The Way Back Machine - No. 10

I have to admit that I have always found Del Reeves to be one of the most irritating personalities I've ever come across in country music, but his old television show did do a fine job giving some airtime to worthy bluegrass and country bands.

This is from one of Del's shows featuring Jimmy Martin and his band, including Gloria Belle on the big bass, and Vernon Derrick, Alan Munde and Jimmy's son, Jimmy Martin, Jr. I hope it brings back as many memories for y'all as it does for me.







And Jimmy's wearing that famous hat of his, the one that was so hard to miss.

The Old Home Place - Rosine, KY

This is not the most exciting piece of video you'll ever see but some might find it interesting. This was taken from directly in front of The Old Home Place, Rosine, KY. This is the Bill Monroe family home and it is open to the public (free of charge - donations accepted) almost every day of the year. It is a short drive from Owensboro, home of the International Bluegrass Music Museum, and both places can be visited in a single morning. Don't miss it.

"Nashville Cats" - The Del McCoury Band

I finally found a missing video disc from ROMP 2009 this weekend so I can now share a song from the Del McCoury Band. This is their performance of "Nashville Cats" from June 24,2009, the evening of the special benefit to raise extra money for the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY. This show was just down the street from the museum - a great evening shared with Mike Snider, Marty Stuart & The Fabulous Superlatives, and Del & the boys.

The Dan Tyminski Band - ROMP 2009 - II

Of all the acts I saw at ROMP 2009, I enjoyed The Dan Tyminski band the most. I've seen Dan, Barry, and Adam as part of Union Station several times, including once in London when I lived there, but this was the first time I've seen this configuration. I didn't know exactly what to expect from them but I should have known that the band would be topnotch just based on the fun these guys always seemed to have when working together with Alison Krauss. They closed the festival, a hot, humid three days that were a real challenge to the audience and the performers alike - and left everyone the park looking forward to ROMP 2010 (less than nine months from now, guys).

From June 27, 2009:

Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine at ROMP 2009 - II

By special request, I'm posting the only other ROMP 2009 recording I made of Gloria Belle & Tennessee Sunshine. The song was recorded on June 25, 2009.

My next big project is transcribing all the great audio I recorded at this year's ROMP festival. It's a bit sad how much time working for a living takes - but, hopefully, I'll get it all done before ROMP 2010 which is less than nine months away.

Larry Sparks - "Tennessee 1949" at ROMP 2009

If there is a more soulful bluegrass singer than Larry Sparks, I have yet to hear him sing. Some come close but there is just something about Larry's voice and delivery that hits me in the heart every time he sings this kind of song.

This is part of a June 25, 2009 show that Larry and the band did in Owensboro, KY, as part of the ROMP 2009 festivities. This show was one of the festival's highlights for me, personally, because it was my first chance to catch Larry Sparks live - after being a fan of his for more than two decades.

North Dakota's Quintana Biffert Has a New Video

When I first heard Quintana Biffert sing she was a little 12-year-old girl who could knock your socks off with her version of "Coal Miner's Daughter." Her mom sent me a homemade (if I remember correctly) CD of the song and I played the heck out of it on my old internet radio station, RAM Radio. The song got a great response and it stayed near the top of the charts for us for several weeks.

Of course, lots of people listened only because Quintana was such a young performer. But Quintana's age, by itself, is not something that would get people to listen more than once or twice - and many listeners never did know how young she was when she recorded the song. The song did so well because it was good, simple as that.

Now, some five years later, Quintana is still singing and searching for her big break. She lives way up in North Dakota and that probably complicates her efforts to get much national exposure but she is not giving up. She's 17 now and sounding better and better.

This video was produced to get Quintana some YouTube attention and was just posted there on September 23:



The video producers are hoping that Quintana can attract a sponsor or two as a result of their efforts and they had this to say:

This is a music video we produced for Quintana Biffert. We shot the video in the Killdeer Mts and Halliday, North Dakota. Quintana is looking for sponsors to further her career and as you can see she has a God given talent. If you wish to help Quintana, please contact us at info@svpmultimedia.com or through our website at www.svpmultimedia.com and we will direct you to Quintana. ENJOY!

I would love to see that happen because this little girl is more country than most of the folks in Nashville will ever be. She deserves a chance to see what she can do on a national stage.

The Way Back Machine- No. 9

I've seen a few videos of a very young Marty Stuart displaying the mandolin skills he seems to have been born with but not many of Marty in his late teens. If the information tagged to this video is correct, Marty would have been about 18 years old in this performance with the Nashville Grass from 1976. His voice is not the one we know today, but Marty's many fans will appreciate this as a little piece of musical history:

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver at ROMP 2009

This is a June 27, 2009 video of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver at ROMP 2009 (Owensboro, KY). It is a bit shakier than normal because I was shooting a good distance from the stage without a tripod to steady the camera.

Doyle and the guys seem every bit as strong as they were when Jamie Dailey was still a member of the group. Anyone doubting that only needs to listen to the group's new album, "Lonely Street," and I think they will agree with me.

I have to admit that the opening of the video bothers me a bit - I didn't realize there was such a predominance of gray hair in the audience. This is not encouraging for the long term future of bluegrass music, is it?

The Way Back Machine- No. 8

In honor of Bill Monroe's upcoming birthday, I hope everyone enjoys this recording from 1955 of Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys performing "Roanoke."

Mr. Monroe was born on September 13, 1911 and Sunday marks his 98th birthday.



That's Carlos Brock on guitar, Bobby Hicks and Charlie Cline on fiddles, Jackie Phelps on banjo and Ernie Newton on bass.

Paul Williams & The Victory Trio - ROMP 2009

One of the main reasons I'm such a big fanof the International Bluegrass Music Museum's annual ROMP festival is that I can see so many bluegrass artists in one place over a three day weekend. On the one hand, it's a chance for me to see live performances for the first time from some of the bands and artists I've been listening to for decades. On the other hand, I also get to see some of the best young, up and coming, bluegrass bands in the country today.

Here's an example of one side of the coin, a video I shot on the evening of June 25, 2009, as I watched Paul Williams on stage for the first time in my life. I've followed Paul since his Jimmy Martin days, so it was especially nice to finally get a chance to watch him work live.

Paul Williams & The Victory Trio:

The Bluegrass Solution - "In the Meantime"

I admit it. I'm a whiner when it comes to the fact that live bluegrass music is so hard to come by in a city the size of Houston. I don't mean to give the impression that it's impossible to find bluegrass bands here, because it's not. What irks me is that it's almost always on the other side of the city from where I live and work - and Houston is no small place. I could see bluegrass, like The Bluegrass Solution, just about every week if I wanted to drive forty or fifty miles - but I don't have the time or energy to do that very consistently.

So it was a real pleasure to finally get to see The Bluegrass Solution in person this past weekend. They were a big part of the Trader's Village Bluegrass Festival and I was impressed that the band pretty much performs only songs written by their mandolin player and lead singer, Mr. Richard D. Henry. The guys (Michael Fuller, guitar; Ed Fryday, bass; and Mike Casey, banjo) have been together since 1998.

Richard D. Henry is particularly proud that two of his songs have done very well in the MerleFest songwriting contest's Gospel catergory: "One Step Closer to Heaven's Door" took 3rd place in 2001 and "I Had a Little Talk With Jesus" took 2nd place this year.

This video is their Labor Day weekend performance of Richard Henry's "In the Meantime."

Triple L Band

This is the weekend of the 11th annual bluegrass festival held at Houston's Trader's Village - so you can guess where I've been today. It is still warm on the Texas Gulf Coast but, thankfully, this festival is held under cover of a large pavilion that allows the breeze to pass through the crowd while providing shelter from the sun. It was still a bit uncomfortable but the good-sized crowd didn't seem at all concerned with the heat.

Bluegrass has a long, long tradition of family bands, a tradition that is still going strong today. I have always been particularly partial to family bands, especially when it comes to brother or sister harmony singing, but bluegrass (and gospel) bands carry the tradition to an extreme not often seen in other music genres. I want to share a video of one of those bands, Triple L Band, a band comprised of Amy and Len Miller and their three sons. Each of the sons has a name beginning with the letter "L" and, taken together, they provide the band's name.

It is Lance (an electrical engineering student), 21, on acoustic guitar; Landon, 19, on banjo; and Levi, 17, on mandolin. All three of the boys do some singing, but Levi sings lead on every song his dad doesn't - and Levi provides some nice tenor harmony on the songs on which his dad has the lead vocal.

The band, headquartered in New Mexico, drove directly from dates in Iowa to appear in Houston for four sets spread over the two days of the festival. I'm happy they did.

Wayne Turner - "Kansas City"

I've been a fan of the song "Kansas City" ever since Wilbert Harrison made it a Billboard No. 1 record way back in 1959. It would probably take all my fingers and toes to count the versions of "Kansas City" I've enjoyed since that first one, but this cover by Wayne "Animal" Turner is definitely one of the better ones. This video would be worth watching just to get to Wayne's guitar solo at the end - but the good news is that this live version is good all the way through.





Now I can't get the lyrics out of my head:

I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

I'll be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
I'm gonna be standing on the corner
On the corner of Twelfth Street and Vine
With my Kansas City baby
And a bottle of Kansas City wine.

Well I might take a train
I might take a plane, but if I have to walk
I'm gonna get there just the same
I'm going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

I'm gonna pack my clothes
Leave at the break of dawn
I'm gonna pack my clothes
Everybody will be sleeping
Nobody will know where I've gone
Cause if I stay in town
I know I'm gonna die.
Gotta find a friendly city
And that's the reason why,
I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there
And I'm gonna get me some.

The Way Back Machine- No. 7

I'm in the mood for some Doyle Lawson kind of bluegrass this evening and this clip is exactly what I hoped to find. It goes back to 1988. That may seem like yesterday to most of us, but step back a second and do the math - 21 years gone in a flash.

Jimmy Martin Family Fails to Settle His Estate

Common as this situation is, this is just sad. It seems that Jimmy Martin's children and his ex-wife are still squabbling about his estate more than four years after the man's tragic death. The Martin family fight, in fact, reminds me of exactly what happened at the deaths of both Tennessee Ernie Ford and Conway Twitty.

According to The Tennessean, the battle involves the five heirs and three co-executors and, to this point, there has been little progress toward settling the $2 million estate:

The case goes on because of an addendum he made two weeks before he died: scolding his children and adding two music business friends as co-executors with his son Lee "Buddy" Martin.

His children believe that the strong-willed musician was lied to about money missing from his bank account and that he was coerced into splitting the power of executing his will.

His four children are at odds over whether someone outside the family should decide who gets what. They have different attorneys and different perspectives on how it should all end.

"This is not what my dad worked all his life for," son Ray Martin said.

Though the estate will be divided among four children, his ex-wife and all their children, future royalties from Martin's songs are likely to add to the value.

[...]

His children allege the problems began when Theresa Martin arrived. The friends whom Jimmy Martin would name as co-executors of his estate were also there nearly every day. Soon, according to court filings, they stopped allowing Martin's children in to visit.

Daughter Lisa Martin Arnold said her father surrounded himself with "yes men" — people who told him what he wanted to hear and gave him what he wanted. She says the men he added as executors were his yes men.

"He was dying, and these are the people who were around him," Arnold said. "Instead of being at peace, it's a circus."

It is obvious from the Tennessean article that Jimmy Martin, as he neared death, was unhappy about his relationship with his adult children. It is also obvious to anyone who has been close to this kind of situation that he was very likely in fragile enough emotional state to be rather easily manipulated by others. What happened in this case will ultimately have to be determined by the courts, of course, but for anyone who has experienced a similar situation this is hard to watch.

Williams and Clark Expedition - ROMP 2009

This June 26 ROMP 2009 video was recorded almost exactly 24 hours before the Dixie Bee-Liner video posted directly below this one, and it was already just as hot and humid as when the Bee-Liners would hit the stage the next afternoon. It was my first chance to see the Williams & Clark Expedition and I was particularly struck by the excellent musicianship of everyone in the band.

This is part of what I saw that day:

The Dixie Bee-Liners at ROMP 2009

This performance by the Dixie Bee-Liners is from June 27, 2009 about 4:15 in the heat of the afternoon, thus the reference to the guys having their shirt-tails out. They are introduced by the head of their label, Pinecastle Records.



It was so hot that I have to remark that the band showed a whole lot more energy than did most of the audience. We had been baking for several hours by the time the Bee-Liners hit the stage and the festival had a lethargic feel to it until things started to cool down later in the day.

The Way Back Machine- No. 6

Without a doubt, Patsy Cline is one of the greatest female vocalists of all time, regardless of genre. She was said to be a country singer despite the way Owen Bradley messed with her style and it is hard to argue with a classic like the Willie Nelson-penned, "Crazy," which in Patsy Cline's hands became an instant classic.



Bradley was determined to make Patsy into a pop star, something about which she was not at all comfortable or happy. In the process, the two recorded the songs for which Patsy is most famous in a career cut so short. Patsy Cline proves here what a great singer she was - way before Pro-Tools came along to turn every mediocre-voiced pretty girl and pretty boy into country singers. That's what's so "Crazy" today.

Gene Watson Fans to Celebrate New Release

Tuesday is a big day for Gene Watson fans. That's the day that Gene's new album, A Taste of the Truth, will be released - and it promises to be every bit as good as the remarkable In a Perfect World he released in 2007.

This morning's Houston Chronicle includes a nice feature on Gene, his schedule, his Toy Shop - and his general take on life, the music business, and how best to avoid being sucked into the lifestyle of a superstar. Click the link for an interesting article on one of the most down-to-earth showbiz people you'll ever meet:

“You know, I need this,” he says of the shop. “I have to have it. I'm the kind of person it's real easy for me to get too close to the forest, you might say. And I don't like that. When I get on my bus till the time I get off tour, I'm music 100 percent. But when I'm off the bus, I've got to have something to do. This has always been the release I had. It's a hobby, that's why I named it the Toy Shop, but it's more than that. It allows me to get back on the bus and do music again. That's the formula.

“I see people that retire, they go home and sit down and go away. And I don't want to do that. I foresee no retirement for me.”

Watson still gets on that bus for more than 150 dates a year. His songs haven't been played on mainstream country radio for years but he retains a formidable and dedicated contingent who turn out for his concerts. It's easy to hear why. Watson is one of the last great balladeers in country music, and he's protected his voice admirably. If the arrangements of his songs sometimes give away the era during which they were recorded, his voice never does. His singing is as studied as the great jazz crooners and is identifiably bracing, clear and emotional.

[...]

Watson recorded A Taste of the Truth as he recorded all of his albums: singing while the band played in the studio. He always works with a producer, but unlike singers who are bullied by their labels, he picks his players and he picks his songs.

[...]

Country music undergoes its changes while Watson's head is under the hood of a truck. He didn't care then, so he's disinclined to care now.

“I know what I'm capable of doing, and I know what people expect from a Gene Watson album,” he says. “I've watched so many fads pass. I've watched it all and tried to stick with what's been good for me.”

Gene Watson is one of those rare individuals whose voice exhibits very much the same quality over a number of decades. This relatively recent version of his signature song, Farewell Party, proves there is a lot left in Mr. Watson's tank.

Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press - "Bluegrass Melodies"

This Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press performance is from the afternoon of June 26, 2009 in Owensboro, KY, scene of ROMP 2009. I've mentioned before that the heat and humidity for ROMP 2009 were both unusually high, and by the time of Bobby's late afternoon appearance the heat had already taken its toll on the audience. That is why this video is, at times, of the shaky variety - I had backed away from the stage in search of a little shade and I was using more telephoto lens than I normally use.

Bottom line is that it may not be good video, but it is definitely classic Bobby Osborne & Rocky Top X-Press.

Gilley's Founder Sherwood Cryer Dies

I've been so busy this week that I failed to hear about the passing of Sherwood Cryer, a Houston legend who was so instrumental in creating the massive Houston honky tonk known all over the world as Gilley's. Apparently, Mr. Cryer died some time Monday but his family is releasing no details at this time.

It was the John Travolta movie, Urban Cowboy, that made Gilley's so famous, of course, but none ot it could have happened without the marketing genius of Sherwood Cryer. Cryer, inventor of the mechanical bull (made famous by Debra Winger), ran the club that became homebase for Mickey Gilley. Gilley and Cryer were partners in the club until the two had a falling out and broke up the partnership. The club itself burned to the ground at the hands of an arsonist in 1989.

This Houston Chronicle article brings back some memories for those of us who spent a little time in Gilley's before Urban Cowboy - when it was still a real Texas honky tonk.

Gilley's bumper stickers were a common sight in those days, plastered by Cryer's employees on vehicles parked in the club's lot. Patrons who didn't want the stickers, which featured a red Gilley's logo on a white background that glowed when illuminated by headlights, were advised to leave their sun visors down.

The bar was founded in 1971 after Cryer discovered Gilley singing at a Pasadena club where he was making so little money he could barely pay his three-member band. Cryer told Gilley, “How would you like to have a club of your own?” the singer was quoted as saying five years ago.

[...]

Cryer later opened another bar in Pasadena, G's Ice House, now closed. He made millions as a result of Urban Cowboy, but filed for bankruptcy after losing a suit to Gilley and in later years lived in a trailer behind G's, walking with a cane and still dressing in his signature coveralls and athletic shoes. The only way to reach him by telephone was the pay phone at G's.

Conley said that when Cryer died, he always wanted it to be kept quiet

“Just bury me in the backyard,” Conley recalled Cryer saying. “That way, his friends would have the hope of seeing him again and his enemies wouldn't have anything to celebrate.”

Sherwood Cryer was one-of-a-kind and Gilley's was one-of-a-kind. I still grieve a little bit when I drive by the spot where Gilley's stood for so many years and I always wonder why Mickey Gilley and Sherwood Cryer coudln't work out their differences instead of killing off the goldmine that made both of them so rich and provided so much good music to those of us lucky enough to find our way there on a regular basis.

From all accounts, Mr. Cryer was not an easy man to be around but, in the end, neither he nor Mr. Gilley covered themselves with glory by letting their anger and resentment overrule their common sense. Houston was poorer as a result of their foolish decision to fight it out in court.

Rest in peace, Mr. Cryer. I forgave you and Mickey a long time ago.

Remember Debra Winger on Sherwood's mechanical bull? Of course, you do.

The Way Back Machine- No. 5

This is another song from the 1950s television series "Ranch Party." This time around Tex Ritter is on hand to introduce Mac Wiseman who does a rousing version of "When I Saw Your Face in the Moon." It's not exactly bluegrass but, hey, it is Mac Wiseman and any video of Mac from those days is nice to see.



I don't remember seeing "Ranch Party" as a kid. Was it a regional show, a West Coast kind of thing, or was it syndicated across the whole country? I would love to have these old clips on DVD, that's for sure.

Steve Martin - Banjo Player of the Year? Really?

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Steve Martin's books, movies, and stand-up act. I even like the fact that he has the banjo skills to play with the big boys and that he really seems to enjoy "our" music. He seems like a genuinely nice guy and he makes whatever movie he appears in better just by being part of it.

I think that his presence is good for bluegrass music because of the extra exposure that someone like a Steve Martin will bring. I'm happy for the success that his new album, The Crow, has had. Really...I am. I promise.

But Banjo Player of the Year? Can that really be right? Are we ready to say that every single one of those great banjo pickers who work the road so many weeks a year are second to a part-time banjo player who just released his first album? Is this more publicity stunt than reflection of reality on the part of the International Bluegrass Music Association?

I'm happy enough to see Martin nominated (because of all the extra coverage the nominations are receiving) but I won't feel comfortable with the choice if he ends up winning. Maybe I take these awards too seriously, maybe not. What do you think?

The Dan Tyminski Band - ROMP 2009

Weather conditions at ROMP 2009 were a bit different than they were the first three years I drove to Owensboro, KY, to attend the International Bluegrass Music Museum's annual festival there. The 2006-2008 festivals were marked with high temperatures, a good bit of wind, and tremendous thunderstorms. The 2009 festival, on the other hand, saw lots of heat and humdity, very little in the breeze department, and very high humidity.

It was not only the audience that felt the combination of high temperatures and high humidity, though - it must have been just as bad on stage even with the large fan that was set up on one side to blow directly on the bands. By the time that the Dan Tyminski Band appeared late on the evening of June 27, the fan was no longer working but, as you can see from this video, the guys were working hard and seemed to be having a great time doing it.

This is one of the songs from the latest Dan Tyminski Band album, "Wheels." If you don't have this one in your bluegrass collection already, check it out. I think you'll like it.

Here's a sample:

The Way Back Machine- No. 4

This is great. The mandolin player in this clip from an old Porter Wagoner show is 14-year-old Marty Stuart. It's a version of "Feudin' Bandjos" with Marty taking the place of one of the banjos. This is the Lester Flatt group of that era - and Lester finally gets in the picture at the very end of the clip.


I find it amazing that people like Marty Stuart, Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley, among others, were working with major bluegrass bands at such young ages. Those were the days...

Does Anyone There Know Who Bob Dylan Is?

Bob Dylan may be a musical legend and icon to Baby Boomers around the world, but their children and grandchildren might not have a clue about all of that. One 22-year-old policewoman in Long Branch, New Jersey brought that harsh reality home to Mr. Dylan this week when she hauled in the "scruffy old man" who was said to be acting suspiciously in a Long Branch neighborhood.

Britain's MailOnline has the story:

I'm afraid we all fell about laughing,' said Craig Spencer, a senior officer in Long Branch, New Jersey. 'If it was me, I'd have been demanding his autograph, not his ID.

'The poor woman has taken rather a lot of abuse from us. I offered to bring in some of my Dylan albums. Unfortunately, she doesn't know what vinyl is either.'


It was in 1965 that Dylan wrote Like A Rolling Stone, with its line: 'How does it feel to be on your own, a complete unknown?'

He found out while staying at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch. Before taking part in a concert with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, he decided to take a stroll through the town's Latin quarter.

'Residents called to complain there was an old scruffy man acting suspiciously,' said officer Spencer. 'It was an odd request because it was mid-afternoon. But it's an ethnic Latin area and the residents felt he didn't fit in.'

Hey, just a minute...isn't that ethnic profiling? I thought that was a bad thing.

(Yes, I know that Mr. Dylan is neither Bluegrass nor Honky Tonk. But, I'm one of those Baby Boomers who happen to believe that the man transcends musical genre, so I hope you got a chuckle out of this story. He does look pretty good in a hat, too, doesn't he?)

Angela Easterling's Black Top Road

Black Top Road was my introduction to Angela Easterling and her music. It is a whole new world out there for aspiring singers and songwriters, a world in which they carry most of the burden for getting the word out about themselves, their bands, and the music they produce. Record labels seldom do that kind of thing for new artists anymore, a change that is not necessarily bad considering that there are so many new tools through which to get the job done – and who cares more about marketing than the artist responsible for the music? Easterling is one of the smart ones; she is definitely getting the job done and word about her music is spreading fast.

When I think of the Americana genre, I imagine something like Black Top Road, a mixture of several musical styles, a conglomerate of folk, country, blues, rock, and even the “western” that has disappeared from what some still call “country and western” (a brilliant little song called “Stars Over the Prairie”). Easterling covers them all, and she covers them well.

My Black Top Road favorites are the ballads because Easterling’s emotional vocal style shines brightest on that type of song. One of those, “The Picture,” is a particularly haunting take on the despair felt by a daughter who discovers a picture in the personal effects left behind by her father that makes her question just who her father really was and whether she ever really knew him. Despite how sad this one is, it is the song that I keep returning to for an extra spin or two each time I listen to the album. Other ballad standouts include “Helpless” and “Field of Sorrow.”

Black Top Road is a very personal album for Angela Easterling, an album for which she wrote most of the songs, none of them more poignant than the title song in which she revisits the agony of having to sell off one-third of a farm that has been in her family since 1791 simply to pay the inheritance tax that came due at the passing of her grandfather. Easterling is justifiably worried about what will happen to the farm the next time it moves from one generation to another. Someone should send a copy of “Black Top Road” to every member of Congress before more family farms have to be broken up to satisfy the tax man.

Angela Easterling has defied any sophomore jinx that may be associated with recorded music. Listeners will find a lot to like in Black Top Road because she has no fear about expressing honest emotion and sentiment – and she has the voice and delivery to do it right. It is still a little early in the year to be picking best albums but, to this point, this is one of my 2009 favorites.

Bottom line, the songs on this album are real. They reflect the pain and emotion of real life in a way that FM radio wants little to do with anymore. Forget FM radio. Do yourself a big favor and grab a copy of Black Top Road instead of twisting the FM dial in frustration. This is a good one.

The Way Back Machine- No. 3

How about some 1950s George Jones, "our little friend," as introduced by Tex Ritter on Ranch Party? The film quality is pretty poor but this is historic footage of a country legend in his earliest days as a national performer. Possum was special even then.

Help Preserve Bean Blossom - Buy a Brick

Your Name Here (Sample Brick)

Bean Blossom's Preservation Foundation has announced a new program by which bluegrass fans from around the world can contribute to the preservation of the Bill Monroe Music Park by purchasing the individual bricks that will be used to construct a "memorial brick wall."

According to the Foundation:

The memorial wall will be located near the famous Bean Blossom sign at the fork in the road near the music stage.

The fully tax deductible price will be $100 a brick this year, and includes custom engraving worded by the brick donor. Each brick will include 3 lines of text and 12 spaces per line. Once the wall goes up, the price will go up to $125 per brick due to the cost increase of engraving while the bricks are already in place. The bricks will be set in available areas at random.

Order forms and online orders are available at www.bbjfoundation.org or can be mailed to: BBJF, c/o Bill Monroe Music Park, 5163 North State Road 135, Morgantown, Indiana 46160. A PDF order form is available here.

The Foundation has already received huge interest in the Bean Blossom Brick Wall project during the planning time and feels like fans and patrons of the park could also purchase these as for birthday, Christmas, Anniversary or other gifts.

I have yet to make it to Bean Blossom - but one day I will make it and it would be nice to see my name on the wall when I finally do get there. This is a great idea and I suspect that all bluegrassers would be proud to be part of it. Think about it, folks.

Killing Train Time in Spring, Texas

You never know what might happen at a live music event. It's all a bit like live television was in the days before video tape came along and took all the surprise out of it.

I went out to Hyde's Cafe in Old Town Spring Sunday afternoon and I was reminded (as was this great country band) that strange things happen when you least expect them. These guys, though, made the most of the moment when a loooong train passed only about 20 yards or so behind their outdoor stage just when they started to kick off a song. They quickly switched to some "train music" for the duration.



It was fun to watch and, you have to admit, few things mix better than trains and real country music. (Band members include Jim Sloan, Wayne Turner, Drop Watson and two others I have to apologize to for not catching their names - on steel and drums.)

The Way Back Machine- No. 2

Let's enjoy Larry Sparks singing about "Them Blues." From the looks of some of the hair styles on these guys, I'm guessing late '70s or early '80s on this one.

Kill Nashville Pop

I am proud to say that I was one of the first 15 people or so to join this grassroots movement to bring real country music back to Nashville, Tennessee. I will also admit that I am truly surprised that the idea is catching fire the way it is. The movement's growth has been steady, if gradual, but Larry Shell and his crew really seem to have it rolling now.

My buddy Janice Brooks (of Bus of Real Country internet radio) brought one of these banners wih her to Owensboro, KY, for ROMP 2009 and displayed it on the back of her folding chair out at the park during the last two days of the festival. The banner is large enough that it caught the eye of a local reporter and was mentioned in a newspaper article about the festival. The sign also made a few people curious enough to come by and ask what we were up to - one or two were offended by the idea - giving us a chance to explain what Larry Shell (The Rev) was up to and why we support him. Whether we converted anyone or not, I don't know, but we did preach the sermon more than a few times.

Shell really has this thing moving now, including last week's first "Kill Nashville Pop" concert held in, of all places, Nashville. Imagine that. From all accounts the show was a rousing sucess and is just the first in a planned series of shows to publicize the cause.

On August 6, The DailyTimes.com (Blount County) published a comprehensive article on the movement and those working so hard to make it successful:

In reality, says the man who started the “Kill Nashville Pop” movement, it has nothing to do with putting down or getting rid of other artists. It’s about returning the mantle of country music to the sound pioneered by artists like Hank Williams Sr., George Jones, Tom T. Hal and other musicians of yesteryear.

“We’re not an organization that goes out and bashes other people about their music,” acclaimed Nashville songwriter Larry Shell told The Daily Times this week. “We’re more about celebrating the country music we love. I’ve had a few people say, ‘Why did you title it Kill Nashville Pop?’ Well, No. 1, I like that phrase, and No. 2, nobody would notice it if we called it ‘I Love Country Music.’ I wanted to get people’s attention, so I use the phrase that I like.

[...]

Shell acknowledges that there is hope — he points to Jamey Johnson as traditional country’s “great white hope” — but the balance of country-pop CDs coming out of Nashville far outnumbers the traditional country albums being made there, he said. “I have no hard feelings in my heart toward any of the artists who have to work in this miserable, set-up situation we find ourselves in today,” Shell said. “This whole music industry is in flux right now, but the one thing we don’t need to change is the fact there are people who love traditional country music, so let’s make some for them again.”

Click on the link, above, for the entire piece.

You might also want to go to Larry's Facebook site and sign up to "Kill Nashville Pop." Come on, you know you want to...

Cherryholmes Choose the Wrong Event

What kind of "folk fest" would see half its audience waving their hands over their heads to indicate a keen disinterest in live bluegrass music? Maybe it's a Canadian thing?

The response that Cherryholmes received in Edmonton yesterday is a little hard to understand because I've never seen the Cherryholmes family on stage in a performance that anyone would characterize as lethargic or flat. I suspect the problem was with the audience - not the Cherryholmes - but I do have to wonder why the Cherryholmes would place themselves in a situation where they have to follow a heavy rock band (even a Chinese one).

The Edmonton Sun reporter had little sympathy, to be sure. I doubt that Justin Bell, confused as he apparently is, writes his own article headlines, but take a look at the general contempt shown by the newspaper headline-writer to the Cherryholmes:

East meets ho-hum
Chinese heavy rock blows away Nashville bluegrass at folk fest

This incident makes me wonder how a Chinese heavy rock band would fare at a Kentucky bluegrass festival. Thankfully, we are unlikely to ever suffer that fate.

The Way Back Machine- No. 1

"Uncle Pen" from Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys - 1956

Mike Seeger Dead at 75

Mike Seeger deeply loved traditional music and he used his influence to give new life and exposure to the Southern musicians who originated so much of that tradition. Thanks to Mike and a few others like him, traditional songs that may have disappeared forever without the new exposure are still finding an audience in the 21st century.

Mike was not the only member of his family in the "tradition business," of course. His half-brother, Pete, and Peggy, his sister are also well known for their musicianship and their social activisim. My own first memories of Mike go back to his days with the New Lost City Ramblers, a group he co-founded and used so effectively to give new life to what were then rapidly disappearing "folk" songs.

Mike was a collector, a gatherer who brought together old songs, old instruments, old styles and sometimes even the old musicians who had played the music for a lifetime before Mike came along. I will always remember Mike's performance at the International Bluegrass Music Museum's gathering of a couple of years ago when he sat on stage in a simple wooden chair surrounded by instruments (many of which I had never seen before or ever heard played), all of which he would play flawlessly before the evening ended.

Mike Seeger came along at, for a man with his goals, the perfect time in American music history and he made the most of it. I am grateful for what he did to preserve so much of this country's musical heritage and I will miss knowing that he is out there doing his thing for the rest of us.

Rest in peace, Mr. Seeger. You will be missed.

This performance is typical of what Mike offered his audience, a mixture of musical history and performance. I swear the man could play anything and I find this performance to be particularly poignant since it was filmed only four months ago.

A Houston Thursday Night

Houston is home to some of the finest real country music bands around and the city has the honky tonks to showcase them. I spent about three hours at one of my favorite Houston honky tonks, Blanco's, last night where I enjoyed some real country music from Country Jim and the talented musicians and singers who form his band.

These guys love the music and they are doing their part to keep it alive. Fans of real country music, those of us completely fed up with the noise coming from our FM radios when we dare to tune in a station having the nerve to call itself country these days, need to do our own part to make sure that traditional country music lives on forever. Fight back, folks - support your local honky tonk. How hard is that?


The guys primarily do classic country songs of various styles, including the Texas Swing style typified by this Bob Wills classic:



The place was absolutely packed and everyone was having a great time (as I think you will be able to tell from the crowd noises accompanying "'Take Me Back to Tulsa." I assume everyone made it to work on time this morning...right?

Angela Easterling and Hammett Farm

Americana artist Angela Easterling has just posted a little two-minute YouTube video tour of her family farm, a property that has been in her family since 1791. As Angela expresses in the video, it is still a beautiful piece of America despite the big houses standing right next door, but it used to be even more beautiful before one-third of the farm had to be sold to pay the inheritance taxes triggered by the death of her grandfather.

Angela's family is wealthy only in the sense that the land owned by her family is said to be worth perhaps a few million dollars for tax purposes. In more general terms, the family is probably as cash-poor as the average American family and, when an inheritance tax has to be paid, property has to be sold off to raise the needed funds. Sadly enough, this is not unusual because family businesses and farms are destroyed by our government every day in order to keep cash coming in at the rate at which they like to waste it from Washington D.C.

Angela makes the point much better than I can, so watch this heartfelt video of hers and you will understand why this particular tax needs to be repealed or greatly modified:



Also, please go to Angela's website for information regarding her new album, Black Top Road, including links to her music, lots of pictures, and her biography. This is a nice album. I'm in the process of listening to it my mandatory minimum of 6-8 times before sitting down to write a formal review because, that way, I find out which of the tracks "grow on me" and become longterm favorites - the higher the number of that kind of song, the higher I rate the album.

Don't wait on me, though. Go to Angela's website and click on the links there to sample her music. If you don't already know Angela's work, you will be happy that you took the time to check it out.

"On the Other Side" - Video from Dailey & Vincent

It may not be bluegrass but it's beautiful and it's performed by two of the best bluegrassers in the business today, Dailey & Vincent.

Some will probably say that "On the Other Side" is a bit of a stretch for a bluegrass band, but I have to believe that most everyone will end up loving a song as beautiful as this one:



"On the Other Side" is, of course, from the new Dailey & Vincent CD, "Brothers from Different Mothers."

Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine at ROMP 2009

Today I want to highlight a video of a June 25, 2009 performance at ROMP 2009 from Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine.

Gloria Belle was one of the trailblazers in bluegrass music who made it easier for the women performers who came after her to be accepted on relatively equal footing with the guys. It did not come easy for Gloria Flickinger but she persevered, even surviving several years as the "girl singer" in Jimmy Martin's band, a job that must have tested her greatly at times because Jimmy was not known to be the most "liberated" man in the business.

Jimmy Martin fans probably remember Gloria best as his duo partner on one of Jimmy's biggest hits, "Milwaukee, Here I Come," but, all told, Gloria recorded about a dozen songs with Jimmy. She got her start on the old Cas Wallace radio show, and it was Cas who came up with the name "Gloria Belle" for her because of the difficulty he had pronouncing "Flickinger."

Gloria is a past winner of the IBMA's Distinguished Achievement Award (1999) and is recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Museum as one of the pioneers of bluegrass music, that generation of musicians in the business early enough to have helped Bill Monroe develop bluegrass into the unique treasure that we love today.

Gloria married Mike Long in 1989, at age 50, having made a conscious decision to place her music above marriage for the first decades of her adulthood. She and Mike teamed up to form Gloria Belle and Tennessee Sunshine and they have been traveling and working together for twenty years now.

Dr. Ralph Stanley Autobiography Has a Makeover

Comes word from CMT.com of a little strangeness regarding Dr. Ralph Stanley's new autobiography, Man of Constant Sorrow: The Life and Times of a Music Legend. It seems that the review copy of the book contained some negative quotes from the good doctor regarding pop music's Tim McGraw (concerning a snub that supposedly occured at the 2002 Grammys) that have been yanked from the actual book that will be hitting bookstores on October 15. Chapter 26 has apparently had a makeover - but you sure can't beat the free publicity, can you?

A few of the more rabid Tim McGraw fans are calling for a boycott of Gotham Books, publisher of the book. Somehow I doubt that any of those folks were going to buy a Ralph Stanley autobiography, anyway. So, in my opinion, this is a case of "no harm, no foul" for Gotham. I'm looking forward to the book and only wish now that I had snagged an Advance Readers Copy to review here on Bluegrass and Honky Tonks.

(If any of you guys have an ARC and want to send it my way, please let me know so that I can send you my mailing details.)

Sing Me Back Home

OK, I admit it. When it comes to real country music, and those whom I believe truly appreciate it as the art form that it is, I am prejudiced. Never in a million years would I believe that some guy from New Hampshire, a writer and editor for the New York Times, of all the newspapers in the word, for crying out loud, would know much about the real thing; no way would someone with that background actually understand the music and those who created it. Well, that was before I read Sing Me Back Home, by Dana Jennings, who is exactly the guy I just described.

I want to apologize, Mr. Jennings, and I salute you, sir.

Sing Me Back Home is not a straight forward history of country music. Books like those serve their purpose, certainly, and there are many worthy ones out there already that take that approach. Jennings, on the other hand, turns the history of country music into something very personal: a way to share his own family story.

As most country music historians (and knowledgeable fans) agree, the years from the late forties to the very end of the sixties mark the period of classic country music. The music reached its peak during those years and has faced a steady, downhill slide since 1970 with the exception of a small (and poorly rewarded) group of pickers and singers that refuses to let classic country music completely disappear. But, overall, country music has probably never been in a sorrier state than it is in today. According to Jenkins, in fact, “It can be entertaining, but the difference between today’s country and the summits of the 1950s and ‘60s is the difference between the lightning and the lighting bug.”

As Jennings puts it, “country music was made by poor people for poor people.” At its best, country music reflected, and maybe even justified, the lives endured by the rural poor who lived all around the United States, not just those from the South or the mountains and coal-producing regions of the Southeast. It is the history of working people, those who made livings with their hands, often at the sacrifice of their health or even their lives, during those two decades. Nothing for them came easy and, when they finally made it to Saturday night, they became walking, talking country songs themselves. They lived the cheating songs and the drinking songs; they spent time in prison, went hungry in the bad times, hit the road out of desperation or despair, had love affairs end badly, and repented on Sunday mornings with the full knowledge that they would backslide again come the very next Saturday night.

But what makes Sing Me Back Home so memorable is the way that Dana Jennings readily fits a member of his own family to every kind of classic country song there is. He lived it – and he remembers it because it made him the man that he is today despite the fact that he sits behind a desk at the New York Times. Song by song, the reader meets members of Jennings’ family who could easily have been the inspirations for those same songs because, not only did these folks love and surround themselves with country music, they lived the lifestyle at its heart.

For those of us of a certain age, and of a certain upbringing, this book is like preaching to the choir. We already knew this deep down in our souls. But having someone as frank, and just as importantly, as articulate, as Dana Jennings come along to tell the real story of country music’s golden age and how its listeners related to those songs, is a real bonus.

Sing Me Back Home fits longtime country music fans like an old glove. But the book is also a perfect primer for those newer fans who wonder about the country music legends that are barely more than names to them today. In fact, the discography at the end of the book is worth its whole $24 dollar cover price. Those willing to spend the money and time required to surround themselves with the albums and box sets listed by Jennings in that discography will learn more about the history of America’s working class than they could ever learn from any textbook.

Despite what David Allan Coe says to the contrary, I do not believe in the perfect country music song. But there just might be a perfect country music book. If so, this is it.

Rated at: 5.0

Larry Sparks Shows His Country Soul with "John Deere Tractor"

Some singers are blessed with a voice and delivery that just scream "soul." No genre or style has a monopoly on soulful singing but people generally think of gospel music, what used to be called "soul music" back in the sixties, or the "blue-eyed soul" of the Righteous Brothers type before they think of country music soul singers (if they ever think of country music singers with soul at all). Look up "Soul Music" in a music dictionary and you will find references to things like: Motown Soul, Chicago Soul, Philadelphia Soul, Southern Soul and even British Soul, all of it based on black rhythm and blues roots. What you probably will not find is any kind of reference to the soul stylists of country and bluegrass music.

Well, that is just wrong, and here to help me prove my point is a video I shot of Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers at ROMP 2009. This performance was on the RiverPark Center stage located right next door to the International Bluegrass Music Museum. If Larry Sparks doesn't have soul, and if this isn't soul music, I'll eat his guitar.

This, friends, is country soul at its finest.

Most Promising Country Duo of the Year - 1965 - George Jones & Gene Pitney

Everyone has comfort food and, no matter how bad it might be for their health, they turn to it when they need…well...“comfort.” I am willing to bet that most of us also have comfort music that we turn to when we need a quick lift, songs and singers that remind us of simpler or happier days.

When it comes to comfort music, I find myself reaching back to the 1960s, for the most part, and one of the first things I go looking for is an old Musicor label album of George Jones/Gene Pitney duets called “George Jones and Gene Pitney.” The title is not too original but the music is very special. You have to realize that, when Pappy Daily paired up Jones and Pitney, Gene was still riding high as a popster favored by the teen market. It was a huge risk for Pitney, one that he later said probably hurt his overall career - but it was a challenge he could not resist.

Pitney’s performance on this album (and three that followed: another with Jones, one with Melba Montgomery and a solo country album) proved that he had everything it would have taken to become a country music star. Gene decided to return to pop music instead of making a career in country music, though, and country music will be forever poorer for that decision.

Young music fans already knew about Pitney’s incredibly expressive voice and his special way with an emotional song. What they did not expect, though, was that a pop star capable of a song like “Town without Pity” might decide to lend his talents to country music for a few wonderful albums. And, believe me, all four of the Gene Pitney country albums are something to hear.

What producer Pappy Daily ended up with was a few solos each from George and Gene plus a bunch of duets that sound as good today as they did in 1965. The Jordanaires also do their thing on more than a few of the cuts, especially on the solos, but the duets are my favorites because of the surprising ease with which Pitney was able to harmonize with Jones. Jones, of course, still has a rather unique way of phrasing his lyrics and he will never sound like anything other than a country singer no matter what song he chooses to do. Gene, however, seems to have been very comfortable with George’s delivery and had little trouble hanging right with the lead from Jones to produce some top-notch harmony.

Songs from the two Jones/Pitney albums include these duets:

“Wreck on the Highway”
“One Has My Name”
“My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You”
“I’ve Got Five Dollars and It’s Saturday Night”
“I’m a Fool to Care”
“Don’t Rob Another Man’s Castle”
“Big Job”
“As Long as I Live”
“I’ve Got a New Heartache”
“Louisiana Man”
“Someday You’ll Want Me to Want You”
“Sweeter Than the Flowers”
“That’s All It Took”
“Why Baby Why”
“Y’all Come”

and these solo performances from Gene:

“I Really Don’t Want to Know”
“I Can’t Stop Loving You”
“For Me This Is Happy”
“Drinking from the Well of Your Love”
“The Window Up Above”
“I’m Gonna Listen to Me”
“I’m Up to My Neck in I.O.U.s”
“Life to Go”
“The More I Saw of Her”

plus other duets and solos from Pitney and Jones.

There is enough country music on these two albums to please any fan of real country music but the real marvel is how naturally pop star Gene Pitney took to country music. I hardly dare say it, but Gene pretty much stole the show from George, something I would not have thought possible before I brought the first of these albums home.

Every time I play Gene Pitney’s country songs, I pause to wonder what might have been if Gene had decided to make his move to country music a permanent one. He could have become a great one, maybe even a bigger music legend than he turned out to be. It is a shame that we will never know.

Jam Band in the Shade - ROMP 2009

I wandered away from the ROMP 2009 stage area in search of some blessed shade and found these guys picking under a cluster of trees. Jam bands were far more scarce at ROMP 2009 than I've ever seen them (2009 was my fourth year to attend) and I wonder if the heat and high humidity had something to do with that. Look in the crowd watching the band and you'll spot one of the Ozaki brothers and another member of their group. Also, be sure to take note of the fellow dancing on the little piece of plywood he's place on the ground. I've seen this guy, I think, four years in a row and he seems to spend most of his time dancing. How he did it in the heat, I can't imagine, but he keeps a pretty good beat, doesn't he?

Rock Band Country Track Pack Announced

Finally, some good news for folks whose children or grandchildren have been driving them nuts by playing all the heavy metal that comes with the interactive Rock Band gaming system. I've actually played the game a few times but the song choices preferred by my grandsons test my patience and limit the time I can stand to pretend to play guitar.

Now comes news that for only thirty bucks I can add some country music to their game system - and maybe even create a couple of country music fans in the process. The new songs come in the "Rock Band Country Track Pack," some 21 song choices by big name country singers, including, I hope, a few real country songs. I may be getting my hopes too high since the songs are coming from the likes of Shania Twain, Keith Urban, Martina McBride, Sara Evans and Montgomery Gentry. I don't particularly consider any of those folks to be country music artists but, compared to what I've been listening to with the kids up to now on Rock Band, this just has to be an improvement.

These are the 21 songs in the country music pack:

* Alan Jackson - "Good Time" *
* Brad Paisley - "Mud on the Tires" *
*Brooks & Dunn - "Hillbilly Deluxe" *
*Cross Canadian Ragweed - "Cry Lonely" *
* Dierks Bentley - "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" *
*Dixie Chicks - "Sin Wagon" *
*Drive-By Truckers - "3 Dimes Down" *
*Jason Aldean - "She's Country" *
* Keith Urban - "I Told You So" *
* Kenny Chesney - "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" *
* Kenny Rogers - "The Gambler" *
* Lucinda Williams - "Can't Let Go" *
*Martina McBride - "This One's For The Girls" *
* Miranda Lambert - "Gunpowder & Lead" *
*Montgomery Gentry - "Gone"e; *
* Rascal Flatts - "Me and My Gang" *
* Sara Evans - "Suds In The Bucket" *
* Shania Twain - "Any Man of Mine" *
* Steve Earle - "Satellite Radio" *
*Trace Adkins - "Swing" *
* Willie Nelson - "On the Road Again" *

I never dreamed I'd be so happy to spend $30 on music by Urban, Twain, Montgomery Gentry or the Flat Rascals - that tells you how much I hate the music that came with the original game. At least, there are decent songs from Willie, Brad Paisley, Lucinda Williams and Kenny Rogers in the mix...enough to keep me entertained and away from all the faux-country in the pack.

Now if someone would just add mandolin to the band and come up with a Bluegrass Track Pack, I'd play the game at home all by myself. That's as close to being a musician I'll ever come.

Blurgrass

I noticed an album review (as part of a retrospective review of the best albums of the 2000s) by Bill Chapin today that included a phrase that I believe to be wrongheaded. Chapin, in singing the praises of Nickel Creek's "Why Should the Fire Die," quips that the album is "for folks who suspect they're the target audience for 'bluegrass for people who hate bluegrass.'" I'm sure that Chapin didn't invent the phrase but I find its use misleading. It bugs me the same way that it bugs me when people who mean they "could not care less" say, instead, that they "could care less," negating the very point they are trying to make.

Just what are we trying to say? If it's "bluegrass," people who "hate bluegrass" won't like it or, conversely, if bluegrass-haters like it, it can't be bluegrass. I know what Chapin is trying to say, of course. Nickel Creek was not a traditional bluegrass band and the trio never really pretended to be one. They were what a friend of mine in a typo on Facebook last week accidentally called "blurgrass," the more progressive, jazz-influenced newgrass that so many love - and so many disdain. I really doubt that "blurgrass" is a new term, either, but I love the sound of the word.

Just who it is that should be more insulted by "bluegrass for people who hate bluegrass," Nickel Creek or their fans, I'm not sure. That's a tough call and it's why I'm adopting the term "blurgrass" to describe their kind of music from now on. It's a great visual for the mind's eye, isn't it? And, more importantly, I like Nickel Creek, Chris Thile, and their blurgrass (and I like bluegrass even better).

Note from Larry Stephenson Regarding Mary Ennis Benefit

Further to this story about the benefit shows planned for Mary Ennis, Larry Stephenson wants to remind those who are unable to make the shows that they can still help out:

Hello everyone,

Any donations may be mailed to me as I will be collecting during my travels and of course presenting the total collected the night of the show directly to Mary. Please make checks payable directly to Mrs. Mary Ennis.


The address to send donations c/o Mary Ennis is:

Larry Stephenson
The Larry Stephenson Band
1937 Upper Station Camp Creek Rd
Cottontown TN 37048

My wife and I thank you in advance for all contributions to help Mary out during her hour of need. We also want to personally thank Rhonda & the Rage, Nothin' Fancy, the Little Mountain Boys, Doug Crabtree, Brenda Lawson, Kimberly Williams, my band members, Junior Zirkle and the James River Bluegrass Association for their part and making this possible.

Thanks, Larry Stephenson

Thanks, folks, for anything you can do to help out Mary when she needs it most.

Justin Trevino, Amber Digby with Under Your Spell Again

A little music this afternoon from two of my favorite honky tonk singers working the Houston area today, Justin Trevino and Amber Digby. This video is from the Country Roots Show in Houston's Trader's Village of May 17, 2009, an annual event that I try not to miss mainly because Justin has been there for each of the last three years.



Justin's website at which the legendary Johnny Bush says, "He was my biggest fan until I heard him sing, and then I became his."

Amber's website which includes this impressive mini-biography:

Digby came from a musical family. Both her parents have been in country music for decades: her mother Dee was a harmony singer with Connie Smith, and her father Dennis Digby played bass for Loretta Lynn for almost twenty years. Her uncle is legendary entertainer Darrell McCall. Her step-father, Dicky Overbey, is considered a steel guitar legend and played with the likes of Faron Young, Connie Smith, Hank Williams, Jr., Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Bush, and currently plays with Amber. In this musical family, the young Amber literally grew up on stage. Being a born entertainer, she began realizing her dreams already at the age of three.

Check out their music. I guarantee you that you'll thank me later.

Bluegrass People Are Special - Just Ask "Dancin' Mary" Ennis

Bluegrass music and the people who make it are of a special breed. I've often remarked at the difference in the atmosphere at a bluegrass show or festival as compared to that of other music events - mainstream country, included. Bluegrass, simply put, has a "family" feel to it. Bands and fans mix in such a casual way that bluegrass festivals often have more the feel of a family reunion than that of a formal concert. I try to explain that to friends who have never attended a bluegrass show but they don't seem to get it. In their minds something like that is just too good to be true.

From Virginia's News & Advance comes word of a story that proves my point. Rabid bluegrass fan Mary Ennis, who has come to be known among bluegrassers as "Dancin' Mary," is in trouble and her bluegrass family is stepping up to help her out.

“We love Mary. We call her ‘Dancin’ Mary,’” Vincent said in a phone interview from the road, headed for a show in Ohio.

Ennis, a 76-year-old great-grandmother from Amherst County, has gone to every bluegrass concert she can get to for years. The quintessential fan has become part of the shows.

Now, after a recent cancer diagnosis, the stars are coming to her.

Vincent and her band, along with the Larry Stephenson Band, Nothin’ Fancy and the Little Mountain Boys, will play a benefit concert for Ennis at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 at Nelson County High School. Sweet Brenda Lawson, the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America’s DJ of the year, will be the emcee. A $20 donation will be requested.

It’s not the only benefit. Marsha Massie of the Little Mountain Boys said her band, along with In the Tradition, Plain and Simple, the James River Cutups and others, will perform Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Madison Heights Bingo Hall.

“She’s a special person,” Massie said of Ennis, someone with a fun-loving spirit that can be infectious.

...

Vincent and her band will be coming in from the Midwest to play the benefit for Ennis.

Ennis finds the outpouring from the bluegrass community mind-boggling, that “a little humble person like me can have friends like that.

“… I love everyone that’s doing it.

This is a great story, of course, but it really does not surprise me all that much because bluegrass people are just that amazingly special. Click on the link, above, for all the wonderful details about how Larry Stephenson pulled all this together for Mary.