Your favorite syndicated bluegrass radio shows are also featuring Christmas music this week on their shows. Into The Blue, hosted by our own Terry Herd, Knee Deep In Bluegrass, hosted by Cindy Baucom, and Unreal Bluegrass, hosted by Steve Martin, all have prepared special holiday fare for their listeners this week.
Two of these also have special guests to add to the Christmas spirit. Cindy traditionally has her husband, banjo icon Terry Baucom, on hand to co-host her Christmas show, and this year is no exception. Steve also has Becky Buller with him this week for Christmas.
All three of these programs run on a Sunday too Saturday schedule, so many affiliates have already aired these special shows, but you can check their web site for more information on when your local stations run them.
Many of the stations that carry these programs run it on Fridays or Saturdays, and a good number also stream concurrently online. Hard to think of a much better way to spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day than listening to several hours of bluegrass Christmas music.
This upcoming weekend’s edition of Into The Blue, the most widely syndicated bluegrass radio program in the United States, will feature a special tribute to the late Tony Rice. Hosted by our own Terry Herd, the first hour of the show will include many recorded examples from Tony’s four decade career, along with insight and commentary from Tim Stafford of Blue Highway.
Terry says what we’re all thinking in describing this special edition of the show.
“Who in our industry hasn’t been touched or influenced by Tony Rice? He was the gold standard by which all guitar players since have been measured. I think Ricky Skaggs said it best, ‘Tony was the single most influential acoustic guitar player in the last 50 years.’ I’m honored to be joined by Tim Stafford, who literally wrote the book on Tony Rice – co-author of Still Inside, The Tony Rice Story. Tim articulates Tony’s contribution in this hour long broadcast, in a way that only he can.
It’s my hope Tony’s fans will enjoy this tribute, and those who have yet to discover his amazing gift will realize what a giant he was and always will be.”
Here’s a snippet from the show…
Into The Blue is now in its 28th year of syndication. Launched in 1992 from Oregon, Herd relocated his headquarters to Nashville in 1996. In 2000 he was tapped by Sirius Satellite radio to create their bluegrass channel, where he served as Format Manager and host until April 2006, while continuing to program and host his own show. During that time he assembled the existing team of broadcasters including Kyle Cantrell, Chris Jones, Ned Luberecki, and Joey Black who appear on Bluegrass Junction to this day.
The show airs on 130+ commercial broadcast stations in the US, and you can find one near you on their web site. Many of these affiliates also stream their programming online.
You can hear Into The Blue on Sunday evening (January 3) on WSM online from 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. (EST).
Ashley Lewis is a young singer, songwriter, and mandolinist who is turning heads in Nashville. Still in her mid-twenties, she is already drawing comparisons to the most notable female artists in bluegrass, with powerful expectations for Captivated, her third self-released album.
A debut single, River’s Rising is available to radio now and will be premiered this weekend during Into The Blue on the 139 affiliated stations of the Bluegrass Radio Network. It’s one of the 11 originals from Ashley on the new record.
Captivated was produced by Lewis with the assistance of fiddle fabuloso Jimmy Mattingly, who appears on the CD. Also assisting are Andy Hall on reso-guitar, Dennis Crouch on bass, and Cody Kilby, Kent Wells, and Josh Williams on guitar. Harmony vocals come from Josh Williams, Carl Jackson, Vince Gill, and Jon Randall.
Here’s an ear peek at the single…
Look for the CD to drop next week, with the official premier counted as Sunday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. (CDT) when Into The Blue airs on Nashville’s powerful WSM AM 650, which also streams their live signal online. You can find other BRN affiliates online as well.
Here’s a bit of radio news that runs counter to the trend. WMAK, a 1000 watt AM station in Lobelville, TN, is switching to an advertiser-supported, all-bluegrass format starting December 26.
The station is under the management of Whiplash Community Radio, who own five radio properties across the US. WMAK is currently airing all Christmas music, but will make the shift to bluegrass the day after.
Whiplash President Chris Lash tells us that the broadcast signal reaches between three and six counties in Middle Tennessee along the I-40 corridor, from their tower in Lobelville southwest of Nashville. He says that the biggest opportunity lies in online streaming and technology to rebroadcast the signal on an FM frequency.
“With technology improving for AM with things like phone apps, online listening, and the FCC making it a priority to make AM more viable, we felt it was time for an all bluegrass formatted radio station. In 2014, the FCC is set to approve an FM translator for most AMs, making them FMs in the process.
My long term radio relationship with Terry Herd, of Into The Blue, inspired me to put together a 24/7 bluegrass channel. Our former format was oldies, and it wasn’t making much of an impact in Perry County, TN. All research that we conducted said that 89% of the Tennessee households in our market, listen to some form of country music. We have an FM sister there, known as 101.3 HANK FM, which plays the legends of country. We wanted to take the research and do something different.
Everything we do involves not only streaming, it involves tying the station into the free Tunein Radio app. Tunein has been very reliable in allowing anyone to listen to their favorite stations, wherever they want, including in their cars. Simply plug a cord into your smart phone, and into your car stereo and listen any where in the world.”
The new format will involve hosted content for the most part, including syndicated programming.
“We will feature on air talent, pretty much around the clock with yours truly, plus Alan Kabel in mornings, and some other friends on the air during different dayparts. Terry’s Into The Blue will not only air daily during the lunch hour, but also on Saturdays.
We will be 60% currents from the Bluegrass Todayweekly chart, mixed with 30% bluegrass of the past dating back to the ’60s. We’ll also have a recurrent category, where today’s current top hits continue to be played, even after they have left the chart.”
Other syndicated content will include popular shows like Knee Deep In Bluegrass and the Sutton Old Time Music Hour.
“We’re also going to include The Renfro Valley Gathering, the Bluegrass Gospel Hour on Sunday mornings, and our only produced monthly live radio show, The Mother’s Best Flour Hour.”
Chris said that they are looking into other syndicated programming as well.
You can reach the staff of WMAK through the HANK FM web site.
Today marks that moment each year when the entire bluegrass world shifts from regular life to IBMA mode. Our coverage will transition later today (more on that soon), as the annual IBMA convention starts to dominate the news.
Both Into The Blue radio host Terry Herd and bluegrass power-duo Dailey & Vincent will be at the World Of Bluegrass in Nashville all next week, but they prepared a special program that will air on 160 affiliate stations staring this coming Sunday, and running throughout IBMA week.
Terry sat down with the guys for an interview which will fill the entire show next week – 2 hours with IBMA’s reigning Entertainers of the Year, who head into the 2010 awards show with more nominations than any other act. In the midst of tracks from their three recordings, they discuss their career highlights to date, and throw out a passel of fun facts.
Terry passed along a few teasers:
Jamie discusses how he found one of their most popular songs in a trash can.
What it was like getting a standing ovation from the Statlers Brothers at their Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The feeling that hit them when they first stepped onto the stage of the Ryman for their first ever official performance as a duo.
The song they most wish they could have been the very first to record.
Into The Blue airs at different times on the many affiliated stations. You can find one near you using their station locator, or hunt for one that streams the show live online.
Important note for folks headed to IBMA: the show airs at 9:00 p.m. local time in Nashville Sunday evening, so you can unwind in your room and enjoy the show as you prepare for the onslaught.
If you’ve read about such award winning bluegrass radio programs as Cindy Baucom’s Knee-Deep In Bluegrass or Terry Herd’s Into The Blue, but couldn’t find them on a local station near you, Bluegrassmix.com offers the solution.
Bluegrassmix.com is a 24/7 streaming internet radio station that plays bluegrass and old traditional country music. They’ve just announced that these two award winning shows will now be included in their lineup.
We are so proud AND honored to annouce that Nationally known DJ’s, Cindy Baucom and Terry Herd, will be added to our broadcasting line-up!!!
Cindy Baucom’s Knee Deep in Bluegrass is scheduled to air on Wednesday nights 10 pm – 12 midnight EST.
Terry Herd’s Into the Blue is scheduled to air on Sunday mornings 9am – 12 noon EST.
The site/station was started in December of 2007 by Roger Randolph and Julie Raye. The two have many ideas and goals, adding these syndicated shows to the lineup was one of those goals.
So visit Bluegrassmix.com and tune in to some great bluegrass 24/7.
