Gospel Choices Archives - Bluegrass Today

Gospel Choices with Bob Amos

Here’s a further contribution of an occasional feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Bob Amos who has a particular love for the songs on an early 1970s Ralph Stanley album.

Vermont born Bob Amos started singing in choirs / choral groups, in church and / or school, when he was about six or seven years old. His deep-seated love of harmony singing comes from those times. He started playing guitar when he was about 12 years old, and the banjo shortly afterwards.

He played in local bluegrass bands mostly as a banjo player and occasional singer, in Delaware during his high school years, and in college in Ohio, then during his graduate school days in Arizona, where he earned a Masters’ degree in geology. In 1982 he moved to Colorado to work as a geologist.

Amos played music with various friends before, in 1988, forming Front Range with the help of mandolin player Mike Lantz, and later with Ron Lynam and Bob Dick.

Amos was the guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Front Range, recording five studio albums for Sugar Hill Records during the 1990s.

1. Cry From The Cross – Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, Cry From The Cross (Rebel, 1971)

2. A Voice From On High – Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, 1954, Decca single 9 29348

3. Bright Morning Stars – Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys, Cry From The Cross (Rebel, 1971)

4. The Model Church – J.D. Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys, The Model Church (Lemco, 1971)

5. One Beautiful Day – Front Range, One Beautiful Day (Sugar Hill, 1995)

Cry From The Cross

While I am a big fan of the 1957 Stanley Brothers version of this song written by Johnnie Masters, I first heard the Ralph Stanley version as the title cut of the wonderful 1971 album of the same name. As a budding teenage bluegrass musician this whole album blew me away. I wore it out, playing and singing along with every song, over and over. It’s still one of my favorite albums. Picking this song for my list really is representative of all of Ralph’s great Gospel music from that period. But if I have to pick one, this is it. What I especially like is that this song does not dance around the subject matter. The immediate and stark imagery of the crucifixion is powerful and heart-breaking. It’s a great song.

A Voice From On High

Bill Monroe’s 1954 version of the song A Voice From On High, written by Bill Monroe and Bessie Mauldin, and sung by Monroe, Jimmy Martin and Charlie Cline, remains not only one of my favorite Gospel songs and performances, but simply one of my favorite recordings of any kind of music. There is something immensely powerful and haunting in the lyrics and particularly in the vocal harmonies of this recording. It’s simply stunning! I never, ever get tired of hearing it.

Bright Morning Star

I have always loved a cappella bluegrass Gospel singing, so I wanted to include one on my list. I have written and recorded a few myself. I could have picked a song by the Country Gentleman, Bluegrass Cardinals, or Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, because there are so many great performances to pick from. But I chose this one, which is also from Ralph Stanley’s album Cry From The Cross, because it is not only one of my favorites, but also because it was the first a cappella recording by a major bluegrass artist (per Gary Reid). It was certainly the first one I ever heard. It’s mournful, moving and triumphant, all at the same time – a great song, and a great performance.

The Model Church

J. D. Crowe’s 1971 Gospel album The Model Church was another early favorite album of mine. The whole album was powerfully played and sung, the songs were great, and there was a lot of terrific vocal harmony. I loved it. I spent hours and hours listening, playing and singing along with this LP. In particular I remember singing each part, playing a song and saying, “ok, now I’m gonna sing Doyle’s part,” then I’d play it again and sing J.D.’s part, and then Larry Rice’s. It became my Gospel bluegrass training ground. I almost picked I’ll Talk It All Over with Him to be on this list, because it still knocks me out, but there is something wonderful and emotional about the trio performance on the title cut The Model Church. The a cappella part at the very end of the song still gives me chills.

One Beautiful Day

It seems self-serving to pick one of my own songs, One Beautiful Day, for this list. But I felt I should include it because the song has been so important to me personally and spiritually over many years. It was the title cut of my band Front Range’s album, which won the IBMA Gospel Recorded Event of the Year award in 1995. I had written this song earlier when my daughter Sarah was a baby, wondering about what kind of world she and her brother Nathan would grow up in, hoping for the best. Now all these years later Sarah and I perform together on a regular basis and sing this song together at every performance. It is still my favorite song to sing, and now it is my favorite song to hear my daughter sing as well. It’s so deeply embedded into who I am that I couldn’t leave it out.

This video, recorded at the Delaware Bluegrass Festival in September 2017, features his daughter Sarah singing lead and harmony vocals on One Beautiful Day …..

One Beautiful Day, Front Range’s third album, was named Best Gospel Recording of 1995 by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA).

Currently Bob leads his own award-winning band, Bob Amos & Catamount Crossing; they have released three CDs since 2012.

Amos volunteers…..

“Sarah and I are working on a duo album, to be released this Spring. There will also be another bluegrass album, with my band, coming not too long after that, possibly in the fall.”

Gospel Choices #6 – Wayne Rice

Caricature of Wayne Rice by JP’s Custom Caricature

Here’s the fifth contribution of a periodical feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from celebrated radio host Wayne Rice.

Somebody Touched Me – The Dillards: Back Porch Bluegrass (Elektra Records EKL 232)
On the Sea of Life – Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver: Rock My Soul (Sugar Hill Records SH 3717)
Hallelujah Turnpike – The Lewis Family: Hallelujah Turnpike (Canaan Records CAS 9847)
Solid Rock – Lonesome River Band: Old Country Town (Sugar Hill Records SH-CD 3818)
5. He’s Holding on to Me – Ron Block: Faraway Land (Rounder Records 0477)

Wayne says …

I have always loved Gospel music. While I didn’t get to hear much bluegrass Gospel music growing up in Southern California, my family went to church every Sunday and we loved to sing. Our church would occasionally invite a southern Gospel quartet to perform at one of our services, and that was always a thrill. They were like rock stars to me, and I dreamed of someday being able to sing in a group like that.

I never got to sing in a southern Gospel quartet but after learning to play banjo, I did get to play and sing with a few bluegrass bands, all of which have featured Gospel music. I’ve also featured Gospel music on my Sunday night radio program in San Diego. Here are a few songs that have stood out for me:

Somebody Touched Me – I list this song first because my infatuation with bluegrass started with the Dillards. I must have played their 1963 Back Porch Bluegrass album hundreds if not thousands of times trying to learn to play banjo like Doug Dillard (I gave up on that). The only Gospel song on that album was Somebody Touched Me, and so I gravitated to it immediately. Our family band at that time was called the Rice Kryspies (no kidding) and we did Somebody Touched Me everywhere we played. And just like the Dillards, we always asked the audience to sing along on the chorus. It’s one of those songs that can get stuck in your head for a long time, which isn’t a bad thing.

On the Sea of Life – I can still feel the goose-bumps from the first time I heard this song from Doyle Lawson’s Rock My Soul album. And when I played it on my radio show it became an instant listener favorite. 35 years later, I’m still getting requests for that Sea of Life song and it still holds up very well. Of course, there’s not a bad cut on that entire album, but Doyle certainly outdid himself when he arranged this song with his original Quicksilver band which included Jimmy Haley, Lou Reid and Terry Baucom. I’ve heard Doyle perform On the Sea of Life in concert numerous times with many different versions of his band, and I get goose-bumps every time.

Hallelujah Turnpike – I’d be remiss to not include a song from the first family of bluegrass Gospel music. This song from their 1979 album of the same title has to be the quintessential Lewis Family barn-burner. When Little Roy kicks off Hallelujah Turnpike, the notes come out of his banjo like bullets out of a machine gun. And it doesn’t let up the entire song, complemented by some ferocious fiddling by Buddy Spicher. This song still makes me smile. I have always loved the energy and excitement (and fun!) of a Lewis Family performance—whether live or on recordings—and Hallelujah Turnpike seems to me to epitomize what the Lewis Family did best, namely to bring Gospel joy to all their fans.

Solid Rock – This song from the Lonesome River Band’s landmark Old Country Town album has everything you want in a good bluegrass Gospel song—a punchy mandolin kickoff, creative call-and-response vocals, tight quartet harmonies, sparkling banjo and easy to understand lyrics. Ronnie Bowman opens with “A foundation …,” Dan Tyminski answers with “I’ll build” and the quartet including Sammy Shelor and Kenny Smith adds “Upon the Solid Rock …” When the banjo and the rest of the band join in, the song gets into that classic LRB groove. If you listen to the words of the last line of the chorus, you’ll know why I introduce this song on the radio as the Stairway to Heaven of bluegrass music.

He’s Holding on to Me – I think most of us know that Ron Block is not only a wonderful musician but also a devout Christ-follower who takes his faith quite seriously without being obnoxious about it. That’s not to say that he isn’t comfortable being open about what he believes. In fact, many of his songs express his beliefs quite clearly. He has written dozens of wonderful Gospel songs and He’s Holding On to Me is one of my favorites. The second cut on his Faraway Land solo project, not only do I love the performance of this song from a musical standpoint (with help from Dan Tyminski, Adam Steffey, Stuart Duncan, the Forbes Family, Ricky Wasson and Barry Bales) but I love the message. “I’m not holding onto Jesus; he’s holding onto me.” What an amazing and comforting thought—that even when my faith is weak, He is strong. Thanks Ron, for this reminder which very reassuring and hopeful to me.

Wayne Rice is the weekly host of KSON’s Bluegrass Special, now in its 42nd year on KSON-FM in San Diego, California. He also curates the website BluegrassBios.com featuring profiles of the stars of bluegrass music. He is a former member of the band Brush Arbor, winner of the ACM Award for Vocal Group of the Year (1973). Besides his radio show, he works with a ministry called The Legacy Coalition.

Gospel Choices #5 – Shannon Slaughter

Here’s the fifth contribution of a periodical feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Shannon Slaughter.

Gone On Before – Larry Cordle: Pud Marcum’s Hangin’ – (MightyCord Records, 2011)
Traveling Preacher – Blue Highway : Wondrous Love – (Rounder Records, 2003)
Happy On My Way – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver – (Sugar Hill Records, 1979)
Great High Mountain – Larry Sparks: John Deere Tractor – (Rebel Records, 1980)
Model Church – Tony Rice, J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Hicks, Todd Phillips : The Bluegrass Album – (Rounder Records, 1981)

Shannon says …

I have listed my top five Gospel songs (as of right now), but there’s no way I could have a true top five; more like a top one-hundred and fifty-five. For a variety of reasons I chose the songs listed above; some of my choices based on the writing, some based on the singing, some based on the music or arrangement, some based on the memories created by the song, etc. I hope you enjoy my list.

Gone On Before, sung by Larry Cordle, is a song written by Larry and Ronnie Bowman, two of my very favorite songwriters and singers. The song was inspired by the deaths of both Larry’s and Ronnie’s mothers. Ronnie canceled all of his writing sessions except one with Cord because he could empathize with what Ronnie was going through. The song chronicles the story of a woman who comes back in a dream and speaks to the listener. The harmony is amazing and the chord progression is vintage Cord and Ronnie. The most powerful line in the song probably would not have affected me before I became a father but now it makes me pause and give thought to my own mother and what traits of Rae (my daughter) came from her. The line, as the woman tells the listener that she is always around, is “I’m in your daughter’s hair, and the fire in her eyes.” It’s one of the few verse lines with harmony and it just makes the song perfect. This is one emotional song!

I could have chosen numerous songs from the Blue Highway repertoire as they are one of my favorite all-time bands but I picked Traveling Preacher to place in my top five. The reason? – GROOVE and then some more GROOVE. These are some musical cats right here and they are true triple threats as writers, musicians, and singers. Shawn Lane is one of the more underrated singers and musicians in our genre and is one of my absolute favorites. His singing and mandolin playing really shine on this tune. The other thing that really draws me to their music is that GROOVE and that owes a lot to Wayne Taylor’s solid bass and Tim Stafford’s guitar playing; both rhythm and lead; (which really shine on this cut). I felt like I needed to have a banjo on at least one song in my Top 5 so here it is; courtesy of one of my absolute favorites of all time – Jason Burleson.

As a fan of four-part Gospel singing, I had to include Happy On My Way, by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. It is such a positive Gospel song and has a great bounce to it. I was privileged to be in Lou Reid’s band, Carolina, for four years and we sang this song from time to time because Lou was on the original cut and sang the really high lead line. Lou is one of my all-time favorite singers so I had to include him in some way on this list. I cut my teeth as a young singer trying to copy Terry Baucom’s bass singing, which is always spot on with such great tone. Just a great four-part song; complete with tight harmony and once again, awesome rhythm guitar playing from Jimmy Haley, who is one of the best.

Great High Mountain – Larry Sparks possesses one of the most definitive voices ever in bluegrass music and his 1980 Rebel Records release John Deere Tractor is a must have for any bluegrass fan. His rendition of Great High Mountain, written by Keith Whitley, is haunting. There are few people in the world who sing with such soul and lonesomeness as Sparks. His guitar break on this song is simply perfect!

Model Church, the fifth track from The Bluegrass Album, is one of my all – time favorite Gospel songs due to the simplicity of the arrangement (same as Crowe and the Kentucky Mountain Boys version) and the power of the rhythm guitar. Many bluegrass and acoustic guitarists can trace their influence directly to Tony Rice and I am no different. Much has been said about his lead and rhythm playing and it’s the latter that is showcased on this tune. The “cash register” lick that’s heard between the vocals is vintage Rice rhythm at its very best. Great arrangement, great story and a great harmony blend makes this song a top five pick for me.

Sagittarian Shannon Slaughter comes from Chiefland, Florida, and found interest in acoustic and country music at a young age. He began playing guitar on his own at age of eight and was soon singing in churches, at livestock fairs and other venues around the tri-county area of Levy, Gilchrist and Dixie.

His early influences included Merle Haggard, Randy Travis, Tony Rice, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs and the Osborne Brothers

Slaughter began his professional career at the age of 23 playing guitar with the Lost and Found. Subsequently, he enjoyed touring experiences with the Larry Stephenson Band. In 1995 he teamed with several top-flight southwest Virginia musicians and created Savannah Road, recording and performing with them for six years.

After a two-year hiatus he worked with Melonie Cannon, toured with the Lonesome River Band and then Lou Reid and Carolina before, in 2009, Slaughter organized his own band County Clare.

Slaughter has one solo release The Sideman Steps Out and with his wife Heather he has two CD releases; One More Road and Never Just a Song.

Most recently he was guitarist and vocalist in Grasstowne and is featured on their latest recording Grasstowne 4.

Slaughter has a B.S. Degree from Radford University and an M.A. from Samford University and currently teaches United States history and coaches football at Springville High School in Springville, Alabama.

Gospel Choices #4 – Bob Webster

Here’s the fourth contribution of a periodical feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Bob Webster, who has been very thoughtful in making his choices, which are ……..

Wicked Path of Sin – Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys: Columbia single 20503, 1948
God Loves His Children – Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys: Mercury single 6161, 1949
I Pressed Through the Crowd – South Central Bluegrass: We Can’t Return To the Homeplace (Webco, 1989)
What a Friend We Have in Jesus – Stony Point Quartet: (Cracker Barrel/Heritage, 2003)
Look For Me (For I Will Be There) – Marty Raybon & Full Circle: The Back Forty (Rural Rhythm, 2013)

“Choosing five bluegrass gospel favorites from the large inventory of recordings that we enjoy is a difficult task. Having worked an all Gospel broadcast for ten plus years provided exposure to a wide variety of old hymns, new compositions, vocal and instrumental arrangements, and inspirational lyrics that bring tears to the eyes. This list could evolve from week to week and is only a starting point, but will illustrate not only a few of my favorites, but also some of the most requested songs I received from listeners.

The list also risks leaving out some of my favorite artists and songs, such as The Isaacs (who have so many wonderful songs), Larry Sparks, Doyle Lawson, Paul Williams, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Carl Jackson, Jerry Salley, Joe Mullins and New Found Road as just a start. So, with that disclaimer, here are five to ponder.

Wicked Path of Sin, a Bill Monroe composition recorded September 17, 1946, the first gospel recording with the template for bluegrass bands that included Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and Birch Monroe. The recording is still in print and available in several box sets and features sparse mandolin and guitar runs for the music. The quartet is in fine shape to deliver the song’s message of joining friends inside the pearly gates after departing this wicked world.

God Loves His Children, one of the first four recordings by the newly formed Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys in fall of 1948, with Mac Wiseman, who is the only surviving 1948 Foggy Mountain Boy. This is one of the first recordings by the band whereby we get to enjoy Earl playing the guitar with finger picks in the style we became used to on their gospel songs. The lyrics are uplifting in telling of God’s love in all circumstances.

I Pressed Through the Crowd, written by Joe Isaacs, became popular in the Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Virginia and Washington, DC area from the recording by South Central Bluegrass, We Can’t Return To The Homeplace, which is long out of print. It has been recorded by Dale Ann Bradley, Paul Williams, John Bowman, New Coon Creek Girls and, of course, The Isaacs. Joe tells of the power of the robe of Christ.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus was written in 1855 by Joseph M. Scriven in an attempt to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland. Originally published anonymously, Scriven did not receive full credit for almost 30 years. There are many bluegrass recordings of this old hymn, both vocally and as an instrumental, but I like this version by the Stony Point Quartet (David McLaughlin, Dudley Connell, Linda Lay, Billy Lux) on the Cracker Barrel label since it contains the often deleted fourth verse. You might find one of the out of print CDs from some of the vendors on the Web.

Look For Me (For I Will Be There) is given wonderful treatment by Marty Raybon on his The Back Forty CD. Written by Rusty Goodman, Marty will make you weep with joy and hope in his version with minimal instrumentation, which makes the impact even more deep and meaningful.”

Bob Webster is host of the newly launched Bluegrass for Lunch radio program on Rockingham County Radio in North Carolina every Wednesday from noon to three.

He was also recently elected to the IBMA Board of Directors to fill the Broadcast Media seat. He is a 2011 graduate of the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass program.

Gospel Choices #3 – Jon Weisberger

Here’s the third contribution of a periodic feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Jon Weisberger, who has been very thoughtful in making his choices, which are ……..

1. Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, I’m Travelin’ On and On (The Essential Bill Monroe: 1945-1949 Columbia C2K 52478)

2. Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, Brother, I’m Getting Ready To Go (Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys Foggy Mountain Gospel Columbia92754)

3. Marshall Family, Waiting For the Master To Come (Marshall Family Best of the Marshall Family. Vol. 2Rebel REB 1652)

4. Jerry & Tammy Sullivan, Oh Captain (Jerry & Tammy Sullivan Tomorrow Ceili Music 2005)

5. Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Be Jesus To Someone Today (Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers Hymns from the Hills Rebel REB-CD 1839)

Gospel songs have been an important part of the bluegrass repertoire right from the start, and my list of favorites is a long one, so choosing just five songs to focus on is an excruciating job. In fact, the only thing that makes it easier in the slightest is that some of those I love the best, like Dee Gaskin’s I Couldn’t Make It Without Him, memorably sung by a young Rhonda Vincent with her family band, the Sally Mountain Show, aren’t readily available. With that in mind, here are a few that I turn to year in and year out, and one that I’m really proud to have had a hand in writing.

Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, I’m Travelin’ On and On. This was the last song recorded by the original bluegrass band, and after more than a year and a half together, they had an inventive, flexible quartet capable of cool arrangements with lots of quick call-and-response singing that seems effortless…until you try doing it yourself. I love the way the pauses, ritards and rich 4-note chord with the bass singing the sixth that makes up “my journey,” set up not just the final line of the chorus, but somehow seem to pull Monroe in to the microphone for two full—and quintessentially Bill—solos over Chubby Wise’s guitar

Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, Brother, I’m Getting Ready To Go. This edition of the band, which featured Everett Lilly and Jody Rainwater, was a truly great, and perhaps still under-appreciated one. The simplicity and assurance of the song’s message make such a strong impression that it can take a listener a long time to realize just how deliciously idiosyncratic the rhyme structure is, and the performance is absolutely masterful; Everett takes a muscular solo, Earl’s breaks confound expectations in wholly satisfying ways, and the quartet manages to sound tight while still allowing the distinctive quality of each singer’s voice to shine.

Marshall Family, Waiting For the Master To Come. If you don’t know the Marshall Family’s music, you’re missing one of the most beautiful and unique bodies of work in bluegrass gospel, never mind bluegrass in general. David Marshall wrote many of the group’s best-known works, and his quirky instrumental work takes some getting used to—don’t worry, it repays the effort—but this, one of their most sublime and tender songs, was written by its lead singer, Judy Marshall. The lyrics are compressed and concise, and together with the spare chord structure, the luxurious rise and fall of the melody, the hushed harmonies, and Judy’s delicate vocal, they create a powerful, mysterious blend of patience and anticipation that lingers long past the end of the

Jerry & Tammy Sullivan, Oh Captain. The recent passing of Jerry Sullivan put these wonderful folks on my mind, but truthfully, I don’t go for very long anyhow without listening to Tomorrow, the album their long-time friend Marty Stuart produced and played on back at the beginning of the new century. As with a long line of bluegrass singers going back to Bill Monroe, Tammy Sullivan cites an important African-American Gospel artist—in this case, Dorothy Love Coates—as an influence, and you can hear it in her moving delivery as well as the song itself. Like I’m Travelin’ On And On, Oh Captain has strategic pauses that draw the listener’s attention; here, we focus on the plea of the title, on the subtle restraint of the sliding vocal harmonies, and on the bass vocal of Jerry Sullivan, may he rest in peace.

Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Be Jesus To Someone Today. Tim Stafford came by my house one day with not much time to spare for a songwriting session, but he had an idea, drawn from a sign he’d seen outside a church. In less than an hour, the song was done. In his note to the Radio Ramblers’ wonderful recording, Joe Mullins expressed not just his belief, but ours, too: “If we could all live out the words in this song the world would be a much better place.”

Jon Weisberger is a one of the most prolific songwriters in bluegrass music, and was selected in 2012 to be the winner of the IBMA’s first Songwriter of the Year award. He also plays bass with Chris Jones and the Night Drivers, serves as on-air producer for the SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction show, Hand-Picked with Del McCoury, and writes occasionally for The Bluegrass Situation and the Nashville Scene.

In September 2013 he was elected chairman of IBMA’s board of directors.

Weisberger was the subject of a Bluegrass Today songwriter profile in September 2009.

Gospel Choices #2 – Gary Reid’s five favorite gospel songs

Here’s the second episode of a periodic feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five bluegrass gospel songs. This week we hear from Gary B Reid, an award winning writer with a particular focus on the music of the Stanley Brothers.

Naturally, there are two selections by The Stanley Brothers, but all Reid’s choices are very interesting. They are …..

A Voice From On High – The Stanley Brothers: Mercury single 70340, 1954
If We Never Meet Again – The Stanley Brothers: Good Old Camp Meeting Songs (King, 1962)
Let The Light Shine Down – Bill Monroe: Decca single 29436, 1955
It’s Just Like Heaven – Country Gentlemen: Sit Down Young Stranger (Sugar Hill, 1980)
Fifty Miles of Elbow Room – Carter Family: Bluebird 78… #9026, 1942

A Voice From On High has always been one of my favorite Stanley Gospel recordings. It was recorded in November of 1953 at Carter and Ralph’s second session for Mercury Records. Musically, the group was at a high water mark in their career. The vocal configuration of this song, where Ralph Stanley sang a high lead, and the harmony parts by John Shuffler and Carter Stanley were below, has always appealed to me; it was simply a stunning arrangement. Added to this was the fiddle work of one of my favorite Stanley fiddlers, Ralph Mayo, as well as the swooping, driving bass work of John Shuffler.

If We Never Meet Again is another of my favorites from the Stanley Brothers catalog. It was recorded in May of 1962 for an album on King called Good Old Time Camp Meeting Songs, King-805. The majority of the album was recorded over a two-day period. On the third day, the group came back into the studio and recorded a few songs to be released as singles (My Deceitful Heart, Mama Don’t Allow, etc.) as well as two additional songs for the gospel album. While the balance of the gospel album was really good, there was, to my ear, something special about the two religious songs from the third day of recording. Perhaps Carter got some good rest the night before and came to the session feeling refreshed. Or, maybe he had a special affinity for this particular song.

Whatever the case, Carter sang with a strength, conviction, and sweetness that was absolutely beautiful. I wish he had been able to pull out all the stops for the rest of the album.

Basically, I like Let The Light Shine Down because it moves! It’s got drive! I like the message of light being a guiding force in life.

In this song, as in all of the songs I listed, the performers emit a real conviction for what they are singing about. I don’t know that I always agree 100% with what they are singing about, but… because they so invested in what they are singing… their commitment, emotion, energy and excitement is real and that’s what speaks most to me.

It’s Just Like Heaven appeared on a 1980 album by the Country Gentlemen; it was the last one to feature Doyle Lawson when he was a member of the group. I’m sure that Doyle had more than just a little part in arranging the a cappella version of this lovely old hymn.

Years ago, when I first started researching the songs of the Stanley Brothers, I was curious as to where a lot of their gospel songs came from. I found some of them in old shape note hymnals, which put me on a quest to locate more hymnals so I could trace the origins of the Stanleys’ gospel music. As of today, I have about a thousand of the old shape note hymnals and the origins of only two or three of Carter and Ralph’s sacred recordings remain elusive to me.

One of the first hymnals I purchased was a 1951 hardback book called Church Hymnal; it was published in 1951 by the Tennessee Music and Printing Company. Not only did it contain a number of songs recorded by the Stanley Brothers, but by other bluegrass and old-time groups such as the Lilly Brothers, Carl Story, the Lewis Family, the Monroe Brothers, and more. As I would acquire new bluegrass recordings with gospel material on them, I would consult this hymnal to see if they were in there.

The very first song in the book was It’s Just Like Heaven. What makes this song special to me… the Country Gentlemen album with this song had just been released, and I knew of its inclusion in the Church Hymnal book. While attending the National Folk Festival at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Virginia, I encountered an all-black a cappella choir called the East Rome Singing School, from East Rome, Georgia. I noticed that their hymn book of choice was the Church Hymnal book.

When I went back to the festival the next day, I brought my copy of the hymnal with me. I think they were surprised to see some young white kid from the DC suburbs with a copy of “their” hymnal. I asked one of the song leaders if they could… if they would sing a song for me from the hymnal. My request was for It’s Just Like Heaven. I was amazed at the time how the choir could sight read and perform songs from the book without prior notice or rehearsal. I didn’t perceive of it as a test, but… I was curious to see what they could do with It’s Just Like Heaven. They nailed it! So… for a variety of reasons, I have a certain affinity for this song.

When I first became aware of bluegrass and old-time music in the early 1970s, one of the first groups I latched onto was the Carter Family. I loved Sara’s clear, high lead vocals on their earlier recordings, and Maybelle and A. P. harmonies, too. Of course, Maybelle’s guitar work was the icing on the cake.

In 1977, I acquired a 10-LP boxed set from Japan that contained all of the Carter Family’s Victor recordings. My friend Walt Saunders was importing LPs from Japan at the time and made them available to a small group of people he had on his mailing list. There weren’t many Carter Family albums in print in the late 1970s, and for people who were serious about collecting their music, the Japanese boxed set was a treasure trove.

The 86th anniversary of the Carter Family’s first recordings — from the famed Bristol sessions of 1927 — was just a few days ago [August 1st]. In honor of the occasion I listened to the songs from those sessions, on my iPhone, no less! Forty years after having heard them for the first time, I am still captivated by their music.

One of my favorite religious songs of theirs is Fifty Miles of Elbow Room. I don’t know how genuine a depiction the song is of the afterlife, but… I like how it speaks of a better place, whether it be “gem set walls of jasper” and gates 100 miles wide, or not.

Gary B Reid is currently working on an annotated discography of the Stanley Brothers’ recordings. Having been an early bass player with the Johnson Mountain Boys, Reid has devoted most of his adult life working in the record industry. In 1978 he formed Copper Creek Records – the birth place of Sara Dougherty Carter – and the following year Reid released the first single by the Johnson Mountain Boys.

He followed this with a several albums, the Stanley Series. featuring recordings of Stanley Brothers’ live at the various music parks around Washington DC, from the Ash Grove, in Los Angeles, and one from Bean Blossom. Later Reid broadened his catalog by releasing several albums of contemporaneous recordings by some artists from the west as well as many from the east coast. Interspersed with these were some historical recordings by the Louvin Brothers, the Carter Family, the Blue Sky Boys, Reno & Smiley, and others.

From 1983 to 1996 he worked for David Freeman, acting as project co-ordinator for several albums on the Rebel Records label.

Reid has won the IBMA’s Liner Notes – Recorded Project award three times; in 1994, 1999, and 2008. He was a final nominee for the award in 2006 also. He has written and published a preliminary discography of the Stanley Brothers’ recordings, made available in 1984. Since 1991 Reid has also published The Bluegrass Calendar.

Gospel Choices #1

Here’s another new feature, where we ask bluegrass personalities to choose their top five Gospel songs. This week we hear from Peter Thompson, host of Bluegrass Signal on KALW.

The five I’ve chosen are all from the wonderful world of bluegrass, although I can imagine a collection that also includes favorites from African-American Gospel.

Wings – Kathy Kallick Band: Walkin’ In My Shoes (Live Oak, 1999)
Some Glad Day – Mac Martin & the Dixie Travelers: Basic Blue Grass (Old Homestead, 1987)
I’ll Not Be a Stranger – Stanley Brothers: The Early Starday-King Years (King, 1961)
When I Wake Up To Sleep No More – Marshall Family: Requests (Rebel, 1976)
Won’t You Come and Sing For Me? – Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard: Pioneering Women Of Bluegrass (Smithsonian-Folkways, 1973)

Of course, Kathy is my favorite singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader, and I treasure the 20 years we’ve lived together. It’s hard to limit myself to just one of her great songs, but this one seems appropriate. I love its ecumenical and inclusive approach, optimistic perspective, and soulful singing. The recording is the first one issued on the Live Oak Records label that Kathy and I founded, named for areas of Florida and Michigan where the Stanley Brothers and Jimmy Martin were based — and for the trees that grow right outside our bedroom window in Oakland.

One of the joys of producing a concert series is the ability to call up a musical hero and invite him/her to come for a show. When I did so with Mac Martin, I had no idea it would lead to a close relationship with him and his wife, Jean, along with several concerts and visits. Mac’s County album with the classic Dixie Travelers is what drew me to his music, but I appreciate his version of another positive song, this one from the Monroe canon. Mac has always been a distinctive interpreter and arranger, and is a singer with loads of nuance and feeling.

The Stanley Brothers’ music was what got me hooked on bluegrass, and I never tire of listening to Carter’s powerful songs and that equally powerful duet with Ralph. Again, this is not from my favorite Stanley Brothers era — the Mercury sessions get that nod — but everything they recorded has merit, and I think this song fits well with the others. I’ve done thematic radio shows for many years, and I guess this set is no exception.

Hazel Dickens and Judy Marshall represent, for me, the yin and yang of bluegrass vocals, encompassing the edgy and haunting as well as the beautiful and transcendent aspects of singing, equally thrilling and moving. Hazel was, of course, one of our music’s extraordinary songwriters, and always made me listen to what she had to say. Judy, with her siblings, could sound sweetly powerful like no others. Both make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and stay there — as do all the musicians in this Gospel set.

Peter Thompson currently produces and hosts Bluegrass Signal on KALW (San Francisco) and WAMU’s Bluegrass Country, and earlier did bluegrass shows for Vancouver Co-op Radio and CBC Radio. He has been involved in bluegrass since the mid-1970s as not only a radio producer/host but also as a concert presenter, emcee, publicist, tour manager, record producer, booking agent, board member, product seller, label owner, and nanny.