I caught up with Mark Freeman of Rebel Records recently, and he shared some information about their release schedule for 2009.

We mentioned last week that they would have a new Lost and Found CD in March, and Mark tells us that they will also have a Barry Scott Gospel project, the debut from Spring Creek and a new album from David Davis & the Warrior River Boys between April and May.

“That will quickly be followed by Don Rigsby’s first Gospel recording for Rebel sometime in June. I’m confidant Paul Williams will have a new album ready for this year, as he always does.

And that’s just the new projects… we have a few reissues and compilations planned as well. I’m confident that the John Duffey collection we’ve been promising for the past few years will see the light of day sometime this Spring; we’ll also have a Mac Wiseman CD on our Vault Masters Series coming out around that time too.

A collection tentatively titled Drive Time Bluegrass will be the first release of the year on our budget-priced 8000 Series – that will probably drop sometime early Summer. There are also plans for a second Larry Sparks Gospel compilation, a retrospective on Benny & Valle Cain, and a repackaged McPeak Brothers collection as well.”

That’s a lot to be looking forward to from Rebel this year. Hat’s off to them for continuing to release both new music, and compilations from tehir extensive collection of classic bluegrass.

Recently we provided some information about the forthcoming Longview CD Deep In The Mountains, Rounder 0578. We can now add that there are 30 second WinMedia and RealAudio audio clips available to listen to at the Rounder website.

The group is a largely studio-only supergroup, featuring James King, Don Rigsby, Lou Reid, JD Crowe, Ron Stewart and Marshall Wilborn. The personnel has changed some over the years and the three previous recordings under this name, but their penchant for finding terrific songs and capturing them in a soulful, traditional bluegrass style has remained throughout.

The CD, which has 12 tracks, is scheduled for release on April 8. You can read more about the new project in our earlier post.

Rounder Records has announced the release of a new CD from the two-time IBMA Award winning combination, Longview.

It is a little over ten years since the debut release by the super group bearing the name Longview and with their first release they caused so much of a furor that two more followed in quick succession. Now it is six years since the last and I, for one, didn’t expect to enjoy the prospect of another album.

The three remaining original members Marshall Wilborn (acoustic bass, vocals), Don Rigsby (mandolin, vocals) and James King (vocals) are joined by Lou Reid (guitar, vocals), Ron Stewart (fiddles, vocals) and J.D. Crowe (banjo, vocals) for this particular set of recordings. To quote from the liner notes, the result is…

“…a potent new line-up with the chops, discipline, and heart required to make the bluegrass tradition come alive. From the first note to the last, Deep In The Mountains is a striking update of the band’s long-held goal: soulful old-school bluegrass with soaring lead singing and riveting three-part harmonies.”

Deep In The Mountains, self produced by the group member and recorded at Skaggs’ Place Studio; Hendersonville, Tennessee, comprises a dozen excellent songs ‚Ķ‚Ķ‚Ķ..

Eating Out of Your Hand, Dudley Connell’s Weathered Grey Stone – what irony!, Randall Hylton’s Room at the Top of the Stairs, Don’t Leave Me Alone (one of two James King’s favourites by Cullen Galyean), Old Log Cabin (John Sloas-Lonnie Nipper), Cotton Eyed Joe, I’ll Love Nobody But You, Baptism of Jesse Taylor (classic country from Dallas Frazier and Sanger Shafer), the Louvin Brothers’ composition I’m Gonna Love You One More Time, At the First Fall of Snow, I Love You Yet and Georgia Bound (Charlie Moore-Bill Napier).

Don Rigsby, the prime mover in getting things organised for this album, comments ………………..

“The songs were compiled by all of the members of the band and Ken Irwin too. There actually are no new songs per se, but lots of obscure old material in keeping with the Longview tradition. The lead singing duties are split with James, Lou Reid and I. Of interest to all of the fiddlers and banjo pickers out there will be a version of Cotton Eyed Joe from Ron Stewart and J.D. Crowe with a break from myself and one from Lou Reid too.

As for rehearsal, the way we have always made these was to hatch the arrangements in the studio and record them while they were fresh.

We are currently booking shows and are booked by Mike Drudge at Class Act Entertainment. We hope to see the fans at some premier event in the near future.” (more…)

Kentucky bluegrasser Don Rigsby and his wife Tina welcomed their son, Andrew, to the world on December 1. He was born just before 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, and landed at 6 lb. 9 oz. (19.5”).

Congratulations to Don and Tina, and sister Sarah.