Every so often, we find a wealth of opportunities to catch live bluegrass on the radio, and this next few days promises a bonanza over the air, online and via satellite.

Dennis Jones will have Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass performing live on WNCW this afternoon (5/9) during the 5:00 p.m. hour (EDT). WNCW broadcasts on several frequencies in western NC, and streams their signal over the Internet as well.

Both the Friday and Saturday Grand Ole Opry broadcasts this weekend will include performances from The Del McCoury Band and The Whites. Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys will also appear on Friday. The show is available over the air in the Nashville market on WSM AM 650, and simulcast worldwide via online streaming at wsmonline.com.

One more, but with no live music… An interview with Doyle Lawson will be aired several times this weekend on XM’s enLighten channel (XM 34). Doyle will join host Dan Dixon for an in-depth discussion of Doyle’s music and the faith that informs it. Look for Doyle at 7:00 p.m. tonight (5/9) and again on Saturday (5/10) at 5:00 p.m.

We got a note yesterday from Suzanne Lawson asking us to remind everyone that the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver video for Sadie’s Got Her New Dress On is in the running for CMT’s Pure 12-Pack Countdown. The song is the debut single for Doyle’s most recent Rounder release, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall.

Visitors to Pure 12-Pack at CMT.com vote Fridays-Wednesdays and the top 12 are posted each Friday. Bluegrass videos have done well in this poll in the past, with Randy Kohrs sitting at #1 for several weeks earlier this year.

To vote for Sadie, just visit CMT.com and put your check next to his photo. You can watch all the videos - including Cadillac Sky’s Born Lonesome - online at the voting site. Multiple votes are allowed, and you can select up to 12 videos with each vote.

In another Doyle Lawson note… His brand new Gospel CD, Help Is On The Way, is available for immediate delivery on orders from Doyle’s web site.

The latest album from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver - and the first featuring the veteran band leader’s new bunch of pickers and singers - is due for release March 30 on Horizon Records.

Help Is On The Way was recorded over December ‘07 and January ‘08 with Darren Beachly on guitar/vocals, Joey Cox on banjo, Alan Johnson on fiddle, Carl White on bass/vocals, Josh Swift on resonator guitar/vocals and Lawson on mandolin/vocals. It is an all-Gospel project, a recurring theme in Doyle’s music.

“I believe these songs are timely for today and the way America’s over-all faith seems to be waning. Each song has it’s own message, but ‘Help Is On They Way’ is what I built the concept of this CD around.”

Doyle told us that working with his new band in the studio was “absolutely wonderful,” and that he is eager to get the new CD out there for everyone to hear.

“To me this recording has a freshness and energy about it. I know  each one of us were excited about recording this first CD together. This is the most fun I’ve had recording in quite some time.”

The title track is being played on a number of bluegrass and Gospel radio stations, and you can expect to hear plenty more when promos are sent out in the next few weeks. Pre-ordering is enabled now on Doyle’s web site.

The music video for Sadie’s Got Her New Dress On, from the latest Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver CD, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall, debuts today at CMT.com. It’s a production video, complete with dancers, Sadie and several new dresses, Doyle and the boys pickin’ at a dance - and even a fight scene!

Watch the full length video at CMT.com.

The band has been hard at work this fall on their next CD, an all Gospel project titled Help Is On The Way. It is set for a March release on Horizon, and Doyle feels like it may be his best recorded effort to date.

We’ll keep you posted as more details about the new CD emerge.

This Christmas message comes from Doyle Lawson.

As the song says, It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. It truly is my favorite time of the year. However, with the hustle and bustle of shopping for just the right gift, we sometimes lose sight of the true reason for the season.

This is the time of year we set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior, who gave us the greatest gift, the hope for eternal life.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May it be your happiest one to date.

Doyle Lawson is packing up his merry band and heading for New York City to perform live on A Prairie Home Companion this Saturday evening (12/15). They have two Christmas tunes ready - an instrumental medley and a different take on Jingle Bells - but aren’t sure what host Garrison Keillor has in mind for their selections.

I had a chance to chat with Doyle’s wife, Suzanne, earlier this week who is going along for the NYC trip.

“I’m going to see the lights, tree, and decorations and I wouldn’t miss PHC if at all possible. There’s nothing like live radio.”

Suzanne said that she would try her best to get a couple of the guys to go with her and join the crowd that lines up for the cameras outside the Today Show studios on Saturday morning, so check NBC between 7:00-9:00 a.m. (EST) to see if you can catch a glimpse of them.

“When I asked [new banjo picker] Joey [Cox] is he was willing to get up early and go to the Today Show with me this Saturday morning, he asked me what the Today Show was!

Joey is really a hot picker and all the girls enjoy looking at him too! In fact, Doyle has a nice looking bunch of young guys. with him now. He has also found that 3 of the guys play piano: Carl, Alan and Josh. Josh also plays drums and they all play that new Nintendo Wii game. In fact, Josh threw his back out swinging at Tiger Woods golf on the bus and had to go to the doctor!”

A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts live over a great many public radio stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133, at 6:00 p.m. (EST). Many other stations carry the show later on Saturdays, or on Sundays. Check local listings for air times in your area.

Suzanne also shared a bit of Quicksilver recording news. She tells us that Doyle is about half finished on his next CD, an all Gospel project. This will be the first release with the latest version of the band: Darren Beachley on guitar, Joey Cox on banjo, Alan Johnson on fiddle, Josh Swift on dobro and Carl White on bass - with Doyle on mandolin, of course.

She also mentioned that Doyle and Darren are thinking of recording a new Christmas project in 2008. Sounds like a busy year for Doyle and his crew.

The 9513 is the country/roots blog very similar to The Bluegrass Blog. It’s a blog that covers new, album releases, and other items of interest to country music fans. Sometimes bluegrass and country get a little friendly and stray into one another’s worlds. Such is the case with their latest giveaway.

The 9513 is celebrating its one year anniversary by giving away a limited number of iTunes album downloads. Here’s how it works. Visit their site and read this post. Leave a comment telling them how much you like their blog and which album on the list you would be interested in. They will randomly select 40 winners from among the commenters.

Two of the albums on the list are bluegrass. One is Old Photograph by Randy Kohrs, the other is More Behind The Picture Than The Wall by Doyle Lawson. So, if you are a bluegrass fan and don’t yet have one of these recordings, here’s a chance to win a digital copy for free.

Doyle Lawson has just announced the acquisition of another hot young picker.  Twenty one year old dobro player Josh Swift is the newest member of Quicksilver, effective this past weekend.

Josh had been performing until just recently as a member of Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, and is understandably excited about his new gig.

Doyle speaks very highly of his newest hire as well.

“I first heard Josh when I was working Dollywood a couple weeks ago. He was performing with Darrell Webb and a few others. When I heard his Dobro  playing it just blew my socks off. I turned around and looked and listened to him for a good while.  Josh came to IBMA specifically to try out with Quicksilver and chat some more. We tried him out Friday night at the Gibson/First Quality showcase and he didn’t miss a beat. I asked him if he wanted to go to Texas with us for the weekend and he said ‘yes sir.’

This is just another step I’m taking to provide better music and entertainment for my fans and this is the hottest band I’ve had in a while. I seldom do this, but we jammed for over three hours the other night -  running through old songs - - and pulling out old standards.

Having Josh in addition to Alan’s suburb fiddling and Joey’s excellent banjo picking is going to be exciting!”

Check Quicksilver’s tour schedule online to find a chance to catch them live.

Here’s a reminder that Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be performing live for a full hour tomorrow (9/6) on Blue Plate Special, streamed live at WDVX.com. The show runs from noon to 1:00 p.m. (ET). If you will be near Knoxville, TN you can catch the show at 89.9 FM.

Doyle and the boys will surely be featuring songs from their latest CD, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall, and listeners will have the chance to check out the newly reformed lineup of Quicksilver, with Joey Cox on banjo and Carl White singing and playing bass.

Doyle is currently leading in several categories in our 2007 Bluegrass Blog Awards poll, which mirrors the official IBMA Awards ballot. If you haven’t already, register and vote today!

