On this Father's Day, the "agenda" for Bluegrass Cafe included a good portion of music by Bluegrass fathers and sons, as well as -- of course! -- several songs with the father as the subject. This coming week also marks the 99th birthday anniversary of a true musical stylist -- one Lester Raymond Flatt -- so there was a good bit of music from Lester's very prolific pen, and the song catalog of Flatt & Scruggs.
Like a lot of businesses, it seems that Bluegrass is a "family" type of business, wherein a whole lot of Bluegrass musicians were -- and continue to be -- drawn into playing and performing Bluegrass by their musical fathers. While we could -- and should -- have included music from more musical families than what we had time for today, we still managed to share songs on Sunday from notable Bluegrass families with the surnames of Parmley, McCoury, Reno, Rosenthal, Mullins, Paisley, Harrell, Osborne, Hayes, Armistead, and, of course, Monroe. Yes, there are Bluegrass fathers and daughters, but for some reason, we didn't get around to playing music from them today. Maybe next time around, we'll try to squeeze in a few of those...
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My father, Alton Orlomoski, making a rare appearance at a Bluegrass festival |
As can be imagined, there are LOTS of Bluegrass songs that have been written with the subject of "father" in mind, no matter if he's called "Dad," "Daddy," or "Papa." The dozen father songs we heard today -- some a bit bittersweet -- came from several performers, including Bill Harrell & the Virginians, BearTracks, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Phil Leadbetter, the Whitstein Brothers, White Mountain Bluegrass, the Spinney Brothers & Close Company, Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass, Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott, Jim Mills with Paul Brewster, and the Gibson Brothers. We even were able to track down a single from the late Fred Pike along with another IBMM-recognized Bluegrass Pioneer, Maine's Al Hawkes.
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Happy 99th, Lester Flatt! |
We absolutely couldn't let the show pass without highlighting a few songs from big-time Bluegrass songwriter and super-musical stylist, Lester Flatt. It's hard to truly appreciate the groundbreaking influence that Flatt and his long-time musical partner, Earl Scruggs, were able to achieve, but achieve it, they did. Outstanding! Lester Raymond Flatt would have turned 99 years old on June 19th. Obviously, Bill Monroe was extremely important, but Lester Flatt was just plain old remarkable.
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Sideline includes IIIrd Tyme Out bandmates Steve Dilling & Justin Hayes, as well as Jason Moore (Mountain Heart), Darrell Webb, and Skip Cherryholmes (now of Lou Reid & Carolina). |
Despite all of the other features, we still managed to share a little bit of newer music on Sunday, too, including songs from projects by Della Mae, the Snyder Family Band, Claire Lynch, a terrific new record from Big Country Bluegrass, the Spinney Brothers, Gordon Pike & the Dixie Darlins, Flatt Lonesome, the Gibson Brothers, and a fun little throw-together band on Mountain Fever Records called Sideline.
Hope all of the dads had a wonderful Father's Day, and be sure to join Jim next Sunday afternoon as he'll be doing double-duty on the ol' radio, hosting Red Rooster Party from 2-4PM, and then, sticking around for Bluegrass Cafe from 4-7PM. It'll be fun, so listen, won't you?
Have a great week!
Amy
REQUESTS ARE RED.
- Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
- Smoke Along The Track / Parmley & McCoury / Families Of Tradition / BGC Records
- Nine Pound Hammer / Reno & Smiley with the Stanley Brothers / Bluegrass, 1963 / Rural Rhythm
- Pretty Polly / The Rosenthals / Fly Away / American Melody
- A Broken Heart Keeps Beatin' / Traditional Grass / Songs Of Love And Life / Rebel
- The Evening Train / Bob & Danny Paisley / Plum Pitiful / Time Life
- Roll On Buddy / Bill & James Monroe / Bean Blossom / MCA
- The Hard Times / Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press / Try A Little Kindness / Rounder
- Jacob's Ladder / Rick Hayes with Green Hayes / Fly By Night / Kang Records
- Roll On Muddy River / Bluegrass Cardinals / Welcome To Virginia / Rounder
- Do You Remember? / Bill Harrell & the Virginians / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
- To Daddy / BearTracks / Makin' Tracks / AMT Records
- Me And Dad / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Rural Rhythm
- California Cotton Fields / Phil Leadbetter with Marty Raybon / Slide Effects / Pinecastle
- Daddy's Old Time Guitar / Fred Pike & Al Hawkes / single / Event Records
- That Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine / Whitstein Brothers / Old Time Duets / Rounder
- When Papa Played The Dobro / White Mountain Bluegrass / Aragon Mill / Strictly Country
- Old Hickory Cane / Danny Paisley & the Southern Grass / The Tradition Continues / Brandywine
- Mom & Dad's Waltz / Tim O'Brien & Darrell Scott / We're Usually A Lot Better Than This / Full Light Records
- Daddy Frank / Jim Mills with Paul Brewster / Hide Head Blues / Sugar Hill
- Daddy Come Home / Spinney Brothers & Close Company / The Old Fundy Shore / Self-Produced
- Farm Of Yesterday / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
- Letter From The Road/And Other Things / Della Mae / This World Oft Can Be / Rounder
- Smoky Mountain Railway / Snyder Family Band / Building Bridges / Mountain Roads Recordings
- Roses In The Snow / Gordon Pike & the Dixie Darlins / Gordon Pike & the Dixie Darlins / Self-Produced
- Loneliness And Desperation / Sideline / Session 1 / Mountain Fever Records
- I'll Be Alright Tomorrow / Claire Lynch / Dear Sister / Compass Records
- I'm Longing For My Old Virginia Home / Big Country Bluegrass / Memories Of The Past / Rebel
- Grandpa's Way Of Life / Mark "Brink" Brinkman / On The Brink Of A Dream / Self-Produced
- Grandpa's Way Of Life / Spinney Brothers / No Borders / Mountain Fever Records
- Don't Sell Daddy Any More Whiskey / Joe Val / Diamond Joe / Rounder
- Pages Of Time / Chris Warner with Dudley Connell / Chris Warner & Friends / Webco
- Lula Wall / Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Screams From The Holler / Spring Fed Records
- Slow Down (You'll Hit A Moose) / Stan Keach & Friends / Cry Of The Loon & Other Original Songs About Maine / Ayuh Records
- Tell All My Pickin' Friends Goodbye / Chris Brashear / Heart Of The Country / Dog Boy Records
- We'll Meet Again Sweetheart / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / The Complete Mercury Recordings / Mercury
- Your Love Is Like A Flower / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1952-1955 / JSP Records
- Don't Get Above Your Raising / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Sides, 1950-1952 / JSP Records
- Down The Road / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Flatt & Scruggs At Carnegie Hall! / Koch Records
- That Glory Bound Train / Bear Bridge Band / Broken Hearts And Better Times / Open Road
- For Him / Gary Waldrep Band / Road Leading Home / Blue Circle Records
- These Men Of God / Country Gentlemen / On The Road (And More) / Smithsonian Folkways
- Get In Line, Brother / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Sides, 1950-1952 / JSP Records
- The Way, The Truth, The Light / Sideline / Session 1 / Mountain Fever Records
- Home On The River / Gibson Brothers / They Called It Music / Compass Records
- The Right Side / Flatt Lonesome / Flatt Lonesome / Pisgah Ridge
- You Can Feel It In Your Soul / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Gospel / Columbia
- Blue Grass Twist / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder