The end of each year inevitably brings a plethora of countdowns and “best of” events in both television and radio.
And bluegrass music is no different…
Lee Michael Demsey has compiled his Top 40 Bluegrass Songs of 2008, which he will disclose on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country on New Yea’s Eve from 10:00 p.m. until midnight (EST), and again on New Year’s Day from 10:00 a.m. until noon.
Lee has been in charge of putting together the National Bluegrass Survey charts for Bluegrass Unlimited this past 18 year, and has used that information from the past 14 months to create his 2008 Top 40.
“This [year end] chart is not officially sanctioned by BU as being ‘official.’ Songs that first charted in January 2008 and spent the whole year on the chart would have had an unfair advantage over songs that first charted the previous October and had a shorter run on the chart during the calender year of 2008. For that reason, if a song spent at least five months on the chart in 2008, I gave it credit for its points for its entire run, including late 2007. For songs that spent at least five months on the chart at the end of 2008, I extrapolated how the rest of their chart run might actually go, so as not to give them short shrift.
So it’s not an official chart, just an approximation.”
The BU charts are derived from votes cast by prominent bluegrass radio show hosts and syndicators world wide.
You can listen to Lee’s Top 40 countdown tonight and tomorrow morning at www.bluegrasscountry.org. It will also be rebroadcast during the Special Programs slot in the Bluegrass Country schedule later in January.
We’ve posted a number of times about US Navy Band, Country Current, which regularly includes professional bluegrass musicians. The band has maintained a bluegrass unit since 1973 when Bill Emerson joined on banjo.
Bill led the band until his retirement in 1993, at which point that leadership fell to Wayne Taylor who held the spot until he retired in March of this year. Wayne performed through 2008 as a member of Bill’s group, Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie, and has now launched his own band.
Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa includes Emory Lester on mandolin, Dave Giegerich on resonator guitar, Mark Delaney on banjo, Kip Martin on bass, with Wayne on guitar and lead vocals.
They are in the middle of a recording project, which is expected to be completed in January 2009. Three tracks, Bury Me In Dixie, 40 Years and Oh Merrie, can be heard on the band’s web site. Their sound is reminiscent of prominent Washington, DC area bands like The Country Gentlemen and Seldom Scene - though with Wayne’s distinctive voice out front.
You can find their tour schedule - which includes a September trip to Scotland - online.
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine has committed to capturing performances by today’s top practitioners of the flatpicking art, and bringing those performances to guitar players everywhere via DVD.
Over the last several years they have put forth a number of such DVDs. Each DVD consists of a concert performance by three top players. This year’s offering is no exception.
The National Flatpicking Guitar Championship, held each September since 1972 in Winfield, Kansas, is the most prestigious flatpicking event in the country. Every person who has won this event is a master guitarist of the highest order. In this concert performance DVD, filmed at the Peaceful Bend Americana Music Festival in Steelville, MO, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and SimpleFolk Productions present three of the National Flatpicking Guitar Championship’s most respected past champions: Robin Kessinger (1985 champ), Mark Cosgrove (1995 champ), and Robert Shafer (1983 and 2000 champ).
posted by Richard Thompson on 12.31.08 @ 8:05 am Tags: Bill Monroe, mandolin
Today’s Tennessean newspaper has reported that the Country Music Foundation (CMF), on behalf of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, has reach an agreement with Robert Waldschmidt, the Trustee for the Robert W. McLean Bankruptcy Estate.
This agreement, if ratified by the Bankruptcy Court, will mean that Bill Monroe’s 1923 F5 mandolin will continue to be displayed at the
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The settlement, whereby the CMF will pay the Trustee $750,000, safeguards the exhibition of several instruments that were given to the organization by philanthropist, but alleged fraudster, Robert W. McLean, Monroe’s mandolin included.
Further details regarding the deal can be found at The Tennesseanwebsite.
This post is the first in what will be an occasional feature - Songwriter Profiles. If you have a suggestion for a bluegrass songwriter we might want to consider, please contact us.
Patrick McDougal was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina and he grew up watching his father, Robert McDougal, perform at the Grand Ole Opry in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was influenced by the first generation of bluegrass musicians, Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs and the like.
He lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina, where he owns and operates Music Plus, a music store and instruction studio, as well as teaching a music course at Blue Ridge Community College.
Currently McDougal is a member of High Windy. In the past Patrick has performed with such notable musical talents as Herschel Sizemore, Jimmy Haley, The Blue Dogs and country star David Ball. He is 43 years old and has been with High Windy for two years.
