Soon after, Haden was performing on the Grand Ole Opry. On November 17, 2009 he’s going to be putting on a very special concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. Presented by the LA Philharmonic, Haden will be performing with his family, including son-in-law funny man Jack Black, and some powerhouse bluegrass guests.

Dan Tyminski, Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas will be joining the Haden clan for this show. It sound like a fun show.

Visit the LA Phil website for more information and ticketing info.

His first big hit came in 1973 with Uneasy Rider, a countryfied talking blues, years before the rap craze began. The hilarious song, following on the recent success of the Dennis Hopper film, Easy Rider, told the tale of a stranded, long-haired motorist who stumbles into the wrong bar looking for a phone in the deep South. It was a hit primarily in the rock music world, with a story that appealed to the “hippie” culture more than the country music world of the day, where Merle Haggard’s Okie From Muskogee had been a 1969 hit.

In 1978, Daniels’ Devil Went Down To Georgia was an even bigger hit, mixing a rock beat with an old time fiddle in a timeless story of dueling with the devil. Charlie worked the southern rock scene for many years, but always as a fiercely independent artist who went his own way. As pop and country formats moved away from his signature sound, he formed his own label, Blue Hat Records, and has released new projects annually, without regard for radio play.

In 2005, Charlie released his first bluegrass CD, Songs From The Longleaf Pines, featuring Earl Scruggs, The Del McCoury Band, Mac Wiseman, Doc Watson, Ricky Skaggs and Chris Thile. Since then, two other releases have featured substantial bluegrass content, while it is also included in his live show.

For the end of 2009, Daniels has a new CD/DVD project with a bluegrass Christmass theme. Joy To The World – A Bluegrass Christmas has an audio CD with 12 new studio tracks and a DVD with 10 live performances of the songs from the CD. The Grascals join Charlie for Christmas Time’s A Comin’, Dan Tyminski is on hand for The Christmas Song, and Kathy Mattea for O Come All Ye Faithful – on both discs.

Other guests include Aaron Tippin, Jewel, and Suzanne and Evelyn Cox.

Audio samples can be heard in iTunes, and the CD/DVD set is available from the Charlie Daniels web site and wherever recorded music is sold online.

It’s the D-28 Dan Tyminski Custom Edition, made to resemble his classic 1946 herringbone, the one he has used on the road for years with Alison Krauss, and fronting his own band. It is made with an Adirondack spruce top, Indian rosewood back and sides, and a mahogany neck with ebony fingerboard and bridge

Dan is also featured in the July ‘09 edition of Martin’s Sounding Board Newsletter, which includes a more detailed description of the guitar.

Back and sides of East Indian rosewood combine with a top of Adirondack spruce for warm, ringing tone, impressive projection and extraordinary headroom. A comfortable genuine mahogany 1 11/16″ (at the nut) “modified V” neck with long diamond volute contributes to player comfort, while the black ebony fingerboard and belly bridge add classic beauty and longevity.

Tyminski makes his namesake Custom Edition his own with distinctive details sure to appeal to flatpickers. Scalloped 5/16″ Adirondack spruce top braces cross in the non-forward “rear-shifted” position to provide uncommon balance and clarity. Special 2 1/4″ string spacing at the bridge and hand polished “bull nose” (i.e., rounded) fret ends speed both strums and runs.

The appointments are equally distinctive: bold pattern herringbone around the top, a headstock featuring Martin’s Golden Era¬Æ decal logo on a polished East Indian rosewood headplate, Martin’s historic pressure stamp on the back and nickel Waverly‚Ñ¢ tuners with oval buttons. Long/Wide Pattern “Diamond & Squares” abalone pearl fingerboard position markers run from the 3rd fret to the 17th fret, with a unique, oversized “wide diamond” at the 9th fret.

The Tyminski D-28 carries a retail price of $5149.00, with a Geib-style case. Complete product specs can be found on the Martin site.

Jack Black is a funny man for sure. He’s been through the School of Rock. Now he’s taken up an interest in bluegrass music.

