This post is a contribution from Dave Roye.

What at time to have web server issues! (Argh!) I finally got 106 more photos I took the from Friday Night Jam Sessions at SPBGMA on the website … Is anybody having a good time? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT!!! Is the weather nice? WHO CARES?

The atmosphere at SPBGMA is laid back, full of BLUEGRASS MUSIC, and Nashville is a lot happier place for the reason that some of the nicest folks on the planet are here from all over!

One of the highlights for me Friday night was stumbling on to legendary Roni Stoneman in one of the hottest jams I have ever seen her play in! Brother, she can still and hang with the best of them!

There’s something for everybody here … some just stay at the showcase stage and see one great show after another, some are in the lobbies, hallways, or any place they can find to gather and jam, and some are just kickin’ back and enjoying the great time!

Jeremy Bauer just wrote in to report a sad incident:

I was in Portland, OR on 01-28-2006 when my Epiphone MB-250 banjo was stolen out of my car (along with a lot of other stuff including my Michael Burke pennywhistles (D & E) ). The banjo has a custom Celtic-themed head on it, setting it apart from the look of other banjos [see photo below ~ed]. The banjo was in a black Gold Tone case plastered with stickers. However, if the stickers have been peeled, the case still says “Gold Tone” on the outside and is very faded ’cause I tried to remove it. In the case is a Intellitouch tuner and a Levy’s brown leather strap. The banjo has a Shubb 5th String Capo and Fishman Rare Earth pickup mounted on it. The SN is: X96015538. Anyway, I’d appreciate any help or extra eyes out there. Thank you, thank you! Keep up the great work!

If anyone has any information about this instrument please contact Jeremy immediately.
website: amadanusa.com
email: bauerje@lifetime.oregonstate.edu

John Jorgenson is an internationally recognized master of gypsy jazz guitar, and a first rate bluegrass guitarist and mandolinist to boot. He has been been a member of Earl Scruggs’ stage band on many occasions.

I feel very honored to have gotten the chance to get to know Louise. She was an amazing manager for Earl and whoever he was playing with. She was always unassuming, but had a very keen business sense and was very astute with her assessment of the importance of image and positioning for her artists. I also felt like I became a member of her extended family, and she treated me with lots of kindness, humor and respect.

I have nothing but respect for Louise as a pioneer in a male-dominated business, as a wife and mother, and as a person with high moral values. She will be missed a lot, and I hope that her contributions to the music business on the whole will one day be realized.

Best, John Jorgenson

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be featured on the February 11 edition of the popular radio program, A Prairie Home Companion. This show will be carried live on the many NPR affiliate stations all over the US, broadcast from the University of Minnesota in Morris, MN.

Terry Baucom, banjo player with Quicksilver, shared with us how much he enjoys working the Prairie Home Companion show.

“I really enjoy doing the Prairie Home Companion show with Garrison Keillor. He and his staff are always very professional…and his house band is phenomenal. It’s so much fun to stand off-stage and just watch them. The variety of musical styles they do is just unreal. And Garrison is so highly intelligent, it’s like he came from another planet! I had always thought, from just listening to his show, that he was reading off a script…but he ad libs everything! He has told us what a big fan of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver he is…and we are certainly fans of his.”

Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon.

Shows are archived on the PHC web site, and can be accessed online. The audio is usually available on the web by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

The Gibson Brothers will be featured guests on Goin’ Across The Mountain on North Carolina’s radio powerhouse, WNCW 88.7 FM, on Saturday, February 4. The show runs from noon to 6:00 p.m. (EST) and be heard over the air in much of south western NC, or online via live audio streaming.

The Gibsons’ new CD, Red Letter Day, has just recently been released on Sugar Hill Records.

This post is a contribution from Dave Roye.

