It seems like today's show was cut into several segments -- from birthday tributes to remembrances of country music figures. We began the show with four songs from the pen (or featuring the banjo) of the late Don Stover, who is well-known to a whole lot of folks in New England from his days working with the Lilly Brothers at the Hillbilly Ranch in Boston. There's live BG just about every Sunday afternoon at the Firebox Restaurant in Hartford, and this week, the throw-together group of great New England BGers called themselves, "The New Hampshire State Troopers Hat Band." Since I couldn't be in Hartford to see the tribute, I figured playing some Stover tunes would be the next best thing.
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| Birthday boy, Leigh Gibson, tried out a new look in 2008. |
Several performers are celebrating birthdays this week, and we heard music from a few of them, including Sammy Shelor (born 10/10/1962), Barry Berrier (born 10/10/1960), and Josh Crowe (born 10/11/1957). Another person marking a fairly significant birthday this week is the younger of the two Gibson Brothers, Leigh Gibson, who turns 40 on October 11th. The Gibsons had a pretty terrific time at IBMA last week, as they were nominated for seven IBMA Awards, and came home with two (Vocal Group of the Year and Album of the Year for "Help My Brother"). As you probably know, these two brothers are great songwriters, and Leigh's songwriting style tends to be more of the personal history-type. We showcased three of Leigh's fine songs which the Gibsons have recorded over the last fourteen years, and then, later had a request for a fourth Gibson tune featuring Leigh.
Today is also the birthday of the late John Lennon, who was born on October 9, 1940. It's no surprise that the Beatles impacted and really changed the music world in a big way. You wouldn't think that many Beatles tunes would have been given the BG treatment, but that kind of thinking would be wrong. In honor of John's birthday, we played two BG versions of Beatles tunes -- one recorded in 1966 and another in 2011.
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| Johnnie Wright...on the far right |
From time to time, we pay tribute to country music performers whose music has been covered in the BG world. One of the greats, Johnnie Wright, died on September 27th at the age of 97. While Johnnie may be best known as the husband of Kitty Wells since 1937, the music he made with his brother-in-law Jack Anglin in the 1940s and the 1950s was just plain fun. As Johnnie & Jack, the pair were members of the Grand Ole Opry, and introduced so many great songs which have been covered in the BG world for years, including "Poison Love," "Ashes Of Love," Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide," and others. Members of their Tennessee Mountain Boys band included Shot Jackson on the Dobro, as well as fiddlers Benny Martin and Paul Warren. You don't get much closer to Bluegrass music than that. Great stuff!
Jim told you a bit about IBMA on last week's show, so we made sure to continue that "theme" a little more this week, too. We played music from some of the great bands I got to hear in late-night showcases, such as Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Edgar Loudermilk, the Skip Cherryholmes Quintet, Travers Chandler & Avery County, Della Mae, and Volume Five. We also put a spotlight on a few of the IBMA award-winners. In addition to tunes from the Gibsons, there was music from Balsam Range, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dale Ann Bradley, Russell Moore (& IIIrd Tyme Out), and Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers, as well as 2011 BG Hall of Famers, George Shuffler and Del McCoury.
Gentle reminder: if you're on Facebook, take a moment to mosey on over to our "BG Cafe" Facebook page and "like" us. To get there, go to www.facebook.com/WHUS.BluegrassCafe when you can...
Hope you enjoyed something you heard somewhere along the way today, and that you'll be sure to join Jim next Sunday in the "BG Cafe."
Have a great week!
Amy
REQUESTS ARE RED.
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- I'll Be Myself Again / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
- Salt River / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots / Smithsonian Folkways
- Poor Country Boy / Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum / The Oak And The Laurel / Rounder
- Rockwood Deer Chase / Jim Mills / Bound To Ride / Sugar Hill
- Things In Life / Don Stover / The Stained Glass Hour : Bluegrass And Old Time Gospel Music / Rounder
- Trains I Missed / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
- Goin' Up Dry Branch / Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper / Fired Up / Rounder
- I'll Never Grow Tired Of You / Stanley Brothers / Selected Cuts, 1956-1959 / JSP Records
- 1952 Vincent Black Lightning / Del McCoury Band / By Request / McCoury Music
- Yellow-Backed Fly / Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers / Rare Bird Alert / Rounder
- Marianne / Paul Adkins & the Borderline Band / Modern Times / Rebel
- In The Garden By The Fountain / Rhonda Vincent with Dolly Parton / Taken / Upper Management Music
- Loser's Hand / Edgar Loudermilk / Roads Travelled / Mountain Fever Records
- Midnight Ramble / Cullen Galyean / Born Into Bluegrass : The Songs Of Cullen Galyean / Mountain Roads Recordings
- Close By / Dailey & Vincent / Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration : A Classic Bluegrass Tribute / Rounder
- North Carolina Breakdown / Sammy Shelor / Leading Roll / Sugar Hill
- Holdin' On When You've Let Go / Crowe Brothers / Brothers-n-Harmony / Rural Rhythm
- I'll Have To Make Some Changes / Barry Berrier / First Time With Feeling / Pinecastle
- Sam Smith / Gibson Brothers / Spread Your Wings / Hay Holler
- Railroad Line / Gibson Brothers / Bona Fide / Sugar Hill
- Safe Passage / Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass Records
- Help! / Charles River Valley Boys / Beatle Country / Rounder
- I Feel Fine / VW Boys / Retroactive / Mountain Roads Recordings
- Who Showed Who / Dan Tyminski / Wheels / Rounder
- She Put The Tears In My Eyes / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Day! / Self-Produced
- Poison Love / Johnnie & Jack / For Old Times Sake / Bear Family
- You Tried To Ruin My Name / Wilma Lee Cooper / O Sister! / Rounder
- What About You? / Johnnie & Jack / For Old Times Sake / Bear Family
- Three Ways Of Knowing / Allerton & Alton / Black, White & Bluegrass / Bear Family
- Beware Of It / Johnnie & Jack / For Old Times Sake / Bear Family
- If Your Heart Should Ever Roll This Way Again / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Prime Tyme / Rural Rhythm
- You Can Run / Ashlee Blankenship & Blades Of Blue / Ashlee Blankenship & Blades Of Blue / Mountain Fever Records
- There's No Place Like Home / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / The Heart Of A Song / Rebel
- Talk To Me / Gibson Brothers with Claire Lynch / Help My Brother / Compass Records
- You Are What I Am / Skip Cherryholmes Quintet /
/ no label - The Stanley Brothers / Travers Chandler & Avery County /
/ Mountain Fever Records - Bowling Green / Della Mae / I Built This Heart / Self-Produced
- You Better Wake Up / Volume Five / Children Of The Mountain / Mountain Fever Records
- Lord Lift Me Up / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / So Much In Between / Mountain Home
- My Eyes Shall Be On Canaan's Land / Terry Baucom with Doyle Lawson, Jimmy Haley & Lou Reid / In A Groove / John-Boy & Billy, Inc.
- My Lord's Been A Walkin' / Spinney Brothers / Here At The Cross / Self-Produced
- I Pressed Through The Crowd / Dale Ann Bradley / Somewhere South Of Crazy / Compass Records
- Joy Bells / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Gospel / Columbia
- Lord, Lead Me On / David Parmley & Continental Divide / Church House Hymns, Volume 2 / Self-Produced
- Sweeping Through The Gate / Johnnie & Jack with Kitty Wells / Johnnie & Jack With Kitty Wells At KWKH / Bear Family
- Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
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