Americana Rhythm Music Magazine Issue #96

Where Are Your Horses?

If you have followed my, On the Road , articles over the years, you know I’ve written and sent them in from all over the place, (usually at the last minute or a wee bit late.) Sometimes they’ve been written at sea, sometimes in a secluded anchorage, sometimes from a plane or a bus. This article is no exception.

I pulled over on the side of the road in Vermont to focus and think over the last nine weeks. It has been a blur, and a great time. Amy and I spent 64 days on tour in Europe. We flew back three days ago, washed clothes, got some sleep, repacked and left for a week-long fan cruise in Rockland, Maine. We host the cruise aboard the 1900 three-masted, 137’ wooden schooner, Victory Chimes. We sail the pristine waters on Penobscot Bay, Maine as the leaves start to turn under a waxing moon, where we perform three unplugged concerts on deck during the week.

But wait! I digress… Let’s return to 64 days in Europe. Man, does it feel good to be out performing and traveling again. We were in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein; 8000 kilometers in 64 days!

One of the things I like most about the road is that it has a way of keeping you humble and keeping you real. We are grassroots, feet on the ground, working musicians, driving lots of miles, loading in, loading out, and sleeping different places most every night. But I love it!

During the two hours of performing, sharing stories and songs; it is pure magic. We played in so many different venues like chateaus and castles, small clubs and theaters, even campgrounds! That’s right, campgrounds. Most of Europe goes on holiday for July and August, so

sometimes summer booking can be tough. Our agent tried something new this year and checked out these huge campgrounds. One place, called Rock’n Camp, was quite cool. Just like the name, it is a campground with a very nice venue, a great stage, sound, lights, engineer, etc.

We had the distinction of being the first Americana/Country artists booked there. The place was packed. Being a campground, it is familyoriented, with all ages in attendance. This is where the ‘humble’ story comes in. We did two 50 minute sets with a break in between. I was in my usual stage garb, boots and my favorite old straw hat. During the break this nine or ten year-old boy comes up to me and very seriously starts asking a question in French. I couldn’t quite understand, but I knew it was serious. His mother came to the rescue and said, ‘He is asking; where are your horses? He sees your boots and hat and thinks you must be a cowboy!’

I nearly started laughing at the thought, but did not want to make this young man feel bad since he was so sincere. His frame of reference was American movies, so I thought for a moment, crouched down in my boots and best cowboy pose, and explained to him; ‘Son…my horses don’t like to fly. They aren’t fond of airplanes, so I left them back in Virginia. It’s not good when your horses are unhappy.’

Well, his mother translated and he got this giant smile on his face. He was very happy with that answer! Whew … I pulled that one off! Like I said, the road can humble you. You just never know who might be watching and listening. Big, small, old, young, important or not, your music touches all - so give them all you got!

Cheers from the side of a road in Vermont.

Keeping A Eye On the Where The Music Came From: The Music of John And Frances Reedy

Some time ago we reviewed a book titled, Industrial Strength Bluegrass, that told of the postwar Appalachian migration out of northeastern KY into the Ohio cities where industrial labor opportunities awaited. Folks caught up in that great labor migration took their rural traditions and music with them and their bluegrass music bloomed in its transplanted ground. Two such migrants who took this trek were John and Frances Reedy.

John and Frances Reedy were a husband-and-wife duo from eastern Kentucky whose music served as an important influence on artists like The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, and others. They, like many other lesser lights of the early pre-bluegrass era, never received the widespread fame they deserved.

Time For Recognition

This oversight might be in for a change. A New Jersey record producer, Shanachie Entertainment, by the time this story reaches print, will have released The Legacy of John & Frances Reedy a two-CD set of recordings from this unsung duo and an accompanying booklet about the life and times of the Reedys. Shanachie Entertainment has for almost 50 years been a leading independent recording company releasing great music by acclaimed and sometimes legendary artists in a wide variety of musical genres.

From the time they were first married in 1936 in Harlan County, KY, the Reedys sang and performed together and were featured for nearly two decades on WHLN radio near their home. Yet it was not until the late 40s (there is some discrepancy about whether it was recorded in 1949 as cited by most sources, or in 1947 as Frances Reedy stated in her 1996 oral history interview) that the couple made their first recording—a 78-rpm record of

Somebody Touched Me , for the Twin City label in Bristol, TN.

a song John wrote “Somebody Touched Me” in 1939, during an emotional experience while attending a church service. It generated a great deal of attention when it was later released. Since its release, the song has been played and recorded more than 40 times by so many artists that the author’s name, John Reedy, is often overlooked. Among the more famous artists who have played and recorded the song are the names of bluegrass artists: Carl Story, The Stanley Brothers, Red Smiley, Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, and many more. While it remains the Reedy’s most wellknown song, both he and Frances were both talented songwriters, and they recorded mostly their original music throughout their musical careers.

This is not the only recording by the Reedys that has received immortal status. Before Ralph Stanley passed, he often mentioned that he learned the song “Oh Death”, by listening to a John & Frances Reedy recording of their version.

Establishing A Standard

During their heyday of the 1950s and 60s the Reedy catalog was influential in establishing a standard for bluegrass Gospel music. Much of this catalog of music was supported by their backing group, The Stone Mountain Hillbillys consisting of brothers Glenn and Julian Ramey on mandolin and banjo. While both Frances and John were prolific songwriters, their performances went underrecognized. Nevertheless, they left behind a substantial collection

of commercial and home recordings.

Shanachie’s re-mastered recordings (gleaned from both the Reedy’s commercial and homemade recording archives) include the previously mentioned “Somebody Touched Me” and “Oh Death” along with another famous track, “Driftwood”. The re-mastering is well done and the Gospel music that John and Frances Reedy made comes through well and grabs at your heart strings. A highlight of these recordings is the rich vocal performances by Frances Reedy whose vocal work stands her as one of the finest country vocalists ever recorded.

In addition, The Stone Mountain Band supplies innovative arrangements and great excitement to these recordings (one can even hear the sound of a reed instrument playing on some recordings).

John William Reedy was born in Tennessee on December 9, 1918 and grew up in Harlan County, KY. Frances Williebob Ridner was born in Bell County, Kentucky on December 31, 1922, and she too grew up in Harlan County, KY, and was raised by her paternal grandparents.

John played the harmonica and also guitar. Frances learned to play guitar around the age of five or six by watching her uncle play and practicing what she learned afterward. When she was about 12 or 13 years old, she traded her hand-cranked Victrola record player and record collection for a Regal guitar.

John And Frances

John and Frances Reedy married on November 22, 1936, and began their musical career shortly there afterward. Frances and John formed a family band known as “John Reedy and the Stone

Reedy

Mountain Hillbillies” along .with John’s Sister Marie and Brother Roger, and played at regular songfests in Harlan County with the Ramey brothers, Julian and Glen.

During the 1940’s and l950’s, the Reedys had a daily radio program sponsored by the Fuller Furniture company on WHLN in Harlan, KY The Reedys also played on several other radio stations in the region, including WBVL (Barbourville), the short-lived WCPM (Cumberland), WCTW (Whitesburg), WJHL (Johnson City, TN), and WNOX (Knoxville, TN). They also played at Renfro

1960s, the Reedys lived in Dayton, OH where they worked at the Inland division of GM during the week and commuted home to Kentucky every weekend.

Along with many of their fellow Appalachian musicians, the Reedys recorded on several independent record labels in these urban industrial areas. They recorded 45’s of regional standards and original music on several commercial record labels, including Ark (Cincinnati), Jalyn (Dayton), Starday (Nashville), and custom pressings on Rite (Dayton). The Reedys also produced a substantial number of homemade reel-to-reel recordings of musical performances.

region and performed at regional churches and community gatherings as well as Renfro Valley and the Grand Ole Opry.

In 1973, Frances and John recorded a 45 of the traditional tune Little Sparrow and Tiny Bitty Pieces on the jewel label (Cincinnati). In 1974, John Reedy and the Stone Mountain Hillbillys were included among the founding bluegrass musicians on the album The Early Days of Bluegrass, Vol. 1 produced by Rounder Records.

From the mid 1970’s until the 1980s, Frances and John produced several recordings on the Viola label at the Lundy Recording Studio (Barbourville, Kentucky).

On Christmas day in 1980, Frances and John’s older son Harold captured their last recorded musical performance together using a VHS camcorder. John passed away on January 30, 1983 at the age of 63. Frances Reedy passed away more than two decades later on April 6, 2006 at the age of 83.

Preserving A Collection

Over the course of their musical career, The Reedys wrote and recorded both gospel and secular songs; however, their primary commercial output was gospel music. Nevertheless, both John and Francis were prolific songwriters and their collective musical history covered decades. Their contributions to and influence of the music have become clouded by the mists of time and are often crowded out today when stories of the early stars such as the Stanleys and Bill Monroe are told. Recently, references on the history of

bluegrass have begun to include word of Frances and John Reedy’s contribution to that musical genre.

When Frances passed away in 2006 her granddaughter, Timmi Reedy, secured a large collection of recordings and memorabilia from her home. In 2009, Timmi and her partner Tammy Clemons archived and organized this material and donated it to Berea Collage Special Collections and Archives as part of an Appalachian Sound Archives Fellowship.

This archived collection of France and John Reedy’s commercial and homemade recordings formed the basis of Shanachie’s musical compilation, which celebrates and acknowledges their contribution to the early musical history of the bluegrass genre as well as help reclaim their rightful place in that history.

This musical compilation is available for purchase online from Amazon as well as other musical outlets. It is a welcome addition to any collection of music from that era.

Valley (always known as Kentucky’s country music capital) where they met and played with many well-known country, gospel, and bluegrass musicians of the day.

In the early 1950s, the Reedys became a part of the historic migration of mountain families to work in northern factories. Between the early 1950s and mid-

Return To Their Roots

In the mid-1960s, the Reedys permanently returned to Kentucky to live in Corbin, where their older son Harold also settled with his children. His daughter Timmi Reedy grew up in Harlan and Corbin and spent a lot of time with her grandparents. She remembers traveling with them during mid-1960s and mid- to late-1970s as they toured the

Pondering A Puzzle

Greetings friends! It’s been a whirlwind summer here on the Wee Farm. Mowing our yard and field, storms, scalding sun, BIG storms, more mowing, flower planting, vegetable garden planting, weeding, watching the vegetables NOT grow, gathering whatever pitiful yield our banana pepper plant tried to give us, listening to friends who had flourishing, abundant gardens tell us what we were doing wrong, shamefully taking baskets of their tomatoes, (well, not so shamefully because we really enjoyed tomato sandwiches), and finally cleaning out the garden with a sigh and a chance to try it all over again come spring. Whew … oh, and somehow finding time to tour for our love of bluegrass music and to teach … I love to teach about songwriting, and spent a fair amount of the hot months lecturing in universities and faraway workshops, regaling folks with the do’s and don’ts in commercial songwriting.

Currently, I am watching my 85 year old father decide to pursue puzzle work as a full time job, ha ha. This past winter, I decided to go against his whole “don’t get me any puzzles, I don’t like them,” and got him three puzzles through the mail; all 300 pieces, all extra large pieces, all farm scenes. After grumbling that he wouldn’t do them, and driving me

slightly crazy with his boredom, I politely busted up in his den and set the first one up, did the borders and left the room … and that’s how the whole puzzle craze began.

By sharing this story with friends and fans through my facebook posts, puzzles started arriving on our doorstep; LOTS of puzzles. The frenzy to do them non-stop became my dad’s passion. The frigid winter months flew by as he took on the construction of a broken picture like he does building furniture. After each one was complete, he would make sure I came into his den every time to see the finished result before he tore it apart and started a new one. There were so many puzzle boxes stacked up in his room that he decided when the weather broke he would make two cabinets to hold all the puzzles … and that’s what he did; or more truthfully, that’s what we did. Now he has housed his 120 boxes of puzzles in these gorgeous wooden wardrobes that stand proudly on each side of his picture window, and daddy looks as excited as a kid at Christmas, opening the cabinet doors to admire his stockpile of farms and farm animals, and old cars in disjointed, odd shaped pieces until the miracle of those pictures takes shape and looks like something, when he has a mind to choose a box off the shelf.

Well, I finally figured it out! My dad and I are so similar. He sees carpentry work just like a jigsaw puzzle. I was outside helping him build my grandson a record cabinet for his vinyl collection, and I watched my dad puzzle the trim out! He would measure, stand back, figure which way the 45 degree angles needed to be, measure again, cut the trim, nail it into place and, bah bam; it struck me like a wrecking ball. He builds furniture the same way I write a song, the same way we both work on his puzzle collection, piece by piece, until everything falls into place and makes sense. I actually play a game online every morning with my coffee for the same reason my dad loves to do the puzzles; it works our brains and keeps us focused enough to solve the curveballs furniture and lyric writing throws us. Now I feel like a genius for ever buying him that first puzzle.

Those puzzles don’t just fill the boredom winter brings upon my dad, they are feeding the builder in him too, and just like a hibernating bear waiting for spring, dad is waiting to go outside to build, and he will be sharp and ready for it. I also now feel like I’m exercising my writer spirit with my silly little, monotonous game that will never end. The act of solving things is like going to a gym for a hard workout for your imagination. The payoff is incredible when I think on it, and one of the major reasons I never fear writers block, I never fear a hurdle in a lyric, or that stubborn line that will not come to the surface. I just sit back and look at it like one of dad’s disjointed farm pictures in little pieces, laying across his maple table and, there … I find the piece that fit, whew.

Donna is the IBMA Songwriter of the year for 2016, And 2017 Song of the Year winner. She was also the 2018 SPBGMA Songwriter of the year. Her latest CD, Livin’ Large, on Blueboy Records, was released in February 2022. DonnaUlisse.com

The Music Of Dori Freeman

The Music Of Dori FreemanThe Music Of Dori FreemanThe Music Of Dori FreemanThe Music Of Dori Freeman

I met Charles Young recently at the Red Wing Roots festival. He enjoyed the content of Americana Rhythm Magazine, and shared his appreciation for Dori Freeman’s music. So much so, he arranged an interview with her, and invited us to share it with you here. –editor

Dori Freeman was raised in the Appalachian mountains of Southwest Virginia among a family of musicians, yet she defies what it means to be someone from the region. Finding her music rooted in the heart of the Americana genre’. Like many artists over the past few years, Dori wrote many of the songs on her latest project, Ten Thousand Roses , during the pandemic. “I really observed and appreciated nature during that time,” she says. “Natural elements such as stormclouds, wildflowers, and spiders show up as motifs throughout the record, which examines everything from being deeply in love with someone to realizing

that you don’t need another person to complete you.”

Dori Freeman’s fifth album is a departure. It’s her first record produced by her talented husband, Nicholas Falk, and the sound is more complex and challenging than her previous efforts. It’s the kind of music that benefits from repeated listening.

Ten Thousand Roses remains deeply rooted in the traditional sounds she was raised hearing as a third generation musician in her native Galax,Virginia and many of

What was it like working with a new producer on “Ten Thousand Roses,” one who happens to be your drummer and your husband?

We’ve been working together playing music almost since we met, so it was a really smooth transition. There’s some kind of magic you get only from working with a close family member because they know your sound so personally and the way you want the record to take shape. Nick is also really good at conveying ideas to musicians in the studio and getting the best work out of everyone. He’s just generally a calming and encouraging person to be around.

Was there a conscious effort to create a more layered sound than on your previous recordings?

the songs reflect the Blue Ridge Mountain surroundings.

Dori recently agreed to answer a few questions about the latest album:

Yes, I wanted this one to be a little grungier than my previous albums. We played a lot with layering vocals and instruments, getting rich interesting sounds and focusing less on how clean things sounded. I like the

Guitarist Tony Watt

Tony Watt’s agility on the fretboard has been a lifetime’s work in progress. With his smooth touch and warm, relaxed tone, Tony makes bluegrass guitar sound effortless. He expresses a warm familiarity with the roots of the genre, yet he stretches out to provide his own interpretation and even a sense of humor that comes from years of jamming, performing, and teaching bluegrass guitar. While he’s lived and breathed bluegrass guitar for decades, he’s also earned degrees in science and worked in the technology field as well.

As a young boy in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tony grew up in the vibrant and prolific Northeast bluegrass community. His father, Steve Watts, a banjo picker and mandolin player, was a founder of the Boston Bluegrass Union (BBU). Tony remembers, “My dad used to run sound for the BBU concerts when I was a kid, and I used to run around in the back of the hall. I grew up listening to bluegrass and going to festivals, but I never really wanted to play bluegrass.” That position changed when Tony was 13. “For some reason—to this day, I don’t know why—I went up to my dad and said, ‘You know, why don’t you show me some of that bluegrass guitar stuff that you know.’ That got me headed down this lonesome road, as you will,” Tony laughs.

Playing Rhythm Guitar

Tony spent years of his bluegrass career playing rhythm guitar. “My dad showed me what he knew, which was a great start—’Jimmy Brown the Newsboy,’ ‘You Are My Flower.’ But I really couldn’t play any solos, couldn’t improvise. I knew a few set pieces and that was it. I played just rhythm guitar for about seven years. I was about 20 before I got going with

flatpicking, which for me at the time felt like I was old and decrepit. Now I realize starting flatpicking at 20 is pretty young for most people,” Tony says.

these people who has been most important in helping me develop my own voice would be Lincoln Meyers, a fantastic guitar player who lives up in the Northeast.” Tony took lessons from Meyers and would travel to Meyers’ gigs to learn from him. “I was picking his brain after his shows to learn his licks and ideas, and I as learning his solos note-for-note off of records,” Tony remembers.

Tim Stafford

Another enormous influence on Tony’s playing is Tim Stafford. “His playing moves me in a way nobody else’s does. His solos are so beautifully constructed and the tone is so perfect for my taste. I can’t imagine playing it better than that.”

may play multiple instruments, or be a commanding singer or songwriter, for example. And guitarists often have professional degrees in fields outside of music. Yet it’s rare for a full-time bluegrass guitarist to have earned advanced degrees in science, and to eventually choose music as their sole profession. “I have two degrees in science,” Tony explains. “I studied material science, which is a very obscure, small field in undergrad I specialized in metallurgy, which is the study of metals. In my grad school work, I was researching a new kind of solar panel based on semiconductor quantum dots— nanotechnology.”

Music and Science

In his early years as a flatpicker, Tony was inspired by guitar legend Tony Rice. “To me the most important bluegrass guitar player that ever lived was Tony Rice, and that’s absolutely what grabbed me at every level: his rhythm, lead, singing, song selection, arrangements, just everything.” Tony studied Rice’s style, but he made a conscious decision to not become a Rice-style player.

Tony eventually developed a unique touch on the guitar, with a clean and fluid tone and melodic ideas that channel the bluegrass language, but do not mimic the sound of any one guitarist. “I’ve been lucky to focus my energies trying to sound like some people who aren’t as widely emulated, and that’s allowed me to create my own unique style –I don’t think of it as my own style, I think of it as a derivation of all of these players that I love,” Tony explains. “One of

And while Lincoln Meyers and Tim Stafford are Tony’s biggest influences, he says there are “a bunch of people I’ve tried to steal stuff from: David Grier, Kenny Smith, Tony Rice, Scott Nygaard, Eric Uglum, Clarence White. It’s me following my ear to the folks that I loved.” Tony credits his unique style to the fact that he has studied so many different bluegrass guitarists’ styles.

Tony is known in bluegrass circles for his fluid, driving rhythm and keen sense of time, skills which eventually earned him a coveted spot as guitarist in one of bluegrass’ top acts, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne. Tony has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe with Grasstowne, Alecia Nugent, Leigh Gibson of the Gibson Brothers, among others. Tony also teaches at camps and workshops across the country and has a roster of private students.

In the guitar world, it’s common for a player to have multiple talents—they

Tony spent many years keeping his options open by working in both music and science. “I kept both doors open as a young adult, switching back and forth. I worked a couple years with a technology company, and then did music for a while, and then went back to science. Even when I was doing a science job or school, I was still playing music on the side. After many years of bouncing back and forth, happily, keeping both doors open—it was the experience of living in Nashville and getting to play with amazing musicians and seeing all of my friends making a living with music. I was thinking ‘Oh, it’s not that hard, if you really want to do it. It’s not exactly the most lucrative job. But if you really want to do it, you can make it happen, and living there gave me a ton of confidence in how I could do it.”

Tony found that science uses a different part of his brain, which he appreciated. “When I was in grad school, I was trained to use the world’s most powerful microscope. It was really interesting stuff. I saw individual columns of atoms on the computer screen, a quarter of an inch tall. It was wild. But even that—working on the world’s most powerful microscope, which for a scientist would be as good as it gets—I was still like, ‘Oh, but I really like music, that’s what really makes me happy.’ So that was a great learning experience.” Tony’s science background translates into his work in bluegrass. “I bring a very scientific approach to my teaching of bluegrass, it’s a lot of that rigor,” he laughs.

Thanks to our partnership with ReverbNation (www.reverbnation.com) we are honored to give you a peak at a few of the nation’s hardest working indie artists. Each month we select one entry to showcase for you here. Enjoy! MONTH’S Greg

FEATURE ARTISTS

S S S S Singer and multi-instrumentalist, Sam Sims, is proficient on guitar, ukulele and harmonica, which he incorporates seamlessly with his folk-rock and island influences; in turn, creating his own unique acoustic soul/pop Americana sound. Several of Sam’s songs have been licensed and featured on primetime television shows, and featured on radio stations globally.

Sam’s band, which has organically grown over the years, is now based in Asbury Park, New Jersey, however Sam grew up in Alabama and Florida before making his home in New Jersey for the second half of his life.

Sam spent several years pursuing a career in music full time, but since recently getting married and starting a family, he supplements his musical endeavors with a part time career in the IT field.

Sam said the piano was the instrument that piqued his musical interest. “I learned piano when I was younger, from my mom, and that gave me some basic skills,” he told us. He then started learning the guitar in his early teens and had a lot of influences thanks to his family. “My dad and grandad also influenced me,

as they listened to a variety of music. My granddad played western music, and my great aunt has been a classical composer her whole life. Overall, the music runs deep throughout the family. I learned the harmonica and the ukulele not too long after the guitar. Being able to play guitar and harmonica at the same time and take the ukulele anywhere you wanted was the best thing ever.”

“Growing up in the south, I was around many types of music and cultures. Initially, I took guitar lessons and was fortunate to have some great teachers. During my time in Hawaii, I learned ukulele tips and played traditional songs daily with the locals.”

Sam told us that when he turned 14, music became a big outlet for him.

“I played more and more because I loved the feeling of making music. From the time I picked up the guitar, I was trying to write a song. After learning and playing for four or five years, people started telling me I needed to share the music with

others. I realized that music was meant to be shared, so I started recording more and playing more live shows.”

Sam said when he was growing up, his cousins and friends would listen to music from bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Green Day, etc. “At the time, it was simply great to learn songs and sing them while playing the guitar,” he said. “I took vocal classes and guitar classes at school, and my family always encouraged me. Every year the whole family would sing a bundle of Christmas songs from the infamous, “green-book.” Funny enough one of my most popular songs to date ended up being the, “Hawaiian Christmas Song.”

Inspiration comes from many places for Sam but overall, he feels like inspiration comes from taking time to reflect and appreciate natural beauty. Nature, love, life experiences, stories, friends, family, travel, and culture all provide musical inspiration. “You must live to get

inspired,” he said, “and have something to write about. Changing up the daily routine can help as well. Using yoga and/or meditation to connect with higher-powers and using energy balancing can also help.” Sam has been writing songs for most of his life. “One day my goal is to have a catalog of 100+ songs. So far things are on track to meet that goal,” he quipped.

When he is writing songs, he said he usually likes to hear rhythms and melodies first. But sometimes he will write lyrics first. Overall, there usually needs be a theme / purpose to finish a song. “It must have intent,” he insisted. “But I really must connect to the melody and rhythm in order to say the song makes the cut for studio recording and release. Then getting some feedback always helps. Songs evolve as you write them until you record them, and they are in a final state. Even then, songs may always be evolving and that’s what makes songwriting so special. Art is a moving interpretation of feeling.”

Sam said surfing, swimming, meditation, and persistence are all a catalyst for the creation of new music for him. “My catalog has expanded more over the years, and I’m so happy, because the music has helped a lot of people going through hard times. I want to continue making music and inspire people. My philosophy in songwriting has always been to stay authentic and flow with the path the universe presents.”

His most recent album, Breathe, was written on a mountain top in Nicaragua. “I was helping the community with donations such as clothing, guitars, and music lessons. I was also surfing and songwriting. The Breathe album has been in the works for a while, with singles being released incrementally. It includes ten tracks. Additionally, I have other recordings to release over the coming months.”

Sam

juxtaposition of my voice with a dirtier band sound.

How did you find the one cover song on the album, “Only You Know,” by Gerry Goffin and Phil Spector? Was there any Spector influence on the production of the album?

I actually heard the song on the credits of a show called I Know This Much Is True and I couldn’t get it out of my head. It’s such a beautiful song and I knew I wanted one cover to end the album with. It was the last one we recorded as well.

I misheard one of the words in “Appalachian.” I heard “Cripple Creek GIRL” instead of “Cripple Creek pearl.” What inspired that line and the song in general?

Cripple Creek is an old-time tune and that style of music was a very important part of my upbringing.

My family is made up of musicians and artists and so I was always around traditional music. Since that song is about being Appalachian, I wanted to nod to the music I grew up on. I chose “pearl” instead of “girl” because the water shapes and polishes a

porch a lot. A lot of allusions to nature and wildlife ended up working themselves into that batch of songs, this one included. I also have a soft spot for anything in 3/4 and 6/8 time so I wanted to include a song written in that time. The percussion on this track is also my favorite on the whole album.

Can you discuss the influence of your musical grandfather a bit? I remember hearing you joke at a Charlottesville, VA show that your most requested song was one he wrote. Then I saw you two play together at the Richmond Folk Festival and loved seeing you two on the same stage.

pearl much like how I feel traditional music has shaped me.

What was the genesis of the title track?

Honestly, I was spending so much time outside when I wrote this record because it was at the height of the pandemic. My family and I were doing a lot of hiking and swimming at the time and I was also writing on my

I’ve always had a really close relationship with my grandpa even outside of music. He grew up in eastern Kentucky during the Great Depression and has taught me so much about Appalachia over the years. Everyone who’s met him thinks he’s the sweetest person. I like to think I get some of my songwriting ability from him. I feel super lucky that I get to play

music with him given that he’s now 90 years old.

Collaborators on your latest album include Ric Robertson, Victor Furtado and Eli Wildman. Are there other musicians you’d like to record with?

Of course! Too many to name really. I would love to work with Kacy & Clayton and Kenny Roby again, Erin Rae, Rufus Wainwright, Sierra Ferrell. It’s a long list.

Besides her finely-crafted song lyrics, Dori says she’s “written the occasional short story” and hopes to “continue exploring that path.” She’s also a serious reader who discovered the books of Australian novelist Charlotte McConaghy during the pandemic and has named another Charlotte— Bronte—among her favorite writers along with Flannery O’Connor, Cormac McCarthy and Nabokov. Here’s hoping Dori Freeman keeps reading those great books as she continues writing and recording her sublime songs.

Cold Music Music

I first became aware of Zach Top while catching glimpses of his music posts on his Facebook page. Then his music started showing up on Bluegrass Junction, with one of his songs landing at the number one spot, “Like It Ain’t No Thing.” His group, Modern Tradition, won the band competition award in 2017 at the SPBGMA conference. And he’s currently nominated for a 2022 IBMA Momentum Vocalist award. But his deep love for traditional country music drew him to Nashville to pursue a career in songwriting and honing his passion for that authentic sound. His most recent single, “Cold Beer and Country Music,” recently earned him a Grand Ol’ Opery debut this past July.

Zach grew up on the family ranch in Washington State, riding horses and roping cows. “My dad’s worked in the livestock business for as long as I’ve been alive,” he commented. “I guess I get a few authenticity points, I suppose, by

wearing my hat on stage,” he quipped. “I grew up around livestock and a lot of country music. My folks loved all that old

George Strait stuff, Alan Jackson, Keith Whitley; all that kind of old school stuff. I just fell in love with it.”

First Step

Zach said as far back as he can remember, he wanted to sing and play music. “My parents have pictures of me when I was about three years old, standing there in a cowboy hat, holding a little Walmart First Step guitar, upside down, trying to play it,” he recalled. “I’m sure I was singing “Amarillo By Morning,” or something like it.” His parents started him taking guitar lessons right before he turned five. “I also took some piano lessons about same time,” he said.

Zach’s older sister began playing fiddle about the same time, while his younger brother started playing mandolin. His oldest sister picked up the bass, and the four of them started a little family bluegrass band. That band, Top String bluegrass, lasted until around 2015.

Shortly after that, Zach hooked up with a bunch of friends from Seattle, Washington, to play mandolin in their group. “I did

Corrie Lynn Green

The heartache and grit that much bluegrass music encapsulates expresses Corrie Lynn Green’s growing up years perfectly. No wonder she was drawn to the genre early on. Stuck in severe poverty, her family moved around the Harrisonburg, Virginia area frequently when she was younger. Then she moved to a home in Elkton, Virginia, just under the shadow of the Shenandoah National Park in 1990 when she was 14 years old. There she spent the second half of her childhood among the Appalachian Mountains hearing stories of families pushed off their land (to make way for the national park), and she began to wrestle with deep questions about life.

Corrie recalls, “I was just filled up with those stories of joy and hardship and nature an all that came with that…the tragedies of losing family land that had been theirs for a long, long time.”

She acknowledges the impact that being in this milieu had on her later efforts at musical selfexpression: “...that was the second part of my childhood, sort of the saving grace of my childhood in many ways…I’m really thankful for the first half, because of knowing all kinds of music, then coming into this music that I didn’t fully understand, learning stories, it allowed me to have an expanded version in my own mind of what I wanted to create for myself…”

Corrie spent the pandemic working with acclaimed producer Douglass Fearn on a groundbreaking, stripped back version of her unmatched style, capturing her “old mountain voice,” which can cut through time and mesmerize audiences. She was recently awarded a grant from the Harrisonburg/ Rockingham Arts Council of Virginia to share her debut album release concert right in the heart of her hometown at the historic downtown Court Square Theater. Thus Corrie was fortunate enough to perform her songs for a sold-out crowd in the valley where she was born. In April of 2022, she was also awarded a top ten songwriter placement at The Tuscon Folk Festival, and took home a third place.

Jaelee Roberts

Though she’s just in her early 20s, and still attending college, Music City native Jaelee Roberts is already familiar with—and to—the music industry. Born to veteran music professionals, she grew up backstage at the Grand Ole Opry amid rehearsals, business meetings, recording sessions, as well as countless festivals, concerts and church services. These experiences, along with her love of the music, have deeply rooted Jaelee in the bluegrass music community.

These strong roots naturally helped her grow into a clear self-awareness about what she wanted to be when she “grew up.” “I think I just kind of always knew…I always wanted to be Dolly Parton,” says Jaelee. “I could never see myself doing anything else.”

Jaelee got her start singing in church at a very early age. She began taking fiddle lessons at four years old and has since added guitar, mandolin, and piano to her musical arsenal.

By the time she was 12 years old, she had been a featured and harmony vocalist on seven recorded songs. From age 6 to 12, Jaelee participated in and won numerous music and dance competitions but decided to take a step back from competing after discovering a true passion for performing.

Now, Jaelee is a singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist, majoring in Commercial Songwriting in the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.