Thursday evening was a pretty good turnout considering one of the biggest fundraiser’s (Josh Graves) was going on as well as rain! I arrived at 7pm just in time for Heather Berry & Dominion Grass played on the Gospel showcase, but talked with John Hutchinson (Promoter from Amelia)who sat through the entire program. His comment was “There was not a bad performance by all of the groups that played the Gospel Showcase.” Probably the biggest hightlight of the evening was Heather & Dominion Grass debuting songs written by Dixie Hall off her up and coming album on Dixie and Tom T’s Blue Circle Records Label with Tom, Dixie, and the whole Blue Circle folks in the audience.

Was some good jams in the lobby hotel … special treat was Tim Graves jamming with Heather and Dominion Grass … some really hot stuff there!

This post is a contribution from Cindy Baucom. Cindy hosts the syndicated radio show Knee Deep In Bluegrass. She is also the IBMA 2005 Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year.

Like so many others, I was very saddened by the passing of Louise Scruggs. Over the years, I have grown to truly appreciate the contributions she made to the advancement of the music. In November of last year, I had the opportunity to interview her husband, Earl Scruggs. He was quick to point out what Louise’s hard work and foresight had meant–not only to his career, but to Bluegrass overall. He told me when he and Lester Flatt left Bill Monroe, it was very important to Louise to get their music in high profile venues. He told me she worked really hard to get them in places where Bluegrass hadn’t been presented before. And the image of the music and musician was very important to her, as well. Louise Scruggs was an industry leader and will be greatly missed in the music world.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Cindy sent along a brief audio clip from the Earl Scruggs interview she referenced above. It’s less than a minute in length, and you can play it by clicking on the audio player below.

The Nashville Tennessean obituary for Louise Scruggs is available online for anyone who would like to read it.

It relates the very basic details of her life, as you would expect in an immediate newspaper obituary, along with brief tributes from Dwight Yoakam, Ricky Skaggs and Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). There is also a lovely quote from Mrs. Scruggs from an earlier interview where she describes seeing Earl perform for the first time at The Grand Ole Opry in 1946, and being more struck by the man himself than his banjo playing. They met that night, and were married two years later.

We’ll pass along other resources of this sort as we find them.

The University Of Tennessee at Knoxville’s McClung Museum is currently hosting a Special Exhibit on the history of the banjo. Entitled The Banjo: From Africa to America and Beyond, the exhibit is a mix of art, photos, instruments and live performances and will be housed at the McClung Museum through April of 2006.

Exhibition Curator Matt Morelock tells us that they have 55 instruments on display, plus many photos, some banjo toys and even some 19th century advertisements featuring the banjo. The banjos in the exhibit range from African lutes to Appalachian banjos, including some early gourd banjos, minstrel era instruments and some turn of the century banjos as well.

Morelock’s background is in cultural anthropology, and he spent a year assembling the various artifacts for the exhibit after he was tasked with its creation. He was especially thankful for the help he received from the banjo community, with pieces on loan from The Museum of Appalachia, David Ball, James Bollman, Ulf J???gfors, Jeffrey Menzies, Pete Ross and Peter Szego.

“My focus from the beginning was to present the lesser-known chapters of banjo history. The historical span of the exhibition is from the late 1600’s, when the first black banjoists were described in the Caribbean, up to the late 1920s…just before the bluegrass explosion. This is a PRE-bluegrass history of the banjo, and was created to inform fellow bluegrass fans that the banjo as we know it today is a product of centuries of development by both African-American and Anglo-American musicians and instrument builders.” (more…)

A friend of mine has just recently finished production on a documentary film titled Men of the Rail. It’s about the North Carolina Branch railroad that runs through our town (Pulaski, VA) and beyond. He filmed some great footage on the New River Trail and interviews with retired engineers from the North Carolina Branch. The reason I bring this to your attention is that the film has just been released on DVD. It’s about 45 minutes long and features a soundtrack written and performed by Brad Davis. The soundtrack features some tracks from Brad’s CDs, but also includes material he wrote specifically for this project. If you like trains, or Brad Davis, then it’s worth a watch/listen. You can see a preview clip and order your copy online at the website for the New River Valley Fine Arts Center.

This post is a contribution from Brad Davis. Brad is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and recording engineer who has worked with a literal who’s-who of bluegrass music. Visit Brad online at braddavismusic.com.

As I sit here and hold back the tears, I have just heard the news that Louise Scruggs, the wife of folk legend Earl Scruggs had passed away this afternoon at 2:05 p.m. I never thought it would hit me this hard. I guess you never know ’till it happens. Her personality and presence had such a strong influence on my own life. She was a brave woman that was as focused as any man I’ve ever worked with. She’d step up to a challenge, re-adjust that strong look of confidence on her face comand all attention.

I’ve heard some say she was very cold or rude because of her quietness and stern business face, but the Louise I had the pleasure of knowing was a sweet and kind individual that, at all times, let you know where she stood. I could call her up, impersonating either Carl Childers or Johnn Cash, and make her laugh.

Louise, we love you and you won’t soon be forgotten. My prayers go out to Earl, Gary, Randy, Huge and family members.

Farewell country music’s greatest lady, Louise Scruggs.

Brad Davis

We are sorry to report that Louise Scruggs, beloved wife of Earl Scruggs as well his long time business manager, passed away today at approximately 2:00 p.m. in Nashville, TN. She had been hospitalized for some time, and despite some recent hope that her health was improving, took a turn for the worse over the past few days.

I am sure that all of our readers will join us in expressing our sincere condolences in this time of sadness and loss for the Scruggs family. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

We will have more information and some remembrances of Mrs. Scruggs over the course of the next few days.

Here it is, episode #14 of The GrassCast! This week I interview podcasting superstar Wichita Rutherford. Wichita is the guitarist with Van Heffer, whose new CD will be released on Feb 7th. The concept of this CD is delightfully bizarre. Van Heffer performs bluegrass versions of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osborne songs, and their lead singer, Sherman Van Heffer, appears on stage as an Elvis impersonator. I went to visit Wichita and asked him about the CD. In all honesty, he did duck a couple of my questions, but this was by far the most interesting experience I’ve had recording an interview. Those of you who are familiar with Wichita’s hilarious podcast 5MinuteswithWichita.com will know what I’m talking about.

This GrassCast is 14 minutes in length and the file download size is 13MB.

Direct Download: ep14_wichita_rutherford.mp3
Subscribe with:
Free Download: The GrassCast iPodder software

To subscribe with your own podcatching software, copy and past this url into the appropriate entry box in your software: http://www.thegrasscast.com/rss

NOTE: This post is open to comments, so please share your thoughts about this episode here. Also feel free to share with us your thoughts about The GrassCast in general.

A number of IBMA sponsored teacher workshops are scheduled for the middle of February, designed to familiarize classroom teachers, school administrators, home school parents and education students with bluegrass music - and how they might incorporate it in their own classrooms. The first will be held in Denver, CO in conjunction with the Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival on February 18, and the other is one we mentioned earlier, held February 19 in Boston, MA as a part of the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival.

In both cases, the five hour workshop itself is free, and registration also includes a one day pass to the host festival in either Denver or Boston. The workshop itself, Utilizing American Roots Music”?Bluegrass in the Classroom, will cover the history of bluegrass music, an overview of the instruments used, and the vocal harmony of the style. Live performances by youth bluegrass bands will also occur and sample lesson plans, handouts, and resources for further research will be provided. The workshop class will also view the Discover Bluegrass DVD, developed and produced by IBMA to help introduce the music to new audiences.

Both music and classroom teachers are encouraged to attend, elementary or secondary. Attendance certificates will be given for active educators, recognized by most states and school boards for professional development credits. Class size is limited in both cases, and advance registration is required.

The Boston workshop is coordinated with Boston Bluegrass Union, and the Denver event by the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. Find registration details on either or their web sites.

There are similar teacher workshops slated for later this year, including Hattiesburg, MS on April 8, Georgetown, KY on June 8, Kendallville, IN on September 2, and during the IBMA World Of Bluegrass convention in Nashville, TN on September 30. Contact Nancy Cardwell at IBMA for more details, or if you or your bluegrass organization would like to help host a similar event in your area.

