"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 11/29/2009 plus a mid-week fill-in

If you listen to the show with any frequency, you know that from time to time, various WHUS sports events will preempt the BG Cafe. Today was one of those days, as Women's Basketball took over the airwaves at WHUS at 4:30PM. As we had a built-in "bonus hour" of the program due to the absence of many a student DJ during the Thanksgiving break, the program ended up airing from a bit before 3PM until the game started at 4:30PM. Overall, I think it's safe to say that neither Jim nor I ever enjoy sports preemptions, but in the case of today's early ending for the program, we both got to enjoy some great music at the Firebox in Hartford. More on that later...

As for the radio show, we squeezed in as much music as we could in a limited amount of time. We made sure to put a tiny bit of the spotlight on Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad, who will make a return engagement at the East Hartford Community Cultural Center this Thursday evening, December 3rd. For more information on this show, click here.

It's no secret that each Sunday evening, Nick Novia & Joe DeLillo have worked very hard with the fine folks at the Firebox Restaurant in Hartford to make live BG one of THE events to attend in the capital city. Generally, these fine shows feature regional - and occasionally national - BG bands, but today's grouping featured Nick on the guitar & Joe on the bass, as well as some extremely talented New England musicians with whom they don't normally work: Dick Bowden on the banjo, Stacy Phillips on the fiddle & Dobro, and Ben Weiss & Robert Fraker taking turns with the mandolin work. The basketball preemption allowed me to go to this show today -- Jim & Marti had already planned on being there. While I was disappointed to miss the show's airtime, I was absolutely delighted to get to see these dandy musicians play great, hard-driving Bluegrass. What a great way to end a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend! In the spirit of the season, I'm very thankful that we have such talented folks in our own collective backyard. If you haven't yet attended a BG show at the Firebox, put it on your list of things to do as soon as you can. Next week's show will feature a great CT BG band, GrassRoutes.

During this Thanksgiving week, I also got to do a Tuesday afternoon fill-in, and the music I played was of the classic country & BG mix. That playlist is posted here, as well.

Hope you all had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving with your friends and families, and be sure to join Jim & Marti next Sunday for what we hope will be three big hours of great BG and no sports preemptions!

Amy

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / Rocky Grass / Blue Planet
• Summertime Is Past And Gone / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Essential Bill Monroe / Columbia
• Have You Come To Say Goodbye / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Radio Gems /
• Uncle Pen / Bill Monroe / Bean Blossom / MCA
• Some Old Day / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Columbia
• I Know You’re Married But I Love You Still / Reno & Smiley / Good Old Country Ballads / King
• Love Of The Mountains / Lost & Found / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
• Home Is Where The Heart Is / Connie & Babe & the Backwoods Boys / Hand-Picked : 25 Years Of Rounder Bluegrass / Rounder
• I Only Exist / Spinney Brothers / When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall / Self-Produced
• Love Please Come Home / James Monroe / Bean Blossom / MCA
• My Darling’s Last Goodbye / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Rural Rhythm
• Things In Life / Don Stover / The Stained Glass Hour / Rounder
• You’re My Darling / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Threads / Open Road
• When / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Self-Produced
• I’m Lonesome Without You / Balsam Range / Last Train To Kitty Hawk / Mountain Home
• Carter / Ralph Stanley II / This One Is II / Lonesome Day
• Our Last Goodbye / Stanley Brothers / 20th Century Masters / Mercury
• Rock Bottom Blues / Nashville Bluegrass Band / The Boys Are Back In Town / Sugar Hill
• Here Today And Gone Tomorrow / Hazel Dickens with Johnson Mountain Boys / Blue Ribbon Bluegrass / Rounder
• Crazy Blues / Jimmy Gaudreau’s Bluegrass Unit / Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Sunny Side Of The Mountain / Jimmy Martin / Bean Blossom / MCA
• Love You Don’t Know Cannot Hurt You / Darren Beachley & the Legends of the Potomac / / Patuxent Music
• Run On / Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad / Pickin’, Praisin’ & Singin’ : Hymns From The Mountain / Rural Rhythm
• Snowbird / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-Produced
• Sparkling Brown Eyes / Joe Val / One Morning In May / Rounder
• Have Mercy / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Your Love Is Like A Flower / Dailey & Vincent / Brothers From Different Mothers / Rounder
• I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy / Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad / Pickin’, Praisin’ & Singin’ : Hymns From The Mountain / Rural Rhythm
• Justified / Billy Boone Smith / Five Flat Rocks / Self-Produced

POST-SCRIPT - BG tunes played by Susan Forbes Hansen, who kindly filled whatever time remained from the end of the basketball game to the beginning of her own "Sunday Night Folk Festival" at 7PM:

• I'm A Lie / Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time / Took Down And Put Up / Lonesome Day
• Eighth Of January / Rhonda Vincent / Destination Life / Rounder
• The Mountain's Gonna Sing / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Single Girl / Bearfoot / Doors And Windows / Compass Records
• Awful Lonesome Train / Pine Mountain Railroad / Alone With Forever / Steeltown Records
• Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold) / Dede Wyland / Keep The Light On / Patuxent Music
• Molly / Lonesome River Band / No Turning Back / Rural Rhythm
• A Warmer Kind Of Blue / Kathy Kallick Band / Warmer Kind Of Blue / Copper Creek

Classic Country & Bluegrass fill-in, 11/24/2009

• Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow / Carter Family / Anchored In Love / Rounder
• Ben Dewberry’s Final Run / Jimmie Rodgers / Train Whistle Blues / RCA
• It Makes No Difference Now / Gene Autry / Columbia Country Classics / Columbia
• Chime Bells / Elton Britt / Yodel Songs / RCA
• I Am A Pilgrim / Merle Travis with Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / Will The Circle Be Unbroken / Capitol
• Ride The Wild Turkey / Clay Jones / Mountain Tradition / Rural Rhythm
• Have A Feast Here Tonight / Monroe Brothers / Are You From Dixie? / RCA
• Eat At The Welcome Table / Bluegrass Patriots / Springtime In The Rockies / Copper Creek
• Thanks A Lot / Ernest Tubb / The Definitive Collection / MCA
• Thank You World / Statler Brothers / The Best Of The Statler Brothers / Mercury
• Sweethearts In Heaven / Buck Owens & Rose Maddox / On The Bandstand / Sundazed
• You’re For Me / Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters / Phoenix / Happy Appy Records
• I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) / Ray Price / Greatest Western Hits, v.1 / Columbia
• Move On In And Stay / Mickey Harris / Dog House Blues / MJH Records
• Loose Talk / Carl Smith / Greatest Western Hits, v.1 / Columbia
• Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way / Barry Berrier / First Time With Feeling / Pinecastle
• Dumb Blonde / Dolly Parton / Box Set Sampler / RCA/Legacy
• Jolene / Rhonda Vincent & the Rage / Ragin’ Live / Rounder
• Last Thing On My Mind / Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton / Box Set Sampler / RCA/Legacy
• Farewell Wagon Master / Pam Gadd / Benefit Of Doubt / Home Sweet Highway Productions
• Sea Of Heartbreak / Roseanne Cash with Bruce Springsteen / The List / Manhattan Records
• Blue Blue Day / Don Gibson / Hard To Find Hits / Time Life
• Katie Dear / Blue Sky Boys / Are You From Dixie? / RCA
• Roll On Buddy Roll On / Wilburn Brothers / Folk Songs / Decca
• Long Time Gone / Everly Brothers / 36 All-Time Favorites / GSC Music
• Forever Has No End / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
• Cash On The Barrel Head / Louvin Brothers / Encore / Capitol
• Cindy Mae / Crowe Brothers / Brothers-n-Harmony / Rural Rhythm
• Wildwood Flower / Phil Rosenthal / A Treasury Of Bluegrass And Country Songs / American Melody
• Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart / Charlie Sizemore Band / Good News / Rounder
• The Fields Have Turned Brown / Stanley Brothers / Columbia Country Classics / Columbia
• Would You Mind / Hank Snow / Essential Hank Snow / RCA
• I Know You’re Married (But I Love You Still) / Patty Loveless with Travis Tritt / Mountain Soul / Epic
• I Thought That She Loved Me / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Rocky Road Blues / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Essential Bill Monroe / Columbia
• The Crow / Steve Martin / The Crow / Rounder
  

A slight change in Sunday's BG programming...

Hello everyone -

We found out late Wednesday night that the WHUS Sports Department will be preempting at least 2 hours of the BG Cafe this Sunday, 11/29 to air coverage of the Women's Basketball game. This preemption will begin about 4:30PM; WHUS "Sunday Night Folk Festival" host, Susan Forbes Hansen, will pick up whatever portion of BG Cafe time remains after the basketball game has ended and before her program's normal start time of 7PM.

This preemption, however, doesn't mean that there will be NO BG Cafe on the air this week. Instead, we will begin broadcasting one hour earlier than normal -- 3PM. We hope you can join us for a shorter - perhaps even a bit more stream-lined, if you will - version of the BG Cafe from 3-4:30PM. If you're in southern New England, you'll find us at 91.7 on your FM dial, and if you're anywhere else, do feel free to listen online: http://www.whus.org/.

Hope you all had a most wonderful Thanksgiving!

Amy

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 11/22/2009

Hi Folks,

It's not too often we get to extend our bluegrass programming at Bluegrass Cafe, but the holiday break gave us an opportunity to add an hour to the show. While Marti was home compiling end-of-trimester grades, I got to bring you four hours of the best in bluegrass this week. Even better, Amy will get to bring you four more hours next Sunday starting at 3pm ET.

We were saddened by news of the passing of North Carolina banjo virtuoso Allen Shelton 21 November, so we honored Allen by playing eight tracks displaying his brilliant banjo picking with Jim Eanes, Jim & Jesse, and from his solo effort.

The newest of the new music came from Missy Werner whose debut album is a fine one, and banjo picker Ross Nickerson whose latest album features members of Blue Highway.

I used the extra hour of this week's show to play some of my favorite music from the Heritage Corner vaults, including a 13 year-old CD from the Shankman Twins which generated a listener request, and a "moonshine set" inspired by a segment on CBS Sunday Morning about Junior Johnson marketing his brand of legal moonshine. Whew!

Cody Shuler and Pine Mountain Railroad will be making an appearance in East Hartford on December 3, so we picked a hard-driving tune from one of their recent albums to whet our listeners' appetites.

Be sure to tune in early at 3pm next Sunday when Amy will make the banjos and fiddles ring.

Jim

requests in blue, Allen Shelton tribute in red

Song Title / Performer / Album Title / Label

• Turn Up The Bottle / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Long Journey Home / The Johnson Mountain Boys / At The Old Schoolhouse / Rounder
• Bluest Man In Town / The Johnson Mountain Boys / At The Old Schoolhouse / Rounder
• When Springtime Comes Again / The Vern Williams Band / Bluegrass From The Gold Country / Rounder
• Wandering Boy / The Isaacs / Bluegrass Preserved / Horizon
• Blue Yodel No. 3 / David Peterson & 1946 / self-titled / Self-released
• The Kitten And The Cat / Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys / Poor Rambler / King
• This Morning At Nine / Tony Rice / Plays And Sings Bluegrass / Rounder
• Robin Built A Nest On Daddy's Grave / Tommy Brown & The County Line Grass / Hard Drivin' / Lavinir
• Paint The Town / Chris Warner / Back Again / Pinecastle
• Riding That Midnight Train / Doc Watson / Riding The Midnight Train / Sugar Hill
• Sophronie / Crowe, Williams, Blaylock, Ingram / A Tribute To Jimmy Martin / Koch
• Boxcar Blues (Hello Sunshine) / Jeff & Vida / Selma Chalk / Rosebank
• Home With The Blues / Junior Sisk, Rick Allred, et.al / Born Into Bluegrass / Mountain Roads
• Plant Some Flowers / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-released
• John Henry / Ross Nickerson / Let's Kick Some Ass / Bones
• Ring The Bell / The Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass
• Waterbound / The Shankman Twins / Duality / City West
• Fire On The Mountain / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
• No More To Be Lonesome / Larry Gillis / Old Man Dreaming / Tinman Recording
• I'll Go Steppin' Too / Mark Delaney / Sidecar / Patuxent
• Your Old Standby / Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys / Your Old Standby - Complete Starday Recordings / Starday
• Bending The Strings / Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys / The Appalachian Way - Roots of Bluegrass / Delta
• Log Cabin In The Lane / Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys / Your Old Standby - Complete Starday Recordings / Starday
• Dine-e-o (Sail Away Ladies) / Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys / Your Old Standby - Complete Starday Recordings / Starday
• Sleepy-Eyed John / Jim & Jesse / The Jim & Jesse Story / CMH
• I Will Always Be Waiting For You / Jim & Jesse / The Jim & Jesse Story - Special Edition / CMH
• She Left Me Standing On The Mountain / Jim & Jesse / Bluegrass at Newport / Vanguard
• Sourwood Mountain / Allen Shelton / Shelton Special / Rounder (LP)
• Montana Cowboy / The Shankman Twins / Duality / City West
• Sally Ann / The Shankman Twins / Duality / City West
• Losin' In Las Vegas / Ricky Wasson / From The Heart And Soul / Rural Rhythm
• What Gives You The Right / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
• Diamond Joe / Sam Bush / Circles Around Me / Sugar Hill
• Have Mercy / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Don't Be Knockin' / Chris Warner / Back Again / Pinecastle
• You'll Never Be The Same / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Self-titled / Rural Rhythm
• Red Checkered Shirt / Mike Jackson / When We Goin' Back / Red Oak
• Banjo Whiz / Bill Emerson / Bluegrass Spectacular / Country Stars
• Mountain Dew / Grandpa Jones / Everybody's Grandpa / Bear Family
• Moonshine / The Earl Brothers / Moonshine / Big Hen
• Moonshiner / Peter Rowan / The Walls Of Time / Sugar Hill
• Nobody's Darling / Cullen Gaylean and Bobby Harrison / Let Me Fall / Smithsonian Folkways
• Cindy Mae / Crowe Brothers / Brothers -n- Harmony / Rural Rhythm
• The Love She Left Behind / Chris Jones & The Night Drivers / Cloud Of Dust / GSM
• Papa Loved Ringing That Bell / Johnny Williams / Last Day Of Galax / Mountain Roads
• Dirt Roads / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa / Self-titled / Self-released
• Some Old Day / Adcock, Gaudreau, Waller & Gray / The Country Gentlemen Reunion Band / RadioTherapy
• I'd Rather Live By The Side Of The Road / Bill Yates & Friends / Country Gentlemen Tribute (Volume II) / Self-released
• Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life / Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band / Self-titled / Rebel
• Clementine / Pine Mountain Railroad / Alone With Forever / SteelTown
• Roving Gambler / Peter Rowan / The Walls Of Time / Sugar Hill
• How Mountain Girls Can Love / Tony Rice / Plays And Sings Bluegrass / Rounder
• I Love You To The Moon And Back / Darren Beachley / Sad Songs & Sunday Mornings / MasterShield
• Scotty's Bow / The Stonemans / Patsy, Donna & Roni / Patuxent
• Heart Wrenching Lovesick Memories / Rhonda Vincent / Destination Life / Rounder
• Circles Around Me / Sam Bush / Circles Around Me / Sugar Hill
• Train Songs / Ralph Stanley II / This One Is II / Lonesome Day
• Church Street Blues / Bryan Sutton and Friends / Almost Live / Sugar Hill
• Imagine That / Kristin Scott Benson / Second Season / Pinecastle
• Houses On The Farm / Shady Creek / Back To The Roots / pre-release
• Beautiful Blue Eyes / Red Allen & The Kentuckians / The Bluegrass Hall Of Fame / Hollywood
• Campin' In Canaan Land / Carl Story and His Rambling Mountaineers / Mighty Close To Heaven / Starday
• They're Holding Up The Ladder / Easter Brothers / By Request - Their Greatest Hits / Thoroughbred
• The Touch Of God's Hand / James King / Gardens In The Sky / Rounder
• When The Savior Reached Down For Me / Darrell Webb / Live At Bellamys / Upper Management
• Weeds In The Wheat / Front Range / One Beautiful Day / Sugar Hill
• Sinner, You Better Get Ready / The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots - 1961 / Smithsonian Folkways
• Get Up Peter (And Put Your Sandals On) / The Special Consensus / Green Rolling Hills / Turquoise
• Hide Me, Rock Of Ages / Dailey & Vincent / Singing From The Heart / Rounder
• What Kind Of Man / Larry Sparks / I Just Want To Thank You Lord / Rural Rhythm Christian
• I Can't Sit Down / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Feel Like My Time Ain't Long / Rebel
• Greencastle Hornpipe / Kristin Scott Benson / Second Season / Pinecastle

Mid-week fill-in for Amy...

It's Thanksgiving break for the students here at UCONN, so that gives us "non-students" plenty of opportunities to do fill-in shows.  I'm getting ready to go on the air in a few minutes:  1-3PM today, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.  My intentions are to play a little mix of classic country & BG tunes.  I think it'll be fun -- we'll see.  Feel free to listen, if you like.  You can find us at 91.7 on your FM dial if you're in eastern CT, or listen online. 

Amy

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 11/15/2009

After two weeks away from the radio, I got to present Sunday's BG Cafe with absolutely no sports preemptions. Hooray! While we didn't have any featured guests or lots of new music to share, we still pulled together a good number of tunes that we hope you found enjoyable...

As I had a fabulous time at the Boston Bluegrass Union-sponsored show last night featuring both Audie Blaylock & Redline and Darren Beachley & Legends Of The Potomac, naturally, I just had to include music from them. While Darren's CD with his new band hasn't been released yet -- we look forward to hearing it in 2010 -- we still heard from him with his most recent band, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Audie's self-titled recording from Rural Rhythm has been out for about a year, and while we've played music from the CD plenty of times, I tried to include a couple of tunes on Sunday's show that we hadn't played quite as much. Both bands were fabulous, by the way, and I would hope to see them both playing again in New England in the not-too-distant future.

There was just a tiny bit of new music to share on Sunday. Several months back, I read on the Bluegrass Blog about a "new" retro-Bluegrass band from northern California who had released a 78 RPM single. This band -- Matt & George & Their Pleasant Valley Boys -- sent their 78 to WHUS this summer, but we were unable to play it on our equipment. Eventually, we were able to transfer the 78 to CD, and we finally got a chance to play one half of the record on Sunday's show. These folks appear to take their "vintage" style pretty seriously, and the record is very enjoyable.

In addition, we played music from soon-to-be-released projects by Michael Martin Murphey and Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie. Both of these projects are due in early 2010 and will be released on the Rural Rhythm label. We look forward to hearing them...

Jim & Marti will join you next Sunday -- I think possibly an hour earlier (barring sports preemptions, of course). Do be sure to join them!

As I won't be on the air again (with BG Cafe, anyway) until November 29th, I'll take a moment now to send best wishes to you all for a very Happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Amy


Requests are RED.

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / Rocky Grass / Blue Planet
• Home Is Where The Heart Is / Connie & Babe & the Backwoods Boys / True Bluegrass /
  Rounder
• It’s Raining Here This Morning / Red Smiley & the Tennessee Cut-Ups / Best Of Red Smiley / Rural Rhythm
• No Mother Or Dad / Curley Seckler / That Old Book Of Mine / County
• True Life Blues / David Grisman with Del McCoury / Home Is Where The Heart Is / Rounder
• Two Lonely Hearts / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Rural Rhythm
• The Hills Of My Home / Laurie Lewis / Earth & Sky / Rounder
• Beauty Of My Dreams / Blackjack / 10 Years Of European World Of Bluegrass / Strictly Country
• Farm Of Yesterday / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
• Dirt Roads / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Self-Produced
• Don’t Act / Rhonda Vincent / All-American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• More Than A Name On A Wall / Dailey & Vincent / Dailey & Vincent / Rounder
• Home With The Blues / Junior Sisk / Born To Bluegrass : The Songs Of Cullen Galyean /
  Mountain Roads Recordings
• I’m Gonna Love You Now / Daughters Of Bluegrass with Frances Mooney / Bluegrass Bouquet / Blue Circle
• You Are My Sunshine / Norman Blake / O Brother Where Art Thou? / Mercury
• There’s A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere / Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen / Songs Of The American Spirit / Pinecastle
• My Blue Tears / Dolly Parton / Box Set Sampler / Legacy
• My Blue Tears / Gloria Belle / Love Of The Mountains / Webco
• I’m Going Back To Old Kentucky / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Essential Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Columbia
• Heart Of A Little Mountain Girl / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Quicksilver Rides Again! / Sugar Hill
• Black Diamond / Mark Delaney / Sidecar / Patuxent Music
• Think Of What You’ve Done / Stanley Brothers / Stanley Brothers / King
• I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow / Soggy Bottom Boys / O Brother Where Art Thou / Mercury
• Old Joe Clark / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots / Smithsonian Folkways
• I’ve Been All Around This World / David Davis & the Warrior River Boys / Two Dimes And A Nickel / Rebel
• Don’t Tell Me Stories / Lynn Morris Band / Lynn Morris Band / Rounder
• Two Little Boys / Country Gentlemen / Early Rebel Recordings, 1962-1971 / Rebel
• Heavy Traffic Ahead / Matt & George & Their Pleasant Valley Boys / <78> / Pleasant Valley Music
• Running Gun / Michael Martin Murphey with Audie Blaylock / Class Of 2009 Sampler / Rural Rhythm
• Lead Foot / Dixie Bee-Liners / Susanville / Pinecastle
• I Don’t Care Anymore / Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie / Class Of 2009 Sampler / Rural Rhythm
• Don’t Lie To Me / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
• I’ll Go Steppin’ Too / Rickey Wasson / From The Heart And Soul / Rural Rhythm
• We’ll Meet Again Sweetheart / Spinney Brothers / When The Golden Leaves Begin To Fall /
  Self-Produced
• Matterhorn / Country Gentlemen / Early Rebel Recordings, 1962-1971 / Rebel
• Love Me As Hard As You Hurt Me / Grass Cats / A Good Way To Get The Blues / New Time Records
• At The End Of A Long Lonely Day / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / The Room Over Mine / Rounder
• There Ain’t No Easy Street / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Untamed / Del McCoury Band / The Company We Keep / McCoury Music
• No Blues Is Good News / Charlie Sizemore Band / Good News / Rounder
• Goodbye / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Rural Rhythm
• The River Of Jordan / Louvin Brothers / When I Stop Dreaming / Razor & Tie
• When The Last Of Our Days Shall Come / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Lonely Street / Rounder
• Justified / Del McCoury Band / Family Circle / McCoury Music
• So Happy I’ll Be / Rhonda Vincent & the Rage / Ragin’ Live / Rounder
• Will You Be Ready? / Southern Rail / Drive By Night / Turquoise
• You Can Feel It In Your Soul / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Gospel / Legacy
• What Would You Give In Exchange For Your Soul? / Jimmy Martin / This World Is Not My Home / MME
• I’m Getting Ready To Leave This World / Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad / Pickin’, Praisin’, & Singin’ : Hymns From The Mountain / Rural Rhythm
  

No shortage of great live music this Saturday....

Wow! Looking at the BG calendar, it appears that there are no fewer than three great BG or BG-related shows in the area this Saturday, 11/14. Hopefully, you'll be able to get out there and support at least one of them, as all are great options, and obviously, supporting live Bluegrass music is a mighty fine thing to do. Check it out:

• The Infamous Stringdusters at the East Hartford Community Cultural Center. Showtime is 8PM. EHCCC is located at 50 Chapman Street in East Hartford. More info: (860)291-7160 or click here.
  
• Anne & Pete Sibley at the Sounding Board Coffeehouse in West Hartford. Showtime is 8PM. The Sounding Board is located at 433 Fern Street, West Hartford. More info: (203)272-8404 or click here.
  
• Audie Blaylock & Redline along with Darren Beachley & Legends of the Potomac at the National Heritage Museum, Lexington, MA. This is a Boston Bluegrass Union production, and showtime is 7:30PM. More info: hotline number is (617)782-2251 or click here.
  

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 11/8/2009 Veteran's Day

Hi Folks,

I like to remember our veteran's every year near Veteran's Day by playing songs related to military service, so I devoted a little more than an hour of this show to bluegrass and string band music about soldiers from at least the mid-19th century all the way to today.

Newer music was featured from Southern Rail, Bear Minimum, O'Reilly/Miller/Lester from the North To Ontario 2009 CD, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Grasstowne, The Anita Fisher Band with Ray Deaton, The Dixie Bee-Liners, The Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Adam Steffey, Ricky Skaggs, and Larry Sparks.

From the Heritage Corner vaults I featured a couple of really interesting tracks from Cullen Galyean, one of which was on a Folkways LP from 1983 with Bobby Harrison, and the other Cullen's winning banjo performance at the world's first multi-day bluegrass festival in Fincastle, VA, in 1965 that is on the new CD "Born Into Bluegrass - The Songs of Cullen Galyean." We also featured historic cuts from The Lilly Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs, and Charlie Monroe.

We were surprised and delighted to get a call from Mr. Bud Godreau -- the former WHUS DJ who started bluegrass programming at WHUS over 27 years ago! Bud lives in North Carolina these days (how fitting!) and was visiting friends in the Northeast when he checked in with us, so we put Bud on the air to say hello to our listeners, all of whom owe Bud thanks for getting this great music started on radio in our neck of the Southern New England woods. You can read more about Bud's role in bluegrass at WHUS here and see a photo here.

Be sure to tune in next Sunday when Amy Orlomoski will make the banjos and fiddles ring.

