CHRISTMAS AT COUNTY SALES 2002
COUNTY-3527 VARIOUS ARTISTS "Hard Time In The Country" A wonderful collection of 18 songs taken from old 78 rpm records (put out from 1927 to 1938) that reflect some of the difficulties of life in the rural south in the years of the great depression. While all of the songs deal with real problems of life in hard times, they all incorporate various degrees of humor in their presentations, and all of the performances are musically sound - many of them real gems. Some of the songs included are FARM RELIEF, FARM LAND BLUES, MINER'S BLUES, GONNA RAISE SOME BACON AT HOME, COTTON MILL BLUES, WEAVE ROOM BLUES, FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN, RILEY THE FURNITURE MAN, BAY RUM BLUES, PENNY'S FARM, SALES TAX ON THE WOMEN, HOW CAN A POOR MAN STAND SUCH TIMES. Available on CD: $ 13.50	2002 IBMA AWARD WINNERS See the list of winners and their associated releases. Click here to see the list of winners.
DS-002 BYRON BERLINE "Flat Broke Fiddler" Berline - a superb fiddler who is equally at home with Bluegrass or old-time tunes - has a fine new CD here that features 15 tunes, eleven of them his own compositions. With first-rate help from Alan Munde, Jim Hickman, Jens Kruger and others, he presents a very enjoyable album that is highlighted by two pieces that feature Earl Scruggs on banjo - HELL AMONG THE YEARLINGS and EARL & ME. Drums on most of the tunes are an addition that many (if not most) fans could well have done without, but they are not as obnoxious as on many other recordings. HAPPY HORNPIPE, MAIDENS PRAYER, TRUE BLUE, CHEROKEE BELL, GRASSY BLUES WALTZ, ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL, VICTORIAN WALTZ, SAY OLD MAN, etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
HHH-1359 KEN ORRICK "Pictures & Stories" Orrick, the fine lead singer of the long established LOST HIGHWAY band, has a strong 12-song album here in which he pays tribute to some of his favorite song-writers. With excellent traditional Bluegrass accompaniment by a band that includes Eric Uglam on mandolin and Paul Shelasky on fiddle, he gives solid treatment to songs like HARVEST TIME, A FACE IN THE CROWD, OLD FLAMES, WEDDING BELLS, LONG BLACK VEIL, BLUE VIRGINIA BLUE, THE FARMERS DAUGHTER and NO LONGER A SWEETHEART OF MINE. Nice job. Available on CD: $ 13.50
BRAN-1005 BOB PAISLEY AND THE SOUTHERN GRASS "Heritage" Another album of solid, hard-edged traditional Bluegrass by this Pennsylvania band. Bob Paisley has been playing this music for half a century by now, and his current band consists completely of musicians whose fathers all played the same music - Don Eldreth Jr. plays mandolin, Bob Lundy and T. J. Lundy play banjo and fiddle respectively, and Paisley's sons Bob and Dan share the guitar and vocal work. Good songs, good picking and singing. SOLD DOWN THE RIVER, RYE STRAW, YOU ARE THE RAINBOW OF MY DREAMS, LOVESICK AND SORROW, DEEP RIVER, etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
QFP-011 EMORY LESTER "Cruisin' The Eight" Lester, best known for his mandolin work, also plays eight other instruments here on a moody journey into the far edges of acoustic music. Well-played and with some very nice moments, this disc could find a home with those who are seeking experimental or "new age" acoustic music. IMPRESSIONS, AUTUMN BLUE, STEEL DRIVER, KINGS QUEST, ect. Available on CD: $ 13.50
REB-7505 MARSHALL FAMILY "The Legendary Marshall Family" The Marshall Family hit the Bluegrass Music scene with force in 1974, at a Ralph Stanley festival, and in a few short years had left a legacy of beautiful gospel songs and performances that influenced many other Bluegrass artists. Here, in the first of two budget retrospective albums are 12 great songs, each a gem in its own way, including classics like CHILDREN GO WHERE I SEND THEE, I NEED JESUS, PRETTIEST FLOWERS, AMAZING GRACE, PROPHET ADMIRATION and Judy Marshall's powerful I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, LORD. An essential Bluegrass gospel collection and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.                                            Available on CD: $ 10.00 Cassette: $ 6.00
ROU-11615 VARIOUS ARTISTS "True Bluegrass" A solid 22-track sampler here featuring different artists who cut albums for the Rounder label over the years. Artists range from The Allen Brothers to Vern Williams Band and a sample of the cuts includes J. D. Crowe's CRYIN' HOLY, Allen Shelton's BANJO BOUNCE, Boone Creek's DARK AS THE NIGHT, Frank Wakefield's SLEEPY EYED JOHN, Tony Rice's MIDNIGHT ON THE STORMY DEEP and other tracks by Bob Paisley, Bluegrass Cardinals, Lilly Brothers and Joe Val, etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
VAN-206/07 THE GREENBRIAR BOYS "Best of the Vanguard Years" This 2-CD set contains most of what this New York City band recorded in its brief 6-year career. The group — started about 1960 by John Herald, Bob Yellin and Eric Weissberg— was probably the first city-based band to make something of a name for itself in Bluegrass music, with three albums on the rising Vanguard label and winning appearances at the famous Union Grove, N.C. Fiddler's Convention in 1960. Buddy Pendleton, Frank Wakefield, Ralph Rinzler and Jim Buchanan were other noted musicians who played and recorded with the band. There are 35 tracks here, including two from a Joan Baez album. STEWBALL, ROSIES GONE AGAIN, PAL OF MINE, MCKINLEY, RAGGED BUT RIGHT, AMELIA EARHARDT, LET ME FALL, etc. Available on 2-CD SET: $ 15.00
DS-4006 LONESOME RIVER BAND "Window Of Time" Apart from banjo picker par excellence Sammy Shelor, this band bears little resemblance to the group that carved a solid reputation over the last decade or so featuring such musicians as Dan Tyminski, Ronnie Bowman and Kenny Smith. The new band has a new label (Doobie Shea), a fiddler (the fine Mike Hartgrove-formerly of IIIRD TYME OUT) and three other new members in Irl Hees (bass), Brandon Rickman (guitar) and Jeff Parker (mando in). Parker and Rickman are both solid singers, and while it would not be fair to compare Rickman with either Ronnie Bowman or Dan Tyminski, he may well, in time, take a place among the more respected voices in Bluegrass music. With Shelor's hard-driving banjo continuing to anchor their solid sound, the band is at its best on the traditional duet and trio numbers, like the Delmore Brothers HONEY I'M RAMBLING AWAY and WEARY DAY, and the G. B. Grayson classic DON'T GO OUT TONIGHT. Most of the newer material - such as the top-notch TUNE OF A TWENTY DOLLAR BILL - also fares well in a solid album that will certainly maintain the reputation of this group as one of the leaders in the Bluegrass field. DOWN THE LINE, TOMAHAWK, MISSED IT BY A MILE GIVE THE DEVIL AN INCH, etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
BATTEN-2002 AL BATTEN AND THE BLUEGRASS REUNION BAND "Don't Be Left on the Mountain" Honest, straightforward and competently played traditional Bluegrass gospel music by this North Carolina 5-piece band. 14 songs include LET HIM LEAD YOU, GOING HOME, THE EASTERN GATE, LIGHT AT THE RIVER, HOME ON HIGH, etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
VAN-79706 EARL SCRUGGS "Bluegrass Live" When the organizers of the Newport Folk Festival invited only Earl Scruggs to the first of their memorable events in 1959 Scruggs' long time and equal partner Lester Flatt was insulted (understandably), and chose to pass up the event. It is curious that today, over 40 years later, the folk-oriented Vanguard label still chooses to ignore Flatt, despite the fact that he appears on more than half of the 18 songs and tunes on this excellent album, and was arguably the best lead singer and M.C. in Bluegrass at the time. Apart from that unfortunate (and ignorant) slight, this is a well presented and well annotated compilation of songs and tunes recorded at the Festival in the bands three appearances there (1959, 1960 and 1966). The 8 cuts from the 1959 event feature Hylo Brown in place of Flatt, and are an excellent combination of both the Flatt & Scruggs and Hylo Brown repertoires, with Hylo sounding as good as ever with this great band behind him. Flatt & Scruggs were very much in fine form on the remaining 11 tracks and it is a pleasure to have all of this material in one place now, instead of scattered around on various other compilations. An important release that documents one of the earliest introductions of real Bluegrass to an essentially urban audience. CUMBERLAND GAP, SALTY DOG BLUES, WILL YOU BE LONESOME TOO, FLINT HILL SPECIAL, PRISONER'S SONG, CABIN ON THE HILL, JOHN HENRY, LOVE & WEALTH etc. Available on CD: $ 13.50
CAP-42065 JIM & JESSE "The Capitol Years" It's hard to believe these early recordings of Jim & Jesse are 50 years old now: recorded in 1952 and 1953 in Nashville, they are some of the earliest _ and best _ of this group's extensive recorded work. The songs are good ones that have remained favorites of the McReynolds brothers and their fans over the years. They feature stunning vocal duets and Jesse's amazing mandolin playing. His intricate cross-picking breaks on songs like IS IT TRUE, ARE YOU MISSING ME, TOO MANY TEARS and A MEMORY OF YOU are to be marveled at: musically satisfying and exciting, they represent a degree of difficulty that almost no other mandolin picker can duplicate exactly to this day, but here Jesse makes them sound matter of fact. Other wonderful cuts include AIR MAIL SPECIAL, MY LITTLE HONEYSUCKLE ROSE, JUST WONDERING WHY and WAITING FOR A MESSAGE. The disc includes 16 of the 20 numbers that the brothers cut for Capitol. Wonderful music and highly recommended. Available on CD: $ 15.00
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