"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 5/6/2012

Today was a day to pay special tribute to a New England Bluegrass pioneer, Rhode Island native Sam Tidwell, whose battle with cancer ended on April 30th.  In his 75+ years of living, Sam touched a whole lot of people with his humor and, of course, his talent.  Proficient on all of the BG instruments, to those in New England, Sam Tidwell will long be remembered for his many years working with his musical partner Fred Pike in their band known as the Kennebec Valley Boys.  Somehow, I neglected to mention during Sunday's radio program that Sam, along with his wife, Edie, has been recognized and honored by the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY as one of the Pioneers of Bluegrass.  (Side note:  in all the world, there are fewer than 400 recognized Pioneers of BG, and eight of them are from New England -- in addition to Sam and Edie, other Pioneers include Herb Applin, Bob & Grace French, Al Hawkes, Mac & Hazel McGee, Fred Pike, and Joe Val). 

In recent years, Sam Tidwell had an opportunity to be honored by some of those folks he'd inspired through the years, both during Sam Tidwell Day in Sterling, CT (6/14/2009) and by the Boston Bluegrass Union in February 2011 with their Heritage Award.  (The video below comes from Sam Tidwell Day in 2009).  At both events, one of Sam's former music students - RI native Jimmy Gaudreau - spoke about what Sam meant to him as a teacher.  Is there a better tribute to a person while he's living than to hear kind words from those he's inspired over the years?  I don't think so.  On Sunday's show, we included a bit of music from Sam's first Bluegrass band with his younger brother, Bobby (the Cedar Mountain Boys), as well as music from the Kennebec Valley Boys and Kennebec Valley Folks, and even a few of Sam's trademark "Maine stories."



While the music of Sam Tidwell was the dominant feature this week, there was also plenty of new music from new-ish (or forthcoming) projects from the likes of Marty Raybon,  NewTown, Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein, the Heather Berry & Tony Mabe Show, the Boxcars, Bill Evans, Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press, Blue & Lonesome, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, and the Spinney Brothers.   

Hope you enjoyed something you heard on today's Bluegrass Cafe, and that you'll be sure to join Jim next Sunday (Mother's Day!) for another edition of the show.

Have a good week!

Amy

REQUESTS ARE RED.

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Hard Times, Sometimes / The Traditional Grass / Songs Of Love And Life / Rebel
• When You Are Lonely / Tony Rice / The Bill Monroe Collection / Rounder
• Miles And Miles Of Texas / Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen / One Mile East Of Hazel Green / Lendel Records
• Lonely Violet / Peg & Ed / Lonely Violet / Self-Produced
• The Last Log Drive / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / The Last Log Drive / Revonah
• Six Feet Under The Ground / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Rural Rhythm Records Salutes Bill Monroe / Rural Rhythm
• The First Mistake / Missy Werner Band / Three Kinds Of Lonesome / Self-Produced
• Up This Hill And Down / Ivan Rosenberg & the Foggy Hogtown Boys / The Hogtown Sessions / Vole-O-Tone Records
• Where The Red River Flows / Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Band / One Morning In May / Rounder
• I've Lived A Lot In My Time / Dry Branch Fire Squad / Just For The Record / Rounder
• Dirt Road Heartache / Marty Raybon / Southern Roots & Branches / Rural Rhythm
• Lost Highway / Tony Holt & the Wildwood Valley Boys / Lost Highways & Treasured Memories / Old Heritage Records
• Hickory Hollow / Fred Pike, Bill Rawlings & the Twin River Boys / Genuine Authentic Folk Music / Osage Records
• No Longer A Sweetheart Of Mine / Reno & Smiley / Good Old Country Ballads / King
• Trouble And Pain / NewTown / NewTown / Self-Produced
• Home From The Mills / Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein / Home From The Mills / Rebel
• Little Darling Pal Of Mine / Heather Berry & Tony Mabe / The Heather Berry & Tony Mabe Show / Mountain Fever Records
• Jeffrey's Hell / The Boxcars / All In / Mountain Home
• Big Chief Sonny / Bill Evans / In Good Company / Native & Fine Records
• I'm Going Back To The Mountains / Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press / Fresh Cuts & Key Tracks / Rural Rhythm
• Chalk Up Another One / Blue & Lonesome / Live From Harrietville, Australia / Self-Produced
• Sunshine Special / Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Screams From The Holler / Self-Produced
• Who Showed Who / Dan Tyminski / Wheels / Rounder
• Durham's Bull / Del McCoury & the Dixie Pals / Live In Japan / Copper Creek
• Cold Wind / Northernbound / Time Goes So Fast / Self-Produced
• Kentucky Mountain Chimes / Tidwell Brothers & the Kennebec Valley Boys / single / no label
• Headed Home For Maine / Kennebec Valley Folks / Different Bands Together / Self-Produced
• Horse story / Sam Tidwell / Down On The Farm / Self-Produced
• Orange Blossom Special / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / Maine Train / Interstate Records
• Show and tell / Sam Tidwell / Down On The Farm / Self-Produced
• Blackberry Blossom / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / The Last Log Drive / Revonah Records
• The Last Log Drive / Fred Pike, Sam Tidwell & the Kennebec Valley Boys / Live at the Plainfield Town Hall, 5/14/1988 / no label
• Model T story / Sam Tidwell / Live / Self-Produced
• My Walking Shoes Don't Fit Me Anymore / Tidwell Brothers & the Cedar Mountain Boys / single / no label
• Tidwell Pike / Jimmy Gaudreau / Pieces And Bits / Goose Creek Music
• The Golden Rocket / David Peterson & 1946 / In The Mountaintops To Roam / Self-Produced
• The Train Song / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
• Trains I Missed / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• One More Ride / Bear Bridge Band / One More Ride / Open Road
• Kneel At The Cross / Bluegrass Patriots / E Pluribus Bluegrass / Red Feather
• Eternal Vacation / Dailey & Vincent / The Gospel Side Of Dailey & Vincent / Cracker Barrel
• Throne Of Grace / Warrior River Boys / New Beginnings / Rounder
• Let The Light Shine Down / Country Gentlemen / Let The Light Shine Down / Rebel
• Beyond The Sunset / Doyle Lawson, Russell Moore, Jamie Dailey, Josh Swift / Life Goes On / Rural Rhythm
• Down To The River To Pray / Tim & Mollie O'Brien / Take Me Back / Sugar Hill
• Give Me The Flowers While I'm Living / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1955-1959 / JSP Records
• He Will Set Your Fields On Fire / Kennebec Valley Folks / Different Bands Together / Self-Produced
• Gone Home / Gibson Brothers / Iron & Diamonds / Sugar Hill
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder