Johnny Warren, and his good buddy Charlie Cushman, has once more honored Paul Warren by releasing a second CD in memory of his father’s original skills as a supreme fiddler.
Just over two years ago the duo released an album of 17 tunes that reminded us of Paul Warren’s great contributions to the classic country and bluegrass music repertoire from the early 1940s through to the mid-1970s. In August Warren Jr. and banjo ace Cushman released A Tribute to Fiddlin’ Paul Warren – Vol. 2 (WC-2011).
Recorded in February at Hilltop Studio in Madison, Tennessee, the album, with special guests Del McCoury, Jerry Douglas, Kent Blanton, Bryan Sutton and Ricky Skaggs, contains 14 more tunes associated in one way or another with Paul Warren.
Johnny Warren shared some details and thoughts about the project…
“Wild Horses, Smith’s Rag and Cattle in the Cane were tunes that dad never got to record or play on live shows and I learned these from him. Other tunes he played on live shows occasionally but never recorded. Right at Lyles is a tune I wrote and Charlie named after the place dad was raised. Hop Light Ladies is a fiddle and banjo tune that dad and Earl (Scruggs) used to do.
Charlie played his rear off on three banjo tunes and we also found an old recording of dad playing Old Joe with the Osborne Brothers and included it on the CD as well.
Lance LeRoy did a short intro to the CD; he and dad were best friends… he loved dad’s fiddling and knew dad as well as anyone. There is a lot of energy in this recording and I think it is as close to the old Foggy Mountain Boys sound as anything since 1969.
As you can tell, Paul Warren’s fiddling is my favorite and I think that is very evident in both CDs.
I really appreciate Charlie Cushman’s love for my dad’s playing and his incredible playing of the Scruggs style.”
The track order is as follows;
Intro by Lance Leroy, Wild Horses, Smiths Rag, Lonesome Road Blues, Cattle in the Cane, Kingsport, Randy Lynn Rag, Hop Light Ladies, Road to Jenkins, Right at Lyles, Pretty Polly Ann, Florida Blues, The Old Folks, North Carolina Breakdown and Old Joe.
