The October 25th benefit show for Eddie and Martha Adcock at Nashville’s Station Inn was a great success. The packed audience at the Station Inn was treated to the sounds of some of the finest in Bluegrass, who donated their services (and also their own funds) to help Eddie and Martha through some difficult times following Eddie’s successful brain surgery last August.

The Nashville Bluegrass Band was followed by Missy Raines and the New Hip. Then Jerry Douglas told how his father’s first experience hearing the Country Gentlemen with Eddie Adcock prompted his father to buy every Country Gentlemen record he could find, which Jerry listened to constantly for the next year. Jerry was joined by Russ Barenberg on guitar for some hauntingly beautiful tunes.

Next the Whites with dad Buck and daughters Cheryl and Sharon demonstrated family harmony at its best. Jerry Douglas joined with surprise guest Ricky Skaggs to round out the Whites’ portion of the show. Jesse McReynolds and his family showed that the Virginia Boys sound is alive and well. Jesse concluded his set with El Cumbanchero, again confirming that his picking is as fast (or faster) and clean as ever — an amazing performance.

Harley Allen sang several of his own songs, showing all why he is one of the world’s best songwriters. He was ably assisted by the Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Hall on Dobro, David Harvey on mandolin, and Barry Crabtree on banjo. Speaking of songwriters, Dixie and Tom T. Hall were in the audience. Others attending to support Eddie and Martha included Sonny Osborne, Terry Eldridge, Roland White, David Sebring, and many other notable Nashville area musicians.

Sam Jackson handled the emcee duties and “Supe” Granda from St. Louis delivered several of his original songs. The climax was when Eddie Adcock himself took the stage with former II Generation bandmate Gene Johnson (now of Diamond Rio), Missy Raines, and Don Wayne Reno. After a few moments of Eddie’s picking, there was no doubt that his surgery had been a success, and his trademark baritone voice proved as smooth as ever.

It was a magical evening where the excellence of the music mixed with the atmosphere of love and respect, and once again our Bluegrass community stepped up to assist one of our own.

If you would like to add your contribution to assist Eddie and Martha, you may send a contribution to:

Martha Adcock
P.O. Box 219
Lebanon, TN 37088

Another opportunity comes up this weekend, when the Friends of Eddie & Martha Adcock host a benefit concert on Sunday (10/25) for these longtime bluegrass troopers at Nashville’s storied Station Inn.

Eddie has been performing on banjo since the early 1950s, including stints with Bill Monroe and (most memorably) with The Country Gentlemen in the ’60s. After leaving that group, he and Martha fronted a number of acts (IInd Generation and Talk Of The Town) before settling in to performing as a duo, which they have done for many years.

The Bluegrass Blog posted several times last year about Eddie’s pioneering deep brain surgery to correct a disabling hand tremor. Prior to the surgery, he was unable to play the banjo for the shaking in his hands, but since the implantation of electrical leads in his brain, he is again able to pick – and play his trade.

Though the surgery has been an amazing success, its outcome wasn’t certain when it was scheduled in 2008. The Adcocks were unwilling to book shows until Eddie’s capability to perform was demonstrated, and as a result, they have been unable to work for the past 18 months. Sunday’s concert is designed to raise some cash to assist them financially, and to remind promoters that Eddie & Martha are back, and looking forward to performing regularly in 2010 and beyond.

The show will feature performances by The Whites, Jerry Douglas, Gene Johnson, Jesse McReynolds, Don Wayne Reno, Randy Waller, The Harley Allen Band, Missy Raines & The New Hip and many others. Music begins at 7:00 p.m. and a donation of $20 is requested, though larger donations are most welcome.

Those who are unable to attend can send a contribution, payable to:

Not only have the Adcocks dedicated their lives to bluegrass music, their personal generosity is well known to a great many friends all over the world. Their annual bluegrass Benefit For The Homeless is a Nashville tradition, one which will be continued by Eddie & Martha.

Hat’s off to Terry Comer, the “Bluegrass dentist” of Franklin, TN and his assistant Patty Mitchell who have arranged the 10/25 show, the many artists who are donating their time, and the fans and friends who will support the Adcocks through this venture.

On behalf of The Bluegrass Blog, we ask any of our readers who are in a position to do so, to please consider making a contribution of your own.

First up is Ronnie Reno, who performed with Bill as a member of Reno & Harrell.

“Bill Harrell goes deep into being a Pioneer of the music and was a great influence on a lot of young pickers and singers. I know for a fact that my friend Larry Stephenson was a student of Bill’s. Bill met my Dad (Don Reno) and Red Smiley in the middle 50’s and I remember Bill playing mandolin with them at the Old Dominion Barn Dance in Richmond VA.

Shortly after that I believe Bill went onto the Army. Dad and I moved to Riverdale MD in 1966 and he and Bill had a great 10 year partnership. I was with them for a year and then I moved to Nashville TN. During that short year I got to know Bill very well. He was a gentle man with a lot of talent and was a great business man. Bill had a very smooth voice and played a hard driving rhythm guitar. He was also a very good song writer and interacted well with his fans and friends on stage.

Bill will be remembered as a great influence on our next generations for years to come. I will miss Bill as I considered him a friend and he was always there when I needed him.

May he rest in piece and enjoy singing with Dad and Red on a wonderful trio as of this writing.”

Larry Stephenson also had a few thoughts to share…

“Bill Harrell was the complete package. Guitar playing, songwriting, emceeing, working an audience, and he knew how to sing a song. His phrasing was second to none. When I was with Bill he kept us very busy. He did his own booking and also did some booking in the early days for the Johnson Mountain Boys and other acts in the DC-Baltimore area.

I learned the business of Bluegrass from Bill Harrell……how to find songs, put an album together, book a band, how to treat your band….. just everything about running a band as a business. I’ve tried my best to carry on my ‘Bill Harrell Schooling’ for the last twenty years of the Larry Stephenson Band. He was the best and I will miss him forever.

I want to thank IBMA for Bill’s Distinguished Achievement Award last October at the World of Bluegrass in Nashville, TN. He’s was so happy and never quit talking about it. It was well deserved and way over due.”

We also heard from Eddie and Martha Adcock:

“I worked with Bill a little while in the ’50s in the Washington DC area.  Note that I said “with Bill”, not “for Bill”: he was a very democratic bandleader.

Back then, a band generally wore shirts alike onstage, and the way we paid for ours was with fines. If you cussed onstage or at a job, or if you were late to a show or to a rehearsal, you paid a fine into the shirt kitty. Well, I was just a kid and had no car –and Bill wasn’t that much older than me– but sometimes Bill would have to pick me up, come 50 miles to get me, and 50 back to where we were going; and then if we were late to the show or rehearsal because of that, Bill insisted on paying both our fines! And it would be 200 miles total to get me back home. He was always more than fair.

Bill Harrell was a fun person to work with , too…he was always happy, and he loved to hang out with the band as much as possible. He lived with his parents at that time.

The music with Bill was superb in every way. We had a tremendous following. At that point, the other guys in the band were Carl Nelson on fiddle and keyboard, and Roy Self on bass. I played banjo, and Bill played guitar, of course. Bill sang all the bluegrass material, and some country too, and I sang some country and ‘most all the rockabilly, with Roy Self doing some of that too. Rockabilly was very popular at that time.

The band was extremely tight. We had frequent practice sessions for the new material. All of us got to choose songs.

At one point we recorded some things at Roy Self’s house, with quilts over the windows, but I have no idea what happened to that.”

Martha Adcock adds:

“Bill Harrell was, to me, an enormous rhythm-guitar influence. I’d see him at Carlton Haney festivals in the early ’70s. Bill’s style was so powerful. And he was fast!  Even with the last three fingers on his picking hand hanging out straight, he could really fly. Those fingers were just a blur.”

Eddie rejoins:

“When I was with Bill, we played so fast it seemed like no human could keep up. His hand was going like the blades of a fan!”

Recently Adcock talked to a reporter with TSWI (The State We’re In), Jonathan Groubert, about his upbringing, his playing and gave a demonstration of the effectiveness of the electrodes that were inserted in Adcock’s brain.

You can listen to the approximately nine minute audio file from Radio Netherlands online.

A group of bluegrass musicians in Nashville, spearheaded by Eddie and Martha Adcock, are putting pick to string in an effort to help. The Adcocks have assembled an impressive line up of Nashville based musicians who will gather for a performance at the Station Inn on December 14 to raise money for a Nashville area, faith based charity that provides food and shelter to homeless persons during the coldest part of the year.

Musicians slated to perform include:

Ned Luberecki
Larry Stevenson
Roland White Band
Tim Graves & Cherokee
Dale & Don Wayne Reno
Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe
Gene Johnson of Diamond Rio
Jack Hicks & Summertown Road
Sam Jackson & the Jackson Gang
Dr. Terry Comer & the Best In Town
Alan Sibley & the Magnolia Ramblers
Randy Waller of the Country Gentlemen
and…
Eddie & Martha Adcock

Suggested donation at the door is $15. Larger amounts will be gratefully accepted. Attendees are encouraged to bring items that individuals and families can use, such as: soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and paste, deodorant, razors, shave cream, combs, personal-size tissues, new socks & underwear, washcloths, sewing kits, pens, pencils and small notebooks.

All proceeds and gifts will be distributed through Room In The Inn.

Anyone who wishes to contribute can make a check out to Room In The Inn and send it to:

Eddie & Martha Adcock
P.O. Box 219
Lebanon TN 37088

The procedure involved embedding electrical leads in his brain, connected to a pulse generator implanted in his chest, with wires running between them under his skin. Know as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), Eddie underwent the three-stage surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center in August in an attempt to defeat tremors in his right hand.

After a piece on Good Morning America which aired just after IBMA, the story of Eddie’s successful surgery has been carried in dozens of papers and television news programs all over the world. The irresistible hook to many of these stories has been the fact that Eddie not only had to be conscious during the procedure, but since it was designed to repair the tremor for the sake of his playing, he actually picked the banjo on the operating table during the surgery!

Here is the story that ran on GMA, which includes video shot by the staff at Vanderbilt during the procedure, and some stunning with and without footage shot a few weeks ago.

The segment is scheduled to run on Friday morning (10/3) during the show’s 7:00-9:00 a.m. broadcast. Eddie suggested it was set to run at or near 8:30.

The crew filmed discussions with Eddie and his physician, plus Janet Deering, Eddie Stubbs, Jens Kruger and Terry Baucom about Eddie and his music.

Eddie’s surgery was a very new procedure where electrical stimulation is sent directly to the brain, a procedure he underwent to help defeat tremors in his right hand.

Adcock celebrated his 70th birthday in June of this year. After years of playing in smoke filled venues, he suffers from emphysema and doctors say it’s possible that the medications he has taken for that have been a contributing factor in the development of his right hand tremor. After trying, unsuccessfully, to control the shaking via a dozen different medications over a period of several years, Adcock has now become the first non-Parkinsons musician to undergo the three stage procedure known as Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

The procedure is so new that the Neurosurgery department at Vanderbilt videotaped the surgeries for their own instructional use, and possible PBS broadcast at some point in the future.

The three surgeries include the implantation of a pulse generator (IPG) inside the chest wall, an extension wire from the IPG to the head, and an electrical lead placed in the brain to stimulate brain activity with the electrical pulses.

During the brain implantation surgery, the patient is kept conscious so they may assist the doctors in properly placing the leads. They do this by experiencing its immediate effects on their fine motor skills. In Eddie’s case, this would be his right hand picking the banjo. Eddie took a Deering GoodTime banjo into surgery with him (see the picture at top). I’m sure that was first!

Eddie has related that this was not an easy process to experience.

I came up in music the hard way and learned to be a trouper fast.  Some of those early days were pretty rough, and I’ve been stomped, cut and kicked; but I never went through hell like this — it was the most painful thing I’ve ever endured.  And it was risky.  But I did it for a reason:  I’m looking forward to being able to play music the way I did years ago prior to getting this tremor.  It means that much to me.  I’m far from being done!

He has also expressed appreciation to his neurologists and neurosurgeons, along with all the staff at Vanderbilt. He also sends his thanks to those who sent cards and good wishs, and kept him in their prayers during the month of August. He’s in good spirits now as he recovers from not only the surgery, but also the pre-op hair cut he received.

I’m beginning to get used to wearing a do-rag, though.  The girls seem to like it.

The Bionic Banjo Player does ask for your continued prayer support as he is scheduled for a post-op checkup late this month, and then in early October the IPG will be turned on and the device will be programmed for strength and intensity of signal.

Harry Grant from The Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival in Pennsylvania will be on hand as well for Friday’s show. He is bringing live recordings from past fests, as well as his many backstage stories and anecdotes from years in bluegrass music.

Lonesome Pine RFD is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm. It will also be recorded for a later broadcast on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country.

At the time the fledgling link-up didn’t have a website. It does now! Go to the new website to see the liner notes, bios, and more about the CD – plus sound clips.

As an aside, Martha Adcock told me how the name RadioTherapy Records was chosen. I thought I would share the thought process involved …

“In thinking of a name for our own record label, I thought it was best to check the www.allrecordlabels.com site to see if any of our choices had been taken, to avoid the possible confusion of our label having the same name as another. Lo and behold, all the ones we had chosen were already in use; I have a whole page of them that I systematically checked off on the list. So I resorted to the dictionary for inspiration. I like alliteration, so the R’s were consulted first; and when I came upon the word ‘radiotherapy,’ meaning ‘therapy effected through the use of radiation (the definition of the term ‘radiation’ includes sound waves) I thought it would do very well to call our label RadioTherapy Records ‚Äî because of course music is good for you!”

Great story, isn’t it?

The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band features Randy Waller, son of Charlie Waller, who, like his father, sings lead and plays guitar; Eddie Adcock (banjo, lead and baritone vocals), Tom Gray (upright bass, bass and baritone vocals) and Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin, lead and tenor vocals). They have been making several personal appearances, most notably to mark the 50th anniversary, last year, of the formation of the original Country Gentlemen.

Adcock, Gaudreau, Waller & Gray – The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band (RTR-CD-001) has 13 tracks, four of which, including the opening song Widow Of The Glade, are by the late lamented Randall Hylton. Remember the Country Gentlemen’s other ghost stories? Well, this is a modern counterpart to Bringing Mary Home. Older songs to get the Country Gentlemen treatment include I Hope You Have Learned, Grave In The Valley, Little Box Of Pine, Sundown And Sorrow and Some Old Day.

Other notable numbers are White Line Fever from Merle Haggard, Sweet Georgia Brown and a jazzy new instrumental composed by Gaudreau, El Doggo.

Co-producer Martha Adcock comments …..

“After Monroe, if anyone can be said to have turned bluegrass in a new direction, it was without a doubt the ‘Classic’ Country Gentlemen: John Duffey, Charlie Waller, Eddie Adcock and Tom Gray. No one else did as much to re-popularize and reinvigorate the genre, taking it to city-folk audiences, and onto hip college campuses, to large theaters and coffeehouses, and eventually to Carnegie Hall. Their musical creativity, individually and synergistically, coupled with their hip irreverence and loose attitude onstage, was a quantum leap from the past, and it brought about a sea change in bluegrass, a dramatic expansion of the genre.”

Tom Gray adds …

“Eddie, Randy, Jimmy and I started playing a few dates together as the C.G.R.B. with the purpose of recreating the ‘Classic Country Gentlemen sound by those closely associated with creating it.”

This new CD is a welcome addition to the catalogue of recordings in the classic Country Gentlemen’s style.

There isn’t a website for RadioTherapy Records at the moment, but they are working hard to set that up. MP3 audio samples may be made available also.

For more information about the Country Gentlemen Reunion Band and Radio Therapy Records, write them at PO Box 219 Lebanon, Tennessee 37088-0219

They can also be reached by phone (615-443-7135 or 615-476-8786) or email.

Over the course of 3 days, more than 16 banjo instructors will conduct dozens of small classes and demonstrations, arranged by skill level, and offered for both old time and bluegrass banjo styles. There is also a faculty concert, a student banjo competition and plenty of organized and free-form jamming.

The faculty for SMBA ‘07 is rich with well known players and teachers: Eddie Adcock, Jason Bales, Dave Ball, Gary Davis, Janet Davis, Jack Hatfield, Bill Keith, Andy King, John Lawless, Randal Morton, James McKinney, Tom Nechville, Ken Perlman, Butch Robins, Rick Sampson and Snuffy Smith.

The name is apt, as everything takes place at the Wa-Floy Retreat, in the heart of The Smokies.

Find all the pertinent faculty, schedule and registration details on the SMBA web site.

The concert will be held this year on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 at the Holiday Inn Roanoke, the site for all the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend activities.

The format is a loose, relaxed jam-like setting, where the many artists are grouped in a variety of configurations – either solo, duo or in groups – with a good mix of vocal and instrumental music. Both the performers and the audience always enjoy the fun, “no pressure” environment as well as the chance to witness or be a part something as potentially spontaneous as this.

The musicians will sometimes not even choose the song they will perform until a few minutes before they go on stage, a sign both of their high level of skill and professionalism, and the sort of fun they have with this show.

Performing on the RBW faculty concert this year are Eddie Adcock, George Shuffler, Roland White, Craig Smith, Don Rigsby, BlueRidge, Jack Lawrence, Bull Harman, Herschel Sizemore, David McLaughlin, Acoustic Endeavors and many others – plus a number of unannounced surprise guests.

Maps and driving directions can be found on the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend web site.

This year’s faculty includes the members of BlueRidge, along with first time instructors Eddie Adcock and George Shuffler, plus returning favorites Kenny Baker, Jack Lawrence, Allen Shelton and Roland White.

The biggest news for RBW ‘06 is the inclusion this year of classes and workshops in bluegrass singing. Both individual vocal tips and workshop instruction in bluegrass harmony will be offered throughout the weekend, spearheaded by noted singer and vocal instructor Don Rigsby.

The 2006 faculty includes both legendary bluegrass pioneers and actively touring artists.

Once again, Gibson Original Acoustic Instruments will be donating a new instrument to be offered in a raffle to fund the RBW Scholarship for deserving young bluegrass students. Four full scholarships (tuition and accommodations) will be awarded to outstanding bluegrass musicians between the ages of 13-24, selected based on demonstrated ability through an application process.

This year, a new RB-250 banjo will be raffled, with chances to win sold at $10. Find all the details about the raffle and the scholarship on the RBW site.

Liner notes for the new CD were provided by Joe Bonsall, long time member of The Oak Ridge Boys, and a newly serious student of the five string banjo.

“Randy Waller and the Country Gentlemen are a GREAT Bluegrass Band and this is a GREAT CD! These guys can pick it clean on every instrument and their singing and harmonies and blends are impeccable. It also becomes very clear on this project that Randy Waller is one of the great lead voices singing today!”

“I love this CD and will be listening to it a lot this year!”

Our friend Dave Roye reports that Randy announced a few days ago that The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band (consisting of Jimmy Gaudreau, Eddie Adcock, and Tom Gray) are set to go into the studio the last week in March to produce a new recording project. They will also be doing a limited number of shows with the Reunion Band, which can be found on Randy’s web site, along with the shows for Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen.

Adcock started his musical career in the early 1950s, working with Smokey Graves & His Blue Star Boys. His regular radio appearances with the Graves show brought him to the attention of a number of other bluegrass artists, and Eddie soon found himself working with such well known performers as Bill Harrell and Mac Wiseman. After a very brief stint as a member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys in 1957-58, Eddie was contacted by John Duffey and Charlie Waller about their idea to form a new group, one now celebrated as The Country Gentlemen.

He remained as a member of the Gentlemen until the late ’60s when he left to pursue his own musical direction, a move that sparked such acts as Second Generation (II Generation), Talk Of The Town and Eddie & Martha Adcock where both his ground breaking banjo (and guitar) playing and his clever stage humor were brought to the attention of successive generations of bluegrass fans.

It may be hard for ears new to bluegrass music in this century to recognize the impact of Eddie’s unique banjo style when he first came to prominence in the 1960s. What may sound almost mainstream now was quite startlingly fresh at the time, and his ability to integrate aspects of Merle Travis-style guitar into his banjo was as distinctive a part of the original Country Gentlemen sound as Charlie Waller or John Duffey’s voices.

Congratulations to Eddie for this honor… you’ve earned it.