"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 1/16/2011

Hi Folks.

Bluegrass Cafe was pretty special this week since Marti and I had three very accomplished bluegrass women pay us a visit.

Valerie Smith and Becky Buller joined us first and brought us up to date on their new project, "Blame It On The Bluegrass," which has the distinction of being the first album ever recorded in the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. This 6-song EP (Valerie calls it a "six-pack") contains some energetic music, two songs of which were written or co-written by super-songwriter, Becky (including the title song). Besides the information from our previous blog entry, you can view a video of the making of the album here --> Making of Blame It On The Bluegrass

Next was a visit from current and three-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson of The Grascals. Kristin delighted us with her musical history (she is related to Arval Hogan - pioneering musician of the duo Whitey & Hogan, and The Briarhoppers - and named her son Hogan after him), and told us about The Grascals' new CD on the Cracker Barrel label -- The Grascals & Friends - This new CD, only available at Cracker Barrel stores or at Cracker Barrel on line, pairs the group with many famous country artists such as Dierks Bentley, Tom T. Hall, and Charlie Daniels. Accordingly, the music has more elements of country than previous Grascals albums, but there is still plenty of Grascals-style bluegrass in the songs. A feature of the new album is a song written by Grascals singer Jamie Johnson titled "I Am Strong" inspired by St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Dolly Parton performed the song with the Grascals. You can see the video here --> "I Am Strong"

We played an entire 15-minute radio show from the 1950s by "Allerton & Alton," the Cumberland Ridge Runners, who were actually Maine bluegrass legend Al Hawkes and his partner Al Myers. The unusual part of this duo was that Al Myers happened to be black. This was such an unusual arrangement for the time that Bear Family has seen fit to release a CD with many of the old Allerton & Alton radio performances titled "Black, White and Bluegrass." We just obtained the CD and it was an interesting coincidence that we played this set of music on the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.

Other music included more from excellent New England old-time duo Taylors Grove (Mac McHale and Carolyn Hutton), a retrospective from the Heritage Corner comparing a song from the original Carter Family with a modern version from Chesapeake, a track from Charlie Moore's "Avery County" LP, new music from Jimmy Gaudreau, Travers Chandler, Blue Moon Rising, and Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad. We also were happy to play a track from the newly re-released complete Vetco sessions of Hotmud Family.

Amy will be with you next week making the banjos and fiddles ring, so be sure to ask her about the great brother duet concerts with the Gibsons and the Spinneys in Massachusetts and Vermont when you get a chance.

Jim Beaver

Title / Artist / Album / Label

• Fire On The Mountain / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
• Mary Of The Homeplace / Travers Chandler / State Of Depression / Patuxent
• Poor Rambling Boy / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• Hold Whatcha Got / Lonesome River Band with Audie Blaylock / The All Star Jam - Live At Graves Mountain / Rural Rhythm
• Pain Of Loving You / The Grascals with Dolly Parton / The Grascals & Friends / Cracker Barrel
• Red and Green Signal Light / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• Gold Watch And Chain / Taylors Grove / Keep On The Sunny Side / Self-released
• Going To The Races / Taylors Grove / Keep On The Sunny Side / Self-released
• Too Many Tear Drops / Reno & Smiley / 1963-1972 Complete King Starday Recordings / Gusto
• Are You Tired Of Me My Darling / The Carter Family / In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain / Bear Family
• Are You Tired Of Me My Darling / Chesapeake / Full Sail / Sugar Hill
• Promise Me / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces and Bits / Goose Creek
• Tidwell Pike / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces and Bits / Goose Creek
• Rainin' On Her Rubber Dolly / Joe Diffie with The Grascals / Homecoming / Rounder
• My Angeline / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Self-titled / Rural Rhythm
• How Did That Turn Into My Problem? / Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford / Dogwood Winter / Rural Rhythm
• Time To Be Movin' On / Blue Moon Rising / Strange New World / Rural Rhythm
• No Vacancy / Valerie Smith / Blame It On The Bluegrass / Bell Buckle
• Interview with Valerie Smith and Becky Buller
• Blame It On The Bluegrass / Valerie Smith / Blame It On The Bluegrass / Bell Buckle
• A Good Day, Lord / Valerie Smith / Blame It On The Bluegrass / Bell Buckle
• Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives / The Steeldrivers / Reckless / Rounder
• I Wish I'd Stayed In The Wagonyard / The Hotmud Family / The Complete Vetco Recordings / Vetco (?)
• Don't Tread On Me / Kristin Scott Benson / Second Season / Pinecastle
• Interview with Kristin Scott Benson
• The Year Clayton Delaney Died / The Grascals with Tom T. Hall / The Grascals & Friends / Cracker Barrel
• I Am Strong / The Grascals with Dolly Parton / The Grascals & Friends / Cracker Barrel
• Banjo Am The Instrument For Me / The Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
• Coal Minin' Man / The Roys / Single / Rural Rhythm
• Washington Lee Fling (bed) / Fred Etheridge w. Nick Anderson, Mark Doyle / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
• Yellow Roses (bed) / Fred Etheridge w. Nick Anderson, Mark Doyle / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
• Keep On The Sunny Side / Allerton & Alton / Black, White and Bluegrass / Bear Family
• Memory Lane / Allerton & Alton / Black, White and Bluegrass / Bear Family
• Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky / Allerton & Alton / Black, White and Bluegrass / Bear Family
• Drifting Too Far From The Shore / Allerton & Alton / Black, White and Bluegrass / Bear Family
• Jar Gap / Paula Dellenback / The Crooked Road / Self-released
• Can't Live Life Here Without You / Edgar Loudermilk with Rhonda Vincent / Roads Travelled / Mountain Fever
• Matthew Twenty Four / Charlie Moore / Avery County / Old Homestead (LP)
• You Can Find It At The Cross / The Bluegrass Brothers / So Long / Self-released
• Look To The Light / John Miller and others / Look To The Light, Songs of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• I Saw The Light / David Peterson / Live In the WHUS Studio / n.a.
• I've Been Redeemed / Junior Sisk and others / Look To The Light, Songs of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• It's A Mighty Hard Road To Travel / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Light On My Feet, Ready To Fly / Horizon
• Snow Covered Mound / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
• When My Savior Welcomes Me / Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad / Self-titled / Steeltown
• Paul And Silas / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-titled / Fiddlemon Music
• Walking In A Dream / Fred Etheridge with Nick Anderson, Mark Doyle / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released