Wayne Fields, most recently the banjo player with The Charlie Sizemore Band, passed away from complications associated with cancer on March 21.

The deminutive Fields was born in Hazard, Kentucky, and moved to the Lexington area at a young age. He started playing a guitar in his church at the age of eleven and grew up listening to Flatt and Scruggs on the radio.

Wayne and his brothers, Larry and Bill, plus a couple of friends put a band together and began performing all over Lexington. Although they performed all types of music, Field’s heart was always with bluegrass and the banjo.

Mostly self-taught, Fields had three lessons from a fellow employee at the local Holiday Inn, J.D. Crowe, who was playing there at the time along with Larry Rice, Tony Rice, and Bobby Sloan.

In 1977, he got his first job playing banjo for The Boys from Indiana, replacing Noah Crase. While he was a member of the band, they made an appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and on The Porter Wagoner Show.

Four years later Fields took a job with Renfro Valley regular John Cosby and the Bluegrass Drifters, with whom he won the first SPBGMA band contest in 1984.

Later that year, Wayne, his brother Bill, Ricky Wasson and Rick Johnson formed the group Southern Blend with whom he recorded and toured for 9 years. He also played with another Renfro Valley band Wilderness Trail. Other members included Dave Osborne & Jeff Parker (who played with Lonesome River Band and is now with Dailey & Vincent).

Later Fields joined J.D. Crowe, playing mandolin and singing tenor vocals for The New South.

During the last 10 years he has performed with various groups including the family band Driftwood, Gary Strong & Hardtimes, Rick Bartley & Blackwater, as well as with The Charlie Sizemore Band.

Fields is featured playing banjo and singing harmony on the stellar Charlie Sizemore album Good News that was released last year.

Wayne Fields leaves Tina, his wife, two daughters, Christina and Tiffany, and two sons Scott and Charles, both active bluegrass musicians. (more…)

Recently we provided some information about the forthcoming Longview CD Deep In The Mountains, Rounder 0578. We can now add that there are 30 second WinMedia and RealAudio audio clips available to listen to at the Rounder website.

The group is a largely studio-only supergroup, featuring James King, Don Rigsby, Lou Reid, JD Crowe, Ron Stewart and Marshall Wilborn. The personnel has changed some over the years and the three previous recordings under this name, but their penchant for finding terrific songs and capturing them in a soulful, traditional bluegrass style has remained throughout.

The CD, which has 12 tracks, is scheduled for release on April 8. You can read more about the new project in our earlier post.

Rebel Records has recently announced news of the forthcoming release on March 25 of a various Artists collection entitled Best Loved Bluegrass: 20 All-Time Favorites (REB-8004).

The 20 song anthology embraces some of the classic songs in bluegrass music from some of the great acts in the business (track listing below).

So many of the songs here are inextricably linked with the Rebel catalogue; Bringing Mary Home, Fox On The Run and Atlanta Is Burning being three notable examples. These are signature songs as is Love Of The Mountains. There are the tour de force pieces like Rice’s Nine Pound Hammer and JD Crowe’s Train 45 also.

Most of the material is direct from the Rebel vaults, whereas some came to them indirectly, such as - and I speculate here - the Lilly Brothers track, which was originally recorded for Event Records in 1956 or 1957 and later appeared on a County LP. It was subsequently reissued on a Rebel CD (1688). Others in this category are Little Rosewood Casket - Don Reno & Red Smiley (from a Wango LP), Footprints In The Snow - Mac Wiseman (Vetco material, perhaps), Poor Ellen Smith - Ted Lundy & the Southern Mountain Boys (County), Pig In A Pen - Stanley Brothers (Wango) and Lonesome Road Blues - Larry Richardson & Happy Smith (County).

There’s lots of fine traditional material here, which is typical of this series, and which, apparently, has been doing very well for Rebel. Judging by the titles and the artists listed, the potential for this set to match its predecessors is great.

For those who have a long-time interest in bluegrass music the songs and the respective bands speak for themselves; for newcomers this album is a good place to start investigating the Rebel catalogue.

Thanks must be made to Gary Reid for sharing his thoughts on some aspects of this collection.

Complete track list… (more…)

Rounder Records has announced the release of a new CD from the two-time IBMA Award winning combination, Longview.

It is a little over ten years since the debut release by the super group bearing the name Longview and with their first release they caused so much of a furor that two more followed in quick succession. Now it is six years since the last and I, for one, didn’t expect to enjoy the prospect of another album.

The three remaining original members Marshall Wilborn (acoustic bass, vocals), Don Rigsby (mandolin, vocals) and James King (vocals) are joined by Lou Reid (guitar, vocals), Ron Stewart (fiddles, vocals) and J.D. Crowe (banjo, vocals) for this particular set of recordings. To quote from the liner notes, the result is…

“…a potent new line-up with the chops, discipline, and heart required to make the bluegrass tradition come alive. From the first note to the last, Deep In The Mountains is a striking update of the band’s long-held goal: soulful old-school bluegrass with soaring lead singing and riveting three-part harmonies.”

Deep In The Mountains, self produced by the group member and recorded at Skaggs’ Place Studio; Hendersonville, Tennessee, comprises a dozen excellent songs ………..

Eating Out of Your Hand, Dudley Connell’s Weathered Grey Stone - what irony!, Randall Hylton’s Room at the Top of the Stairs, Don’t Leave Me Alone (one of two James King’s favourites by Cullen Galyean), Old Log Cabin (John Sloas-Lonnie Nipper), Cotton Eyed Joe, I’ll Love Nobody But You, Baptism of Jesse Taylor (classic country from Dallas Frazier and Sanger Shafer), the Louvin Brothers’ composition I’m Gonna Love You One More Time, At the First Fall of Snow, I Love You Yet and Georgia Bound (Charlie Moore-Bill Napier).

Don Rigsby, the prime mover in getting things organised for this album, comments ………………..

“The songs were compiled by all of the members of the band and Ken Irwin too. There actually are no new songs per se, but lots of obscure old material in keeping with the Longview tradition. The lead singing duties are split with James, Lou Reid and I. Of interest to all of the fiddlers and banjo pickers out there will be a version of Cotton Eyed Joe from Ron Stewart and J.D. Crowe with a break from myself and one from Lou Reid too.

As for rehearsal, the way we have always made these was to hatch the arrangements in the studio and record them while they were fresh.

We are currently booking shows and are booked by Mike Drudge at Class Act Entertainment. We hope to see the fans at some premier event in the near future.” (more…)

Banjo legend JD Crowe is nothing if not a survivor. Very few bluegrass artists have made a career leading a band without being a lead vocalist, but Crowe has not only done so, he has managed to both succeed over 30 years with a number of singers out front, and also assemble several of the most groundbreaking and memorable bands in the history of our music.

His band, The New South, was responsible for introducing such influential voices as Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley to wider audiences. A great many other current bluegrass pros spent time with The New South, including Don Rigsby, Darrell Webb, Richard Bennett among them.

His 2007 band, who recorded with him on their latest CD, Lefty’s Old Guitar, was properly regarded as one of his finest. It was also one of his longest lived, staying together as a unit for a solid 7 years. The band featured Ricky Wasson on guitar and vocals, Dwight McCall on mandolin and vocals, Ron Stewart on fiddle and Harold Nixon on bass. Wasson and McCall had been with Crowe several years before Nixon joined in 1999, and Stewart joined full time in 2000.

With Ron Stewart now gone to play banjo with The Dan Tyminski Band and Harold Nixon leaving to pursue other opportunities, Crowe found himself once again looking for new members to fill out his touring group.

He told us that he had been dreading the idea of holding auditions, and possibly having to hire inexperienced younger musicians.

“It doesn’t seem like those guys were with me that long, but when you get 7-8 years out of a guy, you’re flying high.

Before I could think about auditions, Steve Thomas called about the fiddle gig, and John Bowman when he heard about an opening on bass. Steve had filled in with me several times when Ron couldn’t make it, and I probably would have called him anyway. Steve is a great fiddler and a great guy.

John will be singing as well as playing bass, and we’re glad to have him with us.”

Steve Thomas has worked with several well known bluegrass bands, including The Osborne Brothers, Jim & Jesse and Lost & Found. John Bowman was a member of both The Issacs and Alison Krauss & Union Station.

They will be rehearsing this weekend, and do their first show on January 18 at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, KY. They’ll also be at SPBGMA in Nashville in February, with a Station Inn show that week as well.

We posted last week from IBMA about the imminent debut of The Dan Tyminski Band in 2008. The band will feature Dan on guitar and vocals, along with Adam Steffey on mandolin, Barry Bales on bass, Justin Moses on fiddle and Ron Stewart on banjo.

I spoke with Ron earlier this week, and he expressed his excitement about this new chapter in his career, and the difficulty - and surprising success - of keeping this quiet for the past few months.

Ron said that they would be heading into the studio the second week of November to start work on a CD, which is expected to be released early in 2008. The sound is “in your face grass,” with some lighter, ballad-like material as well for contrast.

The Dan Tyminski Band will be booked by Keith Case & Associates and managed by DS Management. Tour dates for 2008 are starting to come in, and a busy schedule for next year is anticipated.

Ron also asked if we would publish an open letter to the bluegrass community, which he wrote to combat a number of unfounded rumors which have begun circulating about his departure from JD Crowe & The New South. It is a heartfelt tribute to one of the giants in our world, and goes a long way towards explaining why Ron is one of the most widely admired and respected people in bluegrass music.

Many, if not all of you have heard that I am leaving JD Crowe and The New South at the first of the year, and will be a full time member of The Dan Tyminski Band. After spending just one day at IBMA last week, rumors had already started to surface pertaining to the reasons I am leaving JD, none of which I heard were true. I am not sure why some folks have a need to make up their own versions for such happenings, about which these folks know nothing - but such is the case in our very “close knit” business.

So I will explain to the best of my ability what you, the people and fans, need to know about this situation. The main reason I am doing so is my respect for JD, who I am proud to call my friend, in and out of the music business.

I started to work with JD early in 2002 on a fill-in basis, doing every show that I could possibly make while working with Lynn Morris, and from the first note we ever played together, we connected musically. That same year, Lynn tragically suffered a stroke due to a surgery, and couldn’t finish the year herself. I went on to play the rest of the year with Marshall Wilborn, Jesse Brock, and Lloyd Douglas to finish dates that we were obligated to do, and didn’t join the New South until those dates were played.

I have never been a “jump and run” kind of guy, leaping at the first offer that came my way - and I’m no different now. JD gained my respect by not trying to get me to join his band while I was working with Lynn, and I hold the highest respect for him in that regard. Not many in our business are that respectful - and there are quite a few, with whom everyone out there would be familiar, who are not. (more…)

Brance posted last month about Kentucky House Bill 71, which made bluegrass the official music of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He also mentioned that a ceremonial signing of the bill would occur during the live taping of Michael Johnathon’s Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour, with KY Governor Ernie Fletcher on hand with his sharpie.

The video of that show is now available for viewing online at the Woodsongs site. The show features performances by Cherryholmes, teen-aged grassers Kentucky Sassafras, and Kentucky bluegrass legend JD Crowe.

Governor Fletcher shows his bluegrass street cred by mentioning how he would go to the Holiday Inn in Lexington while he was in college to catch JD Crowe perform.

Visit the Woodsongs site to watch the video and see/hear songs from Cherryholmes new CD, Cherryholmes II: Black & White, tunes by Kentucky Sassafras and a banjo mandolin duet featuring Scott Napier on mandolin, and both Cia Cherryholmes and JD Crowe on banjo.

The state of Kentucky has a long history of association with bluegrass music, but this coming Monday, June 25, 2007, it will become official.

The state’s Governor, Ernie Fletcher, will be making a special appearance, along with banjo legend J.D. Crowe and IBMA Executive Director Dan Hays, for the signing of House Bill 71. The bill will make bluegrass music the offical music of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The event will be marked by the performance of some bluegrass music by the bands Kentucky Sassafras and Cherryholmes. Most of you are probably familiar with 2005 IBMA Entertainer of Year, Cherryholmes, but you may not be so familiar with Kentucky Sassafras. This is a young band of teenage pickers from the Boston, KY area.

Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour will be on hand to film the proceedings. The Woodsongs Webcast due to air that evening from 6:55-8:15pm EST will feature performances from both bands as well as J.D. Crowe and The New South.

While all but one state have official state songs, as best I can tell Kentucky will be the first state to adopt an official state music. It’s quite an honor for bluegrass music to have that distinction.

The video is now up of the recent appearance by Special Consensus on Michael Jonathan’s Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour. Special C shared the bill with folk/country singer Elizabeth Cook, and performed songs from their upcoming Pinecastle CD, The Trail Of Aching Hearts, due for a May 15th release.

You can see the video from this show as a Windows Media Video.

Woodsongs airs every week on dozens of public and community radio stations all over the world, on XM Satellite Radio’s The Village, and via live video streaming from the show’s web site. Each episode is also maintained in their online archive, where you can watch the video, listen to the audio, or download the MP3 for each broadcast. Other recent shows that may be of interest to Bluegrass Blog readers include:

The Kruger Brothers and The Chocolate Drops
The Infamous Stringdusters and Martha Scanlan
Tony Joe White and Dale Ann Bradley
J.D. Crowe & New South
Chris Thile & How To Grow A Band
The John Cowan Band and E Muzeki
Tony Trischka and Crooked Still
Cindy Bullens and Uncle Earl

The three CD reissues from Rebel that we previewed last month are officially released today.

These include a first-time-on-CD reissue of JD Crowe’s classic Bluegrass Holiday, and compilations of new-to-CD Gospel cuts from Ralph Stanley, Mountain Preacher’s Child, and a budget-priced Seldom Scene compilation project, Different Roads.

More details about all three can be found in our earlier post.

You can listen to audio samples from Bluegrass Holiday, Mountain Preacher’s Child and Different Roads in the iTunes Music Store.

H. Russell Farmer (Russ), had spent the last 30 years producing and directing programming for Kentucky Educational Television (KET), one of the largest public/educational TV networks in the country. Numerous broadcasting awards have come his way, and bluegrass fans are in his debt for producing Jubilee, a KET series which filmed live festival performances in the state of Kentucky. The show has been widely syndicated throughout the public television network, and seen all over the United States over its ten year history.

Both at the start of his career at KET, and now in his retirement, Farmer’s professional life has been influenced by the music of JD Crowe. He tells this story of a day shortly after he started at KET as an assistant director in 1975.

“One of the television directors at the time called me in my office one morning and asked if I were busy. I wasn’t. He had a group of musicians in the studio who were recording a program for KET’s first annual Tele-Fund. The Floor Director, the person in the studio in control of starting and stopping the action, was having some degree of trouble being heard over the musicians and would I come down and give them a hand. I did.

The band in the studio that day was J.D. Crowe and The New South which featured arguably the best bluegrass pickers that ever were: J.D. Crowe, Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas and Bobby Slone. All the guys were great that day and I enjoyed very much working with them. We recorded all that day and I had a great time watching and listening between my duties as Floor Director.”

The videotape of that fine performance - with the pompadour hair and the shiny shirts - became an underground treasure, and was available commercially for a time on VHS. For many folks, watching this video is the only chance they’ll ever have to see the groundbreaking band live.

Last fall, just a few years into his retirement from KET, Russ started a conversation with Crowe that has led to plans for him to create a documentary about the life and times of JD Crowe. It will be funded by the KET Independent Production Grant, offered to qualified independent Kentucky film producers who wish to create a project about Kentucky subjects.

When completed, it will be aired on KET-affiliated stations in KY, and hopefully licensed for distribution to other public television properties through the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

We had the opportunity to conduct a lengthy interview with Russ about this project, here he shared his goals and vision for this film, and how you can help! Please read the whole interview if you are interested in this Crowe documentary.

