We posted last month about the benefit concert for Eddie & Martha Adcock, held to help them overcome the financial difficulties they face as a result of Eddie’s medical issues this past year. Scott Street, an attorney in Richmond, VA – and a fine banjo picker as well – sent along this report of the concert along with a number of photos.

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

In addition to preparing for IBMA, WAMU’s Bluegrass Country host Katy Daley has several big interviews on tap this week during her morning show.

This morning (9/23) at 9:00 a.m. (EDT), Katy will speak with Valerie Smith about her 3rd annual Dare to Be Different Showcase, held in Bell Buckle, TN just prior to the IBMA events in Nashville. It’s a full day of bluegrass entertainment on Sunday (9/27) to benefit the Foundation for Bluegrass Music’s Bluegrass In The Schools program, which funds scholarships for schools that would like to, but can’t afford to bring a bluegrass band in to teach their students about the music.

The show will feature performances from several groups, including the newly-formed Jerry Butler & the Blu-J’s, plus a set from Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike.

Katy will have Missy Raines with her on Thursday morning (9/24) at 9:00 a.m.. Missy has yet another nomination for Bass Player of the Year from IBMA, and will discuss that with Katy, as well as her new band, The New Hip.

On Friday (9/25), Adam Steffey is on at 9:00 to talk about his new CD, One More For the Road, which dropped this week on Sugar Hill. Adam also has a number of IBMA nominations this year, for Mandolin Player of the Year and with the Dan Tyminski Band.

I’m sure that Katy will spin a few tracks from the CD, and hopefully will drag a yarn or two from Adam about the recording of this stellar project. Guests include Alison Krauss, Ron Block, Ron Stewart, Bryan Sutton, Randy Kohrs, Chris Stapleton and producer/bassist Barry Bales.

Bluegrass Country’s 24/7 bluegrass music feed can be heard worldwide on www.bluegrasscountry.org and in the Washington area on HD Radio WAMU-88.5 Channel Two, and on 105FiveFM.

Mike Witcher, current reso man with Missy Raines & The New Hip, has published a second instructional book for resonator guitar.

Resonator Guitar: 20 Bluegrass Jam Favorites contains precisely what the title suggests. Mike has created intermediate level arrangements for 20 oft-called tunes, and presents them in tablature and on an accompanying audio CD.

The book is spiral bound to lay flat on a music stand and runs to 28 pages, including a forward from Jerry Douglas. Songs include Angelina Baker, Big Mon, Clinch Mountain Backstep, Lonesome Road Blues, Methodist Preacher, Red Wing, Soldiers Joy and many more.

It can be ordered from Mike’s web site, where you can also see the complete list of tunes.

Witcher also offers live online lessons via webcam. Full details can be found on his site – a high speed connection is highly recommended.

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an article on Alison Brown and her company, Compass Records, that also includes brief interviews with three Compass artists who have recent releases – Dale Ann Bradley, Missy Raines, and Brown herself.

The article – The Sisterhood of Bluegrass by Barry Mazor – discusses how the bluegrass/acoustic world has warmed of late to female-headed bands, and how these three all find themselves on Compass at this point in their careers.

“It’s a kind of sisterhood, really,” Ms. Brown notes, and she should know. She’s not only a widely admired banjo virtuoso, and in 1991 the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association’s banjo player of the year award, after a stint playing with Alison Krauss. She’s also a former investment banker who co-founded and heads Compass Records along with her husband and bandmate, Gary West. While the three 40-something bandleaders on Compass are different musically, Ms. Brown stresses their common history.

“We’re all about the same age,” she said in an interview at Compass’s Music Row offices, “and all three of us have seen change and what women can do in the field. When I was playing festivals growing up, people always felt compelled to say ‘you’re really good — for a girl,’ and it wasn’t even meant as an insult. But you don’t hear that so much any more; women are leading the charge with the most interesting bluegrass.”

You can read the full piece online, complete with audio tracks from the Brown, Bradley and Raines CDs.