The 2009 edition focuses on Pinecastle Records as they celebrate their 20th anniversary in ‘09. Each month features full cover photos of Pinecastle artists from their 20 year history, including Chubby Wise, The Osborne Brothers, Grasstowne, Special Consensus, Jim & Jesse, Larry Stephenson, Dixie Bee-Liners, Josh Williams and many others.

Of course, the long-running highlight of the Copper Creek calendars is the fact that important dates in the history of bluegrass music are indicated, including the birthdates, and dates of passing of prominent grassers, plus milestones in the development of the music.

The calendars can be purchased for $9.95 directly from Copper Creek, from Pinecastle, and from many resellers who specialize in bluegrass.

The calendar, whose theme is Women in Bluegrass, includes pages for November and December 2007. Additionally, as a taster for the forthcoming book about women in bluegrass by Murphy Henry, she has compiled a time-line identifying important events during the past 65 years since Sally Ann Forrester joined the Blue Grass Boys.

The layout (Art Direction & Design by Rebecca Pittard) is interesting and varied, as are Priscilla Warnock’s superb photographs, which capture the ladies at work, relaxing off stage or in more formal poses.

Kudos to all concerned.

Copies of the Bluegrass Calendar 2008 can be purchased from Bluegrass Productions of Virginia.

The 2008 bluegrass calendar has as its theme the ladies of bluegrass; from pioneers, to group members and then to band leaders, as the trend developed.

Since the 1980s there has been a proliferation of women in bluegrass music, more and more actually leading bands. Previously there was a small number playing the music; just Sara and Maybelle Carter; Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard; and Rose Maddox. Now following in the footsteps of those pioneers is, firstly, Alison Krauss, then Lynn Morris, Laurie Lewis, Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, Valerie Smith, Dale Ann Bradley, Lorraine Jordan, Alecia Nugent and Honi Deaton.

In addition there are the side musicians such as Janet Beazley, Missy Raines, Kristin Scott Benson, Becky Buller, Rayna Gellert and Sally Love, all of whom make a very significant contribution to their respective bands.

Gary Reid shares some recollections of the way in which his 2008 Bluegrass Calendar came to have women in bluegrass as its theme.

“Maryland-based photographer Priscilla Warnock had a lot to do with the concept. We met at the IBMA World of Bluegrass event in Nashville several years ago; I had a booth set-up in the trade show and was promoting the most recent edition of the Bluegrass Calendar. Priscilla made me aware of her photographic activities and shortly after the trade show, I contacted her and began a dialog that led to the 2008 edition of the calendar. It’s been a while since we started the project, but… if memory serves me correctly, I think it was her idea to highlight the role of women in bluegrass.”

The ladies featured in the pages of the 2008 Bluegrass Calendar are Margie Sullivan, 3 Fox Drive, Sally Love, Cherryholmes, Hazel Dickens, Rhonda Vincent, Laurie Lewis, Lynn Morris, Valerie Smith, Becky Buller, Megan Lynch, April Verch, Nancy Cardwell, Jeanette Williams, Sharon Gilchrist, Casey Henry, Murphy Henry and Janet Beazley.

Gary Reid has been publishing the Bluegrass Calendar since 1991. In addition he continues to manage Copper Creek Records, write liner notes for CDs, to do production work for other companies and to do research into the lives of his much beloved Stanley brothers. Gary has set up the new organization, Bluegrass Productions of Virginia, to deal with those matters not related to Copper Creek Records’ business.

Maryland-based photographer Priscilla Warnock has been the staff photographer for the Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival for the last few years, as well as being active in photographing events such as IBMA’s World of Bluegrass festivities.

Time-Life will release a three-CD boxed set from the Stanley Brothers in April. The Definitive Collection: 1947-1966 marks the 60th anniversary of the first recordings that Carter and Ralph Stanley did together and includes three previously unreleased tracks and three songs never before available on a CD. Highlights include The White Dove, Rank Strangers, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Pretty Polly and O Death. The project includes a special introduction by Ricky Skaggs and a biographical essay written by historian Gary Reid of Copper Creek Records, and also features many rare photos.

The Definitive Collection: 1947-1966 comprises 60 tracks in all. The previously unreleased cuts are all live recordings: Will You Be Loving Another Man – ca. 1955 – is from a performance at Bean Blossom, Indiana, Sugar Coated Love was recorded on July 4, 1961, at Oak Leaf Park in Luray, Virginia, and is a Carter Stanley/Bill Monroe duet and Tell Me Why My Daddy Don’t Come Home is from an August 1962 personal appearance at the Ash Grove in Hollywood, California.

The recordings new to CD include Hide Ye In The Blood, from the Wango archives, and Dust on the Bible from the Cabin Creek LP (CC 203). The booklet comprises 39 pages, with lots of photographs, including several that have never been published before.

Gary Reid shared a few comments about this new box set, and how he came to be involved.

“I had done some previous work with Time-Life in helping to put together their Classic Bluegrass Collection, an 8-CD/120 song collection that is being sold on half-hour infomercials on various TV stations. While working on that project, my point man at Time-Life, Joe Sasfy, told me of the label’s desire to do a career retrospective on the music of the Stanley Brothers.

While there have been boxed set collections on the music of Carter and Ralph, they have tended to document a certain era of their career (ie, the Mercury years, or the Starday and King years). This is the first collection to feature a complete overview from start to finish. In picking the tunes, we obviously wanted to get the essential tracks (ie, The White Dove, The Fields Have Turned Brown, Angel Band, Man of Constant Sorrow, etc.) but we also wanted to get some obscure things that even the most die-hard Stanley collectors wouldn’t have.”

Gary also mentioned that Ralph Stanley is aware of this retrospective, but had no hand in selecting the songs or photos.

Time-Life shows April 3, 2007 as the release date, and it will be available on their web site, and surely from other bluegrass resellers as well.

This GrassCast is 10 minutes in length and the file download size is 9 MB.

Direct Download: ep10_gary_reid.mp3
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