Jim Beaver

requests in blue

SONG TITLE / PERFORMER / ALBUM TITLE / LABEL

• Fire On The Mountain / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
• We'll Meet Again Sweetheart / Flatt & Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Sessions / Mercury
• Down Where The River Bends / Ralph Stanley & Dwight Yoakam / Saturday Night & Sunday Morning / Freeland
• You'll Be Loving Another Man / David Parmley, Larry Stephenson, Ricky & Ronnie Simpkins, Bill Emerson / Live At Mr. B's / B's Records
• I'm Comin' Back But I Don't Know When / Charlie Monroe / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• God Bless The Soldier / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Soldiers Return / Dave Evans & Riverbend / The Vetco Sessions / Vetco
• Forgotten Soldier Boy / The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots - 1961 / Smithsonian Folkways
• Soldier's Joy / John McKuen, Earl Scruggs, Junior Huskey / Will The Circle Be Unbroken / Capitol
• Two Little Boys / Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass / Who Will Calm The Storm - Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• On The Road From Appomattox / Southern Rail / On The Road From Appomattox / Railway Records
• Coat of Southern Gray / David Davis and the Warrior River Boys / David Davis and the Warrior River Boys / Rebel
• Poor Rebel Soldier / Dave Evans & Riverbend / The Vetco Sessions / Vetco
• Caleb / O'Reilly-Miller-Lester / North To Ontario 2009 / Self-released
• My Southern Soldier Boy / Larry Gillis / Today Marks The Day / Self-released
• Who Will Calm The Storm / Liz Meyer / Who Will Calm The Storm - Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Soldier / ShoreGrass / Going Home / Self-released
• Marching Home / Balsam Range / Marching Home / Mountain Home
• A Little Boy Called Joe / Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
• Have Mercy / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Dancin' In The Dirt / Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain / Dancin' In The Dirt / Blue Circle
• Have I Stayed Away Too Long / The Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Threads / Open Road
• Big, Big Heartaches / Grasstowne / The Other Side Of Towne / Pinecastle
• Your Horses Ain't Hungry (Wagoner's Lad) / Cullen Galyean and Bobby Harrison / Let Me Fall / Smithsonian Folkways
• Midnight Ramble / Cullen Galyean / Born Into Bluegrass - The Songs of Cullen Galyean / Mountain Roads
• Let Me Fall / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
• Truck Stop Baby / The Dixie Bee-Liners / Susanville / Pinecastle
• White Pass Railroad / The Del McCoury Band / Family Circle / McCoury Music
• Rebecca / Herschel Sizemore / Back In Business / Hay Holler
• Roll On Buddy, Roll On / Sam Bush / Circles Around Me / Sugar Hill
• My Tennessee Mountain Home / Dolly Parton / Box Set Sampler / RCA Nashville / Legacy
• Years Ago / Dailey & Vincent / Brothers From Different Mothers / Rounder
• Smoke Along The Track / Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers / Rambler's Call / Self-released
• Gonna Settle Down / Crowe, Douglas, Hicks, Lawson, Phillips, Rice / The Bluegrass Compact Disc, Vol. 2 / Rounder
• Sixteen Years / Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys / Can't You Hear The Mountains Calling / Rounder
• We Can't Be Darlings Anymore / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Live at The Birchmere / Rounder
• Shackles And Chains / Charlie Moore / Plum Pitiful Vol. 2 / Wango
• Cheshire Tragedy / Bear Minimum / Different Brothers With The Same Sister / Self-released
• Little Bessie / Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder / Ancient Tones / Skaggs Family
• Peter Was A Fireball / Easter Brothers / By Request - Their Greatest Hits / Thoroughbred
• I'll Live Again / Anita Fisher Band With Ray Deaton / It's Amazing What A Prayer Can Do / C and L Entertainment
• Take Your Shoes Off Moses / Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys / Cry From The Cross / Rebel
• City That Lies Foursquare / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• Better Farther On / Larry Sparks / I Just Want To Thank You Lord / Rural Rhythm Christian
• My Lord Had Mercy On Me / Larry Gillis / Today Marks The Day / Self-released
• Church In The Wildwood / Bill Clifton & Jimmy Gaudreau / River Of Memories / Elf Records
• The Promise / The Gillis Brothers / Sunshine In The Shadows / Hay Holler

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 11/1/2009 - Ricky Skaggs

Sunday was a great day to be listening to Bluegrass Cafe because we brought you a 35 minute interview with one of the best known performers of bluegrass music today: Ricky Skaggs. Ricky and his band Kentucky Thunder will be performing in Hartford this coming Friday, Nov. 6.

We devoted most of the first hour of the show to various groups over the past forty years that have featured Ricky Skaggs as a performer. Besides Ricky's numerous projects, we also featured Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, David Grisman, and the group Boone Creek -- all of which featured Ricky either picking or singing, or both.

Ricky then joined us by phone for a delightful half-hour of a very candid discussion. Some of the interesting things discussed were the large quantity of home tapes that Ricky's dad Hobert made over the years (which still exist), the relationship between Ricky and his father, and the personal discussions Ricky had with his father about the direction of Ricky's career. He called his return to bluegrass in 1997 "the greatest decision I've ever made musically." It's not hard to see why Ricky's latest CD is titled "Songs My Dad Loved." Ricky also emphasized the importance of his Christian faith, and hoped he would be remembered for that before his music.

I hope to get an audio version of the interview posted in the near future.

We also had Deb Noble and Joe Mellet in the studio during the last hour promoting a concert this coming Saturday, Nov. 7, in Willimantic that features Sean Kershaw and the New Jack Ramblers, and bluegrass band Pine Creek opening. All the members of Pine Creek (including me) live in the listening area of WHUS and Bluegrass Cafe. I even got to pick a tune with Joe during his visit.

While our discussions with our on-air guests reduced the size of the playlist, we did manage to play some newer music from Billy Boone Smith, Jeff & Vida, Canucky Bluegrass Boys, Darin Aldridge & Brooke Justice, The Del McCoury Band, and Dailey & Vincent.

Marti and I will be back next week, and looking at the calendar it might be time to feature some songs for Veterans Day, so I'll see what I can do.

Jim Beaver

requests in blue

SONG TITLE / PERFORMER / ALBUM TITLE / LABEL

• Fire On The Mountain / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
• I Ain't Broke (But I'm Badly Bent) / David Grisman with Ricky Skaggs / Hand Picked: 25 Years of Rounder Bluegrass / Rounder
• Country Boy / Ricky Skaggs / The High Notes / Cracker Barrel
• It's Mighty Dark To Travel / Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder / Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass / Skaggs Family
• Cry, Cry Darlin' / Ricky Skaggs featuring Dolly Parton / Ricky Skaggs & Friends / Lyric Street
• I'll Go With You / Darin Aldridge and Brooke Justice / I'll Go With You / Pinecastle
• Cold Wind / David Peterson & 1946 / David Peterson & 1946 / Self-released
• Keep My Love With You / Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys / Echoes Of The Stanley Brothers / Varese Sarabande
• Almost Right / Billy Boone Smith / Live From The Moose Lodge / Muddy Sunshine
• One Way Track / Boone Creek / One Way Track / Sugar Hill
• Head Over Heels / Boone Creek / One Way Track / Sugar Hill
• There's More Pretty Girls Than One / Ricky Skaggs & Tony Rice / Skaggs & Rice / Sugar Hill
• My Little Georgia Rose / Ricky Skaggs featuring Travis Tritt / Ricky Skaggs & Friends Songs of Bill Monroe / Lyric Street
• Boxcar Blues (Hello Sunshine) / Jeff & Vida / Selma Chalk / Rosebank
• Standin' Up / Canucky Bluegrass Boys / North To Ontario 2009 / Self-released
• Roses In The Snow / Emmylou Harris / Roses In The Snow / Warner Bros
• Pig In A Pen / Ricky Skaggs / Ancient Tones / Skaggs Family
• Get Up John / Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder / Live At The Charleston Music Hall / Skaggs Family

Ricky Skaggs Interview

• Sinners, You Better Get Ready / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• City That Lies Foresquare / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• Take This Train And Ride / The Gillis Brothers / Live / Self-released
• Days of Grey and Black / Various Artists / Born Into Bluegrass - The Songs of Cullen Galyean / Mountain Roads
• When The Sheriff Comes To Town / Sean Kershaw / Coney Island Cowboy / Self-released
• Orphan Girl / Pine Creek / Live 2008 recording / Private
• The Golden Streets Of Glory / Dolly Parton / Box Set Sampler / RCA Nashville/Legacy
• Hello Lonely / The Del McCoury Band / Family Circle / McCoury Music
• Prayer Bells Of Heaven / Frosty Mountain Boys / Get In Line Brother / Rural Rhythm
• God's Not Dead / J. D. Jarvis / Get In Line Brother / Rural Rhythm
• Man In The Middle / Tony Trischka and Skyline / Angels Rejoiced / Strictly Country
• I've Found A Hiding Place / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• This World Is Not My Home / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• Who'll Sing For Me? / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Rural Rhythm
• Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho / Dailey & Vincent / Singing From The Heart / Rounder
• Angels Rejoiced / Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys / Angels Rejoiced / Strictly Country
• Take Your Shoes Off, Moses / Dan Tyminski, Dwight McCall / The Stanley Gospel Tradition / Doobie Shea
• The Promise / The Gillis Brothers / Sunshine In The Shadows / Hay Holler