Bluegrass Master Class
September 27, 2009
Rebroadcast On: 10/04/2009
Fred Bartenstein includes a generous helping of interesting bluegrass curiosities. In 1944, Ruth Poe plays Bill Monroe’s mandolin on the Grand Ole Opry. In 1963, Hollywood actress Dian James joins the Greenbriar Boys in “Cannon Ball Blues,” and Judy Lynn’s Nevada casino showband nails “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down.” In 1965, the Kentucky Colonels go country and, in 1972, the Statler Brothers go bluegrass. In the last half hour, you’ll hear a rockabilly “Rocky Road Blues,” a reggae “Little Maggie,” and indescribable examples of “eephing.” A production of the International Bluegrass Music Museum.
Program: Bluegrass Master Class
Description
The Walls Of Time: Sources Of Songs And Styles
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Armstrong Twins
(not in radio version) |
On the Banks of the Ohio | Arhoolie | 1979 | Floyd(g), Lloyd(m) (AR) | fragment |
| 2 | Stanley, Ralph | Pretty Polly | Rebel | 1971 | RCenters, CRCline, Cooke | 3:37 |
| 3 | Ball, Estil | Pretty Polly | Rounder | 1959 | Rugby, VA | fragment |
| 4 | Dr. Horsehair’s Old-Time Minstrels | Gwine Back To Dixie | DrHorsehair.com | 2000 | (CAWhite, 1874) | fragment |
| 5 | Clifton, Bill | Going Back To Dixie | Bear (Nashville) | 1963 | CWaller EAdcock JDuffey TGray MSeeger(cb) | 3:33 |
| 6 | Alabama Sacred Harp Singers | Heavenly Vision | Dust-To-Digital | 1942 | (Jacob French, 1786) from Revelations | fragment |
| 7 | Dixie Hummingbirds | Don’t You Want To Join That Number | Disky (Decca) | 1946 | (Greenville, SC) | fragment |
| 8 | Jim & Jesse | Coming Down From God | Double J | 1990 | (LDavis-MO’Day ‘49) | 3:10 |
| 9 | Seeger, Mike | Cindy | Mercury | 1973 | MS(jew’s harp), PennyCohen(dulcimer) | fragment |
| 10 | Monroe, Bill | Cindy | Bear (Decca) | 1962 | JStuart, LHoppers, KBaker, BMauldin | 2:00 |
| 11 | Jones, Grandpa | Eight More Miles to Louisville | MCA (Decca) | 1956 | fragment | |
| 12 | Reno & Smiley | Eight More Miles To Louisville | King | 1959 | (LMJones) JPalmer | 2:35 |
| 13 | Peter, Paul & Mary | For Lovin’ Me | Warner | 1965 | (GLightfoot) | fragment |
| 14 | Crowe, J.D. | For Lovin’ Me | Starday | 1973 | LRice(lv), TRice, BSlone | 2:46 |
| 15 | Beatles | I Feel Fine | Capitol | 1965 | (Lennon-McCartney) | fragment |
| 16 | Charles River Valley Boys | I Feel Fine | Rounder (Elektra) | 1966 | JField(lv), JVal, BSiggins, EALilly, EThompson | 2:33 |
Dawn of the Bluegrass Era: 1936-1954
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Monroe Brothers | The Old Man’s Story | Bear (BB) | 1938 | (Charlotte Hotel) | 2:29 |
| 2 | Monroe, Bill | Country Waltz | Bear (Decca) | 1952 | (BM+) JMartin, SOsborne, ENewton, CCline | 2:25 |
| 3 | Flatt & Scruggs | Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me | Radio Gems | 1953 | (live, WSM) BMartin, CSeckler, JHuskey | 1:54 |
| 4 | Flatt & Scruggs | Bugle Call Rag/Outro | Radio Gems | 1953 | b (live, WSM) | 1:09 |
| 5 | Story, Carl | Gone Home | CC (Mercury) | 1953 | (BCarlisle) qt w. g,m. RRector, CBoone, RAtkins | |
| 6 | Poe Sisters (Brdgprt CT 43, Opry 44-46) | Green Valley Waltz (Little Red Shoes) | Cattle | 1944 | Nelle(g) Ruth(m) Big Creek, MS, | 2:15 |
| 7 | Acuff, Roy | New Greenback Dollar (East Virginia Blues) | Proper (Perfect) | 1936 | (Chicago) CSumney, JEasterday, FJones | 2:50 |
| 8 | Carlisle, Bill | I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome | BACM (Bluebird) | 1937 | (Charlotte) g, m | 3:11 |
| 9 | Carson, James & Martha | He Will Set Your Fields On Fire | ACM (Capitol) | 1950 | (Knoxville, last year) JRoberts(m) IAmburgey(g) | 2:45 |
| 10 | Paul & Roy, The TN River Boys | Shape My Heart’s In | Mercury | 1952 | 2:45 |
Starving Out: 1955-1964
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Stanley Brothers | I Hear My Savior Calling | Bear (Mercury) | 1955 | (BMonroe) BLowe, JWilliams, JMeadows | 2:08 |
| 2 | Cooper, Wilma Lee & Stoney | Cheated Too | Hickory | 1956 | (WLC) #14 | 2:13 |
| 3 | Eanes, Jim | No Need To Be So Lonely | Starday | 1956 | (JE-ATerry) (WPTF Raleigh) AShelton(lever), RRussell CHoward ATerry | 2:46 |
| 4 | Flatt & Scruggs | Footprints in the Snow | Bear (Columbia | 1962 | Live at Carnegie Hall, NYC | 3:10 |
| 5 | Wiseman, Mac
#5, Billboard 33 weeks |
Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy
(WmShHays,1875, Louisville riverboat captain) |
Bear (Dot) | 1959 | Jordanaires, REdenton (tiple, 6 pairs, from Andes/Colombia), CAtkins, JZinkan, MPalmer | 2:07 |
| 6 | Country Gentlemen | High Lonesome | Starday | 1958 | (JDuffey) CWaller(lv), CNelson, BEmerson, JD | 2:29 |
| 7 | Allen, Red & Wakefield, Frank | Sad and Lonesome Day | Rebel | 1963 | RRobinson, JCox, PKuykendall | 2:52 |
| 8 | James, Dian & The Greenbriar Boys | Cannon Ball Blues | Elektra | 1963 | JHerald, BYellin, RRinzler, JBond | 2:31 |
| 9 | Baker, Billy | Katy Hill | Rebel | 1963 | f DMcCoury(g), CTomlinson(b)? | 1:20 |
| 10 | Lynn, Judy | Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down | United Artists | 1963 | (live?) GCox(lv,b), JPrice, BHicks, TWilliams | 1:50 |
The Festival Era: 1965-1982
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Reno & Harrell | Booked in Advance | CMH | 1977 | Dn&DaR, BH, BRyan EFerris | 2:28 |
| 2 | Kentucky Colonels | If You’re Ever Gonna Love Me | Sierra | 1965 | (LMack/JGraves) (Ash Grove, LA) C&RWhite, SStoneman, BRLathum, RBush | 2:51 |
| 3 | Kentucky Colonels | Everybody Has One But You
(5-6/wk, bowling alley lounge, Azusa, CA) |
Big Beat | 1965 | (ZManners) CWhite(eg), BRLathum(eg) BHaney(dr) RBush(eb), RWhite(em), | 2:23 |
| 4 | Statler Brothers | I Want To Carry Your Sweet Memories | Mercury | 1972 | (LDewitt) BSpicher, BThompson | 2:16 |
| 5 | Rice, Tony | Stoney Creek | Rounder | 1976 | g LRice JDouglas JD Crowe RGreene TPhillips | 2:35 |
| 6 | Dickens, Hazel & Gerrard, Alice | When I Loved You | Rounder | 1976 | (I&CLouvin) TSchwartz/MSeeger(f) | 3:39 |
| 7 | Stonemans | Somebody’s Waiting For Me | RCA | 1970 | Patsy(lv,ah) Donna ’29 EVS 93-68 My Only Swthrt | 2:32 |
| 8 | Emerson & Waldron | A Lonesome Night | Rebel | 1970 | (CStanley) MAuldridge, BPoffinberger, EFerris | 2:36 |
| 9 | Dillards | Somebody Touched Me | Crystal Clear | 1979 | RD, DWebb, HPedersen, JGilkinson, RPark, PYork, DBounsall | 2:26 |
| 10 | Watson, Doc | Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar | Flying Fish | 1982 | MW, TColeman, MO’Connor, PMcInerny | 2:30 |
| 11 | Johnson Mountain Boys | Darling Do You Know Who Loves You | Rounder | 1981 | (BCox) DConnell, RUnderwood, ED’Zmura, EStubbs, LRobbins | 2:30 |
1983-Now: Modern Roots
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Duncan, Glen | Gallatin Road | OMS | 2003 | b&f (GD) EScruggs | 1:18 |
| 2 | Osborne Brothers | I’m Old Kentucky Bound | Pinecastle | 2001 | (CMonroe) Bob(v), Sonny, DCupp, SCobb, GWooten, TSmith, CCushman | 3:09 |
| 3 | Davis, David | Leavin’ Tennessee | Rebel | 2004 | (Kelly) DD(m,lv), JfGriffy(g), MrtyHays(bs), OSaunders(f), JshSmith(b) | 2:39 |
| 4 | Price, James | Backing to Birmingham | Freeland | 1997 | DBrooks, BBales, JMills, RkWatson, CBerggren | 2:47 |
| 5 | Nashville Bluegrass Band | Dark Shadows of Night | Sugar Hill | 1995 | (RWilbur-PWigley) RWhite AO’Bryant, PEnright, SDuncan, GLibbea, | 3:21 |
| 6 | Lawson, Doyle & Quicksilver | The Hand Made Cross | Sugar Hill | 2002 | Gospel Song of the Year ‘03 | 3:26 |
| 7 | Blue Highway | Keen Mountain Prison | Rebel | 1998 | WTaylor (sung & wrote) | 3:05 |
| 8 | Continental Divide | Up and Down the Mountain | Pinecastle | 2001 | (CHolmes) DParmley, SDay, MAnglin, DBarnes, BGreene | 2:34 |
| 9 | Parton, Dolly | Cry, Cry Darlin’ (from “Big Mon: Songs of Bill Monroe”) | Skaggs | 2000 | RSkaggs MFain CHess JMills SDuncan LWomack | 2:51 |
| 10 | Lonesome Standard Time | Down the Road to Glory Land | Sugar Hill | 1992 | (LCordle-CJackson) EScruggs(lg), TTate(bsv), GDuncan, BBaldassari, WSouthards, MBub | 3:20 |
The Walls Of Time To Come: Modern Branches
| Artist | Title | Label | Date | Comment | Time | |
| 1 | Vincent, Gene | Rocky Road Blues | Capitol | 1958 | (BMonroe) Norfolk, VA ‘35-’71 | 2:10 |
| 2 | Rowan, Peter | Little Maggie (from “Reggaebilly!” ) | A-Train | 2001 | (Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, JA) JDouglas, SDuncan, EAdcock | 4:39 |
| 3 | Rice, Rice, Hillman, Pedersen | Hard Times | Rounder | 1997 | (CH+) T&LR, CH, HP, RnSimpkins, JDouglas | 4:14 |
| 4 | Ten Mile Drive | Maybe | tenmiledrive.net | 2004 | (JW,CB,SW) AL/LA JacobWiley(lv,g), ColeBruce(tv,m), ShayWatson(bav,bs) | 3:41 |
| 5 | Osipov Russian Folk Orchestra | Under the Apple Tree | Mercury | 1962 | (Moscow) Rudolf Beldov(domra) | 2:13 |
| 6 | Wakefield, Frank | Mexican Stomp | Bay | 1980 | m (FW) DAnger, MSanders DNelson TStern | 2:10 |
| 7 | Krauss, Alison | Crazy Faith | Rounder | 2001 | (MSimos) | 3:47 |
| 8 | Riddle, Jimmy | Eephing Explanation | New World | 1971 | (Montreal) w. MSeeger | 1:07 |
| 9 | Hutch, Billy | Eefin-Nanny Stomp | Time | 1963 | (BH) BRandolph(sx) | fragment |
