Where No One Stands Alone is Paul Williams’ seventh album for Rebel Records; all have been in the bluegrass Gospel style. That has been Williams’ chosen path for several years now, since retiring from his day job. He has been well rewarded for his endeavours with several awards from SPBGMA and nominations for IBMA awards. He deserves the roses.This latest CD consists of 14 tracks in all, five of which were written by Williams (credited as Paul Humphrey, as usual), a couple arranged by him and the balance, including Joe Isaacs’ classic I Pressed Through The Crowd, from various other sources.

Vocally, all but two songs is a trio, with Williams (mandolin, and lead or tenor) accompanied by Kelly McCord (guitar and lead or tenor) and Rodney Worley (fiddle, guitar and baritone). The variations are found with Could That Be Jesus?, a duet with McCord taking the lead to Williams’ tenor, and the a cappella quartet Thank You Jesus, which incorporates Kevin Bowen, singing bass, underpinning Williams’ high lead, McCord’s low-tenor and Worley’s baritone. Matt Wallace makes sure that the rhythm section is solid throughout.

There are many great performances here and more are recognisable as one listens again and again . The quintet is assured from the beginning with The Other Side Of Jordan and continues with A Long Time Ago, where the subject has salvation at an early time in his life and exists thereafter with a certainty about his final destination. Beautiful Heaven and When We’re Living On The Other Side are both characterised by yet more stellar lead vocals, great close harmony singing, a soaring ending and neat flat-pick guitar from Worley. The latter has McCord singing lead and intricate vocal interplay, and both are excellent songs written by Williams.

I’m Getting Anxious begins with a spoken introduction showing that there is still scope for something different here and there.

A Dusty Pair Of Sandals, written by Linda King, urges a steadfastness in spiritual belief. “Don’t let trials and tribulations make you doubt, when great troubles overtake you, don’t give in and don’t give out.” Jesus will be there for you. Williams and co., with McCord singing lead, capture the associated tension very well.

Writer Ernie Groves questions the churches’ solidarity with its original mission in Modernize Churches, asking for a return to the old time way. That Same Road uses the length of a highway as an analogy for a life of struggle without God, suggesting that the road is longer if you have been too far from God.

Another stellar performance can be heard in Could That Be Jesus?, with its almost pleading refrain asking for His presence to assist in the crossing of the spiritual waters. The collection ends with a driving rendition of I Know My Lord Is Going To Lead Me Out.

Everybody describes Paul Williams as a “gentleman;” he lives his life by his beliefs and that comes out in his writing and his singing. Listening to Where No One Stands Alone leaves no doubt about his strong convictions and his prowess as a musician.

Audio samples can be found in iTunes.

The Gospel Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2008 Dove Awards, and their bluegrass categories are chock full of familiar names.

The awards will be announced at the 39th Annual Dove Awards on April 23 in Nashville, TN.

The Bluegrass Recorded Song of the Year nominees are:

• He’s In Control from Austins Bridge by Austins Bridge; Justin Rivers, Mike Kofahl, John Ramsey (writers); Daywind Records
• I Will Find You Again from Lifetimes by Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs, Lizzy Long; Wayne Haun, Joel Lindsey, Cindi Ballard (writers); Vine Records
• Love Will Be Enough from Salt of the Earth by Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Janis Ian, Paul Overstreet (writers); Skaggs Family Records
• Salt of the Earth from Salt of the Earth by Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Jim Rushing, Ronald Scaife (writers); Skaggs Family Records
• The Key To Heaven from Flyin’ High by The Lewis Family; Caleb Collins, Lyn Rowell (writers); Vine Records

In the Bluegrass Album of the Year category, we have:

• God’s Masterpiece - The Marksmen; Mark Wheeler (producer); Rural Rhythm Records
• Lifetimes - Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs, Lizzy Long; Wayne Haun, Kevin Ward (producer); Vine Records
• Salt Of The Earth - Ricky Skaggs & The Whites; Ricky Skaggs & The Whites (producer); Skaggs Family Records
• Tell Someone - Kenny & Amanda Smith Band; Kenny & Amanda Smith Band (producer); Rebel Records
• Where No One Stands Alone - Paul Williams & The Victory Trio; Paul Williams (producer); Rebel Records

Congratulations and best of luck to them all!

This Christmas memory comes from Paul Williams, one of bluegrass music’s true legends - both as a songwriter and a tenor singer.

The year was 1957, November… I had just gone to work for Jimmy Martin in Detroit, Michigan. I had been released from active duty in the U.S. Air Force in October, and received a phone call from “The King” to come and work for him.

That Christmas, 1957, Jimmy asked me to go with him and his family to Sneedville, TN to spend Christmas. It had only been about seven weeks since I had been home with my parents, so I accepted Jimmy’s offer and went along with him. I got to meet his family - his brothers and sisters, his mother and his step-father.

It was a snowy time, cold, and I noticed how much these folks enjoyed being together, exchanging gifts, great food and so much joy all around. That’s what prompted me to write a Christmas song that we later recorded. Old Fashioned Christmas was a big seller, very popular on the radio and juke boxes. It still brings in a few royalties today, and that will be fifty years ago come 2008.

Five years later I married Jimmy’s youngest sister and we celebrated our 45th anniversary this past year.

God has truly Blessed our lives. We have one son, four granddaughters, and a wonderful daughter-in-law. Merry Christmas to everybody.

Here are two more reflections on the passing of Ray Goins from his friends and contemporaries in the music business.

Paul Williams had this to say about his old friend.

I first met Ray Goins, when I was with The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers in 1951. Jimmy Williams had left to go and work for Mac Wiseman, and Ezra hired Ray to play the banjo. He was a good lead singer as well. We did the first recording on RCA Victor with the Fiddlers, and became and remained friends.

Ray was a real good person, sorta laid back, and easy going in those days. We had some great times together in Bluefield, WV on WHIS. I have very fond memories of a real good person.

He was ready to leave here, he had told me in the past. Now his troubles, pain, heartaches and worries are all over. He is at rest in the Paradise of God. He will be greatly missed in the Bluegrass world.

Larry Sparks also shared a few thoughts about Ray.

Ray Goins played a part in the making of bluegrass music, starting back in the early years with his banjo playing and his good tenor singing playing with his brother Melvin Goins. I remember Ray as being a very nice man - always friendly with everyone and willing to give of himself to his fans. He loved this music.

I’m glad we got to meet over the years and to sing together a few times. We were friends, and most importantly, brothers in Christ Jesus.

The new CD from Paul Williams & The Victory Trio, Where No One Stands Alone, which Richard Thompson previewed for us last month, is now available on Rebel Records. Paul is one of the true treasures of bluegrass music, having been an active tenor singer, mandolinist and songwriter since the 1950s.

He now focuses entirely on bluegrass Gospel music, and continues to write, record and perform with his group, Victory Trio.

Where No One Stands Alone is available from your favorite bluegrass and Gospel music resellers, an in the iTunes Music Store, where you can hear audio samples for all 14 tracks.

To learn more about Paul Williams and his huge contributions to bluegrass music, check out the lengthy audio interview we did with Paul for The GrassCast. It is available in two parts as an .mp3 file.

Also new this week from Rebel is a 20 song Gospel compilation, True Bluegrass Gospel. These are all tracks from previous Rebel releases, with contributions from Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, The Country gentlemen, The Stanley Brothers, Jim Eanes and several others.

Knoxnews.com has a feature article today about mandolinist/singer Paul Williams. The article presents a thorough biography of Williams’ music career, starting with his time spent in Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys and completing the story with Williams’ current band, The Victory Trio.

Paul Williams is an icon in this music having influenced many with his singing and mandolin playing. He is also a successful songwriter.

His songs have been recorded by Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams Jr., Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, IIIrd Tyme Out and many other artists. Even Ray Charles recorded “Nobody Cares,” a song Williams wrote in the early 1950s.

The article does spend considerable time discussing Williams’ Christian faith and testimony, which can’t be avoided when spending any time around Paul. It’s an interesting story and worth reading on a Sunday afternoon.

Here’s another post from our all-the-more regular correspondent, Richard Thompson. He writes from England, where he is also a longstanding contributor to British Bluegrass News, a quarterly print publication where he also briefly served as editor.

The latest CD from bluegrass stalwart Paul Williams and his band, Where No One Stands Alone (Rebel REB 1822) will be released on May 22.

An very accomplished mandolin player, Paul Williams’ first job in bluegrass music was with the legendary Lonesome Pine Fiddlers in the 1950s. From there, he then went on to become one of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, staying with the group until the early 1960s. He wrote prolifically during those years and produced many bluegrass classics including Don’t Cry To Me, Prayer Bells Of Heaven and I Like To Hear Them Preach It.

In August of 1963 Williams retired from the bluegrass music circuit, to work for the US Postal Service. However, he continued to write songs and play in churches and radio broadcasts for the next thirty years or so.

In 1995 Paul Williams formed The Victory Trio and the group played in churches around his home town of Morristown, Tennessee. While the group was an immediate regional success, it took four years to achieve wider recognition. The big break came with their second self-produced recording, Old Ways & Old Paths, which was re-released on Rebel Records and subsequently was nominated for a Grammy award in 2000 in the Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album category.

Paul Williams and The Victory Trio have continued to release great bluegrass gospel albums through the years and their efforts have earned them several nominations for awards. For three consecutive years the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music (SPBGMA) and the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) nominated the band for Bluegrass Group of the Year, Bluegrass Gospel-Traditional Group of the Year and Bluegrass Vocal Group of the Year, respectively. In February this year the group were presented with the SPBGMA Bluegrass Gospel-Traditional Group of the Year award.

This new collection features 14 all new recordings done at Lasting Sounds Studio, Blountville, Tennessee, in October of last year. Of those, three are original songs penned by Williams; Beautiful Heaven, When We’re Living On The Other Side and I’m Getting Anxious. There are a further two songs where Williams shares co-writing credit; A Long Time Ago (with Susie Keys) and Can You Hear The Angels Sing? (with Joyce Williams).

Among the remainder is I Pressed Through The Crowd (penned by Joe Isaacs) and an Albert E Brumley song, I Know My Lord Is Going To Lead Me Out.

Thank You Jesus is the sole a cappella cut.

Williams has had a complete overhaul of supporting personnel since his last release, with Kelly McCord (guitar) and Rodney Worley (fiddle and guitar) both assisting Williams on vocals, and Kevin Bowen (banjo) and Matt Wallace (bass) rounding out the quintet.

All in all, the collection is more of the good traditional bluegrass gospel that one expects from Paul Williams and The Victory Trio.

To learn more about Paul Williams listen to GrassCast #53 and #54.

Marion, VA is a town you might miss, unless you are traveling on I-81 through Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains. The area has a rich musical heritage, however, and is now the home of Song Of The Mountains, a live concert series which is recorded for broadcast television from Marion’s restored Lincoln Theater.

The show is the brainchild of Tim White, a well-known performer and radio personality in East Tennessee (Troublesome Hollow and The VW Boys), and Andre Burroughs, Production Manager at Blue Ridge Public Television in Roanoke, VA. They launched in the summer of 2005, drawing a local audience and filming several of the shows for airing on BRPTV.

These shows were also offered to PBS affiliates all over the US, and 26 picked the show up over the course of that first season. In 2006, shows were recorded for the 2007 broadcast season, and the show received a Telly Award for their work in season one.

The 2007 broadcast season will include live shows featuring Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys, The Lost & Found, Roni Stoneman, The VW Boys with special guest “Tater” Tate, Mike Seeger, Paul Williams & the Victory Trio, Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen, Wayne Henderson & Jeff Little, Heather Berry & Dominion Grass and many others.

Tim White tells us that they have 50 PBS affiliate stations carrying the show now, and that it is distributed for broadcast to members of the National Educational Telecommunications Association through the NETA Program Service.

Stations wishing to contact Tim for more information can do so by email.

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This week on The GrassCast we continue our interview with bluegrass legend Paul Williams. Last week we took a look at Paul’s background in the music business, how he got started, and left the discussion after listening to a song he had written and performed on a live DVD production.

Part 2 of the interview continues this week as Paul discusses one of his most popular tunes, My Walkin’ Shoes Don’t Fit Me Anymore, and then goes on to tell us about a new song he has written that has been recorded on a recent Marty Raybon release. We’ve included a verse and chorus of Marty singing the song.

Paul then goes on to talk about his DVD release and his plans for the future. This is the conclusion to a great interview, be sure to listen to both parts.

Direct Download: ep54_paul_williams_pt2.mp3

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Our guest this week on The GrassCast is bluegrass legend Paul Williams. Paul has a historic career in bluegrass. He’s well known for his singing but many fans may not be aware of his contributions to the music through songwriting. During the interview Paul talks about songs he wrote and then cut with Jimmy Martin. He also talks about the process of writing songs and how he got started writing bluegrass songs.

The interview is a long one so we’ve decided to split it in two. This week is part one and focuses on Paul’s history and how he got started as a songwriter. Next week we’ll continue it and see how Paul is continuing to be a vibrant songwriter who still gets cuts, while at the same time fronting his own band.

Direct Download: ep53_paul_williams.mp3

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