McDougal is best known for writing the title song to Dan Tyminski’s Grammy-nominated CD, Wheels. The song was September’s No. 1 on Bluegrass Music Profiles‘ Top 30 Hot Singles chart in and is noted in the December edition of Bluegrass Unlimited at No. 2 in the National Bluegrass Survey, having been five months on the charts. His work has also been performed and recorded by Del McCoury, Alan Bibey and Blue Ridge, The Lonesome River Band, Jeanette Williams Band, Dixie Creek Revival and The Blue Dogs.
Recently, I chatted with McDougal about his background and his song writing …….
Tell me about your formative years in music.
“I always wanted to play banjo, since I was about 6 months old. They told me that I would cry unless I could go to sleep holding on to the banjo players pants leg when my dad’s band would practice. My dad played in a very successful band in 1960s and 1970s; even played the Opry some. I got my first banjo at age 12 and practiced some times all day.”
Who was the first bluegrass songwriter that you took noticed and why?
“Bill Monroe was. I noticed most of his songs were about every day things or events that really happened. I sorta got the bug when I heard two friends of mine sing their songs and thought that was a true way of expressing your thoughts. Tim O’Brien was one of my favouritess. But Tim Stafford makes me cry…” (more…)
Pinecastle Records has put together a DVD compilation from their many hours of live video footage, which they have released as Bluegrass Jamboree.
The 60 minute DVD contains live performances from some of the top names on the label, including The Osborne Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Jim & Jesse, Larry Stephenson, Chubby Wise, Special Consensus and Dale Ann Bradley.
18 songs are presented, among them some of the biggest hits in the history of bluegrass music.
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat - Coon Creek Girls
How Many Biscuits Can You Eat - New Coon Creek Girls
Using My Bible For A Road Map - Don Reno And Red Smiley
Kentucky Gold - The Reno Brothers
Lee Highway Blues - Chubby Wise
Orange Blossom Special - Chubby Wise
Freight Train - Jim And Jesse McReynolds
Dixie In The Dawn - Larry Stephenson
Rain Please Go Away - Larry Stephenson
You Were Born To Sing - Larry Stephenson
Country In My Genes - New Coon Creek Girls
Silver Dew On The Bluegrass Tonight - Special Consensus
Listening To The Rain - Special Consensus
Irish Medley - Special Consensus
Foggy Mountain Rock - Gene Wooten
One Tear - Terry Eldredge
Fastest Grass Alive - The Osborne Brothers
Rocky Top - The Osborne Brothers
The DVD is available for $17.99 from Music Shed, and wherever bluegrass performance DVDs are sold.
posted by Brance on 12.30.08 @ 10:11 am Tag: guitar
If you’ve got some extra time on your hands during this holiday season, here’s an interesting video about how guitar strings are made.
As musicians, sometimes we take our strings for granted. This video will shed some light on the little steel wires we press our fingertips against every day.
We received a note yesterday from Daniel Grindstaff, banjo player with Marty Raybon. He had a very special opportunity come his way just after Christmas and wanted to share the story with everyone here on The Bluegrass Blog.
Bobby Osborne was scheduled to play on The Grand Ole Opry this past weekend, coinciding with the 41st anniversary of Rocky Top, which was released on December 25, 1967. Bobby’s regular banjo man, Dana Cupp, was unavailable for the show, so Daniel got the call.
“Having filled in and worked with Sonny and Bobby numerous times in the past I always jump at the chance to play that music again. After I spoke to Bobby about doing the show, Sonny got in touch with me on Friday morning (12/26). He asked if I would like to play his RB-3, the banjo that was used on the original recording of Rocky Top and numerous other Osborne Brothers songs.
I, of course, said that I would love to!
The end result of the evening was me getting to perform on the stage of the Opry at The Ryman, during the anniversary of Rocky Top, playing the banjo that recorded it, beside the man who sang it!
What a Christmas gift! A very high point in my career! What a great banjo and a great moment!”
The audio from that Opry show should show up soon in the WSM online archives.
Daniel tells us that the new Marty Raybon CD, This That and the Other, is due for release in January ‘09, and that they will begin touring in support when they return from a Caribbean cruise with Rhonda Vincent in early February.
Tough duty…
The Marty Raybon schedule can be found on his web site, and samples from Daniel’s fine solo CD, April Fool, can be heard at CD Baby.
Grasstowne has announced that Travis Greer will be joining the group on bass and harmony vocals.
At 24 years of age, Travis has already spent several years playing bluegrass music, having grown up around the music and playing in church. His family has already produced two fine young bluegrass talents, Keith and Kevin McKinnon (now with Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain), and Travis will have a chance to prove himself with Grasstowne in 2009.
Travis has also played bass for Michelle Nixon & Drive.
Grasstowne mandolinist Alan Bibey says that they tried out nearly a dozen potential bass players before settling on Greer.
“We’re all real excited about Travis joining the group. He’s a great bassist and fine vocalist as well as a really good guy. We’ve already been rehearsing and everything is going so well that we’ll be going into the studio the latter half of January to finish our next Grasstowne project.
We’re looking forward to a great ‘09 and also looking forward to all our friends and fans hearing Travis with the group, both in person as well as on the new project.”
You can check the Grasstowne schedule on their web site.
posted by Brance on 12.29.08 @ 1:12 pm Tag: guitar
Many guitars have a story. A story of given as a special note of appreciation, a story of how it saved its owner’s life, or some other story equally fascinating.
Aaron Raitiere is gathering these stories into one place for inclusion in a book he’s writing as part of his Master of Fine Arts degree in Recording Arts. Aaron attends MTSU, outside Nashville, TN, and plans to graduate in May of 2009. The idea is for a book about people, their guitars, and the extraordinary stories behind the instruments.
I’m looking for eclectic stories of all kinds about both acoustic and electric guitars. Any style of music is welcome.
So far Raitiere has at least one good bluegrass story. He interviewed Richard Starkey, who designed the D18 CW for Martin Guitars and owns the second one to come off the assembly line.
Aaron is still looking for other captivating stories for inclusion in this project. He’s still shopping for a publisher as well. So if you have a good story behind your instrument, or a connection at a publisher that might be interested in the project, be sure to drop him an email.
More info about the project can be found in this article.
Fred Bartenstein, long time bluegrass radio personality, historian and photographer, is offering several hundred vinyl LPs from his extensive collection for sale online.
These include both bluegrass and traditional country albums, many of them iconic releases and some not available on CD.
Prominent titles that caught my eye include Pickin’ and Fiddlin’ from The Dillards and Byron Berline, Ragged But Right from The Greenbriar Boys, and Bluegrass Favorites On College And Campus from Hylo Brown.
This past Friday (12/26) was Darrell Webb’s first show with Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper - and it was on The Grand Ole Opry!
Their publicist, Kimberly Williams, was on hand and got a couple of photos of the band, as well as a bit of backstage video. She tells us that the guys whipped the crowd up with their versions of Goodbye Ole Pal and The Old Brown County Barn.
They also had a chance to snap a picture with Opry announcer and bluegrass legend Eddie Stubbs backstage during their post-Christmas Opry visit.
Current band members include Michael Cleveland on fiddle, Jesse Brock on mandolin, Jessie Baker on banjo, Marshall Wilborn on bass and Darrell Webb on guitar.
Dozens of tunes most commonly played on the fiddle are arranged for 3 finger banjo, encompassing music from the American and British Isles fiddle traditions. Bluegrass, Celtic and old time tunes are included, presented in tablature, and played on the two accompanying audio CDs.
Trischka is well known for his many recordings of banjo music, but perhaps less so as an outstanding instructor of the instrument. He has authored a number of popular banjo books and DVDs, targeted at banjo players and students from rank beginners to serious practitioners.
This new Mel Bay title contains pieces that will be comfortable for new pickers, and others that would challenge long-time players.
Master Collection of Fiddle Tunes for Banjo should be available now wherever banjo instructional books are sold. The book runs 256 pages (spiral bound) and sells for $34.95.
At the same time as announcing the signing of Johnny Williams, Mountain Roads Recordings of Bristol, Tennessee, advised me of the signing of the new bluegrass gospel group Wheeler from Weber City, Virginia.
Wheeler was established in April of this year and comprises Tiffany Wheeler (lead/harmony vocals), Kevin Wheeler (lead/harmony vocals, bass), Mark Jackson (lead/harmony, mandolin), Justin Salver (guitar) and Steven Mounts (banjo). Tiffany and Kevin have been married 7 years this past June 9th.
I spoke to Kevin Wheeler about the band ……
“We are a bluegrass gospel group, but I like to refer to ourselves as a bluegrass group that just happens to do all gospel. We are not your typical sounding gospel band. We bring a different feel to the music in the way that we play it. We absolutely have a blast playing it and we have fun with the type of energy we bring to the genre. We definitely don’t think that we are anything special, but we do enjoy every opportunity that we get to play.
We love the fact that with this band we can play hard driving tunes and on the other hand we can slow it down and touch hearts of all those that listen. Most importantly, we are all born again believers and we thank God everyday for the opportunities that has been placed in front of us. Hopefully we can choose the right path and get the music out to more people.
We all absolutely love the music. All of us are such fans of music, especially bluegrass. We catch ourselves all the time just bragging about music and how much fun it is to play it. Each of us individually have such a desire to play and/or sing. It is unreal how much fun it is to do what we do. There are hard things about it but it is all well worth it. One of the main reasons we all do this is for the advancement of the message, a positive message. We may not sound like your average traditional bluegrass gospel group and you might have to listen a little harder to our music to get the meaning. But, nonetheless, we still present that positive message and hopefully in a new and exciting way. We love it; it’s what we do and I could never imagine not having music in my life.” (more…)
The package show was a staple of the early rock and roll, and rhythm and blues scenes. These were touring shows where a number of popular artists would appear on the same bill - often sponsored by a record label - each performing just a few numbers, typically their current singles.
This type of show has not been a common thing in the bluegrass world, but the folks at Pick One Jams are giving it a go during the month of January, 2009. They have five shows scheduled in the eastern and central US with a bevy of bluegrass stars in tow.
Artists appearing on these shows include Ronnie Bowman, Mike Bub, Missy Raines, Terry Baucom, Rob McCoury, Alan Bibey, Mike Compton, Phil Leadbetter, Rob Ickes, Kenny Smith, Tim Stafford, Jason Carter, Steve Gulley, Kim Fox, Dale Ann Bradley, Amanda Smith and Josh Williams.
Each concert will showcase these top artists in a jam-like setting with the performers rotating on and off the stage as the various pickers and singers are featured. The lineup may vary slightly from one show to the next, but each one is chock full of top bluegrass stars.
Shows on the schedule include:
1/08/09 - Raleigh, NC
1/09/09 - Bristol, VA
1/15/09 - Kutztown, PA
1/17/09 - Athens, GA
1/24/09 - Stillwater, OK
Ticket and lineup details for the several shows can be found on the Pick One web site.
posted by Brance on 12.25.08 @ 3:38 pm Tag: IIIrd Tyme Out
Everyone is enjoying Christmas today, but some are enjoying a white Christmas.
To my delight I found that one of my favorite preachers, John Piper, had uploaded a Youtube video of himself creating a snow angel. Lo and behold! The soundtrack he chose was IIIrd Tyme Out singing Snow Angel from their CD John & Mary.
Enjoy…
The post on Piper’s blog is actually written by his wife Noel. Be sure to read it for her thoughts on snow angels.
A very Merry Christmas from all of us at The Bluegrass Blog!
We would like to take a brief moment to thanks all of our readers and advertisers for their support of our work here, and likewise the many artists, record labels and publicists who help us stay in touch with “what’s happening” in the bluegrass world.
May we all find some beautiful music in our lives this Christmas - and maybe even under the tree!
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold,
I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
posted by John on 12.24.08 @ 11:47 am Tag: XMAS 07
As we settle into the Christmas holiday season, perhaps our readers would enjoy revisiting the many memories and reflections we published during Christmas 2007 here on The Bluegrass Blog.
These were contributions from prominent bluegrass artists and personalities - some poignant and thoughtful, and others clever and amusing.
We have everything from Larry Stephenson’s Christmas Surprise to Ron Block’s The Holy Baby. Along the way are pieces from Rhonda Vincent, The Grascals, Curly Seckler, Missy Raines and many others.
The Americana Music Association has recently published its Top 100 Albums for November 19, 2007 through to November 10, 2008.
In keeping with the success at the Americana award show on September where Robert Plant & Alison Krauss won the Album of the Year and Duo/Group awards, their album Raising Sand came in with third place in the play list.
The top album within mainstream bluegrass is The SteelDrivers eponymous album.
Below is a selective listing of albums in the upper half of the listing, with placement based on reported radio play.
#3 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand, Rounder 10,851 plays
#14 The SteelDrivers - The SteelDrivers, Rounder 6,259 plays
#42 Tim O Brien - Chameleon, Proper American/Howdy Skies 4,426 plays
#45 Donna The Buffalo - Silverlined, Sugar Hill 4,346 plays
#48 Kathy Mattea - Coal, Captain Potato Records 4,274 plays
Other albums of interest that appeared in the bottom half of the listing are Darrell Scott Modern Hymns (4,138 plays), Chatham County Line IV (4,047), Dan Tyminski Wheels (3,948), Fred Eaglesmith Tinderbox (3,312) - this album features the writer’s own version of the great tear-jerking song Carter - Duhks Fast Paced World (3,185), The Infamous Stringdusters The Infamous Stringdusters (2,851), Old Crow Medicine Show Tennessee Pusher (2,841) and Drew Emmitt Long Road (2,748).
The full listing can be found on The Americana Music Association website.
The end of each year inevitably brings a plethora of countdowns and “best of” events in both television and radio.
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Grasstowne
As we settle into the Christmas holiday season, perhaps our readers would enjoy revisiting the many memories and reflections we published during Christmas 2007 here on The Bluegrass Blog.
