I received an interesting E-mail message from Charles Lewis this morning.

A native Eastern Kentuckian, Lewis is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Bluegrass, Inc. He has produced and hosted such Bluegrass and Gospel groups as The IIIrd. Tyme Out, Doyle Lawson, Ralph Stanley, The Lonesome River Band, Rhonda Vincent, Cherryholmes, Larry Sparks, Dave Evans, Ernie Thacker, The Osborne Brothers, Bobby Osborne, The Lewis Family, Larry Cordle, Ronnie Reno, Don Rigsby, Melvin Goins, Tim Surrett, Joe Isaacs, The Freemans, The Kingsmen, The Florida Boys and many, many more local and national groups.

The purpose of his message was to alert me to the posting of some pictures from the Old Time Gospel Singing Convention held at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky, on December 28th.

The montage of pictures from the convention can be viewed at the website. There is an impressive array of talent on show.

Also, you can view pre-show interviews with a variety of artists who performed at the convention; namely Don Rigsby, J.D. Crowe, Paul Williams, Larry Cordle, Kenny and Amanda Smith, Joe Freeman, Dave Carroll, Ricky Wasson, Tim Surrett, Ronnie Bowman, Joe Isaacs, and James King.

All of the video interviews can be seen on YouTube.

Runaway Freight is a Tennessee-based band that has been in existence since December 2003. The band comprises Chris Smith (banjo and vocals), Justin Ford (Dobro ® and vocals), Matt Ford (guitar and dulcimer, vocals) and Sam Morgan (upright bass and vocals). Their usual stomping ground is Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, where they have performed at the two largest fairs for three years in a row.

They have two albums of secular material in addition to their newest CD, Welcome Aboard (Switch Track Records RF 8099), an all-Gospel set.In their promotional material they describe themselves as having “a sound all of their own based in traditional and old time with undertones of today’s progressive bluegrass bands.” Matt Ford explains,

“Our vocal stylings are different according to who is singing lead on the song. We all sing lead at one time or another. My brother, Justin and I, use a lot of ‘Stanley brothers style’ when we sing harmony to each other, while Sam sings a low lead instead of bass or baritone on some of the songs which gives a unison sound.”

The CD presents a mixture of older ‘traditional’ Gospel material, like I Am A Pilgrim, the lead vocal sung by the inimitable Sam Morgan, Washed In The Blood with a brief break on the bass and some of the unison singing about which Matt Ford was speaking, and Meeting At the Building, another track which features a short bass break.

There are six original songs of which Chris Smith provides two songs, Streets Of Gold and Come As You Are, on both of which Smith sings a fine lead vocal. The ubiquitous Halls (Tom T. and Dixie) have supplied two songs – the title track and Good Ole Gospel Music. The former rattles along with the banjo setting the tempo from the beginning. There’s a sparkling guitar break giving a taste of a feature that is found to good effect on several tracks. Good Ole Gospel Music is a wonderful reminder of the type of song that found great favour at old camp meetings.

Miss Dixie’s Welcoming Tomb has also been recorded by Ralph Stanley II. Here Justin Ford gives a heartfelt rendition with neat harmonies on the choruses and what sounds like a bowed bass. (more…)

Starting this Sunday (12/30), we will launch a new semi-regular feature on The Bluegrass Blog. Our UK correspondent, Richard F. Thompson, will offer comments on new Gospel music releases in a series of posts he calls Sunday Morning Revelation.

The first will examine Kneel And Pray from Mickey Harris, Rhonda Vincent’s bass man in The Rage, and will be posted on Sunday, December 30.

These columns will run as often as Richard’s time and the supply of new releases allow. Artists, labels or publicists who regularly service The Bluegrass Blog can send along new Gospel CDs just as you have always done in the past, and they will be forwarded to Richard.

If you have a project you would like to be considered for inclusion in Sunday Morning Revelation, you can send it to: