One thing that has always warmed my heart about bluegrass people is how willing we are to take care of our own. Though it is sometimes sad to see how often they occur, it is wonderful to see musicians and fans come together to support members of our extended bluegrass family when such a need arises.

Another opportunity comes up this weekend, when the Friends of Eddie & Martha Adcock host a benefit concert on Sunday (10/25) for these longtime bluegrass troopers at Nashville’s storied Station Inn.

Eddie has been performing on banjo since the early 1950s, including stints with Bill Monroe and (most memorably) with The Country Gentlemen in the ’60s. After leaving that group, he and Martha fronted a number of acts (IInd Generation and Talk Of The Town) before settling in to performing as a duo, which they have done for many years.

The Bluegrass Blog posted several times last year about Eddie’s pioneering deep brain surgery to correct a disabling hand tremor. Prior to the surgery, he was unable to play the banjo for the shaking in his hands, but since the implantation of electrical leads in his brain, he is again able to pick – and play his trade.

Though the surgery has been an amazing success, its outcome wasn’t certain when it was scheduled in 2008. The Adcocks were unwilling to book shows until Eddie’s capability to perform was demonstrated, and as a result, they have been unable to work for the past 18 months. Sunday’s concert is designed to raise some cash to assist them financially, and to remind promoters that Eddie & Martha are back, and looking forward to performing regularly in 2010 and beyond.

The show will feature performances by The Whites, Jerry Douglas, Gene Johnson, Jesse McReynolds, Don Wayne Reno, Randy Waller, The Harley Allen Band, Missy Raines & The New Hip and many others. Music begins at 7:00 p.m. and a donation of $20 is requested, though larger donations are most welcome.

Those who are unable to attend can send a contribution, payable to:

Not only have the Adcocks dedicated their lives to bluegrass music, their personal generosity is well known to a great many friends all over the world. Their annual bluegrass Benefit For The Homeless is a Nashville tradition, one which will be continued by Eddie & Martha.

Hat’s off to Terry Comer, the “Bluegrass dentist” of Franklin, TN and his assistant Patty Mitchell who have arranged the 10/25 show, the many artists who are donating their time, and the fans and friends who will support the Adcocks through this venture.

On behalf of The Bluegrass Blog, we ask any of our readers who are in a position to do so, to please consider making a contribution of your own.

Monday’s Washington Post included a special feature by Jedd Ferris, who explores the bluegrass scene in and around Nashville.

Ferris, the managing editor of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine in Charlottesville, VA, reminds readers about the historic links between bluegrass and Music City and points out that those links are stronger now with many well-known bluegrass personality being residents in the region. Of course, the IBMA also has its offices in the city’s Music Row district.

Additionally, he visits three of the best-known venues famous for presenting bluegrass music, the Ryman Auditorium, the Station Inn, both in downtown Nashville, and, further afield, central Tennessee’s Cumberland Caverns, home of the concert series, Bluegrass Underground.

The full story, with a photo slide show, can be accessed online.

The management of the famous Nashville, Tennessee, bluegrass music venue, The Station Inn, is having a fund-raising concert.

J T Gray, the owner of the club on 12th Avenue South, has organized a show, which will take place on November 19, to help with the upgrading of the sound system on the premises.

Several bands are giving their services in aid of the program. These include The Grascals, Shawn Camp, The Josh Williams Band, The Mashville Brigade and other as yet un-named special guests.

The Station Inn is a warm, cozy club, with an audience that features a mix of fans and music industry folk, who all appreciate the high standard of acts that work there. An improvement to the sound system can only improve the level of enjoyment for the audience and bands alike.

The fundraiser is scheduled for Wednesday, November 19, starting at 8:00pm. Entrance is by a donation of $30.

For more information phone (615 255-3307) or visit The Station Inn website.

Our own intrepid correspondent, Richard Thompson [bluegrassmercury], is with us in Nashville, having traveled from the UK to attend the IBMA convention this week. This is his first trip to IBMA in 20 years, and we thought that his impressions and considerations would be of interest both to others who are likewise in attendance, and our many readers who would love be there.

bluegrassmercury – Travelogue #3
by Richard F Thompson

For bluegrass fans, one of the delights of Nashville is the Station Inn, located in a rather ordinary single-storey building on 12th Avenue South, within easy walking distance not far from upper Broadway.

The interior consists of a low-ceilinged room lit mainly by neon signs, although a small raised stage area is well lit. There’s a small bar at the rear and rest rooms adjacent. Souvenirs are on display for sale to the right of the bar. Food and alcohol is available as well as soft drinks. It’s a no smoking venue, which is, as far as I am concerned, a definite plus point.

On this past Saturday evening (9/27), the Station Inn showcased the talents of Ronnie Bowman, a former member of Lost & Found and the Lonesome River Band and described by USA Today as “one of bluegrass’s most tender voices.” He was accompanied by his wife, Garnet (harmony vocals), Jimmy Stewart, formerly of Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, playing Dobro ¬Æ, Donica Christensen (banjo), Daryl Schumacher (mandolin) and Greg Martin (bass).

Bowman has written many excellent songs even before going solo and those songs provided the backbone of the evening’s entertainment.

Kicking off with Drifting With The Tide, Bowman moved quickly onto a song that he has recently recorded, Truck Driver’s Queen, The Matterhorn, Allen Mills’ Love Of The Mountains, another song that he has cut recently, Here I Am, Old Country Town, from the Lonesome River Band’s award-winning Rebel CD, Closer To Heaven and finished a near-35 minute set with Will I Be That Lucky Man?

Ms. Bowman maintained the excellent standard of singing with a song that she has been singing since the time that JD Crowe and the New South did it, Tennessee Blues.

The second set opened with Cold Virginia Night, Sweet Marie and It’s Gettin’ Better All The Time, before Rob McCoury stepped up to the stage for a brief guest spot, working the mic like the top professional that he is, as Bowman went back in time with great versions of Little Cabin Home On The Hill and then Will You Be Lonesome, Too?, from his first solo album.

Providing an interlude between two slow songs Jimmy Stewart chipped in with a rousing showcasing of the Jimmy Martin favourite Freeborn Man.

It was pretty loose, but all very enjoyable nonetheless and met with the approval of a demanding audience.

The band returned to continued loud applause to do a two song encore. (more…)