Monthly Archives: June 2020

The guys in San Francisco’s Hot Buttered Rum have been wanting to do something to mark the release of their seventh studio album, Something Beautiful, back in April. But with quarantine and travel restrictions in place, even getting together to shoot a video has been nigh on impossible.

So they did the next best thing. Banjo player and vocalist Erik Yates and guitarist Nat Keefe shot a home made video with a stripped down version of the blues classic, Lay Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor. It nicely encapsulates the way the band reaches into almost every crevice of the string band world for influences, and the back porch vibe adds a folksy note to the production.

Yates tells us that this song was a late addition to Something Beautiful.

“This was one we decided to put on the record at the last minute, and I’m glad we did. We keep it pretty loose, with some different changes than Mississippi John played. We try and do it our own way while tipping our hat to him and everyone else who’s done the song, which is damn near everybody we love.”

Bryan Horne on bass and James Stafford on mandolin and drums complete the group.

Something Beautiful is available now wherever you stream or download music online.

Hot Buttered Rum is hopeful of resuming touring at the end of July. You can keep up with them online.

Fenced In harbor no allusions other than their intents. They eschew any sort of innovative stance in favor of a traditional tapestry, a seasoned sound built on bluegrass basics and a timeless template. It’s little surprise then that this self-titled effort focuses entirely on outside compositions, a mix of Gospel standards and songs written and recorded by Bill Monroe, Carter Stanley, Jim Lauderdale, Ronnie Bowman, Don Byrd, and Russell Lee Wilson. On first hearing, the music appears to be generally of a forlorn variety, mostly low-key laments in the form of In the Pines, Three Rusty Nails, and Forever Ain’t No Trouble No More Now. All seem to share a dedication and devotion that resonates to the core of their conviction. The heartfelt homage embodied in The Stanleys Will Sing Again is particularly poignant, especially when one considers the fact that the band’s banjo player, Steve Sparkman, once performed with Dr. Ralph Stanley back in the day. 

That said, it’s Carter that garners the spotlight in this particular entry. “Carter, you’re gone but never forgotten,” they sing with heavenly harmonies of their own. “The memories of you are with us all the time.”

Indeed, that sentiment shines through with clarity and conviction. 

To be sure, Fenced In isn’t all music of the maudlin variety. Titles aside, Heavenly Highway, Hello City Limits, and Lonesome Road Blues are lively and enticing, flush with the energy and enthusiasm that naturally results when seasoned musicians take an opportunity to pick and play. Sparkman, vocalist/guitarist Curnie Lee Wilson, singer Rick Oldfield, bassist Dustin Parker, and multi-talented musician and special guest John Rigsby are all in perfect sync, creating a unified sound that flows freely with precision, craft and cohesion. It’s an ideal example of  bluegrass at its best, flush with comfort and a caress. Suffice it to say, Fenced In corrals that sound exceptionally well.

Mountain Fever Records has released a new single from their upcoming album by Justin Moses. This multi-talented multi-instrumentalist and singer has been part of a number of highly influential bluegrass groups, including Blue Moon Rising, The Dan Tyminski Band, Blue Highway, The Gibson Brothers, and can often be seen on stage with his wife, the first single mandolin superstar Sierra Hull.

Now it’s time for an album that showcases Justin. We had highlighted the first single back in March, a bluegrass cover of an Eric Clapton classic, Fall Like Rain. This time it’s a new song, which Justin says involves some of his friends in Nashville.

“Between The Lightning And The Thunder came to me from songwriters Thomm Jutz and Charlie Stefl. I’m good friends with Thomm, and I was lucky enough to get a batch of songs from him when I was starting to think about recording another project. This one stood out to me. The message of the song is what drew me in first, and it seems very appropriate to me for the times we find ourselves in these days.

I really wanted to have Dan Tyminski on this record. I loved getting to sing tenor with him on the road for a couple of years and on his Wheels record, and this song seemed like a good fit for his voice. The band in the studio was Dan on guitar, Barry Bales on bass, Sierra on mandolin, I played the banjo, and I overdubbed the dobro and fiddle afterwards. I was really happy with how it turned out!”

Have a listen…

Between The Lightning & The Thunder is available to radio programmers now via AirPlay Direct. Consumers will find it wherever they stream or download music online.

Look for the complete Justin Moses project later this year from Mountain Fever.

There are a lot of places to find bluegrass in Nashville, but whenever anyone asks me where to go, one destination is always at the top of my list: The Station Inn.

The little hole-in-the-wall club in the Gulch has been Music City’s unofficial bluegrass hub since 1981, when J.T. Gray bought the place. What he did with it is nothing short of remarkable, making it a “must” not only for fans, but for musicians. He started with local talent, then brought in the Bluegrass Cardinals. Other bands and performers followed. Bill Monroe graced the stage many times. On any given night you can catch Chris Stapleton, Vince Gill, hall of fame bluegrass bands, or talented newcomers. 

He built a monument, and the people came. They’re still coming, and that’s why he’s the latest industry professional to be chosen for the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

The Mississippi native didn’t start out at the top, of course. He moved to Nashville in 1971 to play with the Misty Mountain Boys. After that came gigs with Vassar Clements, the Sullivan Family, Tom T. Hall, and Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys.

Then he bought the Station Inn. The early years were a struggle, as it is with many new ventures in Nashville. Struggling musicians wait tables or find gigs as tour guides. J.T. drove the bus for artists who had made it, and used the money to keep his dream alive.

The bus driving days are long past, thankfully, but the Station Inn is rolling along. When the coronavirus shut down live performances in front of crowds, J.T. and his crew offered digital performances to help satiate the musical appetites of many fans.

Soon, the tough days will be a memory and we’ll all be able to crowd around the tables, hear great bands, sip a cold beer or soda, and fill up on the Station Inn’s pimento cheese and crackers or pizza.  

When we do, we should remember to thank J.T. Gray, whose dream made it all possible. He must have had doubts. He must have wanted to walk away a hundred times. That’s the music business, and many folks end up giving up.

Not J.T., thankfully. His dream lives on and a plaque on the wall at the hall of fame exhibit won’t change much. In many of our minds, he’s been a hall of famer all along.

It’s time for J.T. to step to center stage and take a bow.

Way back in 2014, we told you about a new documentary film then in production called Far West. The brainchild of director James Payne, the feature length project told the story of how audiences in Japan have become enthralled with American bluegrass and country music, through interviews with artists, fans, and venue operators, plus footage from clubs and outdoor festivals.

Released in 2017, Far Western picked up a number of awards in the US and Europe on the the film festival circuit, and very positive reviews.

Now the film is available to the general public on DVD, and for rental/purchase through Amazon Prime and Vimeo.

Payne first saw the Japanese passion for American music when he hired on to create a documentary for the 2007 Japanese tour by Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road, a bluegrass/Americana act from Oklahoma City. During that trip, the reaction of fans to this lively music, along with their deep awareness and appreciation for its history, left a strong impression on him, which led to his desire to capture all that on film.

On the Far Western web site, they describe the film thusly…

Far Western is a feature documentary film that tells the phenomenal story of the transplant of American country music to post-World War II Japan. Nearly 70 years later, for a devoted group the music has become a lifelong obsession. Part music history and part character portrait, Far Western is told through the lives of musicians, fans, and live-music venue owners. Set both in modern Japan and the American South, the film explores the uncanny ability of a simple form of music to cross geographic and language barriers, forming a strange cultural bridge between the two countries. Now, these Japanese musicians have made their own pilgrimages back to America, to the birthplace of the music, playing in honky-tonks and festivals in America.

Here’s the trailer.

Payne was assisted on this project by cinematographer David McMurray and editor/producer Matt Leach.

The DVD is available for sale online for $18.99, along with other film merchandise like t-shirts, hats, and patches. Amazon Prime members can watch for free, and rental on Vimeo is only $1.99.

Bluegrass fans wherever they live owe it to themselves to watch Far Western, to see how a very different culture has embraced this music we love just as fully as if it had emerged there in Japan.

The newest performers inducted into IBMA’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame finally and definitively answered the big question in bluegrass.

The question: Traditional or progressive?

The answer, with today’s announcement of the pending induction of the Johnson Mountain Boys and New Grass Revival, is a resounding yes. I’d like to think that Bill Monroe, whose music was wildly progressive before it became the tradition, would be proud of them all.

The Johnson Mountain Boys, with soulful lead singer Dudley Connell channeling Carter Stanley, perhaps the best bluegrass singer ever, was traditional with a capital T. Fans who only know Connell through his current gig with the Seldom Scene don’t get to hear much of the repertoire on stage, but when it’s just him, his friends and wife Sally Love Connell, the songs of the Stanley Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, and the JMB echo long into the night.

Connell, mandolinist David McLaughlin and fiddler Eddie Stubbs were the core of the group during the 1980s and into the mid-1990s, along with Richard Underwood and Tom Adams on banjo and Larry Robbins, Marshall Wilborn, and Earl Yager sharing bass duties. They stopped touring full time in 1988, after averaging more than 200 dates a year, but still kept limited engagements until 1996.

Their accolades include a pair of Grammy nominations, including At The Old Schoolhouse, a live double LP released by Rounder when the band ended full-time touring with a show in Lucketts, VA. It’s still one of the best live bluegrass performances captured on vinyl. All nine of the band’s recordings belong in the collections of serious bluegrassers.

New Grass Revival was at the opposite end of the spectrum. No matching suits and string ties for these guys. And on any given night, you were likely to hear more jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock influences than echoes of Monroe or other first generation grassers.

Argue all you want about the definition of bluegrass – and plenty of folks still do – but Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, and Curtis Burch helped breathe new life into the music with their 1972 Starday Records debut. They weren’t the first pickers to play progressive bluegrass, but they were among the best, and their music influenced many of today’s on-the-edge bands.

There were a few personnel changes in the early years, as Butch Robins came and went on bass, and John Cowan came. The band’s final years, 1981-1989, featured the solid quartet of Bush, Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn.

Bush’s work with the Sam Bush Band, Cowan’s stint with the Doobie Brothers, Fleck’s solo career, and Flynn’s session work keep them in the conversation individually, but made reunions rare. One of them yielded a truly magical moment – a one-song celebration at MerleFest in 2007. The song was Townes Van Zandt’s White Freight Liner.

Individually, the bands represent important slices of the bluegrass pie and are more than worthy of inclusion in the best of the best. Together, they ARE the bluegrass pie. Part of the magic is that the select panel of bluegrass veterans who determine who gets in to the Hall of Fame demonstrated, albeit perhaps unintentionally, that there is room for everyone under the bluegrass umbrella.

Because of the coronavirus, the awards show and the rest of World of Bluegrass will take place online this fall. But the prospect of these two bands performing in some fashion makes the show a must-see, no matter how you see it.

And the prospect of at least a few reunion shows next year in front of live audiences gives us something to look forward to after these dark days.

My wild idea – and there are a hundred thousand reasons why it probably won’t happen – is a joint billing somewhere. If it does take place, I hope to be there. I want to hear Dudley Connell and John Cowan sing together, even it’s in the green room.

Earlier today in Nashville, the International Bluegrass Music Association announced the final nominees for their 31st annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards. Also announced were the 2020 inductees into the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame, and recipients of the organization’s Distinguished Achievement Awards. 

This year’s nominees came early, owing to the recent decision to make World of Bluegrass, the IBMA’s annual convention week, into a virtual online event owing to COVID-19 concerns. IBMA has announced that all seminars and showcase performances will be presented online this year, but nothing has yet been shared regarding exactly how the awards show will be handled.

These award nominees are selected in a three part process by the professional membership of the IBMA, consisting of artists, songwriters, label personnel, radio hosts, event producers, managers and agents, publicists, studio engineers, associations, manufacturers, retailers, and others who work in the bluegrass industry. These same voters will choose the actual winners as well.

2020 Hall Of Fame Inductees

• New Grass Revival
• The Johnson Mountain Boys
• J.T. Gray

2020 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients

• Norman & Judy Adams
• Daryl & Phyllis Adkins
• Darol Anger
• Wayne Rice
• Jack Tottle

2020 IBMA Bluegrass Music Award Nominations

Entertainer Of The Year (tie)

• Balsam Range
• Billy Strings
• Del McCoury Band
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• Sister Sadie
• Special Consensus

Vocal Group Of The Year

• Balsam Range
• Blue Highway
• Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
• Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out
• Sister Sadie

Instrumental Group Of The Year

• Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper
• Mile Twelve
• Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Sam Bush Band
• The Travelin’ McCourys

New Artist Of The Year

• Appalachian Road Show
• Carolina Blue
• High Fidelity
• Merle Monroe
• Mile Twelve

Song Of The Year

• Both Ends Of The Train – Blue Highway (artist), Tim Stafford/Steve Gulley (writers), Rounder Records, Blue Highway (producers)
• Chicago Barn Dance – Special Consensus (artist), Becky Buller/Missy Raines/Alison Brown (writers), Compass Records, Alison Brown (producer)
• Haggard – The Grascals (artist), Harley Allen (writers), Mountain Home Music Company, The Grascals (producers)
• Hickory, Walnut & Pine – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (artist), Slaid Cleaves/Nathan Hamilton (writer), Rounder Records, Dave Maggar (producer)
• Living Like There’s No Tomorrow – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Jim McBride/Roger Alan Murrah (writer), Billy Blue Records, Doyle Lawson and Rosta Capek (producers)

Album Of The Year (tie)

• Chicago Barn Dance – Special Consensus (artist), Compass Records, Alison Brown (producer)
• Home – Billy Strings (artist), Rounder Records, Glenn Brown (producer)
• Live In Prague, Czech Republic – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Billy Blue Records, Doyle Lawson and Rosta Capek (producers)
• New Moon Over My Shoulder – Larry Sparks (artist), Rebel Records, Larry Sparks (producer)
• Tall Fiddler – Michael Cleveland (artist), Compass Records, Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan (producers)
• Toil, Tears & Trouble – The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (artist), Rounder Records, Dave Maggard (producer)
• Tribulation – Appalachian Road Show (artist), Billy Blue Records, Jim VanCleve, Barry Abernathy, and Appalachian Road Show (producers)

Gospel Recording Of The Year

• Angel Too Soon – Balsam Range (artist), Balsam Range (producer), Mountain Home Music Company (label)
• Because He Loved Me – Dale Ann Bradley (artist), Dale Ann Bradley (producer), Pinecastle Records (label)
• Gonna Rise And Shine – Alan Bibey & Grasstowne (artist), Mark Hodges (producer), Mountain Fever Records (label)
• I’m Going To Heaven – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Doyle Lawson and Rosta Capek (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
• Little Black Train – Appalachian Road Show (artist), Barry Abernathy, Darrell Webb, and Ben Isaacs (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)

Instrumental Recording Of The Year

• Tall Fiddler – Michael Cleveland (artist), Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan (producers), Compass Records (label)
• Shenandoah Breakdown – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (artist), Doyle Lawson and Rosta Capek (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
• Soldier’s Joy – Jesse McReynolds with Michael Cleveland (artist), Jesse McReynolds (producer), Pinecastle Records (label)
• The Appalachian Road – Appalachian Road Show (artist), Jim VanCleve, Barry Abernathy, and Appalachian Road Show (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
• Guitar Peace – Billy Strings (artist), Glenn Brown (producer), Rounder Records (label)

Collaborative Recording Of The Year

• Chicago Barn Dance – Special Consensus (artist), Alison Brown (producer), Compass Records (label)
• I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Jason Barie featuring Del McCoury & Paul William (artists), Jason Barie (producer), Billy Blue Records (label)
• Tall Fiddler – Michael Cleveland with Tommy Emmanuel (artist), Jeff White, Michael Cleveland, and Sean Sullivan (producers), Compass Records (label)
• The Barber’s Fiddle – Becky Buller with Shawn Camp, Jason Carter, Laurie Lewis, Kati Penn, Sam Bush, Michael Cleveland, Johnny Warren, Stuart Duncan, Deanie Richardson, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, Jason Barie, Fred Carpenter, Tyler Andal, Nate Lee, Dan Boner, Brian Christianson, and Laura Orshaw (artists), Stephen Mougin (producer), Dark Shadow Recording (label)
• On and On – Gena Britt with Brooke Aldridge (artists), Gena Britt (producer), Pinecastle Records (label)

Male Vocalist Of The Year

• Ronnie Bowman
• Del McCoury
• Russell Moore
  
• Danny Paisley
• Larry Sparks

Female Vocalist Of The Year

• Brooke Aldridge
• Dale Ann Bradley
• Amanda Smith
• Molly Tuttle
• Rhonda Vincent

Instrumental Performers Of The Year

Banjo

• Kristin Scott Benson
• Gena Britt
• Gina Furtado
• Ned Luberecki
• Scott Vestal

Bass

• Barry Bales
• Mike Bub
• Todd Phillips
• Missy Raines
• Marshall Wilborn

Fiddle

• Becky Buller
• Jason Carter
• Michael Cleveland
• Stuart Duncan
• Deanie Richardson

Resophonic Guitar

• Jerry Douglas
• Andy Hall
• Rob Ickes
• Phil Leadbetter
• Justin Moses

Guitar

• Trey Hensley
• Billy Strings
• Bryan Sutton
• Molly Tuttle
• Jake Workman

Mandolin

• Alan Bibey
• Jesse Brok
• Sam Bush
• Sierra Hull
• Ronnie McCoury

Nominations for the Industry Awards and Momentum Awards will be announced at a later date.

