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Rhonda Vincent & Elton John

This post is a contribution from the Queen of Bluegrass herself, Rhonda Vincent. As many of us do as each year comes to a close, she was looking through photos and memories from 2018, and came across this picture of her with Elton John. She shared a remembrance about meeting Elton’s longtime lyricist, Bernie Taupin, and how that led to her recording one of their songs, and getting to meet Sir Elton in the flesh.

One of the most unlikely fans of bluegrass music is Bernie Taupin. And one of his favorites is Jimmy Martin. Bernie came to a show in 2003, and we’ve been friends ever since.

In April 2018, we released a song from the Elton John/Bernie Taupin Tribute CD with Dolly Parton, titled Please.

I was thrilled when Bernie offered the chance to meet Elton, during one of his farewell performances in Nashville.

I have to say I was blown away with Elton’s performance. My expectation was to hear mostly his popular songs from the radio; but instead, the centerpiece of his entire show is of the mastery of he and his band’s musicianship. He travels with ace musicians, and Elton would take lengthy piano solos. Every song featured amazing instrumentation. Although still in awe from the show, Bernie summoned me to meet him backstage.

Elton’s dressing room was as unique as he is. Hundreds of tiny toy characters were lined up on the vanity, and twenty feet of costumes were lined up adjacent to it.

Elton was absolutely sweet and kind, and I was awe struck by the humbleness from someone who has seen and experienced almost everything there is to see for a world performer.

He immediately said, “I’ve never had a number one bluegrass song before!” Elton seemed thrilled to have a number song in bluegrass music. There were many people waiting to speak with him; but I was thrilled to have a one on one conversation, and to find him so engaging.

Elton returns to Nashville, as part two of his three year farewell tour. I hope to see him again in 2019. If you haven’t seen his show; it’s one you don’t want to miss.

Rocketman video from Iron Horse

Starting in the early 1970s, American rock/jazz/pop band Steely Dan introduced a new model in the music business. Though they did tour extensively at the beginning, they soon became a studio band where their two creative founders (Donald Fagen and Walter Becker) wrote and produced new music which they recorded with the help of some of the top instrumentalists and drummers of the time. Frank Zappa had done something similar a decade earlier, but few of his releases came close to the popular, critical, and radio success that Fagen and Becker enjoyed.

This studio band concept had not been common in bluegrass until recent years, when special projects featuring artists who don’t normally perform together have taken off, with one or more superstar collaborations being released every year. The storied Bluegrass Album Band could be credited with starting this trend in our world, but we have very few bands who exist almost solely in the studio.

One that does is Alabama’s Iron Horse who, while they do perform on occasion, has cranked out a total of 16 album with sales in the half a million range. Four of those have been self-produced CDs of their own music, but the rest have been bluegrass tribute projects for CMH Records. At one point CMH was a mainstream bluegrass label who featured major acts like The Osborne Brothers in their stable, but have in recent years found a comfortable niche offering dozens of titles in their Pickin’ On… series. Titles range from Pickin’ On The Beatles to Pickin’ On Kid Rock, with tributes to Ozzy Osborne and Metallica among the many others.

Iron Horse consists of Tony Robertson on mandolin, Vance Henry on guitar, Ricky Rogers on bass, and Anthony Richardson on banjo. They have just released a music video for a track included on CMH’s 2007 release, Tribute To Classic Rock Hits, Edition 1. It’s Elton John’s Rocketman, with a bluegrass arrangement.

That CD, along with all of their other albums can be purchased from the Iron Horse web site.

Elton John and Punch Brothers

We have wondered several times on Bluegrass Today whether it shouldn’t be a requirement that every artist in any field of music had to make a bluegrass record before they could be voted into their respective Hall of Fame.

It seems to be a very popular thing to do, and it’s a trend we hope to see continue. We’ll have an interview tomorrow with Steve Martin on his Rare Bird Alert CD, and will have more details shortly on the grassy roots album that Styx rocker Tommy Shaw is releasing on March 22.

We also spoke quite highly last year of Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge CD, and voiced a hope that his collaboration with Chris Thile and Punch Brothers would bring attention to the band in new venues.

And it looks like the word is getting out. In a February Rolling Stone interview, Sir Elton John responded thusly to a question about what he was listening to these days:

“We played with a band on T Bone’s revue, the Punch Brothers, and I want to make a record with them. They’re astonishing, the best jam band I’ve ever seen. It’s [expletive deleted] brilliant. Jon Brion’s production is incredible. They, for me, are the exciting new thing. That’s where I want to go.”

No comment yet from the Brothers, though their label (Nonesuch Records) informs us that there are no current plans for a collaboration.