Many have featured some of bluegrass music’s most celebrated players, and introduced fiery bluegrass picking to new listeners based on their primary interest in the artists whose career is receiving the grassy tributes.

We hear from CMH that they are currently searching for new producers and bands for upcoming tribute projects. They ask that anyone interested in being a part of future tributes should contact either Jim Silvers or Greg Sanford at CMH.

Cornbread Red likes to refer to themselves as “the Steely Dan of bluegrass,” a reference to the successful pop act whose two primary writers spend most of their time in the studio carefully crafting their music.

The band consists of Stan Dailey on bass and lead vocals, Mark Whitehead on mandolin and guitar, Mark Scott on banjo and Dennis Clifton on resonator guitar. They have recorded a number of similar projects for CMH records, including tributes to Aerosmith, Nickelback and Maroon 5.

You can hear audio samples from Runnin’ Against The Wind in iTunes.

He was a flamboyant performer, and a favorite with fans in the 50s and 60s for his singing and fiddling, plus his huge smile and larger-than-life persona on stage. Benny passed away in 2001, but had been in ill health since the mid-’80s, so a great many younger bluegrass fans and fiddlers have only a passing acquaintance with his brilliant playing.

Thanks to CMH Records, one of his classic recordings is set to be reissued on CD. The Fiddle Collection, originally released as a 2 LP set in 1977, is set to hit the street on October 9 in a special CD edition. The tracks from the original vinyl have been remastered, and a number of bonus tracks are included as well, all of which feature John Hartford on banjo.

Among the 28 tracks are such favorites as Lee Highway Blues, Fiddlers Dream, Back Up And Push and Ragtime Annie, as well as bluegrass numbers like Flint Hill Special, Footprints In The Snow and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

To get a feel for just how influential Martin was on the next generation of fiddlers, we asked a few of the current nominees for the IBMA Fiddle Player Of The Year Award for comment.

First up is Mountain Heart’s Jim Van Cleve:

“Big Tige (Benny Martin) was the quintessential bluegrass fiddle player…Unbelievably rich tone, especially considering the recording technology of the time, an incredible awareness of the vocal and an inventiveness for where he needed be in context to it. It was so natural for him. Ultimately, he played a huge part in defining for a lot of players, myself included, what types of things were appropriate for the bluegrass fiddler. It’s not unlike what Tony Rice eventually did for bluegrass guitar. His signature fire and enthusiasm just underlined the fact that what he was playing and creating was perfect!”

Ron Stewart, fiddling with JD Crowe & The New South added these words:

“Benny Martin put the fiddle to a new level with tone, phrasing, and double stops!!! He played aggressive, got a huge tone, and slid double stops like no one has or ever will! His name was ‘Big Tiger,’ ‘Big’ for tone, and ‘Tiger’ for how he attacked! Anyone who plays fiddle, or aspires to play fiddle, should know Benny’s work.”

We also heard from Hunter Berry, from Rhonda Vincent & The Rage:

“Benny ‘Big Tige’ Martin is one of the greatest bluegrass fiddlers in history. His stint with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs gave his fiddling an opportunity to build himself a foundation for a prosperous career. Big Tige was one of the first fiddle players to play with the same authority as the lead vocal and with as much aggression as the banjo. Combined with incredibly well rounded vocals and swing-like rhythms, Benny created a category all of his own.”

Fellow fiddle legend Bobby Hicks also had a few words to share about Martin.

“Benny and I were good friends at the time I was working for Bill Monroe. I don’t know anything bad or funny about him, but God knows WHAT A FIDDLE PLAYER HE WAS!!!!”

You can hear several audio samples from The Fiddle Collection on the CMH web site.

One such opportunity arose almost immediately upon their arrival – a bluegrass tribute to the music of TV’s animated blockbuster, The Simpsons! It will be released this summer on CMH Records, to coincide with the theatrical release of The Simpsons full length feature film.

Rebecca said that taking this on as a Hit & Run project fell into place immediately, and was among the first things they tackled after getting settled in.

“CMH has been asking us to do a project since they first heard us in 2004, but we’ve always been too busy on the road to fit in a record for them. This spring we took some time off the road to get moved to Nashville, and we actually recorded it seven days after we got to town. Basically we drove a U-Haul to Nashville, unpacked boxes, and drove to Merlefest to play with Donna Hughes. Two days later we cut this record.

Since John and I had just moved and were unable to fly in the other band members, we asked our good friends from The Infamous Stringdusters to pitch in their efforts.

We were lucky enough to work with Rich Adler at Soundwave Studios. We had a blast with him! He has recorded everyone in bluegrass, it seems. He recorded Every Time You Say Goodbye (Alison Krauss), and Mark Twang (John Hartford). He also recorded Comes A Time, one of my favorite Neil Young records.”

The title of the CD is Four Finger Music – The Bluegrass Tribute to the Music Made Famous by The Simpsons. I don’t suppose you have to be a big Simpsons fan to get a kick out of this, but if you are one (like me), it seems destined to be a cult classic.

I asked Rebecca if they were fans of the show.

“Frazier is the real Simpsons fan of the group. He’s seen more episodes than I knew existed, and he quotes them freely and fondly.

It was definitely an enjoyable experience. CMH choose the songs, and some of the music is so silly, we’d all just burst out laughing while we sang it. The tunes are hilarious and they definitely evoke the spirit of the show. We kept the show-tune feeling on a lot of the songs, but we bluegrass-ized them at the same time.

I think you can hear that we were having fun in the studio. We recorded it in three days, basically live, with improvised solos and zero tuning on the vocals.”

You can find a full track listing and audio samples on the CMH web site. The opening and closing instrumental themes from the show bookend the project, with the 12 vocals in between. Regular Simpsons watchers will recognize the songs, with standouts like The Stonecutters theme, I Bagged Me A Homer and Hail To Thee, Kamp Krusty.

It is set for a July 17 release, ten days before The Simpsons Movie opens in theaters.

I also asked Rebecca how they like living in Nashville.

“It’s been a blast here so far. We’ve met incredible, talented, soulful, creative people, and we love being in the center of so much music. I know that we haven’t even begun to experience what Middle Tennessee has to offer, but we’ve enjoyed it so far. Plus, we’re closer to our parents, who live in Chicago and Virginia!

As I type, we’re headed down to Georgia for a festival. The past couple weekends, we did festivals and shows in Utah, Colorado, Ohio, and Michigan. We’re still playing with Larry Gangi on banjo (from Missoula, MT) and Ricky Keen on Dobro (from Benson, NC). The newest member is our bass player/singer, David Mayfield, who lives in Nashville.”

You can find out more about this engaging young band on their web site, where you can also find their tour schedule.

Songs:

• Real Good Man
• Indian Outlaw
• Where the green grass grows
• My best friend
• Please remember me
• Ain’t no angles – written by Brad Davis and Billy Montana
• Down on the farm
• I like it I love it
• Live like you were dying
• My thirty years
• Something like that

First, Brad is the co-writer for every song on a new CD by Billy Bob Thornton. Not only did Brad co-write all the material, he also plays and sings on the record. It’s not really bluegrass, but it can’t help but have some grass hidden in there somewhere when Brad is involved.

The other project he’s worked on recently is a bluegrass tribute to Tim McGraw. This is another CMH Records project similar to the Strummin’ With The Devil tribute to Van Halen. On this particular CD though, it’s really all Brad. Brad played guitar, mandolin and bass. He also sang all but one tune on the record. That one was sung by Billy Bob. Joining Brad on the CD are his brother Greg Davis on banjo, Rob Ickes on dobro, Hoot Hester on fiddle, and Larry Marrs on harmony vocals.

Brad produced this CD as well as being the principle musician on it. So, for all you Brad Davis fans this will be a must have I’m sure.

Interestingly, the CD is finished and I believe it’s already shipped to distribution, but I could find no info about it on the CMH website. Brad was calling me from the CMH parkinglot where he was picking up a box for himself. He promised to send me a copy, so I’ll be sure to share with you what I think after I receive it.