Congratulations and best of luck to all the 2020 nominees!

Editor’s note…This article is a contribution from Harold Smith, longtime mandolinist for East Virginia, a very popular bluegrass group from the Tidewater area of Virginia in the late 1970s and early ’80s. They recorded a number of solid albums for Rounder Records and toured extensively for several years, known primarily for their strong vocal arrangements and strict traditionalist credentials. East Virginia were the stars of bluegrass where I grew up, and all us young grassers studied them intently while learning the craft. For us they were the hometown boys who mad it big. Thanks to Harold – Butch to his friends – for sharing another piece of bluegrass history. 

I found the June 24 Bluegrass Today post concerning comments by Bill Monroe relative to the Bonnie and Clyde movie interesting, and at the same time it reminded me of a phone conversation I shared with Bluegrass Hall Of Fame member Pete Kuykendall back many years ago.

I was doing some research on a segment of bluegrass history, and needed to contact Pete on several key segments of the subject at hand. I called Pete at his office at Bluegrass Unlimited, and we spoke at great length. It was during this phone conversation that Pete told me of a story that is relevant to the movie Bonnie and Clyde, and could possibly lead back to its origins as far as a soundtrack to the movie was concerned. I will attempt to relay the story as close to its origins as possible.

Pete told me that back when he was in high school in Arlington, VA, the school, or class he was in, held what he referred to as a “career day.” Pete said when he was in high school he had decided all he wanted to do was to become a bluegrass disc jockey. He was by that time, engrossed in the genre and had decided to make it his career choice.

When it was Pete’s time to present his career choice and various examples of the music he chose, he spoke of the vocation, the genre and played several selections of his favorite, at the time, bluegrass music. One of those selections was the Flatt and Scruggs’ original Foggy Mountain Breakdown recorded in the late 1940s. After Pete’s presentation was completed, and the class was dismissed, a classmate of Pete’s approached him, and was both intrigued and inquisitive about the Flatt and Scruggs’ instrumental. Pete told me at this time, he went into detail concerning his selection, and a bit of history on the genre itself.

Pete then told me the classmate was Warren Beatty. Beatty attended the same high school as Pete Kuykendall and was a popular high school athlete.

Pete told me then that he had hoped it made enough impression on Beatty to (possibly) influence the decision when it came to the soundtrack on the Bonnie And Clyde movie. Pete Kuykendall was one of most influential people all time in bluegrass music. The IBMA Hall Of Fame member was a successful musician, music publisher, magazine editor, and historian of the genre, just to mention a few of his accomplishments.

I was honored to be his friend. Pete Kuykendall is surely missed, and we will not see the likes of his kind ever again in bluegrass music.

Harold “Butch” Smith

South Carolina’s Tugalo Holler is back with a second single from their upcoming album, a band original called Prince Of Peace.

The six-piece band has been focused primarily on bluegrass Gospel music since they first got together almost 20 years ago. They do include secular music in their live shows but have long favored performing at churches across the southeastern US. With multiple lead singers, they can present a varied catalog of music tailored to whatever audience they are entertaining on a given day.

Prince Of Peace features Jessica Hudson out front on a bluesy number about learning to give up sin and accept salvation. She is supported by bandmates Dennis James on mandolin, Bradley Webb on guitar, Michael Hill on banjo, Michael Branch on bass, and Stephen Hudson on fiddle.

Here’s a taste…

Radio programmers can find Prince Of Peace available at AirPlay Direct.

This Saturday, June 27, the American Banjo Museum will host their 5th annual Americana Fest in Oklahoma City. But owing to social distancing requirements, this year’s fest will be a virtual, online-only event featuring Oklahoma area entertainers.

Johnny Baier, executive director of the Museum, says that they have decided to make this a free, all-day concert, inviting lovers of the banjo to enjoy the many varieties of music it can create with them online.

“Although we will miss the personal interaction, the music and heart of Americana Fest remains intact, vibrant, and accessible to a much larger audience than we could hope to accommodate in person.”

Baier will be among the featured performers on Saturday, along with The Byron Berline Band, Sinner Friends, and others. Music will begin at 11:00 a.m. (CDT), and run until 5:00. Door prizes will be given throughout the day, to be mailed to recipients, with instructions on how to enter given at the beginning of the program.

Viewers will enjoy many flavors of banjo music, on both four and five string banjo, including jazz, bluegrass, old time, comedic, and western.

A complete schedule follows:

• 11-11:50- Wayne Cantwell
• 12:00 am-12:50 pm – Grace and Aaron
• 1:00pm- 1:50 pm– Lucas Ross
• 2:00 pm-2:50 pm – Byron Berline
• 3:00 pm- 3:50 pm – Sinner Friends
• 4:00-4:50 pm – Johnny Baier

To watch online, simply visit the ABM website, their Facebook page, or their YouTube channel.

We caught up with our good buddy Phil Leadbetter yesterday, master reso-guitarist, bandleader, and everyone’s favorite Uncle Phil. He was resting at home after yet another hospital visit, this time for a second corneal transplant which he says seems to be successful.

Those who know Phil realize that he has had a rough few years, beating cancer five times, undergoing a hip replacement, battling kidney disease, and the loss of vision in his left eye. That is a great many more health issues than most of us see in a lifetime, but he has faced them all with good cheer and a smile on his face, accepting each new day as a gift to be cherished.

Phil shared a bit about how he is doing, but like always, was far more interested in talking about what he has on the horizon.

“I’m doing pretty good, considering the day. Had dialysis, got my eye checked out. Looks like I’m getting some vision back. Doc says it will take a little bit of time. It’s a transplant, so it could take a while before I get complete vision back. But it looks like things are going to work a lot better.

My cancer is in remission, and I’m hoping to soon be able to do dialysis at home. Right now I have to go to the UT hospital in Knoxville three days a week.

