His latest CD, B-Natural, has just been released. It’s a self-produced project with 12 new Sizemore compositions with Terry Baucom on banjo, Jimmy Haley on guitar, Ron Stewart on fiddle and Mike Bub on bass. Alan Bibey also adds some lead guitar and harmony mandolin parts.

The CD title comes from the lead track, a sly reference to the stylistic innovations that Herschel introduced to bluegrass mandolin some years ago. The mandolin style that Bill Monroe developed quite commonly involved playing in the key of B, but Monroe’s playing was position-based and often relied on stock licks and phrases. Sizemore found a way to play complex melodies in B, an unforgiving place for uncapoed stringed instruments, and it won has him quite a stable of admirers among his peers.

What Herschel introduced is now standard fare in the bluegrass mandolin repertoire, and it’s a sad fact that many young 8-stringers have little awareness of the straight line that runs from Herschel Sizemore through Sam Bush, Alan Bibey and Adam Steffey.

Of course, he plays comfortable in most any standard bluegrass key, and his new tunes demonstrate a variety of the breakdowns, reels and waltzes for which he is known. The sound here will be quite familiar to long-time Sizemore fans, with straightforward, no frills arrangements and crisp, clean playing all around. Here are a few audio samples:

Monroe’s Dream is one Herschel wrote a few years ago, reflecting on his old friend Bill Monroe. Big Mon was always a supporter of what Herschel was doing with teh mandolin, and Herschel has always believed it was because he wasn’t copying Monroe’s music, but making his own statement with teh instrument.

Derrington Express is dedicated to another dear friend, Charlie Derrington, formerly with Gibson in Nashville. Charlie was killed by a drunk driver almost exactly 3 years ago (8/1/06) while he was riding his motorcycle near his home.

B-Natural was produced with support from The Virginia Foundation For The Humanities. Ordering in enabled from Herschel’s web site.

Students and fans of flatpicking guitar have followed Kenny from the time he first placed in the National Guitar Flat Pick Championship at Winfield in 1992, and followed him through stints with Claire Lynch and his two Guitar Player of the Year Awards from IBMA while working with LRB.

For most bluegrass fans, their first taste of Amanda’s singing was a single track she sang on Kenny’s Studebaker CD, released in 1997, or her debut release with Kenny, Slowly But Surely.

I had a chance to sit down with both of them recently to listen through the entire CD, after which they answered a few questions about the music and the songs included on Live And Learn, which also features regular band members Zach McLamb on bass and Aaron Williams on mandolin.

Kenny was especially enthusiastic about this project…

“I couldn’t ask for a better CD. This one just captured the sound we were after, and I’m delighted with the result.

At the beginning of this project, we had still not hired a full time banjo player. This had gone on for a year with different players filling in. Terry Baucom and Ron Stewart had filled in with us during the summer, and we just didn’t get in a hurry finding someone with these guys filling in. Plus, we were having a blast with them picking with us.

We were going to cut the project regardless and leave the banjo spot open and deal with it later when we called Ron about overdubbing fiddle later on. He told us he was available the week were laying down the rhythm tracks. So Ron showed up with banjo and fiddle in hand and we cut some of the best music the band has recorded to date.”

The first single from the album, Randall Collins, has been released to radio and is starting to get airplay. It’s a re-cut of a great Norman Blake song from the 1970s, one of Kenny’s favorite guitarists while he was learning to play.

“When I was growing up in Nine Mile, Indiana I used to mow yards in the summer for $3.50 a yard. I did that all summer and it was my first real job. It was enough to keep gas in my minibike and buy records.

There was a record shop near home that was going out of business and I bought every Norman Blake album that was on the rack. On one of those album was the song Randall Collins. We were jamming back stage one day and I was messing around with the tune. Zach remembered it and joined in, and before long we were working it up.

I hope our cut inspires some young pickers just as Norman did with me.”

The album is filled with great songs, a couple of which were written by Kenny and Amanda themselves. One of those is Icicle Canyon, a nice medium-tempo number that tells of heartbreak and regret.

“When we play at Wintergrass, we always stay with a good friend of ours, Rob Newsom. He lives in truly one of the prettiest places I have ever been, Icicle Canyon. It was snowing one day when we were staying with him and I looked at Rob and said, ‘Lets write a tune.’

There is a sign up at his place that says 8 miles to Icicle Canyon, and that struck me as a great name for a song. I have been friends with Rob since my first trip to the Wintergrass festival in Tacoma and always wanted to co-write with him.”

Another track that really grabbed my attention was Cruel Willie, a lovely old song with a distaff flip on the classic murder ballad genre. It’s performed as a duet with sparse accompaniment.

“Cruel Willie was a song we kept hearing in the old time circles while I was listening to other claw hammer players. We love story songs, and what a story this one is!

This one is a perfect example of what I like in a song – great story, simple catchy melody. I absolutely love Ron’s fiddle break on this tune and remember being totally engaged in the rhythm track when we cut this one.

This was a first take song and we stayed away from doing anything to mess with the vibe of how it happened in that particular moment. I love the intro and ending riff with the mandolin.”

Drive That Fast, written by Arty Hill, shows off the expressive quality of Amanda’s voice perfectly, and is just the sort of more contemporary bluegrass song that this group does as well as anyone.

“We met Arty Hill at the Collings both at IBMA a couple of years ago. We got to talking and exchanged CDs. Arty told me he would love to send some songs he had written.

One of the first one he sent was one he wrote especially for us, and that was Drive That Fast. I love this song. I think it defines us as a band and our particular sound.”

Kenny volunteered that his favorite track is the opener, Changing. It’s a song written by Blue Highway’s Tim Stafford, along with Brandi Hart and Buddy Woodward of The Dixie Bee-Liners. It tells the story of Brandi and Buddy making the tough decision to move from New York to Virginia to pursue a career in music.

“Tim gave us a demo with Changing on there and I loved the tune the first time I heard it. We fooled around with the tempo and keys and settled on E.

This tune has a haunting quality about it which I can’t really explain. It’s a different kind of song for our band, and uncharted territory for us. It truly is one of the finest songs we have ever gotten the chance to record.

Not long ago, Buddy called us up out of the blue and said, ‘We are having a cook out and would love for you guys to stop by.’ We did – and can that guy cook!

I brought along our recorded version of the song and we all stood around a jam box in Buddy and Brandi’s backyard and listened to it all together. That was the first time we had played a song for the songwriters before the CD had come out.

Just before it started playing I remember being nervous and wondering if they would like the way we arranged their song. It was a special moment for all of us just to watch them react to the changes as it played, and to see their expressions of the little nuances of the song they created, which came from a place much deeper that only a songwriter can explain.

It was an emotional moment for all of us there that day.”

Live And Learn is being sent out to radio this week, so keep an ear open for music from this fine new CD wherever you listen to bluegrass over the air or online.

The album is beautiful sonically, another Kenny & Amanda trademark. Kenny’s rhythm guitar fills up each track, and his lead work is alternately lyrical and playful. Amada also shines throughout, showing how well she can adapt her voice to a variety of styles.

It’s a good’n, folks.

Rounder has revealed a little about the making of the video and the picturesque setting that all but steals the show.

Directed by Rocky Schenck and produced by Rocky Schenck and Brad Paul, the video, was shot on the unique Sierra Hotel train car on June 10 -11 in California.

The Sierra Hotel car was part of the California Zephyr line that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles from 1948 to 1983. The car was then purchased privately and completely restored and customized. The producers of the video chartered the car and had it attached to the Amtrak Coast Starlight train (which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles) in Oakland and shot the video during the journey south to Los Angeles and back to Oakland the next day. Wheels features grand iconic scenery, informal performances and humorous vignettes about the band finding ways to stay entertained while on the road.

The video is being added on GAC on Tuesday, July 22 and is currently in heavy rotation on CMT Pure. It can also be viewed online.

Over the past ten years, he has been a member of The Lynn Morris Band, JD Crowe & The New South with high-profile fill in work with Lonesome River Band. He was the subject of two popular instructional DVDs for AcuTab (banjo and fiddle) and released his own solo CD, Time Stands Still.

Ron is featured on two current CDs, Longview’s Deep In The Mountains where he plays fiddle, and Wheels, the just-released project from Dan Tyminski, on banjo. He has also developed a reputation as a first rate set up man on both instruments, and has long been a go-to-guy for folks looking for restored fiddles for sale.

I have heard Ron expound on banjo set up and construction many times, a knowledge he developed over many years of studying the classic pre-war flatheads, and refined through both examination of and discussion with JD Crowe and his collection of fine flatheads. Now, he has taken his banjo experience to the next step, pairing with builder Warren Yates in the development, set up and marketing of a new line of instruments, the Ron Stewart Signature Series banjos.

Ron shared his thoughts with us recently, explainng what brought him to work with Yates, and describing these new banjos that carry his name.

“I first met Warren Yates in July of 2006 at a show in Morganton, NC, while working with JD Crowe. I was also filling in on banjo with Kenny and Amanda Smith that same day. Warren introduced himself, and showed me a couple of his Rattlesnake banjos. I was impressed with the craftsmanship and the tone of the banjos, so we exchanged contact info, but aside from a couple of emails and a phone conversation or two, didn’t get to know each other really well until the next summer (I had a baby boy due in August, so as many of you know, that first year is, well, really intense and busy!).

I was once again playing in the area in July of ‚Äò07 and Warren and Joel Marley (who works at Yates banjo, inlay) came out to our show, and brought a Studio model Yates for me to play. It blew me away, and we started talking about doing a Ron Stewart model Yates at that time. The Studio model was the banjo I played at IBMA on the Dan Tyminski Band showcase in’07, which I sold to a gentleman in NC when I got my Maple model, which I used to record the new Dan Tyminski Band CD.

I have thought for some time about the way to really get that ‘classic flathead tone’ in a new banjo, and I feel that I’ve found the way to do it. I wish I could go into what it is, but it is something that makes or breaks the tone of the banjo, and that’s all I can say about the process. I had my ideas about tone rings and I had really been waiting until someone wanted to hear my reasoning and logic, and Warren Yates was that person.

It took a lot of hours and trips to NC, and more hours and more trips before it happened, but it did, and thus the V33 No Hole tone ring was born, and I couldn’t be happier with our product! I love tone, in any instrument, and banjos to me are no different that any other instrument, sort of like the violins my father and I re-voice. It’s in there, you just have to know what to do and what not to do to get it out!

The Ron Stewart Maple model is patterned after my 1933 TB1, serial 9464-59. It has the ‘fat’ rim like the ‚Äò33’s do (.630” VS. .600”), distressed finish and hardware, No Hole Venom 33 tone ring, pot metal lightweight flange, special inlay which is in all of my models, and a straight grained maple neck, same size and shape as mine, and smaller frets.

The Ron Stewart Mahogany model has a reddish brown distressed finish, rings in the resonator, distressed hardware, No Hole Venom 33 tone ring, same inlay in the fingerboard with a different headstock inlay. Aside from the visual aspects, these banjos are quite similar in how they respond. They feel right in your hands, and have tones that are just amazing! In a word, they look, feel, and most importantly sound RIGHT!!!!

I set up every Ron Stewart model that is sold, play it in, and sign it in ink. I also designed the Ron Stewart model bridge, same principle as violin or any other kind of bridge, with the right mass, and right wood, it will bring out the most a banjo has to offer. I wouldn’t have my name on an instrument that I wouldn’t walk into the studio or on stage and play it, and I mean EVERY one of them. We don’t just have a few ‘good’ ones, they are all instruments I would be proud to play anytime, anywhere.”

Ron has taken a solo banjo track from the song Why Don’t You Tell Me So so that banjo pickers can get a good listen to one of these Yates banjos in the ideal studio environment. You can find it on the Ron Stewart web site, or listen right here.

Listen now:

“I have had the good fortune in the last six years to have played with one of my heros, JD Crowe, and during that time spent countless hours around, and playing, his flatheads. I knew there was a reason that flatheads sounded the way they do, and from working on violins and other acoustic instruments alongside my father, Frank – who is an amazing luthier – I knew it wasn’t a ‘Genie’ in a bottle.

Everything happens for a reason, cause and effect, and flatheads are no different from anything else in that respect, just like Loars or Herringbones, or violins. There are things that Gibson did, or had the banjo, or using a microphone on it, it cuts through everything, as it should. The same way with a Loar, or Herringbone, or a great fiddle.

The right tones are coming out, and they are not jumbled with unwanted tones. All instruments have overtones, that’s what makes them sound like they do, if they didn’t have any, it would be like hearing a single electronic note. It’s what overtones are there, and are not there that makes a great instrument sound the way it does, and project like it does. Our banjos have the right tones and overtones, that’s why they sound like they do.

Does it make a difference how old the rim is? Sure, but flatheads were new in the thirties, and I bet they still had that right thing about them. But I also bet that they improved as the wood changed over the years as well. To me, these are as close as you will ever get without spending 100k!

The proof is every week when I walk on stage or in the studio, I’m playing my Yates, not my old Gibson.”

Both Ron Stewart signature Yates models sell for $3875, which includes Keith standard tuners and a hard shell case. More photos and details can be found on the Yates Banjos web site.

Entitled From The Heart and Soul, the CD is due to be released on August 12. Joining Wasson will be J.D. Crowe on banjo, Ron Stewart on fiddle and banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Harold Nixon on bass, Randy Kohrs on resonator guitar and Don Rigsby, Sonya Isaacs and Ben Isaacs on harmony vocals.

The first single from this release, Merle Haggard’s Losin’ In Las Vegas, is included in the recent Rural Rhythm sampler, Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks, and we have a brief audio sample you can hear right now.

Listen now:

This one we will certainly be looking forward to hearing in full.

Ten songs from the show are posted, including the title track from Dan’s upcoming Rounder CD, Wheels, several cuts from his previous solo release (Tiny Broken Heart, Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere) and a few bluegrass classics (Rocky Road Blues, Man Of Constant Sorrow, Muleskinner Blues, Mary Ann).

The band includes Tyminski on guitar and vocals, Ron Stewart on banjo, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Barry bales on bass and Justin Moses on fiddle.

The video was shot with a hand held camera, so it’s a bit shaky at times, but the audio is terrific and they give a fine taste of how strong this band is in concert. This show in March took place one day after I saw the band perform in Roanoke (review here).

You can find all the videos on YouTube, and we’ve included the Wheels video for your enjoyment here.

Rick Hayes,

Hayes handles the lead vocals as well, with the exception of a guest lead each by his bandmates Eric and Leigh Gibson. Harmony vocals were provided by Dwight McCall, the Gibsons and Clay Hess. The CD will also include a bonus track sung by his father, Green Hayes.

Hess contributed three new songs to the project, and Mark Cole, formerly of Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, has two.

Fly By Night was recorded in Rick’s studio, Hayes Productions, where he has previously tracked projects like Dwight McCall’s Kentucky Peace of Mind and Clay Hess’s Red Haired Boy. It will be released under his new label Kang Records ‚Äì an homage to the bluegrass pronunciation of the legendary King Records.

The fiddle is listed as a no-reserve sale on ebay, and Ron says that he is selling it to ensure that it is being played on a regular basis now that he isn’t using a fiddle as often.

I am selling it because it needs to be played! It is a cannon, and someone needs to be playing it daily!

Check it out on ebay.

The band is composed of Barry Bales on bass, Justin Moses on fiddle/dobro, Adam Steffey on mandolin, and Ron Stewart on banjo with Tyminski on guitar and lead vocals. I had spoken with Dan earlier that day, and had several prior conversations with Ron and Adam about the new band. That, together with my keen awareness of each member’s musicianship, left me with some fairly high expectations going into the show.

They emerged from stage right with no introduction, and launched into a blistering, nearly-two hour set of traditional bluegrass music with the characteristic front-of-the-beat drive that distinguishes the finest practitioners of the art. It was a powerful ensemble sound, with vocals to match.

The material was chosen from Dan’s 2000 release, Carry Me Across The Mountains, the band’s upcoming Wheels CD, plus numbers Dan (and Adam) had recorded with Alison Krauss & Union Station. Throw in some bluegrass classics and you had a full concert of expertly performed, passionately delivered music.

Tyminski’s voice has been a familiar one in bluegrass since his emergence with Lonesome River Band in the late 1980s, and he gave an impressive performance Friday night. He offered versions of One Tear and Free Born Man on top of cuts from his CD like Carry Me Across The Mountain, Stuck In The Middle Of Nowhere, Think About You Every Day and Tiny Broken Heart.

Of course they also performed Man Of Constant Sorrow, the most recent bluegrass song to hit pop and country radio with a vengeance, for which Dan provided the voice over in the O Brother, Where Art Thou movie. If you have caught Dan doing this one with AKUS, you’ll have heard his amusing tale about breaking the news about scoring the movie gig to his wife, but it is a funny one even on subsequent rehearings.

The vocal trio has Barry Bales singing baritone and Justin Moses on tenor, blending perfectly with Dan throughout. Dan’s voice is plaintive and emotional, and Moses in particular matched him nuance for nuance, never once overshadowing the lead. Bales’ baritone was also dead on.

The picking was equally sharp, and was a particular highlight for me. Ron Stewart is perhaps the finest exemplar of contemporary bluegrass banjo playing on the scene today and it was a real treat to watch him in his element. Other than a few ballads on which he played fiddle, Ron was left free to pound the five string into submission on every tune. Each note was smooth as silk, and right on time.

Adam Steffey provided his share of fireworks on the mandolin as well. I had seen him perform dozens of times over the years with both AKUS and Mountain Heart, but here his unique skills seem most clearly suited to the task at hand. He and Ron stood side by side on stage, and the two seemed to be gearing up the intensity level all night. As one would lay down a spectacular solo, the other would ratchet it up a notch in response.

Adam also sang No Place To Hide in his baritone drawl, and his MC work throughout the evening was as entertaining as the music. He is a natural comedian and he had the band and the audience in stitches between songs.

I’m not sure if I can add any praise to that Barry Bales has already earned for his stellar bass work. Impeccable timing, huge tone and an ability to be creative on his instrument within the accepted parameters of the style have long set him apart. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely all night – as they all did – and his quick ear allowed him to create clever counter rhythms whenever the soloists’ work suggested them.

Justin Moses seemed like an odd man out, but only for his demeanor. If he smiled, I missed it, and his posture and attitude strike you as one of a man uncomfortable with the limelight. But nothing about his playing gives you that impression. His fiddle work was stellar, as was his dobro and banjo playing on a few songs.

All in all, The Dan Tyminski Band struck me as one of the finest of its kind ever assembled. Their rhythmic and instrumental precision, lead and harmony vocal smoothness, and choice of material puts one in mind of the heralded Bluegrass Album Band [heresy alert!]. That touchstone band, which featured Tony Rice, JD Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Hicks and Todd Phillips defined the apex of the style, and their recordings schooled the next generation of pickers in the finer points of modern bluegrass.

I doubt that I can put it any better than my friend, Keith Roberts, did: If The Bluegrass Album band is The King James Bible, these guys must be the New American Standard.

Just so. Let’s hope they stay together and record for many years to come.

It’s the 3rd annual Pickin’ at the Paramount all star show where top bluegrass artists get together for two shows, performing together in round robin-type groupings quite different from the way fans are used to seeing them.

Artists involved in this year’s show include Mike Bub, Tim Laughlin, Ron Stewart, Adam Steffey, Jim Hurst, Dale Ann Bradley, Bradley Walker, Alecia Nugent, Terry Baucom, Phil Leadbetter, Alan Bibey, David Talbot, Missy Raines, Ricky Wasson, Kenny & Amanda Smith and Josh Williams. Cindy Baucom will be the emcee.

If you live within a comfortable drive’s distance of Bristol, this show would be well worth the trip. Shows are at 3:00 and 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Center for the Arts, a restored art deco movie house from the 1920’s.

More details about online ticket purchasing can be found on The Paraount site.

The result is Gary Ferguson and Friends – Live at Podunk, recorded at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in Connecticut. Assisting on the CD are Mike Auldridge, Gail Wade, Ron Stewart, Emory Lester, Kene Hyatt and Marc Roy.

Audio samples and download purchases are available at DigStation, and info about mail orders can be found on Gary’s MySpace page.

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.

