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.
The good people who have been running the Doc & Rosa Lee Watson MusicFest since 1998 are asking the wider bluegrass and old time music community for help getting things ready for their 2025 event, scheduled for July in Sugar Grove, NC.
The site of the festival, the historic Cove Creek School, was badly damaged by the floodwaters following Hurricane Helene at the end of September 2024. Festival Chair Danny Platt tells us that they are working hard to get everything restored, but that uncertainties about insurance and county commitments, not to mention the difficulties of finding contractors with so much destruction across the region, leave them in need of some help.
This is another example of how hurricane damage along the Blue Ridge has hit the old time and bluegrass community especially hard, a population already dealing with a scarcity of resources.
Danny created this video to explain the position they are in, and plead their case for assistance.
The Cove Creek Preservation & Development organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, so all donations are tax deductible.
If you can help with a contribution of any size, visit the Doc & Rosa Lee Watson MusicFest fundraising page online.
It’s With A Vamp in the Middle, a classic song from John’s breakout 1971 record, Aereo-Plain, also famously cut by New Grass Revival, and a jam standard wherever grassers assemble.
Jason sings the lead on this new version, with both he and Michael on twin fiddles, which Cleveland says feels like fine singing when it’s good.
“Twin fiddle is like really good vocal harmony when it’s right. When it’s super tight and together, there’s nothing else like it. It’s like our own brother duet.”
And’s plenty tight here.
Support comes from Cory Walker on banjo, Bryan Sutton on guitar, Harry Clark on mandolin, and Alan Bartram on bass. Darrell Scott adds harmony vocals.
Both bowmen are experienced professionals of long standing, who have been friends since they first met in their teens.
Carter, who was six years older at the time, says that Cleveland had something special, then at just 13 years of age.
“When I first heard Michael, I was blown away. He sounded as good as anyone out there, even back then.”
See for yourself in this strong arrangement of the familiar standard.
The single, With A Vamp in the Middle, is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
Pre-orders and pre-saves for Carter & Cleveland are likewise enabled.
Volume Five has announced two new members of their long-running bluegrass band, led by vocalist and fiddler Glen Harrell. Nick Keen has joined up on mandolin, and Wyatt Harman on bass, both experienced young bluegrass professionals who have been active on the scene for some time.
Nick is a native North Carolinian who’s been playing since he was a pre-teen. Growing up in a bluegrass family, he was singing and playing with his dad, Mike, as a boy in area churches. He has since toured with Bradley Walker, Josh Williams, and Clay Hess, and picked up a MerleFest Mandolin Championship.
This is actually Nick’s second chance to join the group, and he is happy that it worked out.
“I have always admired Volume Five and the consistent quality of music that they produce. Glen and I talked many years ago about me coming on board, but the timing was not right. I have been away from the music scene for several years, so for Glen and the guys to consider me for this opportunity was a true honor. I am excited and looking forward to this next chapter in life with Volume Five.”
Wyatt comes from just outside St. Louis, in Florissant, MO. He also grew up playing grass, the son of flatpicker Bull Harman. He started on bass at 15, and was soon a member of Bull Harman & Bull’s Eye where he was chosen as SPBGMA Midwest Bass Player of the Year Award from 2016-2020. With something of an entrepreneurial spirit, Wyatt has started a pair of midwest bands, including Mashtag with Zach Top, and more recently, Harman & Ruble.
“It’s kind of a dream come true for me. I’ve always admired Volume Five, I’ve always loved Glen’s singing, and all the guys in the group.
When I was 18 I went on a school trip with my class, and left my car at home. While I was gone my parents had a car stereo installed, so when I got back and turned the car on, they had the music turned up real loud, and it was a Volume Five CD!
I’m so happy to expand my wings, while I keep the Harman & Ruble band doing some local gigs.”
Keen and Harman join Harrell on fiddle and vocals, Chris Wade on banjo, and Jacob Burleson on guitar.
Glen says that he feels very comfortable with his two newest bandmates.
“I have known Nick and Wyatt for several years and love their playing. They brought lots of energy and enthusiasm to the band at our first rehearsal. They are both great players and are an asset to Volume Five. We really look forward to touring and recording new music with them.”
Keep an eye on the Volume Five web site to see when they’ll be performing in your area.
Lonesome River Band also has a new single to share, one that reaches back to an earlier time with the band, and a solo project boss man Sammy Shelor released, Leading Roll.
Shelor says that the song kept popping up, so they decided to cut it anew.
“I’m on to You is a song written by my friend, Jimmy Yeary, who has become one of the most in-demand writers in Nashville. I recorded this song back in 1997, and it was the first song Jimmy had featured on an album. The album is long out of print, but this song kept making its way into sound checks and the show every now and then.”
That earlier version featured Sammy’s former bandmates Ronnie Bowman and Dan Tyminski, along with Tony Rice and Jerry Douglas. But it’s also a perfect fit for the current LRB, with Jesse Smathers on guitar and lead vocal, Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, Adam Miller on mandolin, and Kameron Keller on bass. Rod Riley also played guitar in the studio.
And Sammy says they kept a similar vibe.
“It has that ’80s country vibe that we felt would lend itself to the sound we are doing for this upcoming album. We hope you like this version!”
Check it out…
I’m on to You is available from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
Well, it looks we have the first trade of the 2025 bluegrass band season.
The Country Gentlemen Show and Carson Peters & Iron Mountain have swapped bass players. Taylor Parks, the young bass man with the Gents Show is going to Iron Mountain, and Eric Marshall is jumping over to play with the Gentlemen Show.
Mike Phipps is the leader of the Show, formerly known as the Country Gentlemen Tribute Band, who sings the Charlie Waller part in the group. They’ve recently changed the name to represent the fact that while the bulk of their show is faithful reproductions of classic Gentlemen songs, they have begun to include new and other material in that style.
He explains how the switch was made.
“Taylor came on board with us early last year when our previous bass man, Kyle Windbeck, left to rejoin Sideline. At first, Taylor filled in with us when his schedule allowed, due to the fact that he was playing banjo with Jeff Parker. Eventually, Taylor made a full commitment to The Country Gentlemen Show for at least a year.
Taylor is an extremely talented, multi-instrumentalist, has a remarkable vocal range and is a great all-around guy. Dave, Lynwood, Darren, and I have always realized that, one day, he would be able to find another band that would broaden his horizons even more, and we have encouraged him along the way. We wish him all the best in this new journey.
Taylor’s last tour with the band will be February 27 – March 10th as we perform shows in Arizona and southern California after which, Eric Marshall will join us on bass.
Eric is a resident of Mt. Airy, NC and was an original member of Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, having started out on banjo before switching to bass. Eric is a great singer and bass man, and a prolific songwriter.
Actually, prior to Taylor joining us full time, we had sought out Eric to fill the bass spot but, like the gentleman he is, he declined due to his commitment to Carson. Like the rest of us, Eric is a big fan of Gents’ music, and will fit us like a glove. We look forward to him joining the band.”
Eric joins Mike on guitar, Dave Propst on mandolin, Lynwood Lunsford on banjo, and Darren Beachley on reso-guitar.
You can see where The Country Gentlemen Show is performing, and welcome Eric to the band, by visiting their web site.
The IBMA Foundation, the charitable and philanthropic arm of the International Bluegrass Music Association, has announced the recipients of their 2025 project grants. These are given to organizations worldwide that are fostering the growth of bluegrass music, the primary focus of the Foundation.
Foundation Board Chair Trisha Tubbs says that these grants, for which parties apply throughout the year, nicely accomplish their educational efforts.
“A diverse list of recipients for 2025 will support bluegrass education for both young people and adults. We are grateful to donors who continue to support the Foundation. Their generosity has helped to support very deserving programs.”
Receiving grants this year are:
Arthurdale Heritage; Arthurdale, West Virginia – grant to start a new Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) program for students in Preston County, West Virginia.
Chamber of Commerce, Hancock/Sneedville, Tennessee; Sneedville, Tennessee – to support a Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) program in Hancock county for four 12-week sessions, benefitting more than 30 students. The Gladson family leads the Hancock J.A.M. program.
Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center; Smoky Mountain J.A.M.; Townsend, Tennessee – grant to support the Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) program for students in the Smoky Mountain National Park region of east Tennessee.
Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.); Independence, Virginia – grant to support the national Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) Teacher Certification training program and donation of two banjos to be used by students with financial need.
Monongalia Arts Center; Morganton, West Virginia – grant to support a Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) afterschool program for 4th and 5th graders held at the Monongalia Arts Center. An estimated 40 students in grades 4-8 will participate in the 14-week program planned for spring 2025 and fall 2026.
Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points; Junior Appalachian Musicians; Ocoee Region; Cleveland, Tennessee – grant to support a local Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.) chapter that plans to increase participation to 40 students for the next school year.
The European Bluegrass Music Association; Dornach, Switzerland – grant to support the European Bluegrass Summit 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic, featuring three days of workshops, panel discussions, and concerts. This event marks the return of EBMA’s flagship annual conference after a 10-year hiatus, revitalizing its role in fostering collaboration and innovation within the bluegrass community.
Jam Pak Blues and Bluegrass; Chandler, Arizona – grant to support training student participants in simple maintenance and repair by professional luthiers and musicians. Jam Pak has been given many instruments, and they want to learn to maintain them and not let them fall into disrepair.
Louisville Folk School; Youth Bluegrass Summer Camp; Louisville, Kentucky – grant to support three weeks of youth summer camps. Each week-long camp will serve 20 children, age 5-12, who will learn to play traditional bluegrass instruments and be inspired by the musicians leading the camps.
Queen Bee Music Association; Santa Fe, New Mexico – grant to support a bluegrass music education program which introduces young people to bluegrass music through music camps, jams, concerts, and outreach.
Savannah Music Festival; Hazel Dickens at 100: Della Mae, featuring special guests Laurie Lewis and Alice Gerrard; Savannah, Georgia – grant to support a one-day concert celebrating the life and impact of Hazel Dickens in April, 2025.
ScreenDoor Songwriter Alliance; Helene: My Story, My Song: Using Songwriting to Reduce Traumatic Distress and Promote Personal Well-being and Community Healing After Hurricane Helene; Asheville, North Carolina – grant to support three songwriting workshops and performances at three high schools where students are determined to be at risk for, or exhibiting PTSD-like symptomology, as a consequence of Hurricane Helene. The team, directed by Louisa Branscomb, Ph.D., includes accomplished bluegrass musicians who also possess specific training or experience in the areas of mental health/counseling/crisis service.
Eric Shi; Educational videos for Chinese bluegrass students; Yunnan Province, China – grant to help fund production and travel for the creation of YouTube educational song videos with other Chinese musicians using traditional bluegrass and traditional Chinese instruments. Shi also hopes to further interest and participation in bluegrass music in China.
Kevin Slick; Free Strings; Winchester, Virginia – The creation of the Free Strings educational program was funded previously by an IBMA Foundation project grant to Annie Savage. The 2025 grant will help fund implementation of the Free Strings program in 50 schools.
West Virginia Academy; High school bluegrass band; Morgantown, West Virginia – Donation of one banjo and case to help establish a course of study that will include learning to play and perform bluegrass music.
The IBMA Foundation depends on the financial support of donors, and can accept both one-off contributions and every sort of planned giving. Donations can be tied to specific grants, scholarships, or efforts of the Foundation, and the number of grants and the amount of money given is dependent on these contributions.
You can find out about giving to the IBMA Foundation online.
Turnberry Records has a special treat for Osborne Brothers fans, and anyone who appreciates country music from the 1960s and ’70s.
It’s a new single from C.J. Lewandowski of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Rosie Bokay, one originally meant for his Keep On Keepin’ On project with Bobby Osborne, which ended up being the final recordings Bobby made.
The song was written by Dallas Frazier and Whitey Shafer, and originally recorded by Charlie Walker at the end of 1969. It was the George Jones version a few months later, though, a super twangy track about a barmaid whose special charms the lyrics extol, that brought it to the bluegrass world some years later.
This new cut of Rosie Bokay almost didn’t see the light of day. Sonny and Bobby had recorded it themselves in 1984, and tracked this new version for the C.J./Bobby album, but Osborne was unhappy with his vocal, so it was scratched. Later, Wyatt Ellis, who plays twin mandolin with Lewandowski on the song, suggested that Paul Brewster might be up for singing the lead.
Paul is retired from touring after decades with Ricky Skaggs and doesn’t appear often in bluegrass for health reasons, but agreed to come to the studio and recut Bobby’s vocal, giving us this gem.
For C.J., it was a real pleasure to see this one through.
“Rosie Bokay is one of my very favorite songs that Bobby and Sonny ever recorded and performed live. While in the studio with Bobby and the gang, Lincoln Hensley played the iconic kickoff to this song on Sonny’s old Granada, stirring a big grin on Bobby’s face. I told Bobby then that it was one of my favorite songs, and he replied that it was his favorite George Jones song of all time.