Q. What led you to pursue this concept for a documentary?

A. I love bluegrass music. During the thirty years I worked for KET, I had the chance to work in the field of music quite a bit. I had co-produced a biography of Kentucky folk artist, Jean Ritchie titled “Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story”. It had turned out really well and I had proposed a series of programs at KET which would be titled, “Mountain Born: The _______________Story.” KET was never able to fund that proposed series and I guess I carried the idea all those years. After retiring, I was looking for a project to do and since J.D. Crowe was a neighbor and I had become acquainted with him over the years, it was only natural I gravitated toward doing a similar project with him.

Q. Will Crowe be involved in the making of the film.

A. Yes, J.D. was of course the first person I asked about the project. (more…)

Rebel Records is continuing their laudable efforts to get classic LPs released on CD, and/or for digital download. Many serious bluegrass fans had feared that much of the recorded legacy of bluegrass music might become unavailable when digital media took the lead some years ago, but thankfully, the opposite has been the case.

Due on April 3 from Rebel is one great re-issue, and two compilations that will be welcome additions to many bluegrass CD libraries.

Bluegrass Holiday from JD Crowe was first released on LP by Lemco in 1969, was re-released on King Bluegrass in 1973, and yet again on rebel in 1981. The band featured Red Allen on guitar and lead vocals, Doyle lawson on mandolin and tenor vocal, Bobby Slone on bass and fiddl and Crowe on banjo and baritone vocals.

Recorded in just two days in December 1968, this record introduced Crowe and his Kentucky Mountain Boys to a bluegrass audience outside of Lexington, KY where they had a successful regular club show at a Holiday Inn - hence the album’s name.

Material on this debut release was taken from their Holiday Inn set list, and included a number of bluegrass standards (My Little Girl In Tennessee, Before I Met You, Orange Blossom Special, Train 45) plus some of their arrangements of songs like Philadelphia Lawyer and Will You Be satisfied That Way.

The Rebel CD re-issue also contains four bonus tracks, previously released as 45 RPM singles from King, and not found on the original LPs, including the original Crowe recording of Black Jack.

Fans of Ralph Stanley’s Gospel music have much to rejoice with the release of Mountain Preacher’s Child. This anthology includes 14 tracks from his 1980s Rebel LPs, all available for the first time on CD. They are taken from previous Stanley records I’ll Wear A White Robe, Snow Covered Mound and I Can tell You The Time.

This is the plaintive, almost primitive vocal sound that has drawn so many fans to Dr. Ralph in recent years, here featuring one of his stronger singing groups. (more…)

The state of Kentucky Department of Parks is teaming up with America’s Bluegrass Inc. to promote both bluegrass music and the state parks. A series of four concerts are to be held at three of the state parks this spring/summer in what is being called the Cradle of Bluegrass Music Trail.

The series features Kentucky natives who are bluegrass musicians including: Don Rigsby, Larry Cordle, Bobby Osborne, Kenny Bishop, Melvin Goins, the Grascals and, of course, J.D. Crowe and the New South.

The series begins April 7th at the Rough River Dan State Park near Leitchfield, continues April 21st at the Frankfort Convention Center (this show is headlined by Earl Scruggs), then on to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park on April 28, and concludes May 19 at the General Butler State Resort Park.

The genesis of the idea can be traced back to Charles Lewis, president of America’s Bluegrass Inc. Lewis hosts a bluegrass show on WSAZ-TV in Huntington, WV and on KET2, Kentucky Public Television. He approached the park department with the idea of a single concert.

J.T. Miller, commissioner of Kentucky State Parks, tells us what the purpose is of holding this concert series.

From our standpoint, it is to build excitement for and occupancy of our state parks, as well as promoting Bluegrass music in Kentucky. Charles Lewis proposed a “big name” event at the 5,000-seat Frankfort Convention Center to build public awareness of the “Trail.”

Lewis was responsible was choosing the talent for the concert series, but following his Grammy nomination, Miller suggested they add kenny Bishop to the lineup.

All concerts start at 1pm local time and will feature a combination of secular and gospel bluegrass music. Lodging packages are offered at the three state park shows and include the concert, a night’s lodging, meals, and a chance to meet the artists.

The state park concert tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The convention center show tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Tickets can be ordered by visiting the Kentucky State Park website.

J.T. Miller tells me that they may consider a similar event in the fall.

If successful, we’d like to do this in the fall at even more parks. Kentucky is truly the “Cradle” of Bluegrass, so it is natural that we would want to be a part of this.

California photographer Tom Tworek has recently posted a gallery of images he shot at SuperGrass, the California Bluegrass Association’s annual indoor winter festival, which ran February 1-4.

These were taken from the stage, and are mostly close up, portrait shots of bluegrass artists like JD Crowe & The New South, Kenny & Amanda Smith, The Grascals, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, The Isaacs and others.

You can find these images on Tom’s site, Gold Coast galleries, where he has also posted photos taken at a number of bluegrass events, and where you can purchase his portraits online.

J.D. Crowe & The New South are this week’s guest on Studio Special on XM Satellite Radio’s Bluegrass Junction. As always, the show is a mix of live performance and casual discussion.

The program first ran last Friday, and aired twice over weekend, but will yet be rebroadcast a few more times over the next week.

All times shown are Eastern.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on XM 14, and is their 24/7 bluegrass channel.

The new (Jan/Feb ‘07) issue of Bluegrass Music Profiles is out, featuring a cover story on J.D. Crowe & The New South. Each member of the band is interviewed, and J.D. shares his thoughts about their latest release, Lefty’s Old Guitar.

A sample from the New South article can be read on the BMP web site.

This issue also has Chris Thile talking about his current stage vehicle, How To Grow A Band, and their 2007 transition into The Tensions Mountain Boys. Bryan Sutton takes the Shop Talk section to discuss his guitar collection, and Mac Wiseman shares his bluegrass favorites - including which of his songs is his all time favorite.

You’ll also find BMP’s 2007 Annual Festival Guide, with details on hundreds of bluegrass events throughout the US.

Single issue and annual subscription info can be found on the Bluegrass Music Profiles site.

Here’s a show you may want to hurry up and buy tickets for if you are able to attend. Mountain Stage, in Charleston, WV, will be taping a live show on Sunday, February 11th, 2007 featuring J.D. Crowe & The New South, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Greencards, and Mindy Smith. The show will be held at the Creative Arts Center on the campus of WVU in Morgantown, WV.
Tickets are on sale now at $15 or at the door for $20. You can call the CAC box office at 304-293-SHOW or purchase them through TicketMaster (at least that’s what the Mountain Stage website says, I couldn’t find the event on TicketMaster).

There’s plenty of great bluegrass on the Grand Ole Opry again this weekend. JD Crowe & The New South will make a rare Opry appearance on Saturday (12/8), performing in the 8:00-8:30 and 11:00-11:30 p.m. segments. They will surely be showcasing songs from their newest release, Lefty’s Old Guitar.

Also on the show this week are Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys (12:30-1:00 a.m.) and Old Crow Medicine Show ( 8:30-9:00 and 11:30-midnight). All times shown in Eastern Standard Time.

As we remind our readers whenever we find good bluegrass on The Opry, the show is broadcast live on WSM AM 650, and can be heard over the air in large parts of the central US. You can also listen to the live WSM audio stream online to hear the program, which runs from 7:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 8.

WSM selects highlights from both the Friday and Saturday Opry shows, and makes them available on their audio archives page. Each weekend’s audio should be available by early in the following week.

I recently discovered the photo-blog of photographer Mark Hamilton. Mark has some really great images on his blog, a couple of which will be of interest to the bluegrass community. Since his site is all about the photos I’m not going to post them here, I’ll just link to them. You’ll have to visit him to see the photos.

J.D. Crowe - at the Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, KY (Sept 2004)

Jere Cherryholmes - at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN (Nov 2006)

The Washington Post contains a brief review in today’s edition of the latest release from J.D. Crowe & The New South, Lefty’s Old Guitar, which we celebrated when it hit the street in early October.

After a quick overview of the tunes, Geoffrey Himes of The Post concludes:

“This is Crowe’s first album in seven years, but it showcases one of the best bands he has ever had.”

Our sentiments exactly. Read the full review at washingtonpost.com.