Monthly Archives: November 2022

Bluegrass Stories, the ongoing podcast hosted by Katy Daley and Howard Parker, has released a very special episode this week, taking us back to the early days of Seldom Scene in 1984.

It’s a video produced by George Mason University for their on-campus network, and broadcast there in ’84. The 30-minute presentation mixes interviews with the Seldom Scene at the University, with live footage of the band recorded at The Birchmere in Arlington, VA.

This was just after John Starling had made his exit from the Scene, replaced by Phil Rosenthal. Founding members John Duffey, Tom Gray, Mike Auldridge, and Ben Eldridge remained.

People coming of age in bluegrass during the 21st century may have only a faint realization of the power and impact of this group in the 1970s and ’80s. Their new, more urban type of grass won followers all over the world that might not have warmed to the lonesome mountain sound of The Stanley Brothers, et al. Embracing both original material and crossovers from the pop, rock, and country music worlds, along with a dash of pure traditional bluegrass – acid grass as Duffey liked to call it – found them favor in the DC metro market, and eventually all over the country.

John Duffey’s reluctance to fly made them truly seldom scene, especially on the west coast and in mountain west states, which rather than muting their appeal, made fans all that much more eager to catch them live. As a result, their weekly shows at Washington and northern Virginia establishments found admirers traveling in from all over to catch them in person.

This historic glimpse of the band was rediscovered wholly by accident, when Katy’s husband, Bill Brown, a program director at WAMU in a former life, came across the Beta video while going through boxes one day. When he saw it marked as “Seldom Scene 1983-84, Birchmere,” he knew this was something of value.

Unfortunately, this tape was a third generation copy (copied from a copy), so the resolution is not superb. But it is still a wonderful look at this timeless band in their prime.

Katy says that she had wondered many times what had ever happened to this program, which she participated in when she was a young radio professional in the region. After it was found, she reached out to George Mason trying to get permission to share it with the bluegrass community, most of whom will never have seen it, as it was only shown on Mason’s closed network. By the purest chance, the lady who answered her call remembered the project, and recognized Katy’s voice on the other end of the line.

Mike Kelly with George Mason was the one behind this production, who was a Chaucer professor in the English department, who also headed up a video program called Capitol Connection. They had Noah Adams from NPR provide narration, and absent Bill’s discovery of it in a box in their attic, it would have been lost forever.

Howard Parker tells us that it was a real treat to be able to offer this video through Bluegrass Stories. The Seldom Scene, Mike Auldridge in particular, was a big part of Parker’s desire to become a reso-guitarist, and like many bluegrass players in the area, he caught them live as often as he could.

“It was an honor and privilege to work with this documentary. Katy and I are thankful for Bill Brown’s discovery, and the support of many, including the folks of George Mason University, PJ March for his technical skills, and without a doubt, the past and present members of DC’s own, the Seldom Scene.

I’ve always told folks, the Scene is MY band but, I’m happy to share.”

It’s a wonderful piece of bluegrass history. Enjoy!

Many thanks to Katy and Howard, and to Bill Brown, Mike Kelly, Noah Adams, and the Seldom Scene!

Transitions can be a challenging time for anyone. For musical artists it can either strengthen their work or it can lead to decline. For newgrass band Mamma’s Marmalade, their newest release puts them in the former category. Fakin’ It: Covers Deserving Coverage was conceived when the group was determining their next move after the departure of bassist Dan Bisson. Rather than release another project of original music, the remaining three members decided to bring in guest musicians and record an EP with their take on songs by popular pop artists that aren’t as familiar to casual listeners. The result is a phenomenal piece of work.

The opening track, This Song Has No Title, was originally recorded by Elton John. Along with fiddler and vocalist Lily Sexton, mandolinist Mitch Bordage, and guitarist Sean Davis, the track is also propelled by banjoist Gabe Hirshfield and bassist Dan Klingsberg. This is one of a few examples of really brilliant arranging.

The title track Fakin’ It comes from the repertoire of Simon & Garfunkel. The rendition here is performed in the Americana vein. The group is joined by Jacob Joliff whose contribution to this track is superb. Also featured on this piece is guitarist Ross Martin and bassist Myles Sloniker.

Highway Patrolman by Bruce Springsteen is another highlight of this recording, in large part due to the lead vocals of Lily Sexton. Her phrasing and overall delivery of the lyrics suits Mamma’s Marmalade’s rendition of the song extremely well. The arrangement is largely based in traditional bluegrass stylings.

Fakin’ It: Covers Deserving Coverage is somewhat of a surprising effort. While these are all songs by acclaimed pop artists, none of the selected material has been overdone. It’s evident that each of the tracks and arrangements were carefully thought out by Mamma’s Marmalade. The guest artists that join them on these five songs all make appropriate contributions. It shows how the group has made the best of the transition in their journey.

Are you possibly old enough to remember cigarette advertising on TV and radio? If so you probably also still refer to David Grier as “Lamar Grier’s boy,” and you might remember who Gerald Ford’s vice president was (also Lamar Grier, I believe).

Well I’ll go ahead and date myself (severely) and say that I remember them. Not only that, I can still sing the “You can take Salem out of the country . . .” jingle, a perfectly awful yet somehow memorable song. I was four-years old and it led me to take up smoking, which fortunately I quit at age six.

You know what replaced the revenue lost from tobacco advertising? One hint: it wasn’t capo or fiddle bow commercials. Maybe that’s two hints. No, the great revenue replacer was pharmaceutical ads, and we’re inundated with them, especially on TV and radio shows with an audience demographic old enough to remember “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should,” but they’ve found enough medical anxiety and ailments to market to virtually any age group.

One thing I enjoy about these ads, besides the lengthy disclaimers (“may cause headcahes, nausea, depression, or suicidal thoughts. If suicidal thoughts occur, do not stop taking Linvogula, as muscle cramping may occur”), are the abbreviations and acronyms used for newly discovered illnesses and syndromes: “If you have any of these symptoms, you may be suffering from Irritable Bowl Syndrome with Constipation, or IBS-C,” or “Are you tired or listless, accompanied by sudden, unexplained bursts of energy? You could be suffering from Acute Lethargy with Random Spasms Syndrome, or ALRSS.”

