Guess who's returning to the "BG Cafe?"

This Sunday, August 1st, we'll once again welcome Eric Gibson back to the airwaves with us at WHUS and the BG Cafe. This will be the first time we've been able to talk to Eric on the air since the release of the Gibsons' super-successful Compass Records recording, "Ring The Bell."

While we normally prefer to conduct interviews "live" on the air, there was no way that the Gibsons' crazy-busy schedule (northern Maine last Sunday; a big BG festival in Alberta this Sunday) was going to allow us time to have Eric on the air prior to the Gibson Brothers' upcoming appearance at the Podunk Bluegrass Festival in East Hartford without recording. So, last Tuesday morning, I had a chance to get on the phone and ask a few questions...and as always, Eric had PLENTY of answers.

Join us for the interview beginning at 5PM as Eric will talk about the tremendous year the Gibsons are having in 2010, their upcoming appearances at Podunk on August 7th, both on the main stage and in the workshop area, and even a few words about a song Eric would be content to never sing again.

Following our conversation with Eric, we'll welcome Podunk promoter Roger Moss to the airwaves to talk about the other great performers coming to Podunk. We'll even have a chance to give away some earlier Gibson Brothers CDs and maybe even a Podunk day-pass or two. Join us!

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 7/25/2010

As the fates would have it, Sunday's BG Cafe turned out to be a 5-hour marathon for the second week in a row. Hope you were able to join me for at least some of it...



While I don't always stick to a pure-BG format for those "bonus hours" from 2-4PM, I came pretty close this week. The exceptions were when I played several tunes that had either been written or co-written by the late songwriter, Hank Cochran, who died on July 15, 2010. Hank left an amazing array of tunes that were country hits from the 1960s through the 1990s, and, as with many a great country songwriter, his tunes have sometimes been covered in the BG world. We mixed it up a bit, and played both country and BG versions of Cochran tunes over the 5 hours -- those selections are marked in the playlists below in GREEN.



A recent visit with former CT BG musician (as well as longtime host of "UH Bluegrass" on WWUH Radio in West Hartford), Kevin Lynch, inspired me to play a few tunes which had been recorded by Netherlands-based record label, Strictly Country, in the 1980s and 1990s. With the nearly-weekly influx of great new BG material to play, it's sometimes challenging to find airtime for great BG from years gone by. In the case of Strictly Country's mighty fine 3-CD anniversary set, "25 Years Of Strictly Country Magazine," it was well-worth the effort. Thanks, too, to Kevin for providing some Strictly Country cassettes to give away to our listeners. While it's true that cassettes have more-or-less gone the way of the reel-to-reel and 8-track, a lot of folks still have cassette players in their vehicles, so why not enjoy great live music from the likes of Bob Paisley, Joe Val, or Jimmy Gaudreau?

And speaking of new music, Jim raved about a couple of new CDs a few weeks back, and I must echo his praise. The recordings of both super-traditional band, Rich In Tradition ("Black Mountain Special" on Mountain Roads Recordings) and former U.S. Navy Band Country Current member, Frank Solivan (his more-contemporary sounding, self-released band project, "Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen") are excellent. County Records has also recently reissued the fiddle record made by the late Senator Robert Byrd ("Mountain Fiddler," recorded in 1977), so we found music to play from there, too.

While we aren't expecting to have another "marathon" edition of the BG Cafe this coming Sunday, August 1st, we are planning to air a special interview I recorded last week with the banjo pickin' Eric Gibson. The Gibson Brothers will be returning to CT and the Podunk Bluegrass Festival on Saturday, August 7th, so our chat will talk about that event, as well as the Gibsons' great year, and more. Expect to hear that beginning about 5PM.

I look forward to spending time with you again this coming Sunday. Please join me beginning at 4PM...and have a fine week!

Amy

Requests are RED. Songs written or co-written by Hank Cochran are GREEN.

"BONUS" HOURS: 2-4PM

• Tight Squeeze / Tim Martin / Bluegrass Fiddle / Patuxent Music
• Look For Me (I'll Be There) / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear Family
• Homesick / Jimmy Martin / You Don't Know My Mind, 1956-1966 / Rounder
• Honky Tonk Blues / Lonesome Pine Fiddlers / Windy Mountain / Bear Family
• Tennessee Cut-Up Breakdown / Reno & Smiley / Early Years, 1951-1959 / Gusto
• Down The Road / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Essential Earl Scruggs / Columbia
• When The Cactus Is In Bloom / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1950-1958 / JSP Records
• High On A Hilltop / Ronnie Reno & the Reno Tradition / In Concert / Shell Point
• Snowbird / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-Produced
• Bright Sunny South / Doc Watson / Best Of The Sugar Hill Years / Sugar Hill
• Hard Times, Sometimes / Traditional Grass / Songs Of Love And Life / Rebel
• Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong / Mac Wiseman with Lester Flatt / Bluegrass, 1971 / Rural Rhythm
• Too Often Left Alone / J.D. Crowe & the New South / Lefty's Old Guitar / Rounder
• Sweet Sunny South / Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein / 2:10 Train / Rebel
• Iron & Diamonds / Gibson Brothers / Iron & Diamonds / Sugar Hill
• Too Late To Cry / Alison Krauss & Union Station / Bluegrass Mountain Style / Rounder
• East Bound Train / Gibson Brothers / Long Way Back Home / Sugar Hill
• I Fall To Pieces / Patsy Cline / Billboard Top Country Hits, 1961 / Rhino
• Rodeo Cowboy / Lost & Found / Across The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rebel
• A Little Unfair / IIIrd Tyme Out / Back To The MAC / Rounder
• Set 'Em Up, Joe / Vern Gosdin / Super Hits / Sony BMG
• It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) / Merle Haggard / It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) / Capitol
• You Comb Her Hair Every Morning / Statler Brothers / The Country America Loves / Mercury
• Is It Raining At Your House / Vern Gosdin / Super Hits / Sony BMG [also a request]
• Make The World Go Away / Eddy Arnold / The Best Of Eddy Arnold / RCA
• Roll On Muddy River / The Hillmen / The Hillmen / Sugar Hill
• Appaloosa / Bill Emerson & Wayne Taylor / Appaloosa / Webco
• Deep River Blues / Warrior River Boys / Sounds Like Home / Rounder
• Ocean Of Diamonds / Willie Nelson / Country Music / Rounder
• Family Bible / David Peterson / Comin' On Strong / Self-Produced
• Man With The Blues / Barry Berrier / First Time With Feeling / Pinecastle
  

"REGULAR" HOURS: 4-7PM

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Is It Wrong (To Love Somebody New) / Paul Adkins & the Borderline Band / Reflections Of Love / Rebel
• Where Is My Cabin Home / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow And The High-Rise / Live Oak Records
• Thunderclouds Of Love / Tony Rice / Tony Rice Plays & Sings Bluegrass / Rounder
• I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome / The Grascals with Hank Williams, Jr. / The Famous Lefty Flynn's / Rounder
• No One But My Darlin' / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1950-1958 / JSP Records
• Half Past Four / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
• Weathered Gray Stone / Johnson Mountain Boys / At The Old Schoolhouse / Rounder
• Pride (In The Name Of Love) / Dierks Bentley with Del McCoury & the Punch Brothers / Up On The Ridge / EMI
• Cumberland Gap / Charlie Cushman / Five String Time / Self-Produced
• You Tried To Ruin My Name / Wilma Lee Cooper / O Sister! / Rounder
• Mountains And Memories / Country Gentlemen / Souvenirs / Rebel
• The Beans Should Be Blossomed / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
• Will The Roses Bloom / Laurel Mountain Boys / Demo recordings / Self-Produced
• Old Hickory Cane / Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass / Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Margie / Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass / Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Southbound / Stockwell Brothers / 25 Years Of Strictly Country Magazine / Strictly Country
• Teardrops Falling In The Snow / Traver Hollow / 25 Years Of Strictly Country Magazine / Strictly Country
• The Prisoner's Song / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys / Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Train Without A Track / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Heartaches & Dreams / Rebel
• Seventeen Cents / Lynn Morris / You'll Never Be The Sun / Rounder
• Casey Jones / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
• Headed Home For Maine / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / The Last Log Drive / Revonah
• I'll Love Nobody But You / Grisman, Gill, Pedersen, Buchanan, Gordy / Here Today / Rounder
• Foggy Mountain Chimes / Grisman, Gill, Pedersen, Buchanan, Gordy / Here Today / Rounder
• It'll Be Me / Bill Grant & Delia Bell / Dreaming / Rounder
• My Dying Day / Charlie Sizemore Band / Good News / Rounder
• Black Mountain Special / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
• Runaway Ramp / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-Produced
• Tell Me That You Love Me / Fairview Avenue / Fairview Avenue / Self-Produced
• Line Drive / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-Produced
• Swinging Bridge / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
• Turkey In The Straw / Robert Byrd / Mountain Fiddler / County Records
• I Can't Like Myself / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
• Poor Ramblin' Boy / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• I Thought That She Loved Me / Steep Canyon Ramblers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Used To These Old Blues / Special Consensus / 35 / Compass Records
• Those Gone And Left Me Blues / Patuxent Partners / Seven Or Eleven / Patuxent Music
• Red Bandana / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
• Banjo Boy Chimes / Ted Lundy & the Southern Mountain Boys / Ted Lundy & the Southern Mountain Boys / GHP Records
• Send The Angels Down / Dale Ann Bradley / Send The Angels / Compass Records
• In The Sweet Forever / Gary Waldrep Band / Road Leading Home / Blue Circle Records
• What Would You Do / Fred Etheridge & Nick Anderson / Pickin' & Singin' / Self-Produced
• Over In The Gloryland / Reno & Smiley with the Stanley Brothers / Bluegrass, 1961 / Rural Rhythm
• Give The Devil An Inch / Billy Boone Smith / Five Flat Rocks / Muddy Sunshine
• Jesus Is My Rock / Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road / Carolina Hurricane / Rural Rhythm
• Pray The Clouds Away / J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Paul Williams / Old Friends Get Together / Mountain Home
• Bad News For The Devil / John Miller / Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm Christian
• Light On My Feet, Ready To Fly / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Light On My Feet, Ready To Fly / Mountain Home
• Blue Grass Twist / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 7/18/2010

Summer is supposed to be one of those "carefree," laid-back seasons when folks think about vacations and relaxing and the like. On Sunday, we spent a total of five hours in the BG Cafe as the hosts of our 2-4PM show on WHUS this summer were away. That meant two "bonus" hours for BG (or music somewhat similar to BG), and since I had been away from the airwaves for a couple of weeks doing my own "carefree" sorts of things...well, I was ready to jump back in for a 5-hour session.

In the early hours, I thought it might be fun to put a bit of a focus on brother duets. From the earliest days of country music, brother acts have been singing harmony, and there's no doubt that the influence of many of these great acts, including the Delmore Brothers, the Blue Sky Boys, and, of course, the Monroe Brothers continues to impact actual brother (and brother-style) duets today. While the period of the late 1930s is considered by some country music historians to be the "heyday" of brother duets, today's Bluegrass music includes several actual brother duets with last names of Gibson, Spinney, and Crowe who are making some GREAT records, as well as a pretty decent act who claim to be "brothers from different mothers," Dailey & Vincent. There's just something incredibly appealing about the simplicity of two similar-sounding voices blending together to form one larger sound.

And you know that we just couldn't feature brother duets without playing music from the great Louvin Brothers. For my money, there just wasn't a country brother duet who could sing (or write) better than Ira & Charlie. These two brothers may have been total opposites, but when they sang...magic. And since Charlie celebrated his 83rd birthday on July 7th, why not pay tribute with lots of great Louvin music, sung by both the Louvins and other performers who sang their tunes, such as Jim & Jesse, the Browns, and Johnnie & Jack?

Here are a couple of books to add to your "reading list" if you'd like to learn more about either the Louvin Brothers, or their idols, the Delmore Brothers. Alton Delmore began a memoir that he never completed before his death in 1964, but the manuscript was found and originally published by the Country Music Foundation Press in 1977 with the title of The Delmore Brothers: Truth Is Stranger Than Publicity. The work is important, as very few first-hand accounts exist about country music performers in the days before World War II. The Louvin biography is also a very readable discography called Close Harmony: The Story Of The Louvin Brothers (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1996). It's probably no coincidence that the author of the Louvin book and the editor of the Delmore book are the same person: Charles K. Wolfe, the noted country music historian who died in 2006. Neither book appears to be available in any library in Connecticut, but both books are available through numerous online retailers. Do make an effort to read them if you can.

As for the rest of the BG Cafe, we shared a bit of newer music from the likes of the Darrell Webb Band, the Lonesome River Band, fiddler Tim Martin, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, and the Infamous Stringdusters. Thanks to Mountain Home Records, we got to give away a copy of the fine Jimmy Martin gospel tribute recording from a trio of former Sunny Mountain Boys: J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Paul Williams. And if that wasn't enough, we also had a one-day pass to the upcoming Podunk Bluegrass Festival in East Hartford. Thanks to everyone who called in with a request, to win one of our prizes, or to just say hello. We love to know you're out there!

I'll join you again this Sunday from 4-7PM. Hope you can tune in!

Stay cool -

Amy

REQUESTS ARE RED.

"BONUS" HOURS: 2-4PM

* Suwannee River Hoedown / Jessie Baker / Yessir! / Patuxent Music

* Will I Be That Lucky Man? / Bluegrass Patriots / E Pluribus Bluegrass / Red Feather

* Gravel In Your Shoe / Gina Britt Tew / Doing All I Can / Self-Produced

* Flint Hill Special / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Columbia

* Ocean Of Diamonds / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys / Live In Holland / Strictly Country

* Blue Railroad Train / Josh Williams with Tony Rice / Down Home / Pinecastle

* Blue Railroad Train / Delmore Brothers / Classic Cuts / JSP Records

* I've Got The Big River Blues / Delmore Brothers / Are You From Dixie? / RCA

* Nine Pound Hammer Is Too Heavy / Monroe Brothers / Are You From Dixie? / RCA

* Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet / Blue Sky Boys / Presenting The Blue Sky Boys / JEMF Records

* Have A Feast Here Tonight / Monroe Brothers / Are You From Dixie? / RCA

* Just Wondering Why / Jim & Jesse / First Sounds: The Capitol Years / Capitol

* Once More /Osborne Brothers / Once More, Volumes I & II / Sugar Hill

* The Drunkard's Hell / Stanley Brothers / Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers / Columbia

* Sinner, You'd Better Get Ready / Lily Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots / Smithsonian Folkways

* Hoping That You're Hoping / Louvin Brothers / When I Stop Dreaming: The Best Of The Louvin Brothers / Razor & Tie

* Rockin' Alone (In An Old Rocking Chair) / Everly Brothers / 36 All-Time Favorites / GSC Music

* Lonely Me, Lonely You / Gibson Brothers / Iron & Diamonds / Sugar Hill

* Make Him A Soldier / Whitstein Brothers / Sweet Harmony / Rounder

* Go Away With Me / Crowe Brothers / Brothers-n-Harmony / Rural Rhythm

* Roll On Buddy, Roll On / Wilburn Brothers / Folk Songs / Decca

* Blind Man / Spinney Brothers / If I Were Your Brother / Self-Produced

* Think Of What You've Done / Abrams Brothers / Iron Sharpens Iron / Mastershield Records

* Saw Mill / Buck Owens & His Buckaroos / On The Bandstand / Sundazed

* Open Up Your Heart / Buck Owens & His Buckaroos / In Japan! / Sundazed

* When I Stop Dreaming / Louvin Brothers / When I Stop Dreaming: The Best Of The Louvin Brothers / Razor & Tie

* Are You Missing Me / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear Family

* Give This Message To Your Heart / Larry Stephenson with Dailey & Vincent / 20th Anniversary / Pinecastle

* Freight Train / Louvin Brothers / A Tribute To The Delmore Brothers / Gusto

* I Take The Chance / The Browns / The Essential Jim Ed Brown & the Browns / RCA

* Take My Ring From Your Finger / Johnnie & Jack / For Old Times Sake / Bear Family

* Let Us Travel On / Louvin Brothers / Songs That Tell A Story / Rounder

"OFFICIAL" HOURS: 4-7PM

* Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet

* Fiddlin' John / Summertown Road / Summertown Road / Rounder

* Blue / Beth & April Stevens / O Sister! / Rounder

* Grandma's Tattoos / Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie / Southern / Rural Rhythm

* Meet Me By My Old Kentucky Home / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road

* Stop The World (And Let Me Off) / Rhonda Vincent / Destination Life / Rounder

* When I'm Gone / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Self-Produced

* Sugar Coated Love / J.D. Crowe & the New South / Live In Japan / Rounder

* I've Been All Around This World / David Davis & the Warrior River Boys / Two Dimes And A Nickel / Rebel

* There Is A Trap / Gillis Brothers / Down By The River / Hay Holler

* Working Hard Ain't Hardly Working Anymore / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Heartaches & Dreams / Rebel

* 17 Cents / Infamous Stringdusters / Things That Fly / Sugar Hill

* Popsicle Polka / Tim Martin / Bluegrass Fiddle / Patuxent Music

* Record Time Machine / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm

* Rovin' Gambler / Dierks Bentley with the Punch Brothers / Up On The Ridge / Capitol EMI

* I'm Bringing Home Good News / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm

* This World Is Not My Home / J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson & Paul Williams / Old Friends Get Together / Mountain Home

* I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You / Johnny Williams / Last Day At Galax / Mountain Roads Recordings

* Don't Throw Mama's Flowers Away / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / The Room Over Mine / Rounder

* Keep On Walking / Daughters Of Bluegrass with Jeanette Williams / Bluegrass Bouquet / Blue Circle Records

* Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury

* You Left Me Alone / Sam Bush / Circles Around Me / Sugar Hill

* Pitkin County Turnaround / Steve Martin / The Crow / Rounder

* There Ain't No Easy Street / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel

* Golden Leaves / Acoustic Blue / This Is Now / Self-Produced

* The Last Old Shovel / Phyllis Boyens / O Sister! / Rounder

* Kentucky / Everly Brothers / 36 All-Time Favorites / GSC Music

* Making Up Stories / Johnson Mountain Boys / Live At The Birchmere / Rounder

* Love Of The Mountains / Ben Greene with Allen Mills / Bluegrass Sideman / Blue Circle Records

* I Can't Like Myself / Gibson Brothers Bluegrass Band / Underneath A Harvest Moon / Big Elm Records

* Carolina Hurricane / Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road / Carolina Hurricane / Rural Rhythm

* Shadows In My Room / Hot Rize / So Long Of A Journey / Sugar Hill

* I'm Gonna Try / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced

* Turkey Buzzard / Chris Warner / Goin' To The Dance / Patuxent Music

* Out In The Cold World / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1950-1958 / JSP Records

* I'm Feeling For You (But I Can't Reach You) / Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper / Leavin' Town / Rounder

* Polka On A Banjo / Southern Rail / On The Road From Appomattox / Railway Records

* I Thought I'd Seen It All / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Mountain Home

* I'll Never See My Home Again / Bear Bridge Band / Broken Hearts & Better Times / Open Road

* Washington And Lee Fling / Pike Family & the Pine Hill Ranchers / To Warm And Comfort You / Rebel

* When I'm Gone / BearTracks / From The Hollow / AMT Records

* He Understands / Barry Scott with Dale Ann Bradley / Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm Christian

* Land Up In The Air / Special Consensus / 35 / Compass Records

* Get Behind Me Satan / Reno & Smiley / Early Years, 1951-1959 / Gusto

* Who Will Sing For Me / Donna Ulisse / Holy Waters / Hadley Music Group

* Lord, Don't Leave Me Here / Hagar's Mountain Boys / Forever Yours / Self-Produced

* There's A Higher Power / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow And The High-Rise / Live Oak Records

* Inside The Gate / Country Gentlemen / Calling My Children Home / Rebel

* It's So Hard To Stumble (When You're Down On Your Knees) / Lou Reid & Carolina / My Own Set Of Rules / Rural Rhythm

* I've Found A Hiding Place / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1950-1958 / JSP Records

* Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 7/11/2010

Hi Folks,

I got to the WHUS studio Sunday afternoon to find a new CD in the mail from Larry Gillis and the Hard Driving Bluegrass Band. Without even having a chance to listen, I put on the title track "Swampgrass" right after the opener, and as Larry was driving that archtop banjo hard, the phones lit up! I ended up playing a couple tracks from this really hard-driving traditional recording during the show, but the great news is that the Larry Gillis Band will be appearing at the TrueGrass series August 1st at the Firebox Restaurant at 539 Broad Street in Hartford.

There was more great music on this show, including tracks from a new CD from Rich In Tradition titled "Black Mountain Special." The group Rich In Tradition is an evolution of the band that recorded the great CD "Born Into Bluegrass - The Songs of Cullen Galyean" last year, and is led by Cullen's son Mickey. Every track on the new CD is excellent, and you will be hearing us play from this recording quite a lot in the coming weeks. I especially enjoy the song "Red and Green Signal Lights" co-written by Gussie L. Davis, a black songwriter who wrote this song and the huge 1930s hit "Maple On The Hill" during the 19th century. On a sad note, I just learned that Cullen Galyean passed away in his sleep Tuesday, July 13th. He must have been proud to see Mickey carrying on his great legacy.

There was more new music from Tim O'Brien, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Darrell Webb, Common Strings, and The Lonesome River Band. I also sneaked in a version of "Mama Tried" by The Bluegrass Brothers to salute Merle Haggard who was profiled on that morning's version of CBS Sunday Morning.

Amy will make the banjos and fiddles ring next week, so don't you miss it.

Jim Beaver

requests in blue

Song / Artist / Album / Label

• Eddie's Hoedown / Johnson Mountain Boys / Goin' Up Copper Creek / Copper Creek
• Swampgrass / Larry Gillis and the Hard Driving Bluegrass Band / Swampgrass / Tinman
• Poor Ramblin Boy / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• It's You Baby You / The Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
• Red And Green Signal Lights / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• M.I.S.I.P. / The John Hartford Stringband / Memories Of John / Red Clay Records
• Letter In The Mail / Tim O'Brien / Chicken & Egg / Howdy Skies Records
• Don't Act / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Smashville / Sierra Hull / Secrets / Rounder
• The Harder I Fall / Cherryholmes / Cherryholmes IV: Common Threads / Skaggs Family
• One Morning In May / Bill Yates & Friends / Country Gentlemen Tribute Volume II / Self-released
• From The Gutter To The Grave / Patuxent Partners / Seven Or Eleven / Patuxent
• Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar / Bryan Sutton and Friends / Almost Live / Sugar Hill
• Tarred And Feathered / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-released
• Revenuer's Blues / The Del McCoury Band / Family Circle / McCoury Music
• Bailin' Again / James Reams & The Barnstormers / Pre-release Single / Mountain Redbird
• The Old Coon Dog / Don Stover / Things In Life / Rounder
• 40 Years / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa / Self-released
• Whippoorwill / Billy Boone Smith / Live From The Moose Lodge / Muddy Sunshine
• Banjo Blues / Chris Warner / Goin' To The Dance / Patuxent
• The Last Song / Josh Williams / Down Home / Pinecastle
• The Bluebirds Singing For Me / Larry Stephenson / 20th Anniversary / Pinecastle
• What Gives You The Right / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
• Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss / Joe Walsh / Saturday Night Waltz / Self-released
• Goodbye Wheeling / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
• I Thought That She Loved Me / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• Sweet Sunny South / Suzanne Thomas / Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts / Rounder
• Where Is My Little Cabin Home / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow and the High-Rise / Live Oak Records
• The Old Home Town / White Mountain Bluegrass / Oh So Many Years / Self-released
• Black Mountain Special / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• Willie Moore / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
• Things Things Things / The Cana Ramblers / No Expectations / Self-released
• Love Has Its Way Of Hurting / Larry Gillis and the Hard Driving Bluegrass Band / Swampgrass / Tinman
• July You're A Woman / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-released
• I Can't Go On This Way / Hagar's Mountain Boys / Forever Yours / Self-released
• Heartbreak Express / Delia Bell and Bill Grant / Dreaming / Rounder
• Worried Man Blues (bed) / Tom Adams / Adams County Banjo / Rounder
  
• The Village Bear (bed) / Tom Adams / Adams County Banjo / Rounder
• Brushy Creek (bed) / Tom Adams / Adams County Banjo / Rounder
• Please Don't Honey Please Don't / Bob Paisley and the Southern Grass / Steeped In Tradition / Self-released
• Mama Tried / The Bluegrass Brothers / As Time Goes By / Self-released
• Brand New Set Of Blues / Williams & Clark Expedition / Brand New Set Of Blues / Acoustiblue
• Bullets Always Win / Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice / Heartaches and Dreams / Rebel
• Ohoopee / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler
• Whisper Baby / Valerie Smith & Becky Buller / Here's A Little Song... / Bell Buckle
• Spin On A Red Brick Floor / Nu-Blu / Nights / Self-released
• Beautiful Hall / Jeff Parker and others / Look To The Light - Songs of Faith from the Pen of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• Give The Devil An Inch / Billy Boone Smith / Five Flat Rocks / Muddy Sunshine
• Glorious Power / Common Strings / Somewhere In Glory / Rural Rhythm
• Hallelujah / The Isaacs / ...Naturally / Gaither-Spring House
• Living The Right Life Now / Paul Williams & The Victory Trio / Just A Little Closer Home / Rebel
• I Will Not Be Denied / Larry Sparks / I Just Want To Thank You Lord / Rural Rhythm
• My Lord What A Morning / Sweet Potato Pie / Journey Called Life / Mountain Fever
• Let's All Go Down To The River / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold This Body Down / Jim Lloyd and the Skyliners / Songs From My Attic / Mountain Roads
• The Promise / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler

Free guitar clinic in Manchester, CT -- Friday, 7/8...

This may be of interest to those who play the guitar, or are learning to play the guitar:

Free Johnny Hiland Guitar Clinic

Friday, July 8, 2010 - 7PM

Dubaldo Music Center

50 Purnell Place

Manchester, CT

860 649-2036

info@dubaldomusic.com

Johnny started out playing Bluegrass in Maine and later was a session musician in Nashville.

Besides guitar, Hiland also plays banjo, fiddle and mandolin. He has won two awards from the Down East Country Music Association for his instrumental skills.

BG in Chaplin, CT on Sunday, 7/11...

The Chaplin (CT) Congregational Church celebrates its 200th anniversary this weekend with two big days of events and activities, including a BG show on Sunday afternoon from ShoreGrass. Here's a note from Barbara Shaw of ShoreGrass with some details about the show:

ShoreGrass at Chaplin Congregational Church

Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 4 pm

43 Chaplin Street, Chaplin, CT

Free-will Donation

Info: (860) 455-9708

ShoreGrass, a bluegrass band from the Connecticut shoreline, will perform at a fundraiser for the Chaplin Congregational Church on Sunday, July 11 at 4 pm in the sanctuary. This is part of the 200th anniversary celebration of this church at 43 Chaplin Street in Chaplin, CT, and the price of admission is a free-will donation at the door. Refreshments will be served following the concert.

This concert will be comprised of Frank & Barbara Shaw (banjo, guitar and vocals), Grammy-winner Stacy Phillips on Dobro and fiddle, Bill Reveley on mandolin and Matt McCauley on bass. Their music is a lively mix of traditional bluegrass, old-time, early country, gospel and folk songs as well as original pieces reflecting their roots in contemporary music, all delivered with the special sense of humor that marks all ShoreGrass performances. The group has performed locally as well as around the Northeast since 1996.

ShoreGrass has released three albums, including "In Connecticut" (2001), "Songs of the Civil War Era" (2005) and "Going Home" (2007). Bluegrass Unlimited magazine called their latest album "a pleasant collection of down-home music that should attract considerable attention for the band." Sing Out! magazine called ShoreGrass "a refreshing reminder of what bluegrass music is really all about: a talented, family-based band that seem to truly relish playing and singing together."

This event is free (donation at the door) and open to the public. Proceeds will benefit the church's maintenance fund and further the church's community outreach goals. For more information about the concert: (860) 455-9708.

www.shoregrass.com

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 7/4/2010 - Independence Day

Hi Folks!

It was a good-weather holiday weekend, and we hope you were out enjoying one of the many bluegrass events going on such as the Foot Stomp'n Festival at Mineral Springs Campground in Stafford Springs, CT, but in case you were around the radio late Sunday afternoon, we had the bluegrass for you on Bluegrass Cafe.

We used the occasion of Independence Day to pack our playlist with songs that made reference to the United States and its origins. A featured artist was James Corbitt Morris, but you know him as Jimmie Driftwood. His "Soldier's Joy," "Battle Of New Orleans," and "Sailing Away On The Ocean," while not strictly bluegrass, fit the acoustic style well enough and conveyed the desired ideas.

We used the Heritage Corner to celebrate with music a few other events that took place on or around the 4th. One was the 53rd anniversary of the first performance of The Country Gentlemen. Another was the 107th anniversary of Charlie Monroe's birthday. And another was the 73rd anniversary on July 2nd of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart in the Pacific in her ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the world in her Lockheed 10E twin engine aircraft. The Heritage Corner archives produced a great early-1970s LP from Don Stover with the song "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" that did her right.

We debuted some new music from Darrell Webb, The Lonesome River Band, and Common Strings -- all on the Rural Rhythm label which over just a few years has become one of the major players in the bluegrass genre.

We had the pleasure of giving away a couple of day tickets to a new bluegrass festival in Maine, the Saddleback Mountain Bluegrass Festival, and in the coming weeks we will be giving away day tickets to the Podunk Bluegrass Festival.

I'll be back next week, so tune in for some good ol' bluegrass music from 4-7pm ET Sunday.

