When Joe Carr died just before Christmas last year, we lost not only a talented musician and an engaging performer, but one of the most dedicated and effective teachers in all of bluegrass.
After touring for several years as a member of Country Gazette, Joe joined the faculty of South Plains College in Levelland, TX where he remained for the next 30 years. There he served as both a lecturer and private instructor on guitar and mandolin, molding a generation of young bluegrass artists into skilled and tasteful players.
Joe also wrote a series of instructional books for Mel Bay, and authored a recurring column for Flatpicking Guitar magazine on acoustic rhythm guitar for 18 years.
Now all of these columns, more than 100 in total, have been assembled by the magazine into a single volume entitled Flatpick Rhythm Guitar: A Collection of Joe Carr’s Articles from Flatpicking Guitar Magazine. Running to 228 pages, the book comes with a pair of audio CDs with the various exercises and examples demonstrated.
A variety of rhythm styles are discussed in these columns, including bluegrass, folk, blues, Irish, swing and jazz. Much of the content features the accompaniment techniques of early masters like Riley Puckett, Red Smiley, Jimmy Martin, Jimmie Rodgers, Edd Mayfield, Hank Snow, Doc Watson, Rodney Dillard, John Herald, Josh White, Charlie Monroe, Homer Haynes, Eldon Shamblin, Tommy Allsup, Charlie Waller, Arther Smith, and Lonnie Johnson.
Flatpicking Guitar editor Dan Miller has also included a sprinkling of photos of Joe throughout his career, supplied by his wife, Paula.
A complete chapter listing can be found on the FGM web site, where orders can be placed for either a bound print ($29.95) or digital download ($24.95) edition.