In September 2021, Roberts received the IBMA Momentum Vocalist of the Year award at World of Bluegrass, and shared the IBMA Vocal Group of the Year honors with her bandmates in the GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass group, Sister Sadie. Her debut album Something You Didn’t Count On from Mountain Home Records was released in May 2022 to rave reviews and a Top 10 placement on the prestigious Billboard Bluegrass Chart. To date, there have been five singles released from the album: the title track, “Still Waters,” “Think Again,” “You Can’t Stop Me From Staying,” and “Sad Songs,” with each one landing on several charts.

To find out more, visit www.jaeleerobertsmusic.com

www.AmericanaRhythm.com

Teddy Barneycastle

North Carolinian Teddy Barneycastle was surrounded by music his entire life. At the age of five he was part of The Barneycastle Trio, a gospel group composed of his mother, aunt, and oldest sister. “More than one time,” Teddy remembers, “as the five-year-old with the old tape recorder with the red button…I fell asleep on the front pew of a church while recording my mom and sister and aunt…”

By 12 he was a regular performer at many area churches. Then, like most adolescents, Teddy discovered rock & roll, which expanded his musical tastes. His first rock gig was with local band Crystal Image. That experience gave Teddy a new understanding of live audiences and stage energy. It also provided him with a platform to develop his soulful voice.

When Teddy was 20, his parents invited him to an Osborne Brothers show, and it was a moment that changed his life: Although he was in the thick of the hard rock scene, he remembers,”...me being interested in music in general, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll go!’ We walked into a schoolhouse not far from where I lived, and here’s this kid, he’s got long hair and earrings in his ears and looks completely out of place—but I didn’t realize, I’d found my place.”

He decided that he wanted to create bluegrass music. Shortly after that, he began working with local bluegrass groups, including The Carolina Travelers and The Hard Times Band. In 1994, Teddy co-founded NiteFlyer with Ralph McGee.

In 2003, after a sojourn in Texas to get a theological education, Teddy returned to North Carolina, reunited with Ralph McGee, and founded what is now known as the GoodFellers. The bands most recent release is Love Somebody. Teddy plays rhythm guitar and adds a unique, powerful lead vocal that has helped root the band’s dynamic sound. Over the last few years, Teddy has become one of the favorites among male vocalists in “Grassicana.”

To find out more, visit www.goodfellersband.com

Marina RocksLynn Crossett

Marina Rocks is a native Austinite who never had any doubt that music would be her life. Her mom understood.

“First she bought me a guitar that was too big for me,” Marina recalls, “and took me to a guitar teacher…he made a suggestion and she got me a 3/4-size…and away we went.” About her mother Marina adds, “...I have to credit my mom; she loved music more than anyone I’ve ever known, then or now. Such and incredible ear that she had.” Some of the music Marina heard growing up included Mother Maybelle Carter, Bob Dylan, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix. So it’s really not so surprising to learn that instead of a party dress, around Marina’s 12th birthday, her mom got her a Marshall stack.

As she entered her teens, she played at a talent show and caught the attention of junior a high choir director. “[he]...saw me play, and he would have me accompany his choir,” remembers Marina.

“Whether it was school functions or maybe traveling occasionally on the school bus…it was really neat. Some of the material was harder for me, which was a good challenge and it kind of forced me to read music some…”

Marina’s latest album, her fourth, is Austin to Houston. The title and many of the songs are informed by and reflect on her journey from her native Austin, Texas to her adopted home town of Houston. In addition to engineering the recording, Marina sang all the parts and played almost all the instruments. She did enlist the help of some trusted friends on percussion, bass guitar and pedal steel guitar.

Her latest release, as well as previous solo albums grew from an archive of songs Marina has been building since her years in bands. “I’d been writing songs along the way, and they didn’t always fit with the rock band…”

Lynn Crossett started playing music while he was also beginning his professional journey as a college student in Austin, Texas. The highway that he hopped on leading him to success in the legal profession always had a parallel service road toward singer-songwriterdom. He now lives in San Marcos, Texas and teaches there full time as a law professor at Texas State University.

While Lynn had no unusual, direct musical influence as a child, by the time he hit his late teens, he had developed a strong desire to play guitar. For a while, however, he felt intimidated by the prospect. Then he had an epiphany: “...I finally demystified it and realized ‘Wow, most of the stuff I really like so much is just three or four chords.’ I realized I could actually play these songs, and almost immediately started writing songs…” Song writing has been his main endeavor ever since.

Getting better as a musician and singer has also been an ongoing pursuit for Lynn, but songwriting has remained his primary focus.

“The artists I admire the most are really good songwriters,” says Lynn. “They may not be what we would consider talented singers, or have a naturally pleasant sounding tone of voice, but they deliver wonderful songs. I’m more drawn to those artists because I probably identify with that more myself.”

In the Company of a Song is Lynn’s first professionally recorded album, released in April 2022. It was produced by Grammy Award winning altcountry legend Lloyd Maines and features not only the producer’s signature steel guitar work but also fiddle and mandolin by Dennis Ludiker (Asleep at the Wheel, Milkdrive) and harmony vocals by HalleyAnna Finlay Welch on two songs (“Warren and Whitney” and “Child Support Trips”). The album contains a wide range of lyrical and musical themes, based on Lynn’s keen observations of life. Because he divides his time between his home base in Texas and Southern California, it also features a number of coastal-inspired tunes, like the tale of a busker on the Santa Monica Pier in the first song (“Stay Awhile”), and images of Los Angeles in “Boulevard.”

Tia McGraff

With her husband and co-writer Tommy Parham, Tia McGraff is a skilled songstress who has been making impactful and thought-provoking art for well over a decade. With nine international CD releases and multiple film and TV placements over the years, her recorded catalog is certainly a proud accomplishment, but where Tia truly shines is in her live performances. Her love for performing has taken her all over North America and the United Kingdom, be it in huge concerts or personal, intimate venues.

Tia’s music journey began with her grandmother. “My grandmother had the most beautiful, beautiful voice, so when I was a little girl I just soaked up her voice.” Later, at age 19, she entered and won the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest. “It was very surreal because doors started flying open. Next thing I knew, I was on a TV show in Toronto with Johnny Cash and June Carter…” After spending time kicking around in the Canadian music scene, Tia headed south to work on songwriting in Nashville.

Listening to Patty Griffin’s Living with Ghosts helped Tia realize that Americana music suited her better than anything else. “I went, ‘Oh my gosh’...I knew I never really fit into mainstream country. I knew I had a bit of folk, but Americana was like ‘Oh my gosh!’...Tommy and I just started running with that and haven’t looked back.”

Along with her music, Tia has found other creative outlets in the realms of children’s books and podcasting. She has become an accomplished children’s author, most notably with her book, Jake The Road Dawg, based on the life and adventures of her beloved pet. The book has inspired classrooms around the world, while supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Tia’s local Humane Society. The success of the book also led Tia to venture into the podcast realm with her popular show, Jake’s Place Songs ‘n’ Tails. Here, she discusses music, up-and-coming artists and her own personal opinions on every day topics.

To find out more,

Pam SetserVince Vanguard

Growing up in Mountain View, Arkansas (home of the Ozark Music Center), for singer-songwriter Pam Setser, it all began with her family. “I started singing when I was 5 years old,” she recalls. “My dad was already playing some guitar; mom played some autoharp…so we started playing as a family band, The Simmons Family.” She feels blessed to have been able to play music with her parents. “I am the youngest of four children, so music was a great outlet for me to see places I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. We had lots of fun and adventures together, and I treasure those memories.” Pam also sang in church. “My grandpa was a Baptist preacher,” Pam says, “so the church was and still is a part of my life.”

Pam learned to play the autoharp when she was eight. “I would lay it on my lap to play so I could use my left hand for strumming,” recalls the lefthanded musician. “My mother tried to teach me on a right-handed mountain dulcimer, but I was having trouble…So, Lynn McSpadden, the maker, said, ‘Let me make her a left-handed dulcimer.’ And that was what I needed.”

A major step for Pam came at age 21, when she became the lead female vocalist for a show called “The Country Music Story” in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a gig that lasted three summers. After marriage, kids, 23 years working for the Mountain View Telephone Company, and ten years as a business development officer for Bank of Mountain View (now Centennial Bank), she decided to pursue music again, on her own terms.

