International Bluegrass Music Association

international
bluegrass
Vol. 26 No.6 June 2012
A Special Message From Nancy Cardwell
Register NOW for World of Bluegrass... Join Us As We Remember Earl, Everett, Doug & Doc
Don't Miss Our Last WOB In Nashville for a while!
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Event Moving To Raleigh in 2013
Douglas Dillard, 1937-2012: A Tribute
Douglas Flint Dillard my mentor, the person who showed me that music was exciting and fun to play
on stage for people… the one who was 'impickable' with the execution of his art... Douglas Flint
Dillard--whose grin would hit the back of the wall from any stage he was on--has passed away.
Remembering Everett Lilly: A Tribute
Everett Lilly, a revered member of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bluegrass Hall of
Fame, died on Tuesday, May 8 at his home in West Virginia. He was 87 years old.
Katherine Coe and Caroline Wright Join IBMA Staff
Bluebird in the Bluegrass: A New IBMA Songwriting Venture
Next Show June 8, at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee!
Foundation for Bluegrass Music Announces Grants to Honor Bluegrass Music Innovators
Mr. Warren Hellman and Mr. Earl Scruggs
Learn About Negotiating Contracts with Bands and Venues at IBMA's June 12 Webinar
Getting Your Songs Out There: Tips on Exposing Your Original Songs
Bluegrass Music Industry News
Artists & Composers, Association News, Broadcaster News, Event Producers, International Focus,
Print, Media & Education, Record Labels & Publishers
Fresh Sounds in the World of Bluegrass
New Music (2nd Quarter, 2012)
Report from the 2012 European World of Bluegrass
a special message from
Nancy Cardwell
During the past few months, the worldwide bluegrass community has been stunned and saddened by
the deaths of four of our most beloved pioneers.
As we prepare this issue of International Bluegrass, I ask you to join the staff, officers and directors of
IBMA in extending your thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of Earl Scruggs, Everett
Lilly, Doug Dillard and Doc Watson.
Each of these men was responsible for bringing many of us to the “fold,” introducing us to the music we
love so much, inspiring untold numbers of artists to create their own sounds, and adding tremendous joy
to our lives.
Please join us for World of Bluegrass in Nashville in September for a week of unforgettable tributes,
performances and storytelling sessions dedicated to the friends we have lost this year--Earl Scruggs,
Everett Lilly, Doug Dillard and Doc Watson--with participation by the folks who toured and recorded with
them. Registration is open now. As the worldwide bluegrass community gathers to remember these
pioneers of bluegrass music, we hope you’ll be there, too. You won’t want to miss a single minute, word
or note.
We’re also looking for a few good stories about Doc.
Just a few days after she began working with us as interim editor and special projects director, author
and journalist Caroline Wright started writing stories about Doug and Everett. She collected stories and
tributes from their friends and peers and wrote two extraordinary articles about them for this issue.
We’ve also included a reprint of her wonderful 2002 interview with Doc Watson from Bluegrass Now. To
see these and other stories, click here.
Caroline would like to hear from the people who loved Doc and his music. She invites Doc’s fans to send
their favorite stories, memories and reflections of the beloved American musician to [email protected]
(about 100 words or less would be fine; use more words if you need them). A selection of tributes will
appear in the story Caroline is planning for our July edition. Deadline for submission is June 15.
You'll likely notice a few changes in the look of International Bluegrass this month. With a skill set that
includes graphic design, website design and digital video production, Katherine Coe, our new
administrative/media assistant, is already working with our team to develop exciting new ways to deliver
news about the worldwide bluegrass community to your doorstep. Katherine came up with the design
we're using for World of Bluegrass marketing and merchandise this year, and we're also premiering her
gorgeous new full-color graphic magazine version of International Bluegrass with this issue. As they
settle into their new roles, Katherine and Caroline have already made many exciting contributions to the
quality and value of our communication.
I look forward to seeing you in Nashville in September for our last World of Bluegrass in Music City for
the next few years; to sharing music and memories of Earl, Everett, Doug, and Doc; and to telling you
more in the months ahead about Raleigh, N.C., which will host World of Bluegrass in 2013-2015.
Thank you for all you do for bluegrass music!
-N
Nancy Cardwell, Interim Executive Director
REGISTER TODAY FOR IBMA’s WORLD OF BLUEGRASS 2012
Don't Miss Our Last WOB In
Nashville for a while!
You've probably seen the recent
announcements
that
IBMA's
World of Bluegrass event will
move to the city of Raleigh, N.C.
starting in 2013. As you might
expect, we're planning an unforgettable WOB for our final event in
Nashville before we take the show
to Raleigh for the next three years!
Our annual "bluegrass industry
summit and music family reunion"
is shaping up to be one of the best
ever. This year will definitely be
one you just can’t miss.
Fun & fellowship is what the World
of Bluegrass all about! It's an
action-packed, tuneful week filled
with valuable and useful information, plenty of opportunities to
make meaningful connections
with your friends, peers and idols
in the bluegrass community... and
as usual, some of the hottest picking you will hear anywhere! Be
sure to join us in Nashville for
bluegrass music's biggest event of
the year.
The Business Conference:
Monday - Thursday, Sept 24-27
The open convention center
layout in Nashville will continue
this year so that folks have greater
access to pick, do business and
network with one another in
common spaces of the center. But
there is SO MUCH MORE to take
in! As always, you’ll need to be
registered to take part in professional development opportunities,
the exhibit hall, official showcases
and meal functions. We encourage everyone to support the organization that makes the week possible. Join IBMA, identify the
events in the schedule that will
help you succeed, and participate! Full conference registrations begin at only $325. We’re
also offering a “four for the price
of three” sale on full attendee
registrations so gather some
colleagues and save! Can’t join
us all week? Single day and a la
carte tickets will also be available.
Attendee
evaluations
say…
“more emerging talent at official
showcases.” Expect to see new
faces and discover exciting new
music at the official showcases.
After Hours showcases will be
presented from 10 p.m. – 1:30
a.m. While conference registration by participants is not
required, we know there is a great
benefit in participating in the
events. Artists are encouraged to
get the MOST of the time and
money you’ve spent to get here
by registering and being a part of
world of bluegrass
professional development and networking opportunities. After Hours showcase
hosts will be encouraged to only book
talent who are IBMA members. If you
haven't joined IBMA yet, give us a call at
888-438-4262, join online at this link or
join on site at the World of Bluegrass
registration desk.
www.BluegrassNation.org,
a
social
networking and marketing database for
bluegrass enthusiasts around the world,
will be up and running and will be a continuing theme for the 2012 events.
Educational Sessions packed with valuable information and ideas are being
planned, and there's something for everyone! Our sessions and panel discussions
are being planned to serve the needs of
the entire bluegrass community! Here are
just a few of the sessions that have been
confirmed for 2012...
- The Words & Music of Larry Cordle with
guests Larry Cordle, Larry Shell, and Carl
Jackson
- Event Volunteer Management & Support with Dwight Worden
- Time Management with Debra Russell
- What Is Leadership Bluegrass? A Panel
Discussion with Trisha Tubbs, Jon Weisberger and Ben Surratt
- Creative Music Arrangement with Harry
Stinson of The Fabulous Superlatives
Also in the works: unforgettable tributes
and storytelling sessions dedicated to the
friends we have lost this year--Earl
Scruggs, Everett Lilly, Doug Dillard and
Doc Watson--with participation by the
folks who toured with them, recorded with
them and knew them best. Please join us
as we gather to remember these very,
very special pioneers of bluegrass music.
The Emerging Artist Educational Track
will continue in 2012, with topics specifically chosen by new bands. And popular
events like the Songwriter Showcase,
Song Circles, Gig Fair, Mentor Sessions,
Storytelling Sessions, Song Demo Listening and an Artist/DJ Reception will return
along with several member-suggested
seminars, workshops and labs dedicated to cutting edge
industry information and new trends.
The Awards Show: Thursday, Sept 27
We’ll return to the historic Ryman Auditorium for The International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September
27—always a joyous night filled with unique moments you
absolutely will not see anywhere else! And don’t forget the
Awards after party at Margaritaville on lower Broad(way)—a
fundraiser for The Foundation for Bluegrass Music.
The Festival: Friday-Sunday, Sept 28-30
Bluegrass Fan Fest wraps up the week with more than 60
acts, unique collaborations and not-to-miss reunions. We're
working on an AMAZING lineup for the spectacular weekend
event that wraps up World of Bluegrass each year. Order
reserved tickets early if you want to have the best seats in the
house! Here's a list of some of the red-hot bluegrass acts that
are confirmed so far... with more to come!...
The Steep Canyon Rangers
The Grascals
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Claire Lynch Band
Balsam Range
Junior Sisk & Rambler's Choice
Josh Williams Band
Sleepy Man Banjo Boys
The Roys
Register NOW for our last WOB event in Nashville for the
next few years!
world of bluegrass
We’ll be having a WORLD of fun at our last World of Bluegrass in Nashville this year... you don't want to miss it! You should already have
received a full World of Bluegrass brochure in the mail (if you didn't, let
us know, and we'll be happy to send you another). Registration is open
as
of
June
1,
and
tickets
are
available
NOW
at
www.worldofbluegrass.org or by calling 888-GET-IBMA.
“Nashvegas” is the Las Vegas of the South, offering a small town feel
and big city fun combined with some of the greatest live music in the
world—especially during IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Week! Make your
reservations now to stay at the convenient and comfortable Renaissance Hotel—close to all the World of Bluegrass action!
Plan to come early and stay late, to enjoy everything the city has to offer.
Click here for some fun things to do while you’re in Music City... and
email us your suggestions, too!
World of Bluegrass 2013-2015 will
be hosted at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Raleigh Amphitheater and Memorial Auditorium, with
hotel blocks at the Raleigh Marriott
City Center, the Sheraton Raleigh
and six additional nearby hotels. “If
we had designed a perfect venue
for our events, it would look a lot
like the facilities in Raleigh,” said
IBMA Board chair Stan Zdonik.
We can’t wait for our members and
friends to see this place! In the
months ahead, look for more information about the city of Raleigh as
an exciting new venue for World of
Bluegrass. Here are just a few of its
benefits and attractions:
- A compact “campus” with options
for hosting Fan Fest indoors or
outdoors—or both, with more stage
options
- A state-of-the-art, Silver LEED
certified convention center that
incorporates a bright and open
atmosphere (lots of windows and
solar panels on the roof!)
IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Event
Moving To Raleigh in 2013
On May 16, the IBMA Board of Directors announced plans to move World
of Bluegrass events to Raleigh, North Carolina for the next three years,
2013-2015.
IBMA's “World of Bluegrass Week” includes the four-day IBMA Business
Conference, the International
Bluegrass Music Awards Show, and the three-day Bluegrass Fan Fest.
Our annual industry summit/ bluegrass family reunion draws more than
16,000 attendees, providing opportunities for showcasing, professional
development and networking at the largest concentrated week of powerful, live bluegrass music on the planet.
The following World of Bluegrass dates have been announced, with the
option for a five- or seven-day event each year:
September 23 - 29, 2013
September 29 - October 5, 2014
September 28 - October 4, 2015.
- Substantially lower hotel rates,
with the host hotel at $139/night
and other lodging in our block as
low as $66/night. The Raleigh Marriott City Center is connected to the
Raleigh Convention Center and the
Sheraton Raleigh is half a block
away across the street, connected
by an underground walkway (both
$139/night). The Clarion Hotel
State Capital ($85) is five blocks
away. MORE: The Hampton Inn
Glenwood Avenue (1 mile, $139),
the Doubletree by Hilton Brownstone (2 miles, $154), the Hilton
North Raleigh (5 miles, $101), Holiday Inn Express-Suites NCSU (2
miles, $89.99), Red Roof Inn
NCSU (1 mile, $65.99). Note:
These rates will not be available
until spring 2013.
- Plenty of parking at the Raleigh
Convention Center, $7/day
- Free shuttle rides in downtown
Raleigh to its five entertainment
districts. This shuttle also has
access to the Marriott, Sheraton,
Clarion and Hampton.
- Free Wi-Fi for individual World of
Bluegrass attendees in the lobby of
the Raleigh Convention Center and
in designated outside hotspots
downtown
- Substantial savings and value from
Raleigh both for individual World of
Bluegrass attendees and for our
trade association as a whole, plus
help with media promotion and sponsorship connections
- A strong network of volunteers
already working bluegrass concerts
at PineCone events (Piedmont
Council of Traditional Music)
- A performing arts hall-style venue
for the IBMA Awards, with a few
more (and softer) seats
- Accessible by air, interstate highway or Amtrak
- And more!
We’re looking forward to working
with a local organizing committee in
Raleigh to plan World of Bluegrass
and a city-wide celebration, with
showcase and performance opportunities for dozens of bands in the
Raleigh Convention Center, the
headquarter hotels, local schools,
and up and down the streets in local
music clubs and cafes.
North Carolina has a rich bluegrass
music history. A number of our Bluegrass Hall of Fame members hail
from the Tar Heel State, including
Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, Red
Smiley, Carlton Haney, Curly Seckler, Carl Story and George Shuffler.
Pre-bluegrass pioneers Wade Mainer and Charlie Poole are from
North Carolina, and the Monroe Brothers (Charlie and Bill) made
their first recordings in Charlotte, N.C.—including the classic “What
Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?” Some argue that Bill
Monroe might not have made it to the Opry to unveil his new genre
of music if not for Raleigh, N.C.—the place where he and his brother
Charlie famously parted ways in 1938, beginning the chain of
events that would lead the younger brother to form the Blue Grass
Boys.
North Carolina is also the home of Smilin’ Jim Mills, Tony Williamson, Bryan Sutton, the Steep Canyon Rangers, Tony Rice, Balsam
Range, The Grass Cats, Kickin Grass Band, Nu-Blu, Steve Dilling,
Cindy & Terry Baucom, Lou Reid & Carolina, The Skip Cherryholmes Quintet, Si Kahn, The WBT Briarhoppers, Darin & Brooke
Aldridge, The Snyder Family Band, Lorraine Jordan, Tommy
Edwards & the Bluegrass Experience, The Shady Grove Band,
Town Mountain, The Kruger Brothers, The Avett Brothers, The
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Chatham County Line, David Holt, the
Red Clay Ramblers and more.
World of Bluegrass is moving to Raleigh through 2015, but IBMA’s
office will remain in Nashville. IBMA hosted World of Bluegrass
events in Owensboro and Louisville, Kentucky before moving to
Nashville in 2005. We have a good home in Nashville, and we
intend to stay actively involved throughout the year in local efforts to
keep a high profile for bluegrass music in Music City, including quarterly “’Bluebird in the Bluegrass’” songwriter rounds at The Bluebird
Café, a ‘“September is Worldwide Bluegrass Month’” downtown
noon concert organized by the Foundation for Bluegrass Music, and
other events produced by local members.
IBMA’s 2012 dates for World of Bluegrass are Sept. 24-30, in Nashville, Tennessee. We invite our members to come to the conference
in Nashville, to secure a ticket early for the 23rd International Bluegrass Music Awards at the historic Ryman Auditorium for Sept. 27,
and to absolutely enjoy everything Music City has to offer one last
time before we move to Raleigh for the next three years. We’ll see
you in Nashville this September, and then we’ll put on our traveling
shoes and meet in Raleigh in 2013!
Douglas Flint Dillard a tribute
"Douglas Flint Dillard…
my mentor, the person who
showed me that music was exciting and fun to play on stage for
people… the one who was
'impickable' with the execution of
his art... Douglas Flint Dillard-whose grin would hit the back of
the wall from any stage he was
on--has passed away." – John
McEuen, from a statement on
Nashville.com, May 19, 2012
***
With a smile that could warm up a
room on a winter night--and a
powerful banjo-picking style that
could burn the rest of the house
down--Doug Dillard, who passed
away last month, was an entertainer whose music charmed audiences in pastures and palaces
all over the world.
Born on March 6, 1937 in East St.
Louis, Ill., Douglas Flint Dillard
was the second of three brothers
born to Homer and Lorene Dillard.
In Salem, Mo., where Doug was
raised, Homer played fiddle,
Lorene was a guitarist and Doug’s
eldest sibling, Earl, played
keyboards. Doug started playing
guitar when he was just five, and
at 15, he received his first banjo as
a Christmas gift from his parents.
RODNEY DILLARD, singer/guitarist, original member of The Dillards,
currently with The Dillard Band; Doug’s younger brother: Doug used to
play with Dad and me when he first started discovering
fingerpicks—we’d pick squaredances, and he’d play with his fingers
‘cause he didn’t know about fingerpicks. And his fingers would bleed!
He’d play all night long and jam till his fingers would get blistered up.
GINGER BOATWRIGHT, singer/guitarist, former member of The
Doug Dillard Band: Douglas was driving his dad's car and listening o
the Grand Old Opry [on the radio] when Earl Scruggs started picking.
Douglas got so excited he ran off into a ditch and had to be towed out.
Many years later we heard Earl on a talk show, and Douglas called in
and told him the story about running off the road the first time he heard
Earl pick. Earl said “Sorry about your trouble!”
After he got the banjo and started playing, he decided he needed
Scruggs tuners. His parents drove to Earl Scruggs’ house in Nashville
and knocked on the door. Earl graciously invited them in and sold
them the tuners and installed them on his table. He asked Douglas
where his fingerpicks were, and Douglas asked what fingerpicks were.
He had learned to play listening to records, and got his volume by
pulling harder on the strings than most banjo players did. Earl gave
him some picks, and that REEEEE-ALLLY made him loud!
RODNEY DILLARD: When he discovered finger picks, he came in
one weekend and said, “Listen to this!” And it was like a symphony
orchestra. Later on in life, I would bring big orchestras into our music,
and it never had the same thrill as hearing those fingerpicks on my
brother’s fingers [for the first time].
***
After younger brother Rodney learned to play guitar, the two played in
several local groups with other local musicians. In 1958, the brothers
joined a St. Louis band called Joel Noel and The Dixie Ramblers
(whose members also included a young John Hartford). Shortly after
joining The Dixie Ramblers, Doug and Rodney began recording for
Mario Records (K-Ark Records).
RODNEY DILLARD: We made a
lot of tapes that I’m going to
release one of these days, but the
first record we ever made together
was a song called “Banjo in the
Hollow” on a little local label out of
Missouri [K-Ark Records 615, by
Joel Noel & The Dixie Ramblers:
“Banjo In The Hollow”/ ”You're On
My Mind”]. He was working for the
city, and I was still in high school.
He got in about twelve or one in
the morning, and he was so
excited! He put the record on and
we listened to it over and over, all
night long, until dawn. It was
amazing, to hear something with
that fidelity and quality! It was a
45. We played it over and over and
over again. We wore it out.
And you know what? Of all the
records we ever made together,
that was the most exciting moment
in our musical career.
It’s always the first one.
***
Doug and Rodney also performed
on a St. Louis radio station as The
Dillard Brothers in 1958, recording
for a local label. They met Dean
Webb, a mandolin player from
Independence, MO, through Dale
Sledd, later a member of the
Osborne Brothers, who was then a
performer on the Ozark Opry.
They asked Dean to play mandolin
and bass on another record that
was eventually heard by Mitch
Jayne, a schoolteacher who
hosted a radio show called
“Hickory Holler Time" on KSMO in
Salem, and whom Doug knew
from his earliest years as a musician. Mitch, fired up by a conversation with a Hollywood talent
manager he met in 1961, learned
to play bass and joined the band
as emcee and storyteller.
In 1962, The Dillards played their
first debut show at Washington
University in St. Louis, where
Doug had earned an accounting
degree. Their high-energy performance
was
recorded
and
preserved, finally remastered by
Rodney and released in 1999 on
The Dillards: A Long Time
Ago/The First Time Live! Inspired
by their successful show, they left
for Los Angeles with $300 in their
pockets—with a detour for some
gigs in Oklahoma.
***
BYRON
BERLINE,
former
member of Dillard & Clark and the
Dillard Expedition; memoirist;
author of Diary of a Fiddler (with
Jane Frost); now in publication: I
just heard the news about Doug
Dillard passing away. It saddens
my heart as I have wonderful
memories of the times I spent with
Doug. I will never forget the first
time I met the Dillards: November
22, 1963 at the University of
Oklahoma. Same day President
Kennedy was killed. The Dillards
changed my life from that day,
especially Doug. I remember him
asking me if I could play old-time
fiddle tunes and that was about all
I could play back then. I can still
remember the first tune I played
with them as we jammed after
their performance, and that was
“Hamilton County Breakdown.” I
had never played with a band like
that before and I felt like I was
floating up near the ceiling somewhere, it was incredible.
From that [first] meeting the
Dillards asked me to record a
fiddle album with them. What a
break for me, and we did record
the following summer in Los Angeles. Doug could back up a fiddle
better than any banjo player
because he really understood the
fiddle as his dad played--and also
Doug played some fiddle. There
are so many stories I could tell
about Doug, and I do in my
upcoming book. Rest in peace,
Doug Dillard; you were one of my
favorites.
***
“I’d like to say hi to my mom and
dad up in Salem, Mo., and all the
folks up there.” –Doug Dillard on
Nashville Now
***
The very first night that Doug,
Rodney, Mitch and Dean arrived in
Los Angeles, they went to the
famed Ash Grove, a club that
often featured big folk, country
and bluegrass acts, to see the
Greenbriar Boys, a New York
bluegrass band. When the show
was over, they took their instruments onstage to jam—and an
A&R man from Elektra Records
happened to be in the crowd.
Within a day, they had a record
deal. The Dillards’ first Elektra
recording was called Back Porch
Bluegrass, reportedly because
many of the songs on it were composed on the back porch of
Mitch's home back in Salem.
Shortly, Elektra placed an ad in
Variety about the exciting new
band it had signed. A rep from
DesiLu Studios saw the ad, and
invited the band to audition for the
role of The Darlings, also known
as “the Darlin Boys,” a musicallyinclined backwoods mountain
family, on The Andy Griffith Show.
They were signed immediately as
semi-regular
cast
members.
Although The Dillards appeared
on only six episodes, they may still
be seen playing bluegrass on television, thanks to re-runs of the
program.
***
“They had this script written about
this family of hillbillies, so they
figured they might as well get the
hillbillies to play music!” –Doug
Dillard, as told to Ralph Emery on
Nashville Now.
***
GINGER BOATWRIGHT: Douglas was very proud of his tenure
with the Dillards, and in particular,
the time spent as The Darlings on
The Andy Griffith Show. But he
was most known for his blistering
fast banjo style, and his many
banjo songs that have become
classics (e.g. “Doug's Tune,”
“Hickory Hollow”). He played on
numerous film sound tracks, and
was featured in Popeye with
Robin Williams. If you blinked you
might miss it, but it was a full
screen of Douglas grinning and
picking the banjo.
VIC JORDAN, banjo player,
former Blue Grass Boy: He was
an excellent banjo player, first and
foremost. He and The Dillards
were early pioneers of this music,
especially taking it to the West
Coast the way they did, and Hollywood and The Andy Griffith Show,
all that stuff. A lot of people
learned from them, I think, and
gained experience, in a way, just
by knowing their experiencesthe jokes and funny stories Mitch
Jayne would tell, the kinds of
songs they sang.
ALAN TOMPKINS, banjo player;
president of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation: I always enjoyed
seeing "The Darlings" on The
Andy Griffith Show, of course. But
shortly after I began learning to
play banjo, I heard a guy playing
what I thought was one of the prettiest banjo tunes I'd ever heard.
He said it was "Doug's Tune" by
Doug Dillard. I learned a lot by
working on that song and still
enjoy hearing it played today. I
appreciate Doug's effort to write
what I consider to be a timelessly
memorable banjo tune.
TIM CARTER, banjo player,
member of the Carter Brothers:
Playing outside the box in bluegrass has always been what the
Carter Brothers is all about. Early
in our career, the Dillards were
one of our biggest influences. We
wore out many Dillard records.
Knowing what these guys had
gone through, and how much they
believed in what they were doing
and holding strong to it, was an
inspiration. It seemed like if the
Dillards did it, then it must be okay.
***
After being “discovered” by
America via Mayberry and Andy
Griffith, The Dillards made appearances on television specials (with
Judy Garland and Tennessee
Ernie Ford, among others) and
performed at high-profile events
like the Newport Folk Festival,
Monterey Folk Festival, and New
York Folk Festival. After joining the
Byrds on a two-week tour of
Europe, Doug left The Dillards to
follow his own musical vision.
Doug’s distinctive style would
keep him busy with session work
for a variety of artists from many
genres. Over his long career, he
added his magic to albums with
Hoyt Axton, Johnny Cash, Woody
Guthrie, Vassar Clements, Harry
Nilsson, Linda Ronstadt, Kay
Starr, John Hartford, Glen Campbell, The Monkees, Aztec Two
Step, Gene Clark, The Byrds,
Michael Martin Murphey, John
Anderson, Larry Perkins, The
Beach Boys and many others.
***
JONATHAN YUDKIN, fiddler,
former member of The Doug
Dillard Band: While on tour with
the Byrds and the Rolling Stones,
Doug once gave Mick Jagger a
needed pair of dry socks. I don’t
know if he ever got them back.
PETER ROWAN, singer / songwriter: When we would come
through L.A., he would take us
around town the whole night and
we’d play music. He had incredible stamina. I wrote “Lonesome
L.A. Cowboy” about experiences
with Doug, though the character
was another person. It was Doug
that took me around town so that I
could see and pick up the information to help me write that; it wasn’t
exactly about him. But anytime
you hung out in L.A., you had to be
the L.A. cowboy!
RODNEY DILLARD: [His banjo
style] represented his personality.
Douglas was much more complex
than his smile led people to
believe. He was much more complex than that.
He lived his life exactly the way he
wanted to. And very few people
have that luxury. Douglas did. He
lived life to its fullest; he lived it
abundantly. Sometimes it was
good; sometimes it wasn’t. That’s
life. That’s the little lessons we go
through.
PETER ROWAN: When I moved
back to Nashville in the ‘80s, Doug
was around and he was always
agreeable to play. And that made it
really fun. He always had his own
direction, and he was one of the
greatest banjo players, and just a
super-nice guy. Unfortunately, he
wasn’t nice to himself, but that’s
not for us to judge, is it?
***
When the tour was over, Doug and
his new friend Gene Clark from
the Byrds launched a series of
musical enterprises. The pair
toured and recorded as The
Dillard & Clark Expedition and
Dillard & Clark (with fiddler Byron
Berline) and set the stage for a
new kind of back-country rock
music. Doug recorded his critically
acclaimed Banjo Album in 1969,
and went on to record other solo
projects in the 1970s, finishing the
decade with a couple of whimsical
Flying Fish recordings with his
brother Rodney and his old friend
John Hartford, and a couple of
classic banjo projects as well:
Jackrabbit and Heaven.
***
ALAN MUNDE, banjo player: I
moved to Los Angeles in early
1972 to play with Byron Berline,
Kenny Wertz, and Roger Bush in
the
newly
formed
Country
Gazette. I met Doug Dillard not
long after hat and we developed a
friendship over time as we picked
at various parties and a gig or two.
Certainly Doug was a huge influence on me before I met him, with
his wonderfully quick-fingered,
creative banjo playing and his
contribution to the wondrous
sound of The Dillards.
One morning I received a call from
Paul Rothschild, who produced
Janis Joplin and many others. He
also produced the seminal bluegrass album Beatle Country with
the Charles River Valley Boys (Joe
Val, Buddy Spicher, and Eric
Thompson). He was in the studio
that morning with Valdy, the Canadian singer, and had contracted
with a banjo player, but the
session was on and the player had
not shown up and could not be
located (hard to remember a time
before cell phones and the Internet). So he asked if I could do the
session. I was available and
rushed down to the Hollywood
studio.
When I arrived, I was told by Paul
they had located the banjo player
and he was on his way and I would
not be needed but would be paid
nonetheless. I asked who the
player was. He said it was Doug
Dillard. I was thrilled, and asked if
I could hang around until Doug
came, say hello to him, and then
leave them to their music making.
We waited, and no Doug. Paul
suggested that since I was there,
the artist and session musicians
could run the first song, I could
play the banjo to get levels, and
Doug could just jump in and do the
take of the song. The producer
thought it sounded pretty good so
we might as well try for a take. It
went well, Paul suggested he
would keep that cut, and we went
to the next song.
I recorded all four songs scheduled that day with Valdy. We were
packed up and leaving when
Doug finally showed up. Paul was
all smiles. "I am so glad to see you
found the note I left on your car!"
he said.
Doug, dismayed but excited, said,
“You know where my car is???”
Doug lived a very large life, but
sometimes he couldn't remember
where he left his car. His music
and permanent smile will be
missed. Bless his heart.
***
Doug decided to move to Nashville in 1982, where he promptly
formed an eponymous band with
vocalist Ginger Boatwright, and
formed a friendship with former
Blue Grass Boy Vic Jordan, who
was his neighbor. The Doug
Dillard Band, which would also
feature guitarist David Grier,
fiddler Jonathan Yudkin and vocalist Kathy Chiavola. The band’s
1988 release, Heartbreak Hotel,
was produced by Rodney Dillard
and nominated for a FolkBluegrass Grammy.
***
VIC JORDAN: I saw him sometimes on the street by his van,
carrying his banjo case. He
always wore kind of a floppy hat,
and I never saw his face much. I
just saw a guy walking in and out
with a banjo case. I thought,
“That’s a banjo picker! I need to go
introduce myself!’ I went and introduced myself and he said, “Well,
hey, how you doin’? I’m Doug
Dillard!” That’s how we met.
Doug was a good friend. We used
to get together once and a while,
to have coffee, watch a little TV, go
somewhere and eat… We both
liked buffets. We talked about
music, and sometimes Doug
would talk a little about the early
days of The Dillards. Most of the
time, it was just friendly guy talk.
We’d get something to eat and
we’d bring it home to his apartment, or mine.
He was just a likeable guy, fun to
be around. He would share
thoughts with you in a heartbeat,
and laugh at the drop of a hat, and
his smile was unmistakable. He
had that little sparkle kinda devilish look in his eyes all the time,
like he was gonna pull a chair out
from under you!
GINGER BOATWRIGHT: I had
the pleasure of becoming Doug's
music partner in 1981. I had
formed a group in 1969--Red,
White & Blue(grass)--and had
disbanded in January 1980. Then,
I had a 'ladies' group called the
Bushwhackers, but disbanded
that when Douglas asked me to
play music with him.
We toured all over the United
States and Canada, and had an
absolute ball! Douglas loved to
drive, and would often go 24 hours
without changing drivers... until
one night he ran off the road into a
gully. He called me aside and
asked me if I'd drive. From then
on, he and I had split shifts at the
wheel, but he wouldn't let anyone
else drive.
KATHY
CHIAVOLA,
singer,
former member of The Doug
Dillard Band: It was somewhat
unique to have two women in a
bluegrass band in the early '80s.
This did not happen by design,
rather he loved the sound of our
voices in harmony and we had a
great rapport.
JONATHAN YUDKIN: My favorite
memory of Doug would have to be
the hundreds of hours I spent
sitting beside him in the van, driving through the night and talking
about life, the universe and everything (Douglas Adams). This is
when he would tell me the stories
(all true), which were not meant for
the rest of the world to hear. Oh
joy.
GINGER BOATWRIGHT: Once
we went to church and afterwards
took Bill Monroe to Shoney's
because Bill liked their peach pie.
Douglas produced a mini-tape
recorder and got Bill to sing “Blue
Moon of Kentucky” as Elvis did. It
was great!!! “A-well, a-wella, Blue
Moona of-a Kentucky just keep
on-a shinin’...” That should be
worth a mint!!!
***
The Dillards were inducted into
the International Bluegrass Music
Association’s Bluegrass Hall of
Fame in Owensboro, KY in 2009,
by John McEuen. Their first three
albums include a wealth of original
songs that have become muchbeloved bluegrass standards:
“The Old Home Place,” “Dooley,”
“Doug’s Tune,” “Banjo in the
Holler” and “There is a Time.”
Their music, comedy, and accessibility endeared them to new bluegrass audiences everywhere—in
settings that were sophisticated
and urban, rural and absolutely
humble,
and
everything
in
between. Sadly, Doug’s fellow
Dillard Mitch Jayne, 82, died
Monday, Aug. 2, 2010, in Columbia. Mo. George Lindsey, who
played Goober on The Andy
Griffith Show, passed away on
May 6, just days before Doug himself. He was 83.
***
DIANA JAYNE, widow of original
Dillards member, the late Mitch
Jayne: When I first met Douglas,
in the 1990s, it was like meeting a
long-time friend that I hadn’t seen
in a while. My fondest memories
are being in some motel room
listening to he and Mitch recalling
the earlier times of The Dillards.
One remembering some detail the
other had forgotten, and then
laughter… followed by more
stories. Like the music they
played, they were weaving doilies.
RANDY CAMPBELL, agent for
The Dillards, 2002-2010: I owe my
friendship with Douglas to Nancy
Cardwell at IBMA, who connected
me with Rodney Dillard in Branson, Mo. in the summer of 2002. I
found a kinship with Rodney, who
was
always
The
Dillards’
bandleader in their many reincarnations and reunions. He was
looking for some help to put the
finishing touches on an invitation
he had from Arlo Guthrie, to play
Carnegie Hall with Arlo's family
band and Pete Seeger.
I rented a tour bus in Nashville,
and that’s where I first laid eyes on
Douglas. Rodney followed in a
motor home with about 26
"Dillards and friends." We took the
whole thing to New York City for
Thanksgiving weekend in 2002.
The magic was such that I saw
some real value in The Dillards-particularly
Rodney
and
Douglas—reuniting. They were
both up for it, and it lasted for 7+
years.
JOHN McEUEN, banjo player,
founding member of the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band, producer of The
Dillards: A Night in the Ozarks - An
Audiolithograph (2006):
There
was a confluence of events that I
would trace back to Doug Dillard.
If Doug hadn’t gotten me hot to
play music on stage, playing the
banjo, I wouldn’t have been in the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band! And if I
hadn’t been in the band, there
wouldn’t have been a Will The
Circle Be Unbroken album.
Thanks to Earl, and Louise
Scruggs, we got Maybelle, Earl
Huskey,
Vassar
Clements,
Norman Blake.
If Doug hadn’t been influenced by
Earl Scruggs, and called on him a
long time ago… It’s very strange
that the record’s origins go back to
Earl through Doug.
BÉLA FLECK, banjo player: Doug
Dillard is a guy whose playing
always turned me on. He had an
amazing drive, and a beautiful
clear concept on the banjo. The
Dillards’ Live!!! Almost!!! album
was an important record and a big
favorite for me. Doug somehow
was very traditional but open and
musical, and different in interesting ways from Earl Scruggs. He
also was a very sweet guy, and
how ‘bout that crazy smile? Wow,
he really meant it, too!
BOBBY OSBORNE, singer / mandolinist; member of IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame: I became
great friends with Douglas many
years ago. I admired his talents
with the banjo. He and his brother
Rodney were a credit to bluegrass
music and made many friends
happy with their style of bluegrass.
The group name “”The Dillards”
became a household word, and
Douglas was a big part of that,
with his talent with the five-string
banjo. We have lost one of our
pioneers of bluegrass. I’m very
proud to have known Douglas
Dillard. He was one of my dear
friends and will be missed by
many.
TONY TRISCHKA, banjo player:
Doug Dillard singed my brain cells
with his crackling tone and full
throttle attack. “Dooley,” “Doug's
Tune,” “Dixie Breakdown” and
“Old Home Place” were all "slicker
than deer guts on a door knob" to
me, to quote Mitch Jayne. Doug’s
playing always made my life a
better place to live in.
RODNEY DILLARD: Thanks to
the miracle of technology, Doug is
part of the history of the genre of
music that he played. His legacy
will live on. He’ll always be
remembered—at least by his
brother, me--as one of the finest
banjo players that ever played.
***
For the last few years of Doug’s
life, he and Rodney made occasional appearances and even
toured together, but Doug’s health
finally forced him to go off the
road. On Wednesday, May 16,
2012, Douglas Flint Dillard passed
away in Nashville, after a long
illness. His wife, singer-songwriter
Vikki Sallee-Dillard, was by his
side. He was 75 years old. Survivors include his older brother
Homer Earl Dillard, Jr. of St. Louis,
Mo. and his younger brother
Rodney Adean Dillard of Branson,
Mo. He was interred at Harpeth
Hills Memory Gardens in Nashville
on May 24, 2012. Donations may
be made to the Douglas Dillard
Legacy Fund, PO Box 90537,
Nashville, TN 37209.
***
KATHY CHIAVOLA: Doug Dillard
had a magic; a childlike, mischievous, and joyous spirit. He always
had a twinkle in his eye and never
met a stranger. He made the best
pot of beans I ever had and could
not duplicate. When he played the
banjo he exuded and conveyed
excitement in the sound, the tune,
the harmony, the rhythm. He loved
it and never tired of it. He could
drive 30 hours at a stretch and
was generous to a fault. He was,
of course, a great musician and
songwriter, who played a pivotal
role in the development and
spread of bluegrass and country
rock music. He was a musical
adventurer until the end. He will be
missed.
VIC JORDAN: He really loved
eatin’ cornbread and beans. Doug
was down-to-earth country. He
always talked about someday
opening a restaurant that special
ized in cornbread and beans. He
was gonna call it "The Windbreaker!"
My wife and I both talked to him
when he was in the hospital, and
he told both of us he was feeling
better, and looking forward to
coming over for dinner. My wife
said, ‘What would you like?’
He said, “Cornbread and beans!”
GINGER BOATWRIGHT: He was
funny; he was generous; he loved
a good joke, even if it was on himself; he was loyal to his friends; he
was
well-spoken--surprising
people who interviewed him with
his insight and charm; he loved
Greek fisherman caps and
Western-style shirts and coats; he
had two cats he named Willard
Dillard. Willard Dillard the 2nd, he
taught to box and wink. He'd put
up his fists like a prizefighter, and
Willard would roll back on his
haunches, put his front feet in the
air and start punching! The kitty
got lotsa treats.
RODNEY DILLARD: The last time
I was able to speak with him, we
had an extensive talk about our
childhood, and about spiritual
things. Douglas, as much as anybody I know, was a very spiritual
person, and I’d like for people to
know that. He was ready to go. He
had it together. And he died
peacefully, because I think he
thought he knew where he was
going.
JONATHAN YUDKIN: I think his
most important contribution to the
bluegrass tradition was the way he
was able to bridge all musical
barriers without anyone feeling
that it was out of place. He took his
music from the hardest right to the
hardest left of all musical styles,
and everyone was just fine with it.
DEAN WEBB, mandolinist, original member of The Dillards;
current member of the Missouri
Boatride Bluegrass Band: Douglas Flint Dillard was an incredibly
innovative banjo player who had a
style touching on the super physical which I've not heard or seen
anyone else replicate. His style
inspired all who heard him. He had
a sweet spirit and was a good
friend who will be greatly missed.
BÉLA FLECK: He is one of the
few guys whose playing made a
lot of people go learn to play the
banjo. Not all great banjoists have
that power, but he did.
RODNEY DILLARD: Douglas had
such a sense of wonder about
things, like a child. He never lost
that. It went along with his ability
and his creativity on the five-string
banjo. When he played, it was
beyond magic; it became spiritual.
He reached a place in everybody’s
heart and soul, a common
denominator that brought a sense
of peace and good feeling. He was
an encourager when it came to
music and picking with other
people. He made them sound
good and he spurred them to do
better than they might have done.
He was a musical facilitator in any
kind of jam session—he made you
feel good when he picked with
you.
We need people like that on the
planet: people who don’t criticize,
but actually put things together. It’s
easy to take a watch apart, but it’s
very difficult to put one back
together again. Douglas was one
who could put it together. I’ll miss
him very much.
Written and collected by Caroline
Wright for IBMA, May 2012.
regular work that provided a decent
living. They tried coal mining for a
while, but Everett burned his hands
in an electrical accident, and Bea
almost lost his life in a cave-in.
***
EVERETT ALAN LILLY, son:
When I was six or seven years old,
I went to pick a cucumber from the
garden. My dad approached and
said that he and his brother Bea
were going to play for Pearl and
asked if I would like to come. I sat
between my Dad and Bea in the
green pickup and we headed up
McDough Hollow to Pearl's house.
Pearl was a member of the closeknit community at Clear Creek and
she was dying. Her house sat right
by a creek, and the hills were within
a few feet of the creek in that
narrow hollow. I sat in the truck as
the moon rose and listened to the
most beautiful sounds I have ever
heard--the Lilly Brothers singing
the old songs. The mandolin and
fiddle sounded especially beautiful
on this moonlight night.
Remembering
Everett Lilly
Everett Lilly,
a revered member of the International Bluegrass
Music Association’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame, died on Tuesday, May 8 at
his home in West Virginia. He was 87 years old.
Born Charley Edwin Lilly on July 1, 1924, in Clear Creek—the same
town in which he’d live most of his life, in West Virginia’s remote Raleigh
County--Everett and his brother Bea (born December 5, 1921) became
interested in mountain-style music when they were young children. Both
learned guitar, mandolin and the vocal parts of the “brother duet” style
then popular on radio and records. Eventually, Everett became the mandolin player, tenor, and leader of their group. According to family legend,
Everett and Bea left their families one Christmas Eve to join up with Bill
and Charlie Monroe to play music. When they ran into a blizzard, they
gave up and went home.
The brothers began performing on radio station WJLS in 1938. Like
many men from Raleigh County at that time, they found it difficult to find
It was a defining moment in my life.
I had a sudden realization that this
music has meaning and that it is
part of our culture. It is no coincidence that I now present workshops on the music and its connections to culture and continued
relevance in modern society. These
presentations always include a
performance by The Songcatchers
[Everett Alan’s multi-generational
music group; his 12-year-old
daughter, Ashley, is also a
member]. My father and Bea
contributed greatly to my development on that evening, and many
other occasions.
***
Everett and Bea finally got a break
in 1948, with a regular spot on
WWVA in Wheeling, WV, where the
Saturday night Jamboree reached
millions of homes in the Northeast.
They also started working with
fiddler Tex Logan, then on a break
from his graduate
studies at MIT.
engineering
Though he loved playing music
with his brother and Tex, Everett
accepted a job with Flatt & Scruggs
in the early 1950s, to support his
growing family. He helped make 14
historically significant recordings
that featured many classics, like
"I'm Workin' on a Road (to Glory
Land)," "Somehow Tonight," and
"Over the Hills to the Poorhouse."
***
TIM O’BRIEN, singer / songwriter /
instrumentalist: Everett was the
reason the Lilly Brothers' music is
known internationally. He was not
only a wonderful singer and player;
he was also a good businessman
who had a knack for finding new
audiences for bluegrass music in
New England and Japan. His powerful mandolin and tenor voice
were noted by Lester Flatt and Earl
Scruggs, who hired him to play in
their Foggy Mountain Boys. But
Everett didn't stay long, knowing he
was more vital as a partner with his
brother Bea, and together they
made their own special brand of
bluegrass.
EVERETT ALAN LILLY: My father
became an important part of bluegrass history during his two stints
with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
And of course he made their first
Columbia recordings with them.
They revealed his beautiful and
powerful tenor voice to a much
wider audience.
I expect that most people don't
know this story. Dad and Lester
Flatt recorded “Your Love is Like a
Flower” under both their names.
However, it was actually Bea Lilly
who wrote the song! Dad acknowledged this on any number of occasions. Dad took the song to Lester
with Bea's permission and they
recorded it under their name. Bea
wrote the song as a young man,
sitting on a large rock in the creek
near his home. I believe his goal
was to get the song recorded and
thus to a wider audience. There
was never even a hint of a problem
between Dad and Bea about this.
***
After a visit from Tex Logan, Everett
decided to move to Boston to check
out New England’s active folk and
country music scene. Bea and
banjo wizard Don Stover, who had
been playing together in West
Virginia, joined them in short order.
Stover and the Lilly Brothers introduced bluegrass music to New
England through a long-term,
seven-night-a-week engagement at
a nightclub called the Hillbilly
Ranch, where they played from
1952 till 1970. Musicians like Bill
Monroe, Tex Ritter, Doc Watson,
and Mike Seeger sat in with them
when they were in town. Audiences
were electrified by the band’s
authentic “brother-style” vocal
harmonies, and Stover's threefinger banjo and guitar work. The
legendary Joe Val, discussing the
band’s influence on urban Massachusetts, once told an interviewer,
“Those guys hit on like a bombshell.
Nobody’d
ever
heard
anything like that before.”
***
EVERETT ALAN LILLY: Tex Logan
paved the way for the Lilly Brothers
and Don Stover to come to Boston
and play with him at the Hillbilly
Ranch. They soon had a regular
live show on a major radio station,
followed by other achievements,
despite playing seven nights a
week working a grueling schedule.
They played a key role in helping to
spread bluegrass music in the
Northeast region, influencing a new
generation of musicians in New
England. Their two groundbreaking
tours of Japan in the 1970s helped
to open up that market.
The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover
helped set the standard in bluegrass
grass music during their Boston
days. They did not record as much
as some groups but their recordings were very well received. They
stayed true to their music and
never would have changed it for
commercial success. My dad's
mandolin playing was unquestionably in the Bill Monroe tradition. His
right hand was fast and very powerful. One of my favorites was their
recording of “John Henry” as it
featured Dad's powerful mandolin,
and Don Stover's great break on
that song. He could switch gears
on the very next song and play
beautiful breaks on those old tunes
the Lilly Brothers were famous for
singing. Dad also wrote “Over the
Hills to the Poorhouse,” recorded
with Lester, and “Southern Sky,”
which he recorded with Bea and
Don.
PETER ROWAN, singer / songwriter: When I was a teenage kid
up in Massachusetts, I became a
big fan of the Lilly Brothers, who I
discovered when I was playing at a
little rock and roll dance. I had
heard about this music, bluegrass,
appearing in Boston. And after
those little record hops, we used to
go between Harvard Square and
Park Square to see what music
was going on. I was just discovering it all. I didn’t realize that as a
kid, I’d heard it on the radio.
When I finally started to come more
of age—when I was 15 or 16--we
used to stand outside the door of
the Hillbilly Ranch and listen to Don
Stover and the Lilly Brothers and
occasionally Tex Logan playing
fiddle. Tex was instrumental in
bringing the Lilly Brothers up to
Boston. Post-World War II, there
were a lot of Southern troopssailors and soldiers coming back
from the war and landing in Boston.
I was actually playing in the Hillbilly
Ranch when I was 17. (It was
easier in those days to be underage; if you were on the bandstand,
nobody really bothered you.) So I
became “the kid.” Everett Lilly was
super-nice to me, as was his
brother, Bea, and Don Stover, and
of course Tex Logan.
***
TEX LOGAN, fiddler; former Blue
Grass Boy; worked with the Lilly
Brothers & Don Stover: In the early
‘50s, we were working a nightclub,
the Plaza, on Tremont Street, just
across from the Boston Common.
On this particular evening, we
could not park near the Plaza, and
we wound up in front of the highend department store, BonwitTeller.
As we unloaded, Bea Lilly asked,
“Everett, what’s that buildin’?”
And Everett turned and looked at it,
and I could see his lips moving.
“Bea, cain’t you read? That’s where
you get your damn clothes
tellered!”
EVERETT ALAN LILLY: When I
graduated high school in West
Virginia I went to Boston with a
one-year plan for college. The plan
was I would play music with Dad,
Bea, and Don. I played guitar and
learned to play the bass on my
father's advice because he
correctly pointed out that guitar
players were common, but good
bass players were not. I played
bass on Country Songs of the Lilly
Brothers, as well as the recordings
at the Newport Folk Festival in
1965. I got to do some wonderful
things with the Lilly Brothers.
a
But my playing wasn't that good on
my first big concert with them. I
remember well Dad and Bea
talking with me before the show
held in a large auditorium in
Boston. They explained that after a
break, the applause would be so
thunderous that I would be unable
to hear anything for several
seconds. They emphasized how
important it was to keep time so
that "when the sound comes back
you will still be in time." I thought,
“How difficult can that be?"
Well, it happened exactly like they
said it would. The audience
applauded, and as I watched my
Dad, Bea, and Don, I thought
everything was just fine. Then the
sound came back and I could hear
them. And I was completely out of
time. My uncle turned and gave me
a "look" of disapproval and, turning
back to the audience, he simply
tapped his right foot to give me the
time. Dad gave me a quick, most
disapproving "look" as well. At
intermission they were their usual
friendly, supportive selves. Neither
mentioned it, then or ever. And I
never again lost time again with
them, or anyone else.
TEX LOGAN: The Lilly Brothers,
Don Stover and myself were playing a bluegrass festival in Ontario,
Canada, near Toronto. We had just
opened with a fast instrumental
when Everett stepped up to the mic
and said something like this: [in
Everett’s broad West Virginia
drawl] “Thank yew just a whole lot
there, friends and neighbors, for
those applause… We are mighty
proud to be here at your festival.
And I’d like to say if you keep
workin’ hard on it, you will have the
best festival in the whole U-nited
States!”
I quickly whistled to him. “Hey,
Everett, we’re in Canada!”
(in Everett’s voice): “Weeeellll,
friends and neighbors, Tex Logan
tells me we’re in Canada. Now, I
want you to know that we think y’all
are just as good as we are!
At this point, Sam Bush—who was
filling in playing bass with usnearly fell off the stage laughing.
PETER ROWAN: One afternoon
Bea Lilly put his hat down on the
table in front of the stage—it was
very hot; it was summertime—and
sometime in the night, somebody
made off with his hat. The next
Sunday, they came back to play the
same place, and Everett saw
somebody wearing Bea’s hat. The
story goes that he walked up to the
table and laid a 45-caliber pistol on
the table and said to the guy,
“Lookee here, dear buddy. I do
believe you’re wearing my brother
Bea’s hat!”
TEX LOGAN: Well, first of all, it
wasn't a pistol; it was a knife...
***
In January of 1970, Everett's
16-year-old son Jiles was killed in
an auto accident. Everett, heartsick
and weary of city living, moved his
family back to his home in Clear
Creek. Over the years, the Lilly
Brothers & Don Stover reunited
periodically for festival appearances and a couple of tours of
Japan that deepened the country’s
fascination with bluegrass music.
They would also appear in Bluegrass Country Soul, a documentary
filmed over Labor Day weekend in
1971 at Carlton Haney’s legendary
Camp Springs, NC bluegrass festival.
***
EVERETT ALAN LILLY: In 1973,
my father, Bea, Don Stover and I
went to Japan for our first tour. We
were one of the early bluegrass
bands to make that trip. They told
us in Osaka that, unlike in Tokyo a
few days earlier, the crowd would
respond politely with applause but
it would not be overwhelming as
the applause could take time from
songs. They said the applause at
the end would be like rolling thunder. And it was! We came back out
for an extended encore and I will
forever remember it. My Dad and
Bea stood together in their matching blue jackets shimmering in the
bright lights and their usual white
hats, and smiled at the ovation they
were receiving. Near them stood
the great Don Stover, also smiling.
I thought how wonderful it was for
these two brothers from Clear
Creek, WV--and for Don Stover,
who grew up nearby--to be standing here, being so appreciated.
They opened the encore with
"Open Up Them Pearly Gates" with
such obvious happiness, energy,
and beauty. I was momentarily
taken back to that night, many
years ago, when Dad and Bea
played for Pearl. Standing to their
right, with my old Gibson guitar, I
knew this was one of those
moments that would forever be
etched in my memory.
***
Back in West Virginia, Everett
created a new band called Everett
Lilly & the Lilly Mountaineers with
his sons Mark, Charles, and
Daniel, and occasionally their older
brother Everett Alan. Sadly, Everett's son Charles lost his life in an
accident while on tour with country
music star Billy Walker in 2006;
Everett’s son Tennis passed away
a few years ago as well. Don
Stover died in 1996, two months
after the passing of Bill Monroe, the
father of bluegrass music.
Everett and Bea reunited in 2001
as The Lilly Brothers & The Lilly
Mountaineers. One year later, on
October 17, 2002, the Lilly Brothers
and Don Stover were inducted into
the International Bluegrass Music
Hall of Fame. Bea Lilly, suffering
with Alzheimer’s Disease, died in
2005.
***
IRA
GITLIN,
instrumentalist,
teacher, writer: A bunch of us were
jamming by the elevator late one
night in the Galt House [at World of
Bluegrass]. As I recall, it was the
year Stover and the Lilly Brothers
were inducted into the Hall of
Honor. Anyway, we were just finishing up "Will You Miss Me When I'm
Gone" when Everett and Bea came
by. Right after the song, they asked
us - almost apologetically, it
seemed - if we would mind doing it
again so they could sing it with us.
We all looked at each other as if to
say "Duh!" and fired up the song
again, with the Lilly Brothers on
board as vocalists.
***
In 2008, Everett proudly accepted
an award for IBMA Recorded Event
of the Year for his album Everett
Lilly and Everybody & Their
Brother. The delightful celebration
included his sons, plus friends like
Marty Stuart, Rhonda Vincent,
Darrin Vincent, Billy Walker,
Ronnie & Rob McCoury, David Ball,
Charlie Cushman, Larry Stephenson, Joe Spivey, Eddie Stubbs,
Jason Carter, Dickey Lee, Freddy
Weller, Mike Bub, Rad Lewis, Andy
May, Marcia Campbell, Clay
Rigdon, Eric Blankenship and Bill
Wolfenbarger. A year later, he
received the Vandalia Award, West
Virginia’s highest folklife honor.
***
RHONDA VINCENT, singer / songwriter / instrumentalist: Everett Lilly
was one of the sweetest men I've
ever met. His entire family
welcomed me as I joined them to
sing on their project, and
performed on a few shows
together. He was a man who dearly
loved the music. I am proud to have
known and performed with him.
BILL
WOLFENBARGER,
co-producer of Everett Lilly and
Everybody & Their Brother: Years
ago when I first met Everett Lilly, I
felt as if I already knew him. His
son, Charles, and I were best
friends, sort of a “brothers from
different mothers” kind of thing. I
finally met Everett in person one
night at the Station Inn as he was
getting ready to perform a show.
Within ten minutes of our meeting,
he looked me straight in the eyes
and very solemnly and seriously
said, “Brother, do you know Jesus
Christ as your Lord and Savior?” I
responded that I certainly did and
we spent the next thirty minutes
discussing the Bible. I talked with
Everett many times over the years
by phone calls, visits when he
came to Nashville, and our conversations weren’t as much about
music as they were our love for
God.
When we won the IBMA 2008
Recorded Event of the Year award,
Everett was too sick at the time to
attend, but was listening at home.
When he heard the acceptance
speech and the fact that God got
the glory, he felt that was as important, or more so, than the award.
MARCIA
CAMPBELL,
on-air
personality at WSM: Bluegrass
legend Mr. Everett Lilly was a dear
friend and great talent. He was a
Professor of Entertainment! It was
my honor to work with him and
participate on the Everett Lilly and
Everybody & Their Brother project.
He will be greatly missed. My love
and prayers to the Everett family,
friends and legions of fans.
LARRY STEPHENSON, singer /
entertainer: It was an honor to
record on the Everett Lilly CD. He's
one of the pioneers of bluegrass
music and I'm always humbled to
be around the first generation players and singers. They should never
be forgotten!
TEX LOGAN: I don’t know what
kind of schooling they ever had but
they started playing music pretty
early; they were taught by their
father and mother. They had a
tendency to pronounce words
funny. They’d put extra symbols in
a word, like “Minnie-annapolis.”
“We’re goin’ up to Minnieannapolis!"
I don’t want to embarrass him, but
here’s one other little thing.
Everett’s advice to me: “Tex, never
put a new part on an old car,
because it’ll put a strain on the
OTHER old parts and break them!”
TIM O’BRIEN: I had met Everett
and his sons at a Mountain Stage
radio show taping, and then one
Wednesday at the World of Bluegrass in Louisville--I think it was
2000. I ran into him and his son
Everett Alan walking down the
midway at the Galt House. They
were both dressed in the denim
jackets the Lilly Mountaineers often
wore on stage, and Everett Sr.
under his trademark Stetson hat.
They had come to test the waters
at the IBMA, and I was just one of
many who was happy to see them
mingling in the greater fold that
week. The next day, I invited them
to visit my wife and me in our suite
after the awards show. Sure
enough, they showed up about
midnight and we proceeded to visit
and pick and sing. I think Pete Wernick and his wife Joan were there,
and banjoist Phil Easterbook. Everett played my mandolin, Everett
Alan played my guitar, and I tried to
follow on the fiddle.
Everett spoke at length about his
religion and his strong faith in the
Lord. And he told stories about the
old days at Boston's Hillbilly Ranch,
and of meeting some Japanese
businessmen there who eventually
booked the Lilly Brothers on a tour
of Japan. At one point I asked him,
"Do you realize what an honor it is
to have you visit with us here?" His
response: "Do you have another
beer?" Everett wanted you to know
who he was as a man, and he was
obviously proud of his accomplishments, but he wouldn't let anyone
dwell on it.
After they left about 3 a.m. or so,
we all kept marveling at the sound
of Everett's voice ringing in that
room, a voice we'd heard countless
times from records and occasionally from the stage. Of course it
was a thrill to hear him play my
mandolin, but the biggest thrill was
to sit beside that venerable musical
ambassador from my home state of
West Virginia.
***
In his last decade, Everett Lilly
continued to perform occasionally
with the Lilly Mountaineers, which
included sons Daniel and Mark and
several other musicians. “He
played music right up to the end,”
Daniel Lilly told a reporter from the
New York Times. “He was enjoying
life and still riding his four-wheeler
through the woods at the age of 87.
He died at the kitchen table.”
***
EVERETT ALAN LILLY: Dad and I
traveled to New England for his
brother Bea's service a few years
ago. And, as was done at Bea's
service, there were Lilly Brothers
and Don Stover recordings playing
at my dad’s service. So it, too, was
also a celebration. Of course we
are all very sad that it was his
appointed time, but he was so very
blessed to have such a long fulfilling life.
KITSY KUYKENDALL, Bluegrass
Unlimited magazine; IBMM Board
of Trustees: Everett will be sorely
missed by many of us who knew
him. He showed up one year at the
Fan Fest in Louisville. I was
producing the show that year and
immediately asked him if he would
like to play on one of the stages. I
had a great little roots stage and
one of the bands was a conglomeration of several excellent oldtime players, and it was the best
place for him that year too. He had
a ball and so did the other players
getting to play with him that day.
Tim O'Brien told me the next day
that Everett went up to Tim's suite
and jammed with him until about
three in the morning and really did
not want to quit. We should treasure our memories of these
pioneers. They are quickly all going
away.
TIM O’BRIEN: He loved music and
people and was a strong Christian
through his life. His faith and his
strong sense of humor helped him
keep a positive view of things in
spite of some terrible tragedies. He
will be missed greatly but his music
will never die.
BILL WOLFENBARGER: Everett
Lilly inspired many people thru his
music and his kindness he
extended to everyone, no matter
their walk in life. But his music was
secondary in his life to his love for
his family and serving God.
Heaven without a doubt got a new
angel on Tuesday, May 8th when
Everett Lilly closed his eyes here
on earth and opened them to the
Glory of Heaven!
I think the great Marty Stuart
summed it up best when he said,
“When we all get to Heaven, we’re
gonna find out that Everett Lilly is
God’s favorite mandolin player…
and mine too!”
***
Everett Lilly is survived by his wife
of 64 years, JoAnn; sons Everett
Alan, Daniel, and Mark; four
daughters; a sister; and numerous
grandchildren
and
greatgrandchildren. The family has
asked that donations in his memory
be made to the Everett Lilly Memorial Fund, care of City National
Bank, One Park Avenue, Beckley,
WV 25801.
Written and collected by Caroline
Wright for IBMA, May 2012.
Ibma
KATHERINE COE & CAROLINE WRIGHT JOIN IBMA STAFF
We're excited to tell you about two new faces on the IBMA staff who both began work on May 14, 2012.
Katherine Coe, originally from
Raleigh, N.C. and a graduate of
Virginia Polytechnic Institute &
State Univ. in Blacksburg, Va.,
has been working for Denise
Stiff at DS Management for the
past year helping to promote
Sugar Hill artist Sarah Jarosz.
Katherine's
new
title
is
Administrative/ Media Assistant.
In addition to managing information and databases, coordinating
office communications, assisting
with accounting, coordinating
member service delivery, and
assisting with World of Bluegrass planning and operations,
the job has expanded to include
graphic design, website design
and digital video production.
Katherine came up with the
design we're using for World of
Bluegrass marketing and merchandise this year, and we're
also premiering her gorgeous
new full-color graphic magazine
of this issue of International
Bluegrass.
Caroline Wright, is the new Interim Publications Editor/Special Projects
Director working for IBMA on a temporary, part-time basis while Nancy
Cardwell continues to serve as IBMA's Interim Executive Director. The
daughter of two founding members of the Adirondack Bluegrass League,
one of the oldest bluegrass societies in the country, Caroline lives on
Oahu and has been a freelance writer and publicist since 1997. She is
the co-author (with Tim Stafford) of Still Inside: The Tony Rice Story, the
authorized biography of the pioneering flatpicking guitarist, and the
former editor (print and online) of Bluegrass Now magazine.
Caroline is also the founder and president emeritus of Bluegrass Hawai‘i,
a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to promoting bluegrass and traditional
music in the Aloha State. Caroline will be outbased from her home office
in Hawaii, working online and by telephone. Her duties will include managing content for BluegrassNation.org, editing International Bluegrass,
working with the Education Committee and the Distinguished Achievement Committee, and also helping with the production of IBMA's Special
Awards Luncheon during World of Bluegrass Week. Check out Caroline's
tributes to two of bluegrass music's beloved pioneers, Doug Dillard and
Everett Lilly, as well as a reprint of her wonderful 2002 interview with Doc
Watson, in this issue of International Bluegrass!
We owe an enormous "THANK YOU" to Echo Propp, who has been
filling in as a temporary, part-time Administrative Assistant for the past
few months. We hope to keep Echo busy on several IBMA committees
and projects in the future!
Please join us in welcoming Katherine and Caroline to the IBMA staff. We
are thrilled to have them on the team, working together with you all for the
future of bluegrass music.
Ibma
BLUEBIRD IN THE BLUEGRASS: A New IBMA Songwriting Venture
Next Round: June 8 at The Bluebird Café in Nashville!
By Louisa Branscomb
IBMA’s next Bluebird in the Bluegrass show is a special songwriter round on Friday, June 8, the week of the CMA
Music Fest in Nashville. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and will feature the uplifting songs of stellar vocalist and
banjoist Pam Gadd, the bluegrass country soul vocals and songs of Marty Raybon, the traditional blues-tinged
bluegrass compositions of Chris Henry, and Becky Schlegel’s soaring vocals and hauntingly beautiful compositions. There is no cover for the show, although the hat will be passed for The Bluegrass Trust Fund. Reservations may be made online at www.bluebirdcafe.com beginning at 8 a.m. on Monday, June 4.
June 8 will mark the third show this year in the new IBMA-Bluebird Café venture whimsically dubbed “Bluebird
in the Bluegrass.” This exciting project is the outcome of the IBMA Songwriting Committee, with the goals of
presenting established bluegrass songwriters and their compositions to the community and raising money for
The Bluegrass Trust Fund (to help individuals from the bluegrass world in times of emergency need) and The
Bluebird Café, for their support of songwriters. Between our inaugural show during World of Bluegrass Week in
2011 and our first two shows in 2012, we’ve raised over $1,000 in donations, with packed houses at each event.
Not only have the shows created quite a buzz in the bluegrass community, but they have been called “magical,”
in the blend of songs, on-stage banter, harmonies and instrumental prowess that are the special hallmark of
bluegrass music--and are not always seen in the typical singer-songwriter round.
Some of the highlights of our last show (May 15) can be seen on IBMA’s YouTube Channel in a video titled “Bluebird in the Bluegrass.” This evening presented original music of Johnny and Jeanette Williams, Craig Market,
guest Jennifer Strickland, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Donna Ulisse, and guest Larry Cordle. Both sets had guest
banjoists to add the bluegrass flair--Richard Cifersky and Greg Davis, respectively.
This community showcase is the most recent new project of the IBMA Songwriting Committee, which has sought
to find new venues and opportunities of different kinds for IBMA bluegrass songwriters since its inception in
2006. Many of these, such as the open participation Song Circles, an open mic event, and a wide variety of new
workshops for songwriters, have come to fruition at World of Bluegrass over the last five years.
Selection of artists for the series is based on a number of factors, including presenting out of state writers as well
as local songwriters; the professional caliber and the longevity of the writer in bluegrass; his or her experience
on stage as songwriter or singer-songwriter; and the writer’s recorded contribution to the bluegrass genre. When
possible, other factors are also considered, such as balancing gender and types of compositions (traditional
versus contemporary). An added element is that we attempt to include at least two writers who have co-written
or performed together, which adds interest and collaboration on stage. With or without previous collaboration,
these shows have brought a spirit of camaraderie and spontaneity that bluegrass players and writers manifest
so well. The songs have taken audiences from “pin drop” moments to raucous laughter, and to more than a few
tears (all at the right times!)
The Bluegrass Songwriter Committee and the Bluebird Sub-committee recognize that this series of shows can
only accommodate a few of our wonderful writers per year, and we are encouraging other community venues
that may also offer potential. If you feel you are a good match for The Bluebird in the Bluegrass series with
regard to criteria above, you may submit a CD and a letter about your songwriting accomplishments to Clint
Alphin, c/o IBMA, 2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203. To inquire about whether you may be in
the “pot” of songwriters currently in the “pipeline,” please contact Nancy Cardwell at IBMA, or Louisa Branscomb
via Facebook.
Louisa Branscomb is an award-winning songwriter. She was the original co-founder and chair of the IBMA Songwriter Committee and currently chairs IBMA’s Bluebird in the Bluegrass Sub-Committee. Other members of the
Bluebird group are Donna Ulisse, Clint Alphin, and Julie Pennell, with Nancy Cardwell, IBMA staff liaison.
foundation
Foundation for Bluegrass Music Announces Grants to
Honor Bluegrass Music Innovators
The world of bluegrass music lost two very important innovators in 2011 and 2012, Mr. Warren Hellman and
Mr. Earl Scruggs. The Foundation for Bluegrass Music will be funding grants in their honor this year and
has set August 15, 2012 as the deadline to apply for these resources.
Earl Scruggs was perhaps one of the only musicians in any genre who created the definitive sound of his
instrument in the genre; banjo players around the world will forever identify the sound of the three-finger
style of bluegrass banjo playing as “Scruggs style.” Warren Hellman was a visionary who created, funded
and grew his California-based “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass” free event into one of the largest of its kind in the
country. Mr. Hellman passed away on December 18, 2011, and Mr. Scruggs passed away on March 28,
2012.
“In remembrance of these two highly creative individuals—both who have left huge footprints in the performance and presentation of American music---we will allocate funds to foster innovation in the world of bluegrass music,” said Foundation president Greg Cahill. “We are very pleased to honor the memory of these
brilliant men in this way.”
A fund of $8000 has been earmarked to support public projects that foster innovative development in the
world of bluegrass music. Individual grants ranging from $2000-4000 will be given in memory of Earl
Scruggs and Warren Hellman. Of special interest are bluegrass music-related projects and programs that
involve education or youth. This is a competitive application process and candidates must meet the
Foundation’s Grant Application Guidelines. Grants awarded will be announced no later than October 1,
2012 with funds available after January 1, 2013.
Donations to the Foundation for these and related efforts are welcomed in any denomination and these
grants will be funded regardless of donations received.
The Foundation for Bluegrass Music is a non-profit (501c3) organization created to serve as an “umbrella”
under which funds may be placed and disbursed to support educational, literary and artistic activities
related to bluegrass music, of public benefit. Examples of programs that can grow under this umbrella
include Bluegrass in the Schools (grants, workshops, programs); academic conferences; literary works and
related efforts; public artistic presentation of an educational nature; historic preservation; and other works
of a charitable nature.
For more info, please go to http://bluegrassfoundation.org/Grants or write to The Foundation for Bluegrass
Music; 2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100; Nashville, TN 37203.
{
“In remembrance of these two highly creative individuals
— both who have left huge footprints in the performance
and presentation of American music — we will allocate
funds to foster innovation in the world of bluegrass
music. We are very pleased to honor the memory of
these brilliant men in this way.”
}
webinar: Negotiating
contracts
with bands & venues
Join Alan Tompkins for IBMA’s next webinar, “Negotiating Contracts with Bands and Venues,” on
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. CST (7:30 p.m. Eastern; 5:30 Mountain; 4:30 Pacific).
Alan Tompkins is an experienced event producer, musician, and the founder of the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of
bluegrass music in America with a focus on promoting bluegrass in Texas. Alan has been responsible for eight bluegrass festivals and numerous other musical events since 2006, including the
Frisco Bluegrass Festival and the Bloomin’ Bluegrass Festival in Farmers Branch, Texas. Alan is
licensed as an attorney and CPA in Texas and has negotiated dozens of performance agreements
from different perspectives (including as a producer, venue operator, and artist) involving artists
ranging from local bluegrass bands to KISS.)
Presenting a successful musical performance is the common goal and responsibility of both the artist
and the promoter or venue operator. This webinar will present the wide range of issues that may be
addressed in a musical performance agreement, from the perspective of both the artist and the
promoter, and a framework for reaching a “middle ground” where both parties are comfortable.
The webinar will be aimed at artists, event producers, venue operators, and association leaders, but
anybody with an interest in contract negotiation may want to attend also.
The fee to join the webinar is only $20 for IBMA members or $40 for non-members. Please call (615)
256-3222 to register.
And don't miss our upcoming IBMA webinars on these topics:
July – How to Write an Effective Press Release
August – Creating Video Content to Connect Bands with Fans
October – Bluegrass Events & Social Networking
November – Keeping a Band Together
December – How Do Endorsements Really Work?
Only
$2
Memb 0 for IBMA
ers
Non-M , $40 for
embe
rs!
Lousia Branscomb’s tips on exposing
your Original Songs
* Explore venues such as cafés, lounges and listening rooms in your area to
see if they would allow you to put together an evening of songwriters from
your area.
* Work with your local bluegrass association to create venues for exposure
of your work and other songwriters in your area. Offer to do a warm-up set
for shows they might be doing, along with several other songwriters.
* Come to World of Bluegrass and attend the events open to all writers,
including workshops and the Song Circles. If you have ideas for songwriter
events, submit them to Mark Brinkman, Chair of the IBMA Songwriter Committee, at [email protected] or to staff liaison Nancy Cardwell at
[email protected].
Often songwriters feel that they
have few venues to expose their
original work in the gap between
the isolation of writing the song
and the “long shot” of having that
song recorded by a touring artist.
However, exposing and gaining
feedback on your songs is
essential—that’s how you learn
how well that song communicates its message, and whether
it reaches the hearts of others.
Further, it is a good way to
increase your skills as the singer
of your songs along with your
instrumental skills, and to get
feedback about where you are
with your craft.
Even if you do not feel you are a
good singer, remember there are
more than a few well-known
songwriters out there who were
not considered “good singers,”
until their songs became wellknown, and their style of singing
them became part of the magic!
But many family rooms were
filled with song, and many
stages were crossed with only a
few listeners out there in the
dark before that happened!
Here are some tips for creative
ways to get your original material
to new ears:
* Send a composition to the IBMA Songwriter Showcase, which selects
songs for presentation at IBMA each year. (The 2012 deadline has passed,
but there’s next year! And you can attend and get an idea of the kinds of
songs selected by attending this event.)
* Plan a trip Nashville to explore other songwriter rounds! There are regular
songwriter nights at the Commodore Hotel, Hotel Indigo, Willhagan’s Bar
and Maddonna, among others. These venues have different formats and
are usually headed up by a songwriter who volunteers their time to coordinate the songwriter rounds. Note: Check online to see whether an event is
occurring, as venues not infrequently change their schedules and events.
* Work with acquaintances who might be willing to host a house concert for
you. House concerts are an excellent way to present original material to an
interested audience! This approach can range all the way from offering to
play at a private party you may be attending to finding someone willing to
host a house concert for a minimum donation and help you promote your
show.
* Volunteer to help with IBMA songwriter events. (Contact Mark Brinkman at
[email protected] or Nancy Cardwell at [email protected].)
* Participate in The Bluebird Café’s regular audition process to be a part of
their songwriter rounds (see details on the Bluebird website).
* Find an experienced songwriter to give you professional feedback on your
song, or mentor you as a songwriter, which some writers informally as
colleagues, or for a fee for more formalized artist development. Networking
at IBMA is a wonderful way to find such a writer. IBMA also offers a Songwriter Mentor service to member writers, which pairs new writers up with an
experienced songwriter for feedback and advice on one song. Contact the
IBMA office for info on this program managed by Tony Rackley.
* Last but not least, keep writing! There are no bad songs, just songs that
reach their mark and those that teach us how to aim.
Louisa Branscomb is an award-winning songwriter, co-founder and past chair of the
Songwriter Committee, and chair of IBMA’s Bluebird in the Bluegrass SubCommittee.
INDUSTRY NEWS
ARTISTS & COMPOSERS
Congratulations to the following artists topping
bluegrass charts at press time:
Billboard Bluegrass Albums Chart: Stars and
Satellites, Trampled by Turtles (BanjoDad
09/Thirty Tigers)
Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 30 Hot Singles: “A
Far Cry from Lester & Earl,” by Junior Sisk &
Rambler’s Choice (Rebel), written by Tim
Massey, Rick Pardue & Harry Sisk, Jr.
Bluegrass Music Profiles Top 10 Bluegrass CDs:
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Prime Tyme
(Rural Rhythm)
Bluegrass Today Monthly Chart: “Life Finds a
Way,” by The Grascals, written by Jamie Johnson, Dierks Bentley & Ronnie Bowman
Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey:
“A Far Cry from Lester & Earl;” by Junior Sisk &
Ramblers Choice (Rebel Records); written by T.
Massey, R. Pardue & H. Sisk Jr.
Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey –
Top 15 Bluegrass Albums: Sounds of Home, Blue
Highway (Rounder)
Berklee College of Music president (and former
IBMA World of Bluegrass keynote speaker) Roger
Brown presented honorary doctor of music
degrees to Alison Krauss, The Eagles and
Mulatu Astatke May 12 at their commencement
ceremony at Boston University's Agganis Arena.
Honorary doctorate recipients are recognized for
achievements and influence in music, and for their
enduring contributions to American and international culture. Congratulations to Dr. Krauss and
Dr. Leadon!
The video featuring Marty Raybon’s exclusive
interview on Inside Music Row--in which he talks
about Hand To The Plow and Southern Roots and
Branches, his brand-new releases for Rural
Rhythm Records--is available for your enjoyment;
click here. Congratulations, Marty!
May 2012 marked the passing several bluegrass
pioneers and members of the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame. The staff, officers and directors
of IBMA extend our deepest sympathies to their
families and loved ones.
Mandolinist, tenor singer and songwriter Everett
Lilly died May 8 at his home in Clear Creek, W.
Va.—the same community in which he’d been born
and raised, before he and his brother Bea and banjo
wizard Don Stover took New England audiences by
storm with their music. Peter Rowan, Tex Logan,
Larry Stephenson, Rhonda Vincent, Marcia Campbell, Everett Alan Lilly, Kitsy Kuykendall, Tim
O'Brien, Ira Gitlin and Bill Wolfenbarger all pay
tribute to Everett in an article written by our new staff
member, author and journalist Caroline Wright. Click
here to read the story.
Doug Dillard, an original member of The Dillards
and a solo artist who performed and recorded with
some of the world’s greatest musicians in a variety
of genres, passed away on May 16. To read Caroline
Wright’s
exclusive
tribute
to
the
banjo
player/songwriter, with tributes and quotes from
Rodney Dillard, Dean Webb, Ginger Boatwright,
Byron Berline, Vic Jordan, Alan Tompkins, Tim
Carter, Jonathan Yudkin, Peter Rowan, Alan Munde,
Kathy Chiavola, Diana Jayne, Randy Campbell,
John McEuen, Béla Fleck, Bobby Osborne and Tony
Trischka, click here.
On May 29, 2012, Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson,
recipient of the National Medal of Arts, a National
Heritage Fellowship, and eight Grammy awards,
died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in
Winston-Salem, N.C. The guitarist, singer and composer was known and loved all over the world for his
flatpicking and endless repertoire, and was famously
called "a living national treasure." IBMA staffer Caroline Wright would like to hear from the people who
loved Doc Watson and his music. She invites Doc’s
fans to send her their favorite stories, memories and
reflections of the beloved American musician at
[email protected] (about 100 words or less would
be fine). A selection of tributes will appear in the
story Caroline is planning for our July edition. Deadline for submission is June 15.
Bearfoot Bluegrass Band launches a tour on June 8
that will take the band from Colorado to Germany over
the next six months, with dates in Owensboro, Ky.,
Bristol, Va. and La Roche sur Foron, France, among
others. The band, which just released a video for its
new song, “Moonlight in Montana,” is looking forward
to a rafting tour of Idaho's Salmon River of No Return
this summer, from August 22-27th; they’ll explore
Salmon Canyon by day and play music for their fellow
rafters in the evening. Check them out at
www.bearfootband.com.
Congratulations to Ray Edwards & Hard Rock
Mountain on the release of their new single, “My
Name Is Jimmy Martin (Do You Remember Me?),” on
Rural Rhythm Records. Marty Raybon, Russell
Moore, Darrell Webb, Lou Reid and Christy Reid,
and Ray Edwards all contribute their vocal talents to
the new single, a cut from the upcoming album,
Portrait of a Bluegrass Songwriter. Musicians on the
project include Ray Edwards (banjo); Bobby Wood
(mandolin); Mike Wood (rhythm guitar); Doug Campbell (e-bass); Jimmy Martin, Jr. (snare drum); and
special guest Michael Cleveland on fiddle.
It isn’t surprising that both Emmylou Harris and Dry
Branch Fire Squad will perform at The AmerEquine
Festival of the Horse on June 1-3 at the Will Rogers
Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. After all,
Emmylou’s love for animals is well known in the
industry—she is generous with donations of performances and public service announcements for related
causes—and Ron Thomason of Dry Branch has
participated on horseback distance racing for many
years. Visit http://amerequine.com.
After a year that included both a major IBMA award
(for Song of the Year) and a life-threatening injury for
fiddler and lead singer Buddy Melton, Balsam
Range has been inspired to create a new fan-sourced
member benefit program. Called Balsam Nation, the
program offers fans an advance copy of the group’s
upcoming release, Papertown; an additional song
each month for a year; a live recording; a digital copy
of a new music video from the album; a feature called
Pick With the Band®, which gives fans the chance to
play along with the new CD; an interactive mobile app;
and opportunities for fans to visit with the group at
pre-show hangouts. Signup ends June 30, 2012 or
when membership availability reaches its limit, whichever comes first, at www.balsamnation.com.
Next month Chatham County Line sets off on a tour
of the West Coast that includes July dates in Seattle,
Yakima, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa
Barbara, and the folk festivals in both Calgary and
Vancouver. Good luck, guys!
