Bluegrass and folk news

The history of the banjo stretches across a complex, international terrain, from West Africa and the Caribbean, to North America and around the world. On August 6, Smithsonian Folkways will release ‘Classic Banjo from Smithsonian Folkways,’ a 30-track compilation that captures the great versatility of the banjo and how it helped shape American musical identity, including the instrument’s vital role in the 1960s folk revival.

The collection offers an introduction to some of the many faces behind the music of the banjo, such as a recording of a young Pete Seeger performing a rapid-fire banjo medley as well as Doc Watson’s 1976 rendition of “Rambling Hobo,” the first banjo tune Watson, better known for his guitar playing, ever learned. Other featured performers include Elizabeth Cotten, Bill Evans, Snuffy Jenkins, Bill Keith, Dink Roberts, Roni Stoneman, Tony Trischka, and Don Vappie.

Listen to selections from ‘Classic Banjo from Smithsonian Folkways’: http://www.folkways.si.edu/radio/classic_banjo_preview/index.html

‘Classic Banjo’ was compiled by ethnomusicologist Greg Adams and archivist Jeff Place from over 300 albums in the Smithsonian Folkways collection, and is the 22nd album in Smithsonian Folkways acclaimed ‘Classic’ series. Place, archivist at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s Rinzler Archives, has produced more than 50 Smithsonian Folkways recordings, including the GRAMMY-winning ‘Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection’. Adams is also currently an archivist at Rinzler Archives and has been playing banjo and studying its history since 1994, working closely with scholars, musicians, and collectors to raise awareness of the banjo’s broader multicultural significance.

As with every compilation in the Smithsonian Folkways Classic Series, ‘Classic Banjo’ explores the breadth and depth of a genre while the liner notes offer insight into the cultural and historical contexts of each selection. During the last 10 years, Smithsonian Folkways has released Classic compilations of bluegrass, folk, blues, maritime, old-time, and mountain music, among others.

‘Classic Banjo from Smithsonian Folkways’ tracklist:
1. Fly Around My Blue-Eyed Girl / Cripple Creek / Ida Red / Old Joe Clark — Pete Seeger (2:35)
2. Banging Breakdown — Hobart Smith (1:17)
3. Johnson Boys — Frank Proffitt (1:41)
4. Peachbottom Creek — Wade Ward (1:24)
5. Coo Coo — Dink Roberts (2:10)
6. Josh Thomas's Roustabout — Mike Seeger (2:38)
7. Jaw Bone — Willie Chapman (0:52)
8. Bright Sunny South — Dock Boggs (3:36)
9. Coal Creek March — Pete Steele (1:52)
10. Mississippi Heavy Water Blues — Josh Thomas (3:37)
11. Walk Light Ladies — Rufus Crisp (1:28)
12. Buck Creek Girls — Bill Cornett (1:00)
13. Gut Bucket Blues — Don Vappie (4:15)
14. Skylark / Roaring Mary — Mick Moloney (3:24)
15. St. Anne's Reel / La Renfleuse Gorbeil — Ken Perlman (2:50)
16. Smokey Mokes — Roger Sprung (2:21)
17. Golden Bell Polka — A.L. Camp (2:25)
18. Banjoland — Tony Trischka with Bill Evans (3:00)
19. Sally Ann — Snuffy Jenkins (1:10)
20. Lonesome Road Blues — Roni Stoneman (1:12)
21. Fox Chase — Lee Sexton (0:56)
22. Hop Along Lou — John Tyree (1:08)
23. Cotton Eyed Joe — "Big Sweet" Lewis Hairston (1:23)
24. Foggy Mountain Top — Ola Belle Reed (2:29)
25. Rambling Hobo — Doc Watson (1:37)
26. Old Rattler — John Snipes (2:46)
27. Georgia Buck — Elizabeth Cotten (1:42)
28. I Wish to the Lord I'd Never Been Born — Irvin Cook (3:07)
29. Black Eye Susie — Roscoe Holcomb (1:24)
30. Bluegrass Breakdown — Bill Keith with Bill Monroe and The Blue Grass Boys (3:09)

Tags: Smithsonian FolkwaysClassic BanjoClassic SeriesBanjoCD Release

California, MD -- This year’s Bluegrass for Hospice-2013 is in full swing of planning and it’s looking to be an exciting year for the event. Headlining this year will be Larry Sparks, celebrating 50 years in Bluegrass entertainment, along with Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, a Rebel recording artist. The event will be held on Saturday October 26, 2013 at the Flat Iron Farm in Great Mills, Maryland.

