Almost the end of the fill-in shows -- 6/8/2012

When I tell you I've liked the Statlers
forever, I'm really not kidding...

Since the middle of May, I've been doing an extra two-hour show on Friday mornings from 8-10AM.  In a way, this Friday show is kind of fun, as, unless you listen to Internet radio or subscribe to Sirius, you probably don't hear a whole lot of classic country music on the radio.  Doing this second show gives me a bit more room to "stretch out" beyond the boundaries of what I might normally play on a fairly traditional BG show.  However, the show being on Friday mornings just don't work so well for a variety of reasons, so, beginning June 22nd, Steve Herzog will be taking over the timeslot, and I'm sure he'll play some interesting singer/songwriter/folkish music.  Ah, the variety you can find on college radio...

While I didn't really focus on any particular theme for this fill-in, I decided to start the show with some fog-related songs, as the trip to Storrs on Friday morning was definitely a foggy one.  I also managed to put together a couple of songs from my all-time favorites, the Statler Brothers.  Ostensibly, the reason for Statler tunes was to celebrate the 67th birthday of lead singer, Don Reid, but really, do I need an excuse to play the Statlers?  Nope.  

One of the Statlers' attempts to follow up on the success of "Flowers On The Wall" in October 1965 was a not-too-wonderful composition by a young Don Reid called, "Makin' Rounds" (recorded April 1966).  That song came from a 45 single record, which I don't normally play on the air.  The host of the early Friday morning program on WHUS, Mustapha, has been telling me that he sometimes tries to play ALL 45s during his 2-hour program, and in the day and age of CDs and programmed iPods, playing all vinyl on the air is a real rarity.  However, I was a bit inspired by Mustapha, so I dug out 5 45s.  That's not enough to make a full two-hour program, but it was enough for me!  Besides the Statlers, there was music from 45s by Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Dick Curless, and a Porter/Dolly duet.  Playing all vinyl recordings would be a tremendous challenge, but maybe that will happen for me again someday...


There was also a bit of time on Friday for new music from Travers Chandler & Avery County -- Jim debuted the Mountain Fever Records release called "Pardon Me..." a few weeks ago; as well as a new CD on Pinecastle from Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show called "Take Me Back."  The fun thing about the Shiflett record is that it includes a new band member for Big Country Show -- eastern CT's own Dany Bureau on scrub board.  Way to go, Dany!  Doubtless, you'll be hearing more from both of these projects, plus the new Rounder tribute to Earl Scruggs on "BG Cafe" in future weeks.

There'll be one more fill-in for me next Friday (8-10AM), so I hope you can join me.  Be sure to listen to Jim on Sunday afternoon (4-7PM) with the "BG Cafe," too, won't you?

Amy

• Foggy Mountain Breakdown / Craig Smith / Foggy Mountain Special:  A Bluegrass Tribute To Earl Scruggs / Rounder
• The Foggy Foggy Dew / Tim O'Brien / Cornbread Nation / Sugar Hill
• Foggy Mountain Special / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1952-1955 / JSP Records
• Carolina Moonshine Man / Lou Reid & Carolina / Callin' Me Back Home / KMA Records
• The Wishing Well / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
• Wilson County Line / Shannon Slaughter / The Sideman Steps Out / Self-Produced
• Old New Straitsville Moonshine Run / Special Consensus / Scratch Gravel Road / Compass Records
• Little Green Valley / Del McCoury, Doc Watson & Mac Wiseman / Mac, Doc & Del / Sugar Hill
• Makin' Rounds / Statler Brothers / single / Columbia
• The Class Of '57 / Statler Brothers / The Legendary Statler Brothers / Reader's Digest
• Silver Medals And Sweet Memories / Statler Brothers / The Legendary Statler Brothers / Reader's Digest
• White Lightning / George Jones / The Essential George Jones / Epic
• Don't Knock It / Hargus "Pig" Robbins / A Bit Of Country Piano / Time Records
• Man In Black / Johnny Cash / The Essential Johnny Cash / Columbia
• A Week In A County Jail / Tom T. Hall / The Essential Tom T. Hall:  The Story Songs / Mercury
• Coat Of Many Colors / Dolly Parton / single / RCA
• The Farmer's Daughter / Merle Haggard / single / Capitol
• A Tombstone Every Mile / Dick Curless / single / Allagash Records
• The Right Combination / Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton / single / RCA
• Curtain In The Window / Ray Price / In A Honky Tonk Mood / Jasmine
• Hey Good Lookin' / Hank Williams / The Unreleased Recordings / Time Life Records
• Honeymoon On A Rocketship / Hank Snow / The Goldrush Is Over / Bear Family
• Go Back You Fool / Faron Young / The Complete Capitol Hits Of Faron Young / Collectors' Choice Music
• It's Been So Long / Webb Pierce / 20th Century Masters / MCA
• Blue Monday Morning / Travers Chandler & Avery County / Pardon Me... / Mountain Fever Records
• Blue, Blue Day / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
• I Could Change My Mind / Travers Chandler & Avery County / Pardon Me... / Mountain Fever Records
• Makes No Difference Now / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
• Talk To Me Lonesome Heart / Larry Stephenson with Connie Smith & Marty Stuart / 20th Anniversary / Pinecastle
• Makin' A Killin' / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
• Rough Edges / BearTracks / Rough Edges / AMT Records
• You're Running Wild / Louvin Brothers / The Essential Louvin Brothers / Raven Records
• Chicken Pickin' / Don Rich & the Buckaroos / Country Pickin': The Don Rich Anthology / Sundazed