Mike Bucayu of First Quality Musical Supply in Louisville, KY has announced that Bill Sullivan, who founded the company nearly 40 years ago, passed away this afternoon. Anyone who plays bluegrass music - at any level - has quite probably done business with First Quality. They have been strong supporters of bluegrass artists, events and education since the company became a full time venture for Bill and his sons, Eric and Jeff in 1982.

Here is what Mike posted over at The Banjo Hangout:

It saddens us to bring the news of the loss of Bill Sullivan early this afternoon. He was surrounded by his family and close friends at the time of his passing. He will be dearly missed by so many, although his legacy will continue on through his contributions to the banjo world.

Please keep the Sullivans in your thoughts and prayers.

You can read how Bill described the history of First Quality on their web site.

Especially in the banjo world, Bill was a giant, and he will be sorely missed both personally and professionally. The Bluegrass Blog extends our condolences to both the Sullivan and First Quality families.

UPDATE 9/24: Jeff Sullivan has posted the following at The Banjo Hangout:

For those of you who posted on thread not knowing he was sick, he was not. He was sharp [as] a tack and was so much looking forward to seeing all his friends at this years IBMA. He was working weekends leading up to this event with so much excitement to show and introduce the new line of Sullivan Banjos and the new break throughs that he and Eric have been working on over the last two years. He was down here yesterday working with Eric and I, what a wonderful day. Last night in the early evening, he had a rupture of one of the blood vessels in his brain. The bleeding could not be stopped in time to save his life, he passed early today with his family by his side in peace and with no pain.

UPDATE 9/25: Bill’s obituary appeared in this morning’s edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal. It includes information about funeral arrangements:

Funeral services will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday at Heady- Hardy Funeral Home, 7710 Dixie Hwy., with a graveside service 11 a.m. Thursday at Resthaven Memorial Park. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until time of funeral service Wednesday. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Crusade for Children through the Pleasure Ridge Park Volunteer Fire Department, Station 3, 8506 Terry Road, Louisville, KY 40258.

Our British correspondent, Richard Thompson, has an overview of a CD collection that was released back in August ‘07.

Time Life has released a further collection of bluegrass recordings. Classic Bluegrass Collection is a compilation featuring three CDs of well-known bluegrass recordings across a variety of record labels. The boxed set includes music by Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse, Reno & Smiley, the Osborne Brothers, Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless and selections from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

In addition to the above-mentioned famous names of the bluegrass genre, there are recordings by some lesser-known, but nonetheless important names also. Among these are Buzz Busby, Jim Eanes, Charlie Moore and Bill Napier, The Stonemans, Carl Story, Red Allen, Kentucky Colonels, Lilly Brothers, The Bluegrass Cardinals, Country Gentlemen and Joe Val. Additionally, Time Life has made available a selection of signature songs from a wide range of present-day working bands.

This is a good collection that brings together music from the time of the birth of bluegrass through to the 21st century. It is a good start point for those who are beginning to explore the genre. Whether the experts would agree on the selections is another matter.

Classic Bluegrass Collection reflects Time Life’s ongoing commitment to bringing top quality bluegrass music to a wider audience. In just the past year, the company has released a set by The Stanley Brothers, an anthology, Gloryland: 30 Bluegrass Gospel Classics, from leading bluegrass label Rebel Records and has issued their first bluegrass documentary film, Bluegrass Country Soul.

A detailed track listing follows …. (more…)

Our friends at ukbluegrass.com have recently published a lengthy piece on guitarist, singer and songwriter John Lowell. John will be on the faculty of the 2008 Sore Fingers bluegrass camp in England, where he will teach songwriting.

The article covers a number of topics, including his ongoing collaboration with British musicians, Dom Harrison and Leon Hunt.

“It’s kind of cool to be in a transatlantic band with technology being what it is today. Ben [Winship] and I recorded our stuff, Dom and Leon recorded their stuff and then we emailed the files to each other so the guys on the opposite side of the pond could add their parts. It all gets put together into music that sounds like we were all in the same room. I’m not sure what the CD will be called, but rest assured it will be something very witty and clever.”

You can read the whole piece at ukbluegrass.com.

Jonathan James sent us a note about a new bluegrass radio show he has launched in the Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC market. His show is called The High Lonesome Radio Hour and airs each Saturday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. (ET) on WCOM-FM at 103.5.

Live audio streaming of the show can be accessed from WCOM web site, and Jonathan has promised that he will be featuring interviews as well as great bluegrass music. Guest already lined up include MikeCompton, Matt Flinner, Doyle Lawson, Darryl Scott and Tony Williamson.

Hmmm… Do I detect a slight mandolin bias in Johnathan’s attention?

McCoury Music has now posted an online video of the first recording session for his upcoming release, The Bluegrass Sessions, which we posted about a few days ago.

The video shows Hag recording Holding Things Together with Aubrey Haynie, Marty Stuart, Carl Jackson, Rob Ickes, Charlie Cushman and (presumably) Ben Isaacs.

Find the video on the McCoury Music site.

Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments recently introduced a new instrument to it’s catalog, the Octar Mandolin.

The Octar is an octave mandolin built on a guitar body with a carved top and f-hole style sound holes. It is being offered in both 22″ and 23.5″ scale lengths. The Octar comes standard with the same appointments as Weber’s existing carved-top guitar line, but can be built to order with any of Weber’s custom options.

The Octar synthesizes the percussiveness of the carved-top f-hole guitar with the haunting drone of the octave mandolin. The scale length options offer maximum playability for multiple venues, from the stage to the recording studio.

Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments is located in Logan, Montana.

For more information on the Octar, or to locate an authorized Weber dealer, visit www.soundtoearth.com.

One of the endearing aspects of bluegrass music is the way that we treat our early pioneers. Instead of being shuffled to the sidelines, the founders of our music are celebrated by current bluegrass artists, and the larger audience generally welcomes the opportunity to show their appreciation for the contributions they have made.

A great example will be on display at next weekend’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco, CA. When The David Grisman Experience performs on this free, 3 day festival on October 7 in Golden Gate Park, David will welcome Curly Seckler to join him on stage.

Curly had a hand in shaping the way bluegrass tenor is sung, and is widely regarded as being as influential in the earliest days as Bill Monroe or Ralph Stanley. Not only did he record more than 100 tracks with Flatt & Scruggs during his 12 years with the band, he also wrote several of their most memorable songs, like No Mother Or Dad and That Old Book of Mine.

Curly performed as a member of Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass from 1973 until Lester’s passing in ‘79, and then fronted the band himself up to his retirement in 1994. He didn’t retire completely, however, and marked the year 2004 - his 70th in bluegrass music - by recording a total of 28 tracks, released as two CDs on the Copper Creek label (hear audio samples in iTunes).

Later that same year, he was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Honor, and gave a memorable performance at the 2004 awards show.

You can find more details about the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival on their web site. Austin City Limits will be filming at the festival, and we sure hope that Curly will make the cut and appear when the footage is aired.

Three cheers for Curly Seckler - and for David Grisman as well!

Mountain Heart fiddle man Jim VanCleve has the honor of seeing one of his tunes, The Road From Rosine, debuted as the new theme for the International Bluegrass Music Awards show on October 4. The tune will be played during the opening of the show, and going into/coming from breaks.

Rural Rhythm Records arranged for Jim to record the tune, along with fellow Mountain Hearters Adam Steffey on mandolin, Jason Moore on bass and Clay Hess on guitar - plus Ron Stewart on banjo and Andy Hall on dobro.

The annual awards show is being produced this year by a new team, Terry Herd and Cindy Sinclair, and Herd says that they felt like new theme music was a good way to update the show.

“We’ve had a good run with our previous theme Shoulder to Shoulder and it was not an easy decision to retire it, but now in its thirteenth year, we felt it was time for something new, and Jim was the guy to do it.”

Jim says that the opportunity came as a surprise, but that he accepted the challenge right away.

“When Terry Herd contacted me about writing a new theme song for the IBMA Awards Show, I was completely speechless! I was, of course, flattered and really excited, but it seemed like a GIANT mountain to climb, considering the fact that Mark O’Connor and Jerry Douglas, two of my all-time musical heroes, had written the only other two themes that IBMA has used in the past. I really wanted to create something that would stand up, and even more, stand the test of time.

I started working on the melody, on and off, and spent nearly a couple months putting things together. I was trying to make it really ‘theme-ish,’ which is kind of difficult to do! I wanted the song to capture the spirit of bluegrass…the way the founding fathers of the music intended for it to feel, but I also wanted it to embody a sense of where the music is heading, with kind of a forward looking element. So basically, I was trying to write a song that would bridge all the gaps between the past, the present, and the future of our music.

When I was trying to title the song, I started thinking about all the things that inspired it in the first place. I felt like The Road From Rosine was a perfect title, as it symbolized the beginnings of bluegrass via the mention of Rosine, KY, Bill Monroe’s homeplace, and then again, the forward progression of bluegrass, as the musical road lead from Rosine.”

To hear Jim’s new tune, you’ll need to be in attendance at the event, catch the proceedings live on XM’s Bluegrass Junction (track 14), or listen to one of the many after-the-fact broadcasts that will air the following week on bluegrass shows and stations worldwide.

