"Bluegrass Cafe" - 12/7/2014

Jim was called away from the radio this week, so I got to share three hours of the Bluegrass on Sunday's show.  During the broadcast, we talked a bit about the newly-announced Grammy nominees (only those in the "Best Bluegrass Album" category, of course), shared a little bit of Christmas music, and remembered the significance of December 7th in history, among other topics.  Hope you were able to join us!

The U.S.S. Arizona burning after the attack on Pearl Harbor -
December 7, 1941 

On a December 7th broadcast, it would be absolutely wrong if we didn't mention the surprise Japanese Imperial Navy attack that drew the United States into World War II on Sunday, December 7, 1941.  This event is not a topic that has been greatly covered in the world of Bluegrass music, but we were able to play a Bluegrass version of a morale-boosting song from World War II ("There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere"), an instrumental song from Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne titled, "7th Of December," and a bona fide, stir-'em-up patriotic number from 1942:  "Remember Pearl Harbor" from Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra.  Now, that last song IS NOT Bluegrass by any stretch, but sometimes, genre just isn't important for a few minutes, and remembering Pearl Harbor seems to be one of those times.

One of five terrific nominees in the
"Best Bluegrass Album" category for
the 2015 Grammy Awards.

The nominations for 2015 Grammy Awards were announced this week, and in the category of "Best Bluegrass Album," there are some really fine choices.  We sampled one song from each recording on Sunday's show, and will be interested to see who comes home with the Grammy Award in February 2015.  To read more about the Bluegrass nominees, click here.

One of the Grammy nominees is the recording from the Earls of Leicester -- a fine, all-star tribute band to the music of Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs & the Foggy Mountain Boys.  It's great to see that the music of Flatt & Scruggs is still inspiring a new generation or two.  This week marks a couple of significant anniversaries in the history of Lester & Earl -- the seminal "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" was first recorded by the Foggy Mountain Boys on December 11, 1949, and on December 8, 1962, Flatt & Scruggs played a show at New York's Carnegie Hall.  This was a big whoop for a Bluegrass/Country act in those days (as it would be today), and the resulting album, "Flatt & Scruggs Live At Carnegie Hall!" is an absolute classic.

We couldn't not play a couple of Christmas songs in the mix on Sunday's broadcast, either.  Those came to us this week from the Stanley Brothers, Rhonda Vincent, Bill Grant & Delia Bell, the Country Gentlemen, and the Johnson Mountain Boys.

Hope you enjoyed the show, and that you'll be sure to join me on the air next Sunday from 4-7PM.  

Have a great week!

Amy



SONG / PERFORMER / ALBUM / LABEL [Requests are RED].

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• If We Make It Through December / Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum / Winter's Grace / Signature Sounds
• Christmas Is Near / Stanley Brothers / Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Time Life
• O Christmas Tree / Rhonda Vincent / O Christmas Tree / Rounder
• My Little Silver Bells / Bill Grant & Delia Bell / O Christmas Tree / Rounder
• That Little Girl Of Mine In Carolina / Edgar Loudermilk / My Big Chance Tomorrow / Mountain Fever Records
• Margie / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / Road Into Town / Patuxent Music
• When You Are Lonely / Peter Rowan / The First Whippoorwill / Sugar Hill
• Snowflake Breakdown / Jim & Jesse / On The Radio / Rural Rhythm
• Up This Hill And Down / Larry Stephenson & Mark Newton / Live At Mr. B's / B's Records
• Remember Pearl Harbor / Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra / Remember Pearl Harbor:  Classic Songs Of World War II / RCA
• There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere / Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen / Songs Of The American Spirit / Pinecastle
• 7th Of December / Bobby Osborne & Jesse McReynolds / Masters Of The Mandolin / Pinecastle
• The Hard Times / Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press / Try A Little Kindness / Rounder [Bobby Osborne birthday - 12/7/1931]
• Walk Through This World With Me / Seldom Scene / Long Time...Seldom Scene / Smithsonian Folkways
• Walking In The Early Morning Dew / Bill Harrell & the Virginians / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
• Try A Little Kindness / Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press / Rounder
• Christmas Time Back Home / Country Gentlemen / Christmas Time Back Home / Rebel
• Reuben / Marteka & William / The Sounds Of A Tradition / Self-Produced
• Kisses Don't Lie / Lynn Morris Band / The Lynn Morris Band / Rounder
• Frozen In Time / Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass Records
• Your Love Is Dying / Lost & Found / Across The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rebel
• The Pain Of Loving You / Mark Newton with Gloria Belle / Follow Me Back To The Fold / Rebel
• Leavin' You And Mobile, Too / Lost & Found / Across The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rebel
• Memories Of Mother And Dad / James King & David Davis / Plum Pitiful / Time Life 
• Darling Little Joe / Don Reno & Bill Harrell / Plum Pitiful / Time Life
• Busy City / Rhonda Vincent / Only Me / Upper Management Music
• Betrayal / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Cold Spell / Compass Records
• Cricket On The Hearth / Bryan Sutton / Into My Own / Sugar Hill
• Dig A Hole In The Meadow / The Earls Of Leicester / The Earls Of Leicester / Rounder
• Wheel Hoss / Noam Pikelny / Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe / Compass Records
• Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury [recorded 12/11/1949]
• Oh! Susanna / Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick / Laurie & Kathy Sing The Songs Of Vern & Ray / Spruce & Maple Music
• Saro Jane / Roland White Band / Straight-Ahead Bluegrass / Self-Produced
• Monday Blues / Balsam Range / Five / Mountain Home
• Don't Think About It Too Long / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Trouble Follows Me / Rebel
• She Doesn't Mourn Anymore / Spinney Brothers / Tried & True / Mountain Fever Records
• How Long Have I Been Waiting / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / The Original Band / Sugar Hill
• Salty Dog Blues / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall:  The Complete Concert / Koch Records [recorded 12/8/1962]
• Let The Church Roll On / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall:  The Complete Concert / Koch Records
• Talk It All Over With Him / Bluegrass Album Band / The Bluegrass Album, Volume 4 / Rounder
• The Friendly Beasts / Johnson Mountain Boys / O Christmas Tree / Rounder
• Get Behind Me Satan / Bear Bridge Band / A Bear Bridge Sampler / Open Road
• I'm Rollin' Through This Unfriendly World / Nashville Bluegrass Band / The Boys Are Back In Town / Sugar Hill
• Lord Build Me A Cabin In Glory / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1957-1958 / JSP Records
• You'll Be Rewarded Over There / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boyd / One Morning In May / Rounder
• I Am The Road / Hot Rize / When I'm Free / Ten In Hand Records
• He Will Set Your Field On Fire / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall:  The Complete Concert / Koch Records
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder