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| Bill Monroe first recorded his tribute to Uncle Pen (with fiddle) on 10/15/1950. |
Folks who don't listen to Bluegrass music may not know too much about Bill Monroe, but a lot of them are probably still familiar with one of Bill Monroe's most autobiographical numbers -- a song he first recorded for Decca Records in a session on October 15, 1950: "Uncle Pen." Monroe's uncle, Pendleton Vandiver, was an old-time Kentucky fiddler who clearly had a big impact on his nephew, especially after Bill Monroe went to live with him as a teenager. Years later, Monroe wanted to honor his uncle, so he wrote "Uncle Pen" in a fine tribute to him. Monroe recorded "Uncle Pen" more than once throughout his career, and while the song has been recorded more than 50 times by other performers through the years, it was the 1984 version by Ricky Skaggs that reached the #1 position on the Billboard Country charts. During today's program, we played both the original version and the Skaggs version. I wonder if Bill Monroe could have conceived that his tribute to his fiddle-playing uncle would still be so well known 62 years after it was first recorded?
Added bonus: it's pretty impossible to find video of the original version of Blue Grass Boys who recorded "Uncle Pen" in 1950, here's a YouTube clip from 1956 featuring the great Bobby Hicks on the fiddle:
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| David Peterson last visited the WHUS studios in May 2010. |
While we featured a good bit of new music, our "spotlight" new recording was one from Massachusetts native, David Peterson. Although Dave hasn't lived in New England for many years, he still comes to this part of the world to perform a couple of times a year, and during his last trip to perform in Hamden, he sort of previewed this new recording. While David's recordings have been mostly ones that feature traditional Bluegrass or classic country music, on this CD -- Dave is calling it "Simplicity" -- the music is pretty much David Peterson: his voice and his guitar. There are a few other instruments added in the mix on a couple of songs, but mostly it's just David Peterson picking and singing. Very enjoyable! Be sure to listen for more music from this fine recording in future weeks of the Bluegrass Cafe.
Other new music (from CDs released in 2012) came from recordings by Loafers' Glory, Lou Reid & Carolina, the Kathy Kallick Band, Larry Stephenson, Balsam Range, Marty Raybon, American Drive, Detour, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, the Grascals, Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Hot Mustard, the Spinney Brothers, Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show, Nu-Blu, and Ricky Skaggs.
Hope you enjoyed today's show, and that you'll be sure to join Jim in the BG Cafe next Sunday afternoon, 4-7PM.
Have a good week!
Amy
REQUESTS ARE RED.
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- How Mountain Girls Can Love / Stanley Brothers / Bluegrass Breakdown / Vanguard
- Blue Ridge Cabin Home / Bluegrass Album Band / The Bluegrass Compact Disc / Rounder
- Polly Vaughn / The Dillards / Bluegrass Breakdown / Vanguard
- Shadows In My Room / Hot Rize / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- Why Did You Wander / Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / On The Radio, 1952-1953 / Rounder
- Take Me To The Mountains / Del McCoury & the Dixie Pals / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
- Is It Still Over / Michelle Nixon & Drive / A Place I Belong / Mountain Fever Records
- Prillaman's Switch / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
- Hard Hearted / Jim & Jesse & the Virginia Boys / In The Tradition / Rounder
- I'll Be Alright Tomorrow / Loafers' Glory / Loafers' Glory / Arhoolie Records
- Walls Of Time / Johnson Mountain Boys / Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration: A Classic Bluegrass Tribute / Rounder
- Carolina Moonshine Man / Lou Reid & Carolina / Callin' Me Back Home / KMA Records
- Time / Kathy Kallick Band / Time / Live Oak Records
- Philadelphia Lawyer / Larry Stephenson with Sam Bush / What Really Matters / Compass Records
- Poison Love / Gene Wooten / The Great Dobro Sessions / Sugar Hill
- At The End Of A Long, Lonely Day / Bob Paisley & the Southern Grass / Forty Years Of Trouble / Strictly Country
- Eight More Miles / Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris & Rhonda Vincent / O Sister! / Rounder
- Sam Smith / Gibson Brothers / Spread Your Wings / Hay Holler [Leigh Gibson birthday, 10/11/1971]
- Any Old Road (Will Take You There) / Balsam Range / Papertown / Mountain Home
- Dirt Road Heartache / Marty Raybon / Southern Roots & Branches / Rural Rhythm
- Stone Wall / Hylo Brown / In Concert / Copper Creek
- Reuben / Jim Mills / Foggy Mountain Special / Rounder
- Nobody's Child / American Drive / American Drive / Rural Rhythm
- Quarterline Road / Detour / A Better Place / Self-Produced
- She Left Me Standing On The Mountain / Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers / They're Playing My Song / Rebel
- Uncle Pen / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / Anthology / MCA [1950]
- Uncle Pen / Ricky Skaggs / Time-Life Treasury Of Bluegrass / Time Life [1984]
- That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine / David Peterson / Simplicity / Self-Produced
- Wabash Cannonball / Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Songs From The Holler / Springfed Records
- There's Always A Mother Waiting At Home / David Peterson / Simplicity / Self-Produced
- Rare Bird Alert / Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers / Rare Bird Alert / Rounder
- Brown Mountain Light / The Hillmen / The Hillmen / Sugar Hill
- Eleven Eleven / The Grascals / Life Finds A Way / Mountain Home
- Mom & Dad's Waltz / Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott / We're Usually A Lot Better Than This / Full Light Records
- If That Was Love / Chris Jones & the Night Drivers /
/ Rebel - Theme Time / Hot Mustard / Live At Mole Hill Theatre / Self-Produced
- What A Wonderful Life / Spinney Brothers / Memories / Mountain Fever Records
- Take Me Back To Tulsa / Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show / Take Me Back / Pinecastle
- You Are What I Am / The New South / The New South / Rounder
- Over In The Gloryland / Reno & Smiley with the Stanley Brothers / Bluegrass 1963 / Rural Rhythm
- Martha & Mary / Nu-Blu / Nail By Nail / Pinecastle
- Things In Life / Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder / Music To My Ears / Skaggs Family Records
- The Power Up Above / Edgar Loudermilk / Roads Travelled / Mountain Fever Records
- That Mountain Is Me / Mickey Boles / Let Me Feet Go Runnin' / Self-Produced
- The Heavenly Parade / Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver / Gospel Parade / Sugar Hill
- Satisfied / Paul Williams & the Victory Trio / Satisfied / Rebel
- Journey To My Savior's Side / Missy Werner Band / Three Kinds Of Lonesome / Self-Produced
- Brother, I'm Getting Ready To Go / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Father's Table Grace / MME [inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame, 10/14/1985]
- Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
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