For this four-hour show we paid tribute to Wade Mainer on his 104th birthday (4/21) and Hazel Dickens who died Friday (4/22). An extended gospel set featuring songs with an Easter theme finished the show.
Wade Mainer was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina, near Weaverville, in 1907. He joined his brother J.E. in Concord, North Carolina (my hometown - JB) around 20 years later to get work in the local textile mills, and it was there he joined his brother's fledgling band which won appearances on powerhouse WBT in Charlotte thanks to Crazy Water Crystals (a patent remedy), and then recording sessions for Bluebird (division of Victor) beginning in 1935. Those early recording sessions produced one of the most popular hillbilly records of the 1930s, a reworking of Gussie L. Davis' "Maple On The Hill" that included an original melody. Wade split amicably with his brother in 1936 and blazed his own musical path which led him to Flint, Michigan, in the early 1950s where he got a job with General Motors. Partly because of a strong religious rededication, Wade and his wife Julia stopped playing at all for many years until Molly O'Day convinced him that people were still interested in his music. Wade and Julia recorded several records for John Morris' Old Homestead label in Flint over the next few decades. Wade's last official record was released in 1992. Because of the influence of Wade's music and transition technique of using two fingers to pick the banjo, he is sometimes called the Grandfather of Bluegrass Music. The photo shows Dick Spottswood (musicologist and DJ), Julia, and Wade Mainer.
Much has been written about Hazel Dickens since she passed away April 22 from complications of pneumonia, but I remember her as a powerful singer and songwriter who took her inspiration from the downtrodden of whom she felt a part. She was as well known in folk circles as bluegrass; nevertheless, in the 1960s Hazel, along with Alice Gerrard, began the first bluegrass band headed by females. Bill Monroe liked her, and one of the songs we played on this show was from an all night jam at Tex Logan's house in 1966 where Monroe called her up to sing with him. Her songs, her intensity, and her character have inspired many musicians and others over the years.Because this show fell on Easter, the last hour and a half of was devoted to bluegrass gospel music inspired by the Easter story.
Be sure to tune in Sunday 5/1 when Amy will make the banjos and fiddles ring.
Jim Beaver
Song Title / Artist / Album / Label
- Katy Hill / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
- Francis Lee / Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers / 24 Bluegrass Favorites / Rural Rhythm
- Cold Wind (On Fletcher Hill) / Open Road / Cold Wind / Rounder
- In The Corner At The Table By The Jukebox / James Reams and the Barnstormers / One Foot In The Honky Tonk / Mountain Redbird
- Paint This Town / Wildfire / Crash Course In The Blues / Lonesome Day
- Today Marks The Day / Larry Gillis and the Hard Driving Bluegrass Band / Swampgrass / Tinman
- Another Day, Another Dollar / Graves, Scruggs, Mosley / A Bluegrass Tribute to Studio B / Farm County
- Little Sister Throw Your Red Shoes Away / Travers Chandler & Avery County / State Of Depression / Patuxent
- Boil Them Cabbage Down / The Grascals / Dance Til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin' / BluGrascal
- Didn't It Rain / The Hagar's Mountain Boys / Where's The Lonesome / Mountain Fever
- Bald Knob, Arkansas / The Vern Williams Band / Traditional Bluegrass / Arhoolie
- Up In The Wheelhouse / Grasstowne / Kickin' Up Dust / Rural Rhythm
- Frozen In Time / The Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass
- I'm The Boss / Jim & Valerie Gabehart / It's My Turn / Self-released
- Ugly Girl Blues / VW Boys / Retroactive / Mountain Roads
- Jubilation Day / Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers / Rare Bird Alert / Rounder
- I've Got The Railroad Blues / Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper / Fired Up / Rounder
- Kentucky Waltz / Butch Robins / Grounded-Centered-Focused / Hay Holler
- Another Lonely Day / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
- Fire On The Mountain / Michael Cleveland / Sawing On The "C" String / Self-released
- Little Maggie / Wade Mainer & Zeke Morris / The Golden Age of J.E. Mainer's Mountaineers / Cattle
- Those Blue Eyes / Wade Mainer / I 'm Not Looking Backward / Gusto
- Walking In My Sleep / Wade Mainer / From The Maple On The Hill / Old Homestead
- Ramshackle Shack / Wade & Julia Mainer / In The Land Of Melody / JuneAppal
- Trickling Water / Wade & Julia Mainer / In The Land Of Melody / JuneAppal
- I Can't Sit Down / Wade & Julia Mainer / In The Land Of Melody / JuneAppal
- What Do You Say? / Sierra Hull / Daybreak / Rounder
- Tennessee Tea / Joe Diffie / Homecoming / Rounder
- Tragic Love / Tom Mindte & Jeremy Stephens / Radio Favorites & Sacred Songs / Patuxent
- Lay My Burden Down / Alison Krauss & Union Station / Paper Airplane / Rounder
- Sweet Hearts Again / Fred Etheridge w. Nick Anderson & Mark Doyle / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
- A Daisy A Day / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill Road / Rebel
- Heartaches and Teardrops / The Cana Ramblers / No Expectations / Self-released
- All The Way To Reno / Bill Harrell & Don Reno / 20 Bluegrass Greats / Gusto
- The Darlin' Boys / Rodney Dillard / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
- Didn 't It Rain / Lizzy Long & Little Roy Lewis / Straight From The Heart of Dixie / Crossroads
- It's Hard To Tell The Singer From The Song / Molly & Jack Tuttle / The Old Apple Tree / Back Studio
- Cindy / Dick Rittler w. Hazel Dickens / American Banjo Three Finger and Scruggs Style / Smithsonian Folkways
- Roll In My Sweet Baby 's Arms / Bill Monroe w. Hazel Dickens / live Recordings 1956-1969 / Smithsonian Folkways
- Won 't You Come and Sing For Me / Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard / Pioneering Women Of Bluegrass / Smithsonian Folkways
- Cowboy Jim / Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard / Pioneering Women Of Bluegrass / Smithsonian Folkways
- Old River / Hazel Dickens & Ginny Hawker / Heart Of A Singer / Rounder
- Last Old Shovel / Phyllis Boyens w. Hazel Dickens / I Really Care / Rounder
- You'll Get No More of Me / Hazel Dickens / A Few Old Memories / Rounder
- Mama's Hand / Hazel Dickens / A Few Old Memories / Rounder
- Working Girl Blues / Hazel Dickens / A Few Old Memories / Rounder
- Black Lung / Hazel Dickens / Harlan County USA / Rounder
- I Can Hear The Angels Singing / Reno & Smiley / Early Years 1951-1959 / Gusto
- Purple Robe / Ralph Stanley & Joe Isaacs / A Gospel Gathering / CRFreeland
- He's Passing This Way / Wade Mainer / I'm Not Looking Backward / Gusto
- In The Shadow Of The Cross / Lewis Tradition / Precious Memories / New Day
- Kneel At The Cross / The Stanley Brothers / The King Years 1961-1965 / Gusto
- Carry It Back To The Cross / Various Artists / Born Into Bluegrass - The Songs Of Cullen Galyean / Mountain Roads
- The Man In The Middle / Hot Rize / Heaven Bound 2 / Time Life
- Crosses And Stones / Dale Ann Bradley / Send The Angels / Mountain Home
- Legend Of The Dogwood Tree / Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper / Heaven Bound 2 / Time Life
- Each Ring Of The Hammer / Mac Wiseman / Sunday Morning Singin' / Rural Rhythm
- I'm Not Turning Backward / J.E. Mainer & His Mountaineers / Run Mountain-30 Old Time Favorites / Gusto
- Cry From The Cross / Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys / Cry From The Cross / Rebel
- Just As The Sun Went Down / The Spinney Brothers / Here At The Cross / Self-released
- Were You There / Bill Monroe / Heaven Bound / Time Life
- I 'm Justified / The Del McCoury Band / Family Circle / McCoury Music
- Old Rugged Cross / Larry Sparks / Gloryland / Time Life
- He Took Your Place / Flatt & Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Gospel / Columbia Legacy
- The Last Thing On His Mind / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Self-titled / Mountain Home
- By The Mark / Dailey & Vincent / Self-titled / Rounder
- Hide You In The Blood / Lewis Family / Born Of The Spirit / Starday
- Stone Was Rolled Away / The Old Time Bluegrass Singers / Plastic Heart / Open Road
- From The 3rd Day On / Brink Brinkman / On The Brink Of A Dream / Self-released
- I Am The Man, Thomas / Various Artists / The Stanley Gospel Tradition / Doobie Shea
- Did Christ O'er Sinners Weep / Doc Watson / On Praying Ground / Sugar Hill
- The Promise / The Gillis Brothers / Best Of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler
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