Rounder Records has announced the forthcoming release of Night Flyer: The Singer-Songwriter Collection, due on August 5.

The 17-track album assembles a wide range of material from Rice’s catalogue of covers of the work of the many singer-songwriters with whom he has been associated during his long career. Night Flyer: The Singer-Songwriter Collection actually begins with the previously unreleased Rice original Never Meant to Be, a venting of his feelings in the aftermath of the break-up of a long-term marriage with a sad, bitter tone that is completely real in its sense of unresolved hurt and anger. From other sources is a version of Gordon Lightfoot’s Changes, which opens with a sublime guitar introduction with perfect counterpoint by the Dobro ®of Jerry Douglas. Also included are covers of Joni Mitchell’s Urge for Going, James Taylor’s Me and My Guitar, John Mayall’s Night Flyer, Bob Dylan’s Sweetheart Like You and Tom Waits’ Pony.

As illustrated, this compilation contains a broad selection of Rice’s engaging songs taken from several of his albums – as well as three previously unreleased tracks – demonstrating the wide range of non-bluegrass material that he incorporated into his signature sound.

Tim Stafford, co-author of a forthcoming Tony Rice biography and an ace guitarist himself, is looking forward to the release of the CD ….

“For me, the really interesting stuff is the previously unreleased tracks, including Never Meant to Be, a beautiful Tony original originally scheduled to appear on the ‘Me and My Guitar’ project, About Love, which was written by Tony’s late brother Larry, and the poignant Pony, which was recorded during the ‘Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pedersen 2′ sessions.”

Alison Krauss who not so long ago shared the staged on tour with Rice has this to say about Tony …

“To me, his music was never built on anything but emotion. That’s what’s so addicting – the pictures and the feelings it brings to you. Everything is played so beautifully…even though he’s so technically amazing, the reason you put those records on, at least for me, isn’t because of that. It’s emotional, and that’s why those records last. He just happens to be technically beautiful, at the same time, beyond anybody else.” (more…)

Here’s another Blue Circle Records release worthy of mention. Jeanette Williams will soon release her brand new CD, Thank You For Caring.

The CD contains 14 tracks written by some of bluegrass music’s best songwriters, including Brandon Rickman (Lonesome River Band), Tim Stafford (Blue Highway), Tom T. & Dixie Hall, Shannon Slaughter, Marcie Horne, and Jeanette herself.

The title cut, written by Tom T. & Dixie Hall, is a duet with country icon George Jones. Other special guests include Michelle Nixon, Randy Kohrs, Tony Rice, Tim Stafford, Ben Isaacs, Aubrey Haynie, and more.

Mp3 song samples are available on Jeanette’s website. Be sure to check out Enough Of You, the first track on the CD. It was written by Jeanette and won the bluegrass division of the 2007 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest. Here are Jeanette’s comments on this song from the liner notes.

This is the fourth song I’ve written. The first three were sweet songs about good memories. In 2005, I decided I wanted to write something with a little more ‘attitude’, and this came to me very quickly. I was so honored when it was chosen as the bluegrass division winner of the 2007 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest. It’s not a gospel song, but I give God the glory for this, and everything in my life. I know that without him, I can do nothing.

Be sure you give Brandon Rickman’s Bad Money a listen as well. What a cool tune! And having Tony Rice on guitar on a song like this is icing on the cake.

And check out the last track, a bluegrass version of Gloria Gaynor’s 1979 disco hit, I Will Survive.

I was driving home from a late night jam session with the radio turned up loud to keep me awake. When this song came on, I thought, “Hey, I could do that bluegrass!” We worked it up at our next band practice and have been closing shows with it ever since. I thought it only fitting that we close the album with it as well.

From what I’ve heard, this is going to be a great CD. Jeanette’s vocals are gutsy and emotive, the music is top notch, and the recording sounds great.

The release is set for next month (July 2008), but is available for pre-order ($13) directly from Jeanette. All pre-orders will be entered to win two weekend passes to the Song of the Mountains Festival here in Southwestern VA, at the end of this month.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our contest last week to see Tony Rice with Mountain Heart Heart in Bristol, TN on Saturday (4/12).

Our winners were:

• Joel Marley - Morganton, NC
• Jason Davis - Rose Hill, VA
• Tim Carter - Limestone, TN
• Paige Clifton - Lowgap, NC
• Don Burton - Kingsport, TN

We heard from several of the winners after the show, and they all agreed that it was a good’n. Tim wrote up a nice review of the show which was posted on The B (our reader-posted section of The Bluegrass Blog) and Paige sent along a number of photos she took during the concert - which also included surprise special guest, Barry Scott and Second Wind.

        

Don’t forget that noon on Friday (4/11 - EDT) is the deadline to enter the contest drawing for free tickets to see Mountain Heart and Tony Rice in Bristol, TN on Saturday.

Five winners will each receive 2 tickets to the show on April 12, a show poster signed by Tony and the guys, plus an opportunity to meet them all at the show.

Enter now to win!

Before entering the drawing we ask that you be registered and logged in here on The Bluegrass Blog. You may use the form below to login, or click the register link if you’ve never before done so.

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If you live within a comfortable drive of Bristol, TN, The Bluegrass Blog and The Paramount Center can offer you a chance to see Tony Rice and Mountain Heart in concert this Saturday.

Five winners will each receive 2 tickets to the show on April 12, a show poster signed by Tony and the guys, plus an opportunity to meet them all at the show.

The show begins on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and will start with a set from Mountain Heart. After a brief intermission, they will return to the stage with Tony in tow, and will perform a set with him of Rice material. Josh Shilling, Barry Abernathy and Clay Hess of Mountain Heart will supply the vocals.

Winners will be selected at random on Friday around noon (EDT) and they will be notified by email right away with information about how to pick up their tickets.

Enter now to win!

UPDATE (4/11/08 12:30 PM): The promotion has now ended. Thanks for participating. Winners will be announced shortly.

Starting Monday April 7, we will be running a number of promotional giveaways here on The Bluegrass Blog.

On Monday and Tuesday (4/7-8) any registered user of the site will be able to download a free track from the new Gibson Brothers CD, Iron & Diamonds. The free track will be in MP3 format, and a different track will be offered each day.

Also starting on Monday will be a contest to win tickets to see Mountain Heart performing with Tony Rice at The Paramount Arts Center in Bristol, TN on April 12. Tony will actually be sitting in with the band, and the performance will feature primarily Tony Rice material, with the songs sung by members of Mountain Heart.

5 winners will each receive 2 show tickets and a chance to meet Tony and the band at the show. Winners will be selected at random from all entries, and only registered users will be eligible to enter.

Registration here on The Bluegrass Blog is free and easy, and we don’t nag you with emails every week. Look for more details on both promotions on Monday morning.

Thanks to Ryan Baker at Sugar Hill and Jim Van Cleve with Mountain Heart for their help setting up these free offers for our readers.

Rebel Records has two new releases released last week, a greatest hits compilation and a new duo recording.

Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein are names that should be familiar to bluegrass fans. Klein spent time with Seldom Scene, and later with Mike Auldridge (and Jimmy Gaudreau) in Chesapeake. Gaudreau has been a member of several of the most celebrated acts ever to play bluegrass - The Country Gentlemen, JD Crowe & The New South and The Tony Rice Unit, to name a few.

Their debut CD together is called 2:10 Train, and the performances are true duets throughout. There are no guest artists, just Moondi on guitar and lead vocals with Jimmy on mandolin and harmony. The material is taken from traditional old time and country music, and some of the best contemporary bluegrass and folk songwriters. If you’ve followed these genres for the past 20 years or so, most of the titles will be familiar, but each receives a treatment that is fresh and perfectly in keeping with the minimalist approach on this CD.

You’ll find Tom Paxton’s Last Thing On My Mind, Pete Goble’s Colleen Malone, Harley Allen’s High Sierra and Eric Bogle’s And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda among the newer songs along with old time favorites like Sweet Sunny South, Shady Grove and Black Jack Davey.

There are a few audio samples on Jimmy and Moondi’s site, and for all the tracks in iTunes.

Greatest hits of bluegrass collections seem to come out every few months, many of them little more than back catalog tracks by lesser-known artists. When a project is titled Best Loved Bluegrass - 20 All-Time Favorites, it’s fair to expect a good bit from the CD.

And this new Rebel compilation delivers. Not only are there offerings from Tony Rice, Lonesome River Band, The Country Gentlemen, Larry Sparks, Del McCoury, Ralph Stanley, JD Crowe and others, the songs are great examples of each artists’ work during the time they recorded for Rebel.

The Lost Found are here with Love Of The Mountains, Emerson & Waldron with the original version of Fox On The Run (classic!), Reno & Smiley with Little Rosewood Casket and Claire Lynch with Wabash Cannonball. The Gent’s offer Bringing Mary Home and Mac Wiseman Footprints In The Snow, with Larry Sparks’ version of Roving Gambler and Keith Whitley & Ricky Skaggs doing Dream Of A Miner’s Child (while they were still in school).

You can see the full track listing - and hear audio samples - in iTunes.

The Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet has undergone a couple changes recently. In addition to Rowan & Rice, the quartet formerly consisted of mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist and bassist Bryn Davies.

Both ladies have recently moved on to other pursuits and accordingly, Rowan & Rice have brought two new pickers onboard to fill the vacancies.

Joining the quartet on mandolin, and I presume fiddle, is Ricky Simpkins. Simpkins has played with Rice for many years in The Tony Rice Unit, and it seems natural that he would called on for this gig.

Multi-award winning bassist Mike Bub has been called in to hold down the low notes. Mike is well known throughout the bluegrass world for the years he spent in the Del McCoury Band. Bub is a busy man these days. He has been touring with Dale Ann Bradley, and keeping himself busy with other pursuits as well.

Yes, I am playing with the R&R Quartet and Dale Ann Bradley. So far there have been very few conflicts on dates. I am also doing a couple of music camps this year including the Transatlantic Blugrasss School in Wales, UK , Rockygrass Academy and the Augusta Heritage Workshop in Elkins, WVA. Oh yeah, I am also working with a fellow named Jimmy Stewart here in Nashville who years ago played dobro and fiddle with Doyle Lawson. He has been a utility player for Brooks and Dunn for about 12 years and will have a record out on Warner Brothers this year. Oh and one more….still working with songwriters Verlon Thompson and Shawn Camp. We have been doing the Station Inn for about the past year with Chris Henry and hope to get something on CD soon.

In addition to all his musical jobs, Bub is also busy being a dad to his three year old son, a job he relishes.

Riley is the joy of our life. He’s already aspiring to be a musician, pilot, race car driver, railroad engineer and lady killer.

Commenting on the quartets recent performance at the Birchmere, the Washington Post had this to say concerning the new band members.

The quartet’s lineup remains first-rate, with Simpkins and Bub providing smoothly integrated accompaniment and soulful vocal shadings.

I’m sure they’re correct. Bub and Simpkins are long time favorites of mine on their respective instruments. I’m looking forward to the chance to hear them in this context.

Homespun Video is set to release a new instructional DVD this week featuring Peter Rowan and Tony Rice. Entitled Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Teach Songs, Guitar and Musicianship, the DVD runs 110 minutes with Rowan Rice teaching a half dozen songs from the repertoire of their live shows.

Rowan shows ideas designed to help an rhythm guitarist accompany a vocalist, while Rice describes more advanced concepts. Songs taught include You Were There For Me, Dustbowl Children, Let the Harvest Go to Seed, Angel Island, Come Back to Old Santa Fe and Panama Red. The DVD also features a performance of Rowan’s classic song, Midnight Moonlight.

It is scheduled for release on January 4. Find more details on the Homespun Video site.

Larry Keel & Natural Bridge have announced a number of shows in early December featuring very special guest Tony Rice.

Larry and Tony have performed together many times, and you can be sure that there will be some fiery flatpicking at each of these concerts.

• 12/5: The Birchmere - Alexandria, VA
• 12/6: Satellite Ballroom - Charlottesville, VA
• 12/8: Neighborhood - Charlotte, NC
• 12/12: Mountain Stage - Charleston, WV

More show details can be found on the Larry Keel web site.

The Clyde, North Carolina-based quintet Balsam Range has just announced the release of their debut CD, Marching Home.

The band comprises Marc Pruett (banjo), Caleb Smith (guitar), Darren Nicholson (mandolin), Tim Surrett (upright bass and resonator guitar) and Buddy Melton (fiddle) who all hail from Haywood County and live within 10 minutes of each other.

The quintet got together recently after various combinations had assisted in the production of solo albums. All the members of Balsam Range are from and live currently in Haywood County located in Western North Carolina. Although each were from the same town they had not played together as a group until this year. The start of the formation came with Buddy Melton’s solo recording project which featured Marc Pruett on banjo, Tim Surrett on bass, Tony Rice on guitar and Adam Steffey on mandolin. Shortly after that session, Darren Nicholson recorded his solo project which also included Marc Pruett, Tim Surrett and an array of various bluegrass greats. Soon they were getting together at each others houses to play great music for the fun of it. It basically snowballed from there.

Surrett, for whom music has been a big part of his life since school days, had recently moved back home after being gone from the area for many years traveling and playing with groups such as the Kingsmen. Nicholson had recently come off the road after playing for three years with Rounder recording artist Alecia Nugent, while Smith, who has been playing music since the age of 7, had found himself home after years of traveling with a bluegrass gospel group he helped form called Harvest. Pruett, who has long been associated with Ricky Skaggs, as well as playing with James Monroe among others, and Melton, a relative new-comer having got serious about bluegrass music while at Western Carolina University, had once played together in a bluegrass gospel group called Rock Springs Reunion and had recently started playing events together again. Some might say the timing of this union was more than just coincidental.

The CD is the result of a three way collaboration involving the group, Crossroads Records and Evergreen Publishing in Nashville. It was originally intended as a Bill Monroe tribute album, but in the end Balsam Range decided to include songs from other sources, because they felt that would be a better presentation for the band

They kept six songs associated with Monroe and added the balance of 13 from what band members brought to the sessions.

Marc Pruett spoke of the original material that they used for the CD to Carol Mallett Rifkin during an interview published in Ashville’s Citizen-Times ……………….

“Two of the songs were written by Milan Miller, of Waynesville. He and Buddy Melton are close friends. When Buddy worked in Nashville with the Jubal Foster band, he met songwriter Connie Harrington and she brought Blue Mountain to him. We all loved it. The producer wanted a really fast song, one that would blister the paint off the back wall. One that I had in my back pocket was The Train’s Ready. The Marching Home instrumental, well, my family has been interested in Civil War history for a long time. I was sitting around thinking about Lee’s surrender to Grant at Appomattox and all those boys. One day they were in the army of Northern Virginia and the next day they were marching home. That was the inspiration.”

At the same time Buddy Melton said …….. (more…)

Norman Blake first made me aware of the ginseng root, via his masterful recording of the tune Ginseng Sullivan. He released the song in 1972 on the Back Home in Sulphur Springs album.

Of course, Tony Rice also cut the tune on the Manzanita album that has come to be such a revered classic. Manzanita was released in 1990.

Ginseng can be found everywhere these days it seems. From energy drinks to pills in the pharmacy. From what I understand wild ginseng is very much in demand as it is somehow superior to farmed ginseng. It takes a long time, many years, for a ginseng root to reach maturity. That’s why this story out of China is so newsworthy.

A person from Tonghua city, in the Jilin Province, discovered in the Changbaishang mountains, what experts are saying is a 300 year old wild ginseng plant. The root weighed in at 366 grams and sold for the equivalent of $400,000.

Now that would have been a find for old Ginseng Sullivan!

UPDATE 12:30 p.m. - We got an email from reader Steve Smith who reminded us that Manzanita was initially released on vinyl in 1978 (Rounder shows 1979).  Oops!

Steve also says that the CD was first released in 1987. I couldn’t find a verification of that on Rounder’s site.

John posted Saturday with his review of the Tony Rice/AKUS concert we attended Friday evening. Here are my thoughts on the concert after a weekend of reflection on the show.

As John said in his post, we missed the first couple of tunes, but I did hear part of Early Morning Rain from the lobby. That is one of my favorite Lightfoot tunes that Tony ever recorded, I’m sorry I missed it. But there were plenty more where that one came from. I especially enjoyed Alison’s rendition of Song For A Winter’s Night.

The band sounded great on this material and Tony blended right into the band, not taking center stage until they gave it to him. Even the traditional bluegrass numbers they did from the Album Band repertoire where performed true to the way Rice recorded them, with no guitar solo. Let me tell you, there was no need. Tony’s rhythm was spectacular! I’ve always been a fan of his rhythm playing and he was in fine form Friday evening. Driving, tasteful, spicy, and grin inspiring, not to mention spot on timing, Tony’s rhythm was one of the highlights of the concert for me.

One thing that struck me was the obvious mutual respect on the stage. AKUS was very respectful of Tony, honoring him as a hero. But you tell he reciprocated that respect. Rice heaped praise on both Alison and Tyminski as being two of his favorite singers. Introducing one song, Tony made a comment to that effect and Jerry Douglas said “Thanks Tony” to much laughter from the audience. But seeing Douglas and Rice play together reminded you that these two have recorded and played together a lot down through the years. They have that synergy you sometimes see where it appears they are feeding off each other’s creativity and doing more together than they would either do alone.

The show included the funny stage banter we’ve come to expect from Alison. While introducing the band members, she referred to banjoist Ron Block as the bands “sexy librarian.” She also told a very funny story about a country fan who had a crush on Barry Bales at a show…and thought he was playing the cello!

During the final performance (they did come back for an encore) of Freeborn Man, they projected a slideshow of photos on the screen behind the band. The photos were mostly of Tony, though there were a few of Alison as well, with different bands and musicians he’s recorded and performed with over the years. It was a nice touch to add to what could be considered Tony’s signature song.

Overall, the show was entertaining and the music was excellent. I can’t wait for the recording of this tour to be released. It’s bound to be a classic instantly. I got the feeling toward the end of the show that this was one of those moments my children and grandchildren are likely to ask me about.

Brance and I had the good fortune to attend last night’s concert in Salem, VA by Tony Rice with Alison Krauss & Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas. That’s a long name for a concert bill, but with the stature of the various artists slated to perform, what else could you call it?

Their two hour set was every bit as stellar as the pairing of these two groundbreaking acts would suggest. We missed the first three songs due to a problem with our tickets, but even from the lobby, we could feel the excitement in the auditorium from the first note that was struck.

As we have outlined in previous posts, the concept for this tour was to have Tony on stage with AKUS, on a show whose material was drawn exclusively from the vast Rice recorded repertoire. The only Alison song was Let Me Touch You For Awhile, and she introduced the song as one she had thought that Tony might have chosen for himself to sing back in the day.

The song selection drew from the various segments of Tony’s recording career. The early days (The New South era) were represented with Freeborn Man, I’m Walking, and Summer Wages, the first two sung by Dan Tyminski, and the last by Ms. Krauss. I Was Born To Be With You was also featured, sung as a trio throughout.

The Manzanita album was represented by Ginseng Sullivan and Manzanita - which featured an heretical banjo break!

Church Street Blues was included from the album by the same name, along with The Streets Of London and Any Old Time. The first two were performed by Dan and Alison respectively with only Tony’s guitar accompaniment, a la the original recording. Any Old Time, however, was done with the full band and Krauss in soaring voice, quite reminiscent of her powerful version of Oh Atlanta.

The Bluegrass Album Band era had Dan singing Down The Road and I’m On My Way Back To The Old Home, and Tony’s solo projects were highlighted with Four Strong Winds, Shadows and I Think It’s Going To Rain Today.

