About this project

 Folks this is how Kickstarter works...You make your pledge and it is not put on your card until we make our goal of 15,000 by NOVEMBER 15..if we do not make our goal you will not be charged...

This documentary is unique on many levels. John Hartford was one of the most [fascinating and unconventional] characters to roam this earth and was considered by many to be a modern day Mark Twain. John was in the music industry since he was a teenager. His journey took him from playing in dance halls and deejaying at radio stations in his native Missouri to Nashville as a songwriter, then on to writing for the Smothers Brothers and Glen Campbell in California, and back to Nashville to be close to the river again and to continue his progress as one of the most charismatic musicians and talented writer/performers in the music business.
   Gentle on my Mind, one of the most-covered songs in recorded music, empowered him financially to be stylistically independent and true to himself in ways that big record labels would never have permitted. He was a poet, humorist and lyricist. His songs had a depth and wit that spoke to audiences on a very personal level, and which generated a loyal following wherever he performed.This documentary is being filmed, produced and edited entirely by two women, Sheila Nichols and Marcy Cochran. Both fiddlers and fans of John Hartford's music, we obtained permission from John's family and began our journey nearly seven years ago. We formed a registered non-profit corporation, the AereoTwang Musical Preservation Project, in order to complete the film. All contributions to this project are therefore tax deductible (minus the face value of any of the rewards we offer donors on Kickstarter). We have produced the film as a labor of love and without a corporate budget until last year when the Foundation for Bluegrass Music provided us with a grant of $3000.

  The purpose of this film is to encompass John's life for his family and his fans, and to open a door into John's World for those who did not know him. We are flavoring this film with the spirit of John's whimsical sense of humor, and emphasizing John's influence on the evolution of grass roots music. We have interviewed Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, Tommy Smothers, Glen Campbell, all the former members of the Hartford String Band, Ronnie McCoury of the Del McCoury band, and Doug Dillard of the Andy Griffith show, David Holt, Cowboy Jack Clement, Pete Wernick and Mike Seeger just to name a few of the dozens of folks who have shared their stories about John.
   We have reached the point where we need funding for final editing, mastering, licensing, and manufacturing.  Upon completion it will be available from our website and other online vendors, at music and film festivals, and at locations such as the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Ernest Tubb's Record Shop, the Appalachian Musuem in Norris, TN, and the International Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro, KY.  We are pre-arranging for screenings at many of these locations and more, including the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville.
   The way kickstarter works is that your individual pledge is held until we reach our fundraising goal of $15,000. So whatever your donation, large or small, it will make a big difference to us and it will be essential to the success of the project.
   For more information about this film or about Aereotwang, go to www.twangcentral.org.  We invite you to help celebrate the memory of a one-of-a-kind entertainer who redefined each genre of music he touched as he traveled through all the "long, hot summer days" of his life. From a colorful character who wore derby hats, vests and dancing shoes to an incomparable recording artist, an unrivaled solo performer, songwriter, river boat pilot, humorist, and historian of music and all things river, came a humble man who embraced all that he did in life and all of those that he met. We miss you, John. Thank you for your interest and support..."Oh Yeah."