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     The GoBluegrass News
                            by Bill Miller

    Bluegrass legend Ray Goins passed away on Monday, July 2nd at a Pikeville, KY hospital after an extended illness. He had performed as a member of the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, the Stanley Brothers band, then for many years with his brother Melvin as The Goins Brothers. He was 71 years old.
    For more on the life of Ray Goins, click this link to the story in the Appalachian News-Express: http://www.news-expressky.com/articles/2007/07/05/news/01goins.txt

    The Country Gentlemen are 50 years old today … as a group, that is. The original band formed in the aftermath of a car accident a half-century ago.
    The story was told again by Bill Emerson in an article written by Dave Higgs for the current issue of Bluegrass Now. Back in 1957, Emerson was playing with Buzz Busby & His Bayou Boys in a regular gig at the Admiral Grill. Emerson recalls the Admiral Grill as being a burger-and-beer place outside the District of Columbia in Baileys Crossroads, Virginia that held about 70 people.
    The night before the 4th of July, the boys in the band (except for Emerson) went on a party spree that ended when their car crashed into a utility pole. Everyone in the vehicle was seriously injured.
    Emerson didn't want to lose the regular gig, so he called some buddies to help him fulfill the obligation. First, he called picking buddy John Duffey, who lived about a mile away. Next he called another friend that he had jammed with, Charlie Waller. As Emerson told Diggs, "We played the traditional standards. Songs like Love and Wealth, Stanley Brothers material and Bill Monroe songs. "   He added, "We were just three young guys who got together because we loved to play."
    It worked out well at the Admiral Grill, so the new group added Larry Leahy on bass and looked for gigs. That chance formation opened a new chapter in bluegrass history.
    As Paul Harvey would say, "Now you know..."

    John Duffey suggested the name The Country Gentlemen after the title of a Chet Atkins album.

    The latest radio station to go full-time bluegrass is WNRV, AM 990 in Narrows-Pearisburg, VA. Check out their website at www.WNRVRadio.com.

    I’ve been hooked on Tom T. Hall’s songwriting since hearing the first verse of Harper Valley P.T.A. back when it was a radio hit. Any time I see a song with T as the songwriter, I give it a listen. Any time he records an album, I get my ears on it as quickly as possible. Tom T. Hall writes musical literature and I love to turn the pages.
    It’s been rumored that a new Tom T. Hall album was coming, and now it has arrived. Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T. was scheduled for release on the couple’s Blue Circle label on July 3rd. Samples can be heard on the label website, www.BlueCircleRecords.com.

    The Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground is on the market. Former bluegrass boy Dwight Dillman is the current owner. The park is the site of the Bean Blossom bluegrass festival.

    From The Bluegrass Blog: "CMT.com ran a fun piece earlier this week about Amnesia, a club in San Francisco’s Mission district, that has successfully launched a Monday night Doyle Lawson singalong. What started as a bum’s rush has become a popular club tradition, with Amnesia regulars settling in once a week to belt out their favorite Quicksilver tunes along with Doyle’s CDs.
    "Owner Shawn Magee explains how it got started. '[Co-owner] John and I would play the disc and sing along at the top of our lungs as a way to scare people out of the bar at closing time,' Magee says. But some people stuck around. 'They even memorized the lyrics and joined in. It got to the point where we had a dozen strong singers crooning 28 DL&Q hits into the wee hours of the morning.'"

    Seldom Scene’s first album in seven years is due from Sugar Hill Records on August 14th. The title is “SCENEchronized.”

    Look for a new live concert DVD from Sam Bush in August. The show was recorded at The Big Room in Chico, CA.
    That venue is not to be confused with “The Big House” in Chico.

    When I talked to Jim Lauderdale by phone last month, he mentioned that he was knocking himself out mixing a new bluegrass album. No word yet on the due date, but it should be on the market before long.
    Meanwhile, his “Bluegrass” CD is still going strong. “Who’s Leaving Who” is the latest “single” and is featured on the Bluegrass Radio Power CD sampler.    www.BluegrassRadioPower.com

    Nathan Stanley, 14-year old grandson of Dr. Ralph, has a new CD out called He Suffered On The Cross. In addition to his new album, young Stanley is spending his summer vacation playing mandolin with grandpa’s Clinch Mountain Boys.

    Look for a new Claire Lynch release from Rounder around October. The working title is Crowd Favorites - a Claire Lynch Collection. The album will have four new tracks and ten cuts from past releases.

    6/15/2007: Tonight (Friday) at 9 PM (Eastern Time), I'll dust off my headphones for a two-hour show on WAMU-fm in Washington, DC that will be streamed online at BluegrassCountry.ORG, an excellent 24-hour online source for bluegrass. The show will air again on BluegrassCountry.ORG at noon tomorrow (Saturday), 7 AM on Tuesday and again at 9 PM next Friday night.
    My thanks to the folks at WAMU-fm and Bluegrass Country.org for this opportunity. www.BluegrassCountry.org .
    I've also been doing some fill-in bluegrass DJ duties at WDVX-fm, the community station in Knoxville, and loving it. Hope to do more at WDVX in the future.
    Thought I'd had my fill of radio years ago. Stuff happens. It feels great to be back on the air after such a long hiatus - it's all fresh again. You never know what might happen next.

    Larry Cordle has signed with Lonesome Day Records.

    The Mandolin Cafe has set up a fund to help out Butch Baldassari with medical and living expenses as he undergoes treatment for a brain tumor. Get details about the fund at www.MandolinCafe.com . Cards, get well wishes, and checks can also be sent to Butch Baldassari ... 125 43rd Avenue North .... Nashville, TN 37209.

    Back when the government allocated channel space for satellite radio, it did so with the express edict that the two license holders who won the space could never merge.
    Only two licenses were to be awarded so that each could have enough competition to aspire to excellence. But not so much that they would be driven to bankruptcy by too much competition. Satellite radio was a golden goose that would lay golden eggs for those willing to be both patient and nurturing. When those golden eggs emerged after several years of incubation, they did so under the trade monikers that now read "XM Radio" and "Sirius Radio."
    Ahhh, but money is the mother's milk of politics and the political climate has certainly changed since then. My Uncle Willie had a simple explanation for all things political since he proclaimed to be neither a Republican or a Democrat. As he said, "The $@&&@% politicians will do whatever the $@&&@% sons-a-beeches pay 'em to do."
    Now Sirius and XM want to merge and stop the competition that holds down pricing.
    Public comment is being solicited by The Federal Communications Commission. Now's the time to make your voice heard, whatever your opinion may be. If you agree with Uncle Willie, your voice will only be heard as loudly as your pocketbook can talk.
    The official 180-day review period is now underway.

    If you're a radio-ready artist, please note that Vol. 2 of the Bluegrass Radio Power CD still has a few slots left. If your recording is strong enough to be played on the radio, this compilation CD might just be the vehicle you need to get there. Click here for more information.

    Cherryholmes has donned a bit of a gothic look (and you thought you'd never have to deal with it in bluegrass) for the cover of their next release on Skaggs Family Records. June 12th is the date "Cherryholmes II: Black and White" hits the street.

June 12 will also mark the debut for Adam Steffey's first foray into the mandolin instructional DVD field. His 2-DVD set, "My Approach To Bluegrass Mandolin," will be released by AcuTab Publications.

    If you're looking for some vintage video on Lester Flatt and other pickers, you'll find it on YouTube.com. I was combing the video site a few nights ago for bluegrass clips and found a nice selection, including one of a much younger Tony Rice doing a tasty instrumental on "Shenandoah."

    Lonesome River Band has some live video concert footage posted on the band's website.

    Mountain Heart is recording a live CD. The album is being compiled from performances over the next few weeks.

    Merle Haggard's songwriting catalog has been heavily mined by bluegrass artists for decades. Now comes word that The Hag is in the studio working on a bluegrass CD. The album is being produced by Ronnie Reno and is expected to be released by McCoury Music.

    Vince Gill has added Amy Grant and The Del McCoury Band to his summer tour. The all-star Grammy winning lineup will kick off an 18-date schedule at Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheatre on July 14th. They'll wrap things up on September 11th at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

    Rural Rhythm Records has expanded its relationship with RYKO Distribution. The label has employed RYKO retail distributor for a decade. Now digital distribution has been added to the duties provided by RYKO.
    The label is best known for catalog compilations. It has recently released new albums by Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain, Jim VanCleve and Randy Kohrs.

KEY DATES TO REMEMBER

    - IBMA Awards Show - September 28, 2007 in Nashville, TN

    Master Shield Records has announced the signing of four new acts to the Bridgewater, VA based label.
    Alex Hibbitts is a songwriter/mandolinist from Johnson City, TN who primarily does original material.
    Travers Chandler & Avery County play traditional bluegrass. They hail from Bailey, NC.
    The Muellers are a young family band from Waterville, ME. The group consists of six brothers and sisters ranging from 5 to 18 years of age. They're a bluegrass gospel group that mixes in traditional bluegrass and original numbers.
    Southern Skye is a 5-member teenage band from Tennessee and Kentucky. They play traditional and contemporary bluegrass.

The bluegrass doors are opening for Aaron Tippin. He'll release an album of primarily bluegrass classics this year on his in-house label, Nippit Records. Players include Charlie Cushman on banjo, fiddler Ward Stout, mandolinist Danny Roberts, Mike Bub on bass and guitarist Jeff White.
Tippin played banjo in The Dixie Ridge Runners, a bluegrass band he formed back in high school.

February 25, 2007

Dr. Ralph Stanley celebrates his 80th birthday today.

Quote: "I don't think Ralph Stanley's music is for everybody. No music is for everybody. But let's face it, there are some things that make our shockers vibrate." - Emmylou Harris (countrynow.com)

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