JD has lived “old” school bluegrass his whole life, and has picked with and studied all of those wonderful players, who still today are revered by all who know soul, timing, and taste. I grew up a generation later than JD, but I have spent my lifetime, literally, since I was three years old listening and studying that same music, and it is just as dear to my heart as it is his. I can not tell you the hours spent on the road talking, listening and watching classic bluegrass and country music together and how much it has meant to me for JD to share his thoughts and talents with me.

The first show I ever played with JD was at The Birchmere in D.C., and when I asked him if he wanted to go over a few tunes before the show, he said “Sure… kick off “No Mother Or Dad.’ ” This was not what I had expected, but I kicked it off as close to Benny Sims’ original version as I could play, and when we got done with that tune, JD said, “That’s good enough for me. If you know that stuff, mine won’t be a problem.”

He didn’t care if I knew his stuff (which I did), he cared that I knew the right stuff, and WHY!

Back to the subject at hand, I am leaving the band because it is a professional move I need to make, but NOT because I am not or have not been satisfied with JD, Rick, Dwight, or Harold. I love JD, and he knows that, and I feel just as close to him as ever, and I will surely miss playing music with him. Even more than that, I will miss hanging out with him, getting Starbucks, and watching Beavis and Butthead! I would do anything for JD, anytime, and that goes for Harold, Rick and Dwight as well! I don’t feel like I’m losing a friend, I feel I have gained a rare, true friend.

I also want to say that Harold Nixon, Ricky Wasson, and Dwight McCall are like brothers to me, and I will surely miss picking and traveling with them. They have been there for me thru some trying times, and also the best times! I love you guys, and I’m proud to call each of you my friends for life!

I appreciate the fact that no one has posted anything on any of the discussion boards as to why I am leaving JD, and I respect all of you who haven’t!!!

I say all this for those few that have started things by word of mouth, and so the rest of you know where I stand. I am looking forward to working with Dan, Barry, Adam, and Justin, and I want to thank all of you for all of your support throughout the years, and I will thank you in advance for your continued support, for without you all I would be nothing, no matter how well I might play.

Sincerely.

Ron Stewart

He was a flamboyant performer, and a favorite with fans in the 50s and 60s for his singing and fiddling, plus his huge smile and larger-than-life persona on stage. Benny passed away in 2001, but had been in ill health since the mid-’80s, so a great many younger bluegrass fans and fiddlers have only a passing acquaintance with his brilliant playing.

Thanks to CMH Records, one of his classic recordings is set to be reissued on CD. The Fiddle Collection, originally released as a 2 LP set in 1977, is set to hit the street on October 9 in a special CD edition. The tracks from the original vinyl have been remastered, and a number of bonus tracks are included as well, all of which feature John Hartford on banjo.

Among the 28 tracks are such favorites as Lee Highway Blues, Fiddlers Dream, Back Up And Push and Ragtime Annie, as well as bluegrass numbers like Flint Hill Special, Footprints In The Snow and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.

To get a feel for just how influential Martin was on the next generation of fiddlers, we asked a few of the current nominees for the IBMA Fiddle Player Of The Year Award for comment.

First up is Mountain Heart’s Jim Van Cleve:

“Big Tige (Benny Martin) was the quintessential bluegrass fiddle player…Unbelievably rich tone, especially considering the recording technology of the time, an incredible awareness of the vocal and an inventiveness for where he needed be in context to it. It was so natural for him. Ultimately, he played a huge part in defining for a lot of players, myself included, what types of things were appropriate for the bluegrass fiddler. It’s not unlike what Tony Rice eventually did for bluegrass guitar. His signature fire and enthusiasm just underlined the fact that what he was playing and creating was perfect!”

Ron Stewart, fiddling with JD Crowe & The New South added these words:

“Benny Martin put the fiddle to a new level with tone, phrasing, and double stops!!! He played aggressive, got a huge tone, and slid double stops like no one has or ever will! His name was ‘Big Tiger,’ ‘Big’ for tone, and ‘Tiger’ for how he attacked! Anyone who plays fiddle, or aspires to play fiddle, should know Benny’s work.”

We also heard from Hunter Berry, from Rhonda Vincent & The Rage:

“Benny ‘Big Tige’ Martin is one of the greatest bluegrass fiddlers in history. His stint with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs gave his fiddling an opportunity to build himself a foundation for a prosperous career. Big Tige was one of the first fiddle players to play with the same authority as the lead vocal and with as much aggression as the banjo. Combined with incredibly well rounded vocals and swing-like rhythms, Benny created a category all of his own.”

Fellow fiddle legend Bobby Hicks also had a few words to share about Martin.

“Benny and I were good friends at the time I was working for Bill Monroe. I don’t know anything bad or funny about him, but God knows WHAT A FIDDLE PLAYER HE WAS!!!!”

You can hear several audio samples from The Fiddle Collection on the CMH web site.

Tim Carter, along with his brother Danny, has been performing as The Carter Brothers since 2001. These Carters claim a distant relation to the legendary Carter Family, and bring their traditional music roots to their more eclectic, blues/rock/bluegrass show. Brother Tim now has his own solo releases, and he steps forward as the bluegrass part of the band’s equation. Ten songs, all but on written or co-written by Carter, feature Tim as a fine instrumentalist and a vocalist as well. Guests include Tim Stafford, both on guitar and as co-writer on several tracks, plus Rob Ickes on dobro, Casey Driessen on fiddle and Alison Brown on second banjo on a tune she and Tim wrote together.

Tim’s compositions for banjo tend towards the progressive realm, but his songs have a very traditional feel to them. The mix provides the artistic tension for Bang Bang, and makes for a very enjoyable listen.

Audio samples can be found on Tim’s MySpace page, and ordering is enabled on The Carter Brothers site and on CD Baby.

Tommy Webb’s new CD is entitled Eastern Kentucky, and he has called on some of the heavy hitters from that region of the country to assist him. Banjo legend JD Crowe supplies some words of praise on the back cover, and while his touring band of Chris Goble (banjo), Tadd Huff (bass) and Kenny O’Quinn (mandolin) supports him on a few cuts, the bulk of the recording features one of my very favorite bluegrass bands – Ron Stewart and Harold Nixon.

Ron supplies banjo, mandolin and fiddle on most of the tracks, and adds his guitar and resonator guitar to a few others. His New South bandmate Nixon provides bass on these same tracks, and the effect is quite powerful. I’ve suggested here in the past that Stewart is the most accomplished bluegrass musician of his generation, and those abilities are clearly on display here. He also produced and recorded this project, which has his sparkle all over it.

But Ron’s wizardry is not the main focus here, it’s Webb’s hardcore bluegrass singing and songwriting. A highlight is his grassified reworking of Clinton Gregory’s country hit, (If It Weren’t For Country Music) I’d Go Crazy, which reemerges as If It Weren’t For Bluegrass Music I’d Go Crazy. If you are familiar with the original, the clever retooling of the lyrics will be especially enjoyable.

Audio for Eastern Kentucky is also available on both MySpace and CD Baby.

Dwight has been playing mandolin and singing with J.D. Crowe’s band The New South for several years now. Fans of Dwight’s first solo recording, Kentucky Peace of Mind, will want to get this new CD.

The recording includes a total of 14 songs ranging from the traditional Blue Eyed Boston Boy to the more contemporary feeling title cut written by Wayne Winkle and Craig Market. One track I’m especially excited about is Logan’s Crossroad written by Mike Evens and published by Brinksongs. This is a great Civil War song telling the story of a long battle that saw the loss of “many good men.” I’ve loved this tune since I first heard the demo a year ago.

Another cut worth mention is the classic Michael Martin Murphy tune Lost River. I remember this cut from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and it’s always been a favorite. Dwight’s version begins with an incredible mandolin kick-off from mando master Alan Bibey, and the rest of the track lives up to the standard set by Alan. The ending solo section, split by Alan’s mandolin and Ron Stewart’s banjo, is sure to bring to a smile your face. This cut was a highlight for me.

Two of the 14 songs are gospel, one written by Jon Weisberger and the other penned by Dwight himself. The later, He Never Turned Away, is one of the more uptempo songs on the CD and one I would list as a favorite.

The traditional tune, Little Bessie, is the last song I’ll mention. The harmony singing on this tune is excellent, featuring Dwight on lead and baritone vocals, and Rickey Wasson filling in the low tenor. It’s also my favorite mix on the entire CD with the solos out front and the rhythm pounding.

Overall this is a strong outing for Dwight, which finds him surrounded by stellar musicians on each track.

The artists featured on the disc include:

• Dwight McCall: mandolin and vocals
• Alan Bibey: mandolin
• Ron Stewart: banjo, fiddle and mandolin
• Harold Nixon: bass
• Brian Stephens: guitar
• Randy Kohrs: dobro
• Lou Reid: vocals
• Ricky Wasson: vocals
• Steve Gulley: vocals
• Missy Werner: vocals

I couldn’t find any audio samples online, but you can take my word for it, this is a great recording.

Their intention was to select timeless hymns that many bluegrass fans may have grown up singing in church. Included are such classics as Farther Along, Are You Washed In The Blood (of the Lamb), I’m In The Gloryland Way, Will You Meet Me Over Yonder and Over In the Gloryland.

They have also chosen to feature a re-recording of There Is A Fountain, the groundbreaking a capella song which The Bluegrass Cardinals sang on their first record back in 1975. Ron Stewart guests on fiddle for several tracks on Church House Hymns, and regular banjo picker Dale Perry adds Scruggs-style finger picked guitar as well.

Mandolinist and tenor singer Randy Graham passed along some background on the striking cover shot.

“It’s a church we played in Norway a couple of years back. You can’t see it in the shot, but about 100 yards from the front door, the water in the fjord is 1,200 feet deep, so clear you can see as far as light will penetrate.”

Randy also shared a touching personal reminiscence of fellow former Bluegrass Cardinal, Steve Stephenson.

“As you may recall, Steve added his bass vocal on the original cut of There Is A Fountain. We have known him since the late 60’s. David and I called Steve’s wife, Judy, from the studio Sunday evening, to check up on Steve’s ongoing battle with cancer and arrange a visit with him before festival season got into full swing. Steve was unable to talk on the phone, having received a chemo treatment during the week and was dealing with flu-like symptoms. We passed our bests wishes to Steve via Judy.

Long story short, Steve passed away early the following morning, just hours after we finished up There Is A Fountain. He was a dear friend… we were/are deeply saddened at his passing.”

Church House Hymns will be available from the band at any of their live shows, and from their official web site as soon as it is released on March 25.

Linda Lay grew up in Bristol, VA singing and playing with her family’s string band since she was a small child. She later formed her own band, Appalachian Trail, which was a fixture at festivals in the Blue Ridge area for twenty years, and performs now with her husband David, and David McLaughlin as Springfield Exit.

Most of our readers know Sammy Shelor as the powerhouse banjo picker with Lonesome River Band, which has been his home for the past 17 years. He and Linda did a show at a folk festival a few years ago, and plans to record together were hatched not long after.

They are assisted on this CD by David McLaughlin and Jeff Parker on mandolin, David Lay on guitar, and Ron Stewart on fiddle. Though the sound is solid traditional bluegrass, most of the songs are new, with contributions from Tom T. and Dixie Hall, Mike Evans and Harley Allen.

Sammy said that recording this project was a blast for him.

“I love the way bluegrass music is played in southwest VA and east TN, and this project perfectly captures the drive, the power and the soul of that sound. Linda is the strongest vocalist I have ever worked with, and I think those who have never heard her sing are in for a surprise.”

Audio samples for all 12 tracks can be found online.

Like the last few Lonesome River Band releases, Taking The Crooked Road Home is available for purchase on the band’s site as an audio CD, or for immediate digital download as MP3 files.

Radio service is being handled by Sammy Shelor, so show hosts who would like a copy for airplay should contact Sammy via the LRB web site.

The material covered in this 90 minute DVD include both fiddle breaks on vocal numbers and instrumental tunes. On the vocal-oriented songs, Ron demonstrates how the fiddle might play the plain, unornamented melody – as a singer might deliver it – and then how he approached it for a fiddle break.

Ron teaches several of his own original instrumentals (Twister, Blue Fiddler, Stewart’s Dream) plus his take on popular fiddle tunes like Soldier’s Joy and Whistling Rufus. A printed booklet with standard notation for each of the solos is also included with the DVD.

More details – including screen shots and sample video clips – are available on the AcuTab web site.