In most cases, I’d never heard of these diseases before. I guess that’s why they’re advertising them and their treatments with the scary disclaimers.

It occurs to me It would be very useful to describe and categorize various bluegrass-related ailments and syndromes and abbreviate them accordingly. The advertising might look something like this:

“When playing shows, are you encountering sound engineers who talk down to you as if you’ve never played on a microphone before in your life? You may have Condescending Soundsplaining Engineer Disease, or CSED.”

Or, on the other hand:

“Are you a sound engineer who keeps encountering experienced bands who still have no idea how to work a microphone and want their monitors much too loud, then complain when there’s feedback? You may have Will This Show Ever End? Syndrome, or WTSEES (‘Whatsees’).”

“Do you have a mandolin player in your band who is late to most shows and rehearsals and always offers predictable but poor excuses for it? You may be suffering from Late Mandolin Player with Lame Excuse Syndrome, or LMPLES (pronounced ‘Limples’).”

“Are you operating a bluegrass festival with a gradually declining audience because a certain percentage of your attendees die every year and no new ones are coming because you just book the same bands year after year? You could have Stagnant Festival with Shrinking Older Crowd, or SF-SOC.”

“Are you recording too many takes of your songs in the studio, to the point where you’ve eliminated any imperfections, but the songs now lack life because you no longer like them by the time you’re finished? You might be suffering from Excessive Retakes with Song Burnout Syndrome, or ER-SBS.”

“Do you have a banjo player who insists on practicing Cumberland Gap or Lonesome Road Blues over and over in an enclosed space like a bus or van? You may be experiencing an ailment called Please Get a Mute Already Before I Lose My &*%**# Mind, or PGMA-BILM_M (using the acronym ‘Pigma-billem’).”

Consult your doctor before beginning any treatment.

Boston’s Mile Twelve is back with new music from an upcoming album after adding new personnel last year. Founding members Evan Murphy (guitar), BB Bowness (banjo), and Nate Sabat (bass) remain, and the band has welcomed Ella Jordan on fiddle and Korey Brodsky on mandolin.

Their focus on original music with a high level of instrumental virtuosity has not changed, nor the more intellectual approach to songwriting which has been their norm, as we can hear on their latest single, Close Enough To Hear.

It’s the title track for their next fell-length project, set for release in February, written and sung by Murphy, who wrote it back of the beginning of the pandemic shutdowns. He says it’s a more personal composition than is his style, but the separation was getting intense.

“I was desperately missing my three-year-old nephew, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and my parents. This song was a simple visualization of a perfect day, and what we were all missing so much at that time. It spilled onto the page immediately after I did a morning Metta meditation, calling to mind people who I love.

Check out the new single in this music video they created.

Close Enough To Hear is available now as a single from popular download and streaming services online.

Pre-orders for the album are enabled online for downloads and CDs. Delivery is expected on February 3.

Music Area, a leading Chinese manufacturer of cases for a wide variety of musical instruments, has announced a new, soft-sided acoustic guitar case, RB30, which offers most of the features they have been offering in their electric guitar and bass models.

The company builds cases and gig bags for firms worldwide to offer with new instruments, and as aftermarket items. Their claim is that they make most of the high-quality gig bags in the world, but they also sell direct to consumers.

With the RB30, you receive their standard protection features, like 30 mm of multi-layer padding around your guitar, an adjustable padded neck cradle, removable bottom bumper to protect the end pin, and covered with the Music Area’s custom water-repellent fabric. It also comes with a detachable isothermic bag to carry lunch or drinks when you head out with your guitar, plus large storage pockets, one sized especially for your strap.

Durability is also a concern, so the carrying handle and straps are riveted in place, and the bottom of the case has a PVC sole to protect it from wear.

At this time the RB30 case is only available in black with white stitching.

They are offered for sale online for $189, with delivery to the US or Europe in about three weeks.

More information and additional photos can be found online.

Jason Fraley, mandolinist with Deeper Shade of Blue, has released his first solo project, Acoustic Flavor of Christmas, just in time for the holidays. All ten instrumentals feature Fraley on acoustic and hollow-body guitar (jazz model), acoustic electric bass, mandolin, and drums.

“I did use a synthesizer on O Come Emmanuel to put an ambient pad on it. I liked the timbre of it,” the multi-instrumentalist explained.

Fraley had never really considered making a holiday-themed recording until someone else planted the seed.

“Our choir director, Sam, asked, ‘Have you thought about doing a Christmas album, acoustic style with just you?’ I never thought my first solo project would be a Christmas album, but I decided to try it.”

First, Fraley compiled a list of 30-40 Christmas tunes. 

“Ten just stuck out as my favorite classics. They had nice melodies.”

Recorded in early October, the project took the him exactly a week to create, working 2-3 hours per day.

“I do my best work alone when I record. I feel I can flow better. The whole album was spur-of-the-moment. All the arrangements just happened on the fly. I never wrote down anything. I had it all in my head. I have a background in jazz so I pulled from that to express myself.”

The Monroe, NC, native worked on the instrumental project in Lee Park Baptist Church’s recording studio where he serves the congregation as their music director. He says that it was a layering process.

“I started with a rhythm track. I strummed guitar while singing the melody in my head. Then I added the bass line, mandolin rhythm, percussion, and finally the solos with acoustic guitars and mandolin.”

As he worked, a plan developed.

“I kept it as raw as possible, keeping the finger noise. My goal was to be able to listen to it and it sound like a band playing in your living room.”

One good example is the classic Charlie Brown Christmas song, Christmas Time is Here.

“It is syncopated. It feels like different people playing,” he shared. “A lot of my music history isn’t just bluegrass. I had been thinking of putting up music on my own and be able to express myself musically to the world. It’s a way for me to share my own ideas and feelings.”

Fraley is pleased with the final outcome.

“My hope is that this is an album that you can put in while driving or at home during the holiday season to listen to my expressiveness and enjoy.”

There will be more projects to come, keeping with the album’s song listings graphics which resemble a restaurant menu.

“These songs are flavors of Christmas. I plan to make it a series of flavors of different things,” he concluded.

Jason Fraley’s project is recorded under the name Playhouse Records.

