Holiday Photo Treats II - Winter 2009

It's nearly Christmas, and there isn't much bluegrass out there just now.  I thought I'd comb through some of the events we attended in the winter of 2009 and send you some of the better pictures.  Most of these are of performers, but there are also some ones we caught of people at bluegrass events.  Irene's help in providing a second eye and an additonal camera at many venues is always a big help.  Enjoy the show.

Bill Anderson - Singer, Luthier

Maggie Anderson - Singer, Vendor

Evan Carl - Emcee

Larry Gillis and Evan Rose - Larry Gillis Band

Gary Waldrep - Gary Waldrep Band

Donnie Dowdy - Bluegrass Brothers

Mike Andes - Nothin' Fancy

 

Junior Sisk - Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice

Tony Shorter - Nothin' Fancy 

Barry Scott - Barry Scott and Second Wind

 

Sherry Boyd - Emcee

Steve Dowdy - Bluegrass Brothers

Victor Dowdy and Steve Dowdy - Bluegrass Brothers

Hunter Berry - Rhonda Vincent and the Rage

Rhonda Vincent

Rhonda and Friend

Rhonda and Friend

 

Cody Kilby - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

Judy and Norman Adams - Adams and Anderson Productions

Rickey Skaggs

Andy Leftwich - Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

Mickey Harris and Ben Helson

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage

Jim Mills - Kentucky Thunder

Martha and Jay Sheperd

Randy Wood Mandolin

Barry Kratzer and Mark Gresham - Luthiers

Saturday Jam at Randy Wood's Guitar Shop

Dennis Saterlee - Biographer of Red Allen

Bertie Sullivan - Two Rivers Bluegrass Festival

Lorraine Jordan - Carolina Road

  

Mike Aldridge and Johnny Ridge

Al Batten and the Bluegrass Reunion

 

   
Jerry Butler

Danny Paisley

Danny Paisley and Bobby Lundy
Danny Paisley and Southern Grass

Josh Goforth - Carolina Road

Song Catcher - Movie Review

Professor Lily Penleric, PhD, a rigid and repressed scholar teaching in a presumably Ivy League university, is denied a permanent appointment and angrily leaves her married lover on the faculty to live with her sister in the mountains near Asheville, NC. She soon discovers that the local people are a repository of traditional songs, which she begins collecting. She slowly makes inroads into the local culture while encountering suspicion and distrust from the clannish local people. As she lives in the isolated hollers and comes to know the people, they begin to relax and share their rich musical heritage with her. Penleric, played by the handsome Janet McTeer, gradually learns that her preconceptions and urban (as well as urbane) values may not have the same force in the mountains as they did in the narrow and hypocritcal late Victorian world she comes from. As Lily lets her hair down (literally and figuratively) she finds herself increasingly involved and committed. “I have never been anywhere where the music is as much a part of life as it is here,” she says to Tom Bledsoe, played very effectively by Aidan Quinn as they are increasingly drawn to each other.

The tensions between “high” culture and mountain life aren't much different than what those of us who value bluegrass and old-time music encounter among many of our more polite friends. The film explores a range of cultural and behavioral clashes in the early twentieth century with a particularly feminist slant. The story is one worth telling, as it examines relationships and the personal growth of the characters. Perhaps the greatest appeal lies in musical performances of old time music by a number of actors as well as Iris Dement, Hazel Dickens, and a very young Josh Goforth.

 Aidan Quinn and Janet McTeer

“Songcatcher” was directed by Maggie Greenwald and won a special award at the Sundance Film Festival. It's available from Netflix and Amazon.

"Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe" by Richard D. Smith

Anyone approaching Bill Monroe's life story, or his music for that matter, finds himself confronted with a dilemma much like the six blind men in the parable, which goes something like this: Six blind men were asked to describe an elephant by examining different parts of it. The blind man who felt a leg said that the elephant is like a pillar; the one who felt the tail said the elephant is like a rope; the one who felt the trunk said the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who felt the ear said the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who felt the belly said the elephant is like a wall; and the one who felt the tusk said the elephant is like a solid pipe. A wise man explained to them that they were all right, because everyone understands the part they have experienced. Bill Monroe, until the very end remained different things to different people depending on when and how they encountered him. Richard D. Smith, in his well-researched biography of Bill Monroe called Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass tries to capture the many dimensions of this enigmatic and difficult but brilliant and endlessly creative man who created a musical genre. 
 
The outline of the Monroe story is clear and well agreed to. Born to a Kentucky farm family of modest means in rural circumstances in 1911, William Smith Monroe grew up with extremely bad eyesight, mostly ignored by his busy father, and teased by his older brothers. He became a reclusive and lonely child who learned more by listening than by seeing. He was early introduced to music by his mother and his uncle, fiddler Pen Vandiver. As a youth he grew accustomed to hard work and developed into a physically imposing man. He followed his older brothers to the industrial cities of the Midwest as part of the southern diaspora during the depression where they worked in industrial plants by day and played music at night. They gradually moved from manufacturing to making music and found themselves on radio and performing. By the late thirties, Bill Monroe was an established professional, a member of the Grand Old Opry and was able to make a living from music for the rest of his life. His most famous band, the 1946 – 1948 group including Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs as members of The Blue Grass Boys established his music as a separate form of country music and was eventually dubbed bluegrass music, becoming a distinct sub-genre. During succeeding generations, hundred of men and a few women moved through his band and out on their own, Monroe had his downs and ups while trying to continue making the music he had created through the rock and roll revolution and the folk music crazes. While he was a great innovator and perform, he was a poor manager of his career and his money. The bluegrass music festival movement resurrected his career and his later years were highlighted by his becoming a more approachable personality and the beloved “Father” of bluegrass music. He died at age 85 in 1996. Bill Monroe is the only person to be admitted to the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, The Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But the outlines in no way present the person who was Bill Monroe. 

 

Photo by Phil Zimmerman

The devil, as always, lies in the details. Knowing that I had not ever seen Bill Monroe perform live, and that I was not really well-versed in his music, I decided to write to some people who had known him and had written about him. I also knew that, for some reason, the Richard D. Smith book was seen as being controversial. As is my habit, I did not read any other reviews of the book, although a Google search reveals a number of them including one in the New York Times, usually the gold standard for book reviews. People I asked for opinions weren't reluctant to give them along with their permission to be quoted. One correspondent accuses Smith of relying too heavily on secondary sources, some of whom may have had axes of their own to grind and of choosing to emphasize the sensational at the expense of other, more important elements. Smith is accused by reviewers, in his own terms, of writing both a hagiography and doing a hatchet job. He argues that you can't make a person both a saint and a sinner. Some have argued that by placing a heavy emphasis on Bill Monroe's many love affairs, Smith does the man's creation and his person a dis-service. Others who knew and loved him assert his complexity and his sincerity.


Richard D. Smith's book is carefully researched and delves into the many aspects of this remarkable musician and person. He quotes Monroe as often saying that his songs are “true” stories. As an English teacher I used to seek to help my students understand the difference between “truth” and “factual” in interpreting literature. When one speaks of facts, it means that the events depicted actually happened and can be verified by others. Smith cites numerous people attesting to the facts of Bill Monroe's life and delivers multiple references to events when that is possible. “Truth” on the other hand refers to an inner reality reflecting the understanding of the person delivering the message. Thus many of Monroe's songs provide insights into the inner man that, because of the power of music, provide insight beyond the specific event depicted. The truths of a person's life are often seen through the experiences of those who knew him. This is as true with Bill Monroe as it is with anyone whose life is worthy of depiction. 
 
Bill Monroe was an intensely competitive man in almost all aspects of his life. His music seemed to have come to life at its finest when he was pushed to new heights by the great musicians who played in his bands through the years. His huge musical ego and competitiveness as well as the rigors of his road schedule probably drove many of the people away after a period of time. Others may have been driven out by Monroe. But try to imagine the progress and breadth that bluegrass music has achieved without the many musicians who left his band to form their own. Their unique contributions to the music have either thrived or died on the vine, but they all serve as outgrowths of Bill Monroe's synthesis of a variety of musical elements during his most creative years.

Photo by Phil Zimmerman 

Monroe managed to feud with most who left him, most notoriously his long fight to keep Flatt & Scruggs from becoming members of the Grand Old Opry and his successful campaign to keep Jimmy Martin out, too. In the end, many of these feuds were reconciled, but they were long and bitter. Monroe was large and imposing person who could coldly reject approaches from once close friends. One element that contributed to this was probably his bad eyesight combined with his vanity, which didn't permit him to wear eyeglasses in public. The baseball team Monroe's band formed to play local teams and his love of boxing are additional examples of his competitive nature only lightly dealt with in the biography. The ball team also served as a way to bring fans to the evening's musical performances and serves as a major contributor to Blue Grass Boys' story. Both the boxing and the baseball are under represented in the Smith bio.

Monroe was married twice and apparently had complex relationships with a number of other women, one of whom, Bessie Lee Mauldin, traveled with his band and lived as a common law wife with him for many years. Smith, according to his acknowledgments, had extensive access to many of the women in Bill's life, both lovers and friends, who seemed to have spoken openly to him. Their number suggest elements of neediness in his character which appear not to have particularly haunted him. Some have accused Smith of sensationalism for emphasizing Monroe's many and varied relationships with women. He had two acknowledged children.
Bill Monroe remained a creative force in bluegrass music almost until the end of his life. Early on he was a great innovator. It could be argued that as he aged and began to enjoy the recognition his music had gained, he became more a protector of what he had created than a continual innovator. Smith depicts Monroe as having become aware of his importance to his audience who seemed later in his life to “deify” Monroe's original style and to seek to limit new variations built on Monroe's elements. This has led to a continued tension between traditionalists and those who wish to continue to build on Monroe's foundation.


Richard D. Smith has written a full-bodied biography of an immensely talented yet enigmatic personality who was probably unknowable in his entirety. Bill Monroe's portrait in this book shows a number of qualities: loneliness, neediness, independence, pride, humility, vindictiveness, generosity, stinginess, brilliance, naivete, as well as an almost absolute need to control his environment. A person displaying such strong and contradictory character elements is sure to elicit differing reactions from those who knew him and those who learn about him. Smith's style is sometimes rather pedestrian, but at other times reaches almost lyrical heights. All in all, I feel as if I know infinitely more about Bill Monroe than I did when I began reading Smith's biography, and I look forward to new contributions to the Monroe literature, which I understand are in the pipeline.


Can't You Hear Me Callin': The Life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass by Richard D. Smith (2000) is published by Little Brown & Company and is available online (ISBN #0-316-80381-2) and from your local independent bookstore.

My thanks to Phil Zimmerman for permission to use pictures from his book Bluegrass Time, which I reviewed here. This book is still available and should be part of the collection of any real lover of bluegrass music.

Sierra Hull and John Cowan Show for Boston Bluegrass Union

The Boston Bluegrass Union welcomed Sierra Hull to her new college home at Berklee College of Music in Boston and the John Cowan Band to perform their Chrismas Show while also serving as backup band to Sierra for her set.  The smallish, but very enthusiastic, audience at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA greeted them with huge applause, welcoming each set back for encores, as well as brisk CD sales between sets and afterwards.

Sierra Hull

Sierra Hull, at age seventeen, brings a huge reputation as a mandolin player, having won contests, fronted her own band, and been nominated for three IBMA awards in 2009 including Mandolin Player of the Year, as well as a rapidly maturing voice to the stage.  Her stage presence has been growing, too, as she showed herself to very good advantage in her set.  With the benefit of very little preparation, she melded her voice and picking to Cowan's band as they supported her efforts.  Nevertheless, the set, as Sierra commented, was thrown together pretty quickly during a quick rehearsal and sound check in the late afternoon.  Despite the impromptu nature of the set, Hull's work was beyond excellent, giving her a chance to show her virtuosity on standard Monroe style mandolin pieces as well as her vocal ability as both lead and harmony singer.

Back Stage Warm-Up

Dr. Richie Brown, John Frazier, Jeff Autry, and Sierra Hull

Richie Brown and Sierra

From her rendition of  Marvin Gaye's "That's the Way Love Is" to a great, bluesy version of  "Lonesome and Blue," Sierra showed the versatility of her ever maturing voice, as well as her tender and full-toned mandolin play. Marty Stuart claims this song was written by Bill Monroe and Hank Williams in the dressing room at the Grand Ole Opry, and, even if it's not true, the story's good enough to repeat.  Hull ripped out your heart with her soulful singing and picking.  Combining with John Frazier, Cowan's mandolinist and a very good player in his own right, as well as the ever excellent Shad Cobb, the group changed the name of Monroe's Boston Boy to "Boston Girl" and then drove each other to new heights. The dual mandolin solos and the interplay between mandolin(s) and Cobb's fiddle provided one of the highlights of the entire evening. 

John Frazier

Shad Cobb

Frazier and Hull

Singing with a voice as pure and clean as John Cowan's must be intimidating for anyone.  Hull carried it off with great elan.  In "Rough and Rocky Road" and a wonderful encore performance of "Silent Night," the two blended voices very effectively and Cowan's soaring tenor voice on lead inspired the audience to sing along..  Finally, Sierra's set concluded with a rousing version of "Big Mon," with Frazier and her trading solos back and forth along with Jeff Autry and Cobb and then finishing with a wonderful twin mandolin duet at blazing speed and completely in unison.

John Cowan

At 56, John Cowan has brought his legendary tenor voice to bluegrass music since the early 1970's with the New Grass Revival.  His voice is instantly recognizable and well suited to a broad range of songs.  Throughout his performance in Boston, he showed himself to have lost none of his voice while, at the same time, proving to be exceptionally gracious and generous in his work with Hull, a relative newcomer.  His work as backup to Sierra in the first set was added to his willingness to bring her out on stage three times during his own showcase.

Sierra Hull and John Cowan

Cowan has a new Christmas album, Comfort and Joy in current release from which he sang a number of songs, some as solos and others in duet with Sierra. His rendition of Smokey Robinson's "Christmas Every Day" showed why Cowan has remained such a force in his own genre bending approach to music.  From Rhythm and Blues to Country  music, to pure bluegrass his soaring and expressive voice manages to thrill the senses while always presenting the lyric with absolute clarity.  His lovely rendition of "Ave Maria" was pitch perfect and deeply felt.

John Cowan

His classical rendition of Baton Rouge by Dennis Lynde was wonderful as well as a wonderful song backed by Cobb's haunting fiddle called "Black Lizard" about tornadoes in the midwest. Songs from his Christmas DC included Tex Logan's "Christmas Time's A'comin'" and a duet of "The Little Match Girl" with Sierra.

Jeff Autry sang Bobby Fulton's King of California to great effect as well as contributing his fine flat picking and flawless rhythm guitar throughout the concert.  Autry has been with a Cowan band for a dozen years, adding fine harmonies and good humor to this act.

Jeff Autry

The concert concluded with an encore of "Some Old Day," a Curley Sechler piece recorded with Lester Flatt and a rousing rendition of "Roanoke."   Relying very heavily on classic bluegrass repertoire with some infusion of Cowan's more contemporary works and a nod to his New Grass Revival days, the concert was a rousing success, setting a tone for both the upcoming Christmas holidays and warming the lovely room on a very cold Boston evening. 

Shad Cobb

John Frazier

Jeff Autry

John Cowan

Sierra Hull

"Haulin' Grass" by Jerry Butler and John Wade - CD Review

“Haulin' Grass” is the out of the box effort by Jerry Butler & the Blu-J's, a new band founded by Jerry along with his friend and bandmate, John Wade. This is Jerry's first effort fronting his own band after years of honing his skills and establishing his reputation with a series of national bands after an apprenticeship in and around his home of Knoxville, TN. During the past decade, he has appeared as lead vocalist with Lynwood Lunsford & the Misty Valley Boys, Pine Mountain Railroad, and for the past three years Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, where his work received wide recognition and where he developed a strong fan base. A knowledgeable person in the bluegrass world said to me recently, “Jerry has improved every band he's been with, and the bands have never been the same after he left them.” That's quite a reputation for this experienced and high quality former side man to carry into his first effort fronting a band. His voice is instantly recognizable when he shows up on XM/Sirius radio, no matter which band he's singing with and his winning personality shines through his voice.

Jerry Butler

John Wade

 

“Haulin' Grass” is a release from Blue Circle Records, the Tom T. and Dixie Hall label. For a first effort, this sets the bar high, which Butler, Wade, and the pick-up studio band that recorded this CD clear easily. Designed to be a collection of trucker songs, but appealing to anyone who enjoys the sound of bluegrass and classic country, the album is a fully satisfying disk, which would make an excellent Christmas present, especially for your favorite trucker, truck enthusiast, or anyone else who spends a lot of time on the road. The thirteen songs include several originals as well as older songs by Merle Haggard, John Denver, and Lester Flatt. Presenting some classic country songs from the seventies and eighties as well as new work all clearly presented in bluegrass style, “Haulin' Grass” is a satisfying and fun filled romp down the interstate highway system.

“Movin' On” was Merle Haggard's theme song for a 1974 – 1976 TV series of the same name (Wikipedia). A single of the same name was released in 1975. An anthem to the mythic job of the big rig driver, this up tempo song helped to establish the importance and romance of driving the interstate system when it was first recorded and loses none of its charm with this rendition. Coffee, the highway rhythm, gear jamming, and the addiction to the road are believable. Troy Engle's driving banjo roll creates the road rythm for this quintessential trucker's song. Chris Harris contributes one his many first rate mandolin solos on this cut. “It takes a special breed to be a truck drivin' man, a steady hand to pull that load behind,” goes the song. As it does throughout the album, Butler's voice makes the lyric clear as he communicates the likable self that his singing style embodies.

Jerry Butler, John Wade, Tim Goins

 

“Forty Years of Lonesome” by Don Rigsby and Dixie Hall “was originally written with Larry Sparks in mind, “ says Rigsby, “during the planning stages for his "40" project and he was not sold on it at the time.  I am glad Jerry liked it and he does a nice job on this piece.” Ron Stewart's fiddle playing in counterpoint with Matt Leadbetter on resonator guitar set the tone for this song of leaving the road after forty years of traveling without ever being untrue. “My driving days are through and I'm coming home to you,” but there's something wrong when he arrives at the door.

“Shorty is Forty,” written by Tom T. and Dixie Hall for this album and the featured single on terrestrial and satellite radio, celebrates the truck stop waitress who makes sure that everyone who stops in is greeted by hot coffee, a friendly smile, and her “better than sex cake” regardless of how tired she is or how much her feet hurt. Shorty knows how to handle the come-ons without ever insulting the customer. Anyone who's ever eaten at a truck stop knows Shorty and appreciates her smile, her welcome, and her direct humor. Shorty is a classic American prototype brought to life in this delightful song.

“Backin' to Birmingham” by Lester Flatt appears twice on the album, first in Jerry's very pleasant rendition, and second in a salute to Flatt by Butler singing in his best (which is very, very good) Lester Flatt voice. Jerry's as convincing with his Flatt voice as anyone I've ever heard. As you listen to this song, close your eyes and try to imagine backing an eighteen wheeler down the highway from Chicargo to Birmingham and just sit back smiling.

Bobby Clark

“The Road I'm On” by Dale Pyatt and Steve Thomas is an original for this CD. It's a sad and effective road song capturing the “rough and rocky road/I've learned to take it/life is what you make it/bein' strong/that's the road I'm on” draws an analogy between the truckers life and the broader road of life. Dale Pyatt says, “We wrote the song for workin' people when the fuel was so expensive. That was a great rendition the Blu-J's did and an honor to be included.” This is first rate original song writing interpreted with thoughtfulness and feeling by Butler. Gulley's tenor harmony adds depth and feeling to this sad and mournful song.

Jerry found three of the songs in this collection on old Del Reeves cassette tapes. “Looking at the Road Through a Windshield” was written by Jerry Chesnut and first recorded by Del Reeves who took it to the top five on the country charts. Chesnut had several hits with a variety of country singers, including a Grammy nominated song sung by George Jones. Butler's rendition is a bouncy bluegrass styling of this excellent song. “Legend of the Highway” by Jerry Chesnut & Mike Hoyer (1969) is another song developing the theme of the mythic driver on the open highway, the only competition coming between the singer and his girl. “Be Glad” by Justin Tubb and Kent Westbury was also recorded by Reeves. The song urges people to recognize the gifts of life when they come and to grab the moment. Tubb was a mainstay of the Grand Old Opry and the oldest son of Ernest Tubb. He had a successful career as a song writer. The inclusion of these three songs in bluegrassed versions links bluegrass to the country roots which has diverged from it. “Worth the Ride” by Robert Evans, like “Be Glad” examines facing the difficulties of life and embracing them as an opportunity to make the most of life.

“Eighteen Wheels” by William Boling was first recorded by the Bluegrass Cardinals sometime between 1978 and 1981. The song describes the way in which working as a truck driver to meet the family's needs separates people from the ones they love and may end relationships. The strains of absence may be too much to sustain a good marriage. “Back Home Again” strikes the opposite note, as the singer exults at getting off the road for a while to enjoy the ordinary elements of life, like neighborly gossip, the farm, and being together with loved ones. This John Denver song captures the warmth of home and family.

Daddy's Girl - Sami Butler

 

“Daddy's Girl,” a new song by Tom T. and Dixie Hall was written especially for Jerry and features his daughter Sami in a a cameo appearance. Any father who's been away and returns to his child will appreciate the sentiment and the warmth of this song, presented simply with Jerry's guitar and a light bass and mandolin rhythm behind it.

John Wade and Jerry Butler

While using a number of songs from the country music repertoire, there's no doubt this is a bluegrass album. Butler's firm, friendly, and always recognizable high baritone voice always keeps the focus on the lyrics, even though the CD is filled with the finest of guest musicians. Throughout the CD, Butler's smile is as clear as it is from the stage. Butler's voice always communicates warmth, sincerity, and the joy of the song while sticking to straight renditions that are bang on the melody. His singing doesn't show off or bring attention to him, rather, he sings the song. He is one of the most appealing and genuine singers to be found on the bluegrass stage today. Joining him on this CD is former Carolina Road bandmate John Wade who is always solid and creative on the electric acoustic bass. The guest list on “Haulin' Grass” includes bluegrass luminaries like Steve Gulley, who provides tight tenor harmonies as only he can do, bringing another voice as comfortable in classic country as it is in bluegrass to the work. Wade's steady baritone vocals complete the trio work. On banjo Kenny Ingram is a standout, along with Troy Engle on four tracks. Chris Harris' solid chop and delightful mandolin solos work extremely well. His background work with fills is pitch perfect. Matt Leadbetter on Dobro is maturing into one of the top resonator guitar players, a worthy successor to his more famous Dad. Ron Stewart contributes his always fine, award winning fiddle to the project. Melissa Lawrence appears in one vocal. The guest appearance by five year old Sami Butler on “Daddy's Girl” makes the song especially poignant.

Dixie Hall wrote, “When Tom T. and I wrote Daddy’s Girl for Jerry Butler, a truck driving album was farthest from our minds. Likewise with “Shorty” and “Forty Years of Lonesome.” But, truck drivers are daddies, too and what would a truck stop be without an engaging personality such as Shorty? Forty Years of Lonesome (an idea from Don Rigsby) is just as applicable to a truck driver as any loved one whose career takes him across the miles and the years. John & Jerry have done a marvelous job of presenting America’s truckers as real people not just shadows on the road. Every song is “right on” and we sum it up as a very outstanding project worthy of launching this group into the fast lane!”

Also unanticipated when this project began were the band changes to come. As a result, Jerry Butler and John Wade have formed Jerry Butler and the Blu-J's. As might be expected, the only players in the new band found on “Haulin' Grass” are Jerry and John. The band's earliest performances were in conjunction with the Carolina Road Road Homecoming Festival. When Lorraine Jordan decided to change to a more Monroe-centric sound, Jerry and John agreed that the new project had opened wider opportunities to reach out on their own. After discussing options with Lorraine, it was decided that Jerry and John should run with the new band while “Haulin' Grass” was fresh. Family concerns forced father-son pickers Jim and Jason Fraley to leave the band after about six months, but the addition of Bobby Clark, formerly of the Williams & Clark Expedition has brought deep experience and a widely recognized mandolinist to the group. Tim Goins on Dobro fits musically and helps add a restrained and somewhat quirky comedic strain to the Blu-J's performance. Daniel Oxendine has recently joined the band on banjo. Jerry, following J.D. Crowe's lead, characterizes the group as “pure American music.” The band can be counted on to offer first rate bluegrass music within the context of high level, entertaining performance. They're seeking bookings now, and will prove themselves to give high value to promoters.

Jerry Butler

 

People wishing to purchase “Haulin' Grass” can get it at here . This is a well-structured recording which deserves purchase as a complete CD. While given a title designed to appeal to truckers, anyone who spends time on the road will appreciate the songs and sentiments of this fine production.