Black’s father-in-law is jazz bass legend Charlie Haden. In September of 2008 Haden released a CD by the title Rambling Boy. The CD includes Haden’s family & friends, and is accordingly subtitled. The CD takes Haden back to his roots of bluegrass, folk, and old time country music. Featuring songs such as Single Girl, Married Girl, Wildwood Flower, A Tramp On The Street, and Shenandoah, the CD features all four of Haden’s children.

The original plan had not included any performance by son-in-law Black, but when he heard the mixes, he took an interest in the instrumental version of Old Joe Clark, asking if there were any lyrics to it. Soon enough, Black had laid down a vocal track to the tune that became part of the finished production.

I wasn’t sure what to expect because I haven’t recorded or really sung any old songs like that before, bluegrass style, but it came very naturally and I cranked it out in two takes.

There was something in the music that I think struck a chord in my DNA. I think I’ve got some hillbilly in my roots. … I’m already practising my square dancing if we play the Grand Ole Opry.

The “friends” part of the CD includes performances by Vince Gill, Dan Tyminski, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, and Ricky Skaggs.

In fact, the iTunes version of the disc includes an exclusive bonus track of Hold What Ya Got, recorded with Ricky Skaggs and his family, The Whites.

The mini-site for the project, hadenfamilyandfriends.com features audio samples and a video introduction to the project, including footage of Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Bryan Sutton, and of course Skaggs himself.

You can read more about Jack Black’s involvement at this link.

HT: The Australian Bluegrass Blog

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…”

When did you start writing songs yourself and what was your first song?

“About 10 years ago. My first real song was No Sad Goodbyes [recorded by Blueridge]. I’ve been fortunate only two songs I pitched haven’t been recorded.”

What other songs have you written and by whom have they been recorded?

“County Fool [Alan Bibey, accompanied by Del McCoury], Missed It By A Mile [Lonesome River Band], (You Left The) Dog Off The Chain [Junior Sisk] and Carolina Time [Jeannette Williams]. The Blue Dogs have recorded three tunes; Missed It By A Mile, The One That Didn’t Show and Four Winds. High Windy have recorded five also; Richest Man To God, Stuck Out In The Rain, Dancin’ Round The Daisies, Country Fool and Four Winds.”

What inspires you to write?

“When I hear a song that touches me or a phrase that would make a good hook I think that would make a great song. Most of my ideas come to me in dreams or right before I fall asleep.”

Wheels may be your most well known song; tell me how you came to write it.

“I really don’t remember. I use to sit up all night and just record tunes I like and I guess something spurred the idea. I do know I wrote all at once.”

Which of your songs are you most pleased with in terms of it being finished just as you intended it should?

“I like Four Winds, The Richest Man To God and Wheels. I was surprised when I heard Dan’s version, for the most part it was left the way I sent it.”

What tips would you offer for someone new to bluegrass song writing?

“Write meaningful things that you have some connection to. Its OK to make up stories, but try to take your thoughts there to that time or place. Feel it, mean it.”

What prompted you to pitch Wheels to Dan and what did Dan have to say to about the song?

“Sound engineer Daren Shumaker said Dan was looking for material and I should send it to him. Dan said when he heard the song he knew he could build an entire album around it.”

Looking back through the 10 years in which Patrick McDougal has been writing songs it is evident that those songs are of a consistently strong quality, with a couple being quickly picked up by top flight artists. At the turn of the century, Jeanette Williams’s recording of Carolina Time (on Too Blue) and the Lonesome River Band’s cut of Missed It By A Mile (on Window Of Time) have kept McDougal’s name in the minds of bands who are looking for good, fresh new material.

In addition to Wheels, Dog Off The Chain, Richest Man To God and Dancin’ Round The Daisies are all getting a lot of air play currently and each adds weight to an assertion that they represent McDougal’s best work to date.

Most recently McDougal has written four new tunes that he and his new publisher Eric Willson, with Omni Artists Productions, plan to pitch to a wide range of artists.

Editor’s note: Patrick was also featured in the most recent issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles.

The show was recorded on October 12 of this year and broadcast during the week of November 14. Patty Loveless, Chris Knight and Solas were also featured on this show.

Dan and his talented band get a substantial portion of the program, time enough for five songs from his two solo projects (How Many Times, Old Love Affair, Wheels, Heads You Win, Tails I Lose, Knock, Knock!) and his iconic version of I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow.

Joining Dan are Ron Stewart on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Barry bales on bass and Justin Moses on fiddle.

Find the audio online on the Mountain Stage archives page.

Here are the nominees for Best Bluegrass Album for 2009.

• Cherryholmes III: Don’t Believe – Cherryholmes
• Del McCoury Band ‚Äî Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival – Del McCoury Band
• The Ultimate Collection / Live At The Ryman – Earl Scruggs With Family & Friends
• Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 And 1947 – Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Wheels – Dan Tyminski

Cherryholmes also was nominated in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category for the track Sumatra from that same CD, as was Jerry Douglas for Two Small Cars In Rome from Glide, and B?©la Fleck & The Flecktones for Sleighride on Jingle All The Way.

The Steeldrivers were nominated in the Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals category for Blue Side Of The Mountain from their self-titled debut release.

Alison Krauss received several with Robert Plant for their Raising Sand CD – Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, Best Country Collaboration With Vocals and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.

Bill Monroe’s 1940 single recording of Mule Skinner Blues will also be inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame this year.

The 51 st Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS February 8, 2009. The bluegrass awards are announced and distributed in a  separate ceremony to be held earlier that day.

You’ll see Del McCoury, Dan Tyminski, Nicky Sanders (Steep Canyon Rangers), Pete & Kitsy Kuykendall, Larry & Dreama Stephenson, Nancy Cardwell of IBMA, and Casey Henry, all grace our Red Carpet. Enjoy…

Click here to view the embedded video.

This video is brought to you in part, by Huber Banjos.

Dan’s friends know that he only plays music to support his golf habit, and the new rankings of musicians who play in Golf Digest shows him moving up on a chart close to his heart.

The November 2008 issue includes the magazine’s second ranking of the Top 100 in Music, and Dan has moved up to #9, up two places since the first rankings were published in 2006. Dan improved his handicap from 5.3 to 4.4 over the past two years.

According to Golf Digest…

Handicaps are from August and were determined from the USGA’s Golf Handicap and Information Network, state associations, the musicians, publicists, friends and playing partners. Handicaps without decimal points are unofficial estimates.

A tip of the cap to Dan T.

Haden is a bass player known for his work with Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett and Pat Metheny – as well as recordings with his own groups and under his name. His music has often been on the leading edge of experimental jazz forms, and his personal politics have infiltrated much of his recorded work.

Despite his hefty jazz credentials, Haden’s first musical experiences involved performing as a child with his parents and uncles as The Haden Family in the 1940s. He started joining the family on the radio when he was just two years old, billed as Little Cowboy Charlie, and continued with the group until he was 15 years old, when a bout with polio damaged his vocal chords.

Charlie continued playing bass, and after attending music school in Los Angeles for a short time, hooked up with some of the hottest west coast jazz players of the day, leading to his stint with Coleman, a move that cemented his standing as a musician.

Now, nearly 70 years since he debuted on the radio, Haden new release hearkens back to his earliest roots, singing the old songs with his family. Rambling Boy, from Charlie Haden, Family & Friends, has him singing with his daughters instead of his parents, along with some big names from all over the music world.

There are 19 tracks on the new project, on which Haden plays bass and sings with daughters, triplets Petra, Rachel and Tanya. Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bryan Sutton, Russ Barenberg and Stuart Duncan anchor the old time and bluegrass rhythm section, with guest vocalists Ricky Skaggs, Dan Tyminski, Vince Gill, Bruce Hornsby, Roseanne Cash and Elvis Costello featured as well.

Jazz guitar master Pat Metheny also guests on several tracks.

Rachel’s husband, actor Jack Black, also offers a spirited vocal rendition of Old Joe Clark with B?©la Fleck on banjo. Other tracks include Jimmy Martin favorites 20/20 Vision sung by Hornsby, and Ocean Of Diamonds by Tyminski. Roseanne Cash offers a version of Wildwood Flower and Costello sings Hank Williams’ You Win Again.

The Haden girls contribute on the balance of the tracks, mostly traditional songs like Single Girl, Married Girl, Down By The Salley Gardens and He’s Gone Away.

Audio and video samples from Rambling Boy can be found online.

Haden sat for an interview recently with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air about this new project, and you can listen to the piece at NPR.org.

Here’s a brief YouTube clip of the Haden Family in the studio.

During that same year “Fritz,” as Martin was known, opened a guitar workshop in the loft of 196 Hudson Street, on the Lower East Side, and thus established C F Martin & Company.

For six generations the Martin family, originally from Markneukirchen, Saxony, and now of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, have designed and built guitars, always being innovative and providing the guitars to meet he needs of the day.

The company designed the mighty Dreadnought guitar, introduced in 1916, and this large-bodied guitar became the instrument for the bluegrass guitarist, being well-suited to backing up vocals, fiddles and banjos. Jimmy Martin, followed Clyde Moody, Lester Flatt and Carter Stanley in playing a Martin Dreadnought. Del McCoury, Clarence White, Charlie Waller, Charles Sawtelle, Tony Rice and David Grier continued the line. [This is an adaptation of a history published in 'British Bluegrass News' in February 1993.]

However, I don’t want to simply regurgitate a ‘dry’ history about the Martin dynasty. It is after all an oft-told and well-known story.

There is a multi-part history on he C.F. Martin & Company website. Also there was an excellent article by Dave McCarty, himself a Martin guitar player, in the March 2008 edition of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. Other publications have, or are, marking the occasion with their own stories.

So, I thought that I would ask a few guitarists for their thoughts about Martin guitars and talk about the instruments themselves. Firstly, I questioned Dan Tyminski ….

When did you acquire your first Martin and what model was it?

“Three months after I joined Alison I got a 1946 D28 Herringbone (my first guitar).”

Have you had others since?

“Yes, I have since acquired a 1942 and a 1934 (both Herringbones).”

Did you use the Martin for the recordings for Wheels?

“Yes, for Wheels and ALL other recordings I use my 1946.”

What properties does the Martin have that make it good to use for recording purposes?

“My ‘46 is one of those special once in a lifetime guitars that has superior tone in both the high and mid registers with a low end that’s not too boomy. It is dry and airy without a lot of overtones that make most other, seemingly great, guitars difficult to record.”

Blue Highway guitarist Tim Stafford shared his knowledge of Martin guitars …..

“I have two Martins currently, a 1934 D-18 and a 1946 D-28. I’ve owned several in the past. My first one was a 1966 D-28, and I think I bought it in 1988 or so, so I would have been 27.

I use the D-18 for most of my recordings, including Endless Line, although I also used a CA guitar on a few cuts on that record and the most recent Blue Highway project. Haven’t had the D-28 long enough to use!

I guess the name Martin speaks for itself. There is nothing like the tone of that old D-18. It’s sweet and strong, cutting yet deep… perfect for leads like most mahogany models, but full and powerful like the older rosewood guitars. I’ve used it on probably 2 dozen records over the last 6 or 7 years and it’s amazingly consistent. Engineers rave over it–rarely do they need to touch the EQ with that instrument in front of the mic.

I guess the most impressive guitars I’ve ever played have been Martins. I played Ricky Wasson’s 1935 Herringbone on Every Time You Say Goodbye and recently again on a project for Missy Werner. That guitar has the best bluegrass tone I’ve ever witnessed in person.”

James Alan Shelton, of the Clinch Mountain Boys, had this to say ……

“I actually own three Martin guitars – a 1946 D-28 Herringbone, a 1956 D-28 and a 2001 HD-28. In my opinion, you just can’t beat the old Martins for that sweet tone with the volume and punch needed to play bluegrass music. My 1946 D-28 is my favorite guitar that I own and I still take it on the road occasionally. It has everything I need in a great guitar; power, good tone, volume and reliability. Plus it has good intonation, which is a must, for a guitar must play in tune for it to be reliable for stage and studio work. I like a guitar that I can depend on, when I put the ‘46 in the mic I know what to expect. I like the D-28s because I need the power of a rosewood guitar as opposed to a mahogany guitar.

Of course all the great bluegrass guitarists down through the years have relied on Martins, so it’s kind of a tradition to own and play one.”

The founder of the Johnson Mountain Boys and guitarist with the Seldom Scene, Dudley Connell also responded to my questions …..

When did you get your first Martin guitar, what model was it and how old were you?

“I bought my first Martin guitar in 1974, when I was eighteen years old. It was a D-35 that I purchased from a Catholic priest. He felt that it was a little disrespectful to play such a fine instrument in front of his congregation while asking for contributions to the church. Unfortunately, that guitar was destroyed during a barroom brawl in Amherst, Massachusetts while on an early tour with the Johnson Mountain Boys. I still have the pieces.”

What Martin guitars do you have presently?

“That guitar was replaced shortly after by a 1974 Martin D-28, purchased from Chris Warner in Hanover, Pennsylvania. I used that instrument on the first three or four Johnson Mountain Boys records. It’s the guitar pictured in the book Honky Tonk by Henry Hornstein; a photograph that was featured in an exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. I still own that instrument.

The guitar I currently play, and have played and toured with since purchasing it in 1983, is a 1943 D-28 herringbone. I’ve used that guitar on all my recordings since then. I think it has a booming, distinctive sound.”

You are often praised for your rhythm guitar playing, getting a drum-like effect to your sound. What is it about the Martin guitars that respond to your playing in this way?

“Martins are very responsive guitars, with a big and balanced tone, which is why they’re used so much in bluegrass. I like to think that my right hand pushes the rhythm along, anticipating the next beat with different runs and fills. I actually started playing drums when I was a teenager, and like to play with beats and rhythms on the guitar. I also try to compliment what is going on around me, and will approach my right hand technique with the Seldom Scene differently than I would on a Longview performance or recording. I just try and listen and play what fits.”

On a more general level, it has been reckoned that about 95% of all bluegrass guitarists either possess or have aspirations to own a Martin guitar.

Happy Birthday C F Martin & Company. We salute you.

Footnote: September 9, 1894 is also the date that C F Martin III was born.

At 3:00 p.m. (EDT), you can hear a track-by-track run-through of Dan Tyminski’s recent Wheels album, with Dan joining Kyle for comment and discussion of each of the songs included on the CD.

The Tyminski program is set to air several times over the next two weeks, all times eastern.

• September 1 – 3:00 p.m.
• September 3 – 6:00 p.m.
• September 9 – 8:00 a.m.
• September 13 – 4:00 p.m.

Speaking of XM, their new Nashville studios were in the news last week, with coverage from WTVF NewsChannel 5 is Nashville. The story is posted online, with text, photos and video showing the new XM digs.

The song was written by Marla Cannon-Goodman, Jennifer Hanson and Michael Heeney, and offers the first glimpse at her next CD, And The Wheels Turn, due October 7 on Rural Rhythm.

It tells the story of ending a failed romance without remorse, and you can hear an audio sample below.

Listen now:

The new CD draws on the musicianship of some of Nashville’s top bluegrass artists, with contributions from Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey, Tim Stafford, Randy Kohrs, Aubrey Haynie, Wyatt Rice, Jody King, Barry Bales and Deanie Richardson. Helping out with harmony vocals are Ronnie Bowman, Garnet Imes Bowman, Sonya Isaacs and more.

Melonie is especially excited about one guest artist, with whom she sings a duet. Country music legend Willie Nelson joins her for one track, Back To Earth, a song he wrote and recorded on his Songbird album.

He had high praise for the new CD.

"Melonie Cannon is one of the best singers I know. Her new bluegrass album is fantastic. I love her voice anyway, but singing with a great bluegrass band was a good idea. They blend well together. The fact that I got to sing with her on a song I wrote makes it even better.”

We hope to get some thoughts from Melonie about the new CD soon.

Produced by Rounder Records and hosted by Brad Paul, the special includes a full hour of interview conversation with Dan Tyminski. Dan and Brad discuss the new CD Wheels, how Dan first became interested in bluegrass music, how he was invited to join AKUS, working on the O Brother soundtrack, and lots more.

So tune in this afternoon at 1PM. Online at BluegrassRadio.org. In South Georgia at 105.1 FM.

Rounder has revealed a little about the making of the video and the picturesque setting that all but steals the show.

Directed by Rocky Schenck and produced by Rocky Schenck and Brad Paul, the video, was shot on the unique Sierra Hotel train car on June 10 -11 in California.

