az-lyrics.music369.com

  • Main
  • https://lyrics.az
    • https://lyrics.az/soundtracks/
    • https://lyrics.az/justin-timberlake/
    • https://lyrics.az/rihanna/
    • https://lyrics.az/drake/
    • https://lyrics.az/beyonce/
    • https://lyrics.az/meghan-trainor/
    • https://lyrics.az/justin-bieber/
    • Lyrics.az App on Play Market
    • Lyrics.az App on iTunes
  • https://azlyrics.az
  • https://azlyrics.com.az
  • ADELINAhost
    • Domains
    • Shared Hosting
    • Dedicated Servers
    • Virtual Private Servers
    • Хостинг Сайтов
      • Регистрация Доменов
      • Выделенные Серверы
      • Виртуальные Выделенные Сервера
      • VPS в Сингапуре
      • VPS в США
      • VPS в Германии
      • VPS в Нидерландах
      • VPS в России
    • VPS in Singapore
    • VPS in USA
    • VPS in Germany
    • VPS in Netherlands

Monthly Archives: June 2020

Lay Me Down A Pallet On Your Floor video from Hot Buttered Rum

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Self Titled – Fenced In

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Earl Scruggs mural painted in downtown Shelby, NC

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Azlyrics

Shelby, NC, the birthplace of Earl Scruggs and the home of the Earl Scruggs Center, has set aside funding for murals of both Scruggs and country legend Don Gibson, also a hometown boy.

Destination Cleveland County and Uptown Shelby Association announced the project today, along with news of the completion of the Scruggs portrait, which emblazons the pedestrian alley side of Newgrass Brewing Company, just one block from the Earl Scruggs Center. Patrons of the brewery will sit at outdoor dining tables alongside the mural, which is taken from one of the most iconic photos taken of Earl as a young man when he first joined the Blue Grass Boys.

Eagle-eyed banjo aficionados will note that he is playing a style 11 banjo, before he acquired the Hearts & Flowers Granada so commonly associated with him during his time with Flatt & Scruggs.

Work on the Gibson mural is set to begin soon. It will be located on the building that houses Miss Molly’s Boutique, which was the one-time residence of Don’s wife, Mrs. Bobbi Gibson.

Scott Nurkin of The Mural Shop in Chapel Hill, NC, is the painter for both projects, as a part of the North Carolina Musician Murals Project. He says that it gives him great pride to be able to remember them in this way.

“Earl and Don are two of the biggest names in country and bluegrass music, and given their undeniable talent and accomplishments, they had to be a part of the NCMMP. The work of the performers included in the project covers an immense spectrum of musical genres and makes me proud to call North Carolina my home. My hope is that these murals recognize the accomplishments of these incredible musicians as well as spark interest and curiosity.”

Nurkin is currently completing a mural of John Coltrane in his birthplace of Hamlet, NC.

So when visiting Shelby to see the Earl Scruggs Center, be sure to visit Newgrass Brewing and pay your respect to the great Earl Scruggs.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Earl Scruggs, NC | Leave a comment |

Track Premiere: Between The Lightning & The Thunder from Justin Moses featuring Dan Tyminski

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Hall of Famer J.T. Gray gave bluegrass a home in Nashville

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Far Western film on Japanese bluegrass now available

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

The Secret of Life – Daryl Mosley

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Azlyrics

Daryl Mosley is probably best known to bluegrass fans for his tenure as vocalist and bass player for The Farm Hands, but his songwriting is what has drawn the notice of artists and writers from across the music industry. In addition to earning several SPBGMA awards for Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year while with the Farm Hands, Mosley’s originals have been featured on albums by numerous country, bluegrass, and Gospel artists. His recent Pinecastle album, The Secret of Life, provides a further showcase for Mosley’s songs, highlighting 11 numbers from his pen.