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver welcomed their new bass player, Carl White, this past weekend. The 27 year old bass player hails from Richlands, VA where he grew up singing southern gospel music.

Doyle has seen a number of band member changes recently. The most recent being the departure of Ron Spears. Jamie Dailey, long-time band member on guitar and vocals, will be leaving the band after this coming weekend.

Carl has stepped in to take over the bass duties, rounding out the current line up which features Darren Beachley on guitar, Joey Cox on banjo, Alan Johnson on fiddle, and of course, Doyle himself on mandolin.

Carl left these comments on the forum at Doyle’s website.

I just got home a bit ago from my first week out with Doyle,what a great time that we had!!! All of the band members and staff of DL&Q have made me feel so welcome, not failng to mention the unbelievable support and overwhelming response I have gotten already from DL&Q’s wonderful fans. I count it an honor to be a part of such a wonderful group of people. My first week felt like I had been there for years.

Be sure to keep an eye on Doyle’s tour schedule to know when and where you can hear Quicksilver near you.

I guess that a new CD, a revamped stage band and a busy touring schedule won’t be the highlight of Doyle Lawson’s summer of ‘07.

The news that has him occupied at present is the birth of his first grandchild, Spencer Raleigh Lawson Williams, on July 18. He is the son of Doyle’s daughter Kristi, and her husband Ben.

Grandma Suzanne Lawson shared a few details:

“He is a big boy, weighing in at 8 lbs. 11 oz., and he’s 21.5″ long. He has really big feet, a bit of dark hair and dark eyes. The Lawsons and extended family couldn’t be more excited.”

From the look of the accompanying photo, it appears that Doyle is already teaching Spencer to sing!

Congratulations all around to Doyle and his family.

The Country Gentlemen 50th Anniversary Celebration concert took place last weekend and it seems the show was taped. No word yet as to whether there will be a DVD release, but it seems likely.

Randy Waller’s website has a video available of the reunion band playing the Country Gentlemen classic Rebel Soldier. What a great sound. Randy sings lead with Doyle Lawson cutting the tenor.

The video is in Windows Media format and the clip is 37 MB, so those with a slow connection will need to be patient. It’s worth the wait though.

Sugar Hill Records is releasing more sets in the Americana Master Series today (7/10/07), among them four bluegrass albums. These will comprise anthologies by Peter Rowan, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Lonesome River Band and the Nashville Bluegrass Band.

This series presents the award-winning music of Sugar Hill’s Americana Masters. Researched and compiled from the artist’s body of work on Sugar Hill Records, these tracks were culled from radio chart toppers, fan mail, downloads, and songs and tunes that are recurrent favorites at live performances. The series is designed to provide longstanding fans with a collection of favourites. For new fans, this series offers concise entry into the artistic output of these seminal artists—with liner notes that can help them to discover more and to delve more deeply into the artist’s catalogue.

Not surprisingly, the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver collection features all Gospel material, 18 songs spread across the many years that the group has been associated with Sugar Hill Records. The opening track is He Put A Rainbow In The Clouds For Me from the eponymous first album released in 1979, followed by On The Sea Of Life from the classic Rock My Soul album. Other highlights include The Little Mountain Church House and Let Us Travel On. Both feature Lawson singing close harmony with the exceptional Russell Moore. Other great vocal partners appearing here include Lou Reid, Steve Gulley, Barry Abernathy, Jimmy Haley, Terry Baucom and Jamie Dailey.

The Lonesome River Band anthology comprises 16 songs, culled from just four albums, the tracks presented in chronological order. The first band here features founder and rhythm guitarist Tim Austin, Dan Tyminski (mandolin), Ronnie Bowman (bass) and Sammy Shelor (banjo). They are heard on four cuts including Old Country Town and Highway Paved With Pain. The second edition of this high-energy group is that comprising Kenny Smith (guitar), Don Rigsby (mandolin) and the aforementioned Ronnie Bowman and Sammy Shelor. Their contributions are taken from two albums, One Step Forward from 1996 and Finding The Way released in 1998. On the last four cuts Rickie Simpkins is included, playing fiddle. Overall there’s some great original material and a superb mix of excellent voices - trademark Lonesome River Band material. (more…)

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be featured on July 4 with a live, in-studio performance on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Channel 65.

