Tears Of Regret
Jim & Jesse McReynolds and Lucille Hutton
The late Jesse McReynolds (1929-2023) was well known for his unique style of mandolin playing and the beautiful vocals he brought to Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys. He was also a prolific songwriter – a fact that’s under-recognized by many bluegrass listeners. This from Chris Jones (Chris Jones & The Night Drivers), host of Sirius XM Bluegrass Junction’s “Truegrass,” a show that is a deep dive into the classic bluegrass sounds that are the foundation for everything we hear today in the genre. “Jesse was an innovative writer,” said Jones. “He experimented with chord changes outside the standard three and four-chord norm in country and bluegrass music in the 1950s and early ‘60s when he wrote songs like ‘Diesel Train,’ which used a flat three chord and an unusual meter. And, within a simpler chord structure, he wrote melodically interesting songs like ‘Just Wondering Why’ and ‘Drifting And Dreaming Of You.’ Then he could write songs that were just plain catchy and lyrically clever, like ‘Hard Hearted.’”
In addition to the songs Jones mentioned, so many other Jesse McReynolds originals stand out as favorites as well. To name a few, there’s “My Time Is Running Out,” about his old home place in southwest Virginia; “Jesus Is The Key to the Kingdom,” a message of scripture in song with a hooky melody; and one of the first songs Jim & Jesse performed on the Grand Ole Opry, “I’ll Love Nobody But You.”
In truth, we could dig into any one of many songs written or cowritten by McReynolds. However, after looking for one with a modern thread, I’ve landed on “Tears Of Regret,” that, while written and recorded many years ago, was recut recently by High Fidelity, an innovative group whose mission it is to pay fresh homage to classic-era bluegrass from the 1950s and ‘60s. The group credits bands like Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jesse, The Country Gentlemen, The Louvin Brothers, and others for inspiring them to “continue celebrating the past while pushing forward in our own creativity.”
Corrina Rose Logston, the band’s fiddler and primary harmony vocalist, called “Tears Of Regret” a “quintessential” bluegrass song with elements of freshness – making it a prime pick for the band’s repertoire.
The Song, The Songwriting
Written by Jim and Jesse McReynolds and Lucille Hutton, “Tears Of Regret” is a song relaying sorrow over lost love. Recorded in 1955 and released in 1969 on Jim & Jesse’s Best of the Early Years, the song’s catchy melody seems to have been crafted with strong harmony in mind. That power comes through in both Jim & Jesse’s early rendition and in High Fidelity’s release so many years later.
High Fidelity’s Jeremy Stephens (guitar, banjo, vocals) noted the fun of achieving strong harmonies with McReynolds himself. “We always loved singing trios with Jesse when we had the opportunity to work in his band,” said Stephens, noting that in the group’s recording of “Tears Of Regret,” he and Logston harmonized with McReynolds on the last chorus, adding a third part to the original duet arrangement.
The lyrics in “Tears Of Regret” are decidedly old-fashioned, more poetic than conversational. Where typically such a pronouncement isn’t a compliment, in this case it truly is, for its writing style is part of what makes this song so alluring and classic. That simplicity of diction, along with the melody, gives the song a tender charm that pulls listeners into its romance and heartbreak.
It’s fascinating to consider how well the melody fits the lyric, especially upon understanding that the lyrics came from outside the McReynolds family, from Hutton specifically, who also contributed lyrics to McReynolds songs “Too Many Tears” and “Two Arms to Hold Me.”
Logston and Stephens learned more about Hutton’s writing contributions from McReynolds himself. “Jesse told us that Jim and Jesse were in the Bristol area working early in their career, and Lucille Hutton would send in lyrics to the artists that were working on the radio station there,” said Logston. “She sent songs to a variety of artists. Not everyone she sent songs to acknowledged her as a songwriter, which was what she was, but Jim and Jesse always credited her as a local lady who wrote nice lyrics that they put to music. That, to me, was remarkable at a time when people were buying songs and saying, ‘I wrote this,’ but actually someone else had written the lyrics.”
High Fidelity’s Cut Featuring Jesse McReynolds
As to how High Fidelity came to record “Tears Of Regret” on its Banjo Players Blues album (2020, Rebel Records), Logston told Bluegrass Unlimited that the decision derived from some cherished opportunities she and Stephens had to talk with McReynolds while working with him in The Virginia Boys. “We would always think a lot about what we wanted to ask him about,” said Logston, noting that many a conversation centered on Jim & Jesse’s early recording sessions.
“Tears Of Regret” was among several songs from Jim & Jesse’s early sessions with Capitol Records that High Fidelity considered. “When we’re looking for material, we try to find stuff that nobody has thought about for a long time. There were so many songs we liked, but ‘Tears Of Regret’ was one we hadn’t heard of anyone else covering. Even Jim & Jesse only recorded it the one time,” explained Logston. “When an artist has been around that long, usually they will circle back in later years to draw from earlier material. Jim & Jesse did that quite a bit, but not with ‘Tears Of Regret.’ As a plus, for us, being a band with two women, it was cool to know there was a woman [Hutton] involved that early on, collaborating with Jim & Jesse.”
When the group decided to record and release “Tears Of Regret,” they asked McReynolds to be a part of his own song once again. Logston recalled being in the studio with her friend and bluegrass icon, “Of course, he remembered the song. There wasn’t much that he forgot about. In the studio, he even said, ‘The last time I recorded this, I had to stand on a Coke bottle crate to get level with Jim to sing in one microphone as we were recording.’”
High Fidelity’s recording honors the original version while adding that fresh High Fidelity flair. McReynolds comes in with a powerful “McReynolds style” mandolin break, then jumps right in singing on the third verse and chorus, much to Logston’s joy.
She noted, “Jesse made so many amazing technical advancements to mandolin playing. Jeremy and I have always felt his ‘straight picking’ never got the attention it deserved. We told him we’d love to hear him do some of that on this recording, and he did an incredible job. Jesse’s singing on the third verse and final chorus is so excellent, it’s hard to fathom that he is performing on this recording at 90 years old! Jesse McReynolds was nothing short of a treasure, and collaborating with him was indescribably special.”
Special is a perfect description of “Tears Of Regret.” Indeed, so much about great bluegrass is captured in this well written, nostalgic song and specifically, High Fidelity’s 2020 recording of it. Not only is it an example of what High Fidelity stands for in its music – making the old brand new again – but it’s also a lasting tribute to Jesse McReynolds, showcasing his songwriting, his singing, his innovative picking style, and his vast influence. Visit highfidelitybluegrass.com to see the powerful video performance.