The new CD contains previously unreleased recordings with Tony Rice, Charlie Waller, The Fox Family, Bel??? Fleck with additional performances from Jack Lawrence, Sammy Shelor, Robin & Linda Williams, Randy Waller, Mike Auldridge, Dan Tyminski, John Starling, Mark Schatz and Bill Clifton.

Jimmy was first introduced to bluegrass audiences in 1969 as the new mandolinist with The Country Gentlemen, and went on to also be a part of IInd Generation (with Eddie Adcock), JD Crowe & The New South, Spectrum (with Bel??? Fleck) and The Tony Rice Unit among several others. Both as a mandolinist and a distinctive tenor vocalist, Jimmy made his mark on each of these acts, and enjoys the respect and admiration of pickers and fans alike as a result.

We had an opportunity to discuss the new CD with Jimmy recently and discovered that it is a very personal project for him.

“It started several years ago with a few tunes I had in my collection which I thought would be a good mix/foundation for a compilation CD, as this is. I then decided to go into the studio(s) and record tunes/artists…both, to complete the picture I really wanted to see and suddenly I was looking at a list of more than 30 tunes (there’s actually another album’s worth of material which I had to cut in order to trim it down to a single CD…that was tough!)”

“I was fortunate to be the 2005 inductee into SPBGMA’s Preservation Hall Of Greats, and in preparation for my acceptance speech at their annual convention in Nashville last February, I decided my ‘theme’ would focus on how lucky AND blessed I’ve been to have been able to play in bands with some of the greatest pickers and singers in bluegrass. This year I, yet another ‘baby boomer’ will turn the big 6-0 (Yikes!) and as I approach retirement (oh yes. my good friend Bill Emerson has shown me that it can be done) I look back and see that it was LUCK that enabled me (who is, in my estimation, a limited-ability player and tenor singer) to land the job with the Country Gentlemen in 1969. That position and more luck down the line, opened the doors to numerous recording opportunities and associations with several ‘name’ bands over the last 37 years and the BLESSINGS came with all the friends I’ve made during this time. It is my true intention to project this sentiment with this release…not just to say ‘Kilroy was here.’ “

Can you tell me a bit about the live recordings? Are these recordings that you have collected over the years, or were they made with an eye towards an eventual release?

“There are 3 live cuts on the project, two from the Towne Crier in Pawling, NY (Tony Rice Unit) and one from The Prism Coffeehouse in Charlottesville, VA (with Jack Lawrence). One of the TRU cuts features him on his version of the Adcock/Thatcher tune, Another Lonesome Morning, and the other features me singing the Jimmy Martin favorite There Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone , which we decided to do when Bel??? dropped in to see the Unit and was invited on stage to do a couple tunes. Crazy Blues is a tune I had previously recorded with Spectrum and selected it for this project on the merits of Jack Lawrence’s super guitar break. All the live cuts are from my collection of digital collection and were NOT made with the intention of ever being released.”

Can you describe the mix of live vs studio tracks?

“Again there are only 3 live cuts. It turns out that the remaining 14 cuts are split evenly between tracks from existing projects (7) and tracks I put together in various studios in later years (7) which feature tunes I always wanted to record, or in one case (You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, which I originally did in 1971 with Eddie Adcock and The IInd Generation), re-record.”

Are some of these tracks where you were a featured guest on another act’s recording?

“The existing tracks I referred to are, in fact from selected projects I worked on over the years and include songs that ’stood out’ at the time I was involved with their recording. I specifically set my sights on them when I decided to put my collection together. The songs and the artists with whom I was privileged to record are uniquely special to me. Also, because they for the most part, came out on small labels (some of which no longer exist) or in a couple cases were never released, I think I can safely say that they haven’t had much ‘exposure,’ so most people who pick up my CD will be hearing this material (all of it, in fact) for the first time.”

You can see a track listing on the CMH web site, but no online audio samples as yet. They indicate that in addition to the 17 tracks of music, In Good Company also contains detailed liner notes from Jimmy with remembrances and impressions of his 37 years sharing his music with us.