They will pick and sing several songs from their latest CD, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall, and Doyle will talk about his career as a band leader and his life on the road.

The show runs at 2:00 and 11:00 p.m. on July 4, with rebroadcasts later in the week on Friday (7/6) at 5:00 p.m., Saturday (7/7) at 9:00 p.m., and Sunday (7/8) at 3:00 p.m. All times EDT.

Here are a few stories we found online this weekend which many of our readers may enjoy.

CMT.com ran a fun piece earlier this week about Amnesia, a club in San Francisco’s Mission district, that has successfully launched a Monday night Doyle Lawson singalong. What started as a bum’s rush has become a popular club tradition, with Amnesia regulars settling in once a week to belt out their favorite Quicksilver tunes along with Doyle’s CDs.

Owner Shawn Magee explains how it got started.

“[Co-owner] John and I would play the disc and sing along at the top of our lungs as a way to scare people out of the bar at closing time,” Magee says. But some people stuck around. “They even memorized the lyrics and joined in. It got to the point where we had a dozen strong singers crooning 28 DL&Q hits into the wee hours of the morning.”

The Kingsport Times News has a endearing story of a teen aged bluegrass band from Wise County, VA who have been invited to perform at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival next weekend on the Mall in Washington, DC. The Midnight Ramblers have been together just over a year, and are managed by Tony Bates, Wise Police Chief, and father of the band’s bass player, 17 year old Cherise Bates.

Tony talks about how much he enjoys working with these gifted youngsters.

“These kids are very talented, and I guess what they’ve really got going for them right now, on top of their talent, is their age,” Bates said. “Of course, with my job and because of the profession I’m in, when dealing with teens it’s usually troubled teens. We never get to talk to ‘good’ teens unless we stop and strike up a conversation. But these kids, they want to do something with their career in music, and I want to help them get off the ground.”

ukbluegrass.com has an interview posted with Becky Buller, an accomplished bluegrass songwriter, and fiddler with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike. Becky is set to head for Britain later this month for a two week UK tour with Valerie and company. The interview covers her singing, songwriting and fiddle playing, and includes comment on the upcoming tour:

It seems the band are really looking forward to the UK tour. Becky describes us Brits as “polite and stylish” adding “it’s like coming home for me. Bluegrass music is deeply rooted in the fiddle tune and folk ballad traditions of the British Isles and I’m deeply rooted in bluegrass. Plus, I’m a huge Monty Python fan, and I dig fish and chips!”

Doyle Lawson will join host Kylie Harris on this weekend’s edition of The Edge of Country on GAC. It will air on Saturday (6/23) at 1:00 p.m., and again on Monday (6/25) at both 1:00 and 11:00 p.m. (EDT).

The interview (taped several weeks ago) will cover Quicksilver’s latest CD, More Behind the Picture Than the Wall, and Doyle’s plans for the rest of 2007.

And the bluegrass band scramble continues…

Joey Cox will be the newest member of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, replacing Chris Warner who stepped in briefly when Terry Baucom left the band in March. Just 24 years old, Joey has already had a stellar bluegrass career. He has toured and recorded with both Lou Reid & Carolina and BlueRidge, and was working with Kenny & Amanda Smith when the call came in from Doyle.

Lawson has seen many band members come and go over his tenure at the helm, but was especially sorry to see Chris Warner leave.

“Chris had prior commitments in Pennsylvania which made for a very difficult and draining travel schedule. I really wish that it would have worked out with Chris, as he is an outstanding person.”

Here’s an interesting perspective: Joey wasn’t even born when Doyle Lawson left The Country Gentlemen to start his own band back in 1979. For his part, Joey grew up as a young banjo picker listening to the music of Terry Baucom and Scott Vestal, and developing his style by learning their licks from Quicksilver recordings.

“I never thought it could happen. It’s a like a dream come true. When I was a kid, me and my buddies would jam on Quicksilver tunes, and now I’ll be playing them on stage with Doyle.

It’s an honor and a great opportunity for me, and I’m really grateful for the chance.”

Joey said that he is hard at work learning all the material from the most recent Quicksilver release, More Behind The Picture Than The Wall, but was already familiar with much of Doyle’s earlier music.

Joey will be on stage with the band for their July 12 show at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Doyle said that he sent Joey set lists and CDs, and left him one piece of advice.

“I told him he better study hard.”

Ever wonder what your bluegrass heros are listening to? Well now you can find out what Doyle Lawson is listening to by checking out his celebrity playlist on URGE.

URGE talked to Doyle and got the inside scoop on what he listens to and what has influenced him over the years. His current playlist includes a wide selection of music that isn’t surprising considering Doyle’s own proclivity for drawing songs from other genres into his traditionally styled bluegrass sound. His playlist includes names like Bill Monroe, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Ray Price, Buck Owens, George Jones, Swan Silvertones and The Soul Stirrers. Doyle’s URGE list includes specific song recommendations for each artist. Each song on the list is accompanied by comments from Doyle about the song and artist.

In case you’re sitting there wondering what URGE is, it’s the new proprietary digital music service provided by MTV Networks. MTV Networks is a division of Viacom International Inc. which owns more than 100 television channels worldwide, including MTV, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, and CMT.

Closely resembling Apple’s iTunes, the service includes an application (Windows only) for purchasing, downloading and organizing digital music. The music can be purchased by the track or by monthly subscription. Music purchased by the track, as well as via the more expensive subscription plan, may be loaded on an mp3 player, sorry no iPods allowed, you’ll need a Plays For Sure device, and that excludes Microsoft’s Zune music player as well. The cheaper subscription will allow you to download the music to your PC but that’s as far as it goes, you won’t be able to load that music onto any other device.

Being a Mac guy I haven’t had the opportunity to use URGE so I can’t say one way or the other how much bluegrass music they have available. If you’re on a PC and want to try something other than iTunes, it might be worth a look, if for no other reason than to check out Doyle’s play list!

Brance mentioned last month - just ahead of the Merlefest weekend - that a number of live onlive audio streams would be available from the festival, and that audio archives would be available as well after the fact.

You can find these archives at Martha’s Vineyard Radio (mvyradio.com) where a mix of stage shows, workshops, jams and interviews from Merlefest 2007 are listed alphabetically.

With the far ranging musical diversity that is a Merlefest trademark, you can expect to find sets from some of your favorite acts and also discover something new. Bluegrass and acoustic music fans will surely be interested in the performances from headliners like Sam Bush, Cherryholmes, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, Peter Rowan and The Nashville Bluegrass Band.

Some special highlights are the guitar mini-concert with Bryan Sutton and Chris Eldridge, multiple performances by The Infamous Stringdusters and Uncle Earl, a set by Crooked Still and one by The Lovell Sisters.

Songwriters get their due as well, with a open mic set from Mark “Brink” Brinkman and Chris Austin Bluegrass Songwriting contest winner Jeanette Williams.

There are hours of great live music at the mvyradio.com Merlefest 2007 audio archives. Set some time aside and sample the sounds.

If you ever doubted that bluegrass music and NASCAR share more than just a fan base, this story may change your mind.

We received a note the other day from Lee Hendrix, who was on the winning team at the Doyle Lawson Golf Scramble, held on the Thursday (5/10) before the 27th Annual Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Music Festival in Denton, NC.

I played in Doyle Lawson’s golf scramble this past Thursday. The night before the scramble and Doyle’s festival in Denton NC, DL&Q did a benefit performance for Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction Youth Camp for children with serious illnesses or chronic medical conditions.

Doyle invited Kyle to play in the scramble the next day and he joined us, was on my team, and we won 1st place. Doyle’s team finished second, just one stroke behind.

Kyle really enjoyed himself and talked about how much he loves bluegrass music. A good time was had by all.

Two really class people…Doyle Lawson and Kyle Petty!

You can find out more about Victory Junction on their web site.