Today's Bluegrass Cafe got a late start (beginning at 4:58PM), as we had to wait for the conclusion of a rain-delayed baseball game that was supposed to finish at 2PM. We tried to make the most of the time that was left, though -- hope you agree. Our unofficial "Star of the Day" was the late Don Reno, who would have celebrated his 86th birthday on February 21st. Not only was Reno an incredibly innovative banjo picker who made some top-notch records with partner Red Smiley (and later, Bill Harrell), but he also is credited with writing more than 450 songs. A lot of these songs have become Bluegrass standards, and I suppose it would have been quite easy to fill up the whole show with the music performed and/or written by Don Reno, but we limited ourselves to eight selections over the course of the show. Don Reno isn't the only Bluegrass/banjo legend who celebrates a birthday in February. The one and only Ralph Stanley turns 86 years old on February 25th, so we couldn't get through the show without playing a couple of Ralph Stanley-penned songs -- one instrumental and two vocals.
As always, new music made up a large portion of our playlist -- some of it was very new. The group called Volume Five has a brand new CD on Mountain Fever Records called "Run," and we picked out two of the songs from that fine collection. Also from Mountain Fever was a song from a forthcoming recording by The Expedition Show called, "Stormy Horizons." The most unique debut recording this week came from a new band called The Rosenthals, which features former Seldom Scene singer/guitar player, Phil Rosenthal on guitar and banjo, and his son, Daniel, on trumpet. It's a very different combination, for sure, but it seems to work nicely. The band made its "debut" last weekend on the Showcase Stage at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, and their new recording is called, "Fly Away." Other newer music on Sunday's show came from Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show, Flatt Lonesome, Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson, Connecticut's Grass Routes, the Spinney Brothers, Nightflyer, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, and Ronnie Bowman (from the Rural Rhythm Civil War-themed collection, "God Didn't Choose Sides"). |
| Phil & Daniel Rosenthal on the Joe Val Showcase Stage - 2/16/2013 |
Hope you'll be able to join Jim on the radio next Sunday afternoon from 4-7PM, and don't forget to listen to James & Cathy Ward's "Bluegrass Rules" on Thursdays now: 7-8PM.
Have a fine week -
Amy O.
SONGS WRITTEN OR CO-WRITTEN BY DON RENO IN RED
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- I Know You're Married But I Love You Still / Reno & Smiley / Good Old Country Ballads / King
- Maybe You Will Change Your Mind / Johnson Mountain Boys / Let The Whole World Talk / Rounder
- Tennessee Cut-Up Breakdown / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
- Another Night / McCoury Brothers / The McCoury Brothers / Rounder
- Julie / Volume Five / Run / Mountain Fever Records
- Stormy Horizons / The Expedition Show / forthcoming CD / Mountain Fever Records
- You'll Get No More Of Me / Flatt Lonesome / Flatt Lonesome / Pisgah Ridge
- Pretty Polly / The Rosenthals / Fly Away / American Melody
- Rambler / Volume Five / Run / Mountain Fever Records
- Another Night / Alan Bibey & Wayne Benson with Russell Moore / The Mandolin Chronicles / Pinecastle
- You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / Road Into Town / Patuxent Music
- Ground Speed / Kenny Ingram / Foggy Mountain Special / Rounder
- I Don't Want Another You / Grass Routes / Bailey's Deal / Self-Produced
- Looking For A Smile In A Heartache / Gibson Brothers / Long Forgotten Dream / Hay Holler
- Helen / Eddie & Martha Adcock with Tom Gray / Many A Mile / Patuxent Music
- Dickenson County Breakdown / Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys / Can't You Hear The Mountains Calling / Rounder
- Lonesome Without You / Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
- I Worship You / Stanley Brothers / 20th Century Masters / Mercury
- Rebels Ye Rest / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
- Walkin' The Country / Nightflyer / Nightflyer / Kang Records
- The Lady In Gray / Ronnie Bowman / God Didn't Choose Sides / Rural Rhythm
- My Florida Sunshine / Claire Lynch / Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration / Rounder
- Another Lonely Day / Lou Reid & Carolina / Callin' Me Back Home / KMA Records
- The Hills Of Tennessee / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / It's Gonna Be A Beautiful Day! / Raincoe
- Drifting And Dreaming / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-Produced
- Dixie Breakdown / Fred Pike, Bill Rawlings & the Twin River Boys / Authentic Bluegrass Folk Music / Osage
- Since I've Used My Bible For A Roadmap / Reno & Smiley / Early Years, 1951-1959
- Mother's Bible / Warrior River Boys / New Beginnings / Rounder
- Brighter Mansion / Longview / Longview / Rounder
- Lord Lift Me Up / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / So Much In Between / Mountain Home
- Oh Ye Must Be Born Again / Dailey & Vincent / Brothers From Different Mothers / Rounder
- So Happy I'll Be / Bluegrass Album Band / The Bluegrass Compact Disc, Volume 2 / Rounder
- Wings Of Angels / Stanley Brothers / Southern Gospel & Bluegrass / Gusto
- Open Up The Window, Noah / Seldom Scene / Scene 20 / Sugar Hill
- Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
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