Rhonda Vincent has been added to the lineup of the
five-day “Larry’s Country Diner” Caribbean cruise,
featuring Larry Black, host and creator of the top-rated
“Larry’s Country Diner” on RFD-TV. Musical guests on
the cruise include country stars Bill Anderson, Jeannie
Seely, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius, Gene Watson,
Moe Bandy, T. Graham Brown and Ronny Robbins.
Visit www.cfrcruise.com.
Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist Sergio Lara has
released a new all-instrumental project, Guitars &
Mandolins, that combines traditional Mexican songs
and "corridos," and a selection of traditional American
fiddle tunes. The multi-instrumentalist plays all the
instruments on the recording, including mandolin,
acoustic and Spanish guitars, and banjo, on old traditional tunes made popular in the early 20th century
during the Mexican Revolution like "La Adelita," and
"La Valentina," as well as American folk standards like
"Wayfaring Stranger," “Old Joe Clark,” and "Red Hair
Boy." As Lara points out, many tunes in the bluegrass
and stringband songbook were played by rural people,
real "Vaqueros" from around the Mexico/Texas border,
before Bill Monroe's bluegrass music and even before
Robert Johnson's blues recordings. The new album is
available as a digital release only from Amazon.com
and from iTunes.
Audie Blaylock and Redline, who appeared in a
recent issue of Hot Rod Magazine, will perform in the
Hot Rod Power Tour on June 3, 2012 in downtown
Muskegon, Mich. “These guys are gear heads at
heart, and they play incredible music, with a great
Southern style that is sure to make the Michigan
crowd take notice,” said Corky Coker, owner of sponsor Coker Tire.
Audie and the band are celebrating a new radio single
release, “A Natural Thing” from their upcoming album,
Hard Country, set for release on Rural Rhythm
Records this month on June 19.
James Reams & The Barnstormers will perform this
summer at Pennsylvania’s Wind Gap Bluegrass Festival, Wind Gap, Penn. on June 10
INDUSTRY NEWS
(www.windgapbluegrass.com); at Brantling Bluegrass
Festival in Brantling, N.Y. on August 4; at Boulevard
Music, Culver City, Calif. on August 11; and at Tall
Pines Bluegrass Festival, Pinetop, Ariz., August
18-19, with The Grascals. James and the rest of the
Barnstormers will celebrate their 20th anniversary
next year with a Coast-to-Coast Celebration. They’re
preparing a 20th Anniversary Photo Scrapbook for the
occasion, and invite fans and friends to email their
great
Barnstormers
photos
to
[email protected] .
The first of Lonesome River Band’s new trilogy of
recordings, Chronology, Volume One, debuted on
SiriusXM Radio’s popular Bluegrass Junction TrackBy-Track with Kyle Cantrell last month. Volume One is
the first of three 2012 releases by the group, which
celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Rural
Rhythm Records will release the second volume in the
trilogy on July 3. Interestingly, Lonesome River Band
invited fans to choose songs that will appear on Chronology, Volume Three, set for release this fall. Visit
www.LonesomeRiverBand.com
and
www.RuralRhythm.com to learn more about the band,
and Chronology, Volumes One, Two and Three.
Carrie Hassler’s new Rural Rhythm project, The
Distance, debuted at #10 on Billboard Magazine's
Bluegrass Album Chart. The title cut, written by Ashley
McBryde, debuted in May on the U.K. Hot Disc Country Radio Airplay Chart with “Luxury Liner” (written by
Gram Parsons) making its debut at #15 on the Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart (5/4). Carrie’s new
project includes Tim Stafford (guitar); Ron Stewart
(banjo); Justin Moses (fiddle); Alan Bibey
(mandolin); Mark Fain (bass); Mark Laws
(percussion); Dale Ann Bradley (harmony vocals),
and the album’s producer, Steve Gulley, on harmony
vocals. Visit www.CarrieHassler.com.
Rural Rhythm Records is proud to announce the May
22, 2012 album release of New Bluegrass & Old
Heartaches by Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top
X-Press. Produced by Glen Duncan, Bobby Osborne
and Boj (Bobby Osborne, Jr.), the project celebrates
Bobby’s impressive 60-year career with tunes like
“I’m Going Back To The Mountain,” Phil Rosenthal’s
“Muddy Waters,” and a rediscovered song Bobby
wrote many years ago titled “The Last Bridge You’ll
Ever Burn.” From his first recorded hit in 1949 to his
membership in the Grand Ole Opry in 1964 to "Rocky
Top" in 1967 Bobby has been one of the most influential singers and mandolin players in the history of
Bluegrass and Country music. He was inducted into
the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2002, inducted
into the International Bluegrass Music Association’s
Hall of Fame (Lonesome Pine Fiddlers) in 2009, and
has recorded two State songs - “Rocky Top
(Tennessee)” and “Kentucky” (Kentucky). For more
information visit www.bobbyosborne.com and
www.ruralrhythm.com.
Congratulations to the Steep Canyon Rangers on the
release of Nobody Knows You, the band’s first project
for Rounder Records, and its new video, for the tune
“Long Shot!” Click here to check them out. The Steep
Canyon Rangers are confirmed to appear at our Fan
Fest this year—don’t miss it!
Yonder Mountain String Band has a very busy
summer ahead, with dates throughout the Midwest,
Northeast, and way out west in California and Oregon.
Check their website for details of their action-filled
tour. Then they’ll come home to Lyons, Colo. for their
Kinfolk Celebration on August 24-25. They’ll be
sharing the stage with Todd Snider and Split Lip
Rayfield. The Celebration takes place at Planet Bluegrass Ranch on the banks of the St. Vrain River in
Lyons, Colo.
“String Wizard” John McEuen, with his sons Jonathan and Nathan, performed in several shows last
month to support their new album, The McEuen
Sessions—For All The Good, released on MesaBluemoon Recordings. The McEuens played at the Station
Inn, Grimey’s, Music City Roots, and the Grand Ole
Opry, where they were joined by Carrie Underwood,
Brad Paisley, Kristen Kelly, Scotty McCreery, and
Love and Theft.
As a solo artist and founding member of the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen has released more
than 40 albums, appeared on more than 300 TV
shows, and performed more than 8,500 concerts
since 1965. McEuen Sessions—For All The Good,
recorded at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross, Ga.,
features Jonathan and Nathan on vocals; John and
his sons act as each other’s “side men” for overdubs.
Jonathan is featured on acoustic and electric guitar,
bass and piano; Nathan plays piano, bass, acoustic
guitar and percussion; and John plays a broad range
of string instruments, including banjo, mandolin, fiddle
and Dobro.
Travers Chandler and Avery County welcome several new
band members this month. Tom Isaacs on banjo and second
fiddle, John Bryan on guitar, and Blake Johnson on bass
will join Merl Johnson on fiddle and Travers Chandler on
lead vocals and mandolin for a June tour that includes dates
at the Borderline Folk Club Concert in New City, N.Y. on June
3; the Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Whitehorse,
Yukon Territory, Canada, on June 8-10; the Blistered Fingers
Bluegrass Festival in Litchfield, Maine on June 14-16, and
the Tidewater Bluegrass Association Concert in Suffolk, Va.
on June 23. The band is also excited to launch a new YouTube channel, with new videos to share. Visit
www.averycountyband.com for details and their full schedule.
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver had the honor of kicking off
NASCAR Weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., with a performance of the National Anthem in front
of 165,000 fans.
The band Steel String Session announced in May that it has
changed its name to Playing On The Planet, “just a better fit
for how we like to live OUR lives and approach our relationships,” according to the press release. Members spent much
of the month at Ben Surratt's TheRecRoomStudio recording
their new album, which will go to Nickel City Music for mixing
and mastering this month.
Also in May, Lisa Jacobi, who handles fiddle, mandolin,
guitar and vocal chores for the band, was appointed chair of
the IBMA Education Committee, a group that determines the
slate of topics, presenters and speakers at the annual World
of Bluegrass convention, which will take place during the last
week of September in Nashville. "I'm working with an amazing six-person team and though we have a monumental task
ahead of us, with the guidance and creativity of IBMA Interim
director Nancy Cardwell, we will have one of the best WOBs
to date," says Jacobi.
The Roys, who hosted 650 AM WSM Radio's Guest Artist
Series last month, will return for a second Guest Artist Series
appearance on Tuesday, June 26. The show, unique to radio,
gives the guest artists a chance to play some of their own
hits, along with some of their all-time favorite tracks by other
entertainers. Fans can listen to both shows online at 650 AM
WSM and can catch up with Lee and Elaine on
www.theroysonline.com .
High lead and tenor vocalist Larry
Stephenson released his first album with
Compass Records, What Really Matters,
last month. Larry and his band will take the
show on the road this summer for a long
tour that includes Strawberry Park Bluegrass Festival, Bean Blossom, Music in the
Mountains, and Mineral Bluegrass Festival. Click here to see their schedule.
This summer, banjo master Tony Trischka
will lead the band in New York City for
Steve Martin’s five-song bluegrass
soundtrack for the New York Public
Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s “As
You Like It” in Central Park. The show’s
director, Daniel Sullivan, decided to set the
action in the rural American South around
1840, and asked Martin to compose five
bluegrass songs to accompany the Bard’s
lyrics. Martin persuaded progressive bluegrass master Tony Trischka to lead a small
band onstage that includes banjo, fiddle,
bass guitar and a guitar.
Interestingly, Steve Martin is presently
putting together an album with singersongwriter Edie Brickell. He wrote 13 banjo
tunes, emailed them to her, and she has
emailed him back with lyrics. Brickell (with
her New Bohemians) is best known for
1988's Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars,
which went #4 on the US Albums Chart.
Congratulations to Rob and Lisa
McCoury, and the entire McCoury clan, on
the arrival of Vassar Edwin Carroll
McCoury, born May 29 at 8:06 a.m. Baby
Vassar joins Rob and Lisa's other children:
young Monroe, who sang "Jambalaya"
onstage at DelFest with her granddaddy
this past weekend, and little Del, his granddaddy's namesake. This is the seventh
grandchild for Del and Miss Jean. Welcome, Baby Vassar, from your friends at
IBMA.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Association news
Congratulations to new Central New York Bluegrass Association board members Kay Betts von Sneidern
and Neil Smith.
The Central Texas Bluegrass Association’s 16th annual Band Scramble & Garage Sale will be held Sunday,
July 1. Eddie Collins will serve as the host to more than 30 of the top bluegrass musicians in central Texas as
they mix it up in this fun-for-all fundraiser. Location: Waterloo Ice House, 38th St., Austin, Texas. The garage sale
happens from 2-5 p.m. and the music goes from 3-6 p.m. Info: [email protected]
The Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association (MBOTMA) will host their Minnesota Homegrown
Kickoff Music Festival June 1-3 at El Rancho Manana in Richmond, Minn. Their flagship Minnesota Bluegrass &
Old-Time Music Festival Aug. 9-12 at the same site will headline Marty Raybon, Larry Stephenson, Chris Jones,
Robin & Linda Williams and many more. Info: www.minnesotabluegrass.org
BROADCASTERS
Internet radio listening is surging, according to
new data unveiled this week by TargetSpot, which
operates a digital audio ad network, and Pandora,
the leading online audio platform. Terrestrial still
remains the Number 1 way Americans listen to
radio but Internet radio usage is increasing.
Tablets and smart phones are contributing to the
rise in popularity. And Internet radio pays performance royalties!
Internet radio has penetrated to 42% of adult U.S.
broadband households, up 8% from 33% in 2011.
42% are households with children, 64% own their
own homes, and 22% have a household income of
$100,000 per year or more -- up 29% from 2011.
The data was compiled using the Digital Audio
Benchmark and Trend Study, based on a survey of
adult U.S. broadband households.
Digital audio listeners display significant engagement with the medium, with 80% listening from one
to three hours per day. Pandora’s online audio
service now constitutes 6% of all radio listening,
with 1.06 billion listener hours in April 2012.
Arbitron data from March of this year shows that
broadcast radio reaches 241 million listeners per
week, representing 93% of the total U.S. population, while Arbitron data from January suggests
average total listening of about 14.6 billion hours
per month. To read more, click here.
EVENT PRODUCER NEWS
The Springer Mountain Farm Bluegrass Nights at
the Ryman schedule has been announced for the
summer at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.:
Vince Gill with Sarah Jarosz (June 21), Chris Thile &
Michael Daves and The Boxcars (June 28), The
Gibson Brothers, The Steep Canyon Rangers & The
Roys (July 5), Rhonda Vincent with Joe Mullins & the
Radio Ramblers (July 12), Dailey & Vincent (July 19),
Ricky Skaggs (July 26). Eddie Stubbs of WSM-AM/
The Grand Ole Opry will host. Info: (615-458-BLUE,
www.ryman.com
Darrel Adkins & the Bluegrass Classic’s Musicians
Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) festival, scheduled for July 18-21 at the Hoover Y-Park in Lockbourne, Ohio, is known for unique onstage musical
combinations. The “Tribute to J.D. Crowe” will include
JD and The New South along with Tony Rice, Doyle
Lawson, Josh Williams, Bradley Walker and friends.
“The monster Mash” will feature Michael Cleveland,
Josh Williams, Steve Sutton, clay Hess, Randy Kohrs
and Irl Hees. The “MACC Opry ‘Murder on Music
Row’” is Carl Jackson, Randy Kohrs, Aubrey Haynie,
Bradley Walker, Val Story, Jerry Salley, Larry Cordle,
plus more. Dudley Connell and Marshall Wilborn will
perform with Sammy Shelor and Larry Stephenson.
Ronnie Bowman will appear with Don Rigsby, Kenny
Smith, Terry Baucom, Randy Kohrs and Aubrey
Haynie. Info: www.bluegrassclassic.com
The Ogden Music Festival at Fort Buenaventura in
Ogden, Utah takes place June 1-3. The line-up
features The Claire Lynch Band, Junior Sisk &
Rambler’s Choice, Royal We, Swamp Cabbage, The
Get Down Boys and more. Info: www.OFOAM.org
like sports, a video arcade, youth and teen program,
and interactive family activities.
On the occasion of his 70th birthday, the Southeastern Bluegrass Association (SEBA) honored IBMA
Hall of Famer Little Roy Lewis with the first SEBA
Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations to Little
Roy!
The 46th Annual Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival will be held June 9–16, 2012
at the Bill Monroe Memorial Bluegrass Music Park &
Campground in Bean Blossom, Indiana. The 8-day
event includes more than 50 bluegrass bands, Youth
Bluegrass Boot Camp, instrument and vocal workshops, jam sessions, camping, food, vendors, and
much more.
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion received two
Pinnacle Awards (and shared a third) from the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association at a ceremony in
May, in recognition of the festival’s creative marketing
and advertising efforts. Its “Stateline” was released on
Bristol Rhythm’s YouTube Channel last year and went
“viral.” The two-minute music montage of photographs
includes images of Blue Highway, Carolina Chocolate
Drops, Del McCoury and others, taken by Virginia
Intermont College Photography students during Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. “Stateline” was written
by Clay Prewitt and performed by his band These
Undowners. To watch the video, click here.
Producers of the Bristol Rhythm & Roots event also
deserve accolades for making Virginia Living Magazine's “Best of Virginia 2012” issue, placing third in the
online reader's poll as one of Southwest Virginia's
Best Large Music Venues. Floydfest, another event
along the Crooked Road, Virginia's Heritage Music
Trail, placed first.
Mountain Song at Sea. For this February 1-4, 2013
event, the group that produces the Mountain Song
Festival have booked a lineup that already includes
the Steep Canyon Rangers, the David Grisman
Sextet, Peter Rowan, the Kruger Brothers, the Del
McCoury Band, the Travelin’ McCourys, Tim O’Brien
and Bryan Sutton, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge,
Shannon Whitworth, Town Mountain, and Della Mae.
Promoters promise “experiences that you can’t get
anywhere else – shows with your favorite artists in
intimate venues, spontaneous artist collaborations,
jams, interactions with artists,” who will “host Q&A
sessions and other activities, like a poker tournament
with Steep Canyon Rangers, beer and wine tastings,
workshops, games, and more!” The ship will sail from
Miami to Great Stirrup Cay, a private island in the
Bahamas. Mountain Song at Sea, Sixthman and The
Steep Canyon Rangers are also offering a "Kids Sail
for Free" promotion for ids 14 years old younger,
sailing with adults as third, fourth or fifth guests.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers supervised activities
The festival includes performances by Tim Graves,
Daryl Mosley and Farm Country, Newfound Road,
Jesse McReynolds and Virginia Boys, Larry Stephenson Band, Gene Watson, Larry Gillis and Swamp
Grass, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Tommy
Brown & County Line Grass, Marge Sullivan Family,
Pastor Baggett, Cumberland River, Don Stanley and
Middle Creek, Tommy Brown and County Line Grass,
Volume Five, Chris Jones and Night Drivers, Grasstowne, Jr. Sisk and Rambler's Choice, Darrell Webb
Band, Bankester Family, Lonesome Highway,
Common Strings, Moron Brothers, David Davis and
Warrior River Boys, Ronnie Reno and Reno Tradition,
Lonesome River Band, The Boxcars, HillBenders,
Don Rigsby and Midnight Call, Spinney Brothers,
Jimmy Bowen and Santa Fe, Moron Brothers, Glen
Bonham and Southern Tradition, Little Roy and Lizzy
Show, Randy Waller and Country Gentlemen, The
Expedition Show, Spinney Brothers, Wildwood Valley
Boys, Goldwing Express, Frank Solivan & Dirty
Kitchen, Karl Shifflett & Big Country Show, Kenny &
Amanda Smith, The Grascals, Longview, Special
Consensus, the festival’s Boot Camp attendees, Kyle
Ramey Band, Larry Efaw and Mountaineers, James
King Band, Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain, Marty
Raybon & Full Circle, Karl Shifflett, Russell Moore &
IIIrd Tyme Out, David Parmley & Continental Divide,
Audie Blaylock & Redline, Special Consensus, Melvin
Goins & Windy Mountain, Dale Ann Bradley, Charlie
Sizemore Band, Larry Sparks & Lonesome Ramblers,
JD Crowe & The New South, Ralph Stanley II, James
King Band, Magnolia Drive, Tommy Sells & Big Country Show, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top X-Press,
Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, Dr. Ralph Stanley
& The Clinch Mountain Boys, Tony Rice Unit, JD
Crowe and Former New South Reunion Show. The Bill
Monroe Music Park is located at 5163 SR 135N, Bean
Blossom, Ind. 46160.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Bean Blossom’s Youth Bluegrass Boot
Camp takes place June 11-13, 2012. The
camp is open to ages 6-18 years and
offers over 15 hours of professional
instruction in all levels, beginner through
advanced for banjo, guitar, fiddle, bass
and mandolin. The event is sponsored by
CIBA, J.D. Crowe & The New South,
Martin Guitars, and the Bean Blossom
Jamboree Foundation. For anyone interested in becoming a sponsor or requesting more information on the camp, please
contact Sarah Wasson via email
[email protected]
The award-winning Grey Fox Bluegrass
Festival, July 19-22, on the Walsh Farm
in Oak Hill, N.Y. has added the Claire
Lynch Band, the Old-Tyme Kozmik Trio
(with Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger and
Rushad Eggleston); The Deadly Gentlemen, Della Mae, the Sleepy Man Banjo
Boys, the Dixie Bee-Liners, and Milk
Drive to its lineup. The bill already
includes Hot Rize (and their alter egos,
Red Knuckles and the Trail Blazers), Del
McCoury Band, David Grisman Sextet,
Infamous Stringdusters, Punch Brothers,
David Bromberg, Mountain Heart, Gibson
Brothers, Chris Thile & Michael Daves,
SteelDrivers, Blue Highway, Noam
Pikelny & Friends with Aoife O'Donovan,
Tony Trischka & Territory, and hosting
band Dry Branch Fire Squad. This year’s
festival will also feature an Earl Scruggs
Tribute on the High Meadow (Main) Stage
Friday
at
5:00
pm.
Visit
www.greyfoxbluegrass.com for info.
A new music festival in Bristol,
Tenn./Va. was announced on May 29,
and community leaders are speculating
that the day-long event might be as big as
Rhythm & Roots. The event will feature
popular British crossover act Mumford
and Sons, whose sound blends folk, rock,
country and bluegrass musical styles, in
one of only four shows on their U.S. tour.
The band will perform here on Aug. 11,
along with seven other groups.
International Focus
The British Bluegrass News, the publication of the British Bluegrass Music Association, published a comprehensive article about
the history of bluegrass instruments in its spring 2012 issue.
The magazine also includes notices of the following events:
The 24th North Wales Bluegrass Festival July 5-8 in Conwy
www.northwalesbluegrass.co.uk
Didmarton Bluegrass Festival Aug. 30-Sept. 2 at Cotswold Airport
near Cirencester www.didmarton-bluegrass.co.uk
Yorkshire Dales Bluegrass & Americana Roots Picking Weekend July 20-22 at Dalesbank Farm in Silsden, West Yorkshire
www.yorkshiredalesbluegrasspickingweekend.co.uk
Monaive Bluegrass Festival Sept. 28-30 at Moniaive, in Dumfries &
Galloway, Scotland www.moniaivebluegrass.co.uk
Surrey Mini Bluegrass Festival Summer Party Aug. 4-5 in Michleham, U.K. www.surreybluegrass.com
Cornish Bluegrass Festival Sept. 14-16 at Hendra Holiday park in
Newquay, Cornwall www.cornishbluegrass.co.uk
Kentucky to Kent UK: Music from Appalachia in the Garden of
England Aug. 27 at St. Julians Club in Sevenoaks Kent
www.ricktownend.co.uk/KtoK.htm
Gower Bluegrass Festival Sept. 7-9, at Gower heritage Centre in
Gower, U.K. www.gowerbluegrass.co.uk
Bluegrass by the Lake June 15-17 at The Radnor Arms in Ilowes,
U.K. (Info: Christine at 01981-510674)
16th East Anglian Bluegrass Festival June 23-24 at Steeple
Morden VH & Grounds in Royston, Hertfordshire, U.K.
www.eabg.blueapples.co.uk
Wharf Bluegrass Weekend May 25-27 at the Stoke Prior Sports &
Social Club, Nr Bromsgrove, U,K. www.wharfbluegrass.com
Coastline Bluegrass Festival June 8-10 at the Bryn Ffanigl Farm in
Llanddulas, U.K. www.coastlinebluegrass.co.uk
The European Bluegrass Festival Directory for 2012-2013 has
been published by Bluegrass Europe magazine, the EBMA Festival Network (EFN) and the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA). Info: www.ebma.org, www.ebma.org,[email protected]
John Wirtz, present chairman of the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA)
reports that banjo player John Breese has been elected chairman, and will take over the
office officially in September 2012. Mo Jackson (Kitty Hawks and former production manager of FOAOTMAD’s Old Time News) is the new production manager for British Bluegrass News.
Gary Payne of A Band Like Alice, Home Territory, and numerous other bands over the years,
has been awarded the Jan Jerrold Award for his contribution to bluegrass music. Congratulations, Gary, and thank you for all you’ve done!
Also in the UK: Lynne Butler, Internet radio broadcaster, invites artists, promoters and fans
to send her news and events for her newsletter, which is rich with information about bluegrass events and bands in continental Europe. “Butler's Boudoir Bluegrass” may be heard
on ukcountryradio.com and “Lynne Butler’s Eurograss” on www.bluegrassplanetearth.com.
E-mail her at [email protected].
In Newfoundland, promoters of the 8th Annual Bluegrass & Old-Time Country Music
Jamboree invite Newfoundland and Labrador groups to apply for performance slots at their
event, which will take place Sept. 29-30 2012 at the Comfort Inn, Airport Rd. St. John’s, NL.
The Group Application Process Deadline is June 25, 2012. To qualify, a group’s repertoire
must consist of bluegrass and/or old-time country music, must include at least two musicians
playing acoustic stringed instruments only (with the exception of electric bass and steel
guitar), who are capable of performing a set of at least 45 minutes. Auditions require a live
(not multi-tracked) demo recording consisting of two tunes with vocals on a CD. Each invited
group musician must be an individual member of the Society. For information on where to
send audition CDs, click here or contact Marie Yetman at 709/473 5431
[email protected].
A new video from Bulgaria’s only country/bluegrass band, Lilly of the West, is now available. It’s a cut from their newly released album, Swings & Heartaches. Click here to see the
video. For more about Lilly of the West, visit www.lillydrumeva.net .
Eddie & Martha Adcock will embark on a European tour this month! It’s a rare opportunity
for our friends in Europe to check out this legendary banjo player and Bluegrass Hall of
Fame member. The Adcocks will be joined by their pal, himself a legend and Hall of Famer:
bassist Tom Gray. Here are the dates and locations of their shows; please confirm before
you go.
June 16, Czech Republic: Banjo Jamboree, Caslav
June 17, Germany: Langenau-Pflegehofsaal, near Ulm--7 pm
June 18, Switzerland: Neustadt 51, Schaffhausen--8 pm
June 19, Austria: Innsbruck
June 20 Private concert
June 21, Germany: Beavers - Miltenberg, near Frankfurt
June 22, Belgium: Toogenblick, Brussels
June 23, Holland: Partycentrum "De Vriendschap" Wadway 22, in 1715 GZ, Spanbroek.
MERCHANDISERS & LUTHIERS
The Deering Banjo Championships will take place June 16 at the Mojave Narrows
Regional Park in Victorville, California. For more info call (951) 780-8810 or email
[email protected].
INDUSTRY NEWS
PRINT MEDIA & EDUCATION NEWS
The Midwest Banjo Camp will take place June 8-10
at Olivet, Michigan. Ken Perlman and Stan Werbin are
the directors.
The program features hands-on
classes, demonstrations, two faculty concerts and lots
of time for jamming. Info: midwestbanjocamp.com
The Artistworks Academy of Bluegrass has posted
new content on its blog, including an interview with
banjo player Ned Luberecki, who performs with Chris
Jones and the Night Drivers and also tours with
Stephen Mougin (of the Sam Bush Band) as Nedski &
Mojo. The update also includes six performances by
Bryan Sutton and Mike Marshall and three new
banjo lessons with Tony Trischka. Check out the
Academy at www.academyofbluegrass.com.
The Acoustic Music Camp is a three-day camp for
banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, songwriting, Dobro,
vocals, bass and fingerstyle guitar slated for Aug. 9-11
in Arlington, Texas. Instructors include Ron Stewart,
Cia Cherryholmes, Gerald Jones, Roland White, Nate
Lee, Kenny Smith, Jim Hurst, clay Powers, Stetson
Adkisson, Texas Shorty, Nate Lee, Amanda Smith and
Alan
Tompkins.
Info:
214-236-0783,
[email protected]
A group of 16 cloggers from the Czech Republic
visited the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn.
March 19 during a week-long tour of the Southeast.
They attended workshops, met local cloggers and
learned more about traditional Appalachian dancing.
Headliners at the Museum of Appalachia’s Tennessee
Fall homecoming Oct. 12-14 include Darin & Brooke
Aldridge, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Leroy Troy,
Dixie Gray, T he Hilltoppers and more. Info:
www.museumofappalachia.org
Two positions at East Tennessee State University in
Johnson City, Tenn. are pending, with a search beginning in the fall of 2012 and jobs beginning in August
2013: Chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies
and a Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Bluegrass,
Old-Time and Country Music Studies. Info:
http://www.etsu.edu/humanres/employment/opportuni
ties.aspx.
Call
423-439-7997
or
email
[email protected] to be put on a list for notification
when the searches are formally announced.
Larry G. Aaron has written a book called The Wreck
of
the
Old
97
(The
History
Press,
www.historypress.net) about the true story behind the
popular song by the same name.
Bluegrass television pioneer Stan Hitchcock, Chairman and CEO of BlueHighways TV, was inducted
into the Cable Television Pioneers as part of a gala
ceremony in Boston, Mass. on May 20. Our sincere
congratulations to Stan, who earned the award in
recognition of his creation of BlueHighways TV, the
independent multi-platform network that explores the
people, stories, traditions and music of America.
Stan's partners at BlueHighways TV are Ronnie Reno
and
Denise
Hitchcock.
Visit
www.BlueHighwaysTV.com.
The Fiddle Pal Camp Midwest 2012 kicks off this
month at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 609 5th St S
Stillwater, Minn., with four days of instruction in bluegrass, Canadian, jazz, Appalachian, Irish, and blues
for fiddle, mandolin, guitar and bass, on June 19-22,
Tuesday-Friday, from 9:00 a.m.-4 p.m. (evening activities are also scheduled). The event will include
instruction from many award-winning professional
musicians, as well as time for soccer, jamming, a barn
dance and an amazing concert. Instructors and staff
include Brian Wicklund, Lissa Schneckenburger,
Megan Gregory, Trevor Krieger, Jeff Troxel, Matt
Flinner and Kevin Rowe. For youth and adults ages
9-and up; registration is limited.
Fiddle Pal Camp New England 2012 will return to
Newton, Mass. on August 21-24, 2012 for four days of
instruction and fun at the Suzuki School with fiddlers
Brian Wicklund, Lissa Schneckenburger, Megan
Gregory, plus cellist Ariel Friedman and guitarist
Flynn Cohen. For youth and adults ages 9 and up
(lots of adults sign up, too). Register before June 30
and save $80! Visit www.fiddlepal.com.
ROMP, the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s
annual flagship fundraiser/festival that celebrates the
roots and branches of bluegrass music, kicks off this
month at Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro, Ky.. The
lineup for the June 28-30 event includes Old Crow
Medicine Show, Vince Gill, Punch Brothers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Deadly Gentlemen,
Jesse McReynolds, Lonesome River Band, Town
Mountain, The Expedition Show, Farewell Drifters,
Greensky Bluegrass, Monroeville and more. Visit
www.rompfest.com for more information.
Bluegrass Mountain, a new television show that
features new and vintage videos from established
artists like Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss and Rhonda
Vincent, plus clips by newer artists including Cumberland River Band and Carrie Hassler & Hard
Rain, debuted last month in New Zealand on Country
99 TV.
In June, outlets CMC Australia and Sky TV (U.K.) will begin airing the 13-episode season to a potential 20
million viewers. Seven episodes of the series will be hosted by The Roys; Marty Raybon and The Grascals
hosted the first six episodes of the program. "This is a natural extension to our other music-based programming," says the show's Executive Producer Jeff Moseley. "Bluegrass is an incredible and underserved music
genre, so this is a win-win situation for all of us and the fans."
Bluegrass Mountains' Producer/Director Brian Covert believes that "having entertainers host the show gives
viewers opportunities to hear stories about the videos that they otherwise would not. That gives fans a very
personal and intimate insight."
Dyann and Rick Arthur, two Washington State residents who turned their retirement into an important video
project, have spent the past three years traveling from New England to the Deep South and back to the West
Coast interviewing women, ages 18 to 93, and recording their music. The Arthurs’ nonprofit MusicBox Project
is about women musicians who are experts in Appalachian folk music, the blues, bluegrass, old-time country
music, gospel, jazz, Cajun, American Indian music, klezmer, maritime folk music or zydeco. It’s already catalogued in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.,
The collection of "Americana Women" documentary videos includes music and interviews with fiddler Violet
Hensley (captured with her family, picking around the kitchen table); Casey Henry, playing her banjo instrumental “Real Women Drive Trucks”; and Red Molly performing “Honey on my Grave.” Much of the video collection is available on YouTube. Journalist/author/banjo player Red Murphy, of The Murphy Method and IBMA's
Nancy Cardwell are two of the women who provide commentary during the film.
"The project isn't about female vocalists who front male bands, but more about women instrumentalists who
seek to be taken seriously as a roots musicians," Dyann Arthur said. "Women need to see that other women are
a huge part of these musical genres." To donate to the nonprofit work of the MusicBox Project or to volunteer
time, contact the Arthurs at [email protected]. More information is available at
www.musicboxproject.org.
RECORD LABELS & PUBLISHERS
Rounder Records will release Foggy Mountain Special: A Bluegrass Tribute to Earl
Scruggs on June 5. On this 12-tune collection
of never-before-released material, produced
by Tim Austin and recorded in Nashville over
a couple of years, each track is based on Earl
Scruggs' playing as captured on studio
recordings and live tapes made between
1949 and 1969. Tunes range from traditional
pieces like "Sally Goodin" and "Reuben" to
the western swing instrumental "Steel Guitar
Rag" to Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline Rag."
The majority of the collection's remaining
tunes were written or co-written by Scruggs.
Banjo players Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D.
Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim
Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry Perkins, Craig Smith,
Ron Stewart, David Talbot, and Tony Trischka
are supported by Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey, Randy Kohrs, Cody Kilby, Clay Hess,
Wyatt Rice, Ben Isaacs, Barry Bales, Dennis
Crouch, Ron Stewart and Jason Carter.
BlueHighways TV presented the exclusive premiere of the
Rural Rhythm Records series Behind The Dream, on May
24, with a segment featuring recording artist and performer
Marty Raybon of Shenandoah fame. In his show, Marty kicked
off the 30-minute bi-monthly series by taking viewers behind
the scenes of the making of his new CD, Hand To The Plow.
“Rural Rhythm Records is proud to launch our new Behind
The Dream series on BlueHighways TV,” said Sam Passamano, president of Rural Rhythm Records. “Our artists will be
able to share with the viewers their new recordings in a words
& music format that will give insight to their goals, inspiration
and, of course, dreams for their album. We want to thank the
good folks at BlueHighways TV for giving our artists the wonderful opportunity to present their music in their own words &
music.”
Behind The Dream is hosted by Mike Scott and takes viewers into the recording studio with some of the biggest names
of bluegrass music. Future installments will feature bluegrass
artists Carrie Hassler, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Lonesome River Band and Bobby Osborne. Each episode focuses
on the motivations behind the music and delves into the
personal inspiration of each artist as they record their latest
CD. For more information on BlueHighways TV visit
www.BlueHighwaysTV.com.
fresh
sounds
in the World of Bluegrass - 2nd Quarter 2012 (April, May, June)
Tom Adams, Ron Block, J.D. Crowe, Charlie Cushman, Kenny Ingram, Jim Mills, Joe Mullins, Larry
Perkins, Craig Smith, Ron Stewart, David Talbot & Tony Trischka; Foggy Mountain Special: A Bluegrass
Tribute to Earl Scruggs ( Rounder Records, www.rounder.com )
“Producer Tim Austin assembled a dozen cutting edge banjo players and ten stellar backup musicians to record
the 12 tunes in this collection,” Tom Adams reports in liner notes. Each banjo player chose the Scruggs song he
wanted to play. “In tribute, Earl, for all the music you’ve given us, on behalf of all of the musicians on this recording, and the thousands of banjo players and millions of fans whose lives you have touched, we say a heartfelt
‘Thank You!’” Adams says.
The Box Cars, All In ( Mountain Home Music Company, www.crossroadsmusic.com )
The sophomore release from The Box Cars, IBMA’s 2011 Emerging Artists of the Year Keith Garrett, Harold
Nixon, Adam Steffey, John Bowman and Ron Stewart. This new release features a set of songs from Tim Stafford
& Bobby Starnes, Earl Scruggs, William Joseph Colwell and Sonya & Becky Isaacs, along with originals from
band members Garrett, Stewart and Steffey.
The Brothers Comatose, Respect the Van ( www.thebrotherscomatose.com )
The original members of this quintet with brothers Alex and Ben Morrison bonded at the Morrison family acoustic
music parties before taking a youthful foray into punk and rock bands before circling back to the music they
learned in that living room. They credit both beginnings for the attitude of their current music. On the new album,
their music is not a wavering mélange of assorted styles, but decided and strong bluegrass-influenced folk rock.
With the addition of members Philip Brezina (fiddle) and Ryan Avellone (mandolin) the band aims to offer a no
B.S., good time. The all-original set was tracked “live in one big room – treating the studio like a stage,” he
explains.
Joe Craven Trio, All Four One ( Blender Logic Arts, www.joecraven.com )
The latest from this veteran north California trio features eight instrumentals and two songs that pay tribute to the
blues, New Orleans, swing, funk and bluegrass, as well as music of Brazil, Haiti, Ireland and Puerto Rico. In liner
notes Craven, a favorite every year at Wintergrass in Bellevue, Wash., says, “I’ve always enjoyed creating
extreme makeovers of vernacular music—part of the history of what I call ‘the ongoing tradition of the perpetual
transition of folk’…. This recording is a reflection of my desire to celebrate the individual writing and collective
arranging of the four colleagues and friends who have comprised The Joe Craven Trio over the years…. We
hope you dig.”
Kathy Joy Daugherty, Heart of Dreams ( JoySong, www.kathyjoydaugherty.com )
Nine of ten songs on Kathy Joy’s debut album are originals or co-writes. Her lead vocals are backed by Jennifer
Strickland, Kim McClean, Randy Kohrs and Robert Jason. Guest instrumentalists include Kohrs, Scott Vestal,
Tim Crouch, Dustin Benson, Aaron Ramsey and Josh Williams, plus more. Kathy dedicates the CD to her
grandma, Anna Laura Stephens. Songs include “I Am That I Am” with Marty Raybon, “Kentucky Memories,” “Stay
Outta My Kitchen,” “Jesus, If It Weren’t for You” and more.
Jimmy Gaudreau & Moondi Klein, Home from the Mills ( Rebel Records, www.rebelrecords.com )
Jimmy Gaudreau and Moondi Klein have played together in several bands, but there’s something uniquely striking about their duet. Fans of the first duo album and tour will be happy to hear songs like Tim O’Brien’s “Bending
Blades,” “Close the Door Lightly when You Go” by Eric Andersen, John Starling’s “C&O Canal,” “If I Needed You”
by Townes Van Zandt, Gordon Lightfoot’s “Shadows” and more.
Carrie Hassler, The Distance ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com )
The latest from Carrie Hassler features her memorable lead vocals backed by Tim Stafford, Ron Stewart, Justin
Moses, Alan Bibey, Mark Fain, Dale Ann Bradley, producer Steve Gulley and more. Included are a number of
songs written especially for Carrie's voice, from writers like Carl Jackson, Stafford, Gulley, Mark Wheeler and
Jennifer Strickland, among others. Standouts include “Luxury Liner,” “All I Have to Do Is Breathe,” “Eugene &
Diane” and “Give Me Warm.”
Lilly of the West, Swings & Heartaches ( Musicautor, www.lillydrumeva.net )
Bulgaria’s premier bluegrass band, fronted by lead singer Lilly Drumeva, swings a set of music on their latest CD.
There are two Patsy Cline songs, one from Hank Williams, a couple of Western swing standards, plus material
from June Carter & Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers, Juice Holland & Sam Brown and two Bulgarian folk melodies. Included: “Gotta Lotta Rhythm in My Soul,” “Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring,” “I’m Gonna Sit Right
Down and Write Myself a Letter,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “My Window Faces the South,” “If I Were a Carpenter”
and more.
Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press, New Bluegrass & Old Heartaches ( Rural Rhythm,
www.ruralrhythm.com )
After 62 years in the music business this Bluegrass Hall of Famer continues to nail the high notes, straight from
the heart. In liner notes producer/fiddler Glen Duncan says, “As you think about all of the history that Bobby
represents, also know that he continues to work at his craft, with that same love of the music that first inspired
him to start his musical journey back in 1949. Millions of miles, thousands of shows, untold hours playing and
singing; you can hear all of that accumulated musical wisdom in every note that Bobby sings on this recording.”
The set list includes Paul Craft’s “Heartache Looking for a Home,” two Jake Landers compositions, Fred Rose’s
“Low and Lonely,” “Phil Rosenthal’s “Muddy Waters” and more. Bobby, Glen Duncan and Boj (Bobby Osborne,
Jr.) sing the trio parts.
Marty Raybon, Hand to the Plow ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com )
Fans of Marty Raybon’s trademark soulful lead voice will enjoy this new album of bluegrass/blues/gospel influenced country music. Titles include “I’m Working on a Building,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” “You Get
Me,” “He’s Still My Little Man (Matty’s Song),” “You’ve Got to Move,” “When He Reigns It Pours” and more.
Marty Raybon, Southern Roots & Branches – Yesterday & Today ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com )
Raybon presents driving, blues-tinged bluegrass on his new album backed by a Who’s Who of great instrumentalists. His brother, Tim Raybon, plus Paul Brewster, Glen Harrell and Edgar Loudermilk, sing harmonies. In addition to his own songs, the material comes from Rodney Crowell, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin, Hugh Prestwood,
Flatt & Scruggs and more. Justin Moses, Bryan Sutton, Ashby Frank, Kenny Smith, Tim Stafford, Terry Smith,
Mark Fain, Shad Cobb, Justin Moses, Rob Ickes and Dave Talbot guest, among others.
Red June, Beauty Will Come ( www.redjunemusic.com )
Red June starts out their liner notes with a big “thank you” to everyone who contributed to their album via
kickstarter.com. many of the songs are originals from band members Will Straughan, John Cloyd Miller, Natalya
Weinstein and Jeff Hersk: “These Old Chains,” “Every Hard Mile,” “Piney Branch Breakdown,” “All That the Fall
Leaves,” “Soul’s Repair” and more.
Lou Reid & Carolina, Callin’ Me Back Home ( Rural Rhythm, www.ruralrhythm.com )
Lou Reid and his band present a set of Carolina driving bluegrass and high lonesome vocals on a new set of
music from Dennis Duff, Dave Lindsey, Ray Edwards, Michael Bentley and Daniel Salyer. “Big Old Red Guitar”
will take ever picker back to that first good instrument that landed in your hands as a kid learning to play. Carolina
also features vocals from Christy Reid, Shannon Slaughter and Trevor Watson. Ron Stewart, Tony Rice, Rob
Ickes and Mike Auldridge guest.
fresh sounds
Larry Stephenson, What Really Matters ( Compass Records, www.compassrecords.com )
On his debut release for Compass Records Larry Stephenson showcases his high sailing, tenor range lead
vocals backed by a road-tested band including Kenny Ingram, Kevin Richardson and Danny Stewart. The set
list features Jimmy Martin & J.D. Crowe’s “Bear Tracks,” the title track penned by Harley Allen & John Wiggins, Ronnie Reno’s “Big Train,” a reworking of Woody Guthrie’s “Philadelphia Lawyer” with Sam Bush on
fiddle and harmony vocals and more. Also memorable: Larry’s original “God Will” and Ed Snodderly’s “I See
Love.”
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Nashville, Volume 1: Tear the Woodpiile Down ( Sugar Hill,
www.sugarhillrecords.com )
Marty Stuart’s second release for the Sugar Hill label is a 10-song collection, almost entirely written by Marty
and featuring his touring band of musical missionaries The Fabulous Superlatives. Buck Trent, Kenny
Lovelace and Robbie Turner are joined by country music royalty Hank Williams III and Lorrie Carter Bennett
(The Carter Family) on harmony vocals. Stuart says when he came to Nashville in 1972 “the most outlaw
thing you could possibly do around here was to take country music and blow it up into rock & roll. Mission
accomplished! Today, the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville, Tennessee is play country
music.”
Wayne Taylor, It’s About Time ( Wayne Taylor Records, [email protected] )
In liner notes Taylor says, “After nearly two decades working with some of the most talented musicians on the
planet, those being my brothers in Blue Highway, I finally decided to step out on my own for this solo project.
Upon telling folks I was doing this, the overwhelming response was, ‘It’s about time’—thus the name of this
collection of songs.” Sharon & Cheryl White and Darrin & Brooke Aldridge sing harmony on several cuts.
Wayne wrote nine of the twelve songs on the CD himself. Included: “Who Do You Think You’re Foolin’,”
“Cedar Creek,” “You’re Gone,” “Bluest Eyes in Tennessee,” “All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers,” “Little
Maggie” and more.
Alan Tompkins, No Part of Nothin’ ( Bluegrass Heritage Music, www.alantompkins.com )
WAMU’s Katy Daley says, “Who doesn’t dream of working with bluegrass greats like Sam Bush, Stephen
Mougin, Ron Stewart, Randy Kohrs, Ned Luberecki and Kenny & Amanda Smith? Very few people change
dreams into reality, but I’m not surprised that Alan did. His baritone is up to the task of fronting the Dream
Team Bluegrass Band on the old gospel standard, ‘This World Is Not My Home.’ Good job, Alan.” Titles also
include “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome,” “Blue Kentucky Waltz,” “More Pretty Girls Than One,” “Shenandoah Waltz,“
“I’ve Been Redeemed," and more.
Various Artists, Pa’s Fiddle ( Pa’s Fiddle Recordings LLC, www.laura-ingalls-wilder.com )
Charles Ingalls was a central figure in the autobiographical stories told by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her Little
House on the Prairie books. He was an old-time fiddler whose music is captured by the 127 songs referenced
in his daughter’s books. Produced by Joe Week, Matt Combs and Dale Cockrell, the tunes are performed by
Bryan Sutton, Matt Flinner, Matt combs, David Grier, Jeff Taylor, Dennis Crouch and others. Included: Buffalo
Gals,” “Jesus Holds My Hand,” “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Mary of the Wild Moore,” “Yellow
Heifer,” “Boatmen’s Dance” and more.
New Compilations & Re-issues:
Various Artists, Putumayo Presents Bluegrass ( Putumayo World Music www.putumayo.com )
The first bluegrass album by World Music label Putumayo includes singles from Alison Krauss & Union
Station, Railroad Earth, David Grisman & Jerry Garcia, Andrea Zonn & Alison Brown, Frank Solivan, Peter
Rowan, James Alan Shelton, Crooked Still, The Seldom Scene, Uncle Earl, Town Mountain, Sam Bush and
more.
report from the 2012
european world of bluegrass
The new award will be presented annually,
in addition to the European Bluegrass
Band Award (based on the votes of musicians) and Audience Popularity Award
(based on audience votes).
Liz Meyer (1952-2011) was widely
regarded as an accomplished musician
and singer-songwriter, and always a great
support to other musicians in her field.
In the earlier part of her career, Liz was
best known for her innovative songwriting
and for performing and recording with a
succession of legendary musicians, including Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Sam
Bush, and Jerry Douglas.
The 15th European World of Bluegrass Festival was
held on May 17-19, 2012 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.
Thanks to Dagfinn Pedersen for sharing the earliest
results of the annual EWOB awards with us. Looks like
bluegrass is white-hot in the Czech Republic. Congratulations to ALL of the bands that took home awards that night!
European Bluegrass Band 2012:
#1 Goodwill (Czech Republic)
#2 East-West (Czech Republic)
#3 Jaywalkers (United Kingdom), Rawhide (Belgium), and
Sunny Side (Czech Republic)--three-way tie
Audience Popularity Award 2012:
#1 G-Runs 'n Roses (Czech Republic)
#2 Sunny Side (Czech Republic)
#3 The Old Time Hayride (Germany/Netherlands)
The very first Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award was presented on May 19, 2012 to
the Louvat Bros of Belgium, who had played on the
Thursday night concert. This award, which rewards the
most innovative European band in bluegrass music, is
given in memory of Liz Meyer, who always encouraged
promising and creative musicians throughout her career.
But beyond her own musical pursuits, Liz’s
career is also typified by her generosity
towards other musicians. Always willing
and able to offer practical advice and
creative outlets to aspiring musicians, she
helped numerous European bluegrass
artists to set and achieve new goals within
their art form.
Liz’s own songwriting and musical
arrangements stem from a broad range of
influences. Likewise, her name is often
cited by European bands as an inspiration
for implementing aspects of their musical
heritage into their songs in a way that is at
once tasteful and innovative.
This award was devised both to honor Liz’s
memory and to encourage promising musicians to bring their music to a broader audience. The European World of Bluegrass
Board is proud to present this year’s Liz
Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass
Music Award to the Louvat Bros.