In Memory of Rod McNeil

Today is the 13th anniversary of the passing of Rod McNeil. For those who did not know him, Rod was the promoter of bluegrass at the Elizabeth Pa, Moose Lodge. For almost 20 years Rod booked 40 shows a year, usually two bands a night. In the beginning it was local bands, progressing to regional and national bands over the years. There were very few bands that were active from the late '70s to 1996, that didn't have an opportunity to play the Moose.

Rod was known to all for his generosity as well as his love of Bluegrass Music and above all love of the musicians.

I recently began to realize that there are now young musicians and fans who did not know Rod.
I will attempt to keep his memory and spirit alive on this blog. Almost everyone has a favorite "Rod" story, I have some of my own, and will post them from time to time. If you would like to contribute a story, please submit it to my email, tties91@hotmail.com

A perfect place to start is with Tim O'Brien, and the lyrics to his song "Rod McNeil."


I make a living from a circuit I made
Out of trial and error and gigs that I've played
It might be the money or the town that it's in
But mostly it's people make you come back again

There was one little place that I played every year
It's outside of Pittsburgh, I know it's still there
Just a little old Moose lodge, the crowd was okay
But you'd never get rich from the money they'd pay

It's mostly been silent since Rod was around
But that place used to fill with a bluegrassy sound
And I'll never forget the way he made me feel
A big man with a big heart, named Rod McNeil

You might arrive tired and dark in a gloom
Then he'd buy a big dinner and pay for your room
Pete Rowan would hug him and call him his dad
Maybe that day the lonely road wasn't so bad

I saw this and said that I'd buy it for Tim,
Didn't I Marty, he'd say with a grin
Now I keep that toy fiddle on my window sill
To remind me of Rod and those grey Pittsburgh hills

It's mostly been silent since Rod was around
But that place used to fill with a bluegrassy sound
And I'll never forget the way he made me feel
A big man with a big heart, named Rod McNeil