Country Connections By James and Ellen Perry

Earl Bull was cutting and baling 100 acres of hay, but still found time to talk to me. We were going back to our days spent on the farm as boys to help the family make it.
“Make it” meant to have food, wood cut for the winter, hay for the livestock and hopefully a cash tobacco crop to pay the farm taxes and put brogan shoes on our feet for winter, a couple of pair of jeans and flannel shirts for school.
That’s the life we lived on the farm during that time. We still had time to go to pie suppers to raise money for good causes, go to church monthly when the circuit preacher came to eat chicken, and when nearly grown, walk three miles to court a girl.
Earl was born September 16, 1948, to Silas and Murlie Burke Bull. He was one of eight children born in the Bull Family. Earl, his brothers and sisters started working on the farm at an early age as did most children then.
Earl attended Buckner School in the lower end of Union County, Tennessee for four years. Buckner School was a one room schoolhouse. Union County was closing the little community one and two room schools and consolidating into four larger regional schools that went from first grade through eighth grade. Earl attended Big Ridge School for two years. Sixth grade in elementary school was all he got. Wanda Cox Byerley, one of Earl’s teachers, said Earl was a good student. She also commented on what good farmers his family was and they had one of the best farms in the area.
At the age of 14, Earl got his first guitar that his mother bought for him from a pawn shop for $175. It was a J50 Gibson. This guitar started Earl on his musical career.
At the age of 16, Earl started working at the Union County Farmer’s Co-Op in Maynardville, Tennessee. Earl’s starting pay was $1.00 per hour. Earl worked part time until age 18 when he went full time. Earl was deferred by the draft board as he was the only male child at home.
At age 19 Earl bought his first banjo, an AB 100 Gibson for $300. Earl had saved up $250 and borrowed $50 from his father to pay for the banjo. Earl practiced day and night to learn to play the banjo. Then he started playing with Bitt Rouse and the Union County Ramblers.
Not too much later, Earl joined Voyd Rogers for some time. In 1968 Earl played on the Tennessee Barn Dance.
Earl’s next move was with Doyle Suffrage and Lonesome Grass for four years. Doyle died of a heart attack at 50 years of age.
Earl then went with Daris and Betty Johnson and Dusty Valley. They played festivals and had a bluegrass show on a LaFollette, Tennessee, radio station.
A big change came in Earl’s life on September 16, 1981. Earl took over as manager of the Union County Farmer’s Co-op in Maynardville, Tennessee. The co-op was $585,000 in debt. Earl borrowed enough money on his name to float the co-op, and started traveling to farmers in Union County collecting debts and paying for supplies. He paid off the loan made to him by Cecil Butcher and restocked needed inventory. When he retired from the co-op in 2014 there was $1,600,000 in funds at the co-op. Not bad for a man with a sixth-grade education.
In 1985, Daris and Betty Johnson turned their farm into Dusty Valley Bluegrass Festival. With Dusty Valley, Earl played festivals at Willacoochee, Florida, Bill Grant Festivals at Hugo, Oklahoma, and Blueridge, Georgia.
Earl also played banjo with former Bill Monroe player Ernest Graves for four years.
Starting in 1990, Earl played as Earl Bull and Dusty Valley and brought on board Tony Bull, Earl’s nephew. Earl said he is one of the best bass players anywhere.
In 1995, Earl joined Short Mountain Grass as a banjo player and played East Tennessee and Santee, North Carolina.
The year 2000 saw Earl go with Boyd Brothers Bluegrass Gospel Group. Earl was with Boyd Brothers for three years performing in the entire Eastern United States.
In 2003 Earl went with Clinch Valley Bluegrass performing mainly locally and sometimes East Tennessee.
Today Earl plays banjo and sings with Dark Ridge that includes Earl Bull, Larry Cadle, Travis Sutton, and Jimmy Barnes. Dark Ridge travels and performs in the Eastern United States. To book this great group call Larry Cadle at 865-585-6141. Earl Bull gave me a radio use CD called “Bringing Mary Home.” It is one of the best bluegrass CDs I have promo’d for my radio show in years. By the way, to listen to my bluegrass show called Grass-N-More. Tune your radio to 1250 AM Saturdays at noon.
Earl and his wife Aurora, an accomplished artist, live on the family farm. He looked after his father and mother until their passing. He has had a successful life in both business and music and has helped numerous people over the years on the agricultural scene and the music field.
Earl has made many friends over the years and he is always ready for a good laugh. Earl and I finished our cup of coffee provided by Aurora. He has hay to cut and bale and I have to get home and write this story about Earl Bull.