Opening track A Few Years Ago kicks things off with bright fiddle and mandolin from Adam Haynes and Danny Roberts, respectively. It’s found a welcome audience with radio programmers, and recently cracked the Top 10 of Bluegrass Today’s weekly chart. It’s a pleasant stroll through memories of youth, with a more experienced man looking back on a life before regrets. The Secret of Life also offers life advice, told from the perspective of a respected small-town barber. It’s a nice, thoughtful number, with quite a few common sense pieces of wisdom for a simple, well-lived life.

It Never Gets Old takes a stripped-down approach, with soft guitar and dobro accompaniment through most of the song. It’s a quiet love song, again appreciating the simple things in life that sometimes become the most important: “The edge of your smile cuts deep in my soul, just looking at you never gets old.” A bit grassier than some of the other songs on the album, which lean toward the singer-songwriter sound, is another love song, I’d Write You. Mosley imagines himself as a variety of artists, all with the goal of his expressing his feelings to the woman he loves. 

On the flip side of love songs is the uptempo Heartaches Moving In, cowritten with Danny Roberts. It’s a straightforward “my woman done left me” number, with a catchy chorus and enjoyable banjo from Aaron McDaris. The other cowrite on the album is the bluesy Do What the Good Book Says, a fun Gospel number penned with Rick Lang. Mosley’s smooth lead vocals work well with this style of song, and it seems like one that would be very enjoyable live. 

Other highlights include two songs that find connections between the singer’s earthly father and his heavenly one. Hands in Wood is a heartfelt ode to a hard-working father who spent his life using the things he built from wood to help others. It makes a clever connection to the Biblical carpenter in the last verse. All the Way Home finds the singer looking to his dad for protection as a young child walking through dark woods, then turning toward Jesus for peace and security when he’s older. Perhaps the album’s best song is the well-written A Piece at a Time, which recalls Thirty Years of Farming in its story of a farmer who can only watch as “the only life he’s ever known is leaving in pickups someone else owns.”

Overall, The Secret of Life has a calm, singer-songwriter feel that works well with the slice of life songs that comprise most of the album. Mosley does a fine job at capturing the memories and emotions of everyday people in songs that may seem simple at first listen but are filled with clever turns of phrase and strong imagery. Though most of the songs aren’t necessarily hardcore bluegrass, he’s joined by a strong crew of musicians. In addition to Roberts, Haynes, and McDaris, the album’s band includes Tony Wray (guitar), Michael Stockton (dobro), and Mosley himself on bass, as well as three fine harmony vocalists in Irene Kelley, Jaelee Roberts, and Jeanette Williams. If you’re looking for good original songs that don’t rely on overused bluegrass images, Mosley is your man.

For more information on Daryl Mosley, visit his website. His new album is available from several online retailers. 

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Bluegrass Today | Leave a comment |

Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame artist inductees for 2020

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

2020 IBMA Award nominees announced

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

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!

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Harold Smith on Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Bonnie and Clyde

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

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

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Ask Sonny Anything… What was it about Earl?

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

Ask Sonny Anything is a recurring feature where our readers pose questions to the great Sonny Osborne, one half of the iconic Osborne Brothers who redefined bluegrass music in the 1960s, and noted banjo maven and collector of fine prewar instruments. Everyone is encouraged to pose queries of your own each week in the comments, about his history in the music, his wealth of banjo knowledge, or regarding any life advice you might be needing.

Raymond Fairchild story. Cherokee, North Carolina. Norman Adams Bluegrass Festival at Happy Holiday Camp Grounds. About 1999 or 2000. Raymond and I are sitting at his record table talking, about everything, and nothing. Just sitting together. Two old codgers signing a few autographs, mainly doing nothing. We are all familiar with that breed of dog, I believe Russian Husky…but it’s the breed that has eyes so pale blue they are almost white. Well, this man walks up and begins talking to us and this guy, whom we both recognized and knew well enough that we were both joining in the short conversation. Well, after about 10 minutes he left and we were just sitting there….silent….almost uncomfortably silent. Raymond finally turned to me and said: “You know Hanny (Raymond’s interpretation of SONNY) YOU NEVER COULD TRUST A FELLER WITH THEM DAMNED ANIMAL EYES!” Tom T. Hall once wrote a song and Bobby and I were on the record. The song title was “That’s the world according to Raymond….” well, That’s Raymond. Rest well my friend.
S

Hi Sonny,

Thank you so much for writing this column, it is always the highlight of my week. I’m curious to know if you ever performed at the Carter Fold? Any memories of the Carter Family? Maybelle?

Clarence P.

HEY CLERANCE, Thank you for joining us. I appreciate it a lot. We never had the opportunity to play the Carter Fold and the reason was quite simple. They didn’t allow electric instruments and we had the electric bass. When we played The Paramount Theater in Bristol their representative approached me and asked if we would come to The Carter Fold and not bring the electric bass. I replied emphatically, NO! He didn’t say another word. Simple enough, I guess, although I could never understand how that would hinder the audience from liking us? Maybe, but no one else seemed to have a problem. Bill didn’t want us to bring our electric things to Bean Blossom and I seem to remember receiving more than A FEW STANDING OVATIONS WHEN WE FINALLY GET PERMISSION TO COME ANYHOW. The Carters, yes I knew Maybelle and her daughters. We did several dates with them. They were good. Anita had a beautiful voice and I loved Maybelle’s Guitar playing.
S 

Sonny,

I hope you are well. Thanks for continuing to answer our many questions.

When I began to play banjo about 15 years ago, I listened almost exclusively to Earl, listening to his playing over and over, hearing new subtleties each time. I know I’m not unique in this. I found his playing to be very rich indeed. For so many of us players, Earl was our inspiration to begin picking. In fact I think the banjo is unique in that nearly without exception, anyone playing the instrument now was inspired to play after hearing Earl. Plus, unlike other instruments, there is nearly universal agreement about who the best player of the instrument has been.

I know that you too listened to Earl’s playing, over and over. My question for you is, what qualities in Earl’s playing do you think make it so special? We all try to sound like Earl and really never do, but it’s fun to continue to try. I think his playing has an elusive, intangible quality, hard to achieve. But for you, listening to him play, and you being one of the greatest players, what specifically would you say sets him apart? Any specific songs you’d point to as examples? Or, is it just a thing of beauty, a unique human expression, that can’t really be described in words?

Thanks!
Perry

Perry, thank you for your time. EARL. You are correct in your assessment of the effect he had on the banjo being accepted world wide, and those of us who were inspired by Earl. One record that drew us to his way of playing and sat him aside as a feller to be reckoned with! FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN. When he hit those beginning notes…5th, 3rd, 1st. G, G, D….School was out. I mean Git right on outa hyer!!!! Changed that style of music round the world forever.

Earl’s right hand did more than anyone had ever done before him, and in many cases that right hand has sent many to the showers. Yep…he was that good. And it was natural for Earl to do the things he was doing so it became our charge, as guys and girls who want to play the banjo, to be like Earl. Everything he did…even down to holding the banjo over the one (right) shoulder when it’s much more comfortable to put the strap around your neck, and I might add, much safer. But the one thing that put him in a category of one, was that right hand. So good…and it would do everything he asked of it. ‘twas a thing of beauty.

I can’t speak for the millions of others, but I studied him so hard, and carefully, every note so that my right hand would move naturally, and I, still, 53 years later, needed more practice. Yep…he was that good! You question me? Try doing the second break when he went to C7th on Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms with that backward roll and where most would slow down, it actually picked up speed. Or… WHEN HE WENT TO THE 5 CHORD DURING HIS SOLO ON CABIN IN CAROLINE…I repeat…HE WAS THAT DAMN GOOD! Because I’m convinced that was a mistake but he got into it and guess what got him out of it well enough that we struggled to learn it. THAT AUTOMATIC RIGHT HAND. HE WAS BETTER THAN GOOD!
S

Sonny,

Last week you responded to Bob Dylan’s comment about the Osborne Brothers in the NYT. Outside of bluegrass, what artists did you listen to on a regular basis and/or draw inspiration in your playing from? And do you think listening to other genres will ultimately make a bluegrass musician — or any musician for that matter, better at their craft?

