Williams & Clark Expedition will drop in on Katy Daley this morning at 9:00 a.m. to talk about their new CD, Brand New Set Of Blues.

Katy’s radio shows airs on WAMU’s BluegrassCountry streaming live online 24/7, and on HD Radio 88.5-2 in the Washington, DC market. They will spin a few tracks and chat with Katy about the songs.

The Weekend Edition of NPR News’ All Things Considered, airing this evening (Saturday, May 3rd), will feature an interview with Ray Davis, who has just marked his 60th year of radio broadcasting.

The program airs live from 5 to 6pm. (ET); local stations and broadcast times are available here: www.NPR.org/stations.

The audio from the show will be posted online after the show airs, on the All Things Considered web site.

Ray Davis, currently host of The Ray Davis Show on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, celebrates 60 years in broadcasting today (May 2).

Davis joined WAMU in 1985 to host Saturday Bluegrass, and shared hosting duties for the weekday afternoon program, Bluegrass Country, until 2001. He currently hosts three live hours of traditional bluegrass music on The Ray Davis Show at 3 p.m., weekdays, and 10 a.m., Sundays, on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, heard in Washington, D.C., in HD Radio at 88.5, Channel 2, and online at bluegrasscountry.org.

Davis provides area bluegrass fans and online listeners worldwide with a daily dose of the traditional American art form, from prison songs and “plum pitiful” tunes to the great train rides - and train wrecks - of bluegrass music, all delivered with Davis’ encyclopedic knowledge of the artists and the music. More than a DJ, Ray Davis is both a musicologist and an archivist who takes listeners on a stroll down bluegrass music’s memory lane. His specialties, the plum pitiful tunes, are tearjerkers that explore universal themes of death, betrayal, and jealousy.

“Ray Davis is a legend in music broadcasting. He has helped define bluegrass music on-air since its earliest days as a discrete genre, and has placed a lasting imprint on it with his dedication to playing, promoting, and recording its musicians”, said Caryn G. Mathes, WAMU 88.5’s General Manager. “His booming, resonant voice is synonymous with the sound of bluegrass at WAMU, and his willingness to explore broadcasting on multiple new media platforms as radio evolves has been an inspiration to me.”

Davis began his radio career at the age of 15, when he left his boyhood home in Wango, Maryland., for a job at WDOV-AM in Dover, Delaware. (more…)

Kathy Mattea will be live on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country this morning (4/2) at 11:00 a.m. with Katy Daley and Lee Michael Demsey to talk about her latest CD, Coal. The new release, produced by Marty Stuart, is as the title suggests, a set of tunes about the life and times of coal miners.

Mattea grew up in West Virginia, raised in a family of mine workers, so the music is very personal for her. Many of the titles will be familiar to bluegrass fan - The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore, Dark As A Dungeon and Blue Diamond Mines, just to name a few - and the treatments are largely acoustic in nature.

WAMU’s Bluegrass Country is the new name for the free 24/7 bluegrass radio service previously known as BluegrasCountry.org, and streamed at that web address and on HD WAMU-Channel 2 in the Washington, DC metro area.

You can read more about Coal in a piece Richard posted here earlier this year. Audio samples can be found on Mattea’s web site.

You can also see a set of photos from Kathy’s recent visit to the Robinson Run Mine in West Virginia last week online.

Back in November ‘07 our own John Lawless was interviewed on WFDU FM, which broadcasts in the New York City metro market. He was the guest of Carol Beaugard, host of WFDU’s Lonesome Pine RFD.

Carol also has an edition show that is carried by WAMU HD and Bluegrasscountry.org. She will be re-running her interview with John this week so if anyone missed it the first time, be sure to tune in.

John and Carol talked about his work with The Bluegrass Blog and AcuTab Publications, plus Acoustic Endeavors, with whom he plays banjo.

Catch John on Lonesome Pine RFD on Bluegrasscountry.org Tuesday morning (3/11) at 1:00 a.m. and again on Wednesday (3/13) at 10:00 p.m. (EDT)

This morning (2/29) on Lonesome Pine RFD, Cherryholmes will join Carol Beaugard from 11:00 a.m. until noon for some live music and discussion. The show is broadcast on WFDU at 89.1 FM in the New York City metro market, and online via live streaming.

The Cherryholmes segment will also be recorded for a later broadcast on the Open Mic show on WAMU-HD in the DC market and BluegrassCountry.org.

That’s how Katy Daly titled an email to us recently which included this photo of a young Carl Jackson jamming at the Bean Blossom festival in 1973.

It was taken by her fellow show host on BluegrassCountry.org, Hubie King.

Katy’s show airs Monday-Friday from 7:00-10:00 a.m., and Hubie’s (Old Time Jam) airs on Mondays at 6:00 p.m., repeating on Thursdays at 6:00 a.m. All times EST.

Multi-instrumentalist Bruce Molsky will be the featured guest on this week’s edition of Old Time Jam with Hubie King on BluegrassCountry.org.

Bruce spends an hour with Hubie talking about his music, and sharing a number of songs on fiddle, banjo and guitar - Bonapart’s Retreat, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, Roustabout, Ragtime Annie and Arkansas Traveler.

Old Time Jam airs tonight (1/14) at 6:00 p.m. (EST) and again on Thursday morning (1/17) at 6:00 a.m., online at BluegrassCountry.org and on WAMU 88.5 Channel 2 on HD Radio in the DC radio market.

The folks at BluegrassCountry.org have a special program running this next two weeks, highlighting some of the live performances they have presented on their 24/7 bluegrass audio stream.

The show is entitled Fantasy Festival at the Kampground of Our Minds, and will run through January 11 in their Open Mic time slot.

BluegrassCountry.org host Katy Daly says that they will combine many live shows into one show, where you can hear some of your favorite groups on stage.

“We wanted to highlight some of the live music that we’ve presented in special programs over the past year — groups like IIIrd Tyme Out, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Greencards, Stephen Wade, The Wilders and The Steep Canyon Rangers. We thought it would be fun to use the magic of radio to pretend that they’re all at the same venue; hence, the Fantasy Festival.”

Look for Fantasy Festival at the Kampground of Our Minds, running on Saturdays at 6:00 a.m., Mondays at 5:00 a.m., Thursdays at 3:00 a.m. and Fridays at 6:00 p.m. through 1/11/08 (all times EDT).

Catch it all live via live streaming at www.BluegrassCountry.org.

The following Christmas memory comes courtesy of Katy Daley, popular host on WAMU FM in Washington, DC for many years, and now a regular on BluegrassCountry.org.

In 1990 I produced a radio documentary on Arlington National Cemetery and met several of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns. When Christmas rolled around my husband, Bill, and I thought it would be nice to ask if any of those young soldiers might like to have a home cooked meal with our family on Christmas Eve. It turned out to be one of our most memorable family gatherings ever.

The house was packed with three young children, two sets of aunts and uncles, some grandparents and a couple of neighbors when the two young men arrived. We had all the usual Christmas trappings — the tree and other decorations, the platters of pre-dinner snacks and holiday CDs playing softly in the background. I see now that some of our Christmas traditions had become so routine they were Ho-Hum instead of Ho! Ho! Ho!

After a huge meal we were all jockeying for the most comfortable chairs when one of our Christmas guests told us he had to leave soon to perform some holiday music at his church. He said he a few minutes to play some carols for us, and suggested that if he brought his trombone in from the car maybe Bill could accompany him on the piano.

So he brought in the trombone and Bill got out the sheet music.  They ran through a few tunes and just like any impromptu jam session, there were a few “ouch” notes that had us laughing. Then he asked us all to gather around the piano and sing. We sang and laughed and called out requests for about 20 minutes before it was time for our horn section to head off to church.

We still smile when we recall the gift of music that young man — Jason Wiseman — gave this family. And we always refer to that night as “The Christmas Eve a WiseMan Came for Dinner.”

Bluegrass Ambassador Jamie Dailey, along with band mate Darrin Vincent, will be joining former Statler Brother Jimmy Fortune, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial tomorrow to commemorate its 25th anniversary.

Tomorrow begins an event that will last four full days. There are over 58,000 names inscribed on The Wall and all of them will read aloud as part of the four day commemoration event. It will take nearly 2,000 volunteers a total of 65 hours to read all the names. This is only the fourth time in the The Wall’s history that all the names have been read aloud. The first was during the original dedication. The names were also read during both the 10th and 20th anniversaries.

The memorial service begins at 3PM EST and Dailey, Vincent, & Fortune will offering a special musical tribute to the fallen soldiers.

Jimmy Fortune a former Statler and close friend of me and Darrin wrote the Statler hit “More Than a Name on a Wall” which we have recorded on our debut album. Jimmy heard this cut and saw us perform it live on our first show at the 2007 IBMA fan fest. A few days later he ask if we would come and perform it with him and sing harmony. I’m also honored that he has asked me to sing the last verse. We love Jimmy and his voice and talents and we love being around the wonderful christian man.

In addition to singing, the bluegrass duo will also be doing some reading. I asked Jamie how he and Darrin felt about being part of an event this solemn.

Darrin and I are very patriotic and we love our country. This was a great honor to have been asked to sing at The Wall, and to read some names in the memorial service. We are very thankful for all of the men and women who have served and given their life for our country and for the men and women who continue to serve and take great risk in protecting America.

Katy Daley at BluegrassCountry.org conducted a phone interview with Darrin today and will air it, along with the Dailey-Vincent version of More Than a Name on the Wall during the 8 AM hour tomorrow. Tune in online at BluegrassCountry.org.

This morning (11/1), BluegrassCountry.org has interviews on tap with a couple of bluegrass and acoustic music legends.

Sam Bush drops by at 9:00 a.m. to talk with Katy Daley about his current tour with Edgar Meyer and Jerry Douglas, which stops tonight in DC.

Then at 11:00, Lee Michael Demsey will preview his lengthy interview with Jerry Douglas. The full interview will run on Sunday (11/4) at 6:00 p.m., in which Lee and Jerry take a look (and listen) back over Jerry’s long career in music, and take a look at where he is headed next.

Catch it all live via live streaming at www.BluegrassCountry.org.

Thanks to Richard F. Thompson for putting together this lovely remembrance of Red Shipley.

Robert Grant ‘Red’ Shipley: September 4, 1937 - October 6, 2007

Legendary radio personality Red Shipley passed away in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, October 6, due to cancer. He had just recently retired from being the host of WAMU’s Stained Glass Bluegrass program, a show he hosted for 25 years. His last show was on September 16.

Shipley’s career as a bluegrass DJ has spanned more than 50 years, with the common factor throughout being the songs that serve as the foundation for his bluegrass gospel programs. He began his career at WJMA-AM in Orange, Virginia, on Memorial Day 1956. Later, during his time at WPIK-AM/WXRA-FM in Alexandria, Virginia, he began a program called Inside Bluegrass, and met Jerry Gray, who was instrumental in taking him to WAMU 88.5. Red filled in initially for Jerry and other bluegrass hosts, and in August 1982, took his place a the host of Stained Glass Bluegrass, where he remained until his recent retirement. Red’s reputation for his partiality for great music has spread world wide via the Internet and the show continues to be heard on BluegrassCountry.org.

Listeners in the Washington, DC area can also hear Stained Glass Bluegrass on WAMU’s 88.5 HD-2 (the hyper digital channels which parallels the bluegrass programming on BluegrassCountry.org.)

After his retirement from the trade show industry in late 1995, Shipley returned to Orange, Virginia., to be closer to his family. This move brought about a unique partnership between WAMU 88.5 and commercial station WJMA-FM in Orange that has allowed Red to continue to serve his regular listeners and has added even more loyal Stained Glass Bluegrass fans in central Virginia.

In September 2006, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) named Red as its Broadcaster of the Year.

In a formal announcement on the WAMU 88.5FM website, Caryn G. Mathes, General Manager for WAMU 88.5, commented on Sunday ……

“Radio lost one of its own legends last night. I’m deeply saddened by the news of Red’s passing, but grateful that he was able to spend 25 years on the air with us at WAMU, and heartened that he was able to continue doing what he loved for so long.” (more…)

Long-time bluegrass broadcaster, Red Shipley, passed away October 6 in Charlottesville, VA after a lengthy battle with cancer. Red was the host of Stained Glass Bluegrass for 25 years on WAMU-FM in Washington, DC, and also in recent years on BluegrassCountry.org.

We will have more on Red’s career in bluegrass music shortly, but wanted to pass along these details from WAMU right away:

Funeral arrangements have been made through Preddy’s Funeral Home in Gordonsville, Va. The funeral will be at 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12. Questions about the funeral arrangements can be directed to Preddy’s Funeral Home at 540-832-2111.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), at Red’s request. To find out more about how to do this, please contact IBMA directly. Their toll-free number is 1-888-438-4262, and their e-mail address is info@ibma.org.

Cards and letters may be sent to 218 Piedmont St, Apt. 1, Orange, Va., 22960.

Remembrances still may be left at the WAMU tribute line at 202-885-8827.

UPDATE 9:25 a.m.: Marc Fisher has more on Red’s career on his WashingtonPost.com blog.

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.

In the bluegrass world - as in any other - a 25th Anniversary is something to celebrate. In our slice of the music business, anyone who survives for a quarter century is rightly lauded for persevering in the face of the obstacles that confront a niche market such as ours.

Red Shipley, host of Stained Glass Bluegrass on WAMU in the Washington DC market has chosen to mark his 25th Anniversary on the show by stepping away from the microphone. This Sunday’s (9/16) program will be his last, a position he has maintained since August of 1982.

