Sunday's show started with so much promise. It even began ten minutes before 4PM, as the UCONN Baseball game ended earlier than expected. Then, I happened to look at the flashing, non-operational telephone system at WHUS, and it became pretty clear that there likely wasn't going to be a 5:30PM phone visit with Eric Gibson. Alas. Broadcasting can be totally unpredictable, for sure -- my apologies to anyone who tuned in expressly to hear Eric talk about the Gibson Brothers' newly-released -- and very successful -- "They Called It Music." We'll find another week to talk to Eric sometime in the not-too-distant future, but for today, the best we could do is play four songs from the new project (and a couple of older ones, too, for good measure). Be sure to make plans to see the Gibsons when they play a show on April 27th at the Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk, CT. It'll be a great show, no doubt.It's no secret that Merle Haggard -- "The Poet Of The Common Man" -- is a big favorite of a whole lot of Bluegrass singers. Haggard tunes have been covered numerous times over the years; Merle Haggard even made his own "Bluegrass" record a couple of years ago called, "The Bluegrass Sessions." [The YouTube clip below shows the Hag recording his own song, "Holding Things Together," with some BG instrumentation, and pretty top-notch "sidemen"]. On April 6th, Merle Haggard celebrated his 76th birthday, and it seemed very appropriate to take just a couple of his songs and play them on the ol' radio. We even included a decidedly NOT-Bluegrass recording of one of the Hag's most "in-your-face" tunes, "The Fightin' Side Of Me." Even though we could have played lots of different performers doing covers, we limited ourselves today to Haggard songs performed by the Spinney Brothers, the Lonesome River Band, and the Gibson Brothers.
In addition to newer music from the Gibson Brothers, we heard from a few more recordings that have either been recently released (within the past year), or will soon be released within the next month or so. This music came to us from Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, the Steel Drivers, the Kathy Kallick Band, Loafers' Glory, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Shannon & Heather Slaughter & County Clare, Hammertowne, the Spinney Brothers, the Expedition Show, the Boxcars, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, and Nu-Blu. There were a few selections from New England (and New York) performers, too, including songs from Smokey Greene, the Pike Family & the Pine Hill Ranchers, Dawn Kenney, and the Bear Bridge Band.If you tuned in to the show, you probably heard me mention more than once that our fundraising campaign known as Radiothon begins at WHUS on Saturday, April 13th. That means that for the next two Sundays, you'll hear Jim and I -- along with James Ward and his mom, Cathy Ward -- talking about why you might consider making a donation to WHUS in support of Bluegrass programming. As always, we'll have a bunch of dandy CD offerings as "thank you gifts." We'll print a more extensive list of these titles later on in the week, but suffice it to say, there's A LOT of good music to be had! Big thanks to Compass Records, Mountain Fever Records, Mountain Home, Patuxent Music, and Rebel Records for allowing us to offer such wonderful choices to folks who decide to make a pledge!
Thanks again for listening to today's mixed-up show, and we hope you'll join us in the BG Cafe next Sunday starting at 4PM...
Have a great week -
Amy
Highlighted recordings will be available as premiums during Radiothon -- April 13th & April 20th.
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- Home Run Man / Parmley & McCoury / Families Of Tradition / BGC Records
- Taxes / Smokey Green / The Friendly Voice Of Smokey Greene / Pinecastle
- I'm A Man Of Constant Sorrow / Stanley Brothers / The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothes / Columbia
- My Little Georgia Rose / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1950-1958 / JSP Records
- Chilly Winds / Johnny Williams / Close Kin / Mountain Roads Recordings
- The Story Of The Day That I Died / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / The Story Of The Day That I Died / Rebel
- Eatin' Out Of Your Hand / Bill Harrell / 20 Bluegrass Greats / Gusto
- Polka On A Banjo / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / 16 Greatest Hits / Columbia
- Love Reunited / Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen / At Edwards Barn / Sugar Hill
- Just To Ease My Worried Mind / Loafers' Glory / Loafers' Glory / Arhoolie
- Blue Grass Chopper / The Hillmen / The Hillmen / Sugar Hill
- The Fightin' Side Of Me / Merle Haggard / The Original Outlaw / Time Life
- Silver Wings / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
- Red Bandana / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
- Kentucky Gambler / Gibson Brothers / Spread Your Wings / Hay Holler
- I'll Work It Out / Gibson Brothers / They Called It Music / Compass Records
- Holdin' On When You've Let Go / Crowe Brothers / Brothers 'n Harmony / Rural Rhythm
- Wrong Road Again / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
- Uphill Climb / Chris Jones & the Night Drivers / Lost Souls & Free Spirits / Rebel
- They Called It Music / Gibson Brothers / They Called It Music / Compass Records
- Shallow Grave / The Steel Drivers / Hammer Down / Rounder
- Thinkin' Of Home / Kathy Kallick Band / Time / Live Oak Records
- Montana Cowboy / Hot Rize / Traditional Ties / Sugar Hill
- How Many Times / Vern & Ray with Herb Pedersen / San Francisco, 1968 / Arhoolie
- Something Comin' To Me / Gibson Brothers / They Called It Music / Compass Records
- Singing As We Rise / Gibson Brothers with Ricky Skaggs / Help My Brother / Compass Records
- Slowly (I'm Falling) / Marty Raybon & Full Circle / The Back Forty / Rural Rhythm
- When Scruggs Made Me A Star / Shannon & Heather Slaughter & County Clare / One More Road / Self-Produced
- Cherokee Maiden / Hammertowne / Hammertowne / Mountain Fever Records
- Grandpa's Way Of Life / Spinney Brothers / No Borders / Mountain Fever Records
- To Warm And Comfort You / Pike Family & the Pine Hill Ranchers / To Warm And Comfort You / Rebel
- White Freight Liner Blues / Nightflyer / Nightflyer / Kang Records
- Stormy Horizons / The Expedition Show / forthcoming CD / Mountain Fever Records
- One Step Ahead Of The Rain / Dawn Kenney / Sing Me Home / Self-Produced
- Jeffrey's Hell / The Boxcars / All In / Mountain Home
- I'm Blue / Flatt Lonesome / Flatt Lonesome / Pisgah Ridge
- I Been Walkin' / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / Road Into Town / Patuxent Music
- Home On The River / Gibson Brothers / They Called It Music / Compass Records
- Martha And Mary / Nu-Blu / Nail By Nail / Pinecastle
- I'm A Stranger / Johnson Mountain Boys / We'll Still Sing On / Rounder
- Lord Have Mercy (On My Soul) / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm
- Get Behind Me Satan / Bear Bridge Band / A Bluegrass Sampler / Open Road
- It's Just Like Heaven / Country Gentlemen / The Sugar Hill Years / Sugar Hill
- Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning / Hot Rize / Traditional Ties / Sugar Hill
- Lord, Lift Me Up / Bluegrass Patriots / E Pluribus Bluegrass / Red Feather
- Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
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