Bluegrass for Hospice is a one day music festival and a family oriented event that is a fundraiser for our local Hospice House of St. Mary’s County. Last year Bluegrass for Hospice-2012 raised $23,000.00 with a $2,500.00 increase from the previous year. In its 5th year of success, this event has grown to be the largest fundraiser for our local Hospice of St. Mary’s. The event was inspired by Jay Armsworthy when his 2 Grandfathers past several years ago. The mission of Hospice is to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support to terminally ill patients and their families and bereavement care to those families and the community. Hospice of St. Mary's is a 501 (c) 3 organization.

Along with many local Bluegrass Bands, there will be, as always, money raffles, Door Prizes, Silent Auctions, and food available for sale. Non-perishable food items will also be collected for the Helping Hands Food Bank in Hollywood, MD.

If you or someone you know would be interested in being a sponsor for Bluegrass for Hospice-2013, please contact Jay Armsworthy at 301-737-3004 for further information. Flyers and tickets will be printed soon, but there’s still some time to be included. Advanced tickets are on sale now at http://www.ticketderby.com/event?id=247117&ref=1.

For further information about the “Bluegrass for Hospice-2013”, go to the website at www.BluegrassForHospice.com or call 301-737-3004.

Tags: Bluegrass for HospiceJunior Sisk & Ramlers ChoiceHospice of St. Mary'sBenefitConcert

Come support the I'll Fly Away Foundation Scholarship Program, enjoy great food in a fun atmosphere at Margaritaville Nashville, and be entertained by award winning and exciting talent! All for a great cause! The lineup includes: Grammy and Award Winning songwriters, Cordle Jackson and Salley, Sony Music Artist The Rhett Walker Band, International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Band of the Year Monroeville, Atlanta GA favorites The Deadfields, Commedian Josh Phillips, and many more new up and coming acts!

Three of Nashville's premiere songwriters, Lary Cordle, Carl Jackson and Jerry Salley, have written for names such as: Garth Brooks, Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, Patty Loveless, Alison Krauss, Diamond Rio, Gene Watson, Pam Tillis, The Osbourne Brothers, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Mel Tillis, George Jones, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Glen Campbell, Nancy Sinatra, Dolly Parton and a host of others. Now, as Cordle, Jackson and Salley, the trio offers the crowd a glimpse into their Grammy and industry award winning minds by performing and telling the behind the scenes stories of some of their greatest musical hits and original compositions.

This outspoken 25-year-old son of a preacher was born and raised around the South, his mellow yet animated voice a sure mix of Georgia and the Carolinas. In that drawl, he tells an intense wild oats story tempered by God’s grace, a testimony that fuels the deep-fried rock and deep- down worship on Rhett Walker Band’s debut, Sony/Provident/Essential Records recording, Come To The River.

Embracing a crossover sound between progressive bluegrass and acoustic country, the 2012 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Band of the Year, Monroeville, has caught the attention of music lovers on both sides of the track. Based out of the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg, TN, each member is multi-instrumental, and has been nominated for and or won awards from Dove, CCMA, IBMA, and or the GRAMMYS®. They have appeared at events such as Grey Fox, NASCAR, Rocky Grass, and devote much of their time with youth projects while on tour, appearing in front of already 12,000 kids in schools the first of 2013 alone. Their new project is slated to be released this summer.

Americana/Folk-Rock group from Atlanta, GA, The Deadfields' live show is full on, honest energy from start to finish. Whether performing to a packed house or just the lucky few that happen to discover the room, no matter, The Deadfields’ show is something you can’t forget.

The I'll Fly Away Foundation was establlished for educating young people through musical expression while preserving our musical heritage and providing scholarships for those who wish to go to school for a career in the music industry. Click here for more information.

