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Gentle On My Mind
About this film
John Hartford performing his masterpiece as he pilots his beloved Julia Belle Swain Riverboat. This was an authorized Bootleg, meaning that I asked permission to shoot before the voyage from the boat and John, then years later, got John's approval by email, to post the updated version of the video. This file is derived from a carefully digitized VHS original tape. By using a time base corrector we minimized the age problems with the tape. There are just a few noticeable video dropped lines in the scenes of the boat leaving. I thought it was historically important to post this best-possible web version here at the Archives. As a footnote to history, I found out from John's road manager one time that he watched the original tape on the tour bus, where he and his group were laughing at the video. Years later, after John made several riverboat professional TV specials, this video recording still is the most honest glimpse of the artist and his work as some of us were lucky enough to have seen it.
Directors & creators
Bob Whiteside
Subjects
john hartford; gentle on my mind; riverboat; julia belle swain; steamboat; banjo; music
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