (after we made an emergency phone call to Jesse, who said, "Go for it!").

I look at the Pick Inn as a gift from God. I almost feel like we don't even own it. We are stewards of what God has given us, and we give God all the glory. I just hope we can be good stewards of it. I guess, in a way, we all own it, and need to care for it so it will be here, along with the music of our heritage, so our kids and grandkids can pass it down to their kids. We sure can't take it with us when we leave this earth, and there can be no greater pleasure for me than what God has made at the Pick Inn and worked through all who come there. Everyone seems to leave a touch of themselves behind, and we love that. We all own the place, as far as I am concerned.

I am so thrilled that Jesse has plans to construct an old-time brush arbors church and we plan to have revivals, youth camps, spiritual retreats, and possibly baptisms in Old Hickory Lake. We are especially blessed with the presence of our own "Fiddlin' Preacher". There is talk of a live radio show and many more wonderful ideas.

Well, as you can see, I could write a novel about the Pick Inn. To make a long story short, I love this old place. If I went on a vacation, I'd want to stay here, so why not share that blessing with everyone? I've walked my dogs on these trails for years, marveling at the birds, butterflies, wildflowers, pretty views, wildlife, and serenity. I don't think it pleases God to only make this kind of blessing available to a few.

There was one other childhood experience that made a huge impression on me as far as my love of nature. As Girl Scouts, we took a field trip to a place called the Tyler Arboretum. There, we learned how all the things that grow in the wild are important for wildlife to survive. So when you come and walk the trails at the Pick Inn, you won't see a golfcourse-type lawn everywhere. I have purposely left the wildflowers for the butterflies, birds and the bees to survive on. There are walking trails through wildflowers over 5 feet tall! I'd love to let teachers bring their classrooms in and see how important it is to preserve nature for the wildlife, and appreciate that these things that may look like weeds are important for the survival of many forms of life.

5. What are you looking forward to, specifically, about being a bluegrass innkeeper? I see how happy people are when they get to meet Jesse. He is a blessing to so many. This will give folks a chance to come and see him at home. I think it is a very nice way to say "thank you" to the fans, as well as a nice way for the fans to come and meet a hero they think may never get a chance otherwise to meet. I think this will be the greatest pleasure of all for me... to see people get to meet Jesse and find out he's a regular, down-to-earth person who just happens to be a musical wizard!

As far as the B&B, we are not yet classified as a Bed & Breakfast. We will be seeking approvals to do that in the near future, and I do look forward to that very much. Right now it already gives me great joy to see our visitors come and enjoy the countryside and the music. This will be a dream come true for many musicians who think it is the ultimate thrill to play music with a bluegrass legend like Jesse. We are looking forward to having teaching camps for all the bluegrass instruments. For me, the Pick Inn is a labor of love. The best compliment I've gotten so far is "it feels like coming home to Grandma's".

But, more than anything, I love Jesse. This is a dream of his. If I can help make this dream happen, nothing could make me happier. ~ Joy McR.


Jesse & Joy McReynolds
The Pick Inn
Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys