See a bona fide "Bluegrass Pioneer" this Saturday...

Hope everyone has had a fine time with friends and family on this Thanksgiving Day. When you've recovered from all of the eating and dishwashing and what-have-you, here's an opportunity for you to see a real-life Bluegrass Pioneer in concert. Sam Tidwell, a true New England BG character and legendary figure...and one of the recognized "Pioneers of Bluegrass" at the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky...is performing in eastern CT this Saturday night.

If you get an opportunity, come out and see Sam & Friends at the East Killingly Grange -- located on the corner of Dog Hill Road and Route 101 in East Killingly, CT on Saturday, November 27th. Showtime is 7PM. For GPS users, the address is 801 Hartford Pike, Killingly CT. For more information, call Nick Anderson: (860)564-1018.

Hope to see you there!

"Bluegrass Cafe" Blackout - 11/21/2010

Sometime on Sunday 11/21 around 12:45pm a transformer supplying electrical power to UCONN caught fire and put the core of the campus, including WHUS, in a blackout. The power was not restored until around 11pm, essentially eliminating all programming for the afternoon and evening.

We are sorry we were not able to bring you the usual plate of bluegrass music today, but we expect to be back next Sunday when Amy will get a little time on the air around a sports preemption. Stay tuned for a schedule update.

Jim

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 11/14/2010

For the first time this basketball season, the start of the Bluegrass Cafe was preempted this week. Generally, this will happen a few times between November and the Final Four -- fortunately, our preemption for today didn't last more than 3 minutes. We can only hope that ALL of our preemptions this winter will be that short...but I know that won't be the case. We'll try to alert you in advance of longer preemptions...and keep our fingers crossed that there won't be TOO many...


About 5PM today, we took a few minutes from our "regular" programming and chatted on the phone with fellow BG broadcaster, Carol Beaugard. Carol's been hosting her BG programs at WFDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ) for 25+ years, and was the subject of a feature story in the April 2010 Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. In addition to being a veteran broadcaster, Carol is also a performer and bandleader, and her group known as Carol Beaugard & Blue Express will make their CT debut next Sunday at the Firebox Restaurant in Hartford. If you're so inclined, make sure you visit the Firebox on November 21st to hear Carol's band and their eclectic mix of BG music, and be sure to mention that you heard about the show on the "BG Cafe." If you're interested in hearing Carol's weekly broadcasts, you can do so online by visiting her at http://wfdu.fdu.edu/home.html or http://bluegrasscountry.org/programs/lonesome-pine.









While we didn't play a whole lot of brand-spanking-new music this week, we still included a few tunes from recordings which have been released over the last couple of months, including music from Ben Greene, Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen, Volume Five, Ashleigh Caudill, Bubba Chandler, and Joe Diffie. There were also a few requests for music from performers like the Johnson Mountain Boys, the Gibson Brothers, the Spinney Brothers, Northern Lights, and Blackstone Valley Bluegrass. All were mighty fine selections, I must say.






November is a great month, as not only does it bring us Thanksgiving, but also the yearly scramble for room reservations for the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival in February. The 2011 edition will be held February 18-20, but the popularity of the festival has caused the rooms at the Sheraton in Framingham, MA to sell out very, very quickly for the last couple of years. In fact, last year, the rooms were sold out just 7 minutes after they went on sale. That's great for BBU, but sort of frightening for folks who are trying to get a room. Yikes! If you plan on participating in the "room scramble" when the reservations can be made on Thursday, November 18th at 7PM, you may wish to make sure all of your "i's" are dotted and your "t's" are crossed now. Here's the list of reservation guidelines published on the Boston Bluegrass Union's website, and good luck to all of us on November 18th...



Make sure you join Jim on the air for next Sunday's Bluegrass Cafe, won't you? And if you don't hear from me again before Thanksgiving...I hope you and yours have a most enjoyable and blessed Thanksgiving Day!



Amy




REQUESTS ARE RED.

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• Radio Boogie / Hot Rize / Radio Boogie / Flying Fish
• Thinking About You / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Sides, 1948-1952 / JSP Records
• My Blue Tears / Gloria Belle / Love Of The Mountains / Webco
• I Wouldn't Change You If I Could / Reno & Smiley / Bluegrass, 1963 / Rural Rhythm
• The Silver Bugle / Charlie Sizemore Band / Good News / Rounder
• Mountain High, Feeling Low / Ben Greene with Lorraine Jordan / Bluegrass Sideman / Blue Circle Records
• Together Again / Chris Hillman & Herb Pedersen / At Edwards Barn / Rounder
• Are You Missing Me / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear Family
• Black Eyed Susie / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder
• Walking With Joanna / Gibson Brothers / Red Letter Day / Sugar Hill
• Baptism Of Jesse Taylor / Volume Five / Down In A Cell / Mountain Fever Records
• Blow Out The Candle, Laura / Linda Lay & Sammy Shelor / Taking The Crooked Road Home / Virginia FolkLife
• Born To Be With You / Blackstone Valley Bluegrass / Debut / Appleland Records
• Monroebilia / Nashville Bluegrass Band / Nashville Bluegrass Band / Rounder
• Long Way Down / Gibson Brothers / Iron & Diamonds / Sugar Hill
• Tennessee Backroads / Mark "Brink" Brinkman / On The Brink Of A Dream / Self-Produced
• Row By Row / Ashleigh Caudill / Fruit Of The Vine / Self-Produced
• Conversation with Carol Beaugard
• Leavin' Tennessee / Van Manakas & Butch Baldassari / Leavin' Tennessee / SoundArt Recordings
• Love's Gonna Live Here / The Chapmans with Rhonda Vincent / Grown Up (A Revisionist History) / Compass Records
• Weather's Got To Change / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
• (Get Along Home) Cindy / Kathy Kallick Band / Between The Hollow And High Rise / Live Oak Records
• The Rabbit Song / Bubba Chandler / Somebody To Sing To / Mountain Fever Records
• Spin On A Red Brick Floor / Nu-Blu / Nights / Self-Produced
• Loggin' Man / Del McCoury / By Request / McCoury Music
• Working Hard Ain't Hardly Working Anymore / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Heartaches And Dreams / Rebel
• Miss Molly / Northern Lights / One Day / Fifty Fifty Music
• Maple On The Hill / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill Road / Rebel
• Rainin' On Her Rubber Dolly / Joe Diffie with the Grascals / Homecoming / Rounder
• Goin' To The Dance / Chris Warner with Tom Adams / Goin' To The Dance / Patuxent Music
• Georgia Stomp(music bed) / Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• Sugarloaf Mountain Special (music bed) / Johnson Mountain Boys / Favorites / Rounder
• Johnson Mountain Chimes (music bed) / Johnson Mountain Boys / The Walls Of Time / Rounder
• Sweetest Love / Seldom Scene / SCENEchronized / Sugar Hill
• Weathered Grey Stone / Longview / Deep In The Mountains / Rounder
• I Went Back Home Today / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• Ole Slew Foot / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Self-Produced
• Why Ask Why? / Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford / Dogwood Winter / Rural Rhythm
• Skip Hop Wobble / Patrick McAvinue with Audie Blaylock / Rutland's Reel / Patuxent Music
• Better Get In That Number / Spinney Brothers / Here At The Cross / Self-Produced
• Five Flat Rocks / Billy Boone Smith / Five Flat Rocks / Muddy Sunshine
• The Other Side / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• Pray The Clouds Away / Crowe, Williams, Lawson / Old Friends Get Together / Mountain Home
• Beautiful Hall / Jeff Parker / Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm Christian
• One Prayer Away / Don Rigsby & Midnight Call / The Voice Of God / Rebel
• It's Just Like Heaven / Bill Yates & Friends / Country Gentlemen Tribute, Volume II / Mastershield Records
• Meet Him In The Clouds / Bear Minimum / Live At The Finnish Hall / no label
• John 3:16 / Stanley Brothers / Best Of The Best / Federal
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 11/7/2010

Hi Folks,

We set the clocks back Sunday morning (fall back!) and opened Bluegrass Cafe with Grandpa Jones performing Grandfather's Clock to help remind us. We'll let Grandpa pontificate about Daylight Savings Time next spring.

Because of a fill-in, we were able to bring four hours of bluegrass to our listeners on this day, and we took advantage of the extra hour to add more new music and explore some bluegrass roots.

We also recognized the upcoming Veterans' Day by injecting bluegrass songs throughout the show that might have a veteran's experience in mind.

New music included tracks from Blue Moon Rising, Charlie Sizemore, Big Country Bluegrass, The Boxcars, Balsam Range, Volume Five, Joe Diffie, Ashleigh Caudill, The Bartley Brothers, Rhonda Vincent, The Bluegrass Brothers, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, The All Star Jam at Graves Mountain, and Lou Reid and Carolina.




We also payed tribute to Don Stover who passed away November 11, 1996, by playing a couple of tracks from his masterpiece "Things In Life" album.




Special thanks go to Rural Rhythm for providing a free song download to WHUS listeners from their new Blue Moon Rising release.

Download your free song from Blue Moon Rising by going to http://ruralrhythm.com or click here, select "Redeem your free download - Find your radio station - Click here" then select "Click Here" next to Jim Beaver - WHUS. The password for WHUS listeners is 91700 (our frequency idenifier plus two zeros).

Amy will be with you next Sunday making the banjos and fiddles ring, so tune in from 4pm to 7pm ET for the Best in Bluegrass.

Jim Beaver

Song / Artist / Album / Label

• Grandfather's Clock / Grandpa Jones / An American Original / CMH
• Worried Man Blues / Tommy Brown & The County Line Grass / Hard Drivin' / Lavenir
• No Vacancy / Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass / No Vacancy / Brandywine
• Margie / Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass / Live In Holland / Strictly Country
• Rockwood Deer Chase / Don Stover / Things In Life / Rounder
• Things In Life / Don Stover / Things In Life / Rounder
• Tomorrow I'll Be Gone / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Working Close / Rounder
• Time To Be Movin' On / Blue Moon Rising / Strange New World / Rural Rhythm
• Down Where The River Bends / Ralph Stanley with Dwight Yoakam / Saturday Night, Sunday Morning / CR Freeland
• No Letter In The Mail / The Foot Hill Boys / Bluegrass In The Carolina Mountains / County
• Damn Yankee Lad / The Osborne Brothers / When The Roses Bloom In Dixieland / Pinecastle
• No Lawyers In Heaven / Charlie Sizemore / Rounder 2010 IBMA Sampler / Rounder
• The Gold Rush / Tim Smith / Straight From The Heart / TRS Records
• Black Mountain Special / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• I'm Coming Back (But I Don't Know When) / The Country Gentlemen / Folk Songs and Bluegrass / Smithsonian Folkways
• Yesterday I Didn't Know / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats And Ties / Rebel
• Old Henry Hill / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• Till They Came Home / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Somehow Tonight / Joe Diffie / Homecoming / Rounder
• Like A Stone / Volume Five / Down In A Cell / Mountain Fever
• Cold & Lonesome / The Earl Brothers / The Earl Brothers / Big Hen Music
• The Forgotten Soldier Boy / The Monroe Brothers / Blue Moon Of Kentucky / Bear Family
• Swampgrass / Larry Gillis / Swampgrass / Tinman
• 20:20 Vision / Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys / Big Jam Session / Old Homestead
• Long Hard Life / The Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
• Jimmy's Mule / Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys / Big Jam Session / Old Homestead
• The Rabbit Song / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill / Road Rebel
• Ragin' Live For You Tonight / Rhonda Vincent / Taken / Upper Management
• True Life Blues / Bill Monroe with Carl Story / Bill Monroe and Stars of The Bluegrass Hall Of Fame / Raven
• Hard Luck Joe / Blue Moon Rising / Strange New World / Rural Rhythm
• Far Away From Home / Blue Moon Rising / On The Rise / Lonesome Day
• The Family Demon / Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band / Legacy / Compass
• Trains I Missed / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• The Old Rugged Cross / Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad / Pickin', Praisin' & Singin' / Rural Rhythm
• Who Showed Who / Dan Tyminski / Wheels / Rounder
• Caroline / The Bluegrass Brothers / So Long / Self-released
• Kentucky Borderline / Rhonda Vincent / Bluegrass Number One Hits / Rounder
• Two Medals / Summertown Road / Summertown Road / Rounder
• Rotation Blues / Bill Monroe / Blue Grass 1950-1958 / Bear Family
• Toil & Shame / Ashleigh Caudill / Fruit Of The Vine / Self-released
• Southern Rail Road Line / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa / Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Self-released
• There Goes The Neighborhood / Rodney Dillard & The Dillard Band / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
• The Crooked Road / Paula Dellenback / The Crooked Road / Self-released
• Hold Whatcha Got / Lonesome River Band with Audie Blaylock / The All Star Jam-Live at Graves Mountain / Rural Rhythm
• Goin' To The Races / Old & In The Way / Breakdown / Acoustic Disc
• Saints Go Marching In / The Lilly Brothers & Don Stover / Bluegrass At The Roots 1961 / Smithsonian Folkways
• Lady Of Tradition / Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road / Carolina Hurricane / Rural Rhythm
• Mountain Girl / Grass Routes / Something New / Self-released
• Hit The Road / The Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
• Oasis / Rob Ikes / Southern Filibuster: A Tribute To Tut Taylor / E1
• Remington Ride (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
• Yellow Roses (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
• If You're Ever Gonna Love Me / LeRoy Mack & Friends / LeRoy Mack & Friends / Rebel
• Goodbye To The Blues / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Let The Whole World Talk / Rounder
• Liberty / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elekra
• Leavin' And Sayin' Goodbye / Darren Beachley and Legends of the Potomac / Take Off / Patuxent
• Corn / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Darin & Brooke Aldridge / Mountain Home
• Drink Up And Go Home / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
• Last Song / Josh Williams / Down Home / Rounder
• Sailing On / Russell Moore & Dale Ann Bradley / Look To The Light / Rural Rhythm
• Sunshine In The Shadows / The Gillis Brothers / Best of The Gillis Brothers / Hay Holler
• Lord Have Mercy (On My Soul) / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm
• Weeds In The Wheat / Front Range / One Beautiful Day / Sugar Hill
• Old Country Chuch / Ginger Boatwright / Inside The Gate / Self-released
• Wait A Little Longer / Lewis Family / Born Of The Spirit / Starday
• Shouting In The Air / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Let The Whole World Talk / Rounder
• Wrapped in the Arms of Jesus / Statement / Around The Corner / Mountain Fever
• The Gospel Way / Kristin Scott Benson / Second Season / Pinecastle
• I Am Unworthy / Brink Brinkman / On The Brink Of A Dream / Brinksongs
• Goodbye / Crowe-Lawson-Williams / Old Friends Together / Mountain Home
• Walking In A Dream / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released

Hot Rize -- it's comforting to know some things don't change...

You may have heard and/or read about the big Hot Rize reunion tour that took place this past week. Beginning October 28th and ending today, original Hot Rize members, Pete Wernick, Nick Forster, and Tim O'Brien, along with Bryan Sutton on the guitar (to take the place of the late Charles Sawtelle, who died in 1999) have played to audiences in 9 states from coast to coast. Their stop on Wednesday, November 3rd was at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. When the sponsors of the show, the Boston Bluegrass Union, announced this event as the kickoff for their Fall/Winter concert season back in August, there was a lot of buzz. After all, Hot Rize just doesn't play on a regular basis anymore, and they probably haven't played in New England at all since they were a full-time traveling band. Needless to say, this BBU-sponsored show sold out several weeks ago, and the New England Bluegrass listserv has been buzzing with inquiries from folks looking for tickets.

As Hot Rize became my favorite working BG band after the breakup of the Johnson Mountain Boys in 1988, I was sort of excited about seeing this reunion tour. And I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed by what I saw and heard on Wednesday night. All of these guys have been busy doing lots of music-related things since the 1990 breakup, so it would be easy to believe that the act now would be sort of rocky with plenty of cobwebs. That didn't really prove to be true, though.


Will there be more Hot Rize reunion tours? Maybe. There's even a possibility that a new Hot Rize CD will be on the market in 2011, as the band has recorded two new tunes which can be heard on their website.


And, of course, Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers made an appearance in Lexington, too, and I think they may have received an even bigger response from the audience. Does anyone not like Red & the Trailblazers? If so, I've not met that person yet...



Hot Rize won the very first Entertainer of the Year award from IBMA in 1990, and it seems that 20 years later, these guys are still extremely entertaining. It's great to know that in a world where everything changes by the second, it seems, some things just have not changed. Hooray!




BTW, there are some great shows in the BBU schedule for Fall/Winter. Check out this fabulous schedule:

• Saturday, December 4th -- Seldom Scene with Tony Watt & Southeast Expressway
• Saturday, January 15th -- The Gibson Brothers with the Spinney Brothers
• February 18-20 -- Joe Val Bluegrass Festival
• Saturday, April 16th -- Dailey & Vincent

More info on the concerts can be found here.

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 10/31/2010

With Sunday's show falling right on Halloween, it seemed like the proverbial "no-brainer" to populate a good portion of the playlist with tunes that featured ghosts, murders, or other strange phenomena. I wasn't willing to include only those types of tunes, though, so we sprinkled in these Halloween "treats" throughout the program.

In addition to the Halloween tunes, we had plenty of new (or newer) BG music to play. This new music comes to us from several different performers, including the Boxcars, a band called No One You Know, Ashlee Blankenship & Blades of Blue, Blue Moon Rising, the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, the Hagar's Mountain Boys, the Bartley Brothers, the SteelDrivers, Blue Moon Rising, Balsam Range, Big Country Bluegrass, and the Wilson Family Band. There is also new music from Country Music Hall of Famer, Charlie Louvin, and another performer who had roots in BG, went on to a very successful career in country music, and has now returned to BG music. This performer's name: Joe Diffie, and his "Homecoming" CD has recently been released on Rounder Records.

Be sure to join Jim on the ol' radio this coming Sunday as he presents three more hours of top-notch Bluegrass music beginning at 4PM. And don't forget that WHUS now offers a one-hour BG program on Monday afternoons -- "Bluegrass Rules" is hosted by James & Cathy Ward and airs from 3-4PM.

Amy

REQUESTS ARE RED.

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• The Ballad Of Sarah Malone / David Davis & the Warrior River Boys / Troubled Times / Rebel
• The Silver Ghost / David Parmley / Southern Heritage / Rebel
• Devil On The Stump / Straight Drive / I'll Take A Page From Your Book / Cabinwood Music
• In The Pines / Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys / The King And The Father / MME
• Brown Mountain Light / The Hillmen / The Hillmen / Sugar Hill
• Carolina's Arms / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out / Rural Rhythm
• Big City / No One You Know / Calm Before The Storm / Mountain Fever Records
• Three Finger Hop / Don Reno / Sweethearts In Heaven / Bear Family
• Eight More Miles / Laurie Lewis, Claire Lynch, Lynn Morris, Rhonda Vincent / O Sister / Rounder
• The Ghost Of Norma Jean / Steep Canyon Rangers / One Dime At A Time / Rebel
• I Could Change My Mind / Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• Long Black Veil / Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard / Pioneering Women Of Bluegrass / Rounder
• Carolina Mountain Home / Johnson Mountain Boys / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Rounder
• We'll Meet Again Sweetheart / Curly Seckler with Mac Wiseman / 60 Years Of Bluegrass With My Friends / Vine Street Records
• Clinch Mountain Mystery / Larry Stephenson / Clinch Mountain Mystery / Pinecastle
• Don't Act / Rhonda Vincent / All American Bluegrass Girl / Rounder
• Time To Be Movin' On / Blue Moon Rising / Strange New World / Rural Rhythm
• Once More / Audie Blaylock & Redline with Russell Moore & Lou Reid / The All-Star Jam--Live At Graves Mountain / Rural Rhythm
• Whoa Mule / Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Poor Leroy's Almanack / Self-Produced
• Deep River / Ashlee Blankenship & Blades Of Blue / Current Singles CD Sampler / Mountain Fever Records
• Loneliness Moved In / Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
• Where's The Lonesome / Hagar's Mountain Boys / Current Singles CD Sampler / Mountain Fever Records
• Weapon Of Prayer / Charlie Louvin with Del McCoury / The Battles Rage On / True North Records
• Somehow Tonight / Joe Diffie / Homecoming / Rounder
• Line Drive / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-Produced
• Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Self-Produced
• The Nights Are So Long / Johnson Mountain Boys / The Walls Of Time / Rounder
• Eli Renfro / Del McCoury & the Dixie Pals / Classic Bluegrass / Rebel
• Polly Vaughn / The Dillards / Pickin' & Fiddlin'/Back Porch Bluegrass / Collectors' Choice Music
• The Reckless Side Of Me / The SteelDrivers / Reckless / Rounder
• Night Train To Memphis / Bristol Boys / All Aboard With The Bristol Boys / Self-Produced
• I'm Gonna Try / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
• Snowbird / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-Produced
• Remembering / David Peterson / Comin' On Strong / Self-Produced
• Those Gone And Left Me Blues / Patuxent Partners / Seven Or Eleven / Patuxuent Music
• Memory Of You / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• Footsteps So Near / Hot Rize / Traditional Ties / Sugar Hill
• Johnson Mountain Chimes / Jessie Baker / Yessir! / Patuxent Music
• Bringing Mary Home / Country Gentlemen / The Early Rebel Recordings / Rebel
• I'm Gonna Walk The Streets Of Gold / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats And Ties / Rebel
• Land Up In The Air / Special Consensus / 35 / Compass Records
• I'll Live Again / Baucom, Bibey, Graham & Haley / Baucom, Bibey, Graham & Haley / Sugar Hill
• Joy Bells / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Father's Table Grace / MME
• Old Daniel Prayed / Stanley Brothers / All Gospel, All Bluegrass / Sugar Hill
• Lord, Lift Me Up / Bluegrass Patriots / E Pluribus Bluegrass / Red Feather
• Keep Walking / Wilson Family Band / Chasing Faith / Self-Produced
• Preachin', Prayin', Singin' / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
• Sinner You'd Better Get Ready / Louvin Brothers / Songs That Tell A Story / Rounder
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 10/24/2010

Hi Folks,

After opening the Cafe' I did a couple of sets of songs from Rounder recordings to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Rounder Records. For any entertainment company to be in business forty years is an accomplishment, but it has been especially significant to bluegrass because after its founding, Rounder quickly became the blue chip standard for delivering some of the most important music to the bluegrass community, and most certainly helped the bluegrass genre grow. Rounder's founders were Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin (pictured right)

Think of the J.D. Crowe and The New South record, still called "Rounder 0044" by many, and Alison Krauss who has become one of the most admired and rewarded artists in our time, and you get an idea of Rounder's influence. (At Bluegrass Cafe', we believe only half tongue-in-cheek that if Rounder had done nothing more than release those Johnson Mountain Boys records it would have been a successful enterprise.)

Rounder was acquired by Concord Music Group, a large California independent, earlier this year, and from my perspective it appears bluegrass may become a minor scene within the bigger Concord picture going forward, but the genre is big enough to have several excellent labels join the bluegrass community in recent years, and much of the credit for the environment that supports the newer folks goes to Rounder.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of labels with even longer histories in bluegrass -- Rebel for one, and Rural Rhythm which was founded around 55 years ago.

The remaining portion of the show was devoted mostly to new or newer releases and new reissues of older releases. Some notables included songs from The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Ashleigh Caudill, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, Big Country Bluegrass, Rodney Dillard, The Bluegrass Brothers, Volume Five, Grasstowne, Charlie Sizemore, and Peter Rowan.

The Heritage Corner hit on a few oldies, but delighted in a tune from Jimmy Martin and The Sunny Mountain Boys (JD & Paul) on an excellent re-issue of Big Jam Session on Old Homestead.

Thanks for listening!

Jim Beaver

Song / Artist / Album / Label

• Foggy Mountain Special / Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs / Foggy Mountain Jamboree / Columbia
• Comin' On Strong / Joe Val & The New England Bluegrass Boys / One Morning In May / Rounder
• Duncan & Brady / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Blue Diamond / Rounder
• John Henry / George Pegram / Classic Old-Time Music / Smithsonian Folkways [a surrogate for Rounder 001 which I have but couldn't find in time for the broadcast]
  
• When I Stop Dreaming / Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals / Songs Of The Louvin Brothers / Rounder
• If I Could Only Win Your Love / Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen / At Edwards Barn / Rounder
• Seven Year Blues / Longview / Songs Of The Louvin Brothers / Rounder
• Natural Bridge Blues / Lefty Hall with the Blue Mountain Boys / WPAQ: The Voice Of The Blue Ridge Mountains / Rounder
• Up This Hill And Down / The Grascals / The Famous Lefty Flynn's / Rounder
• Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives / The Steeldrivers / Reckless / Rounder
• Head Hung Down / Dailey & Vincent / Brothers From Different Mothers / Rounder
• Yesterday I Didn't Know / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats & Ties / Rebel
• Poor Ramblin Boy / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• A Couple A Dozen / Carolina Native Sons / Rank Ol' Bluegrass / Patuxent
• Today Marks The Day / Larry Gillis / Swampgrass / Tinman
• Bicycle Wreck / The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band / Poor Leroy's Almanack / Self-released
• Weather's Got To Change / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• Plant Some Flowers / Missy Werner / Drifting And Dreaming / Self-released
• The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill Road / Rebel
• Rovin' Gambler / Dierks Bentley / Up On The Ridge / EMI
• Fruit of the Vine / Ashleigh Caudill / Fruit Of The Vine / Self-released
• So Long / The Bluegrass Brothers / So Long / Self-released
• Mayberry Moment / Rodney Dillard / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
• The Darlin' Boys / Rodney Dilliard & The Dillard Band / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
• Never See My Home Again / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra
• There Is A Time / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra
• Shady Grove / Paula Dellenback / The Crooked Road / Self-released
• Could It Be Goodbye / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa Out / In The Middle Of Nowhere / Raincoe
• Have Mercy / The Steep Canyon Rangers / Deep In The Shade / Rebel
• The Family Demon / Peter Rowan / Legacy / Compass
• No Lawyers In Heaven / Charlie Sizemore / Rounder 2010 IBMA Sampler / Rounder
• Acoustic Toothpick / Phil Leadbetter / Southern Filibuster: A Tribute To Tut Taylor / E1
• Kickin' Up Dust / Grasstowne / Rural Rhythm Class of 2010 / Rural Rhythm
• Silvertone Rag / The Bristol Boys / All Aboard With The Bristol Boys / Self-released
• Love Of The Mountains / Grass Routes / Something New / Self-released
• The Other Side / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• Washington Lee Fling (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
• Remington Ride (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released
• Old Henry Hill / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• In The Garden By The Fountain / Rhonda Vincent / Taken / Upper Management
• Dog Bite Your Hide / Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys / Big Jam Session / Old Homestead
• Like A Stone / Volume Five / Down In A Cell / Mountain Fever
• Tears On My Tracks / Billy Boone Smith / Live From The Moose Lodge / Muddy Sunshine
• Jealous Hearted Me / The Carter Family / In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain / Bear Family
• Live Right, Leave Right / Around The Corner / Statement / Mountain Fever
• John In The Jordan / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm
• Wait On The Lord / Sweet Potato Pie / Journey Called Life / Mountain Fever
• I'm Gonna Walk The Streets Of Gold / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats & Ties / Rebel
• Just Call On Him / The Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
• The Good Samaritan / Jeff Parker and others / Look To The Light... Songs of Faith From The Pen of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• He Is Near / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
• Inside The Gate / Ginger Boatwright / Inside The Gate / Self-released
• Let The Light Shine Down / Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice / Heartaches and Dreams / Rebel
• Walking In A Dream / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' and Singin' / Self-released

"Bluegrass Cafe" playlist - 10/17/2010

On Sunday, we devoted a good bit of time talking to a very nice man: New Hampshire songwriter, Rick Lang. Rick's 4-years-in-the-making gospel recording is called, "Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang," and was released by Rural Rhythm Christian in May of this year. In our chat, Rick explained a bit about how he had intended to record the CD itself, but after he was able to recruit the CD's co-producers and arrangers, Jesse Brock and John Miller, things really started to mushroom: top-notch, award-winning musicians and singers(including Russell Moore, Dale Ann Bradley, Michael Cleveland, and Ron Stewart, just to name a few) signed on to interpret Rick's songs, the Rural Rhythm Christian label agreed to release the recording, and now, a new "special event" band known as BlueStar has been formed to promote the CD by playing a few select shows. All of these happenings are very exciting, and so, it's very easy to see why Rick is still so very proud of the whole project.

After the interview, thanks to Rural Rhythm Christian, we were able to give away two copies of the "Look To The Light" CD to two very enthusiastic listeners. Thanks to Rick for taking a few minutes from his afternoon (after a nailbiting win for the Patriots) to talk to us.

In addition, we still had time to share some of the new or newer music that has arrived at WHUS over the past couple of weeks, including tunes from Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, Charlie Sizemore, Big Country Bluegrass, the Boxcars, Rhonda Vincent, the Wilson Family Band, Lou Reid & Carolina, and Balsam Range.

In a not-completely-unrelated note, we shared a bit of music from the great Louvin Brothers. No, the Louvins never claimed to be a BG act (although I've read how Ira was a huge fan of Bill Monroe), but you can't say that many of their great tunes haven't been covered in the BG world for years and years -- and continue to be covered. It was recently announced that a benefit for Charlie Louvin will be held in Bell Buckle, Tennessee on October 30th, as Charlie has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Folks who would like to purchase a benefit ticket, just make a donation to offset some of the medical expenses, or learn more about the event may do so by clicking here. We started and finished yesterday's gospel set with two of the great Louvin gospel tunes, and could easily fill several programs with just the music featuring their can't-be-topped duet harmonies.

Be sure to join Jim for next week's Bluegrass Cafe, as I'm sure it'll be a mighty fine show.

Thanks for listening...

Amy

• Katy Hill / Del McCoury Band / RockyGrass / Blue Planet
• This Morning At Nine / Tony Rice / Tony Rice Plays And Sings Bluegrass / Rounder
• Fox On The Run / Bill Emerson & Cliff Waldron / Rebel Records 35th Anniversary Sampler / Rebel
• Follow The Leader / Jimmy Gaudreau / In Good Company / CMH
• Secret Of The Waterfall / Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa / Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Self-Produced
• Matterhorn / Country Gentlemen / Can't You Hear Me Callin' : Early Classics, 1963-1969 / Rebel
• Amelia Earhart's Last Flight / Country Gentlemen / Can't You Hear Me Callin' : Early Classics, 1963-1969 / Rebel
• I'm Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open / Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs / Selected Cuts, 1952-1955 / JSP Records
• Record Time Machine / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
• Air Mail Special / Jim & Jesse / Jim & Jesse, 1952-1955 / Bear Family
• Back On My Mind / Rhonda Vincent / Taken / Upper Management Music
• Flat Creek / Chris Jones & the Night Drivers / Cloud Of Dust / GSM Records
• Your Love Is Dying / Reno & Smiley / Sweethearts In Heaven / Bear Family
• Another Day, Another Dollar / Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers / Rambler's Call / Rebel
• Will You Be Ready? / Southern Rail / Drive By Night / Turquoise Records [written by Rick Lang]
• Wind In The Valley / Amy Gallatin & Roger Williams / Something 'Bout You / Happy Appy Records [written by Rick Lang]
• Maybe This Time / Front Range / Back To Red River / Sugar Hill [written by Rick Lang]
• Angel At Your Side / Barry Scott / Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm Christian
• Conversation with Rick Lang
• Momma's Prayer Beads / John Miller / Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm Christian
• Hurtin' Inside / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• He Can't Fill My Shoes / Darrell Webb Band / Bloodline / Rural Rhythm
• Train Without A Track / Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice / Heartaches And Dreams / Rebel
• Born To Be With You / Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road / Carolina Hurricane / Rural Rhythm
• Leaving You And Mobile, Too / Lost & Found / Down On Sawmill Road / Rebel
• The Wishing Well / Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass Records
• Going Down To Charleston / Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Self-Produced
• When The Lovin's All Over / Earl Brothers / The Earl Brothers / Self-Produced
• No Lawyers In Heaven / Charlie Sizemore / Rounder Records 2010 IBMA Sampler / Rounder
• Black Mountain Special / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads Recordings
• Foggy Old London / Big Country Bluegrass / The Boys In Hats And Ties / Rebel
• I'll Live With God (To Die No More) / Louvin Brothers / The Family Who Prays / Country Stars
• God's Front Porch / Lou Reid & Carolina / Sounds Like Heaven To Me / Rural Rhythm Christian
• Wait For The Light To Shine / Wilson Family Band / Chasing Faith / Self-Produced
• He Is Near / Audie Blaylock & Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
• Call His Name / Johnson Mountain Boys / Working Close / Rounder
• That Home Far Away / Stanley Brothers / All Gospel / Federal
• Gonna Be Movin' / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• Make Him A Soldier / Louvin Brothers / The Family Who Prays
• Black Mountain Blues / Johnson Mountain Boys / Requests / Rounder

A special guest on Sunday, 10/17...

Over the last several months, you've heard Jim & I play many tunes from a great 2010 gospel release from the Rural Rhythm Christian label called, "Look To The Light: Songs Of Faith From The Pen Of Rick Lang." This CD is a bit unusual as Rick Lang does not sing one word or play one note on the recording, but it's his words and music that can be heard throughout the whole project. The talented vocalists interpreting Rick's songs include 2010 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year, Russell Moore; 3-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley; and Grammy nominee, Barry Scott; as well as Jeff Parker, Dale Perry, Junior Sisk, and John Miller. And the instrumental performers aren't too shabby, either, including 2009 IBMA Mandolin Performer of the Year, Jesse Brock; 8-time IBMA Fiddle Perfomer of the Year, Michael Cleveland; multi-instrumentalist Ron Stewart; dobro player Roger Williams; guitar picker Wyatt Rice; and a few others. Top notch material -- all of it!

Rick Lang is a New Hampshire native, and no stranger to anyone in the New England Bluegrass world. His songs have previously been recorded by the likes of Paul Adkins & the Borderline Band, Front Range, Southern Rail, and the Lonesome River Band. On Sunday, Rick will join us on the air via telephone and tell us how he wrote the songs which make up "Look To The Light," how the project came to be, and about the new all-star band called BlueStar who came into existence just to play some of the tunes on the recording. We'll start our conversation with Rick around 5PM.

As a bonus, we'll have at least one copy of the CD to give away to a lucky listener. Be sure to tune in to the BG Cafe beginning at 4PM on Sunday...

"Bluegrass Cafe" Playlist - 10/10/10

Hi Folks,

This version of Bluegrass Cafe was heavily biased towards new music since we have so many new CDs arriving these days, but we also took time to celebrate Mayberry Days that had just occurred in Mt. Airy, NC, September 23-26. Marti and I had visited Mayberry Days this year which also coincided with the 50th anniversary of The Andy Griffith Show (TAGS), so we played songs from artists either associated with TAGS or associated with the celebration in Mt. Airy. This included Doug Dillard, Rodney Dillard, Ginger Boatwright, and Leroy (Mack) McNees. Since Mt. Airy is in Surry County, we also played songs from Surry County musicians Cullen Galyean, Rich In Tradition, The Easter Brothers, and newcomer Paula Dellenback.

We also included a follow-up segment on beloved local guitarist Fred Etheridge which included an interview recorded shortly before his death.

New music included songs from Rhonda Vincent, The SteelDrivers, Rodney Dillard, The Boxcars, Balsam Range, Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen, The Bartley Brothers, and Larry Gillis.

Jim Beaver

requests in blue

Song / Artist / Album / Label

• Liberty / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra (Rhino)
• Ragin' Live For You Tonight / Rhonda Vincent / Taken / Upper Management
• The Family Demon / Peter Rowan / Legacy / Compass
• I Could Change My Mind / The Boxcars / The Boxcars / Mountain Home
• There Goes The Neighborhood / Rodney Dillard / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
• If You're Ever Gonna Love Me / LeRoy Mack / Leroy Mack & Friends / Rebel
• Angelina Baker / Ginger Boatwright / Sipsey / Self-released
• Parenting / Rodney Dillard / I Wish Life Was Like Mayberry / Rural Rhythm
• Buckin' Mule / The Dillards / Live! Almost! / Elektra (Rhino)
• Gonna Be Movin' / Balsam Range / Trains I Missed / Mountain Home
• Red And Green Signal Lights / Rich In Tradition / Black Mountain Special / Mountain Roads
• So Good / Peter Rowan / Legacy / Compass
• Any Ole Time / Lonesome River Band / Still Learning / Rural Rhythm
• Girl At Crossroads Bar / Blackstone Valley Bluegrass / Debut / Appleland
• Driftin' Apart / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen / Self-released
• Can't You Hear Me Callin' / Bill Monroe with Ralph Stanley / And Stars OF The Bluegrass Hall Of Fame / Raven
• Pretty Woman / Larry Gillis / Swampgrass / Tinman
• John Henry / The Johnson Mountain Boys / Telluride Bluegrass Festival - Reflections Vol. 1 / Planet Bluegrass
• From The Gutter To The Grave / Patuxent Partners / Seven Or Eleven / Patuxent
• I Don't Care Anymore / Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie / Southern / Rural Rhythm
• Love Reunited / Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie / Southern / Rural Rhythm
• Midnight On The Mountain / The Steeldrivers / Reckless / Rounder
• Sophronie / Jimmy Martin / You Don't Know My Mind / Rounder
• Shut Up In The Mines At Coal Creek / The Blinky Moon Boys / Moonlight Theatre / Hay Holler
• Cold Dark Ground / The Bartley Brothers / Hit The Road / Rural Rhythm
• Bluegrass Time / Cullen Galyean and others / Born Into Bluegrass / Mountain Roads
• Foot Hill Hop / The Foot Hill Boys / Bluegrass In The Carolina Mountains / County
• You Broke Your Promise / Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice / Heartaches and Dreams / Rebel
• Gitup The Banjo Man / The Spinney Brothers / Side By Side / Mastertone
• We'll Burn That Bridge / Josh Williams / Down Home / Pinecastle
• Going Up Home / Chris Hillman - Herb Pedersen / At Edwards Barn / Rounder
• Dusk 'Til Dawn / Special Consensus / 35 / Compass
• The Crooked Road / Paula Dellenback / The Crooked Road / Self-released
• Three Forks Of Sandy / The John Hartford String Band / Memories Of John / Compass
• Give This Message To Your Heart / Larry Stephenson feat. Dailey & Vincent / 20th Anniversary / Pinecastle
• Washington Lee Fling (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
• Walking In A Dream (bed) / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
• It's Never Too Late / Fred Etheridge with Nick Anderson / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released
• Fred Etheridge Discusses His Musical History / Fred Etheridge Interview 9/6/2010
• Southern Rail Road Line / Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa / Out In The Middle Of Nowhere / Self-released
• River Of Love / Nu-Blu / Nights / Self-released
• Amanda Lynn / Lou Reid & Carolina / My Own Set Of Rules / Rural Rhythm
• Willow Creek Dam / Bill Yates & Friends / Country Gentlemen Tribute (Vol. II) / Self-released
• You Can Keep Your Nine Pound Hammer / Audie Blaylock and Redline / Cryin' Heart Blues / Rural Rhythm
• I Pleaded Guilty And He Gave Me Life / The Easter Brothers / It's About Time / Life Line
• Who'll Sing For Me / Crowe-Lawson-Wiliams / Old Friends Get Together / Mountain Home
• Ring The Bell / The Gibson Brothers / Ring The Bell / Compass
• When I Wake Up To Sleep No More / Nick Anderson & The Gospel Friends / Self-titled / Self-released
• Sailing On / Russell Moore, Dale Ann Bradley, et al. / Look To The Light - Songs of Faith From the Pen of Rick Lang / Rural Rhythm
• Almost Persuaded / Ginger Boatwright / Inside The Gate / Self-released
• Turn Your Radio On / Doug Dillard / Heaven / Self-re-released
• What A Time In Heaven / Mountain Heart / The Journey / Doobie Shea
• Carry On / The Lewis Family / Born Of The Spirit / Starday
• Yellow Roses / Fred Etheridge / Pickin' And Singin' / Self-released