Tickets for the IBMA Awards show at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville are available from the Opry box office (800-733-6779) or Ticketmaster (615-255-9600). It’s always a whale of a show, and worth the trip to see bluegrass royalty in formal attire celebrating each other - and our music.

Jim tells us that he expects that The Road From Rosine will end up on a future solo project or a Mountain Heart CD at some point, and that they intend to make it available for download purchase through Rural Rhythm soon after IBMA week concludes.

Speaking of Jim VanCleve and Mountain Heart… (see update below) Here’s a YouTube clip of them performing Jim’s #6 Barn Dance at the River Of Music Party in Louisville, KY. The song was included on the band’s Force Of Nature CD, and Adam Steffey teaches it on his new mandolin instructional DVD.

Boy… is my face red!

Prodigal Son is the new release from Tim Graves & Cherokee. The CD takes its name from the fifth track on the disc, a tune penned by Daryl Mosley (who also wrote the liner notes).

If you are a fan of strait up bluegrass, this CD should sit well in your ears. From the opening notes of Used To Be to the last lick in Ruby Ann, this CD is bluegrass through and through.

Tim Graves is not only an accomplished dobro player, but also a talented singer, and he proves it on this CD. Tim is joined by his band which includes Bennie Boling on bass and bass vocals, Daniel Grindstaff on banjo and baritone vocals, and Joe Miller on guitar and tenor vocals. Steve Thomas contributes fiddle and mandolin parts to the recording in addition to the band.

Their are several traditional numbers like Used To Be, Sunny Side Of The Mountian, and Will You Be Loving Another Man. These are well done and enjoyable, paying tribute to the traditional bluegrass sound. A Jerry Reed number that’s done bluegrass style contributes some variety to the mix. The real gems here though are the original tunes.

One that particularly caught my ear was the gospel tune Hell, Fire and Brimstone. Written by Bennie Boling, this gospel song tells the story of a man who is a “disciple of the King James, but a prisoner to Jim Beam.” It’s just one of several gospel songs that grace this recording.

The Tom T. Hall contribution is a tune called I’m Not Living Life, It’s Living Me. This may be one of the better Tom T. Hall tracks I’ve heard on recent bluegrass CDs.

On all the tracks Tim’s smooth lead vocal is front and center leading the listener on a musical journey you’ll be glad you took.

The CD is available now directly from the band’s website. No audio clips are available at this time, but Tim tells me they’ll be up soon.

Banjo icon Terry Baucom has recently released a new instructional DVD titled Driving With The Duke.

The DVD is hosted by Terry’s wife, and award winning DJ, Cindy Baucom. Cindy and Terry review his history with the banjo and the various bands he has played with over the years, then get right to the picking. Terry teaches many of the classic tunes he has recorded during his distinguished career, including Can’t You Hear Me Calling, Gold Rush, Sally Goodin, Blue Night, White House Blues, and Nobody’s Love Is Like Mine.

The instruction takes the form of an introduction to the tune, including discussion of when Terry recorded it, followed by the actual recording from the original record, and then Terry breaks it down at a slower speed showing you the fingering and explaining hard to play licks. The real value here, as with any instructional DVD, is getting such a good look at his hands close up while he talks you through it step by step.

After the instruction, Terry plays the tune at two different tempos with the cameras focused entirely on his hands. By using the angle button on your DVD remote you can quickly switch between his right and left hand, choosing which should be the prominent image, while the other is inset in a smaller window. You may also choose to see the two hands side by side at equal size.

Terry played his new signature model Sullivan Banjo for the entirety of this DVD.

Terry and Cindy will have the DVDs available for purchase at their booth (#92) during the World of Bluegrass Week (IBMA), or you may purchase it online from the John Boy & Billy Online Store.

* By way of disclosure I should tell you that Brance filmed and edited this DVD at his studio.

Bluegrass banjo has been fortunate to see so many capable practitioners of the art carrying the banner over its relatively short 60 year life. One of the banjo’s most celebrated champions, Bill Emerson, has been largely missing from the performing scene for several years since his retirement, though he has made a number of notable recorded contributions of late.

He is featured with Tony Trischka on Tony’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, and also took part in the Stelling Banjo Anthology CD.

In what is great news for his many fan (like me), Bill will release his third CD for Rebel Records on October 9, his first as a solo artist in more than ten years. Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band represents something as a departure, showcasing Bill as a band leader with his own group for the first time.

Bill credits Tony Trischka’s urging as a primary reason to embark on this new project.

“Tony’s encouragement was a one reason why I decided to record Bill Emerson and The Sweet Dixie Band. While I have recorded many albums with groups like The Country Gentlemen, instrumentals projects and duos like Emerson and Goble, I had never done an album with a band of my own, so this is a new beginning for me.”

The Sweet Dixie Band is made up primarily of members of Country Current, the US Navy country/bluegrass band which Bill led for 20 years while he was in the service. Wayne Taylor is on guitar and vocals, Joe Wheatley on bass and vocals, Pat White on fiddle and vocals, and Frank Solivan II on guitar, mandolin and vocals, with Bill on banjo and Con Burch on vocals.

In addition to his core band, the new CD features guest appearances from Paul Williams, Tony Rice, Randy Waller, Mark Newton, Andy Ball, Scott Linton, Brad Corbin, Gary Ferguson, Darren Beachley and Pete Goble. Bill says that The Sweet Dixie Band will perform live as a unit, with a CD release concert scheduled at the Strasburg Theater in Strasburg, Virginia on November 10.

He is especially proud to introduce his lead vocalist, who may not be familiar to a lot of bluegrass fans.

“Con is a piano and voice teacher from Fort Valley VA, and I think anyone who hears her sing will agree that she is a special talent. She also wrote two songs on the album.”

A single from the CD, Sweet Dixie Girl, has just been released to radio so you may be hearing it soon on your favorite over-the-air on online program.

Back in May, Brance posted about a new CD release from Kassie DePaiva, better known as Blair from the daytime drama, One Life To Live. Her CD, I Want To Love You, mixes bluegrass and country in a primarily-acoustic set, her third release as a solo artist.

Tomorrow (9/21), Kassie will join Gracie Muldoon on WorldWideBluegrass.com to talk about the CD, and whatever else comes to mind, at 1:30 p.m. (EDT).

To listen to the 24/7 WWB audio stream online, just visit their streaming page, and choose a connection speed and file type.

As we reported back in June, Claire Lynch’s next CD is set for an October 9 release on Rounder. Crowd Favorites is a “compilation with benefits” project, mixing 10 previously released tracks from her several Rounder projects with four newly recorded reworkings of songs she had performed with the Front Porch String Band.

A full track listing can be found on Rounder’s site, though no audio samples are available at this time.

You can, however, hear all 14 tracks tomorrow (9/20) on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction (track 14) at 3:00 p.m. (EDT). Claire will discuss each song with host Kyle Cantrell, who will spin the entire CD over the course of the program.

If you miss the show on Thursday, look for it to be rebroadcast on Sunday (9/23) at 6:00 p.m., Monday (9/25) at 9:00 a.m. and Friday (9/28) at 8:00 p.m.

McCoury Music has made audio samples available online from their upcoming Merle Haggard CD, The Bluegrass Sessions. It is an all-acoustic project, produced by Ronnie Reno, with both Haggard songs and others he selected to sing to mark this new direction in his storied career.

The tracks were recorded during the fall of 2006, including supporting performances from Rob Ickes on dobro, Charlie Cushman on banjo, Aubrey Haynie on fiddle, Ben Isaacs on bass and Marty Stuart on mandolin. A highlight is sure to be Hag’s duet with Alison Krauss on Mama’s Hungry Eyes, which was a #1 hit for Haggard some years ago.

You can hear a sample of this, and all 12 tracks, on the McCoury Music web site. The CD is set to be officially released on October 2.

I’ve heard old-school musicians bemoan the use of electronic tuners. They feel a person should train their ear to hear the pitches and tune that way. Electronic tuning devices have become a part of the fabric of playing a stringed instrument though.

Now Gibson Guitars is taking it one step further. This month Gibson has introduced a new line of guitars featuring what they are calling, the Powertune System.

The Powertune System, available as original equipment only on Gibson guitars, is the first fully functional, performance-ready, and non-obtrusive automated tuning system, and the only self-tuning system practical for use by the professional guitarist.

Powertune, at it’s simplest, is simply a built in electronic tuner that automates the process by taking control of the instrument’s tuning pegs and making the necessary adjustments. It looks like it adds some mass to the back of the headstock, but at this time it’s only available on electric guitars so I don’t know what kind of effect it would have on the sound of an acoustic instrument.

Beyond the basics, Powertune has some interesting features. It is not on by default, so you don’t have to worry about it attempting to tune a string while your bending it. It’s controlled by a tuning knob they have dubbed the Master-Control Knob. The MCK allows one to chose from multiple preset tunings, or to create your own custom tunings and save them. Standard tuning is included, along with drop D tuning and a couple different open tunings.

Operation seems simple enough. All that is required is to activate Powertune, select the desired tuning (both of which are done with the MCK), and lightly strum the strings. Powertune does the rest.

I suspect it won’t be long before Powertune finds it’s way into acoustic guitars as well. Is that a good, or a bad thing? You decide.

BBC Four will be airing a new series of the Transatlantic Sessions beginning this month. The show brings together musicians from both sides of the Atlantic, from the US, Ireland and Scotland. The various musicians will perform both solo and in various combinations.

The first episode is set to air on Friday, September 21 and features Jerry Douglas, Eddi Reader with Tim O’Brien, and Julie Fowlis with Donal Lunny.

The series is broadcast with stereo sound in a widescreen format.

For more information, and the broadcast schedule, you can visit the BBC Four website.

The new Washburn Baby Jumbo acoustic guitars, which had been announced earlier this year, are now shipping to dealers. Washburn is marketing these two new models as intended for players who like the sound of a larger body guitar, but want an instrument that is more compact, and in the case of the cutaway/electrified model, ready for stage use.

Both models are made with a larger lower bout than a dreadnaught or concert body size, but with a shorter body length than most jumbo sized guitars. Washburn says that the actual volume of body space is the same as a concert size, but with a much wider vibrating surface where the bridge fastens to the top.

The WB400SW is made with all solid woods (cedar top, rosewood back and sides), a mahogany neck, ebony bridge and fingerboard and a bone nut and saddle.

The WB400SWCE is very much the same guitar, but with a solid spruce top, cutaway for easy access to upper frets, and Washburn’s B-Band designed pickup and pre-amp system with both ¼” and XLR outputs.

Both ship with a hardshell case and are covered by Washburn’s Limited Lifetime Warranty. They are offered from Washburn dealers worldwide, $1,499.90 for the base model and $1,799.90 for the cutaway electric.

Bluegrass Gospel favorites, The Churchmen, recently welcomed fiddler Tim Smith to the band.

Tim is a veteran bluegrass musician, having served as a member of The Bluegrass Cardinals. He has 1st place trophies from both Galax and Union Grove, and recording credits with such bluegrass luminaries as James King, The Country Gentlemen, and Jim Eanes on his resume.

Smith also has a pair of solo fiddle projects available, Plain and Simple (1999) and The Lonesome Blueridge (2001).

The Churchmen roster now includes David Guthrie (guitar and vocals), Freddy Rakes (banjo and vocals), Gerald Harbour (mandolin and vocals), Keith Clark (bass and vocals), and Smith (fiddle and vocals).

Find a list of their upcoming performace dates online.

Starting today, September 17, the folks at WAMU FM in Washington, DC will broadcast their 24/7 online bluegrass audio channel as an HD FM radio signal as well. DC area listeners with HD Radio receivers can find the new channel at 88.5-2.

Folks without access to HD radio will notice that many of their favorite bluegrass and acoustic music programs are no longer being carried by WAMU’s FM broadcast, but station management is betting that the future of radio involves this sort of niche programming, and that its home will be with HD Radio.

BluegrassCountry.org has more details about the change, as does a piece in yesterday’s Washington Post.

You may also want to check out recent additions to BluegrassCountry.org’s Musicians Tips series, with installments from Sonya Isaacs, Jamie Daley and Joe Carr.

Regular readers of The Bluegrass Blog will have noted our unrestrained enthusiasm for mandolin prodigy Chris Thile’s return to a more bluegrass-like vehicle for his creative energies. We not only cheered his re-embrace of the Bill Monroe bluegrass band format, we welcomed the opportunity to watch and hear him interact musically with artists that are his instrumental peers.

When the breakup of Nickel Creek was announced in 2006 - as an indefinite hiatus - Thile released his solo project for Sugar Hill, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground, with a group of young acoustic superpickers. He toured in support of the CD with this same band (Noam Pikelny on banjo, Greg Garrison on bass, Gabe Witcher on fiddle, Chris Eldridge on guitar) as How To Grow A Band.

That group was morphed into The Tensions Mountain Boys for the live debut in March 2007 of Thile’s long form composition, The Blind Leaving The Blind, a change in name only. A deal was announced just last month for Thile and The Tensions Mountain Boys to record a new project for Nonesuch Records, and recording for that project started this past weekend.

In tandem with the start of the recording process, Thile has yet another new band - accomplished once again with no change in personnel. Punch Brothers has been unveiled on Chris’ MySpace page, along with a witty, tongue-in-cheek description of how it came to be.

They will perform this coming weekend in Nashville at The Station Inn, performing Friday-Sunday (9/21-23). Once Nickel Creek’s Farewell Tour has concluded in November, Punch Brothers will begin touring in earnest.