In a show airing 13 days before Christmas, you might expect to hear a good number of Christmas tunes. While the weather outside the studio wasn't making me think of Christmas things (it was about 50 degrees, very rainy, and the wind was blowing like crazy), we still managed to play a good number of tunes for the season from folks like the Country Gentlemen, Rick Lang & Friends, the Wildwood Valley Boys, Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, the Stanley Brothers, the Stony Point Quartet, Bill Grant & Delia Bell (with some help from the Johnson Mountain Boys), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Darrin Vincent & Jamie Dailey (recorded before the existence of "Dailey & Vincent"), and Reno & Smiley. We also included a new Christmas tune for 2010 from Balsam Range, and both sides of a single release from an eastern CT band known as the Pike Brothers & the Pine Hill Ranchers. This band included brothers Fred & Earl Pike, as well as Earl's very talented daughter, then 16-year-old, Earlene. Even though the sound quality of this record wasn't the greatest for airplay, I think it's always important to listen to music made in eastern CT, and this record (probably recorded in Sterling, CT in 1969) fills that bill quite nicely. The photo below shows the Pike Brothers & Pine Hill Ranchers from the late 1960s/early 1970s, including Earl Pike on the guitar, his daughter Earlene (1953-1972), Fred Pike on the banjo in the front row, and Sam Tidwell on the electric bass, Gordon Pike with a (gasp!) drum, and Dave Papuga on the electric guitar. This photo and many more great ones can be found on Bob Denoncourt's website -- click here for more info.
Fred Pike was also an early employer of a Rhode Island musician named Jimmy Gaudreau. Bluegrass history will show that JG was the man who was hired to take the place of John Duffey in the Country Gentlemen, but he's also worked with J.D. Crowe & the New South, Spectrum, the Tony Rice Unit, and in a group called Chesapeake with Mike Auldridge and Moondi Klein through the years. The BG world first heard Jimmy Gaudreau on a recording made by Fred Pike, Bill Rawlings & the Twin River Boys in 1965. While I didn't play a tune from that particular LP on Sunday, I played a couple of tracks from Jimmy Gaudreau's recently released all-instrumental recording called, "Pieces And Bits." One of the tunes on this CD is named after two of Gaudreau's mentors: "Tidwell Pike." It's a nice tribute to some great New England musicians: Sam Tidwell and Fred Pike.
It's the Christmas season, so we thought it would be nice to give away a couple of recordings on Sunday. Two lucky callers will soon be receiving copies of the last Gibson Brothers recording released on Hay Holler Records: "Another Night Of Waiting" and/or the latest gospel recording from Lou Reid & Carolina ("Sounds Like Heaven To Me") on Rural Rhythm Christian. Thanks to the labels for donating these discs for giveaways, and thanks, especially, to all of the listeners of "BG Cafe" for keeping us company on Sundays throughout the year.
You likely won't be hearing me on the air again before Christmas, so I'll take a moment to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for lots of health, happiness, and great BG music in 2011!
Join Jim on Sunday, December 19th for the next edition of the "BG Cafe." There may be a bit of sports preemption at the start, but you're encouraged to listen in for lots of top-notch music.
Have a fine week -
Amy
REQUESTS ARE RED.
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- Christmas Time Back Home / Country Gentlemen / Christmas Time Back Home / Rebel
- The Season Of My Heart / Rick Lang & Friends / The Season Of My Heart / Self-Produced
- Christmas Time / Wildwood Valley Boys / Christmas In The Mountains / Rebel
- That White Christmas Song / Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers / Sugar Plums / Sugar Hill
- It's You Baby You / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
- Hit The Road / Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
- Busy City / Volume Five / Down In A Cell / Mountain Fever Records
- Nellie Kane / Hot Rize / Hot Rize / Flying Fish
- Prillaman's Switch / Tim Martin / Bluegrass Fiddle / Patuxent Music
- Plastic Heart / Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
- I've Lived A Lot In My Time / Dry Branch Fire Squad / Just For The Record / Rounder
- Say You'll Take Me Back / Johnson Mountain Boys / Working Close / Rounder
- A Broken Heart Keeps Beatin' / Adam Steffey / One More For The Road / Sugar Hill
- The Blues Are Still The Blues / Traditional Grass / Howdy Neighbor Howdy / Rebel
- Another Day, Another Dollar / Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers / Rambler's Call / Rebel
- If We Make It Through December / Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum / Winter's Grace / Signature Sounds
- Christmas Is Near / Stanley Brothers / Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Time Life
- Oh Christmas Candle / Stony Point Quartet / Good Home Grown Music Christmas Sampler / Blue Circle
- My Little Silver Bells / Bill Grant & Delia Bell / O Christmas Tree / Rounder
- Graves Mountain Memories / Various Artists / The All-Star Jam: Live At Graves Mountain / Rural Rhythm Christian
- Pages Of Time / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats And Ties / Rebel
- Train Without A Track / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Heartaches & Dreams / Rebel
- Old Man From The Mountain / BearTracks / Together 'Til The End / AMT Records
- Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury
- Cryin' Heart Blues / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
- Trail Of The Lonesome Pine / Bluegrass Patriots / Springtime In The Rockies / Copper Creek
- Another Night Of Waiting / Gibson Brothers / Another Night Of Waiting / Hay Holler
- Missionary Good Book Man / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm Christian
- Jesse & Don / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces And Bits / Goose Creek Music
- Daddy Loved Trains / Wildfire / Crash Course In The Blues / Lonesome Day
- Virginia Bound / Josh Slone & Coaltown / Prime Cuts & Key Tracks, Volume 9 / Rural Rhythm
- Noodlin' / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces And Bits / Goose Creek Music
- Tidwell Pike / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces And Bits / Goose Creek Music
- All I Want For Christmas Is You / Pike Brothers & the Pine Hill Ranchers / single / no label
- You Love Me Just A Little At A Time / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
- Walkin' West To Memphis / Casey & Chris & the Two-Stringers / Get Along Girl / Arrandem Records
- There Ain't No Easy Street / Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
- I Feel The Christmas Spirit / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House / SSK
- Mary's Little Lamb / Balsam Range / A Mountain Home Christmas / Mountain Home
- Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy / Pike Brothers & the Pine Hill Ranchers / single / no label
- Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem / Darrin Vincent & Jamie Dailey / Christmas Grass, Volume 2 / Koch Records
- There's A Higher Power / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow And The High-Rise / Live Oak Records
- A Beautiful Life / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1957-1958 / JSP Records
- House Of Gold / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, 1957-1958 / JSP Records
- Preachin' Prayin' Singin' / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
- Let Him Lead You / Jim Eanes / Let Him Lead You / Rebel
- If You Are To Sin Inclined / Bill Carroll / Christmas Time Back Home / Rebel
- Joy Of Revelation / McCoury Brothers / The McCoury Brothers / Rounder
- Jingle Bells / Reno & Smiley / Christmas Time's A-Comin' / Time Life
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