Will H.

Will. Thank you. Great question. Buddy Emmons, Hargis Robinson, Grady Martin, Earl Scruggs, Rudy Lyle, Marvin Gay, Eric Clapton, Merle Travis, Roy Nichols, the list goes on. I believe if a person locks in one instrument, loves it, studies it, can’t get enough of that one thing, he is more apt to make a better musician. That doesn’t mean one can’t listen to other genres. Listening to it all, everyone who is pleasing to your ear and gather knowledge from them, pick up a lick here and there, phrasing from others, approach to their instrument, and everything you can learn. YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING. A great musician is made through hard, focused, everyday practice. Yep…PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE…I CAN’T SAY IT ENOUGH. AND YOU CAN’T DO IT ENOUGH NOR CAN YOU OVERDO IT…..!
S 

Sonny,

How well did you know Dixie Hall? She was such an incredible person who contributed so greatly to bluegrass music, especially to women in bluegrass. I’m wondering if you have any recollections you might be willing to share?

Molly W.

Molly….I knew Dixie slightly…in passing, but first name basis. This was when she was secretary for Flatt and Scruggs. And then maybe only several times. After she and Tom married I doubt that I saw Dixie again more than once or twice. When I met her, and all of the several times, I believe this occurred before her talent emerged. Tom was such a great talent that I would imagine she learned and drew from him. In fact, I would make a pretty good wager that he taught her the in’s and out’s of the business, and song writing. My opinion, Tom T. Hall was one of the most talented song writers to walk on this planet…especially for COUNTRY Folk!
s

If you have something you would like to ask Sonny, be sure to post it in the comments below, or send it to us directly.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Carter Family, Dixie Hall, Osborne Brothers | Leave a comment |

Billy Strings and his Streaming Strings Tour 2020

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

Bluegrass/newgrass touring sensation Billy Strings has announced a new way to get his music out in front of the people during this time of limited performing opportunities.

Billed as Streaming Strings 2020, he and his band will appear at a number of Nashville music venues next month, with the live shows streamed online for a modest fee, far lower than most concert tickets. Though his recordings have been quite successful to date, it has been his wild and wonderful live sets that have cemented him as a fan favorite among young followers of contemporary acoustic music.

Billy is partnering with several streaming services to offer these concerts, with a portion of the proceeds donated to a number of his favorite charitable organizations. All ticketing is handled by the individual services (Station Inn TV, Nugs.net, FANS), with each show costing only $9.99. To ensure that everyone can receive a quality stream, tickets will be capped at 10,000 per show.

Here are the scheduled performances:

  • July 16 – Brooklyn Bowl (Streamed live via FANS)
  • July 17 – Brooklyn Bowl (Streamed live via FANS)
  • July 18 – Station Inn (Streamed live via Station Inn TV)
  • July 19 – Station Inn (Streamed live via Station Inn TV)
  • July 22 – City Winery (Streamed live via Nugs TV)
  • July 23 – City Winery (Streamed live via Nugs TV)
  • July 24 – Exit/In (Streamed live via TourGigs)
  • July 25 – Exit/In (Streamed live via TourGigs)
  • July 26 – 3rd & Lindsley (Streamed live via Nugs TV)

Strings will be accompanied at each show by his regular touring band, Jarrod Walker on mandolin, Billy Failing on banjo, and Royal Masato on bass.

No audience will be in attendance, and crew will be limited to avoid viral exposure.

Tickets are available now online, and since the shows can sell out, advance purchase is recommended. Special tour merch will also be offered online during individual shows.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Billy Strings | Leave a comment |

Prince Of Peace from Tugalo Holler

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Americana Fest at the American Banjo Museum

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Phil Leadbetter recovering from eye surgery

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Track Premiere: Still Here from Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Moments in Bluegrass BG75 #2 – Bill Monroe comments on Bonnie and Clyde

Posted on June 25, 2020 by Azlyrics

Following an invitation that the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) extended to its members that they share a memory from “75 years of bluegrass,” we thought that we would collect a few to share with you. 

Kathy Kallick is a co-founder of The Good Ol’ Persons (disbanded in 1995). She has played on and off in the Frank Wakefield Band; formed The Little Big Band; and has for many years led the Kathy Kallick Band.

In the early 1980s Butch Waller and I were invited to visit with Bill Monroe and his partner, Julia LaBella, at their home in Goodlettsville, TN.

I have so many memories from that visit; playing with Bill’s foxhound puppies, riding his horse, going to a Wednesday night bible service, playing lots of music, a BIG music party, Julia cooking on her wood-burning cookstove, Bill’s constant teasing… it’s all wonderful to remember.

One evening Bill and Julia decided to take us out to a restaurant that served “health food,” and Bill liked it because they served a good berry cobbler with ice cream.

It was a place that had a big screen TV, maybe for sports sometimes, but that night they were showing a movie. The movie was Bonnie and Clyde.

Bill first heard the music, which annoyed him because, well, Flatt & Scruggs, but then he started watching the movie. He’d never seen it. But he remembered hearing all about it on the radio as he was growing up. This movie now became a documentary. And we were never leaving that restaurant until the movie was over.

We watched as Bill gave little comments throughout.

“Yessir, that’s right.”

“Yes, I remember that.”

“That’s just the way it happened, all right.”

Well, that was the sorriest thing.”

“Yessir, I remember that. We heard about that on our radio.”

“Whew. What a sorry mess.”

As the credits rolled by at the end, one of asked Bill if he’d liked the movie.

He allowed as how it was pretty good, but the music was just sorry.

Indeed, the music was so identified with the movie, but it was anachronistic.

But, that’s not what Bill Monroe meant. He meant they should have asked him to play the music!

The Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs banjo-driven instrumental Foggy Mountain Breakdown was used as the soundtrack to the chase scene in Bonnie and Clyde.

OK, readers, does this story trigger any thoughts of bluegrass music in days gone by? What related event would you like remembered? Please share in comments. Thanks.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Bill Monroe | Leave a comment |

Bill Monroe statue moved from The Ryman for repair

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

Bluegrass and early country music fans have taken great pride in the Bill Monroe statue displayed outside The Ryman Auditorium since its installation in June of 2017. Countless fans have had their picture taken with the bronze sculpture on visits to Nashville, and social media is awash with examples.

The statue was created on commission by sculptor Ben Watts, who also made the nearby likeness of Little Jimmy Dickens.

But the statue was damaged on June 1 when a protest in downtown Nashville gave way to a riot, and one of the stained glass windows behind Bill’s head on the Ryman building was smashed. That same evening the historic Nashville courthouse was set ablaze, leading to the arrest of one man on federal charges.

The Ryman staff have temporarily removed the Monroe statue, and returned it to the artist for restoration and repair. They can’t be certain that the damage, which they describe as minor, occurred at the same time that the window was smashed, but say that we can expect to see Bill back on his perch by fall.

It has also been intimated that he will be joined shortly by some “friends,” so that will be exciting to see.

Our friend and correspondent Chris Smith, guitarist with Ohio grassers Caney Creek, snapped these photos of the missing statue while visiting in Nashville this week.

So don’t worry, Bill Monroe fans. He’ll be back outside The Ryman soon!

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Bill Monroe | Leave a comment |

Mark Stoffel to Mountain Home Music

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

Mountain Home Music Company has announced the signing of mandolinist Mark Stoffel to the label, with a solo project release planned for later this year.

Mark has been the mando man with Chris Jones & The Night Drivers for more than a decade, and has appeared on several of their recent recordings. His own debut solo album, One-O-Five, was released in 2008, the title chosen in honor of his Gilchrist mandolin which bears that serial number.

Now living with his family in southern Illinois, Stoffel is a native German, born in Munich, who became a US citizen in 2016. He developed his love for the mandolin and bluegrass music while still a young man, and credits his stumbling onto a copy of Jack Tottle’s book, Bluegrass Mandolin, in 1979 at a Munich music store with setting him off on a career in the music.

Mark says that he is overjoyed to make this record for Mountain Home.

“I couldn’t be prouder and happier to see my new record released on Mountain Home Music Company. To be honest, I was hoping for this to happen before I struck the very first note for this album! As a member of Chris Jones & The Night Drivers I’ve had the pleasure to collaborate with the great folks at the Mountain Home family for many years and I am convinced that there’s no better venue for this album and no better people to work with.”

Mountain Home has promised a single from the upcoming album on July 10. Pre-saves are enabled now online.

Here’s a look and listen to that track, Shadowbands, played by Mark in an episode of David Benedict’s Mandolin Mondays YouTube channel last year.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Mountain Home Music | Leave a comment |

Rising Sun drops from Ray Cardwell

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

Bonfire Records has released a new single for newgrass vocalist and songwriter Ray Cardwell, ahead of his upcoming album, Just A Little Rain.

Cardwell has returned to bluegrass in recent years, after a strong start with New Tradition back in the 1990s. His dramatic vocal range and powerful singing style has evoked comparisons with John Cowan from the start, and after several decades working outside the music business, he reappeared in 2016 with a renewed vigor and new ideas.

This latest single, Rising Sun, is one he wrote with Louisa Branscomb, which Ray described as a delightful experience.

“This is the first song I’ve ever written with Louisa. I knew her, of course, from her awards and reputation as a skilled songwriter. I really love getting a chance to write with another songwriter. It’s good for new ideas, and when people hear a song I wrote and add to it, making it into something else, that’s when I get excited! That’s the creative collaboration I live for. Louisa’s lyrics were spot on and conversation-like. We just musically talked out all our fears, frustrations and hope.”

It’s meant as a cheerful reminder that no matter how dark things may seem, the sun will inevitably come up again the next day, a message that Louisa said was inspired by recent concerns about viral spread and loss of income for so many people in the world.

“I guess I’d just say that the situation has either invited or demanded that we grow and change very suddenly and take new risks and live creatively. And that I am a private writer, I don’t co-write much, but I was so glad I took the risk and messaged Ray about something I said on Facebook that I thought would make a cool song, and we just jumped in and did it! And got to know each other in the process and it’s one of those unexpected small blessings in the middle of all this.”

Bonfire prepared this lyric video to share the song far and wide.

Rising Sun is available now whoever you stream or download music online.

Look for Just A Little Rain on September 25.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Rising Sun | Leave a comment |

The big 4-0-0: A major bluegrass milestone

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

It’s hard for me to believe, but this is my 400th column for Bluegrass Today. I had assumed I’d be out of ideas by about number 12 or so, and perhaps I was, but I guess this is a testament to the breadth and scope of our bluegrass music world and the bits of humor to be found in it, even when, or maybe especially when, we’re taking ourselves very seriously.

Regular attempts at humor can sometimes rub people the wrong way, and I knew there was a risk of that going into this, but I’ve been fortunate to have received very little blowback over these several years. Sure there were some people heavily invested in the IBMA board “troubles” of  2014 (if you don’t know what I’m referring to, consider yourself lucky), who were unhappy with my making light of the situation a couple of times in passing. There was also the incident in which the International Bluegrass Music Museum threatened to pull advertising from Bluegrass Today because I had invented a fictitious museum employee, song researcher “Peter Van Kip,” in a story about lost original lines of some famous bluegrass standards. Note: this was under previous museum management; the current management thought it was funny. Other than that, though, I’ve had pretty calm waters.

But if there’s one problem I’ve had more often than others—and it does relate to the museum story above—it’s that I have too many people taking me seriously or at times literally. This was particularly worrisome when I often wrote columns that could be classified as “faux advice,” like a 12-part series I did on band management in the early years of the column. In one January 2012 installment, I dispensed “advice” on band photos, in which I recommended avoiding new band photos entirely, theorizing that they’re actually the cause of many personnel changes. One solution I offered:

“Convince the public that your new member is actually the same as the person in the old photo. It’s not necessary to insist that the new person take on the name of the old one (although it wouldn’t hurt, if he or she is willing); you’ll have to insist, though, that the new musician dress as much like the previous one as possible and have the same hairstyle and facial hair, if applicable. The wearing of dark sunglasses at all times would be helpful. Weight differences can be handled by encouraging the new band member to gain or lose as much weight as needed to approximate the girth of the person he or she is replacing. Height differences are more difficult to manage, therefore I discourage the hiring of any new person who is more than 3 inches taller or shorter than the previous person. Otherwise the new member will just have to sit down as much as possible, including on stage.”

Anyone taking this seriously and following this advice would very quickly have some serious band management problems.

Then I occasionally have publicists or the artists themselves asking me to write about their current release or just to give them some exposure, and I’ve wanted to say, “Have you read what I’m writing here? You don’t want this kind of exposure.”

I’ve also had people say sincere and earnest things about what I’ve written, urging me to write about other topics: “Your discussion of band photos was very interesting and informative. Would you consider writing something about song publishing? That’s a topic of great interest to me, as I am an aspiring songwriter.” I thought, “Sure, I could write one, but it could lead to the quick yet painful death of your budding songwriting career.”

Is this the reader’s fault, though? It has been pointed out to me that the column has no name, so nowhere is it even implied that this is a humor column at all. Leaving it unnamed wasn’t really deliberate but was possibly influenced by the fact that I only expected to be writing the series for about three months. 

All this brings me to the present 400th column turning point: I think it’s time this column had a name, and I would like your help. 

We’re going to hold a naming contest, and I would like you to submit your ideas in the comments section below. The winner will be selected by me and the Bluegrass Today management. We’re not offering any prize vacation packages or anything. This being the COVID-19 era, no one’s traveling anywhere more exotic than the backyard anyway, and heaven knows, a trip to Raleigh for the IBMA World of Bluegrass ain’t happening. With all the cancelled shows, I’m not exactly flush with legal tender, either, so the prize is just the knowledge that your title was the chosen one. I’ll also throw in a Truegrass request and dedication, if you’re a listener, as well as a mention in this column, of course, and on my new web site’s blog.

There are no formal rules except that I’d like to allow two entries per contestant, in case you have more than one idea, but please don’t submit a list.

If you’re competing in this, you’re someone who reads all the way to the ends of these things, and I thank you. I’d even like to thank those who just read the first paragraph and move on, but unfortunately they won’t see my thanks. I also want to offer my heartfelt thanks to the publishers of Bluegrass Today, John Lawless and Terry Herd. They have always been supportive and encouraging, and they have given me an almost entirely free hand in what I do every week. I appreciate them so much.

Finally, I’d like to apologize to anyone who took any of my words too seriously and whose careers and lives suffered irreparable damage as a result.

I’m kidding about that last part.

The new title will put the pressure on me to write at least 100 more of these, and I hope I’m up to the task. Thank you for reading, and I do mean that.

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Bluegrass Today | Leave a comment |

Sonny Osborne on Life In Music tonight

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

The one and only Sonny Osborne will be the live guest tonight on the Life in Music Summer Guest Artist Series, presented by the ETSU Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies program.

Hosted by program Director Dan Boner, and facilitated by Lecturer Kalia Yeagle and ETSU alumnus Lincoln Hensley, the discussion will be held on both Zoom and Facebook Live. Viewers can listen and watch, or post their own questions to Sonny during this live chat. 

The idea of this series is to give students and the general public a chance to hear from industry greats about their lives and careers in bluegrass. Dan, Lincoln, and Kalia will have questions prepared, but Sonny is likely to expound at length without being prompted.

Anyone with the Zoom app is welcome to join in (meeting ID: 963 433 8282), and you can also watch on the ETSU Bluegrass Facebook page, where the interview will reside in perpetuity after it concludes. It starts this evening (6/23) at 7:00 p.m. (EDT).

If you haven’t seen your question answered in Sonny’s weekly Bluegrass Today column, this may be your chance!

Other guests scheduled in the next few weeks include:

6/30 – Jody Stecher
7/14 – David Holt
7/21 – Missy Raines and Ben Surratt
7/28 – Kaia Kater

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Sonny Osborne | Leave a comment |

Lonesome Moon – Grass Strings

Posted on June 24, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Steve Martin virtual collab with Philadelphia Orchestra

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Jeff Brown named Vice President at Turnberry Records

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

County Fool from Boone & Foster

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Azlyrics

Boone & Foster. No… it’s not a real estate agency, or a law firm. Though it’s a name that could comfortably fit either one.

It’s Troy Boone and Frosty Foster, the newest young bluegrass team signed by Mountain Fever Records. They have just released a crackerjack of a single which epitomizes the sort of aggressive, take no prisoners, smash and grab grass favored by many young artists these days. It’s an in your face, front of the beat, no apologies sound played with confidence and authority – and extremely satisfying and enjoyable to the ear.

Troy and Frosty (Aaron) started playing together at the Ole Smoky Moonshine distilleries in east Tennessee, performing on stage as Dreamcatcher. In 2016, Troy took the mandolin gig with Sideline and last year, Foster took one on guitar with Amanda Cook. Now Troy is married to Amanda’s banjo picker, Carolyn VanLierop, and has joined that band as well.

For their upcoming album with Mountain Fever, Smoky Mountain Favorites, Boone & Foster have enlisted Daniel Greeson on fiddle, Brady Wallen on banjo, and Aaron Ramsey on bass.

The single is County Fool, written by Patrick McDougal, a go straight to ‘you know where’ song that tells an unfaithful lover that he is gone, with a skipped beat, crooked measure twist. Long time bluegrass fans may recall that Alan Bibey also cut this track 20 years ago on his In The Blue Room record for Sugar Hill.

Have a listen…

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

Posted in Lyrics | Tags: Boone Foster | Leave a comment |

On The Road: A Tribute To John Hartford

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Azlyrics

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. 

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Pepita Emmerichs awarded 2020 Australian Bluegrass Scholarship

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Azlyrics

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!

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

A Storyteller’s Story – Stephen Wade

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |

Grand Lake National Fiddle Fest – 23 Years and still Counting!

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Azlyrics

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.

Posted in Lyrics | Leave a comment |
Next Page »

Sponsors

lyrics https://lyrics.az/one-direction/-/steal-my-boy.html

Random Text

https://azlyrics.com.az/lyrics/untouchable-bera-lyrics/

Tags

AK AM AP Ask Sonny Anything Bill Monroe Bluegrass Today DJ DM DNA Donald Trump France Georgia Gucci Mane IBMA IG Jamaica Jesus Christ Jordan LA London Mexico Miami Michael Jackson NC New Orleans New York New York City Nicki Minaj OD OG Oh Lord OK Osborne Brothers Paris PDT Rolls Royce Submit Lyrics Thank God TV Ty Dolla usa VIP VVS Vybz Kartel Young Thug

Random Text

lyrics https://lyrics.az/xxxtentacion/allsongs.html

Random Text

lyrics https://lyrics.az/young-l3x/

Pages

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • April 2019
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016

Categories

  • Lyrics (22,887)

WordPress

  • Log in
  • WordPress

CyberChimps WordPress Themes

© az-lyrics.music369.com