Banjo players - and fans of Jimmy Martin - know Chris Warner for his driving style and hard hitting approach to the five string. Chris worked twice for Martin as a member of his Sunny Mountain Boys, from 1967-69, and again in the late 1980s.

During that second stint with Martin, Chris recorded two albums for Webco, All Original and Chris Warner & Friends, released as LPs and now out of print. He has recently compiled them both as a CD, Back Again, with 24 tracks featuring Warner as both banjoist and vocalist.

The tracks from All Original have Chris singing all lead vocals, with Del McCoury on tenor, and those from Chris Warner & Friends, have singing duties shared among Warner, Dudley Connell and Audie Blaylock.

But don’t think that banjo tunes get short shrift here. Chris knocks out 11 instrumentals mixed with 13 vocal tracks.

Newly minted bluegrass fans may not be aware of Warner’s top flight picking - and even long time listeners may not know him as a vocalist. Kudos to Chris for making this material available again, and to Pinecastle Records for their assistance in making it happen.

Audio samples for each track and online ordering are enabled on the Tom Adams web site, where Tom addresses the rumor that he and Chris are starting a band.

“With no official band name, no dates booked, and a disagreement over whether or not to wear matching shoes, I’d have to say yes, I believe there is a rumor that Chris and I are starting a band.”

I guess that settles that.

This post is a contribution from Kip Martin. A former Sunny Mountain Boy, Kip is a bassist and singer based near Washington D.C. and has worked with many popular East Cost bluegrass artists..

I am happy to report and wish my congratulations to Dudley Connell and Sally Love who tied the knot…YESTERDAY! I talked with Dudley today and I can assure you yesterday was about the happiest day of his life.

When we talked today, he had to leave, saying, “Gotta go, Kip…my wife is here! Man that felt good to say!”

God bless you two!

We posted last year about the formation of Seneca Rocks!, a new part-time bluegrass band made up of prominent veteran performers. The group include Dudley Connell on guitar, Tom Adams on banjo, David McLaughlin on mandolin, Sally Love on guitar and Marshall Wilborn on bass. Dudley and Sally are the group’s primary vocalists.

They started working on a debut recording last summer, and Tom Adams recently reported that they have were back in the studio last week trying to get things completed. No word yet on when it might be finished or released.

Our June ‘06 post has a good bit of background on this group, and some comment from the band members on the inescapable “Johnson Mountain Boys reunion” vibe that comes to mind when you see Adams, Connell, McLaughlin and Wilborn together on stage.

Updated 6/16, 7:00 a.m.
The recent history of bluegrass music has seen the occasion of a number of “part time” bands, made up of members of other full time touring acts. Perhaps the most prominent was The Bluegrass Album Band, featuring Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, JD Crowe, Bobby Hicks and Todd Phillips, whose CDs still are top sellers, and whose few short tours were something of a bluegrass sensation. Longview made, and continues to make their mark in this realm, with James King, Dudley Connell, Don Rigsby, Marshall Wilborn, Joe Mullins and Glenn Duncan - though current membership has changed considerably for their 2006 dates.

White House was a Nashville-area outfit that produced a CD and performed a few shows with David Parmley, Missy Raines, Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson and Jason Carter, and The Dreadful Snakes and The Sidemen were Nashville favorites at The Station Inn.

A new group in the VA/MD area sure to generate a similar sort of buzz is Seneca Rocks! Band members include Dudley Connell, Marshall Wilborn, Sally Love, David McLaughlin and Tom Adams. Students of 1970s era bluegrass will recognize that the four gentlemen in the group were all part of The Johnson Mountain Boys, a dynamic and engaging band that developed a large and loyal following for their brand of traditional “old school” bluegrass.

Each has remained active in bluegrass since JMB disbanded. Dudley now plays guitar and sings with Seldom Scene, Marshall is in frequent demand as a free-lance and session bass man, and has worked for quite some time with his wife, Lynn Morris. David has been most active as a recording engineer and producer, and has released an instructional DVD for mandolin. (more…)