I was running around the web last night, while looking for lyrics and chord to a few songs, and went to Joe Bethancourt’s website.
I didn’t really know Joe, and I doubt he’d have remembered me. I met him at the 1997 Worldcon in San Antonio. Five minutes after we met, we were seated in one of the hotel hallways, and he was playing my banjo and giving me an impromptu lesson in how to play clawhammer-style banjo, as well as expounding on its advantages over 3-finger bluegrass picking. During his concert set, I saw several professional musicians amazed at watching him sing in 3/4 time while playing guitar in 4/4 time (or vice-versa, I don’t exactly remember).
Several of his CDs are available. I have a few of them as cassette tapes. I like his performances, and I like the songs he wrote. Like Mel Tillis, he had a stutter when speaking that disappeared when he sang.
I didn’t find the specific information I was looking for on his site. I did find out that he died just over a year ago. I’m sorry to know that, and sorry that I didn’t know it sooner than this. I hope his family members are doing well, and if there’s an afterlife, I hope he’s enjoying his.