A special moment for me was the duet performance of Summertime on guitar and Dobro. (more…)

Richard Harrington has a nice piece in this morning’s Washington Post on the current Alison Krauss & Union Station tour featuring the music - and the person - of Tony Rice.

“My love and admiration for Tony goes back to what made me really want to play music,” Krauss says, recalling recently that she heard his early records as a teenager, when she was immersed in classical violin. “My whole concept of music itself came alive because of Tony.

“The singing and the playing are so shockingly beautiful,” Krauss says from her Nashville home. “But for me, more than anything, it was Tony’s production of the songs that he chose to sing, and the kind of person he portrayed, and portrays, himself to be in the choices he makes musically. His records are the textbooks for me. Tony is the epitome of the kind of things that I would want to be someday — that’s my desire as a musician, to reach for that.”

Read the full article at washingtonpost.com.

Thanks to reader and friend Mark Byrum for the heads up.

The Grand Ole Opry broadcasts this weekend will feature some terrific bluegrass music, worth the effort to find their signal on the radio (650 AM from Nashville), or catch the live cybercast at WSM online.

Friday’s show (4/20) will feature Cherryholmes during the 9:00-9:30 p.m. segment, and a very special Opry performance in the 10:30-11:00 slot from Alison Krauss & Union Station with Tony Rice.

The AKUS/Rice spot is the last warm up for their joint tour, which begins the next day, and runs through the month of May. The AKUS site describes the focus of the tour this way:

The tour will consist of a limited number of concerts comprised solely of Rice’s material. The performances will give audiences a rare opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of his distinguished career, and drawing from his full catalog, the concerts will feature Rice on guitar accompanied by the vocals and fiddle of Krauss; Dan Tyminski on guitar, mandolin and vocals; Ron Block on guitar, banjo and vocals; Barry Bales on bass; and longtime Rice associate Jerry Douglas on Dobro.

The Saturday (4/21) Opry show has a bluegrass feature as well, with The Grascals appearing in the 9:30-10:00 p.m. segment.

All times shown in Eastern Standard Time.

Highlights of the audio broadcast will be available early next week in the WSM audio archives if you miss the broadcasts.

The June issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine has a cover feature on Tony Rice. The in-depth piece by Scott Nygaard looks at Tony’s career in music of more than 30 years, and also includes a side piece on “the guitars and gear of Tony Rice.”

This June issue is the current one, recently mailed to subscribers, and available now at newsstands and booksellers.

They describe the Rice piece thusly:

In this exclusive interview, he discusses the roots of his technique and the freewheeling nature of his approach to the instrument. PLUS: We deconstruct Rice’s unusual picking-hand style.

All Acoustic Guitar content is available online, but only to subscribers. Any print subscriber can access the web content, which generally include accompanying audio content for major features. A separate online-only subscription is also available.

Just for fun here a video from YouTube of Tony Rice playing Shenandoah. This performance is taken from the DVD Bluegrass Journey. And, from what I can tell, was posted to YouTube by the producers.

Hat tip: Fretboard Journal

This week was set to be the start of an east coast tour by Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, in support of their Rounder CD, Quartet. Folks checking on these dates have been seeing cancellation notices, mentioning a recent injury to Tony Rice.

It turns out that Tony hurt his back in a fall at his home, and is undergoing traction therapy this week to try and alleviate the pain and allow his back to heal.

He hopes to be able to return to the stage next week if all goes well, and play the remaining dates currently booked with Peter Rowan. David Bromberg is filling in for Tony for the rest of this week.

Here’s a big Get Well Soon from The Bluegrass Blog!

When we posted in November about the upcoming January ‘07 release of the new CD from Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, we mentioned that they would tour in support of the project this year.

They are about to embark on a string of east coast dates together running from March 14-25, and will reunite for a performance at Merlefest in late April.

The new CD is entitled Quartet, and features Peter and Tony along with Bryn Davies on bass and Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin. This same lineup will be featured on the east coast swing.