In 2006, Red was honored by the IBMA with their Broadcaster Of The Year award. His show has also been carried since 2001 on WAMU’s internet bluegrass channel, BluegrassCountry.org.

Shipley’s radio career actually spans more than 50 years, with stints at stations in Orange and Alexandria, VA. WAMU has set up a special phone line for fans and friends of Red’s show to leave their comments and well wishes: 202-885-8827.

Red’s final show will air from 6:00-10:00 a.m. (EDT) this Sunday, September 16 on both WAMU and BluegrassCountry.org. Co-host Bob Webster will assume solo host duties after Shipley’s retirement.

This week’s Musicians Tip from BluegrassCountry.org comes from banjo man Bill Emerson. Bill earned his reputation as a solid picker with Jimmy Martin and The Country Gentlemen, and then served as a musician in the US Navy Band, Country Current where he played banjo and led the group.

Bill shares his thoughts about stage presence in his brief (1 minute) audio presentation. Find it at BluegrassCountry.org, where you can listen to each of their Musicians Tips segments. A new segment is added each week, with bluegrass music professionals sharing their wisdom and experience.

Emerson has a new CD due out next month, Bill Emerson & The Sweet Dixie Band, which will feature Bill with his new group, and guest appearances from Paul Williams and Randy Waller.

Our friends at BluegrassCountry.org have launched a new feature as part of their 40th Anniversary celebration of bluegrass programming on WAMU. It’s called Musician Tips and will be a weekly audio segment with prominent bluegrass artists sharing advice on a wide range of topics that will be of interest to those seeking to improve their own songwriting, stage presence or performance.

Each tip will be run for a week in BluegrassCountry.org’s 24/7 bluegrass programming, and then be archived on their web site. You can hear the first in this series, from noted songwriter Chris Stuart, on the Musician’s Tips site, where you can also subscribe to the series as a podcast.

BluegrassCountry.org’s Katy Daly says that they have quite a lineup of artists in the pipeline.

In weeks to come we’ll feature tips from Bill Emerson, Jaime Daley, Sonya Isaacs, Joe Carr, Alan Munde, Ralph Stanley, Honi Deaton, all the Stringdusters, all the Steep Canyon Rangers, Mike Auldridge, Missy Raines, and Randy Kohrs, just to name a few.

WAMU, and it’s online sister station BluegrassCountry.org, are celebrating the summer of 2007 as their 40th year broadcasting bluegrass music. It was in 1967 that Dick Spottswood and Gary Henderson, who were among the founders of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine that same year, launched a program by that name on July 2, carried on WAMU 88.5 FM, broadcast from the campus of the American University in Washington, DC.

To help mark the anniversary, the folks at WAMU have searched through their archives and are running some special programs over the next few weeks.

The first, Katy Daley’s 1975 interview with Vassar Clements, starts tonight (8/28) at 10:48 p.m. The show is called Fiddle Players Young and Old, and will run repeatedly on BluegrassCountry.org over the next few weeks. The discussion with Vassar was recorded at DC’s legendary Cellar Door during his debut tour as a band leader, and was also the first interview Katy recorded for WAMU as a cub bluegrass radio host.

It runs again on Sunday (8/29) at 1:04 a.m., and also includes an interview with 12 year fiddler Roland Clark, who spoke with Michelle Mercer of NPR. Find future air times by checking the BluegrassCountry.org schedule online.

You can read more of the history of bluegrass programming on WAMU and BluegrassCountry.org on their web site.

Starting this Friday (7/20) BluegrassCountry.org will require user registration in order to access their 24/7 bluegrass audio stream online. There is no charge to register, and users will not need to log in each time they access the stream unless they clear or delete cookies from their web browser.

According to station management, the change is to foster better communication with listeners, and they want to assure everyone that personal information will never be shared with an outside entity. You can read their Privacy Policy online.

Listeners who access the feed via iTunes or some other web radio player will not be affected by the registration requirement. Only those who listen at www.bluegrasscountry.org will be asked to register.

I wondered whether this new registration requirement might have been precipitated by the new royalty rates for online audio streams, or the new reporting standards. Richard Cassidy, Director of Content Operations for both BluegrassCountry.org and WAMU said no.

“The registration is separate from any discussion about the new royalty rates and was planned well before the July 15 royalty rates deadline was established. While we still rely on listener support for 20% of our costs, and encourage listeners to become members, the registration process is free and not a reaction to the new royalty structure.”

With regard to their plans once new royalties go into effect, Richard had this to say:

“We’re holding our breath and hoping that the NPR/CPB negotiations with the recording industry will bear fruit. WAMU/Bluegrass Country will have to assess the financial impact going forward from the first payment if negotiations don’t yield a compromise.”