Sam Bush will a featured guest on this weekend’s edition of A Prairie Home Companion, broadcast on public radio stations all over the US.

The show will broadcast live from St. Paul, MN on February 9 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. (EST) over a great many stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133. Broadcast times vary from one affiliate to another, with many carrying the live feed on Saturday afternoons, and others running it instead early on Sunday afternoon. Check local listings for air times in your area.

You can also listen live online, accessed using Windows Media Player from the Prairie Home Companion web site. Past shows are archived on the PHC site, with audio files usually available by the Monday morning following a weekend broadcast.

Doyle Lawson is packing up his merry band and heading for New York City to perform live on A Prairie Home Companion this Saturday evening (12/15). They have two Christmas tunes ready – an instrumental medley and a different take on Jingle Bells – but aren’t sure what host Garrison Keillor has in mind for their selections.

I had a chance to chat with Doyle’s wife, Suzanne, earlier this week who is going along for the NYC trip.

“I’m going to see the lights, tree, and decorations and I wouldn’t miss PHC if at all possible. There’s nothing like live radio.”

Suzanne said that she would try her best to get a couple of the guys to go with her and join the crowd that lines up for the cameras outside the Today Show studios on Saturday morning, so check NBC between 7:00-9:00 a.m. (EST) to see if you can catch a glimpse of them.

“When I asked [new banjo picker] Joey [Cox] is he was willing to get up early and go to the Today Show with me this Saturday morning, he asked me what the Today Show was!

Joey is really a hot picker and all the girls enjoy looking at him too! In fact, Doyle has a nice looking bunch of young guys. with him now. He has also found that 3 of the guys play piano: Carl, Alan and Josh. Josh also plays drums and they all play that new Nintendo Wii game. In fact, Josh threw his back out swinging at Tiger Woods golf on the bus and had to go to the doctor!”

A Prairie Home Companion broadcasts live over a great many public radio stations in the US, and on XM Satellite Radio track 133, at 6:00 p.m. (EST). Many other stations carry the show later on Saturdays, or on Sundays. Check local listings for air times in your area.

Suzanne also shared a bit of Quicksilver recording news. She tells us that Doyle is about half finished on his next CD, an all Gospel project. This will be the first release with the latest version of the band: Darren Beachley on guitar, Joey Cox on banjo, Alan Johnson on fiddle, Josh Swift on dobro and Carl White on bass – with Doyle on mandolin, of course.

She also mentioned that Doyle and Darren are thinking of recording a new Christmas project in 2008. Sounds like a busy year for Doyle and his crew.

Here’s another CD that I’ve found the time to listen to. Ricky Skaggs recently released a CD with his wife Sharron and her family, The Whites. The CD is called Salt of the Earth, taking its name from the fourth track on the disc. The CD is released on the Skaggs Family label and distributed by Fontana. The CD was released in September of this year.

Salt of the Earth marks the first time that Ricky and The Whites have collaborated on an entire CD.

The Whites consist of sisters Sharron and Cheryl, along with their father Buck. Joining the Whites and Ricky on the CD are Mark Fain, Cody Kilby, and Andy Leftwich from Ricky’s band. Ricky’s daughter Molly, and a cast of Nashville session players accompany on various instruments.

The disc contains 13 tracks, most of them overtly gospel in nature. The first track is the only one that might not be considered an outright gospel song though it does speak of heaven and God’s love in the last verse.

Several old hymns, including Farther Along, Near The Cross, Blessed Assurance, and The Solid Rock, found their way onto this recording and they are perhaps some of my favorite tracks. These songs seem to be missing from many churches today, and it’s nice to have them here done in a straitforward manner, but with a bluegrass sensibility. Andy Leftwich’s tasteful fiddle really sweeten these old songs.

Lead vocals are shared more or less evenly between the four family members, with Ricky singing one or two more than each of the others. Tight family harmonies are heard throughout. The arrangements are all very appropriate and tastefull, even sparce at times, allowing the listener to connect with the lyrics and not get lost in fancy picking.

For fans of Skaggs, The Whites, and gospel music, this CD will be a welcome addition to the collection.

In a related note, we’ve learned that Skaggs and The Whites will be performing tomorrow, November 10, 2007 on A Prairie Home Companion. Their performance will center around songs from this CD with members of Kentucky Thunder providing accompaniment. Broadcast times vary depending on station so you’ll need to consult the station list for a broadcast in your area.

Alternately, you can tune in live netcast from 5-7PM CST.

This Saturday, January 27, 2007, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will join host Garrison Keillor on NPR’s Prairie Home Companion.

The show will be broadcast live from the Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, PA. The show is already sold out, but you should be able to listen to your local NPR station or tune in online from 5-7 PM CT.