Four different brothers were members of the group over the years, and now one of them, Larry McPeak, is in ill health and in need of a kidney transplant. Larry has been ill for some time, and underwent a liver transplant in 2001, and his doctors have found that the medications he has taken since that time – along with his diabetes – have caused a complete shutdown of his kidneys.

The costs for this procedure are staggering, and even with health insurance, Larry will be facing crushing medical bills. The National Foundation for Transplants has set up a page where his many friend and fans can make contributions specifically to help with the estimated $25,000 he will need in the short term.

Larry has performed of late as bass player with The VW Boys, and has dedicated his life to performing bluegrass music. Anyone who is in a position to make a donation will be supporting a fine man and a real bluegrass soldier.

More details can be found on the NFT site.

The Virginia Tech String Project will provide affordable string music instruction for third and forth grade students of both public and private schools in the area. Classes will be held on the VT campus on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Why is this of interest to us?

Mandolinist Jeff Midkiff is the Master Teacher for the String Project. Midkiff grew up in the area, and attended VT where he studied music education. He has conducted several youth orchestras, composed and performed his own pieces with the orchestras around the country, and toured internationally as a member of both the McPeak Brothers and Lonesome River Band.

The program begins later this month when Midkiff, along with other teachers, will visit area elementary schools to recruit students for the program. Classes will begin September 4, 2007.

First up is a Lonesome River Band album from 1988, one which many recent fans of the band may learn about for the first time. Saturday Night, Sunday Morning came out on LP several years before the band took the bluegrass world by storm with Carrying The Tradition, but featured the drive and agreesive style that later (and current) editions of the band perfected.

This release featured founding members Tim Austin on guitar and Jerry McMillan on bass, along with Brian Fessler on banjo and Adam Steffey on mandolin. As you might guess from the title, this project features a mix of secular and spiritual material, with Adam’s instrumental take on Daybreak In Dixie.

You can sample the tracks or purchase the music in iTunes.

Makin’ Tracks by The McPreake Brothers was first released in 1983 on County Records – the last of the three McPeake projects for Rebel/County. By this time, the three brothers (Dewey, Larry and Mike) had established themselves as one of the premiere bluegrass vocal groups of their day.

Living in Southwest Virginia as I do, there were many opportunities to see them perform live, but they never toured far from their homes near Wytheville, VA, and their fine harmony was kept a secret from many bluegrass fans around the world – other than from these fine recordings.

Check out this valuable reissue on iTunes.