"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 5/27/2007

It seemed, at least to me, that Sunday's show went by in a whirlwind. Our special feature around the 5PM timeframe was a brief conversation with one of the busiest people in Bluegrass music, Rhonda Vincent. Rhonda & the Rage will be appearing this coming Friday, June 1st at the Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival in Preston, CT. For more info on Strawberry Park, click here.

Sunday's show also featured a musical tribute to yet another notable member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Hank Snow. Hank would have celebrated his birthday on May 9th, so it seemed fitting to put together a few of his terrific tunes that have been covered by some Bluegrass performers over the years. As with many of those great country singers of the 1940s and 1950s, the Hank Snow Songbook has been mined by Bluegrass folks many times, perhaps most notably by Charlie Waller when he'd perform his medley of Hank tunes at just about every show. Great stuff. Other features included a couple of new tunes from Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Paul Williams & the Victory Trio, and a Bluegrass gospel group called the Soul Pickers, as well as a trio of appropriate tunes in honor of Memorial Day.

If you're heading to Strawberry Park, tune us in on your way home next Sunday. While Jim will be at Strawberry Park doing some MC work, I'll be minding the radio show. As we mark the 25th year of Bluegrass broadcasting at WHUS, Jim and I will each have several CDs to give away over the next few weeks. Tune us in when you can.....

Have a good week -
Amy

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Little Mountain Road / Crowe & McLaughlin / Going Back / Rounder
• Don't Know Why / Cliff Waldron / Seasons Past / Rebel
• Hot Night In August / Gary Ferguson / I'm Really Leaving / Webco
• Pain In My Heart / Flatt & Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury
• Baby Girl / Stanley Brothers / Best Of The Stanley Brothers / Mercury
• I Heard The Bluebirds Sing / White Mountain Bluegrass / January Weekend / R Own
• Til The Day I Die / Vern Williams Band / Bluegrass From The Gold Country / Rounder
• Sawing On The Strings / Alison Krauss / A Hundred Miles Or More / Rounder
• Diamond Joe / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys / Bluegrass Mountain Style / Rounder
• Here Rattler Here / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio, 1952-1953 / Rounder
• Carolina Road / Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road / Carolina Road / Blue Circle
• If Lonely Was The Wind / Lynn Morris Band / Lynn Morris Band / Rounder
• Won't You Think Of Me / Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass / The Tradition Continues / Brandywine
• Coat Of Many Colors / Dolly Parton / Live And Well / Sugar Hill
• Sam Smith / Gibson Brothers / Red Letter Day / Sugar Hill
• Mend This Heart Of Mine / Johnson Mountain Boys / The Walls Of Time / Rounder
• One Teardrop And One Step Away / Reno & Smiley / Sweethearts In Heaven / Bear Family
• Leavin' You And Mobile Too / Lost & Found / Across The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rebel
• Maybe You Will Change Your Mind / Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road / Carolina Road / Blue Circle
• One Step Ahead Of The Blues / Rhonda Vincent / Ragin' Live / Rounder
• Midnight Angel / Rhonda Vincent with Bobby Osborne / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Wishing Well Blues / Rhonda Vincent / A Dream Come True / Rebel
• Is The Grass Any Bluer / Rhonda Vincent / The Storm Still Rages / Rounder
• Just For Old Times Sake / Rhonda Vincent with Jim Ed Brown / A Dream Come True / Rebel
• There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere / Osborne Brothers / Hyden / Pinecastle
• A Purple Heart / Curly Seckler / Bluegrass, Don't You Know / Copper Creek
• God Bless The Soldier / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts / Special Consensus / The Trail Of Aching Hearts / Pinecastle
• The Goldrush Is Over / Warrior River Boys / Sounds Like Home / Rounder
• Ben Dewberry's Final Run / Hank Snow / The Goldrush Is Over / Bear Family
• The Golden Rocket / David Peterson & 1946 / In The Mountaintops To Roam / Self-Produced
• Saturday Night At The Opry / Country Gentlemen / Bluegrass: The World's Greatest Show / Sugar Hill
• One More Ride / Bear Bridge Band / One More Ride / Open Road
• I'm Movin' On / Hank Snow / The Goldrush Is Over / Bear Family
• What A Ways We've Come / Gibson Brothers / Red Letter Day / Sugar Hill
• Let Me Love You One More Time / Infamous Stringdusters / Infamous Stringdusters / Sugar Hill
• Long List Of Heartaches / The Grascals / Long List Of Heartaches / Rounder
• Blame It On The Pain / Pine Mountain Railroad / Alone With Forever / SteelTown Records
• I Can't Sit Down / Steep Canyon Rangers / One Dime At A Time / Rebel
• I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys / True Bluegrass / Rounder
• When I Wake Up (To Sleep No More) / Soul Pickers / Beautiful River Of Life / Blue Circle
• I Want To Live Like Christ My Savior / Johnson Mountain Boys / The Walls Of Time / Rounder
• Heaven / Bill Yates & Friends / Country Gentlemen Tribute / MasterShield
• Where No One Stands Alone / Paul Williams & the Victory Trio / Where No One Stands Alone / Rebel
• The Gloryland Way / David Parmley & Continental Divide / Church House Hymns / Self-Produced
• God Moves In A Windstorm / Blue Highway / True Bluegrass Gospel / Rebel
• I'm Travelling On And On / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Classic Bluegrass Recordings, Volume 1 / County
• Blue Grass Twist / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist 5/20/2007

Hi Folks.

We got back to "normal" at the Cafe after the big Mother's Day show last week, and spiced it up with some classic and perhaps obscure recordings mixed in with the new.

We observed the 80th anniversary of Lindbergh's great flight by playing a song written by Joe Ross about the event, and I pointed out the connection to Connecticut (the developers of the engine for the Spirit of St. Louis were the same folks who founded Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.)

We also threw in some songs from Buzz Busby, Charlie Moore, and Dave Evans to curl your hair; and then some songs from Jim Eanes, Jimmy Gaudreau, and Bill Clifton to mellow you out.

As usual, we brought some new music such as a cut from the new Grasstowne CD, and a cut from the new Steve Gulley CD.

Hope you enjoyed.

Amy will be with you next Sunday.

Jim & Marti

• Wild Turkey / Gillis Brothers / Down By The River / Hay Holler
• Rita Mae / Dale Ann Bradley / Catch Tomorrow / Compass
• Julia Belle / Janet Beazley / 5 South / Backcountry
• Let The Big Dog Eat / Jim VanCleve / No Apologies / Rural Rhythm
• Waves On The Sea / Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• The Spirit Of St. Louis / Joe Ross / The Spirit Of St. Louis / Zephyr
• Wish I Could Say I Was Drinking / Cadillac Sky / Blind Man Walking / Skaggs Family
• Moonshiner / Peter Rowan / The Walls Of Time / Sugar Hill
• I'm Leaving Detroit / IIIrd Tyme Out / Puttin' New Roots Down / Rebel
• When John Henry Was A Little Boy / Charlie Moore / The Vetco Sessions / Vetco
• Your Old Standby / Jim Eanes / Your Old Standby / Starday
• Devil's Road / Grasstowne / The Road Headin' Home / Pinecastle
• Philadelphia Lawyer / J. D. Crowe / Bluegrass Holiday / Rebel
• Streets Of Chicago / Tommy Brown & the County Line Grass / Hard Drivin' / Lavenir
• Nowhere, Caroline / Pine Mountain Railroad / Alone With Forever / SteelTown
• Cowboys And Indians / Bill Emerson / Home Of The Red Fox / Rebel
• I'm Walking The Dog / Jack Cooke / Sittin' On Top Of The World / Pinecastle
• Two Coats / Blue Highway / Lonesome Pine / Rebel
• If I Lose/Kitten And The Cat / Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys / Live At The Smithsonian / King
• Bye Bye Blues / Justin Carbone / Take Some Time / Pinecastle
• There's More Pretty Girls Than One / Don Reno & Red Smiley / On The Air / Copper Creek
• I've Lived A Lot In My Time / Dry Branch Fire Squad / 30th Anniversary / Rounder
• Bluegrass, Don't You Know / Curly Seckler / Bluegrass, Don't You Know / Copper Creek
• Whose Red Wagon / Buzz Busby / Goining Home / Starday
• Carter Family Medley / George Shuffler / James Alan Shelton / The Legacy Continues / Copper Creek
• The Old Home Place / The Dillards / There Is A Time / Vanguard
• The Old Coal Mine / Larry Sparks / The Last Suit You Wear / McCoury
• Sugar Coated Love / Mark Newton / Living A Dream / Rebel
• Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts / Special Consensus / Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts / Pinecastle
• Road To Columbus / Patrick McAvinue / Grave Run / Patuxent Music
• Fireball Mail / The New Coon Creek Girls / The L & N Don't Stop Here Anymore / Pinecastle
• Sadie's Got Her New Dress On / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / More Behind The Picture Than The Wall / Rounder
• Livin' It Down / Steve Gulley / Prime Cuts Of Bluegrass, Volume 86 / KBC
• Charlotte Breakdown / The Reno Brothers / Drawing From The Well / Webco
• Gold Watch And Change / Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers / 24 Bluegrass Favorites / Rural Rhythm
• Whitehouse Blues / Dave Evans & Riverbend / The Vetco Sessions / Vetco
• Down The Road / The Sauceman Brothers / On WCYB Bristol / Rounder
• The Lonesome River / Ralph Stanley II & John Rigsby / Clinch Mountain Echoes / Copper Creek
• Stone Coal / Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys / Southern Flavor / MCA
• Rollin' On / The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / The Prestige / Folklore Years volume five / Prestige / Folklore
• Sophronie / Blaylock, Cleveland, Crowe, Williams, etc / A Tribute To Jimmy Martin / Koch
• Coal Tattoo / Southern Rail / Coal Tattoo / Railway Records
• Late Night Cry of the Whippoorwill / Virginia Squires / The Best of the Virginia Squires / Rebel
• The Legend Of The Rebel Soldier / Charlie Moore & The Dixie Partners / The Fiddler / Old Homestead
• Blue Violet Waltz / Michael Cleveland / Flame Keeper / Rounder
• The Wreck Of The Number Nine / The Stoneman Family / 28 Big Ones / King
• Blue Yodel No. 3 / David Peterson & 1946 / David Peterson & 1946 / Self
• Me And The Jukebox / Buzz Busby and Leon Morris / Honkytonk Bluegrass / World Records
• Sourwood Mountain / Daniel Grindstaff / April's Fool / Self
• You Don't Love God If You Don't Love Your Neighbor / Carl Story Quartet / 1951-1952 XERA Live Transcriptions Vol. II / Old Homestead
• When The Trumpet Sounds / The Mark Newton Band / Hillbilly Hemingway / Rebel
• Voice Of My Saviour / Tommy Brown & the County Line Grass / Mountain Bluegrass / Hay Holler
• When They Ring Those Golden Bells / Jim Eanes / In His Arms / Rebel
• Church In The Wildwood / Bill Clifton & Jimmy Gaudreau / River Of Memories / Elf Records
• Home In The Rock / Charlie Moore and Bill Napier / Country Hymnal / King
• Are You Lost In Sin / Jim & Jesse / As Good As It Gets / Disky
• Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb / Lowell Blanchard / Best Of Bluegrass Preachin' Prayin' and Singin' / Mercury
• Ohoopee / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist for Mother's Day - 5/13/07

Marti and I scoured our collection and came up with a whole show of Mother's Day songs to fit the occasion. The only down side was the fact that so many of the songs were about deceased mothers, but we did find a few upbeat or funny mother songs to include. We hope we didn't depress you too much, and we hope you enjoyed some of the rarer songs we pulled out of our hat.

We managed to fit a couple of non-mother songs into the show, including a new one from the not-yet-released new album from the "new" group, Grasstowne. You may recall Grasstowne as the group assembled by Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley, Phil Leadbetter, Jason Davis, and Lee Sawyer around the end of 2006 (Jamey Booher has since replaced Lee). This group has taken off like a rocket and has already recorded a new album. Although the CD release date is August 7, you can get it from their web site or at one of their concerts. WHUS listeners again got to hear an exclusive.

Marti and I will be back next week. Tune in at 91.7 FM in Southern New England or on the web at whus.org!

Jim

• Shake My Mother's Hand For Me / Charlie Monroe / Sacred Songs / Old Homestead
• Thank God For Mama / The Lonesome River Band / One Step Forward / Sugar Hill
• Mother's Last Years / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler
• Mama Blues / Flatt & Scruggs / Flatt & Scruggs at Carnegie Hall! / Koch
• Shake My Mother's Hand For Me / The Bluegrass Band / Shine Hallelujah Shine / Hay Holler
• Mother Prays Loud In Her Sleep / Flatt & Scruggs / Blazing Bluegrass / Proper
• A Mothers Hand / Frank Solivan II / I Am A Rambler / Self
• A Mothers Love / Phoenix / A Place Called Home / Virginia Arts
• Don't Make Me Go To Bed And I'll Be Good / David Peterson & 1946 / David Peterson & 1946 / Self
• Pistol Packin' Mama / The Good Old Boys / Pistol Packin' Mama / GDM, Inc.
• Mother's Footsteps Guide Me On / Stanley Brothers / On Radio / Rebel
• We'd Always Ask Mama To Pray / Ralph Stanley & Joe Isaacs / A Gospel Gathering / Freeland
• No Mother or Dad / Lily Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio 1952-1953 / Mountain Home
• Callin' Your Name / Lou Reid / When It Rains / Sugar Hill
• Mama's Faded Bible / Jimmie Williams
• Mom's Old Picture Book / Lou Reid / When It Rains / Sugar Hill
• Mother Of A Miner's Child / Country Gentlemen / Souvenirs / Rebel
• Bouquet In Heaven / J. D. Crowe / Blackjack / Rebel
• Grandma's Gift / Dale Ann Bradley / Catch Tomorrow / Compass
• Pretty Wreath For Mother's Grave / The Reno Brothers / Drawing From The Well / Webco
• We Don't Care What Mama Allow / Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass / The World's Greatest Bluegrass Bands / CMH
• Mama Likes Bluegrass Music / The Frosty Mountain Boys (with Raymond Fairchild) / The Best of Mountain Bluegrass / Rural Rhythm
• Wandering Boy / The Isaacs / Bridges / Horizon
• When Mother Played The Organ / Lee Moore / 20 Early Favorites / Rural Rhythm
• Mama's Hand / Lynn Morris / O Sister! / Rounder
• Dream of a Miner's Child / Phyllis Boyens & Hazel Dickens with the Dreadful Snakes / Songs Of The Stanley Brothers / EasyDisc
• Mother Is Gone / White House / White House / Pinecastle
• Vision of Mother / Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys / Songs Of The Stanley Brothers / EasyDisc
• The Master's Bouquet / The Stanley Brothers / Sacred Songs From The Hills / Starday
• My Mother's Bible / The Warrior River Boys / New Beginnings / Rounder
• I Heard My Mother Weeping / Charlie Moore & The Dixie Partners / The Fiddler / Old Homestead
• Don't Tell Mama / The Grascals / Long List of Heartaches / Rounder
• Mama's Opry / Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Iris DeMent / Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol. III / Capitol
• Black Diamond (bed for the calendar) / Don Stover / Things In Life / Rounder
• The Sweetest Gift, A Mother's Smile / Snuffy Jenkins / Pioneer of the Bluegrass Banjo / Arhoolie
• Sunbonnet Mother / Don Stover / Things In Life / Rounder
• Mother's Voice Is In The Wind / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• Mother Knows Best / Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass / No Vacancy / Brandywine
• Dixie Flyer / Grasstowne / Grasstowne / Pinecastle
• Grandma's Feather Bed / Jerusalem Ridge & Leroy Mack / Together / Self
• Oh Mama Please Don't Cry / The McPeak Brothers / Acoustic Masterpiece / Major Bluegrass
• Momma Loved The Dogwood / Mitch Harrell / Shoes Too Big To Fill / So Long
• A Mother's Last Words To Her Daughter / Dry Branch Fire Squad / Just For The Record / Rounder
• Gonna Shake Hands With Mother Over There / Crowe Brothers / The Gospel Way / Copper Creek
• Mother's Not Dead / The Stanley Brothers / Volume 3, Number 4 / Copper Creek
• I Saw Mother With God Last Night / Flatt & Scruggs / Essential Gospel Masters / Columbia
• I Heard My Mother Call My Name In Prayer / The Abrams Brothers / Carrying On / MasterShield
• Ohoopee / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler
  

Looking for your response....

Folks -

As you may have heard Jim or Marti or I mention on the air from time-to-time, 2007 marks 25 years of BG broadcasting at WHUS. We've been trying to think of some ways to celebrate this occasion, and in typical BG fashion (no pun intended), we've decided a t-shirt might fit the bill nicely. Now, we have no t-shirts available YET, but we hope to have them sometime this summer. At this point, we're just wondering how many (if any) of you would be interested in owning such an item. The shirt we've envisioned will have a design of some sort on the front, and on the back, will list the names of those who've been behind the mic during those 25 years, both from "The Magic Of Bluegrass" and the "Bluegrass Cafe."

At this point, we're not looking for money or taking orders for shirts. We just would like to know if you'd be interested in purchasing such an item when it becomes available. If you are, please call the show next week (Sunday, 4-7PM, ET), or drop us an email (bgcafe@gmail.com) to let us know you're interested. We'll be in touch as soon as the shirts are available.

Thanks for your interest, and thanks for supporting the show all these years.....

Amy

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 5/6/2007

When I was an intern at a local country station many, many years ago, the DJ I "shadowed" often would say -- sometimes jokingly -- that in radio, there was "never a dull moment." In the waning seconds of yesterday's BG Cafe, we experienced a moment that definitely wasn't dull, and had the potential of being downright inconvenient. I keep track of my playlist by using a simple Excel worksheet that I save on a thumb drive. Moments before the last gospel song ended yesterday, the computer on which the playlist was residing DIED. By that, I mean, there was no power source, no signal, no Internet, nothing. Quite fun. Our mentee, Maiga, was back for week #2 of her training, so it was good she got to see what kinds of "excitement" can really occur in radio. Fortunately, our long-time WHUS Training Director (and newly-elected Program Director) stopped by the station a few minutes after the computer died and was able to get it going again. My playlist only "lost" the gospel set, so the list that follows here is not in perfect order towards the end. Requests are noted in red. Maiga, by the way, did a very fine job on the air once again, and is set to host (or co-host) her own show beginning later on this week.

Jim & Marti join you in the Cafe for the next couple of Sundays. I'll be with you again on Memorial Day weekend.

Have a lovely May!

Amy

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Timber I'm Falling / White Mountain Bluegrass / January Weekend / R Own
• My Cabin In Caroline / Flatt & Scruggs / Complete Mercury Sessions / Mercury
• Send Me Your Address In Heaven / Red Allen / Lonesome And Blue / Rebel
• Cold Sheets Of Rain / Virginia Squires / The Best Of The Virginia Squires / Rebel
• You Didn't Say Goodbye / Bill Emerson & Cliff Waldron / The Best Of Emerson & Waldron / Rebel
• J's Tune / J.D. Crowe & the New South / Come On Down To My World / Rounder
• Don't Let Your Wounded Heart Come Between Us / Randy Kohrs with Rhonda Vincent / Old Photograph/ Rural Rhythm
• Lovesick And Sorrow / Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass / Heritage / Brandywine
• Sunny Side Of The Mountain / Jimmy Martin / You Don't Know My Mind / Rounder
• Jesus On The Mainline / Dry Branch Fire Squad / Long Journey / Rounder
• I'll Still Write Your Name In The Sand / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio, 1952-1953 / Rounder
• Alone With You / Marty Raybon & Full Circle / The Grass I Grew Up On / Synchoro Records
• Don't Make Go To Bed And I'll Be Good / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio, 1952-1953 / Rounder
• Tennessee Cut-Up Breakdown / Charlie Cushman / Five String Time / Self-Produced
• We Could / Terry Eldredge & Andrea Zonn / Making The Rounds / Pinecastle
• Bluegrass Blues / Steep Canyon Rangers / Steep Canyon Rangers / Rebel
• Why Don't You Tell Me So / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio, 1952-1953 / Rounder
• I'd Like To Wander Back To The Old Home / Special Consensus / The Trail Of Aching Hearts / Pinecastle
• Ocean Of Teardrops / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / More Behind The Picture Than The Wall / Rounder
• Wind To The West / Blue Highway / Wind To The West / Rebel
• Is It True / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear Family
• Blame It On The Pain / Pine Mountain Railroad / Alone With Forever / SteelTown Records
• Blow Out The Candle, Laura / Linda Lay and Sammy Shelor / Taking The Crooked Road Home / Virginia Folk Life
• Cold Blue Day / NewFound Road / Life In A Song / Rounder
• Close By / Vern Williams Band / Traditional Bluegrass / Arhoolie
• The Crow / Tony Trischka & Steve Martin / Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular / Rounder
• Another Tear / Cedar Hill / Portrait Of A Song / Hay Holler
• Weary Hobo / Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• Old Old House / Big Country Bluegrass / On Fire / Hay Holler
• Walkin' West To Memphis / Casey & Chris & the Two-Stringers / Get Along Girl / Arrandem
• Red Letter Day / Gibson Brothers / Red Letter Day / Sugar Hill
• Poor Ellen Smith / Joe Val / Diamond Joe / Rounder
• There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere / Osborne Brothers / Hyden / Pinecastle
• Orange Blossom Special / Johnson Mountain Boys / At The Old Schoolhouse / Rounder
• Wall Around Your Heart / Reno & Smiley / Classic Bluegrass / King
• Reno Bound / Bill Harrell & the Virginians / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
• Wrecking Ball / King Wilkie / Fresh Cut Bluegrass / Rounder
• Waiting For The Real Thing / Front Range / The New Frontier / Sugar Hill
• Many A Mile / Country Gentlemen / Can't You Hear Me Callin' / Rebel
• Sourwood Mountain / Daniel Grindstaff / April's Fool / Self-Produced
• You'll Find Her Name Written There / David Peterson & 1946 / In The Mountaintops To Roam / Self-Produced
• Lost River / Dwight McCall / Never Say Never Again / Rural Rhythm
• Gonna Paint The Town / James King / Stanley Tradition / Doobie Shea
• I'm Goin' Up When He Starts Down / BlueRidge / Gettin' Ready / Pinecastle
• Lazarus And The Rich Man / Larry Sparks / The Last Suit You Wear / McCoury Music
• Will You Meet Me Over There / Josh Williams / Lonesome Highway / Pinecastle
• Living On The Hallelujah Side / Paul Williams & the Victory Trio / Living On The Hallelujah Side / Rebel
• Shining Path / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Essential Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Columbia
• Climb The Ladder / Hot Rize / Take It Home / Sugar Hill
• Won't It Be Wonderful There / David Parmley & Continental Divide / Church House Hymns / Self-Produced
• Have Mercy On My Soul / Seldom Scene / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• That Home Far Away / Stanley Brothers / Best Of The Best / Federal
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
  

Introducing the umpteenth member of Quicksilver....

In the "Is anybody really surprised by this?" BG news category, I read this week that Ron Spears (currently playing the mandolin and singing a lot of lead and tenor vocals with the Special Consensus) is going to be the new bass player/high tenor vocalist with Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. It was announced a few months back that Jamie Dailey -- Doyle's current guitar player/high tenor guy, and a former guest at the Cafe -- would be leaving Doyle at the end of 2007 to form a new band with Darrin Vincent (Rhonda's brother, and a guitar player/harmony singer with Ricky Skaggs' Kentucky Thunder). Apparently, Doyle's been audtioning some singers to fill Jamie's part, and the decision to hire Ron Spears was revealed this week. Since I'm one of those people who've thought for a while now that Ron Spears sounds an awful lot like one of the members of the original Quicksilver band, Lou Reid, this seems like a fabulous addition to Quicksilver. This band is always terrific, and I will look forward to hearing the "new" group.

There's been no official word of when, exactly, Ron will be making his Quicksilver debut, but don't forget...you'll be able to see Doyle & Quicksilver at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in East Hartford this August. The festival dates are August 2-5, and Quicksilver will be appearing on Saturday, August 4th. For more information, visit the Podunk website.

If you want to read more about Ron joining Quicksilver, check out the Bluegrass Blog entry on this subject. The BG Blog is always a great source of daily info on all things Bluegrass --- check it out, if you're so inclined....

Amy