Released on October 28, it is available on Itunes, Amazon, Spotify, and YouTube and everywhere you download music. Hard copies of the CD can be ordered directly from Fraley. Contact him by email for details.

You can always check out all the Christmas bluegrass music we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.

Just recently, 11 years after we launched Bluegrass Today and our Weekly Airplay Chart, a pair of bluegrass radio hosts in the Pacific have launched a podcast based on the chart. Called, plainly enough, Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 Countdown, a new episode is posted each Sunday counting down the Top 20 songs based on radio play as reported by our participating hosts.

The podcast is the brainchild of Caroline Wright in Hawaii and Mike Kear in Sydney, Australia who take our chart each Friday morning, and create a new show ready for its launch two days later. In addition to playing each of the Top 20 songs in turn, the hosts add some background to the tracks and include interviews with artists and newsmakers in the bluegrass world.

Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 Countdown is available at no charge from the many podcast aggregators online, like Apple Podcasts, Player FM, Podomatic, or whichever is your preferred platform. Mike and Caroline are now five weeks in, and have got the format down to a very smooth production running about an hour and 15 minutes per.

Both of the hosts should be well familiar to bluegrass lovers. Wright is the founder of Bluegrass Hawai’i, the island state’s bluegrass association, and co-author with Tim Stafford of Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story. She is also a former editor at Bluegrass Now magazine. Kear is the longtime host of Music From Foggy Hollow, broadcast for 22 years on Hawkesbury Radio in Sydney, Australia. The show is also carried on Bluegrass Country, whose online signal is available worldwide.

Mike tells us that by producing the podcast through Hawkesbury Radio, they are able to include full songs, which US hosts find problematic.

“We think this is a worthwhile project and should become quite popular with bluegrass fans. Australian copyright law is different from US law, which means we can have music podcasts playing full songs so they sound like a radio show, and be fully covered for copyright and licensing purposes. It’s not something that American-based podcasts can do because of the licensing laws In the USA.

For the first time in 22 years, I have a show that Australians can listen to any time they like, rather than have to stay up in the wee small hours of the morning. It’s a similar situation with other places around the world, too — Europe for example, and Asia. Hawaii is home to lots of military people stationed there who haven’t been able to pick up bluegrass radio conveniently before. We’re offering them a way.”

Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 Countdown is not strictly a chart review, as Mike and Caroline share a number of different features in each show, as well as a weekly news roundup. They offered this list of items they have already run or have planned for the show.

• Pickin’ on the Planet – Did you know there’s bluegrass in Ireland? In India? In Iceland? Meet a bluegrass act from somewhere far from the bluegrass heartland.
• Field Pickin’ – A short segment featuring listeners from around the world who have spectacular bluegrass stories.
• Pickin’ on the People – Profiles of the incredible people behind the bluegrass scenes – people who aren’t famous bluegrass musicians themselves, but who love and support the music.
• Who Did It Best? – “For this segment, we’ll play a few different versions of the same song by different artists,” says Kear. “Who did it best? We’ll let our listeners decide for themselves.”
• Let’s Celebrate A Bluegrass Birthday – Spotlighting a birthday artist with fascinating stories, revealing interviews, and deep cuts from their personal musical libraries.
• Bizarregrass – The name says it all!

As regular podcast listeners know, pod software will automatically download any new episodes for a show to which you have subscribed, so they are there on your phone or device when you are ready to listen. What a great way to keep up with what is current in bluegrass music, especially for folks who don’t have access to bluegrass radio where they live.

Best of luck to Caroline Wright and Mike Kear with Bluegrass Today Weekly Top 20 Countdown!

Who doesn’t like a John Hartford song? He never seemed to write one that wasn’t fun, memorable, or cogent in some way, several of which have become familiar worldwide. And he stayed within the bluegrass/old time tradition throughout his life and career.

Old time masters John Showman and Chris Coole have prepared an album of Hartford delights, all played on fiddle and banjo, which they call Much Further Out Than Inevitable – A Fiddle and Banjo Tribute to Some Music of John Hartford. It’s set for release this Friday, and the pair have released a number of singles already from the project.

Of the record, Coole, vocalist and banjo man with Canada’s Lonesome Ace String Band, for whom Showman plays fiddle, says…

“If country music were a galaxy, John Hartford would surely be one of the very brightest stars in the sky. It’s with the greatest respect that we try to bask in a bit of his light on this album. We’ve chosen twelve of our favorite Hartford songs (and tunes), and have let them dwell in a very sparse and organic setting of just fiddle and banjo.

We’ve been playing most of these songs at gigs and jam sessions for years and are thrilled to finally get a chance to record them.”

Songs of John’s they have selected include Don’t Leave Your Records in the Sun, Long Hot Summer Days, Steamboat Whistle Blues, and this duet version of Back in the Goodle Days.

Much Further Out Than Inevitable will be available for widespread digital purchase on December 2. Pre-orders for audio CDs with a download can be placed now online.

There’s something to be said about family bands, as evidenced by the success that was seen by the Jacksons, the Cowsills, the Osmonds, the Nelsons, and any number of sterling sibling combos in pop music history. It’s certainly not out of the ordinary in the bluegrass world, with acts like The Lewis Family running for decades, but in many cases, family bands tend to operate for a limited time outside the musical mainstream, with many relegated to a cult-like status.

Nevertheless, The Petersens have proved that familial bonds can reap prolific and productive benefits. The band, which consists of four adult brothers and sisters — Katie (fiddle), Ellen (banjo), Matt (guitar), and Julianne (vocals) — and their parents Karen (bass) and Jon (guitar), as well as family friend Emmett Franz (dobro, production), have become a cottage industry of sorts, one that’s crisscrossed the country through touring and performances on the festival circuit. But their mainstay is regular two-or-three-times-a-week concerts at The Little Opry Theater in Branson, MO where they can brag of being the resort town’s most highly rated show.

They’ve also released a string of independent LPs in the process. The group’s new album, My Ozark Mountain Home, mainly consists of standards and traditional tunes, but even with that familiarity factor, they manage to infuse their own distinctive identity into each of their offerings. 

That heartfelt sentiment is evident in the new album’s title track. So too, the sun literally seems to shine through on a tender and transformative take of Here Comes the Sun. In each case, The Petersens show their ability to adapt their harmonious sound to a variety of songs and settings, be it vintage or otherwise. Even when they retrace well-trodden musical terrain — John Denver’s Annie’s Song and Take Me Home, Country Roads being two more obvious examples — it’s charm, not challenge that finds both purpose and prominence.

That said, one should already know quite well what to expect when it comes to covers such as Wayfaring Stranger, Wild Mountain Thyme, Amazing Grace, and Down to the River to Pray, given the fact that these songs find a natural fit within the group’s traditional template. Yet the seamless blend of classic and contemporary remains a consistent mark of their credibility and commitment.

Ultimately, the new album demands nothing more than a desire to simply relish a soothing musical sojourn, one capable of lifting the listener well beyond their everyday cares and concerns. For that reason alone, consider My Ozark Mountain Home a comforting homecoming in every regard. 

Dudley Murphy, top-rated flatpick guitarist with Radio Flyer, passed away on Saturday, November 19, 2022. He was 82 years of age.  

Born on April 16, 1940, in Danville, Kentucky, Murphy’s interest in music began during his high school days in Lexington, and then, when he moved to Tulsa (as a senior), he heard a rock ‘n’ roll band, and bought a Wabash guitar then a Sears electric guitar and began playing piano. He formed a trio – Dudley Murphy and the Fadeaways, with Carl Radle, and while in Tulsa he played in groups that would sometimes include Leon Russell, JJ Cale, Bill Raffenesperger, Leo Feathers, Junior Markham, and other famous ‘Tulsa Sound’ musicians.

Also, he became interested in the folk music of Peter, Paul & Mary, then Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Jack Elliott, and he played in clubs and some famous coffee houses in Oklahoma and Texas during the folk revival era.

As he took a degree course at the University of Tulsa and studied fine arts at Oklahoma University, he began playing bluegrass music under the influence of Dan Crary, Doc Watson, and another Oklahoma guitarist Royce Campbell, along with banjo ace Alan Munde. Also, he watched Norman Blake, Clarence White, and Tony Rice closely, learning different characteristics from each of them. 

In due course, Murphy became respected on the same level as Crary, Blake, Beppe Gambetta, Charles Sawtelle, etc.

In the later part of the 1960s he met and in 1968 married Deanie. The couple moved to Springfield, Illinois, where Dudley took a job as Curator of Education at the city’s Art Museum.  

Meanwhile, they began performing as a duo, playing at festivals and colleges in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. Their album of 15 songs and tunes eventually materialised in 1976.  

In 1970 they formed County Line with Dudley playing guitar; Deanie on mandolin; Jack Pearman (bass), traditional Missouri fiddler, Newell Looney, with both of whom they had already recorded; and Mike Breid (banjo). The band, with Kenny Richardson (banjo and resonator guitar), Dale Hopkins (fiddle), Pat Jackson (bass) then members, released an LP in 1978. County Line remained active until about 1983.

Murphy became involved with the activities of the Folk Music of the Ozarks program and helped to start the locally based Bluegrass Society of the Ozarks. 

Also, he took second place with a rendition of Dixie Breakdown in Winfield’s National Flatpicking Championship in 1973, demonstrating how well he had progressed with the style.  

In 1978 Murphy worked with Oklahoma-born Adam Granger on reputedly the first twin flatpick album ever recorded. This highly recommended LP was recorded with each guitarist on a separate channel. 

Dudley Murphy & Adam Granger – Twin Picking 

County Line pt. 1, 1983…

…and County Line pt. 2, 1983

In October 1984 Murphy and David Wilson (mandolin and fiddle) formed Radio Flyer with Roger Matthews (banjo) and Steve Duede (electric bass). 

Their impact was almost instantaneous as during the following year they won the Best New Bluegrass Band accolade at the Kentucky Fried Chicken Bluegrass Festival in Louisville. (Union Station featuring a 14-year-old Alison Krauss came in second.) 

They all had regular jobs – Murphy was Associate Professor of Art at Drury College, Springfield, until his retirement in 2016 – but performed most weekends at festivals and concerts, many on college campuses, and in 1989 they appeared on NPR’s Mountain Stage. 

Over the better part of a decade the band recorded and released three solid albums for Pat Martin’s Turquoise label, with one, Old Strings New Strings, designated for a highlight review by Jon Hartley Fox (Bluegrass Unlimited, May 1992). 

Radio Flyer – Radio Flyer 

Murphy sings lead on Kentucky Mountain Evening, Lonesome Wind Blues and Song For A Winter’s Night

Wayne Bledsoe, producer/host on KUMR, Rolla, Missouri, and publisher of Bluegrass Now magazine, considered them to be possibly “the most innovative and polished bluegrass band in the country today.” Another view of them was that Radio Flyer were “on the cutting edge of the new traditional sound.” This was in some considerable part due to Murphy’s masterful, highly respected guitar playing and singing that Nancy Cardwell Webster describes as with a “warm, low range, storytelling quality,” and song contributions such as Flowers In Your Hair, Kentucky Mountain Evening, Coming Home, Morning Always Takes My Dreams Away, Child Of Grace, Cincinnati Moon, This World Is Not My Home and Love Left Behind. 

Radio Flyer broke up in 2002 but Wilson and Murphy continued playing dates together as a duo, and the band had a reunion show in April 2011.

Cardwell Webster remembers … 

“He was a perfectionist and a valued mentor to many. 

He was always very kind to other musicians in the Springfield, MO area- my hometown. He hired the Cardwell Family Band at the Springfield Art Museum when he was working there in the 1970s, before he started teaching art at Drury College.”

Ned Luberecki played with Radio Flyer for about five years (back in the early 1990s ….. 

“I first saw Dudley play with Radio Flyer at the Tulsa Bluegrass and Chili Cookoff sometime in the early 1990’s. I was really impressed with the band and with Dudley’s flatpicking in particular. Little did I know that within a few short years, I would relocate to NW Arkansas and find myself without a gig. Dudley and Dave (Wilson) reached out to me when Roger Mathews left the band. I was delighted to be joining a band of such high caliber musicians.

Dudley was not only a superb flatpicker (well known in the Walnut Valley crowd) but a deep musician in many ways. He taught me that it was all about the sound. He used to describe Doc Watson’s guitar playing as having a certain ‘sparkle’ that nobody else got. And while I was always trying to be adventurous in playing the banjo in different keys without a capo, Dudley might capo his guitar to the 7th fret to play a song in G! He was always looking for a new sound or something to make it different. 

In addition to his guitar playing skills, Dudley was a graphic designer and a professor of design. I once gave him some examples of my taste in design and asked him what it said about my style. He described me as a ‘Progressive Traditionalist,’ which I believe describes me well in all avenues of life. 

Dudley was one of a kind and I’ll always cherish the time I spent with him and Radio Flyer. RIP my friend.

R.I.P., Dudley Murphy.

Services will take place on today, November 28, 2022, with visitation between 12:00 (noon) and 2:00 p.m.., with funeral to follow, at the Klingner-Cope Family Funeral Home, Rivermonte Chapel in Springfield, Missouri.  

Bluegrass Today acknowledges the assistance of Nancy Cardwell Webster, Orin Friesen, David Wilson, and Takehiko Saiki. 

A Discography 

Dudley Murphy & Deanie Murphy

• At Home (Caney Creek Records CC LP-001, 1976) 

Dudley Murphy & Adam Granger

• Twin Picking (Grass Mountain Records GM 1003, 1979) 

County Line

• Sweet Prairie Hay (Grass Mountain Records GM-1001, 1978) 

Radio Flyer

• Radio Flyer (Turquoise Records TR-5065, 1988)
• Old Strings New Strings (Turquoise Records TR-CD 5079, 1991)
• Town And Country (Turquoise Records TR-CD-5093, 1994) 

As their first project for Daywind Music Group’s revived Thoroughbred Records, bluegrass gospel stalwarts Chosen Road have released an album of holiday music, Appalachian Christmas.

Produced by band members Jonathan Buckner, Zachary Alvis, and Tyler Robertson, the project includes 13 new tracks of familiar hymns and carols, a few contemporary worship anthems, and a couple from the bluegrass catalog. Guests on the record are drawn from top artists in gospel and christian music, like Guy Penrod, Point of Grace, and Jimmy Fortune.

Guitarist Jonathan Bucker says that all the guys enjoyed putting their spin on these classic songs.

“It was so much fun to interpret these Christmas songs through the lens of bluegrass and Appalachian styles of music, and all the collaborations on the album represent very special moments with some of our musical heroes. We hope listeners will feel the same joy, peace and Hope that we know.

There’s turmoil in the world all around us, and music is a universal language that speaks to everyone. Appalachian Christmas gives us an avenue to remind people of the Hope and joy found in the love of Jesus Christ—the greatest gift that’s ever been given.”

You can hear an example in this live video of their arrangement of Joy To The World, with an assist from Authentic Unlimited’s Stephen Burwell on fiddle.

Chosen Road is currently on a Christmas tour performing the music from the album live. See all their dates online.

The full Appalachian Christmas album is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Audio CDs can be ordered directly from the artists.

Radio programmers can get the tracks via AirPlay Direct.

You can check out all the Christmas bluegrass music we have covered at Bluegrass Today by following this link.

While there have been several recordings based around interpretations of old time tunes on the harmonica, Cary Moskovitz from Chapel Hill, NC takes it a step further. North Carolina Breakdown is a collection of instrumental pieces that are played on the free-reed wind instrument, but in the same register as the fiddle.

Moskovitz took a minimalist approach with the instrumental backing and that was an appropriate choice. While featured on harmonica of course, Cary also accompanies himself on rhythm guitar and banjo. This instrumental configuration especially works on Old Sally Goodin’ which Moskovitz learned from the legendary Kentucky fiddler, Art Stamper.

It’s obvious how much these pieces are patterned after the fiddle player’s arrangements. On tunes like New Five Cent Piece, Climbing the Golden Stairs, and Sugar In The Gourd, the different instrumental components such as phrasing and timing are spot on.

Waynesboro, Billy In The Low Ground, and Rye Straw are slower pieces that are each played in the same tempo. While these are good tunes in their own right, having them back to back made for a bit of a plodding listen. The title track North Carolina Breakdown, however, moves along at a nice steady pace.

Duck’s Eyeball is the most captivating tune on the recording. Featuring just harmonica, the use of double stops was particularly impressive and yet another example of how closely Moskovitz patterned his arrangements after old time fiddlers.

This album closes with an original composition by Cary, Charles Murphy Waltz. Though it was written in modern times, Moskovitz captures the old time feel in this tune perfectly.

North Carolina Breakdown is an intriguing release. Cary Moskovitz has demonstrated some unique capabilities of the harmonica. Though he says he considers learning these fiddle tunes “an interesting and challenging process of translation,” he does so reverently and effectively.

Happy Thanksgiving! This week we celebrate something-or-other that happened on Plymouth Rock in such-and-such a year (and they say history isn’t being taught well enough in our schools!), the existence of the domesticated turkey, and the growers of cranberries (also somewhere near Plymouth Rock).

We’re also thankful for family, at least for the first 30 minutes, even the uncle who wants to rant about COVID and the last election, because fortunately he’s in the next room with a door that can be subtly closed.

Those of us involved in the bluegrass business have plenty to be thankful for, though they’re often things the wider world wouldn’t understand.

Do you have the family member who delivers the overly long and overly specific pre-meal grace?(“Father we’re just so thankful that Teresa’s plantar’s warts have finally healed). Here is a possible bluegrass musician’s Thanksgiving prayer in that style:

Heavenly Father, we’re thankful to be back on the road, even if the travel itself is still exactly as tedious as we thought it was prior to COVID. We’re grateful for good festival time slots this year, with only one post-supper break set, one 8:00 a.m. gospel set, and only one following Little Roy & Lizzie. We’re thankful for fewer food poisoning incidents this year on the road. We’re grateful for our banjo player’s new tuner, which actually works. We’re thankful that our band is still together, due in part to our longtime fiddle player finally becoming more passive than aggressive, and we’re grateful for the medication that made that possible. We rejoice for surprisingly good CD sales to people who no longer own working CD players. We feel blessed by the recent chart success of our original song, Bluegrass Music, Yes We Love It. We’re thankful that our bass player’s wife Sharon does such a good job maintaining our very user-friendly web site (we love how easily the pages load!). We feel blessed that the Bill Monroe Decca material can now be streamed, even if we already own the 1950-58 boxed set. And Lord, we thank you for our lead singer and band leader, who, in spite of the giant ego, does a really good job singing Hey Hey Bartender, and takes responsibility for things so we have someone to blame. We ask that you bless this turkey.

Amen.

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys at the November 2022 Palatka Bluegrass Festival

The November 2022 Palatka Bluegrass Festival was postponed a week owing to the arrival of Hurricane Nicole earlier this month. Fortunately, all the artists were able to make it on the new dates, and the folks at Evans Media Source sent along this report with photos and videos.

The legendary fall Palatka Bluegrass Festival, founded by promoter Norman Adams, usually falls on the second weekend in November in its namesake town tucked into northeast Florida. Each year it touts a massive lineup of top acts and a pavilion filled to the brim with bluegrass fans so long that they need secondary screens and projectors for the folks hallway back to see the stage. Evans Media Source has taken the helm for the last few years and even through COVID Debi and Ernie Evans, and their team have kept the event growing and setting the bar even higher. 

The festival itself is a massive fundraiser for the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch whose mission is to assist at risk young men gain the skills to be successful gentlemen. The ranch banks on this festival, along with the Evans Media Source festival held on the site in February, to fund their operation each year. 

Tuesday on the week of the festival the lineup was set, the golf carts delivered, food ordered, and fans were already pulling into the massive 800 acre ranch when word came of Hurricane Nicole bring down on the east coast of Florida. 

No strangers to adversity, Ernie Evans and his team faced a hard decision: Cancel the festival and let the ranch suffer for the whole year, or find another way to make it happen. The ranch would not only lose the fundraiser money, but also all the expenses they already paid for in anticipation for the week, setting them back even further and limiting their ability to help the young men who depend on the ranch for survival. 

Ranch Director Brad Hall and Ernie Evans got together and decided: We can make this work, if we have The Queen in our corner….Rhonda Vincent, that is. 

Rhonda’s fans will travel through wind, snow, rain, and even a hurricane to get a chance to catch her show live. That is a testament to her professionalism, skill, and her hard work on social media as well over the decades she has pioneered her own path in the music. 

Rhonda, a pro’s pro, immediately jumped at the chance to help the ranch, and changed her entire schedule around to make sure she could be there if Ernie moved the festival to the following weekend. So now the hard work truly began!

EMS has less than seven days to build an entire new festival from the ground up, promote the show, and help get the staff squared away to make sure the high standards of the Palatka Bluegrass Festival were upheld. 

Ernie said that postponement preparations were a whirlwind.

“Debi and I went over 48 hours without sleep a few times this week, just to make sure we did everything in our power to make this work for the ranch. So many people pitched in during the week to even make this feasible, including many bands who agreed to scramble their plans to help the ranch.”

Headlined by the Queen herself, The Malpass Brothers, Lonesome River Band, Larry Stephenson, Don Rigsby, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, and many more descended on Palatka, FL and performed in 40 degree weather to make sure the Fall Palatka Bluegrass Festival lived up to its reputation. While the hurricane, cold temps, and other state events kept the audience from reaching its normal massive numbers, hardcore bluegrass fans came out in droves to support the ranch, Evans Media Source, and their favorite acts. 

The seven-day turnaround by EMS shows the hard work and dedication that has helped build the company into the nation’s largest promoter of bluegrass events. 

Next week the EMS team is taking the helm of the historic Sertoma Thanksgiving Festival in Brooksville, FL. 

Find out more about the many festivals hosted by Evans Media Sources online.

The four years prior to COVID was a happy time for Kate Lee O’Connor. The talented young vocalist and fiddler was just graduating from Belmont University and planning a wedding to her soulmate, Forrest O’Connor. The two had gone from a startup acoustic duo, Wisewater, to members of The O’Connor Family Band, along with Forrest’s dad, fiddle virtuoso Mark O’Connor, and his wife, Maggie, also a very skilled violinist.

Kate became the talk of the bluegrass and Americana music world for her live and recorded performances with the band, for whom she was the primary singer. Their music videos were quite popular with a wide audience, and The O’Connor Family won the 2017 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy for Coming Home.

We had followed Kate’s career with some relish, as we first met her while she was still in high school, and she wrote a number of articles for us from the perspective of a young person already dedicated to a career in bluegrass music at such a young age. We shared her joy as she excelled in college, and covered the plans for a solo album back in 2012 and her wedding in 2017. As we all approached the year 2020, one might say that the young Mrs. O’Connor was on top of the world.

Then in June of that year, while the world was shut down, Kate’s doctor had her come off of a medication she had taken since she was a child, which led to a sever case of SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome, and a increase in obsessive behavior which the medication had been effectively controlling for years. New medications were tried, but she experienced all sorts of disturbing symptoms, including anxiety spikes, tremors, and depression which required a number of hospital stays over the ensuing two and a half years.

According to Forrest, who has launched a GoFundMe page to help he and Kate cope with the many medical expenses they have accumulated, she had worked her way back to health, and was strong enough to resume a performing schedule when she suffered another major setback in May of this year. On top of a return of the symptoms described above, she was also experiencing extreme nausea, physical illness, and sleep deprivation, and returned to hospital for several weeks.

As her condition worsened, Kate attempted suicide in September, and while she was revived, she remained unresponsive for 24 hours, during which time her physicians were quite concerned about organ damage. Much of the next two months were spent in the hospital in Nashville, requiring multiple surgeries for localized blood pressure issues. In short, she has been quite ill and faces a long and demanding recovery.

Kate O’Connor is a lovely young woman, and unusually talented. Her husband is understandably concerned about her well being, and how they will survive financially during this time. He says that they already have accumulated $200,000 in medical bills over this past two months, and are facing therapy costs of roughly $500/week going forward.

Forrest is asking that anyone who has enjoyed their music please consider making a donation through GoFundMe. Donations can be processed via any major credit card or PayPal online.

He says that with some time for recovery, they hope to see Kate back on stage performing again, and shared this video they recorded to promote a new duo project they were expecting to release with Compass Records before she became so sick. Let’s all hope to see Kate Lee O’Connor return to full strength soon, and get to hear their new music.

Get well soon, Kate!

Music has brought another couple to the altar. Banjoist of North Carolina’s Drive Time, Tyler Jackson, married fiddler/mandolinist, Tori Jones, formerly of Sweet Potato Pie, on November 6 in Boonville, NC.

The couple officially met in Nashville while attending the 2020 SPBGMA gathering.

“We didn’t really talk much until right before I went in the hospital,” Tyler, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2020, shared. “The support she showed me throughout the time had a large part in my recovery. She has been the answer to countless prayers.”

Tori pointed out, “I knew I had found a keeper.”

Their wedding included current and former band mates. Former Sweet Potato Pie pickers, Katie Springer Koerner and Madeleine Baucom Carnes, provided music as the bridal party entered. One of Tori’s music students, Izzy Yarborough, played fiddle as the bride came down the aisle. Groomsmen included Drive Time’s Bailey Coe, Austyn Howell, Austin Koerner, and former member, Grayson Tuttle. 

Tyler said, “We were so blessed to have so many friends and family there with us, both musical and otherwise. We are so thankful the Lord has brought us together, and we look forward to where this road will lead us.”

The Jacksons will make their home in Kernersville, NC. No doubt they will be making beautiful music together.

Congratulations Tyler and Tori!

Mississippi’s Breaking Grass has been announced as the first signees of the newly-formed Hog Grass Entertainment agency, launched last week in Nashville by Ben Wilson on Paul Harris of The Cleverlys.

The band is based around the singing and original music of guitarist Cody Farrar, supported by bandmates Britt Sheffield on bass, Tyler White on fiddle, Zach Wooten on mandolin, and Jody Elmore on banjo. Despite their youth, they have a 12 year history, with Mountain Fever Records recently releasing the band’s sixth album, Somewhere Beyond. Breaking Grass tours all over the US, winning over both bluegrass and non-bluegrass audiences with their contemporary look and sound, and high energy performances.

Wilson says that he and Harris have been mightily impressed seeing the band in action, and watching their chart success with recorded product.

“We feel like Breaking Grass is one of the most talented groups in bluegrass, and the music industry in general. Hog Grass Entertainment is proud to add Breaking Grass to our family. We feel like the future is as bright as it can be for our genre, and we are proud to play a small part in the future of bluegrass music.

Somewhere Beyond has gotten a good bit of attention from bluegrass radio, with one track in particular, 100 Degrees in the Shade, spending several weeks this year on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay chart.

Cody explains why they made the jump to Hog Grass.

“Since the formation of Breaking Grass, we have handled our booking internally, most recently with the help of the amazing Angie White. This summer, we met Ben Wilson and Paul Harris and realized we all had similar visions about business and the direction we could potentially take the band. We’ve been fans of The Cleverlys since our first time hearing them years ago. We’re excited about teaming up with the guys and Hog Grass Entertainment!”

While the agency does expect to add more artists at some point, they plan to focus on The Cleverlys and Breaking Grass for the near future.

To find our more about either act, contact Hog Grass Entertainment online.

Fast Track at the 2022 Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies – photo © Bill Warren

With new dates (the weekend before Thanksgiving), a new venue (WL Mills Auditorium in the Gatlinburg Convention Center), but the same quality show from its promoter (Lorraine Jordan) proved a recipe for success at the 11th annual Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies.

“We had the biggest crowd I’ve ever had. We averaged 900 people per day,” a pleased Jordan reflected at the close of the festival. “The (instrument) workshops went well. There were lots of kids on stage this weekend. Everybody seemed very happy and had a good time.”

Typical for Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies, there were plenty of surprises and special guests throughout the three-day event. On Friday, Jordan presented her newest member of Carolina Road, Wayne Morris, with a pocket watch during their set.

“You are our 23rd honorary Carolina Road member,” she explained as Jordan handed her new lead guitarist the gift. “Bill Monroe gave his band members belt buckles. I give pocket watches.”

Paul Williams, ambassador to Christmas in the Smokies and member of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, played and sang, not only on Saturday’s gospel set with Randy Graham, Josh Goforth, and the Carolina Road band. The Hall of Famer also performed a song with the Dean Osborne Band earlier in the day. Williams’ son, Richie, joined in on guitar for part of the gospel set. 

Graham praised Williams for his talents. “I’ve never been given to hero worship, but this man comes closest to it. He is a treasure.”

Williams shared sage advice during the afternoon gospel portion, “Go spread the gospel and use as few words as possible.”

Other special guests throughout the weekend included gifted vocalist, Caleb Daughtery, sitting in with the band, Harbourtown, and dobroist, Matt Leadbetter, performing two sets with Wyoming’s Prairie Wildfire. 

Both pickers and fans celebrated the freedom to assemble together again after the pandemic shutdowns. Larry Efaw brought 16 family members that included his son, Stanley, and his son-in-law, Stacy Wilcox, who also performed on stage with other bands.

There was plenty of jokes and laughter. During Efaw’s set, bassist, Mikayla Burrows, gave her fiddling husband, Adam, a hard time over his dietary choices.

“He ate 12 donuts! Why don’t you eat a salad?” she pointedly asked.

“I’d rather die happy than worry about that donut I didn’t have,” Adam retorted.

During Jordan’s portion of the show, she admired an attendee’s sparkling jacket. The lady promptly approached the stage and handed the Lady of Tradition her garment, which Jordan donned the remainder of her set. 

Following a rousing version of Bluegrass Breakdown on the mandolin, she asked the audience, “Did they keep up with Mama?”

While in the gospel show, former Carolina Road member, Josh Goforth, joked about all the different types of Baptists in the Smokies. “There are also Buzzard Baptists. They only go to church for funerals. They don’t go in, they just circle the building.”

In the banjo workshop, Ben Greene shared how we had recently lost three of “the best,” J.D. Crowe, Bill Emerson, and Sonny Osborne.

That prompted Randy Graham to tease his band mate, “How are you feeling?”

In addition to Greene’s banjo workshop, Josh Goforth held workshops on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle, Bailey Moore did one on bass, and Justus Sowell taught one on dobro.

Music flowed freely all three days with great audio from GBS Sound of Ohio, and MC work from Lorraine’s 92-year-old dad, Royce Jordan, and Highway 40 Bluegrass’ Doug Whitley.

Other great bands included Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers, the Larry Stephenson Band, Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Fast Track, and Deeper Shade of Blue. There were ten separate groups performing on Saturday alone with the Family Sowell doing an entire Christmas program for their portion.

Jordan concluded, “We are excited to come back (to Gatlinburg) next year.” Dates for the 2023 Bluegrass Christmas in the Smokies Festival are set for November 16-18. New bands to the festival in the ’23 line-up include: Authentic Unlimited, the Malpass Brothers, Little Roy & Lizzy, the Grascals, and the Kody Norris Show to name a few. For tickets, call 919-609-6740, visit the festival online, or reach out by email.

In 2023, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road will continue to serve as host band for Willow Oak Bluegrass Festival in Roxboro, NC, on Father’s Day Weekend, plus a new event, Bluegrass in the Blue Ridge, an indoor festival in the Meadowview Conference Center and Hotel in Kingsport, TN. Held on April 14-15, 2023, the festival will benefit the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass Program. Other bands performing include the Lonesome River Band, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, Deeper Shade of Blue, and others. For tickets, call 919-609-6740 or contact by email.

It’s interesting how bluegrass music often becomes a destination rather than a point of origin. Interesting, but hardly surprising, given the fact that its populist precepts find common ground with so many bands that were weaned on the likes of the Grateful Dead, Phish, and other outfits that bend boundaries while sharing instrumental acumen. One need only look to Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, Trampled By Turtles, Steep Canyon Rangers, and other groups that have attracted a sizable following while creating a sound rooted in the basics of bluegrass, and yet with appeal to an energized and enthusiastic young audience.

Sicard Hollow evolved in much the same way, and the four members readily admit that none of them — singer, guitarist Alex King; singer, mandolin player Will Herrin; fiddler, harmony vocalist Matthew Rennick; and bassist, harmony vocalist Parrish Gabriel — initiated a musical journey that began with bluegrass. These days, they owe their influences to the Dead and New Grass Revival, but before they coalesced in 2018, they were latent rockers in search of further inspiration.

Consequently, their sophomore set, Brightest of Days, comes across as an articulate, expressive, and thoroughly engrossing set of songs, one that shows allegiance to the basics of bluegrass while taking their musical intents several steps further. For example, the song Metamorphic Prophecy lives up to the celestial trappings its name implies, courtesy of an adventurous approach that pushes at the parameters. The title track further affirms that earnest, engaging sound, while also honing in on a musical mantra flush with absolute optimism. It does so by infusing hope with happenstance, making it all he more meaningful.  

The songs that follow ring with a drive and dynamic that reflects that infectious attitude. Songs such as Where I’m At, This I Know, and Face the Wreckage all convey a confidence and clarity that ring and resonate throughout. Bound To Die, a song with a title that might otherwise seem somewhat dire, maintains a soaring delivery that keeps the consistency intact.

The arrangements underscore that infectious attitude. Herrin and Resnick are generally found at the fore, while King and Gabriel provide the pace. Yet it’s that uplifting attitude that leaves the most lingering impression. “You can’t change the weather, but you can dance in the rain,” they suggest on the album’s searing send-off, Forecast of Life. Thanks to that upbeat outlook, Brightest of Days is flush with irresistible appeal.

Tarzan had Jane. Charlie Brown had Snoopy. Why, even Mork had Mindy. What did they all have? Friends played a very vital role in our lives, both as children and as adults.

At the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, held in Guthrie, OK, I had the privilege of chatting it up with Pretend Friend. You might think that’s an odd band name, but after talking with Grant Boesen (acoustic guitar, songwriter, and vocalist), the name makes perfect sense. Pretend Friend was named in relation to an earlier band with which Boesen was involved. They couldn’t come up with a name, so Pretend Friend it was, and Boesen has kept it going every sense.

Boessen brags, “I even stole my band members from other bands.” Among those stolen members are Evan Ogborn, 2021 Kansas State Mandolin Champion, Brody Wellman who plays bass, and Garrett Briggeman, banjoist.

Each of these four come from a hard rock background, but in 2017, the quartet organized as a progressive bluegrass band that is making moves across the midwest. 

From Wichita Kansas, the band doesn’t disappoint when they take center stage. Always playing barefoot, regardless of temperature, this foursome entertains with a style that shows echoes of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, and the Stanley Brothers with gallons of diesel poured on it. They create an enormous explosion of songwriting and virtuosity every time they perform. “We started playing barefoot for comfort, but then realized that it was easier to hit the pedals and ‘feel’ the music without any shoes,” stated Ogborn. 

Evan and Garrett were also semi-pro soccer players. “The band performs just as athletes do,” Briggeman said. “We practice, and we listen to one another. We are teammates, just not band members.”

The Walnut Valley Festival holds a special place in the hearts of this band. In 2019, Boessen’s song, Fear, won the Songs for a Better World category in their songwriting competition. Evan’s tune, Pickin’ In The Road, placed as an alternate in the same category. A year later, the band was crowned champions of the Battle of the Bands contest.

Recently returning from an eleven day tour, which consisted of 11 shows, six dudes, one PA system, lights and hazer, and 50+ frisbees, all in one van, Pretend Friend used their talents to charm and were welcomed home in Kansas with open arms.

A tumbleweed of fire comes to mind in describing not only the personalities, but the talents of Pretend Friend. Often posting to YouTube, the guys can be seen performing live in the shop, such as in this original titled Squirrel in the Attic, which accentuates the capabilities this budding foursome offers.

Pretend Friend leaves an audience with mouths agape and hungering for more. This comes from Boessen’s unique voice, and the skill of the instrumentalists. While they truly respect traditional bluegrass, they are not shy about pushing the limits with their progressive style and high energy performances.  

This is one friend, you will want to follow, and stay in touch with.