After opening the Cafe' I did a couple of sets of songs from Rounder recordings to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rounder Records. For any entertainment company to be in business forty years is an
accomplishment, but it has been especially significant to bluegrass because after its founding, Rounder quickly became the blue chip standard for delivering some of the most important music to the bluegrass community, and most certainly helped the bluegrass genre grow. Rounder's founders were Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin (pictured right)
Think of the J.D. Crowe and The New South record, still called "Rounder 0044" by many, and Alison Krauss who has become one of the most admired and rewarded artists in our time, and you get an idea of Rounder's influence. (At Bluegrass Cafe', we believe only half tongue-in-cheek that if Rounder had done nothing more than release those Johnson Mountain Boys records it would have been a successful enterprise.)
Rounder was acquired by Concord Music Group, a large California independent, earlier this year, and from my perspective it appears bluegrass may become a minor scene within the bigger Concord picture going forward, but the genre is big enough to have several excellent labels join the bluegrass community in recent years, and much of the credit for the environment that supports the newer folks goes to Rounder.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of labels with even longer histories in bluegrass -- Rebel for one, and Rural Rhythm which was founded around 55 years ago.
The remaining portion of the show was devoted mostly to new or newer releases and new reissues of older releases. Some notables included songs from The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Ashleigh Caudill, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, Big Country Bluegrass, Rodney Dillard, The Bluegrass Brothers, Volume Five, Grasstowne, Charlie Sizemore, and Peter Rowan.
The Heritage Corner hit on a few oldies, but delighted in a tune from Jimmy Martin and The Sunny Mountain Boys (JD & Paul) on an excellent re-issue of Big Jam Session on Old Homestead.
Thanks for listening!
Jim Beaver
Song / Artist / Album / Label
- Foggy Mountain Special / Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Columbia
- Comin' On Strong / Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys / One Morning In May / Rounder
- Duncan & Brady / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Blue Diamond / Rounder
- John Henry / George Pegram / Classic Old-Time Music / Smithsonian Folkways [a surrogate for Rounder 001 which I have but couldn't find in time for the broadcast]
- When I Stop Dreaming / Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals / Songs Of The Louvin Brothers / Rounder
- If I Could Only Win Your Love / Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen / At Edwards Barn / Rounder
- Seven Year Blues / Longview / Songs Of The Louvin Brothers / Rounder
- Natural Bridge Blues / Lefty Hall with the Blue Mountain Boys / WPAQ: The Voice Of The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rounder
- Up This Hill And Down / The Grascals / The Famous Lefty Flynn's / Rounder
- Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives / The Steeldrivers / Reckless / Rounder
- Head Hung Down / Dailey & Vincent / Brothers From Different Mothers / Rounder
- Yesterday I Didn't Know / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats & Ties / Rebel
- Poor Ramblin Boy / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
- A Couple A Dozen / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
- Today Marks The Day / Larry Gillis / Swampgrass / Tinman
- Bicycle Wreck / The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Poor Leroy's Almanack / Self-released
- Weather's Got To Change / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
- Plant Some Flowers / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-released
- The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill Road / Rebel
- Rovin' Gambler / Dierks Bentley / Up On The Ridge / EMI
- Fruit of the Vine / Ashleigh Caudill / Fruit Of The Vine / Self-released
- So Long / The Bluegrass Brothers / So Long / Self-released
- Mayberry Moment / Rodney Dillard / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
- The Darlin' Boys / Rodney Dilliard & The Dillard Band / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
- Never See My Home Again / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra
- There Is A Time / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra
- Shady Grove / Paula Dellenback / The Crooked Road / Self-released
- Could It Be Goodbye / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa Out / In The Middle Of Nowhere / Raincoe
- Have Mercy / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
- The Family Demon / Peter Rowan / Legacy / Compass
- No Lawyers In Heaven / Charlie Sizemore / Rounder 2010 IBMA Sampler / Rounder
- Acoustic Toothpick / Phil Leadbetter / Southern Filibuster: A Tribute To Tut Taylor / E1
- Kickin' Up Dust / Grasstowne / Rural Rhythm Class of 2010 / Rural Rhythm
- Silvertone Rag / The Bristol Boys / All Aboard With The Bristol Boys / Self-released
- Love Of The Mountains / Grass Routes / Something New / Self-released
- The Other Side / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
- Washington Lee Fling (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
- Remington Ride (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
- Old Henry Hill / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
- In The Garden By The Fountain / Rhonda Vincent / Taken / Upper Management
- Dog Bite Your Hide / Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys / Big Jam Session / Old Homestead
- Like A Stone / Volume Five / Down In A Cell / Mountain Fever
- Tears On My Tracks / Billy Boone Smith / Live From The Moose Lodge / Muddy Sunshine
- Jealous Hearted Me / The Carter Family / In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain / Bear Family
- Live Right, Leave Right / Around The Corner / Statement / Mountain Fever
- John In The Jordan / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm
- Wait On The Lord / Sweet Potato Pie / Journey Called Life / Mountain Fever
- I'm Gonna Walk The Streets Of Gold / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats & Ties / Rebel
- Just Call On Him / The Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
- The Good Samaritan / Jeff Parker and others / Look To The Light... Songs of Faith From The Pen of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
- He Is Near / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
- Inside The Gate / Ginger Boatwright / Inside The Gate / Self-released
- Let The Light Shine Down / Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice / Heartaches and Dreams / Rebel
- Walking In A Dream / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
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