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 (Click here for Newsletter 307 in PDF format) |
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We are saddened to note the passing of North
Carolina musician CULLEN GALYEAN, who died on July
13. Galyean in his prime was one of the best
Scruggs-style banjo pickers of his time (the 1960s
and 70s). He was a member of the FOOT HILL BOYS
and various other groups in the Galax, Va. and
Mount Airy , N.C. area, and for a short time
played mandolin for Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mt.
Boys. Galyean’s son, Mickey, is carrying on the
family name in Bluegrass, with a band called
RICH-IN-TRADITION.
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WATSON_BOOK 'Blind But Now I See: Biography of Music Legend Doc Watson' by Kent Gustavson (Blooming Twig Books, 2010) 336 pages, softbound. (The Biography of Doc Watson). This is a fascinating, detailed account of the life and career of one of the giants of American music, Doc Watson. Though any and all fans of acoustic music and the guitar are already familiar with the basics of Doc’s life and music, author Gustavson provides a barrage of details that most of us would not be aware of or may have forgotten (for example the fact that Doc almost died of a ruptured appendix in a Nashville hospital as he was about to join Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs for their wonderful “Strictly Instrumental” LP). (Another neat passage describes how Earl Scruggs came and knocked on Watson’s door—the first meeting of these two amazing pickers—they became good friends and Earl once actually let Doc pilot his plane for a spell!) The author does this partly through scores of interviews with a wide range of musicians, friends and family, opening up stories within a story. Some of the intriguing 20 chapters are devoted to his unfavorable experience in Blind School, his courting of his wife Rosa Lee, his “discovery” by Ralph Rinzler and Gene Earle, his early shows with the Clarence Ashley group, and the beginnings of a recording career with Vanguard Records. The author spends a considerable amount of space dealing with Doc’s devotion to his son and playing partner Merle, including various possible scenarios of Merle’s tragic death in a middle of the night tractor accident. In a revealing mid-80s conversation with Ralph Rinzler, Doc stressed how much he hated the “road”, indicating that had he known what it would be like, he would never have left his simple, down to earth life in his native North Carolina. While we can understand his distaste for endless hours of sitting in airports and motel rooms, it would have been a real loss to all who have come to know and love him as a great musician and the warm, truly humble person he is. Well Recommended! (more...) $15.00 Buy Now
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MH-1292-CD CROWE, LAWSON & WILLIAMS 'Old Friends Get Together' Three of the finest artists to ever play Bluegrass music take part in this wonderful tribute to the late Jimmy Martin. J.D. Crowe, Paul Williams and Doyle Lawson were all members of some of Jimmy Martin’s best bands, and with him they had a great appreciation for gospel songs. The dozen numbers that they play here were all key pieces of Martin’s repertoire, and it’s great to hear them once again as played and sung by a group of Bluegrass superstars. Ronnie Stewart plays fiddle, Ben Isaacs plays bass, and Cia Cherryholmes and Sonya Isaacs supply high harmony vocals on some of the cuts, which include PRAY THE CLOUDS AWAY, VOICE OF MY SAVIOUR, GOODBYE, WHO’LL SING FOR ME, and the classic STORMY WATERS. Great music!
(more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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PCB-2010-CD PAUL'S CREEK 'Paul's Creek' A nicely done & very enjoyable record by this Asheville NC area band that combines elements of both old-time and Bluegrass music. The album starts off with a bang, with fine versions of ANGELINA BAKER and FRANKIE & JOHNNY, the latter sung by Carol Rifkin who provides the vocals on 9 of the 13 tracks, including 4 of her own. Other members of the group include Jamie Soesbee, Troy Harrison and Tim Gardner (noted Asheville fiddler Arvil Freeman is heard on a fine STATEN ISLAND HORNPIPE and the closing TURN YOUR RADIO ON, recorded live at the Mountain Dance Festival). Other top cuts are PAUL & SILAS, FOGGY MOUNTAIN TOP, HESITATION BLUES, CAROLINA CABIN MEMORIES and ROSE OF MY HEART. Good job. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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MVM-2010-CD DWIGHT LAMB 'Old-Time Fiddle Classics IN The Missour Valley Style' This 34-track album is a CD re-issue of two LPs that came out in 1967 and 1972, featuring Lamb’s fiddling backed up by the guitar playing of Elvin Campbell. It’s solid and enjoyable music, with a wide array of both well known and obscure tunes (some of the more colorful titles are actually tunes that most fiddlers know under other names). Most of the pieces of the l & ½ to 2-minute variety, with 4 or 5 waltzes clocking about 3 minutes each. Some of the tunes are LAZY KATE, GRAY EAGLE, PACIFIC SLOPE, DUSTY MILLER, OLD PARNELL, PURCELL’S REEL, GRANNY WILL YOUR DOG BITE, COWBOY WALTZ, etc. $ 13.50 (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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ROU-0646-CD SUMMERTOWN ROAD 'Summertown Road' After seeing this new band in action (at the 2008 IBMA Convention) I was really looking forward to their debut recording: featuring 4 men with top traditional Bluegrass credentials (Jack Hicks, John Rigsby, Bo Isaac and Randy Thomas), the group projected a dynamic and hard-edged older approach to the music, which unfortunately is not really conveyed to the listener on this disc. The material is OK and nobody’s doing anything wrong, but the album lacks the excitement that they generated in person. We can only attribute this to the recording quality, which lacks the “presence” of a rich, authoritative sound that is found on the records of most of today’s top bands (and many newer groups as well). Jack Hicks (former banjo picker for Bill Monroe, John Rigsby (who played with Ralph Stanley and Melvin Goins), and Bo Isaac (who picked & sang with Dave Evans) make up a strong, intriguing Bluegrass band, and hopefully future recordings will do them more justice. ROSALEE, TWO MEDALS, FIDDLIN’ JOHN, WINDS OF CHANGE, YOU’RE NOT EASY TO FORGET, etc. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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CO-2743-CD U. S. SENATOR ROBERT BYRD 'Mountain Fiddler' Well known as the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate, the late Robert C. Byrd had another fascinating side: a love of fiddling that he acquired at an early age growing up in the mountains of West Virginia. Originally influenced by Clark Kessinger and other great musicians in his home state, he had a lifelong passion for old-time rural string music, and usually kept a fiddle in his office for moments of relaxation amidst a very heavy legislative workload which included an 11-year stint as U.S. Senate Majority leader in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s.
In 1977, after recording some fiddle tunes for the Library of Congress, the Senator was persuaded to make a commercial recording of some of his music. Producer Barry Poss (later to become founder and president of Sugar Hill Records) brought in three members of the popular Bluegrass band The Country Gentlemen to provide backing for Byrd—Doyle Lawson on guitar, James Bailey on banjo, and Spider Gilliam on bass fiddle. The record—which originally appeared as a long-play album—came out as County-769 and was well received.
The senator and his record received a considerable amount of immediate publicity, leading to interviews with famed newscasters Bob Schieffer and Roger Mudd, as well
as gaining nationwide exposure as an honored guest of Roy Acuff on the Grand Ole Opry among other noteworthy appearances. This current CD release includes all 14 of the songs and tunes that appeared on the original “Mountain Fiddler” LP, plus the addition of notes by producer Barry Poss and Alan Jabbour, the director of the American Folklife Center, who was instrumental in getting Senator Byrd recorded.
Senator Byrd was a competent and respected fiddler who knew a surprisingly wide array of fiddle tunes, country songs and Bluegrass pieces, and the passion he had for the music is very evident in this recording, which is a fascinating and welcome release. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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SCOTT-2010-CD BARRY SCOTT & SECOND WIND 'Sunday Mornin' Meetin' Time' The influence of Doyle Lawson is being heard more and more in Bluegrass gospel music today, and this new recording—intended to fill in a gap between Scott’s wonderful first album for Rebel Records and his future secular disc—is another gem that can take its place among the very best records of the day. It is primarily a collection of a
cappella songs, with 7 of the 10 songs in that mode and beautifully done. In addition there is an instrumental version of I’LL FLY AWAY, a full band closing cut of HOW GREAT THOU ART, and Scott plays piano and sings JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE. Scott, who spent several years in Lawson’s band, handles most of the lead vocals, joined by Matthew Munsey, Jason Leek, Travis Houck and Daniel Salyer. Great cuts of WAY DOWN DEEP IN MY SOUL, PLACE PREPARED FOR ME, I AM THE MAN, RAINBOW OF LOVE, etc. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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STECHER-2010-CD JODY STECHER & KATE BRISLIN 'Return' This husband and wife duo can always be counted on for some lovely singing and arrangements, and for turning up obscure but fine songs. They have had several albums on the Rounder label, but this is their first in several years and it will be highly enjoyable to their circle of fans. Jody uses guitar, banjo and mandolin variously, joined by Kate’s guitar to accompany their fine vocals as they present a good program of 14 songs that include old time numbers like BOAT’S UP THE RIVER, EVERY BUSH & TREE, BACKSTEP CINDY, KEEP YOUR LAMP TRIMMED & BURNING, and WANDERING BOY and MY OLD COTTAGE HOME from the Carter Family repertoire. Hazel Dickens’ OLD CALLOUSED HANDS and Utah Phillips’ OLD BUDDY GOODNIGHT are a couple of more recent songs that also work well for their duets. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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MO5AR-CD ALBEMARLE RAMBLERS 'Gentlemen From Virginia' We will go along with this group’s description of their playing: “straight-ahead old-time southern string band music—the way we like it”. Two of the three pickers are from central Virginia (Dick Harrington, a former member of Afton Mt. String Band and Troublesome Creek), and Pete Vigour (a 25-year member of “Uncle Henry’s Favorites). They are joined by Canadian Arnie Naiman, who has been involved with several excellent old-time records with Chris Coole. They are solid, yet relaxed, and have a nice selection pof 14 songs & tunes including LADY OF THE LAKE, OTTO WOOD THE BANDIT, GLENDY BURKE, LONSOME HOMESICK BLUES, YEW PINEY MOUNTAIN, ON THE DIXIE BEE LINE, RUBEN’S TRAIN, etc. Good old time music (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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RHY-1065-CD LONESOME RIVER BAND 'Still Learning' We will go along with this group’s description of their playing: “straight-ahead old-time southern string band music—the way we like it”. Two of the three pickers are from central Virginia (Dick Harrington, a former member of Afton Mt. String Band and Troublesome Creek), and Pete Vigour (a 25-year member of “Uncle Henry’s Favorites”). They are joined by Canadian Arnie Naiman, who has been involved with several excellent old-time records with Chris Coole. They are solid, yet relaxed, and have a nice selection of 14 songs & tunes including LADY OF THE LAKE, OTTO WOOD THE BANDIT, GLENDY BURKE, LONSOME HOMESICK
BLUES, YEW PINEY MOUNTAIN, THE DIXIE BEE LINE, RUBEN’S TRAIN, etc. Good old time music (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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TL-25482-CD VARIOUS 'Gloryland 2: Bluegrass Gospel Classics' Due to the success of two huge selling previous Bluegrass gospel anthologies (GLORYLAND 1 and HEAVEN BOUND), Time-Life has followed up with another stellar 18-song collection that should please any lover of good gospel music. Like the original GLORYLAND disc, this collection is taken completely from the catalog of Rebel Records and includes songs from such artists and groups as Ralph Stanley, J.D. Crowe, Paul Williams, Rhonda Vincent, Country Gentlemen, Forbes Family, The Seldom Scene, The Lilly Brothers and Larry Sparks. There are superb renditions of such gospel classics as LITTLE WHITE CHURCH, COME UNTO ME, THE GOSPEL TRAIN, WORKING ON A BUILDING, CAMPING IN CANAAN’S LAND, AMAZING GRACE, SATAN’S JEWELED CROWN, UNCLOUDY DAY and I PRESSED THROUGH THE CROWD. Unless you already have all or most of these songs, this is well worth having and comes highly RECOMMENDED! (more...) $15.00 Buy Now
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MARTIN-2010-CD JACK MARTIN 'Hound Dog Blues' Though not many may be familiar with his name, Martin played the dobro in Lester Flatt’s Nashville Grass for a time. He is a competent musician and has a nice selection of songs & tunes here, including KENTUCKY, MAPLE SYRUP RAG, LONESOME MOONLIGHT WALTZ, SWEET BUNCH OF DAISIES, HANG YOUR HEAD IN SHAME, IN THE GARDEN and the title tune. Roland White is among those providing a solid backing for Martin. (more...) $13.50 Buy Now
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MAINER BOOK "Banjo on the Mountain: Wade Mainer’s First 100 Years” by Dick Spottswood (Univ. of Mississippi Press, 2010, 134 pages, softbound). Noted musicologist, reviewer and radio host Dick Spottswood has done a nice job in putting together this tribute to an important rural musician from North Carolina who amazingly was still performing at the age of 100! From a musical family that included his brother J.E., Wade made dozens of recordings over the years for Bluebird, King, Old Homestead and others, from the mid 1930s to the present. His 2-finger style of banjo playing, his repertoire, and his band sound became a transitional link between the old-time music of the 1920s and the sounds of early Bluegrass in the late 1940s and early 50s. Spottswood covers his long career nicely, and the book is very well illustrated with a huge number of photos and mementos. There is also an essay on Wade’s banjo style written by Stephen Wade, and an extensive discography. The latter appears to be accurate as far as the Bluebird and King label recordings go, although the fine 2-CD King re-issue (GT-0957, “I’M NOT TURNING BACKWARD”, $ 15.00) is not noted. (Nor are the two recent 4-CD anthologies on the British JSP label). However there is a serious weakness in the presentation of the more than dozen records that appeared on John Morris’ Old Homestead label—a page or two of description and explanation here would have been most welcome, because it is hard to tell which albums were new material and which were re-issues, as well as what was the reason that some records appeared on the label’s 70000 series, others on the 90000 series. Why are song titles presented for OH-90168 but not for the other Old Homestead discs? And the book does seem a bit pricey at a list price of $ 30.00. Apart from these minor shortcomings this is an informative and welcome book that fans of Mainer’s Mountaineers will enjoy. (more...) $25.00 Buy Now
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