The 2006 San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival kicks off today, Feb 2nd and continues through Feb 12th. The festival features more than just concerts, it’s an entertainment event. There are concerts from both national and local acts held at a variety of different venues. There is also square dancing, participatory jams, kids shows, and instrument and dance workshops. Most of the events are ticketed, but some are very low-cost and others are free.

Instead of a centralized location for the festival, it’s spread over many venues throughout the city.

From nightclubs to coffeehouses to CD stores, the festival invites you to venues all over San Francisco and neighboring communities, most of which host bluegrass & old-time music all year-round.

Events/Venues are ticketed separately and tickets are available online through the festival website at sfbluegrass.org

We will have a number of correspondents at the 32nd Annual convention of the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) in Nashville, TN this weekend. Keep an eye on The Bluegrass Blog for any news or interesting announcements from SPBGMA, plus lots of photos. Dave Roye will be sending along images from the event, and will probably have even more available on his web site when he returns.

If you are planning on attending, The Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville is completely booked, so you’ll need to make alternate accommodations.

Keeper Of The Flame is the title of the new CD from Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen - the first release by The Gentlemen since the passing of legendary founder and vocalist, Charlie Waller, whose son Randy is now leading the band. The new CD, now available from Randy’s web site, features the current edition of The Country Gentlemen, (Mark Delaney, David Kirk and Gary Creed), plus guest artists like Mike Auldridge, Ricky Simpkins, Heather Berry and others.

Liner notes for the new CD were provided by Joe Bonsall, long time member of The Oak Ridge Boys, and a newly serious student of the five string banjo.

“Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen are a GREAT Bluegrass Band and this is a GREAT CD! These guys can pick it clean on every instrument and their singing and harmonies and blends are impeccable. It also becomes very clear on this project that Randy Waller is one of the great lead voices singing today!”

“I love this CD and will be listening to it a lot this year!”

Our friend Dave Roye reports that Randy announced a few days ago that The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band (consisting of Jimmy Gaudreau, Eddie Adcock, and Tom Gray) are set to go into the studio the last week in March to produce a new recording project. They will also be doing a limited number of shows with the Reunion Band, which can be found on Randy’s web site, along with the shows for Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen.

Mike Compton, one of the leading Monroe style mandolinists in the world today, has a section of his website devoted to providing free tablature and sheet music to his fans and admirers. Some of the tunes are standards like Billy in the Lowground and Turkey in the Straw, while others are Compton originals. So if you play mandolin and are interested, here’s the link.

Anyone who keeps an eye on trends in print publications has watched as more and more of them migrate to digital and on-line distribution models. Most major daily newspapers have published a web edition for some time, as do most major news weeklies. Niche market publications have also been embracing this trend, and it is becoming quite common to face the choice between “regular” delivery of periodicals by postal mail, and immediate cyber-delivery over the Internet.

Until now, none of the major bluegrass print publications have made this sort of delivery available to subscribers, but Bluegrass Now appears to be first to the punch. At the IBMA convention last fall, they discussed their plans to do so, and the BN web site now offers a preview for Bluegrass Now online.

The online edition is an exact replica of the print issue, with each page displayed one at a time on screen, giving the reader the ability to move page by page, or to enter a page number to jump straight to a given page. Bluegrass Now has made their November 2005 issue available in the digital version online for anyone to see how the online edition is displayed.

Subscriptions for the digital version run at least 50% below the cost of the print edition, and combo subscriptions are offered for those who want the immediacy of the online delivery but also the comfort and convenience of a printed “hard copy” of the magazine to read away from the computer - or save in one place for archival purposes.

Congratulations to Bluegrass Now for this major step.

The Grascals video for “Me and John and Paul” began airing on VH1 Country yesterday, January 30th.

We’ve previously told you about this video here and here. And don’t forget we featured an interview discussing the video in last week’s episode of the GrassCast.