John Newton - Turkey Mountain Window Smashers
Photographs, band logo and other ephemera related to John Newton's band
The first photograph shows the big family version of the Turkey Mountain Window Smashers, about 1989. Members are, L to R, John Newton on bass, Jill Newton on fiddle, Michael Donahue (Sally's husband) on fiddle, Jim Newton on guitar, Sally Newton on banjo-uke (with Sam Donahue in backpack), Amos Newton on guitar, and Ben Newton.
The second photograph was taken around 2000 with Michael Donahue on fiddle, John Newton on bass, and Sally Newton on guitar.
In a letter (2008) to SDHP founder David Millstone, John Newton wrote:
My introduction to square and contra dancing was in the late 30s at thr S. Windham Grange hall. I am sending you a good account of those dances given me by a friend. It mentioned some of the squares. I remember contras Hull’s Victory, Money Musk, Pop Goes the Weasel, Morning Star and Lady Walpole’s Reel.
In the 40s, including my high school years, we danced to local callers Martin “Bombay” Allen and Prentiss Barker. We also crashed dances at the Putney School which had pretty girls and a dance tradition founded by Ralph Page. Prentiss Barker was my mentor and I adopted much of his calling style when I started calling. I never expected to be a caller but chaperoning high school dances (as a teacher), I watched kids discouraged and turned off by bad calling and no instruction. So I began summer dances in my barn, calling to records. Word got around and I soon had a sizable group of young people doing squares and contras. I began to get calls for parties and events, and began to network with local musicians.
I forgot to insert that after WW2 when you could buy gas we traveled more and danced to Ted Glaybach, Duke Miller and Dudley Laufman. Dudley called the first contra dances I had seen since the S. Windham days and it got me back into calling and dancing them. I still have a busy summer schedule playing and calling, and I an happy to see so many new dance musicians on the scene.
I was mostly raised on square figures (singing calls etc.) and they made up my calling program but one Saturday night at the Walpole Town Hall Dudley [Laufman] re-introduced me to contra dancing and I was hooked. Since then my calling program includes a mix, varying from mostly squares, to mostly contras depending on the abilities and preferences of the dancers.
Your film [The Other Way Back: Dancing with Dudley] especially caught the special magic that happens when the fiddles “get down on” a tune and the dancers are all hitting the balance at once, and a great feeling of community and even power is felt by everyone and there is a smile on every face. Maybe something impossible to describe, only to be an active part of.
Subjects: Person
Tags: John Newton, Turkey Mountain Window Smashers, Vermont
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This Item | is related to | Item: John Newton - Vermont - 5 squares |
Item: Friday Night Supper Dances - Windham, VT | is related to | This Item |
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The first photograph shows the big family version of the Turkey Mountain Window Smashers, about 1989. Members are, L to R, John Newton on bass, Jill Newton on fiddle, Michael Donahue (Sally's husband) on fiddle, Jim Newton on guitar, Sally Newton on banjo-uke (with Sam Donahue in backpack), Amos Newton on guitar, and Ben Newton.
The second photograph was taken around 2000 with Michael Donahue on fiddle, John Newton on bass, and Sally Newton on guitar.
In a letter (2008) to SDHP founder David Millstone, John Newton wrote:
My introduction to square and contra dancing was in the late 30s at thr S. Windham Grange hall. I am sending you a good account of those dances given me by a friend. It mentioned some of the squares. I remember contras Hull’s Victory, Money Musk, Pop Goes the Weasel, Morning Star and Lady Walpole’s Reel.
In the 40s, including my high school years, we danced to local callers Martin “Bombay” Allen and Prentiss Barker. We also crashed dances at the Putney School which had pretty girls and a dance tradition founded by Ralph Page. Prentiss Barker was my mentor and I adopted much of his calling style when I started calling. I never expected to be a caller but chaperoning high school dances (as a teacher), I watched kids discouraged and turned off by bad calling and no instruction. So I began summer dances in my barn, calling to records. Word got around and I soon had a sizable group of young people doing squares and contras. I began to get calls for parties and events, and began to network with local musicians.
I forgot to insert that after WW2 when you could buy gas we traveled more and danced to Ted Glaybach, Duke Miller and Dudley Laufman. Dudley called the first contra dances I had seen since the S. Windham days and it got me back into calling and dancing them. I still have a busy summer schedule playing and calling, and I an happy to see so many new dance musicians on the scene.
I was mostly raised on square figures (singing calls etc.) and they made up my calling program but one Saturday night at the Walpole Town Hall Dudley [Laufman] re-introduced me to contra dancing and I was hooked. Since then my calling program includes a mix, varying from mostly squares, to mostly contras depending on the abilities and preferences of the dancers.
Your film [The Other Way Back: Dancing with Dudley] especially caught the special magic that happens when the fiddles “get down on” a tune and the dancers are all hitting the balance at once, and a great feeling of community and even power is felt by everyone and there is a smile on every face. Maybe something impossible to describe, only to be an active part of.