Rick Hayes Instruments, makers of dreadnaught guitars and F-5 mandolins, is proud to announce today that Clay will be endorsing their mahogany guitar. It is a solid wood guitar, made with Honduran mahogany back, sides and neck, and high grade spruce for the top. The fingerboard and bridge are of West African ebony, and the guitar sells for $2999.

As you might expect, Clay speaks very highly of the guitar.

“The Rick Hayes guitar I have been playing for the past year is one of the top five guitars I’ve ever played. I recorded most of my new recording with a 1938 D18, which is my favorite guitar. I recorded the rest with the Hayes guitar. I’ll let y’all try to tell which is which because I can’t.”

More details can be found on Rick’s web site.

A single has just been sent to radio on the new Rural Rhythm Fresh Tracks CD. The title of the single is Devil of the Trail. The song is based on a true story and written by Randy, Dennis Goodwin, and Ashley Brown.

The players on this particular cut are Ron Block on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Randy on resonator guitar, Clay Hess on acoustic guitar, Tim Crouch on fiddle, and Aaron Ramsey on bass.

The tenor singer on the new Randy Kohrs single is Shannon Lawson. Lawson was a co-writer on the song “Who’s Goin’ With Me” from the last album.

Other special guests on the upcoming CD include Ronnie and Garnet Bowman, the McCrary Sisters, and more!

Here’s a sample of the song through the first chorus. Email your local bluegrass radio show and request the single if you want to hear the whole thing.

Devil of the Trail:   

Guitar gunslinger Clay Hess, currently working with Sierra Hull & Highway 111, married Samantha West on May 22 in Gatlinburg. They were engaged in mid-February and are living now in Ohio.

Congratulations and best wishes to Clay and Samantha!

In addition to Clay on guitar and Sierra on mandolin, the band includes Jacob Eller on bass and Cory Walker on banjo. Both Sierra and Clay will take on lead vocal chores.

Clay finds himself as the “old guy” in the group, with Sierra and Cory still in their teens, and Jacob only 26 years old.

You can check their 2009 tour schedule online.

One of the surest signs of the continuing growth of interest in bluegrass music is the success of the many new instructional camps and workshops held each year. Some are instrument specific, while others offer classes for many or all bluegrass instruments at the same time. They are gaining in number and popularity all over the US and Europe as pickers seek to learn more about the music they love.

St. Louis Flatpick is one hosted by guitarist Bull Harman, who developed the concept and started the weekend workshop event to help boost interest in flatpicking in the Midwest.

My wife, Tammy, and I attend workshops throughout the U.S. and have noticed that our area was severely lacking in a weekend workshop type event. So based upon on our experience with others’ weekends, we decided to start St. Louis Flatpick. We are proud to say that this is our 4th year, of hopefully many. We planned the 3 day event months before it’s actual time to allow for preparation and advertising. Our Exhibit Hall hosts several of our sponsors throughout the weekend and our Saturday evening concert has become the highlight of the weekend. Students are thrilled at the opportunity to sit back and watch their instructors shine.

Our goal was to bring a workshop of this kind to the Midwest area, where there aren’t classes available of this type. We outgrew our first hotel after the first year moved to the Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel in St. Louis where we have lots of room to grow including a ballroom for the concert.

This year’s event will be March 7, 8 & 9th in St. Louis, MO. Featured instructors will be Clay Hess and David Grier

Hess is the new guitarist with Mountain Heart, and had previously worked with both Ricky Skaggs and Mark Newton. Hayes plays mandolin with The Gibson Brothers, and makes handmade Hayes Mandolins in his Cincinnati shop.

The pair will offer their workshop on November 17 at Zeiler Music Center in Rising Sun, IN. Three one-hour classes will be held from 2:00-5:00 p.m., followed by an evening concert.

The workshops are described by the organizers thusly:

The three consecutive one-hour workshops will cover bluegrass 1) guitar and 2) mandolin techniques and then 3) how they fit within a band structure. Time will be allowed for question and answers as well.

Full contact and registration info for the 11/17 event can be found online.