John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.
Today is a big day for devoted fans of The Osborne Brothers, as it marks the 60th anniversary of Sonny and Bobby joining the Grand Ole Opry in 1964.
So what better time to tell everyone that Bobby Osborne II, Bobby’s youngest son and bass player with The Price Sisters, and C.J. Lewandowski, mandolinist, vocalist, and leader of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, have gone in together to create replicas of the official Osborne Brothers belt buckles, originally offered back in 1977.
Lewandowski had become a very close friend of Bobby Osborne, the elder, in the final years of his life, so when Bobby II told him that he had found some of the original buckles, he jumped on the chance to partner up on making some new ones.
Bobby II explained how the whole thing happened…
“I found eight of the 1977 buckles in a drawer going through dad’s stuff. C.J. suggested that we should sell them, and they went within 15 minutes of posting them on Facebook a few months ago. Not long after, Judy (Sonny’s widow) found a whole stash of the decals from ’77 that were used on those buckles.
So I found a place that would manufacture custom buckles, and I had those made, and stuck the decals Judy found and gave me on them.
We’ve now got plans to have three different options (gold, silver, and brass) available on The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys and Rocky Top X-Press‘ websites. For individual sale, or as a trio.”
At this point, both sites have pre-order options available, for either of the three metals at $75 each, or all three for $200. Shipping is expected to begin in late August, and they aren’t sure how many times they will re-order.
This seems like an irresistible offer for true Osborne Brothers fans. Simply visit either web site to place your order.
It’s a grassy number that AJ wrote, featuring her touring group – Scott Gates and Sullivan Tuttle on guitars, Jan Purat on fiddle, and Forrest Marowitz on bass. Lee sings and plays mandolin, with Gates adding harmony vocal, and Luke Abbot joining them on banjo.
The concept of a city made of glass has a long history in literature with a number of modern books using that title, something that was also a frequent image in the Russian dystopian novel, We, written by Yevgeny Zamyatin. Especially in the early 20th century, the concept of a city made of glass seemed absurd, both from practical, stability concerns, not to mention privacy.
Lee uses it to make the point that glass is made from sand, and that when glass breaks down, it will return to sand.
In the music video we find AJ and the band performing City of Glass in a number of different settings as this pleasant, easy-going song rolls along.
California-based AJ Lee & Blue Summit will spend most of the next few months touring on the east coast, so fans far from their home will have many opportunities to see them live. You can find all the dates online.
Without a doubt, one of the most kinetic and entertaining live shows on the bluegrass scene is The David Mayfield Parade. Led by the gifted singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist Mayfield, this talented band delivers a remarkable performance, with a sound that may initially surprise you, but never fails to resonate with traditionalists and progressives alike.
For their latest single with Mountain Fever Records, the Parade has reso-guitarist Ryan Wallen out front on a song he wrote called Daytime Moon. He says that its lyrics ponder over what a moon during daylight hours might inspire us to do.
“The moon gets blamed for a lot of things it seems, the rising and lowering of the tide, mood swings when the moon is full, and a whole host of other astrological conceptualizations. But as me and my dad made eye contact with the moon in the full light of day, we thought…I wonder what a daytime moon makes you want to do? Thus, the idea for the feel good, fun time tune was born.
In a world where people are always in a hurry or worrying about things they can’t control, it’d be nice to have an excuse to be happy and enjoy the day; an event that’s not rare at all, something to make you say, ‘today will be a good one,’ an excuse to gaze at the beyond, an excuse to enjoy the positive sight of our celestial neighbor. A Daytime Moon.”
Ryan’s bandmates on the track include fearless leader Mayfield on guitar, Steve Moore on banjo, Keith Wallen on mandolin, and Graham Bell on bass. Troy Boone adds guitar while Steven and David provide the harmonies.
It’s a quirky little number liable to muster up a smile. Check out the music video.
David Parmley has announced the addition of a new bass player to his touring band. And it’s our very own John Goad, who has been a contributor and friend of Bluegrass Today from the time we launched in 2011. Some of you may remember him as John Curtis Goad, the moniker he uses writing for us.
John is a native of east Tennessee, now living in eastern Kentucky where he teaches high school history in the public schools. He has been playing bluegrass since he was a wee lad, coming from a family that sang and played grass together when he was younger. A graduate of the bluegrass program at ETSU, he has also been awarded three separate masters degrees, making him among the more highly educated pickers in the business.
He will play bass with Parmley, and sing tenor vocals with the group, which is already taking advantage of John’s unique sense of humor on stage. On a recent trip to Canada for a festival, he had both the audience and the band in stitches throughout the week.
David says he and the guys already love him.
“I love John’s bass playing and strong vocals. His fun personality is present on stage and in the bus! He’s a great guy to travel with! We’re all so happy to have him a part of the band!”
Of late, Goad has been playing guitar with Keith Prater & Lacy Creek, which he will continue to do as his commitments with Parmley allow. Folks in the southeastern states may also have seen him filling in with Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys, or with Larry Sparks. But now he’s a Parmley man, working alongside Doug Bartlett on mandolin and fiddle, and Daxson Lewis on banjo.
John tells us that he’s been a Parmley fan since he first discovered bluegrass as a boy, as his dad was a huge Bluegrass Cardinals fan. Getting to sing with him now is a big treat.
“I appreciate being given the opportunity to play music with people I love. Making music with David, Daxson, and Doug is truly great. They sing and play with feeling, and are a blast to be with both on and off stage.”
Keep an eye on the official David Parmley web site to see when they might be performing near you. Shows coming up include the CroweFest in Kentucky, Uncle Pen Fest in Indiana, and The Station Inn in Nashville.
Could there be any two bluegrass fiddlers hotter than Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland? Since the year 2000, 16 of the 23 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year awards have gone to one or the other, with Michael taking the larger of the haul.
Now with Jason’s emergence as a solo recording artist, taking advantage of his compelling voice as well as his impressive bow work, he and Michael have teamed up for a new project of twin-fiddled, Carter-voiced offerings. The second single from that album releases today on Fiddle Man Records, one entitled Outrun The Rain, written by Terry Herd and Jimmy Yeary.
The guys will debut the song live tonight on the Grand Ole Opry at 7:00 p.m. (CST), broadcast on WSM 650 AM from Nashville, and via online streaming worldwide. Be sure to tune in, or if you’re within an easy drive of Nashville, tickets for tonight’s show are available online. Also appearing tonight will be Alexandra Kay, Connie Smith, Riders in the Sky, Dustin Lynch, Charlie McCoy, Rhett Walker, and Austin Williams.
But we have the single here for you to hear this morning, the recorded version that is. With Michael and Jason on fiddles, and Jason singing the lead, we have Cory Walker on banjo, Harry Clark on mandolin, Bryan Sutton on guitar, and Alan Bartram on bass. Harmony vocals come from Jaylee Roberts and Vince Gill.
For a kickoff, they delivered a fiery fiddle rush to lead into a song that drives like a hurricane downpour.
Michael says that the distinctive kick was his idea.
“I aimed to create a twin fiddle intro that mimics the sound of rain, and when I heard Jason sing the chorus for the first time, I knew adding tenor and high baritone would make it even more powerful. Vince and Jaelee exceeded all expectations, making the final track something truly special.”
And Carter also credits Cleveland for the lick that follows the breakdown section.
“During the recording process, we also wanted to incorporate a jam section with instrument trades, and Michael came up with a really cool twin fiddle part to lead us back into the final chorus.
We’re thrilled with how Outrun the Rain turned out.”
We heard from Randy Barrett, President of the Bluegrass Country Foundation, the organization that oversees the management of the 24/7, live bluegrass radio station online, Bluegrass Country.
Randy is also a banjo player, and the co-author of last year’s authorized biography and tablature volume on DC five string legend, Ben Eldridge (On Banjo – Recollection, Licks, and Solos), who we sadly lost earlier this year.
In honor of Ben, Barrett has put together an 80-minute radio program as a tribute, which will air this Friday, August 9, at 3:00 p.m. (EST) on Bluegrass Country. Randy will present both music from Eldridge’s long career with The Seldom Scene, and with any number of other top bluegrass artists from Cliff Waldron to Tony Rice, plus personal remembrances from the book.
The format for the show is biographical, following his life from a childhood interest in music, through to a professional life in bluegrass. Ben’s humor also makes an appearance, as well as his full time career outside of music. It also makes for a fine overview of the history of bluegrass banjo, especially in the capitol region, and the wealth of bluegrass artists that made the area their home.
We also get some history behind the converted Gibson PB-6 banjo that Ben played, which had been previously owned by Bill Emerson and Tom Morgan, and how it came to be known as “Harvey.”
Anyone who is a fan of banjo, Ben Eldridge, or the bluegrass scene in DC during the 1970s through the ’90s, is strongly encouraged to make time for Randy’s Ben Eldridge tribute show on Bluegrass Country. Their signal can be heard worldwide via online streaming, and on HD radio at 88.5FM Channel 2 in the Washington area.
A second broadcast is scheduled for Friday, August 16, at 4:00 p.m.
Speaking of Harvey, he is now in the possession of Ben’s son Chris, of Punch Brothers fame, who has been making it available to others for select recording projects. Barrett asked us to let everyone know that he will be taking Harvey to the 2024 Banjo Gathering in Michigan this October, so attendees will be able to get a closeup look at this remarkable and historic instrument.
Michael is the mandolinist and tenor singer with Special Consensus, a job he has held with the long-running Chicago-based band this last three years. Boulevard of Regret serves as the first single from an upcoming solo project, Something He Can Handle, expected in October of this year.
The song is presented in a scaled-back format, with just two guitars and Prewitt’s voice, giving a decided Willie Nelson-like vibe to the arrangement. Michael uses the titular boulevard as a metaphor for revisiting all the disappointments and failures of your life, things you can’t avoid recalling as you pass through life.
It’s a brief, but very nice song. Check it out…
Boulevard of Regret is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can contact Common Loon Records for an airplay copy.
Two additional singles are expected prior to the full release of Something He Can Handle this fall.
We’ve all heard it said that music is a wonderful thing for youngsters to study. Even those who will never consider doing it professionally, or even on stage, can still learn valuable lessons about discipline, attention to detail, and the value of hard work. For those who don’t carry it into their adult lives, they still learn how to be a discriminating listener, a skill they’ll never lose.
Of course in bluegrass, we see lots of young folks playing the music, especially in the classic family band format. I doubt anyone has ever calculated how many groups there have been in bluegrass made up of Mom, Dad, and the kids, but it must surely be counted in the many hundreds. It would be hard to attend a festival without seeing one or two on the show.
Here’s a story in that vein that is especially poignant and heartwarming, about Jeremiah Penny, a young man whose love of bluegrass music pushed him to overcome hurdles larger than most teens ever face, and become a fine picker and singer. His development has led his parents to form their own Penny Family Band in their hometown of Beulaville, NC. Now they tour the gospel circuit sharing his remarkable story along with their music.
Brent plays guitar, with his wife Sonia on bass, and Jeremiah, now 16, on banjo, guitar, and mandolin, and his sister, Leah, 13, on fiddle. Little brother Silas, age 8, also joins in on mandolin and vocals from time to time.
To listen to him now, you would never guess that Jeremiah has struggled with autism.
We heard recently from Brent, who shared this touching and even miraculous testimony.
“Jeremiah is our first born child, he was born on February 4, 2008, a healthy baby boy reaching every milestone he was suppose to for his age. Until his first birthday. We noticed at his birthday party that the food we had cooked for him, his favorite (barbecue) he refused to eat. He just didn’t want anything we tried to give him, not even his birthday cake. We just thought he was tired and overwhelmed with everything that had been going on that day.
Over time we began to notice that his speech regressed, his eating habits changed drastically, from eating just about anything you put in his mouth, to hardly eating anything at all. A blank stare would come over him like he was staring into space, and he began to not use much eye contact anymore. We expressed our concerns to his doctor and she recommended that we get him tested for autism.
Before getting him tested, we prayed about it, then finally one day we decided to go ahead and do it. After he was tested we found out the most devastating news to us at that time, that he indeed was autistic. Upon hearing his diagnosis we figured our dream of having a family band would never be possible. This began a journey of many disappointments, heartaches, and tears.
The next fews years Jeremiah would be non-verbal hardly saying any words, and he only wanted to stay in his room, never going out in public. This was a very difficult time for us. One night while preaching at the little country church that I pastor, the Lord placed it in my heart to stop preaching my sermon, and come down from the pulpit and lay hands on Jeremiah in the name of Jesus, and pray for him.
I obeyed the Lord and prayed for him, and from that moment on we began to see a change in Jeremiah. At this point he was 8 years old, and almost overnight he began to play music. We showed him everything we knew and he really took off. At the age of 9 Jeremiah became the banjo player of our family group. The Lord has blessed Jeremiah so much with playing music and singing, we have been blessed to get a little bus that we can haul our music around in.
The Lord has opened many doors throughout a few states that we have played and shared Jeremiah’s testimony, which has blessed so many people who are dealing with kids and family members struggling with autism. Ever since Jeremiah was small we have made Philippians 4:13 his motto (“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”)
Today Jeremiah sings many parts, plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and bass.
Although Jeremiah still has some struggles in life with certain issues, we are grateful to our Lord Jesus for all he has done to help Jeremiah with autism.”
Here’s another video of The Penny Family with Jeremiah on guitar.
We are so impressed with Jeremiah, and the whole Penny family, and wish them the very best with their family group, and in life.
For their next single with powerhouse bluegrass vocalist Dave Adkins, Billy Blue Records has chosen a no-punches-pulled leavin’ song called She Put The Go In Gone.
Written by Brent Baxter and Jerry Salley, it’s the opening track on Adkins’ current project, What I’m For, released earlier this year. The lyrics in the chorus underline the fact that your girl has said goodbye, without the faintest hope of contradiction.
Dave says that it’s the first piece he selected to record for this album, and knew he wanted it as soon as his producer, Jerry Salley – and the song’s co-writer – sent it his way.
“It’s one of those that I heard it, and I knew I had to record it, And man, I think it turned out great.”
They cut it with a crew of Nashville superpickers. Jason Roller played guitar and fiddle, with Aaron McDaris on banjo, Justin Moses on reso-guitar and mandolin, and Jeff Partin on bass. Jerry Salley and Magnolia Williams added harmony vocals.
Nothing makes a songwriter smile like finding the perfect artist to record your composition, and Salley says that he certainly found that here.
“Dave Adkins sings this song like it was written for him! As a writer and producer, I feel like his voice perfectly captures the storyline of this high-energy, ‘I’m-out-of-here-and-ain’t-comin’-back,’ scenario. The smoking track complements Dave’s big vocals for sure!”
Currently bluegrass music’s biggest draw, Billy Strings has a music video today for his latest single, Lead Foot.
Not only does he sell out venues all over the US, often for multiple nights, Billy is introducing countless people to his energetic style of bluegrass, and in a way that urban audiences can clearly embrace.
This is the first look/listen to the music from his next album, Highway Prayers, which from what little we could discover, may be a true solo project. At the very least, Leadfoot is all Billy, with him playing banjo, guitar, bass, steel guitar, and ebow electric guitar, and the only one joining him on the track is drummer Matt Chamberlain.
It’s a hard-chargin’ grasser, starting out with solitary, low-tuned banjo, about a guy who terrorizes a community by racing through the streets at all hours, revving his big V8, and squealing tires at all the corners.
For the video, Billy appears in full-on monster makeup done by Hollywood icon Norman Cabrera, and his tour stage manager Nate Flores plays the part of Lead Foot, also in an insane get up. It’s part animated and part live action, with Billy’s own 1972 Chevelle in a starring role.