Presented by the Sheri Clark Agency, The AcoustiCana Journal and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Nashville. For more information and updates: http://www.acousticana.us/acousticana-series-cma

Tags: CMAFly Away FoundationAcoustiCanaMargaritaville NashvilleBenefitEvent

Hiltons, VA --Saturday, June 1 st , 2013, at 7:30 p.m. the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia, will present a concert by an old time band - Wayne Henderson and Friends. Performing with Wayne will be Jeff Little, piano player extraordinaire. Concert admission is $10for adults, $1 for children 6 to 11, under age 6 free. Wayne Henderson’s top-notch finger-picking is a source of great pleasure and pride to his friends, family, and neighbors in Grayson County, Virginia. His guitar playing has also been enjoyed at Carnegie Hall, in three national tours of Masters of the Steel-String Guitar, and in seven nations in Asia. In addition to his reputation as a guitarist, Henderson is a luthier of great renown. He is a recipient of a 1995 National Heritage Award presented by the National End
owment for the Arts. He produces about twenty instruments a year, mostly guitars; he is almost as well-known for the mandolins he has made. Doc Watson owned a Henderson mandolin.

Some of Henderson's instruments are intricately decorated, but they are most respected for their volume, tone, and resonance. Blues guitarist John Cephas said that Wayne Henderson “is probably the most masterful guitar maker in this whole United States.” There is a waiting list for Henderson's guitars made up of the “famous (and not-so-famous).” He built a custom guitar for Eric Clapton. Above and beyond his great talents as a musician and instrument maker, Wayne Henderson is known as a “friend to everyone” and shares his talents and knowledge unselfishly.

Hotshot rockabilly pianist Jeff Little comes from Boone, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge, where he grew up surrounded by music. Jeff began to play piano at age five. His family owned a music store, and musicians of all persuasions dropped by to play a few tunes with the kid, which helps account for Jeff's mastery of a range of styles.

But Jeff’s critical influence was Appalachian singer and guitarist Doc Watson, a neighbor and close family friend. His uncompromising approach helped shape Jeff's approach to music. Known as a keeper of deep Appalachian traditions, Watson was a rockabilly guitarist when he began visiting Little’s Music Store in Boone to play a few tunes with his young friend. Today Jeff Little is still conversant with a range of music, but finds his greatest joy in performing two styles that were hot when he was growing up in the music store – rockabilly and traditional Appalachian music. An astounding performer in the rockabilly genre, he obviously owes some inspiration to Jerry Lee Lewis. “Oh sure, you had to know some Jerry Lee when I was coming up. His tunes would buy you a burger; you didn’t have to live on peanuts. But even back then I never did get to thinking I was Jerry Lee. I kept a lot of me in my music.”

Jeff Little’s approach to the music of his native Blue Ridge is based upon the traditional dance of the area and a regional piano style. Made famous by Al Hopkins of The Bucklebusters on 1920s Brunswik recordings, the piano style was also performed by Woodie Blevins and others. Hopkins lived at Gap Creek, between the ancestral homes of Doc’s and Jeff’s families. But there is also an echo of more contemporary mountain tradition in Jeff’s performance. His lead solos, much influenced by the flat-pick guitar tradition, are breathtaking in their speed, precision and clarity. They tell that he learned much from Doc Watson.

Rounding out Wayne’s group of friends accompanying him will be Helen White on fiddle and guitar, Greg Cornett on banjo and vocals, and Herb Key on bass. For one of the best nights of old time music you can imagine, don’t miss Wayne Henderson and Friends with Jeff Little. Be sure to bring along your dancing shoes –and your friends!

Carter Family Memorial Music Center, Incorporated, is a nonprofit, rural arts organization established to preserve traditional, acoustic, mountain music. For further information on the center, go to http://www.carterfamilyfold.org. Shows from the Carter Family Fold can be accessed on the internet at http://www.carterfoldshow.com.

Carter Music Center is part of the Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. You can visit the Crooked Road Music Trail site at http://thecrookedroad.org. Partial funding for programs at the center is provided by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. For recorded information on shows coming up at the Fold, call 276-386-6054. The Fold is on Facebook – page Carter Fold – and Twitter – Twitter @carterfoldinfo. To speak to a Fold staff member, call 276-594-0676.

Tags: Wayne HendersonJeff LittleCarter Family FoldConcertEvent

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Sunday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

Anyone who’s played even a little bit of banjo has heard repeated requests for Dueling Banjos – even when playing by themselves. The tune was initially recorded as Fuedin’ Banjos, a duet between a tenor and 5 string banjo, by author Arthur Smith and Don Reno [...]

What’s more retro than a vinyl 45? Long Road Home, the quintet formed in 2005 by Martin Gilmore (guitar) and Justin Hoffenberg (fiddle), and now additionally consisting of Pete Wernick (banjo), Jordan Ramsey (mandolin) and Andrew Bonnis on bass, has announced the release of a [...]

Despite living much of his life in Tennessee, Bill Monroe will always be inextricably linked with Kentucky, the state of his birth, whose nickname serves as the designation for the music he created. He is being remembered anew in the June issue of Kentucky Monthly, [...]

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Saturday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

Former Blue Grass Boy, Roger Smith of Milton, Indiana passed away Wednesday, May 22 at Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana. He was 86 years old. Born in Amelia, VA July 11, 1926, Roger grew up in North Carolina and started learning guitar, and later fiddle and banjo, as [...]

We caught up recently with the legendary Larry Sparks to get an update on his next album, a celebration of his 50th year performing in bluegrass music. It is expected to be released on Rebel Records in the latter part of 2013. Like 40, his previous milestone [...]

Aussie grassers Mustered Courage are using the occasion of their new CD, Powerlines, to release a music video for the opening track, Standing By Your Side. They employ a clever concept, with the band members posing as colorful street characters who accost passersby in a [...]

Nashville, TN -- Bluegrass music artists Nu-Blu kicks off The Ten Tour (#thetentour) in the Midwest this week with numerous performances in Kansas, then to Oklahoma and West Virginia before beginning their east coast leg of the tour. The Ten Tour, is just one of the ways that Nu-Blu is celebrating their 10 year anniversary, with many contests and special events planned for the coming year.

The band’s bus, Lola, as known to their fans, includes a new bus wrap thanks to Peterson Tuners. “We are thrilled to have our wonderful partners Peterson Tuners, D’Addario, QSC, and Neumann Microphones this year. We are excited about the upcoming year and everything that we have planned for our fans.” said Nu-Blu.

May – June 2013 performances include:
Tuesday, May 21 - Rodgers Ultimate House Concert Series, Condordia, KS
Thursday, May 23 - Mayberry's Restaurant, Washington, KS
Friday, May 24 - The Blair Theater, Belleville, KS
Saturday, May 25 - Ad Astra Books and Coffee House, Salina, KS
Sunday, May 26 - Americana Music Academy, Lawrence, KS
Thursday, May 30 - Tallgrass Festival, Skiatook, OK
Sat-Sun, June 1-2 - 14th Annual Bluegrass and Gospel Festival, Hamlin, WV
Friday, June 7 - Charleston Music Hall, Charleston, SC
Saturday, June 8 - The Great American Music Reunion, Robersonville, NC
Wednesday, June 12 - Brewing Station, Kitty Hawk, NC
Thursday, June 13 - Chilli Peppers OBX Tour, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Friday, June 14 - Outer Banks Jubilee, Kitty Hawk, NC
Saturday, June 15 - Rivertown Bluegrass Society, Conway, SC
Sunday, June 16 - Outer Banks Fishing Pier Music Series, Nags Head, NC
Tuesday, June 18 - The Shack, Corolla, NC
Wednesday, June 19 - Chilli Peppers OBX Tour, Kill Devil Hills, NC
Thursday, June 20 - Red Drum Tap House, Nags Head, NC
Friday, June 21 - Bluegrass @ Sugar Creek, Nags Head, NC
Saturday, June 22 - Banjo Island @ Bob Bates Bluegrass Theater, Frisco
Sunday, June 23 - MUSEP Concert, Greensboro, NC
Friday, June 28 - Mason District Park, Annandale, VA
Sat-Sun, June 29-30 - Madrid River Bluegrass Festival, Madrid, NY
Sunday, June 30 - Madrid River Bluegrass Festival

While still receiving chart success for their last album, Nail by Nail, the band is poised to announce a brand new album next week. Fans can keep up to date on Nu-Blu news including band members Daniel Routh, Carolyn, Routh, Levi Austin and Austin Koerner, by checking out their brand new website, Facebook and following them on Twitter (@nu_blu, #thetentour, #10things), and Instagram.
“Martha and Mary,” written by Becky Buller and Nancy Cardwell, is the first single release from Nail by Nail released on Pinecastle Records. The song appears at #2 on this month’s Singing News Magazine Top Song Chart for the second month in a row, climbs higher on Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine’s Top 30 Bluegrass Song Chart, and previously debuted at #8 on Bluegrass Today’s Weekly Top 20.

Nu-Blu is also proud to announce their lead vocalist and bassist, Carolyn Routh, graduated from the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Leadership Bluegrass 2013. Leadership Bluegrass is an intensive, three-day program focused on interactive learning and networking experiences that invite participants to examine the challenges and opportunities facing the bluegrass music industry, along with leadership development issues. Leadership Bluegrass 2013 was hosted at BMI, and Bone McAllester Norton PLLC in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month.

By mixing their original songs along with traditional material, and incorporating songs from other generes, Nu-Blu creates a unique and driving blend of music which has been attracting fans and new audiences across the country.

Tags: Nu-BluTen TourNail By Nail

Nashville, TN -- Home Sweet Home by Mike Scott is Now available on iTunes, Amazon and other fine digital and CD retailers. The album is also available now to radio programmers and DJ’s via. AirPlayDirect. Rural Rhythm Records is saluting the 150 th Anniversary of the Civil War (1861-1865) with an instrumental album titled Home Sweet Home, which contains 14 songs that were popular during the Civil War Era.

Mike Scott (producer & performer) has assembled an all-star group of musicians to pay tribute to the popular parlor songs, minstrel songs and marching songs from this era, which are now known as traditional standards. Joining Scott on this album are awarding winning players Adam Steffey, Rob Ickes, Bryan Sutton, Aubrey Haynie, Tim Stafford, Mike Compton, Ben Isaacs, Jeff Taylor and Scott Miller.

“I am so excited about this Civil War Era project. My own banjo heritage traces back to both of my grandfathers. Also, my great grandmother “Verdie” on my dad’s side played banjo and was born during the 1860’s Civil War period. I never had the opportunity to meet any of them, but I am proud to carry on the banjo legacy in our family”, says Mike Scott.

The songs on Home Sweet Home could be heard during the 1860’s in America’s major cities, small towns, rural areas and soldier encampments during the Civil War. The song “Ashokan Farewell”, written by Jay Ungar, and heard throughout the Ken Burns Civil War TV series was included in the collection due to its familiarity to this period in time based on the TV series popularity. 150 years later, these 13 American musical treasures can be enjoyed again on this special collection. These songs should not be lost and forgotten, but passed down to future generations as a part of America’s musical heritage.

Mike Scott says, “I dedicate this project to those who broke through the pages of our nation’s history and paved the way for a better America. I hope these tunes will touch you and give you a reminder of a period of time captivated as part of our nation’s journey to unity and freedom. May it bring you joy, put a smile on your face and put some ‘giddy-up’ in your step”!

Mike Scott is seen by millions of TV viewers each week during prime-time on RFD-TV, (72 million households), performing with Ronnie Reno & Reno Tradition on the Reno's Old-Time Music Show. He also is the host of the new music TV series Behind the Dream™ currently airing on BlueHighways TV.

Tags: Mike ScottHome Sweet HomeRural RhythmCD Release

Here is another set of Frank Baker’s images from the 2013 Spring Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival.  

This week we are going to once again remember the life and times of America’s Blue Yodeler, the Singing Brakeman, and the Father of Country Music: the late, great Jimmie Rodgers. On Sunday, May 26, Jimmie Rodgers will have been gone 80 years. Arguably the [...]

Jim Richter has announced the release of two new recordings containing a total of 40 tunes, 20 on each recording: In-Tuition Blues and In-Tuition Mandopoly. Created for two very interesting reasons we support!

A Bluegrass Junction listener—we’ll call her “Laura” (because that was her name)—emailed me recently, pointing out that there are an awful lot of bluegrass songs in which women are murdered. After much thought and reflection, I gave her this subtly nuanced answer: “Yes.” I’ve never [...]

The legendary WSM AM 650 in Nashville, home of the Grand Ole Opry since 1925, has assembled a compilation album of live performances broadcast on the station over the last few years. Live From The Archives, Vol. 1 is set for a June 25 release. [...]

A pair of bluegrass acts on opposite ends of the stardom spectrum have announced new representation this week. Dailey & Vincent can plainly be described as superstars in bluegrass music, with album sales, awards, and touring success to back it up. Sleepy Man Banjo Boys [...]