2009 promises to be a great year in Bluegrass, two up and coming bands this year, also happen to be family bands: The Doerfels, based in Florida, and Ohio’s Jett’s Creek. We’ll hear live performances with these two family bands, plus Phil Nusbaum’s Gems of Bluegrass on this week’s Special Programming.
The Free For All is moving to Wednesdays! Beginning in January, Echo hosts the program solo, drops the Friday Night prefix and is LIVE right after The Ray Davis Show. She’ll be playing lots of traditional bluegrass in the first hour, and a mix of Americana and bluegrass in the next two hours. To give you a taste of the programming Echo has to offer we’ll hear an hour of The Free For All during this week’s Special Programming.
Beginning in January, Old Time Jam with Hubie King will be heard 3 times per week: Monday at 6 p.m. ET, Thursday at 6 a.m. ET and Friday at 8 p.m. ET. To give you a taste of the programming Hubie has to offer we’ll hear the recent Jam he had with Appalachian-style banjo player and ballad singer, Diane Jones.
Hubie King interviews Adam Hurt, a bright young star of the old time banjo, along with Beth Hartness on backup guitar. We discuss Adam’s achievements, the kind of banjo he plays, some of his tunings and his feelings about how his style relates to older traditional banjo styles. Beth contributes anecdotes about how they met, their bands and how they named them.
October 5-17: As we celebrate the World of Bluegrass in Nashville, we’re reminded that in 2006, Red Shipley, host of “Stained Glass Bluegrass” on WAMU 88.5 and BluegrassCountry.org, was named Broadcaster of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association. Red touched many lives in his 25-year tenure as host of “Stained Glass Bluegrass,” and on October 6, 2007, he left this worldly Earth. Hear a radio tribute to Red’s life and career.
September 28 – October 3: This week’s program is packed with in-studio performances. Bluegrass Breakdown’s Dave Higgs interviews The Donna Hughes Band and The Dappled Grays. We’ll revisit a classic performance from three bluegrass icons that originally aired on All Things Considered in August of 2003. Individually, they are Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs. Together, they’re known as “The Three Pickers.” And of course, Phil Nusbaum brings us his weekly installment of Gems of Bluegrass.
September 13-26: Host Bob Webster reviews the individual and group talents of the North Carolina based band, Balsam Range. Plus we’ll hear an encore presentation of Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. Lee Michael Demsey talks with the band and we hear tunes previously unaired from this July 2008 studio session. And of course, Phil Nusbaum brings us his weekly installment of Gems of Bluegrass.
September 6-12: This week’s program is packed with in-studio performances. Bluegrass Breakdown’s Dave Higgs interviews The Donna Hughes Band and The Dappled Grays. We’ll revisit a classic performance from three bluegrass icons that originally aired on All Things Considered in August of 2003. Individually, they are Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs. Together, they’re known as “The Three Pickers.” And of course, Phil Nusbaum brings us his weekly installment of Gems of Bluegrass.
August 31-September 4: Dick Spottswood plays some of his favorite songs about labor.
August 24-29: Hubie King was there to capture the Sounds of Clifftop as 3,000 musicians and fans attended the 2008 Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop West Virginia. Join the celebration of Old Time Music and hear all about the concerts, contests and camping. This program will also be broadcast during Old Time Jam, Monday 9/1 and Thursday 9/4.
August 10-22: Host Sam Litzinger and Scott Odell bring us a two part series on the sounds and social history of African American banjo playing from Virginia and North Carolina. Part 1 airs August 10-15 and part two airs August 17-22. For more information on this program visit Sound Sessions from Smithsonian Folkways.
