I have about 2/3 of Rice's LPs bought new around the time they came out. I didn't have CSB and some of the BAB though and ended up paying fairly steep prices for some of them over the last 5 or so years in an attempt to have them all. The BAB weren't that bad, maybe $15-$25, but I waited and waited for a decent price for CSB and finally got it for less than average but more than what this reissue is selling for. I did pick up 2nd copies of Still Inside and Mar West recently with the intent to compare to what I already had and keep the better condition and resell the other. He was asking $20 each for them and technically that's what I paid for them. But I bought them along with a bunch (200) of $3.00 records that I got for $2.50 when I was expecting to pay $2.75 for them. So in a way he paid me $10 to take them!
Church Street Blues was the last one I found, a Mint or Near Mint copy in a little tiny vinyl/musical instrument store in Astoria, Oregon. It was quite the find at I think around $20. Back around 2014 or so, I found the Japanese issues of Mar West and Backwaters in Tokyo, and those were "Minter than mint." Just wonderful-sounding. I really wish that my favorite Bluegrass Album Band (Vol. 6) would see a vinyl release, too.
I had to get a Spanish pressing of Sweet Sunny South, the BAB vol 5. Vol. 6 would be a great place to start for Craft reissuing the catalog. Also I get a NM copy of Skaggs & Rice for $10 at a record show in December. My jaw dropped as I was looking through this guy's boxes. He was selling everything he had for half the sticker and there it was marked $20!
I wish I had the Sugar Hill documents to tell but there have been a lot of very obscure artists recorded. Americana, old timey and bluegrass recordings just aren’t in that high a demand. But NM copies are very hard to find.
Well, the first listing for Sugar Hill in discogs is P.T. Gazell with Jerry Douglas on dobro and Ricky Skaggs on madolin. Sealed original copy? $10.85 shipped.
I like to check out the Dee’s Lounge channel every once in a while to see who might be up on stage. Enjoyed some of this set from East Nash Grass, with Jarrod Walker from Billy Strings’ band sitting in.
Doc Watson’s first banjo - there’s an interesting story he told about the origins of his first banjo. His dad made it for him. Neck and tension hoop were made from maple, it had friction tuning pegs, and the first version had a groundhog skin head but it really wasn’t very resonant.
Sam Bush – Toy Heart: A Podcast About Bluegrass - The Bluegrass Situation "Season 2’s first episode features stories of Sam’s many genre-breaking collaborations, including playing with the Dillards and New Grass Revival plus his time at Capitol Records. He waxes poetic about the magic of jam sessions and improvisation, and the profound influence of artists like Byron Berline. From the roots of “Callin’ Baton Rouge” to the impact of the Vietnam era, Bush’s journey is a testament to the ever-evolving nature of bluegrass."
Somehow I've never heard this infectious Hartford tune before, maybe got the title confused with Doc Watson's Cuckoo Bird song in the past, kinda ashamed of myself. Anyhoo, Bronwyn and Kyle had some fun with it at Dee's.
Great cover! From John Hartford's 'All In The Name Of Love' album that's never been reissued digitally. It's a shame too as it's one of my favorites. I didn't know that Bronwyn had her own band.
Just one of several ad hoc bands she put together for some January dates at Dee's while Molly and Golden Highway are on hiatus.
When I was a little boy - a long time ago - I spent way too much time as I recall being “churched”. Sunday school, prayer meetings, evangelist sermons, special baptisms….I got dunked when I was ten. But we learned a lot of music there and some of it at home. I was always around music. I had access to a piano, guitar, banjo, autoharp, trumpet, saxophone and harmonica. And I played them all by ear until my mother decided I had better get some music theory and piano lessons. I got lessons from you guessed it, the preacher down the road who also tuned our piano. His grandson and I played baseball together. He went on to do big things in baseball - Hall of Fame things. I’m getting to the point I promise. One of those songs was “This Little Light Of Mine”. We had a few different versus than this version…one of them being “ Hide it under a bushel NO! I’m gonna let it shine.”
Has anyone hear Bela Fleck’s Grammy-winning album “As We Speak”? Not bluegrass, but if Béla plays banjo on it, I’m interested. And does a tabla count as drums?
I sampled it on Youtube a while back. Some good stuff, it's Bela after all, but the world music thing is not for me. Yeah, a definite departure from My Bluegrass Heart.
The Earl Scruggs Review, Lonestar Cafe, NYC circa 1980. Evidently a rare recording including “Pretty Boy Floyd” and “Hobo’s Lulaby”. Four Scruggses and a drummer. Interesting but I prefer my bluegrass on the traditional side.
Last night we went to a place by the Griffith observatory in LA called the Bigfoot Lodge. They have a bluegrass band every Tuesday evening (our nephew is on the mandolin). These guys are the real deal. Stop by if you’re ever in the area on a Tuesday evening.
Doc & Merle Watson: “Never The Same Way Twice”. Bear’s Sonic Journeys LPs. Checks all the boxes in spades.
Over here in the UK blue grass is very very thin on the ground, the first exposure I had to Bluegrass was when the Dukes of Dukes of Hazzard became a thing over here. The other day I saw the Sleepy Boys (?) on a old chatshow performance and it was amazingly good. I love blue grass, it is a true artform and deserves profound respect.
I bought a collection of 1960s-70s gospel bluegrass LPs from an elderly couple that’s moving into a retirement community. Much of it wasn’t my taste - but “The Sullivan Family” is great. Listening to a live record of theirs recorded in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Marty Stuart (age 12 at the time) is on mandolin. Coincidentally, a few days after I bought the collection I went to see the Kody Norris Show (neo traditional bluegrass act from East Tennessee) in my hometown. Great show - highly recommended. Asked their banjo player if he might be interested in the records that I didn’t want. He’s a big bluegrass gospel fan and enthusiastically took them back to Tennessee. Glad they found a good home.
I finally ran into a NM copy of Rounder Records 0070. The Kentucky Colonels feat Roland and Clarence White 1965-1966. Went into this little shop near Cleveland and it had all kinds of very tough to find vinyl but at premium prices. I was on my way out the door and the lady in charge (who didn’t seem to know anything about vintage vinyl) says to me….”did you go in the back?” Back? Yeah, there happened to be some spill over storage in the back with boxes of LPs. I figure what the hey, take a look. Wasn’t there a box of nicely preserved vintage bluegrass albums there. She was more than happy to part with them. So here’s a great version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” from the aforementioned Rounder 0070.