Jim Beaver

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Eddie's Hoedown / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Goin' Up Copper Creek / Copper Creek
• New Freedom Bell / The Country Gentlemen / The Award Winning... / Rebel
• Soldier's Joy / Jimmie Driftwood / Americana / Bear Family
• There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere / The Osborne Brothers / Hyden / Pinecastle
• Joy Bells In My Soul / Charlie Monroe / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• Freeborn Man / Jimmy Martin / 1954-1974 / Bear Family
• Thomas Jefferson Breakdown / The Masters feat. Eddie Adcock / Banjos That Destroyed The World Vol. II / CMH
• Misery Loves Company / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• Wandering Boy / The Isaacs / Bridges / Horizon
• Are You Proud Of America / Ralph Stanley II / Carrying On / Rebel
• Jack Up The Jail / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
• Pardon Me / Tommy Brown & The County Line Grass / Hard Drivin' / Lavenir
• I'd Rather Have America / Jimmy Martin / 1954-1974 / Bear Family
• Big Black Train / Darrell Webb / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• Amelia Earhart's Last Flight / Don Stover and the White Oak Mountain Boys / West Virginia Coal Miner's Blues / Old Homestead (LP)
• All American Bluegrass Girl / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass / Girl Rounder
• Working Hard Ain't Hardly Working Anymore / Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice / Heartaches and Dreams / Rebel
• The Battle Of New Orleans / Jimmie Driftwood / Americana / Bear Family
• Red, White and Blue / Alecia Nugent / Alecia Nugent / Rounder
• Goin' Down To Charleston / The Spinney Brothers / Live at WHUS May 8, 2010 / no label
• Rovin' Gambler / Dierks Bentley / Up On The Ridge / Capitol
• Sinners, You Better Get Ready / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• Turn Up The Bottle / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• My Sweet Carolyn / Nu-Blu / Nights / Self-released
• Amanda Lynn / Lou Reid & Carolina / My Own Set Of Rules / Rural Rhythm
• I Had But 50 Cents / Ricky Skaggs / Solo - Songs My Dad Loved / Skaggs Family
• A Good Way To Get The Blues / The Grass Cats / A Good Way To Get The Blues / New Time Records
• They'll Take Me In Chains / Louis Setzer and the Appalachian Mountain Boys / Wish I Were There / Ampersand Records
• The Mary Ellen Carter / Sawmill Road / 2 - Fire On The Kettle / SMR Records
• Sailing Away On The Ocean / Jimmie Driftwood / Americana / Bear Family
• California Cotton Fields / The Cana Ramblers / No Expectations / Self-released
• The Famous Lefty Flynn's / The Grascals / The Famous Lefty Flynn's / Rounder
• Play The Lonesome Sound / Dewey Brown / Hard Times For A Fiddler / Dew Bug
• Riding On The Clinchfield (bed) / James Alan Shelton / Where I'm Bound / Sheltone
• Theme From Dillinger (bed) / James Alan Shelton / Where I'm Bound / Sheltone
• Home Sweet Home (bed) / James Alan Shelton / Where I'm Bound / Sheltone
• Love, O' Love Please Come Home / Reno & Smiley / Bluegrass 1963 / Rural Rhythm
• Bringing Mary Home / The Country Gentlemen / The Early Rebel Recordings 1962-1971 / Rebel
• Let The Light Shine Down / The Country Gentlemen / The Early Rebel Recordings 1962-1971 / Rebel
• Tall Weeds And Rust / Darren Beachley and Legends of the Potomac / Take Off / Patuxent
• Last Train To Kitty Hawk / Balsam Range / Last Train To Kitty Hawk / Mountain Home
• Another Lonely Day / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
• I've Been All Around This World / David Davis & The Warrior River Boys / Two Dimes & A Nickel / Rebel
• The Great Speckled Bird / Charlie Monroe / I'm Old Kentucky Bound / Bear Family
• What Would You Do / Fred Etheridge with Nick Anderson and Mark Doyle / Pickin and Sing'n / Self-released
• Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (But Nobody Wants To Die) / Tommy Brown & The County Line Grass / Hard Drivin' / Lavenir
• Prayer Bells Of Heaven / Crowe-Lawson-Williams / Old Friends Get Together / Mountain Home
• The Lord Will Light The Way / Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie / Southern / Rural Rhythm
• Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho / Dailey & Vincent / Singing From The Heart / Rounder
• Sailing On / Russell Moore, Dale Ann Bradley and others / Look To The Light - Songs of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• Heavenly Home / Gold Heart / My Sisters and Me / Rural Rhythm
• When The Redeemed Are Gathering In / Common Strings / Somewhere In Glory / Rural Rhythm Christian
• America The Beautiful / The Osborne Brothers / When The Roses Bloom In Dixieland / Pinecastle