Dialysis is something that you don’t outgrow, unless I can get a transplant. You can’t get on the transplant list while cancer is still active, so I have to talk to my cancer doc and see if he will recommend me for a transplant since I’ve been in remission for a year.”

He was very excited about the upcoming Bean Blossom festival, with which he has been involved since new management took over the Bill Monroe Music Park in 2018. Phil works with owners Rex and Ben Voils, booking the talent and helping to organize and manage the craziness of a major, multi-day event.

This year, with the COVID-19 restrictions in place, they have decided to merge the two big bluegrass festivals into one, and will hold what is billed as Uncle Pen’s Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival from September 19-26 in Bean Blossom, IN. 

Leadbetter says that park staff will be making a number of safety provisions, but that despite the health concerns, he will be there with bells on.

“Attendance may be down, but I know that some people really can’t wait to get out there. I’m going to take my precautions, as usual, but you bet I will be there. I’ve been tested, and I’m negative.”

Tickets for the combined festivals are available now online.

What really has his pumped, though, is the upcoming album from Phil Leadbetter & The Allstars of Bluegrass, his side project band featuring a number of good friends and bluegrass soulmates. Phil is on reso, along with Alan Bibey on mandolin, Jason Burleson on banjo, Steve Gulley on bass, and Robert Hale on guitar. They will perform on a limited availability basis, both with Phil’s health in mind, and the varied schedule commitments these pickers all have with other bands.

“There’s lots of good things going on. The Allstars record is finished up, and should be out on Pinecastle in September. Everything seems to on the upswing. We know we can’t play out much, but we have a great core band, and everyone understands that we will have to find subs if someone can’t make a booking. Won’t be any hard feelings there.”

He went on to share details on a few of the songs that will be featured.

“Swing For The Fences will be the album title. Bibey wrote a song with that name, which he sings. It’s a great song. We have Stuart Duncan on some cuts on fiddle, and Tim Crouch on others. Debbie Gulley sings on one, Yesterday’s Gone, that I used to do with Vern Gosdin back in the day. I think it was Melba Montgomery who sang with Vern on that cut. I thought about several female vocalists to sing that one with Steve and then I thought, ‘Hey… Steve’s got a great singer right there at home!’

Then we recut One Way Rider, like Skaggs did country style, but we do it with three lead singers in a grass mode. Time’s Are Tough is another good one written by Bowman and Menard. We also recut No End To This Road, a Restless Heart song, and they really liked our version when we had them at Bean Blossom for a concert last year.”

You can find performance dates for the Allstars of Bluegrass on Phil’s web site.

They say you can’t keep a good man down, and that is surely the story of Phil Leadbetter. Life has knocked him over a few times, but he always gets right back up ready to go. Don’t count him out just yet.

Mountain Home Music has released the first single from their highly-anticipated sophomore project from Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford. The two celebrated songwriters and vocalists are frequent writing partners and good friends, and their skills line up perfectly as a complement to one another. You might consider their songs from the more thoughtful side of the bluegrass world. Not there is anything wrong with cabin songs and longing for the old home, but these two do offer a more cerebral approach to the music.

We are delighted to share the single with you this morning, the title track Still Here, which Steve sings. It tells the story of a hard working man who dislikes his job and hates where he lives, but perseveres all the same. The somewhat somber tone captures the culture clash between where he is and where he started, without giving a reason – this is just how it is.

Tim tells us that the sentiment of the song is one that many of us can relate to. 

“Still Here is about a man who has to leave home for work and never quite gets over the move. I guess in that sense it’s about people who don’t fit in, but have no choice about staying, something many of us have experienced at one time or another.

I have always looked forward to writing with Steve—we think along the same lines a lot, so this was an idea we immediately locked in on. Straight from his house in Cumberland Gap… I had the idea of using a melody that goes up a whole octave on the chorus, something everybody from Beethoven to Celine Dion has used. “

Stafford is on guitar, with Ron Stewart on banjo and fiddle, Thomas Cassell on mandolin, and Barry Bales on bass. Dale Ann Bradley provides the vocal harmony.

Here it is… Still Here.

Still Here is available now wherever you stream or download music online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

Established 45 years ago, Grass Strings, a central North Carolina-based bluegrass band, has released a new project entitled Lonesome Moon. Recorded at Greg Luck’s studio in Mt. Gilead, NC, the CD premieres on Luck’s new label, Riverside Music Co. The 11 song CD features two original tunes by band members and three by veteran bluegrasser, Ray Edwards, including the title cut.

Grass Strings consists of Jimmy Burris on mandolin, Randy Mauldin on banjo, Greg Abercrombie on guitar, Ronnie Elwood on bass, and Garrett Abercrombie on fiddle. The latter is currently serving in the US military and is stationed in the Middle East, having laid the fiddle tracks while on leave. The first four members contribute to the vocals, singing various parts on the different songs.

Songwriter, professional musician, and singer Edwards, weighed in on his contributions to the CD.

“Lonesome Moon is one of the finest, more progressive bluegrass songs that Terry Foust (co-writer) and I have ever written. It’s got that bluegrass drive with some nice and different chord changes. Terry and I also wrote When The Love We Have Is Gone. I place it in the top 5 list of songs that Terry and I have written over the years. It’s very commercial and the chorus is infectious. The third song that Grass Strings recorded from [his publishing company] the Silver Stirrup Music catalog is Ol’ Train which was co-written by myself and country music artist, Matt Dylan. We wrote this song while we both lived in Mt. Airy, and were working together as Matt Dylan & The Honky Tonk Outlaws.”

Banjoist Mauldin provided background for the song he penned.

“The inspiration for Old Memories was watching a dear friend slowly die from heartache after his wife left him to continue her drug addiction. (It was) after his death that the last verse was written.”

There is also a number, What I Wouldn’t Give for One More Night, by GS’s guitarist, Greg Abercombie.

“This song is about the opiod crisis. My wife became addicted and we divorced because of her addictions. Garrett (my son) was the one that wanted us to record the song. Maybe the song will make sense when you listen to it,” the composer reflected.