The Sierra Hotel car was part of the California Zephyr line that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles from 1948 to 1983. The car was then purchased privately and completely restored and customized. The producers of the video chartered the car and had it attached to the Amtrak Coast Starlight train (which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles) in Oakland and shot the video during the journey south to Los Angeles and back to Oakland the next day. Wheels features grand iconic scenery, informal performances and humorous vignettes about the band finding ways to stay entertained while on the road.

The video is being added on GAC on Tuesday, July 22 and is currently in heavy rotation on CMT Pure. It can also be viewed online.

The video shows Dan and his band traveling the country by train, and rather than telling the story of the song, you see the guys goofing off in a variety of scenes.

Funny stuff…

Carol offered a taste of their discussion…

“Dan talked about his early days as a mandolin player and vocalist with The Lonesome River Band. We spoke at length about the new album and Dan shared why he chose many of the songs included on the project and what the songs meant to him. We also reviewed his work in the movie ‚ÄòO Brother Where Art Thou’ and his experience working with George Clooney, the Coen Brothers and T-Bone Burnett.”

The show is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon (EDT) on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

Carol also sent along a few photos she took at the band’s 6/24 concert at the Blender Theater in New York.

Due July 8, Moneyland is a concept project, using songs to make a statement about the state of rural America, which they see as in need of special attention. The CD was initially produced to be a campaign item for the now suspended presidential campaign of former NC Senator John Edwards, which will be released to the general public instead.

Most of the tracks are previously released recordings from Mac Wiseman, Merle Haggard, Patty Loveless, Dan Tyminski, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Tim O’Brien, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The Del McCoury Band is also featured on a number of newly recorded tracks, including a remake of The Beatles’ When I’m 64.

The cover is a play on the classic Grant Wood painting, American Gothic, but with a figure dressed in red, white and blue stealing away in the background with a bag of money.

McCoury Music has pressed 1,000 collectors edition CDs with a alternate cover featuring Del himself as the farmer being fleeced by the crooked politician. Each of these will be signed and numbered, with a portion of the proceeds going to an unspecified organization to aid the homeless.

To order the collectors CD – and hear audio samples from the album – visit McCoury Music online.

The Tuesday Opry broadcast is available over the air in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com. It can also be heard live on XM channel 11 (XM Nashville).

The new CD is in stores today, and available from online resellers. There are still no audio samples on the Rounder site, but two clips can be heard on Dan’s MySpace page, or samples from all 12 tracks in iTunes.

Though the event officially begins on Thursday (6/5) and runs through Sunday (6/8), there is a kickoff concert tonight (6/4) at 10:00 p.m. hosted by Marty Stuart which will feature sets by The SteelDrivers and Old Crow Medicine Show.

On Thursday there will be a stage dedicated largely to bluegrass music. From 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (local time) the Chevy Plaza stage will include performances by Sierra Hull, SteelDrivers, Dan Tyminski and Mountain Heart.

Jim Van Cleve, fiddle man with Mountain Heart, passed along a few of the public and media events where they will be involved this week.

“We are really excited, and feel very fortunate to be involved with something of this magnitude, especially on so many different levels. CMA Music Festival is a giant affair, and Mountain Heart is going to be a very visible presence there!

We’ll be performing on the Chevy Music Stage, set up just outside the Sommet Center on Broadway, on Thursday afternoon at 2:45. We’ll be doing lots of TV and radio interviews, including XM and several country radio stations. We’re also signing autographs in the GAC and Grand Ole Opry booths in the truTV Fan Fair Hall at the convention center. To start it all off on Wednesday, we’re going to be riding in the Chevy Kickoff Parade that travels right down Broadway. We’ve all been practicing our ‘Princess Waves,’ too, so we should be ready to roll. lol.

From Nashville, we’re heading to Enterprise, Alabama, for the first-ever BamaJam Music & Arts Festival on Saturday. The festival runs Thursday through Saturday and has a ridiculously great lineup of artists from country, bluegrass, acoustic and Americana. We’re talking about everyone from Ralph Stanley and Ricky Skaggs, to Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Hank Jr., to Trace Adkins, Little Big Town, Yonder Mountain String Band and Old Crow Medicine Show. It’s going to be a blast!”