I immediately knew Paul’s voice would be a perfect fit. Joined by myself and John Meador on harmonies, this track turned into a dream come true for me.
It’s an honor to cut Bobby’s favorite George Jones song under his guidance and direction, and I know he’d be smiling when Paul sings straight from the heart for his ‘Honky Tonk Bar Maid down at Miss Nina’s Tavern.'”
To make this story even more iconic, Brewster says that he was the one that introduced Bobby to the song while he was a member of The Osborne Brothers.
“Bobby and I were riding back to Nashville in my car after a show in Ohio, and we were listening to a George Jones 8-track (yes, an 8-track), and when Bobby heard Rosie Bokay, he loved it. We (The Osborne Brothers) worked it up and recorded it on the Some Things I Want to Sing About album.”
C.J. tells us that the song was written about a real place, though the lyrics for the George Jones version changed the name to Fred Wilson’s Tavern.
“Miss Nina’s was a real place on 42nd and Charlotte Ave in Nashville. Until her passing, she had the oldest beer license in the city.
Bobby frequented there back in the day. She stayed open late for musicians.”
So Bobby changed the opening line back to ‘Miss Nina’s Tavern’ for The Osbornes’ album, and C.J. and Paul kept it, as you can hear below.
He also shared this tidbit…
“Bobby liked Budweiser and would frequent Nina’s and other places like that. He and I both loved a dive bar. He told me he had his last beer in the early 2000s. He was in Hawaii (he pronounced it Hah-why-yuh) and ordered a beer at the pool, didn’t have a taste for it, and quit ’em right then.
The Budweiser on the cover for the single is a nod to his past favorite.”
With Paul on lead vocal, we have Lewandowski and Ellis on mandolins, Lincoln Hensley on banjo, Aynsley Porchak on fiddle, Avery Welter on guitar, and Bobby Osborne Jr on bass.
It’s a good’n Check it out…
Roșie Bokay from C.J. Lewandowski and Paul Brewster is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.
McCoury Music has a new single for The Travelin’ McCourys, a song called Daydreamer, written by good friends of the band, Eric Gibson, Leigh, Gibson, and Ronnie Bowman.
The band, of course, consists of the members of The Del McCoury Band, minus Del. That’s Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Alan Bartram on bass, with Cody Kilby on guitar in Del’s stead.
Speaking of the new release, the story of a woman who remains loyal to her man and her family, Ronnie says…
“It’s no wonder that Leigh, Eric, and Ronnie wrote this song. They have spent a lot of time on the road, and know that the support of their families back home is what allows them the opportunity to do this. It’s also why we as a band could relate so well to this song. My mom has been the force behind my dad for 60 years, and our wives have lived this life since day one.”
It’s a smokin’ track. Check it out.
Daydreamer is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.
Aa a part of the Folk Marathon airing this week on the University of Virginia’s WTJU during its 2025 fundraising drive, Bill Evans will be hosting a two-hour program this afternoon where he will play live recordings made at Charlottesville’s C&O Restaurant during the 1980s.
Way back in the previous century, when Bill was a recent graduate of UVA, he sponsored a concert series at C&O, and will be sharing board tapes from these shows from 4:00-6:00 p.m. today. Included will be music from Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers (featuring a young Stuart Duncan), Tony Trischka & Skyline, Country Gazette, Hot Rize, Cloud Valley, Peter Rowan (solo and with Cloud Valley), and J. D. Crowe & the New South.
Those of us who remember the ’80s can enjoy reliving the music of those days, hearing some of our beloved artists when they were 40 years younger, and newer bluegrass lovers can get a taste of how it was back then. Hint… it was really good.
WTJU broadcasts in central Virginia at 91.1 FM, and can be heard worldwide online from their web site.
If you miss it live, the program will be archived for two weeks at the WTJU site. After that, its gone.
This afternoon in Los Angeles The Recording Academy is holding the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, announcing and distributing the awards deemed insufficiently important for their big, televised Grammy Awards show this evening on CBS.
But, of course, these are exactly the ones we most care about, as they include the annual award for Best Bluegrass Album, just announced.
He was not in attendance at the ceremony, so segment host Rhiannon Giddens accepted on his behalf.
Well done, Billy.
Also of interest to many of our readers is the fact that Sierra Ferrell, who accepted awards for Best Americana Performance for American Dreaming, Best American Roots Song (with Melody Walker) for the same, and Best Americana Album for Trail of Flowers.
