Mike Auldridge (December 30, 1938-December 29, 2012) |
During the show, we also remembered a few of the Bluegrass legends who left us in 2012, including Doug Dillard, Everett Lilly, Doc Watson, and Earl Scruggs -- all members of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. A bit closer to home, we lost two notable New England Bluegrass originals in 2012: the one and only Sam Tidwell died in April after a lengthy battle with cancer, and just last month, Allan "Mac" McHale died from heart problems a few hours after playing a show in his hometown of Bangor, Maine. Both of these men are recognized as "Pioneers of Bluegrass" by the International Bluegrass Music Museum, and their music will remain an important part of our BG programming at WHUS for years to come.
A 1989 country-ish side project for Seldom Scene bandmates. |
Sadly, we're ending 2012 by adding another name to the "Gone But Not Forgotten" list. On December 29th, Dobro master and Seldom Scene co-founder, Mike Auldridge, died one day before celebrating what would have been his 74th birthday. A native of the Washington, D.C. area, Mike was inspired to play the Dobro after hearing the sounds of Buck Graves playing in the band of Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper. The Dobro playing (and great baritone singing) of Mike Auldridge has inspired many a picker who has come after him, and without a doubt, his super-neat stage attire will be remembered for years to come. We remembered Mike Auldridge the best way we know how: by playing a whole lot of his music, including Seldom Scene classics, a couple of songs from Mike's first professional gig in the late 1960s with Bill Emerson & Cliff Waldron, and later tunes from recordings Auldridge made with T. Michael Coleman and Lou Reid, as well as Richard Bennett and Jimmy Gaudreau.
In addition to a whole bunch of 2012 music, we squeezed in a couple of songs from a soon-to-be-released CD from Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. This CD is called "Bluegrassed," and will only be available at Cracker Barrel restaurants. The song selection includes mostly covers of 1960s and 1970s country songs from the likes of John Denver, Don Williams, Gene Watson, and Glen Campbell, among others, but there are also a couple of bona fide BG songs. Those Bluegrass songs are the ones we played today.
A program note: if you're looking for a place to listen to BG on the radio on New Year's Day, we invite you to join us at WHUS. From 1:00-3:00PM, I'll join you for a fill-in program featuring some classic country music and Bluegrass (expect to hear some Hank Williams), and then, from 3:00-5:00PM, it'll be James and Cathy Ward with their "Bluegrass Rules" program. Be sure, as well, to join Jim next Sunday afternoon from 4:00-7:00PM in the Bluegrass Cafe. Sounds like a great way to start a new year to me!
Thanks for listening to us throughout 2012, and we hope you'll keep on tuning in during 2013! Happy New Year!
Amy
REQUESTS ARE RED; 2012 RELEASES ARE BROWN.
- Katy Hill / The Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- Farewell Blues / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury
- Never See My Home Again / The Dillards / There Is A Time / Vanguard
- No More The Moon Shines On Lorena / Everett Lilly / Everett Lilly & Everybody & Their Brother / Swift River Music
- Greenville Trestle High / Doc Watson / Best Of The Sugar Hill Years / Sugar Hill
- Randy Lynn Rag / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Columbia
- When The Snow Falls On My Foggy Mountain Home / Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers / They're Playing My Song / Rebel
- A Far Cry From Lester And Earl / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / The Heart Of A Song / Rebel
- Angeline The Baker / Lonesome River Band / Chronology, Volume 1 / Rural Rhythm
- New Shoes / Dale Ann Bradley / Somewhere South Of Crazy / Compass Records
- Help My Brother / Gibson Brothers / Help My Brother / Compass Records
- The Old Home Place / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Bluegrassed / Cracker Barrel
- Willow Creek Dam / American Drive / American Drive / Rural Rhythm
- Face The Music / Too Blue / Trouble With The Grey / Self-Produced
- Big Sciota / Randy Jones / When Old Lonesome Come Around / Self-Produced
- Arkansas / Heather Berry & Tony Mabe / The Heather Berry & Tony Mabe Show / Mountain Fever Records
- Big Spike Hammer / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Bluegrassed / Cracker Barrel
- Fox On The Run / Bill Emerson & Cliff Waldron / The Best Of Emerson & Waldron / Rebel
- Raised By The Railroad Line / Seldom Scene / Act One / Rebel
- Spanish Grass / Bill Emerson & Cliff Waldron / The Best Of Emerson & Waldron / Rebel
- I Wish You Knew / Auldridge, Reid & Coleman / High Time / Sugar Hill
- Silence Or Tears / Auldridge, Bennett & Gaudreau / This Old Town / Rebel
- Wait A Minute / Seldom Scene / Different Roads / Rebel
- Quicksand / Darren Beachley & Legends Of The Potomac / Take Off / Patuxent Music
- Treasures Untold / Mike Auldridge / Treasures Untold / Sugar Hill
- Monroe / Special Consensus / Scratch Gravel Road / Compass Records
- Don't Fall In Love With A Girl Like That / The Boxcars / All In / Mountain Home
- Lonely Ends Where Love Begins / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Live At Red, White & Bluegrass / Mountain Home [also a request]
- Rebels Ye Rest / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records [also a request]
- Broke Down And Lonesome / King Wilkie / Broke / Rebel
- Midnight Ramble / Cullen Galyean / Born Into Bluegrass: The Songs Of Cullen Galyean / Mountain Roads Recordings
- One More Ride / Bear Bridge Band / One More Ride / Open Road
- I Saw Your Face In The Moon / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / Road Into Town / Patuxent Music
- Slow Down (You'll Hit A Moose) / Stan Keach & Friends / Cry Of The Loon & Other Original Songs About Maine / Ayuh Records
- Sweet Blue Eyed Darling / Sweet Potato Pie / Brand New Day / Mountain Fever Records
- The Last Log Drive / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / The Last Log Drive / Revonah
- Jimmy Brown / Herman McGee with Mac McHale / Family And Friends / Self-Produced
- The Greatest Creator / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Sing Me A Song About Jesus / Mountain Home
- Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven / Detour / A Better Place / Self-Produced
- Open Up Your Heart (And Let Jesus In) / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
- Sinner, You Better Get Ready / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots, 1961 / Smithsonian Folkways
- Row By Row / Balsam Range / Papertown / Mountain Home
- Lord Protect My Soul / Kathy Kallick Band / Time / Live Oak Records
- Sing, Sing, Sing / Mike Scott / Take Me Lord And Use Me / Rural Rhythm
- I Saw The Light / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Anthology / MCA
- Auld Lang Syne / Bill Keith / O Christmas Tree / Rounder