The CD includes originals by other composers such as Hills of Caroline by Bob Wyatt, Carolina Darlin’ by Roger Black, and What I’d Give to be the Wind by Curley Putnam and Red Lane.

There are also some crowd favorites such as Carl Jackson’s Erase the Miles (with Luck providing rhythm guitar), and traditional tunes, Stars in My Crown and Darlin’ Corey.

 “This project was an absolute joy to be a part of,” stated bassist, Ronnie Elwood. We worked very hard on our harmony vocals and our instruments to make it meet everyone in the band’s approval. We have a good relationship with our new record label which made it easy to relax and just do our job. Thanks to all the guys in the Grass Strings for letting me be a part of it.“

“Also, thanks to Greg Luck, for all his hard work to help us make it happen. God is good!” 

Guitarist, Abercrombie, agreed, “It was great working on our last project with Greg Luck, who just may be the best sound technician in the business.”

Engineer Luck shared… “I enjoyed recording those guys. They are good folks and genuinely love the music.”

“Proud of the guys! They all worked really hard and gave it their all. I could not have a better team to work with. Hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do,” founding member Burris concluded.

The CD is available on AirPlay Direct and at the band’s web site.

We’ve seen a variety of interesting virtual collaborations during the COVID-19 shutdown, with performing artists finding clever ways to make music while socially isolated from one another.

Here’s another featuring Steve Martin and his banjo, together with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which was created as part of their recent fundraising concert. HearNOW: At-Home Gala was an online event this past Saturday hosted by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Members of the Orchestra shared several of these videos, including others with Wynton Marsalis, Nicola Benedetti, Lang Lang, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma, while requesting donations to help support their efforts while shows are prohibited.

For Steve, they worked up an arrangement for his tune, Office Supplies, which he tells us was one he had done with them previously on stage.

“I had played the tune with the Rangers and the Philly Orchestra at a fundraiser concert several years ago in Philadelphia. The song was arranged by Jonathan Sacks, who had done several of my tunes before. I believe this was the guideline for the orchestra though I’m sure much of their playing was improvised. They even had a great mandolin player! 

Office Supplies was included on Steve’s most recent recording, The Long-Awaited Album, with Steep Canyon Rangers. It’s a modal bluegrass number that fits perfectly with the orchestration.

Martin says that he was contacted by the Vice President of Artistic Planning with the Philadelphia Orchestra to see if he would be interested in working with them on this virtual venture.

“Jeremy Rothman wrote to me and asked me if I wanted to get involved. He said I could play anything I want, and then they take it and run. I debated on what song to play and settled on Office Supplies because I thought the rhythmic turns would be good with orchestra.

It had to be all in one take, and I thought it would be a snap. I wanted to put a click track in my ears to make sure I was solidly on rhythm for the other players. I realized quickly that the click track would not work because of the accent changes in the tune. The click track was actually throwing me off, so I decided to freewheel it. When playing alone, rhythm becomes an entirely different thing than when playing with a group and you have a beat to lock into.

I did many takes at my isolated, quarantined house. I also had to get the opening and closing lines in one take, so sometimes I would play through the entire song and blow the spoken joke at the end.

I was totally thrilled with the result, especially the joy these great musicians infused in their music.”

Watch the video for the joke, the ultimate payoff for the tune.

Well done all!

The Long-Awaited Album is available everywhere online, and directly from Steve’s web site on CD or vinyl.

Jeff Brown, noted bluegrass artist, bandleader, and entrepreneur, has been named Vice President of Records at Turnberry Records & Management. The California company is headed by Keith Barnacastle and is a division of The Bluegrass Standard Magazine.

Brown first became involved with Turnberry when he signed with his band to record for the label following the dissolution of his own record company, Union House Records, following the loss of one of the partners. Since working with Barnacastle and his team, Brown has been struck by their professionalism and effectiveness in promoting artists and their music.

“I felt like he (Barnacastle) has something there that can really be good. He’s made a good, credible label that works for the artist, and helps them grow.”

Not long after signing as an artist, Jeff began hosting The Bluegrass Standard Radio Show, along with fellow bluegrass singer, Leslie Brown (no relation). As he has become more familiar with the Turnberry operation, Keith offered him a position with the company, which Jeff gladly accepted.

Barnacastle sees Brown’s wide experience in the industry – managing festivals, representing artists, as well as running a label – as a major asset to bring aboard.

“We are excited and pleased to have Jeff join our staff, and look forward to working closely with him on new projects, and the expansion of the Turnberry Records label and bookings.”

Going forward, Jeff will function as an A&R agent, looking to lure both independent artists and those with other labels to Turnberry, noting their ability to bring management, booking, and a record company to bear in a single shop.

“My vision is to introduce new artists, and also, hopefully, some of the legends in the business who may want to come on with us and be a part of the family.”

They will be looking at artists in any of the roots genres, including both modern and traditional bluegrass, country, and Americana.

And be on the lookout for the next project from Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome, Language of the Heart, in the next few months.

John Hartford, a four-time Grammy award winner, is fondly remembered in the music community, influencing scores of musicians across generations through his country-folk song-writing, old-time /early bluegrass music, as well as his dynamic live performances. There have been many Hartford tributes, and another comes in the form of the album, On The Road: A Tribute To John Hartford (LoHi Records 420), to be released on June 26, 2020. 

Several acclaimed artists, including Jamie Hartford, Todd Snider, Sam Bush, John Carter Cash, Leftover Salmon, The Travelin’ McCourys, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band, Jerry Douglas, Norman Blake, The Infamous Stringdusters, Railroad Earth, The Band Of Heathens, and Fruition celebrate Hartford’s legacy with the June 26, 2020 release.  

All net proceeds from this special tribute will be donated to MusiCares – the charitable foundation organised by the Recording Academy – in order to benefit artists and musicians to help mitigate the hardships and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. With all live performances and tours being halted, an enormous number of artists and musicians are without any source of income. Since the early 1990s MusiCares has been finding ways to help thousands in the music industry and community by providing assistance during crises such as that being experienced at the moment.

Three tracks from the album have recently been released. The first being The Infamous Stringdusters’s a soulful arrangement of the country-folk-pop masterpiece Gentle On My Mind, one of Hartford’s most enduring songs that has become a standard previously covered by Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin among so many others …..  

Also available already is the first track on the album, Sam Bush’s version of On The Road, a song that Bush performed live with Hartford as far back as 1977.

Another early release is the Leftover Salmon’s funky rendition of The Category Stomp ….. 

On The Road: A Tribute To John Hartford, for which the full track listing is shown below, will be available on CD, vinyl as well as for digital download. 

All 14 songs / tunes are John Hartford originals…. 

• Sam Bush – On The Road 
• Fruition – Back In The Goodle Days 
• Yonder Mountain String Band – Holding 
• The Infamous Stringdusters – Gentle On My Mind 
• Leftover Salmon – The Category Stomp 
• The Travelin’ McCourys – No End Of Love 
• Railroad Earth – Delta Queen Waltz 
• Keller Williams with The Travelin’ McCourys – Granny Woncha Smoke Some Marijuana 
• The Band Of Heathens – Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie 
• Todd Snider – I Wish I Had Our Time Again
• Horseshoes & Hand Grenades – Let Him Go On Mama 
• John Carter Cash and Jamie Hartford (featuring Norman Blake and Jerry Douglas) – In Tall Buildings 
• The High Hawks – Waugh Paugh
• Greg Garrison – Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry 
• Danny Barnes – On The Road 

John Hartford passed away on June 4, 2001 after a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 

The Davidson Brothers have announced the recipient of their 2020 Australian Bluegrass Scholarship, awarded each year “with the vision of encouraging musicians and singers who demonstrate talent, dedication, and leadership in the field of bluegrass music.” Funded by Hamish Davidson’s practice in Bendigo, City Chiropractic Care, he and his brother, Lachlan scour the bluegrass scene down under to find a young picker whose efforts are deserving of note.

This year the scholarship goes to Pepita Emmerichs, a mandolinist and fiddler in Melbourne. In addition to her fascination with bluegrass and traditional string music, she has also studied classical and jazz, and performs regularly with a number of bands in both Australia and Scotland. These include Rain of Animals, Good Guy Hank, Swamp Chicken, Oh Pep!, Good Option, and Sugarboot.

Oh Pep! is taking up most of her time these days, building a loyal audience internationally for their poppy, indie folk sound.

Upon receipt of the award, Pepita expressed her appreciation, along with a commitment to keep on playing.

“Thanks to the Davidson Brothers for their ongoing commitment to this music, generosity and encouragement. I endeavor to keep the twang alive wherever I go and whatever I do.”

Here is an example of her mandolin prowess on an original song of her own called Maria, recorded for David Benedict’s Mandolin Mondays YouTube channel at Eibsee Lake in Germany.

Emmerichs receives a check for $1,500, along with a full day’s studio time, plus a commitment from Lachlan and Hamish to provide mentorship for all winners of the Australian Bluegrass Scholarship.

The Davidson Brothers are among Australia’s most popular country and bluegrass entertainers, having won multiple awards, with several successful albums to their credit. They have provided the scholarship since 2011.

Congratulations Pepita!

Credit Stephen Wade’s long ago, one-man show, A Storyteller’s Story: Sources of Banjo Dancing, for being a nominal yet insightful look at the place banjo played in America’s musical lexicon. It was produced and performed in May, 1979 at a small theater in Chicago before embarking on a jaunt that took it across the country. It was an interesting, one-off production, but to Wade’s credit, it was undertaken at a time when banjo wasn’t woven into the fabric of the musical mainstream, and was instead relegated to the realms of hillbilly hoedown musician in the minds of the masses at large.

Forty years later, Wade has opted to commit this performance to record, courtesy of 20 tracks that have been re-recorded in order to once again define and describe the instrument’s evolution. With its abridged title, A Storyteller’s Story, Wade shares several examples plucked from the archives of American musical tradition, expressing the musical trajectory through song, spoken word, and various instrumental offerings. Maintaining a purity of purpose, he relies on bare boned arrangements to convey his presentation, with only fiddle, guitar, bass, washboard, and jug providing the most minimal enhancement when used at all. The result is a solid and sincere display of wit and whimsy, rounded out by a generous CD booklet that offers an extended discourse on each song, as well as Wade’s recollections of the show’s origins and opening night. It’s a scholarly dissertation to say the least, affirmed by his absolute commitment to educating and entertaining his audiences. 

Happily, the music succeeds on its merits alone, and on several selections — Market Square, Another Man Done Gone, Railroad Blues, and East Virginia — Wade manages to convey the material in a way that shares an archival connection. Granted, no attempt is made to transcend the classics with the contemporary, but Wade’s obvious enthusiasm serves the songs well, allowing this set to come across as both quaint and curious at the same time.

Purists ought to be pleased given the seminal set-up, but in general, archivists, enthusiasts, and those who relish bluegrass for its populist precepts ought to be satisfied with the result.

Maddie Denton, 2020 Open Division winner at the Grand Lake Fiddle Fest

Jana Jae, the Hee Haw star known for her blue fiddle, hosted the Grand Lake National Fiddle Fest at the American Heritage Music Festival event for the 23rd year.

The festivities kicked off Thursday night at Snider’s Camp framed with the calming view of the lake, richly colored by the evening setting sun. You could hear fiddle tunes mingling with the buzz of the June bugs and excited conversation. There was a Gambler’s Round, where Jake Duncan, fiddle phenom, and 2006 National Fiddle Champion took his bow and fiddle in hand, as well as his extensive knowledge as he was selected the winner of the Gambler’s Round.. Judges for the Gambler’s Round were Barry “Bones” Patton, the 2019 International Bone Champion, and Rene Patton.

After the Gambler’s Round, you could hear Patton warming up his bones, double fisted style, on the side of the stage as he performed with the Farnum family. The Farnums are a Missouri Ozarks based group, a family with a string of talent. They entertained the crowd and every toe was tapping. Throughout the evening, Patton could be found helping bones enthusiasts learn the basics. Thursday evening wound down as the sun began to set, but the jamming continued as it always does out in the campgrounds.

Normally the AHF is held indoors at the Grove Civic Center, which was built with enormous assistance from Jae. However in 2020, since the state of Oklahoma had just recently reopened in Phase 3 after the COVID scare, Jae took precautions as she encouraged social distancing and masks. While the atmosphere has changed, there were live boat races in the background, and it didn’t stop the talent from continuing to soar. The Grand Lake National Fiddle Contest kicked off a three day event, Toes in the Grand, in Grove OK, which was held at Wolf Creek Park with cash prizes, contests, and entertainment throughout the day. Judges were Jake Duncan, Dale Morris and Roger Klein. With a breathtaking backdrop of water, and trees, engulfed in sounds from speedboats and fiddles, it was a grand moment as the event got started.

The following were judges for the day’s event:

Jake Duncan has held many titles starting from an early age. By 18, Duncan, a fiddle phenom from Jenks, won a national championship in 2006 at the Walnut Valley National Fiddle Championship in Winfield, Kansas.

Wayne Head is a 4th generation fiddler, who has also won several contests. He has been quoted previously as saying,”The more fiddle music I hear, the better I like it.” He not only plays the fiddle, but also rhythm guitar and mandolin. “I have met some of my best friends at fiddle conventions and contests. I am always striving to play a tune better than the last time.” Wayne has encouraged several young fiddlers to pursue fiddling and guitar playing.

Dale Morris Jr. is a well known and highly respected fiddler. He has won many state and national fiddle competitions including the prestigious Grand Masters Championship in Nashville. This year celebrates his 50th year playing the fiddle. He has performed and recorded with artists such as Ray Price, Marty Stuart, Boxcar Willie, Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys, John Mayall, Charley Pride, and many others. With a rich musical heritage steeped in tradition, Dale is the “real deal.” In November 2020, Dale will be inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame (and YES, Bluegrass Today will have it covered).

Jana Jae’s granddaughter, Sandra Coleman, kicked off the day singing the National Anthem. Then the judges took to the stage, to showcase their strengths. Under the shade trees, you could find divisional entries, rosining up their bows as they awaited their turn. Thunderheads rolling above the stage didn’t dampen the spirit of the festival, as the clouds split into the heat of the Oklahoma Summer. Splinter Middleton, (Nixa Missouri), took center stage as the emcee.

Adult division entries were:

• Charlotte Ryan
• Janelle Edwards
• Sydni Coleman
• 2nd place: Nate Jacobson
• 1st place: Tanner Marriott
• 3rd place: Sally Ann Ryan
• Aimee Peterson
• Robin Coleman

Senior Division Entries were:

• Britt Young
• 1st place: Larry Hayes
• 3rd place: Marcia Denton
• 2nd place: Babette Allen
• John Blevins

JR. Division Entries were:

• McKenna Peterson
• Carolina Land
• 2nd Place: Ora Lee Ryan
• 3rd place: Riley Buttress
• Jolia Marshall
• Colton Smith
• Noah Lang
• Sienna Yutters
• 1st place: Preston Marriott

As always, Jae has a Take me Back to Tulsa, swing fiddle division. Entries were:

• Bailey Sitton
• Hannah Farnum
• Melissa McCreely
• 2nd place: Monty Gaylord
• Bubba Hopkins
• 2nd place: Justin Branum
• 1st place: Maddie Denton
• Tanner Marriott
• Jocelyn Rendenloth

Everyone loves the sound of two fiddles, each accenting the other. AHF always has a twin fiddle contest, and the winners this year were:

• Justin Branum & Bailey Sisson – 1st
• Monty Gaylord & Tanner Marriott – 2nd
• Aimee Peterson & McKenna Peterson – 3rd

In true American Heritage Fiddle Fest fashion, there was a “Hot” fiddle-off between Maddie Denton and Justin Branum, who were your 1st and 2nd place finishers in the Open Division. Each took their bows and were hot on the trail of the $,1000 prize. Branum said, “There hasn’t been a lot going on in the music world since COVID, so we decided to load up the car, 4 kids, and all and drive to Oklahoma.” Denton also traveled from Tennessee with her Mom to enter the contest. During this playoff, Branum accompanied Denton. Splinter said, “ In America, we all help each other out. You see two champions coming nose to nose in a run-off, and one accompanies the other.”

Throughout the day, you could hear the laughter of children, the smell of BBQ, the engines from the speed boats, and the sound of the bones. Barry “Bones” Patton could be found under the shade tree teaching Meaghan Syrjala, Saudade Vintage clothing designer, the art of the bones. In her custom made bell bottoms and 1970s look, Syrjala took the lesson in stride and, and within an hour had her own set of bones in her hand. There were times when the boat racers could be found standing in awe of the music. I walked through their pit area during a break, and heard the rustle of whispers, “Have you been to the stage?”

As the sun began to set, Jae and her band took over. Jana entertained like always, with emotion flowing through her movements and music, as she leaves her heart on the stage. Jae ended her performance with her timed arrangement of Bumble Boogie, a show-stopping tune which is a grassy version of Flight of the Bumble Bee, written by Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov in the late 19th center. Jana had an audience member time her as she plays 8652 notes in one minute. Of course she did it again! Jae is never one to disappoint and her lovely sound sends out a fervent welcome.

As the festival came to an end for 2020, an earlier statement from Splinter, the MC, seems to wrap it all up. “If the rest of the world got along like fiddlers, we would all be better off.”

Here are some photos from the Grand Lake National Fiddle Fest, put into a video collage form.