“Most of the songs on Crooked Ridge are more familiar songs, whereas on Now, most of these songs are first-time recordings,” Pam explains. She enjoys a diversity of Americana music, and that is reflected in the 13 songs on Now. But at the end of the day, it is all about the song. “I didn’t pick the songs thinking about genres. I picked the songs because I liked the words and melody. When we recorded them, each song took its own direction.”

To find out more, visit www.pamsetset.com

Around the age of 12 or 13, Vince Vangard got his first guitar, an acoustic. “I wasn’t allowed to start with electric, so I got an acoustic,” he remembers with a chuckle. “I had to learn a few songs, my dad’s particular requests, in order to earn the electric guitar…” His father was a blues fanatic, (who named his son after Eric Clapton—Vince’s birth name is Eric Plein), and took Vince to his first concert, BB King. “Blues music’s idea of the struggle of the spirit, and letting those feelings out always resonated with me,” Vince says. A musical uncle was also a big influence, with the family often getting out guitars for a singalong when together. As he grew up, Vince gravitated toward the punk end of the music spectrum, being involved with a number of different bands during high school and into college.

After accumulating a ton of gear over the years, he decided to try to do something with it. He ended up creating a rehearsal/live recording space and moving into live sound production. As happened in so many different ways, for so many creatives, the pandemic prompted a change in focus for Vince.

“It took me a long time to settle into my style in some ways…I just didn’t have the right outlet…” Vince says. “ I accumulated a lot of songs over the years…It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and things cooled down with my endeavors in the industry; and I got sober; and kind of had a chance to put everything together and actually follow through on songs I’d written, [that I could] get to the point where I could tackle bringing them into the world.”

Vince has made good on his artistic aspirations with the upcoming release (October 7) of his debut fulllength album, Spirit Blues , a soulful folk and Americana album bursting with personal revelation, hard truths, and fine songcraft. The 10-song album is a pure distillation of where Vince was at when he wrote the songs. Conceptually, this is a courageously confessional storyteller album with a well-thoughtout song sequence that speaks to a dark victory.

To find out more, visit https://vincevanguard.bandcamp.com

Volume Five

Starting as a casual jam band back in 2008, Volume Five is a Mississippi-based group that has grown into one of bluegrass music’s most distinctive and popular acts.

Soulful lead vocals by fiddler Glen Harrell along with the band’s tight instrumentals and vocal harmonies have earned the group two IBMA Awards, numerous other nominations, and many accolades. Joining Glen to create the band’s signature sound are Jacob Burleson on guitar and vocals, Aaron Ramsey on mandolin and vocals, Zach Collier on bass and vocals, and Chris Wade on banjo.

“When I put this group together, I knew the style of music I wanted us to play and the goals we wanted to achieve,” Glen explains. “It was just a matter of finding the right guys who wanted to create their own identity in the industry. I didn’t just want us to be another band that moves onto the scene and is gone in a few years, but one that would have a unique sound that players and listeners would remember for many years to come—one that sounded like no other band in the business.”

Glen even thought through how the band’s name might influence the perception of their unique approach within the bluegrass genre. “I didn’t want to do anything that ended in “boys” or “grass” or “creek” or “mountain” or “river” or anything like that…” After seeing a TV commercial for a Bose system featuring five speakers, Glen says, “I thought, I want to have something like that—five guys turning the volume up as loud as we can and just play our hearts out.”

As for his own musical background, pre-Volume Five, Glen started playing guitar at the age of nine and the fiddle at age fourteen. He was involved with various local bands during his high school years, then played in several bands performing on the bluegrass festival circuit. In 2002, he joined country music artist Marty Raybon (former lead singer of Shenandoah) and toured during the next six years, playing venues across the US and beyond.

To find out more, visit www.volumefivebg.com

Zach TopZach TopZach TopZach TopZach Top

North Country for three or four years,” Zach said. During the same time, (around 2008) he also got together with the group that made up his most recent band, Modern Tradition. “It was just a group that originally met at various different bluegrass festivals. We had a great time just jamming together for fun. We felt like, ‘Dang, this is pretty good; we ought to actually do something with it.’ So we went to SPBGMA and ended up winning the band competition. So after that we thought we better actually record something, so we went in the studio in January 2019 and recorded eight songs. That’s the stuff that just got released, actually this last spring, 2022.”

More Traditional

“I’ve always loved bluegrass, so I’ll keep playing that for sure, for the rest of my life, but definitely, my heart’s in the more traditional country thing. Even my Bluegrass stuff I played is more heavily influenced by Keith Whitley, and Ricky Skaggs, too. Their music was always a blend of country and bluegrass, and

that’s some of my favorite stuff. So that was kind of the target with my Bluegrass, to have some reminiscent of those artists and have a little country music mixed in.”

Although Zach has been spending some time in Nashville for a few years, and in March of 2021, he decided to make the move permanent. “In the beginning my producer would let me stay at his house,” Zach recalled. “He enabled me to get in a room with some fantastic songwriters. So I just tried to be a sponge in there and soak it up. I was flying back and forth for about a year and a half, and then it kind of just got to the point where I felt like if I wanted to start taking advantage of opportunities, I needed to go ahead and be in town full time.”

Zach said he knew he could play and sing, but wasn’t initially as confident about the songwriting side of his career. “I had probably written eight or ten songs in my whole life, when I met Carson, my manager,” Zach recalled. He asked me if I had any interest in songwriting, and I really didn’t know anything about it. I’ll try anything. So we started working

on it. It was infrequent in the beginning, but it was definitely really cool. There’s nothing like being in the room with some Hall of Fame songwriters. I was honored and humbled. I’ve never been so nervous in my life as some of those early writing sessions.”

Learning To Write

“I’ll play and sing in front of anybody. I’m confident in my ability in that,” he said. “But it was an interesting thing going in there, just feeling like, ‘Oh my God, I hope I don’t say something absolutely stupid.’ It was pretty intimidating at first. And still is to some extent, but it’s now the same guys that we work with regularly.

They’re really, really nice. They’ve been super kind to me. They put a lot of time into writing songs with me, you know, in the hope that it’ll pay off eventually. Those are kind of my favorite days now. I write a couple days a week, and I always look forward to those. I love going out and playing shows, of course, but some of the most fun I have has been in there creating the songs.”

Zach has started releasing singles from his upcoming EP in hopes of landing a full fledged record deal. The first single, “Cold Beer and Country Music” landed him a spot this past July on the Grand Ol Opry. “Here’s my first single, and my first time on the Opry. Just a big old night at firsts,” he exclaimed. “What a way to put that first song out for sure.”

“We’ve got the second single coming out within the month (October), so that’ll be fun. And then we’ve got three more after that one ready to go. We’ve got a bunch of other songs recorded just as demos. So we’re pitching all this stuff around trying to get a label deal; seeing if anybody will bite on it. If they don’t, we’ll get some more of those demos mastered, and keep releasing singles.”

“Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” has long been a favorite of mine, as recorded by Flatt & Scruggs and Mac Wiseman. Recently, I got to pondering its origins. After some digging, I discovered that the song was composed in 1875 by William S. Hays. Over the years, Hays’ name has largely been forgotten and now people either refer to “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” as a Carter Family song, a Flatt & Scruggs song or even a Mac Wiseman song. Let’s go back to an earlier time and look at where the song came from and discover some startling controversies surrounding it.

In the late 19th century, popular music was strongly titled toward utterly nostalgic and sentimental themes. Songwriters (then called “songsmiths”) gloried in crafting songs that tugged at the tender heartstrings of a nation that had recently gone through the trauma of the Civil War,

where pitiful scenes of dying soldiers and little drummer boys populated the songs of that era. The songwriting industry was just getting under way, and publishers were vying to see who could make people shed the most tears. Nothing was off limits. Popular songs portrayed impoverished widows and barefooted orphans begging for bread, while others were left to die cold and alone in the ice and snow.

While men like Charles K. Harris, Gussie L. Davis, and Stephen Foster were writing popular songs that would later be called “tear jerkers,” a brilliant young songwriter stepped to the forefront and eventually became the most prominent songwriter of late 19th century America. His name was William S. Hays, and here’s his story.

William S. Hays (1837-1907) grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, with three great passions: newspaper reporting, riverboat piloting, and songwriting.

From an early job as a clerk on a riverboat, Hays worked his way up the ranks and eventually became captain of his own riverboat. During the Civil War, and in the years that followed, he piloted his boat on the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers. Despite the rigors of being captain of a riverboat, Hays managed to find time to write poems and songs. Lots of them. During his lifetime, he churned out at least 350 compositions, most with highly nostalgic and sentimental themes. In 1873, it was estimated that his publisher had sold a staggering 2,688,000 sheets of 71 of his songs, no small potatoes in those days.

After the fall of Vicksburg in 1862, Hays navigated the Grey Eagle on the Mississippi River between Vicksburg and New Orleans. On one of these trips, he was arrested and locked up in a New Orleans jail for writing the song, “My Sunny Southern Home,” a tune that angered General Benjamin “Beast” Butler, commander of Union troops in New Orleans. Hays’ short imprisonment had less to do with the subject matter of this harmless song, and more with the fact that Hays was a staunch Democrat who later supported such Democratic

candidates such as George B. McClellan, Samuel Tilden and Grover Cleveland.

Hays, whose mother died when he was just ten years old, composed a rich store of mother songs: “Mother’s Parting at the Gate” (1884), “Is Mother There?” (1875), “Call Me No More, Mother” (1864), “I Am Dying Mother, Dying” (1865), “Kiss Me Goodnight, Mama” (1874), “I’m Motherless Now” (1872), “What Will I Do, Mother is Dead” (1869), “Papa, Stay Home, I’m Motherless Now” (1872) and “Take This Letter to My Mother” (1873).

More to the point, even though the name William S. Hays may be unknown to modern bluegrass musicians and fans, many of his original compositions have become well-worn evergreens. Some of his songs that were later done in old-time or bluegrass style are “We Parted by the Riverside,” (1866), “Little Old Cabin in the Lane,” (1871), “Molly Darling,” (1871), “You’ve Been a Friend to Me,” (1879), “I’ll Remember You Love in My Prayers,”(1869) “The Faithful Engineer,” (1869), “Nobody’s

Here is the original melody and lyrics as composed by Will S. Hays:

The Carter Family had the first commercial recording of “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” on November 25, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, although it wasn’t released until June 19, 1931. Below, are the lyrics as sung by Sara Carter on their only recording of this song.

Darling on Earth” (1870), “Take This Letter to My Mother” (1873), “The Old Man’s Drunk Again (1872),” “Shamus O’Brien,” and last but not least, “Jimmie Brown, the Paper Boy” (1875

When I went back and compared the Carter Family lyrics with those of the original sheet music by Will S. Hays, I found some important differences. The first three verses of the original lyrics and those of the Carter Family are identical. But on verse 4, the second line of the Carter’s version strayed from the original. The Carter Family version also omits Hays’ last two verses. I think it’s fair to assume that they did not have access to the original sheet

music when they learned it. Instead, it is more than likely that A.P. Carter collected it from one of his many informants in southwest Virginia or Tennessee. It’s also possible he learned it from Leslie Riddle, the ace guitar player who traveled the backroads with A.P. collecting songs and was a major influence on Maybelle Carter’s guitar style. Adding further evidence that the Carters didn’t learn the song from the original sheet music is the fact that their melody was completely different from that of the original.

It was only natural that the Carter Family record “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” since their repertoire was populated by such sentimental and nostalgic songs as “Bury Me Beneath the Willow,” “Poor Orphan Child,” “The Dying Soldier,” “I Have No Loving Mother Now,” “Darling Little Joe,” “The Dying Mother,” “Faded Coat of Blue,” “Grave on the Green

Hillside,” “I Have an Aged Mother,” and “Poor Little Orphan Boy.” “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” was surely the perfect vehicle to showcase Maybelle’s virtuosic guitar skills.

After the Carter family recorded “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy” on November 25, 1929, the song basically laid dormant until Flatt & Scruggs brought it back to life with their May 9, 1951 recording for Columbia. With Lester singing lead, it became one of their most requested numbers. Earl’s outstanding Maybelle Carter style guitar playing certainly put the song over the top and helped pave the way for a revival of the music of the Carter Family. Beyond that, Earl’s playing was an early example of fancy lead guitar work at a time when most bluegrass guitarists stuck timidly to playing rhythm.

At the same time the song was released, Flatt & Scruggs published a song folio entitled Songs and Picture Album. This booklet included the lyrics of “Jimmie Brown, the Newsboy.”

Editor’s note:

Wayne’s story continued in issue #97. you can also visit https:// nativeground.com/jimmie-brownthe-newsboy/ www.NativeGround.com

The 33rd annual IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards will be handed out on Thursday, September 29th at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the International Bluegrass Music Association’s conference week.

Nominations include:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

Billy Strings

The Del McCoury Band

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

Sister Sadie

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Balsam Range

Blue Highway

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver

Del McCoury Band

Sister Sadie

INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

Billy Strings

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart

The Travelin’ McCourys

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Rick Faris

Fireside Collective

Laura Orshaw

Jaelee Roberts

Tray Wellington

SONG OF THE YEAR

“Blink of an Eye”

Artist: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass

Songwriter: Robert Amos Label: Pinecastle Records Producers: Bobby Lundy/Danny Paisley/Ryan Paisley/Wes Easter

“Deep River”

Artist: Rick Faris Songwriter: Rick Faris/Brink Brinkman

Label: Dark Shadow Recording Producer: Stephen Mougin

“I’ll Take the Lonesome Every Time”

Artist: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Songwriters: Glen Duncan/Jerry Salley

Label: Billy Blue Records Producer: Doyle Lawson

“Red Daisy”

Artist: Billy Strings Songwriters: Jarrod Walker/Christian Ward

Label: Rounder Records Producers: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

“Riding the Chief” Artist: Chris Jones & The Night Drivers

Songwriter: Chris Jones/Thomm Jutz

Label: Mountain Home Producer: Chris Jones

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Bluegrass Troubadour

Artist: Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass Label: Pinecastle Records Producer: Wes Easter

Crooked Tree

Artist: Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway Label: Nonesuch Records Producers: Molly Tuttle/Jerry Douglas

My Bluegrass Heart

Artist: Béla Fleck Label: Renew Records Producer: Béla Fleck

Never Slow Down

Artist: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys Label: Smithsonian Folkways

Producers: The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys/ Dave Maggard

Renewal Artist: Billy Strings

Label: Rounder Records

Producers: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

INSTRUMENTAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR

“EMD”

Artist: Scott Vestal – Bluegrass 2022

Songwriter: David Grisman

Label: Pinecastle Records

Producer: Scott Vestal

“Happy Go Lucky”

Artist: Doyle Lawson & Alan Bibey

Songwriter: Doyle Lawson

Label: Billy Blue Records

Producer: Doyle Lawson

“Ice Bridges”

Artist: Billy Strings

Songwriter: William Apostol

Label: Rounder Records

Producer: Jonathan Wilson/Billy Strings

“Orange Blossom Breakdown”

Artist: Mike Compton

Songwriter: Bill Monroe

Label: Taterbug Records

Producer: Mark Howard

“Vertigo”

Artist: Béla Fleck featuring Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, and Bryan Sutton

Songwriter: Béla Fleck

Label: Renew Records

Producer: Béla Fleck

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Greg Blake Rick Faris

Del McCoury

Danny Paisley Larry Sparks

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

Brooke Aldridge

Dale Ann Bradley Sierra Hull

Molly Tuttle

Rhonda Vincent

BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Gena Britt Bela Fleck

Rob McCoury

Kristin Scott Benson Scott Vestal

BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mike Bub Jason Moore

Missy Raines

Mark Schatz

Vickie Vaughn

FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jason Carter

Michael Cleveland Stuart Duncan

Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Deanie Richardson

RESOPHONIC GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jerry Douglas Andy Hall

Rob Ickes Phil Leadbetter Justin Moses

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Billy Strings Trey Hensley Cody Kilby Bryan Sutton Molly Tuttle

MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Alan Bibey Jesse Brock Sam Bush Sierra Hull Ronnie McCoury

Results of the balloting will be revealed at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, September 29, at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), the professional nonprofit association for the bluegrass music industry.

And And And And And The The The The Winner Winner Winner Winner Winner Is: Is: Is: Is: Is:

Congratulations to the winners of the 21st Annual A mericana Honors &Honorsmericana Honors &Honors Awards Awards Awards Awards Awards handed out at the Americana Music Association’s conference in early September, in Nashville, TN.

Album of the Year:Album the Year:Album of the Year:Album the Year: Outside Child, Allison Russell, Produced by Dan Knobler

Artist of the Year:ofArtist of the Year:of of Billy Strings

Song of the Year:Song of Year:of “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile, written by Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth

Duo/Group of the Year:of theDuo/Group of the Year:of the The War And Treaty

Emerging Act of the Year:Emerging of the Year:Emerging Act of the Year:Emerging of the Year: Sierra Ferrell

Instrumentalist of the Year:Instrumentalist of theInstrumentalist of the Year:Instrumentalist of the the Larissa Maestro

Music From Your Neighbors

Music From Around The World welcome to the Summer edition of SPINS for 2022.

Festival days are upon us and we’re already enjoying some of our favorite acts!

Are you? Thank you for checking out all these great new CDs! Make sure you go see live music whenever you can! And we’ll keep telling you all about the good stuff right here! Oh, and please tell them we sent you! Buy their CD. Support your favorite musician so they can keep making their music!

Got one you want us to consider? send it to: Uncle Woody

The Spin Doctor, PO Box 45 Bridgewater, VA 22812

After 50 years in the business, Joe Ely has written a lot of songs, many unreleased. Here we get a solid collection of, tucked away gems, from the master, on the eve of his Austin City Hall of Fame induction. You’ll dig the record.

Dave Atkins has been hard at work in the bluegrass business for a long time - methodically cranking out hit songs and racking up industry recognition. We suspect his latest, We’re All Crazy, will continue the trend. It’s that good.

The Alex Leach Band All The Way www.thealexleachband.com

This is the sophomore project from The Alex Leach Band on the heels of their ‘21 Jim Lauderdale produced debut. It’s a solid blend of string roots and grass featuring a great cover of Paul Simon’s “Slip Slidin’ Away.” We like it.

NY is home to this country soul singer/songwriter. This is the second effort from Laura Taubman. Full of soul and emotion, Laura channels her inner Mavis Staples meets Patsy Cline meets Joni Mitchell. Worth the listen.

www.thekingjamesboys.com

The King James boys started in 1994 simply to sing gospel music for their local church. Soon after, their fans encouraged them to prayerfully consider taking their music to a larger audience. We’re glad they heeded the call. This latest will bless you for sure.

Acoustic Syndicate All In Time www.acousticsyndicate.com

For more than 25 years, the guys from Acoustic Syndicate have been blending southern roots, blue grass, and rock and roll into their own flavor of hot tempo bluegrass. Their latest, All In Time, is the latest from this well established North Carolina-bred group.

www.damntallbuildings.com

This acoustic, Americana trio is back with their third installment, Sleeping Dogs . The energy, harmoines, and enthusiasm they bring the stage is infectious. You’ll get a taste of bluegrass, roots rock, old time, and vintage swing all throughout this project.

www.lonesomeriverband.com

The Lonesome River Band has been a relevant bluegrass act for the entireity of their 40 plus years as a band. Their latest album release, Heyday, follows four hit singles released in advanced. You already know the rest of the album is gonna be good.

www.jeffreyhalford.com

Jeffrey Halford has been making music for decades. His latest though, Soul Crusade, was the sleeper for me this round - it’s become my new favorite - an impeccable collection of soul-full folk rock tunes from start to finish.

www.wildfirebluegrass.com

www.tallpoppystringband.com

www.angelaEastering.com

The Harlem Gospel Travelers Look Up!

This brand new, old-time, trio sounds anything but new. If you’re into string band music, you’ll want to check out the new music from Tall Poppy String Band. Drawing on the deep well of American string band music, they put their own new spin on an old sound.

This Americana singer/ songwriter is well into her second decade of making and recording music, and the seasond effort shines through on her latest project, Witness. She’s a top notch storyteller with a knack for crafting powerful songs..

www.harlemgospeltravelers.com

Nashville Again is their fourth. Who doesn’t dig a good ‘ol soulful harmony? This trio draws deeply on the gospel quartet traditions of the 50s and 60s. But their distinctive, modern spin puts them in class all of their own..

Formed a little over 20 years ago, Wildfire has become a well known name in the bluegrass industry. Robert Hale is the driving force behind the band with a story of his own. The band’s latest project, Quiet Country Town , continues their bluegrass legacy. PO Box 45, Bridgewater, VA, 22812 / greg@americanarhythm.com

The latest album from Austin native, Marina Rocks, Austin To Houston does not disappoint if you dig high energy folk, alt. country, music. This self taught musician teams up with famed producer, Lloyd Maines on this latest project.

Three Main Strategies

When teaching guitar, Tony emphasizes three main elemental strategies. First, he asks his students to slow down. He believes that almost everyone practices at tempos that are too high for proper learning. Secondly, he believes that flatpickers should find a teacher in order to process and develop fundamental techniques. “Make sure you’re not developing bad habits and get a great teacher to help you identify an area that needs to be addressed, help you develop a regime to address that weakness, and then help you motivate to really go after it, to show you that if you put in some work you can have this positive growth.” Lastly, for students who are further along, Tony advises his students to jam once per week with others. He coaches his students in how to start their own weekly jam, in the instance that they cannot find a local jam that fits the students’ skill level. “It’s daunting at first but once you get used to it, it’s one of the biggest parts of this music and it’s the best way to get better, because you know you’re getting amazing practice while having amazing fun. It’s such a winwin,” Tony emphasizes.

Born and raised in the New England bluegrass scene, Tony is now an important fixture in the music community there. Coming full circle from his childhood days running around backstage, he now serves as Vice President of the BBU. He has also taken on the task of running bluegrass Tuesdays at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, which have been held for 27 years. Tony also foresees featuring his guitar skills with a potential studio project in the near future.

“Above everything else, I feel lucky to have been exposed to this community,” Tony muses. “I think we all learned in the pandemic not to take it for granted. But it’s more than just the time that we get to gather together; it’s these relationships we have that last for decades. We’re so lucky to have this world with each other, our own little section of the world that’s separate from all the noise. It’s just fantastic.”

Despite growing up about an hour away from New York, Pete Miller has been drawn away from the bright lights and big city toward a rural existence and an authentic way of being a “blue collar” singersongwriter.

Bob Dylan was a big influence in high school and set him on the songwriter road early on, although he kept his creativity to himself for awhile. Despite recently landing in the top 100 on the Euro Indie Music Chart (with his first released song, “A Light Out There”), when asked when his music career got serious, Pete answers, with characteristic wry wit, “People ask me that, but I don’t know if it’s ever really become serious…I guess it would become serious if I got a check…” (The other songs—all originals—on his debut album, Live on Record, are now available on Spotify.)

Pete credits his English teachers with instilling in him a love of reading and writing stories, something that continues to inform his approach to songwriting. He tries to look at the world from different perspectives, just as literature provides the viewpoints of a variety of characters.

His country/folk style grew out of simply being a solo artist without a band. “I guess it’s easiest if you just have an acoustic guitar…Some of the best songs are adaptable to any genre.”

While following his music dream, Pete works at the blue collar jobs he sings about in his “everyman songs,” working in warehouses, lumber yards, and construction, while studying mechanics part-time. He says, “I am 29 years of age, but my knees feel much older.”

Writing on Mesmerized.io , Gabriel Mazza says, “It is from this down-toearth perspective that Miller’s music emerges. But make no mistake: his songwriting is the furthest thing from ‘simple.’ Crafting folk gems, the American talent is putting himself on the map as one of the most authentic authors in the genre.” Follow Pete; www.facebook.com/ petemillersingersongwriter

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