Dad loved the mountains. He was never happier than when he was tromping through the woods, headed up the side of a mountain. He could and would walk and climb anyone into the ground.
He learned music from his father, B. J. "Bud" Rhodes, who was a shaped-note music teacher. Max used his musical knowledge to master the songs in several old song books from the days of singings, where people would gather at a church, and after a pot-luck lunch (or dinner as it's called in the hills) they would sing hymns and sacred songs for the rest of the day, led by someone like Max's father. Max had an old van parked in his back yard, to which he ran electricity to power his tape recorder. This was his studio for recording his favorite songs from those books. He loved to sing.
He also loved to talk to people, and was a regular at several businesses along Hendersonville Road, whose employees enjoyed Max, his songs, and his stories.
As a heavy equipment operator beginning with steam and for the most of his career with the cables and pulleys that maneuvered the bucket, Dad's hands often got caught in bad places. Most of his fingers had been broken and allowed to heal as they would. A major league catcher would've envied his fingers. He rarely took injuries to a doctor. His hand writing in the 1950's was barely legible, because he had difficulty holding a pencil. I had thought it due to his lack of formal education; but examples from the 1930's, show a firm, legible hand.
He learned music from his father, B. J. "Bud" Rhodes, who was a shaped-note music teacher. Max used his musical knowledge to master the songs in several old song books from the days of singings, where people would gather at a church, and after a pot-luck lunch (or dinner as it's called in the hills) they would sing hymns and sacred songs for the rest of the day, led by someone like Max's father. Max had an old van parked in his back yard, to which he ran electricity to power his tape recorder. This was his studio for recording his favorite songs from those books. He loved to sing.
He also loved to talk to people, and was a regular at several businesses along Hendersonville Road, whose employees enjoyed Max, his songs, and his stories.
As a heavy equipment operator beginning with steam and for the most of his career with the cables and pulleys that maneuvered the bucket, Dad's hands often got caught in bad places. Most of his fingers had been broken and allowed to heal as they would. A major league catcher would've envied his fingers. He rarely took injuries to a doctor. His hand writing in the 1950's was barely legible, because he had difficulty holding a pencil. I had thought it due to his lack of formal education; but examples from the 1930's, show a firm, legible hand.
Dad loved the mountains. He was never happier than when he was tromping through the woods, headed up the side of a mountain. He could and would walk and climb anyone into the ground.
He learned music from his father, B. J. "Bud" Rhodes, who was a shaped-note music teacher. Max used his musical knowledge to master the songs in several old song books from the days of singings, where people would gather at a church, and after a pot-luck lunch (or dinner as it's called in the hills) they would sing hymns and sacred songs for the rest of the day, led by someone like Max's father. Max had an old van parked in his back yard, to which he ran electricity to power his tape recorder. This was his studio for recording his favorite songs from those books. He loved to sing.
He also loved to talk to people, and was a regular at several businesses along Hendersonville Road, whose employees enjoyed Max, his songs, and his stories.
As a heavy equipment operator beginning with steam and for the most of his career with the cables and pulleys that maneuvered the bucket, Dad's hands often got caught in bad places. Most of his fingers had been broken and allowed to heal as they would. A major league catcher would've envied his fingers. He rarely took injuries to a doctor. His hand writing in the 1950's was barely legible, because he had difficulty holding a pencil. I had thought it due to his lack of formal education; but examples from the 1930's, show a firm, legible hand.
He learned music from his father, B. J. "Bud" Rhodes, who was a shaped-note music teacher. Max used his musical knowledge to master the songs in several old song books from the days of singings, where people would gather at a church, and after a pot-luck lunch (or dinner as it's called in the hills) they would sing hymns and sacred songs for the rest of the day, led by someone like Max's father. Max had an old van parked in his back yard, to which he ran electricity to power his tape recorder. This was his studio for recording his favorite songs from those books. He loved to sing.
He also loved to talk to people, and was a regular at several businesses along Hendersonville Road, whose employees enjoyed Max, his songs, and his stories.
As a heavy equipment operator beginning with steam and for the most of his career with the cables and pulleys that maneuvered the bucket, Dad's hands often got caught in bad places. Most of his fingers had been broken and allowed to heal as they would. A major league catcher would've envied his fingers. He rarely took injuries to a doctor. His hand writing in the 1950's was barely legible, because he had difficulty holding a pencil. I had thought it due to his lack of formal education; but examples from the 1930's, show a firm, legible hand.
