Congratulations Wayne and Pamela!

What could be lovelier than a fall bluegrass wedding? But this one comes with a twist – the bride and groom are about to celebrate their tenth grandchild between them!

Wayne Taylor, former leader of US Navy Band Country Current, and currently his own group, Appaloosa, married his childhood sweetheart, Pamela Abee, in a small ceremony on October 10 at their home in Maiden, NC.

Taylor tells us that he and Pamela have known each other since elementary school, and graduated high school together, so he looked her up when he moved back to the old hometown.

“We were both previously married, and raised families of our own. I left Maiden in 1974 and spent 20 plus years in the Navy. When I came back home, I knew that Pam was living in the area so I invited her to go have a milk shake. We went out to lunch in Valle Crucis, NC. We’ve been together ever since.”

What a lovely story. Best wishes to the happy couple!

Wayne said that it’s his daughter who is expecting a child in December, so there will be plenty to celebrate come Christmas.

Congratulations and best wishes to Pamela and Wayne!

Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa in Scotland

Most of the bluegrass world has been concentrated in Raleigh over the past week at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual festivities. Wayne Taylor and Appaloosa, on the other hand, decided to take the “international” thing literally, and headed over the pond for a short tour of Scotland and Ireland.

First on the schedule was the 11th Annual Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival, held each September in southwest Scotland. The band was featured there throughout the weekend, and then performed for students at the local Moniaive Primary School. According to Taylor, they spent time teaching students about playing each bluegrass instrument – mandolin, banjo, bass, and guitar – as well as their origins. 

“We played Flint Hill Special, Why Don’t You Tell Me So, and explained how harmony is created and demonstrated it in the song,” Taylor said. “We also played Foggy Mountain Breakdown, and then taught the children the chorus to Grandpa’s Farm. The children demonstrated the farm animal sounds.”

Taylor and crew are now off to Ireland, where they’ll spend the next few days before heading back to Scotland for a final performance on Thursday evening. Taylor has shared a video from their visit with the students in Moniaive, and we hope to hear more from him as the week continues!

Visit Taylor’s website, www.waynetaylorproductions.com, for more information on specific venues and times for this week’s performances.

Keith Arneson headed back with Wayne Taylor

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa have announced that Keith Arneson will join the group on banjo in May when he retires from the US Navy Band program.

Keith and Wayne were bandmates for 15 years when Wayne was leading the Navy’s Country Current band, based in Washington, DC. That same group had also included Frank Solivan, who now fronts his own group as well, Dirty Kitchen.

Until May, Keith will do shows with Wayne as his schedule allows, and join Appaloosa full time once he retires. He had initially planned to get out last year, but had agreed to stay in until Country Current could find a suitable replacement. The Navy is still scheduling auditions for the banjo position, which also requires doubling on rhythm acoustic guitar and harmony vocals.

In addition to Wayne on guitar and lead vocals, Appaloosa features Emory Lester on mandolin and Kene Hyatt on bass.

You can keep up with their touring schedule online.

Movin’ On from Wayne Taylor

Wayne Taylor, former director of the US Navy’s Country Current, has released his latest CD, Movin’ On. Like his previous solo efforts, and his ones with Appaloosa, the record consists primarily of Taylor’s original songs, punctuated by a few folk and bluegrass classics.

Eight of twelve tracks are Wayne’s, with covers of The Dillards’ Old Home Place, Scarborough Fair, and Dark Hollow concluding the track listing, along with a new Tex-Mex song, Hills Of Sonora, by David Parker.

Assisting in the studio were Emory Lester on mandolin and guitar, Keith Arneson on banjo, Kene Hyatt on bass, Gaven Largent on reso-guitar, and Rickie Simpkins on fiddle and viola. Wayne plays guitar and sings lead, with harmony vocals contributed by Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley.

An especially nice touch is the painting that serves as the cover by North Carolina folk artist Charlie Frye. It echoes the theme of one of Wayne’s songs, Red Is The Color, which was written about a close friend from South Dakota, Jim Red Cloud, who suffered the loss of his son a few years ago.

Movin’ On will be available later this week from Taylor’s web site, and for download purchase from CD Baby.

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa in the studio

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa are back in the studio this week, cutting tracks for a new band project, tentatively titled I’m Moving On. They are shooting for a July release on Raincoe Music. It will be their fourth.

Nine of the songs will be Wayne’s originals, along with some classics from the world of folk and bluegrass.

Keith Arneson is on banjo, Emory Lester on mandolin, Kene Hyatt on bass, and Taylor on guitar and vocals. Rickie Simpkins will pop in to add fiddle at a later date.

Wayne shared a few words about the studio where they are working, and some photos.

“The studio is in Sharpsburg, MD, where the battle of Antietam (Battle of Sharpsburg) took place. The studio is an old two story farm house that was used as a hospital during the war. Todd Stotler is the engineer and owns Echoes Recording Studio.

He said there are no ghosts there.”

 

Kip Martin feted Sunday afternoon

Kip Martin’s friends filled a church sanctuary Sunday in Crofton, MD, opening their hearts and wallets for the ailing bass player.

The former Sunny Mountain Boy was hundreds of miles away, surrounded by family in a hospice setting near Nashville, where relatives said he was comfortable in his final hours. But he was certainly in the DC suburbs in spirit, as a string of former music colleagues swapped songs and stories about Martin for the 200 or so folks who filled the pews.

Keith Arneson, who organized the benefit, said more than $4,000 was raised through donations at the door and in a raffle for festival tickets, music lessons and gear, and a handful of instruments, including a mandolin donated by Eastman Strings, a guitar and a harmonium. A few thousand more was sent through an online donation site set up for those who couldn’t attend.

Wayne Taylor, who hosted the event at his church, set the mood for the three-hour show, singing the last line of What a Wonderful World, and then, as the final chord still rang, adding, “We love you, Kip.” For the rest of the afternoon and evening, many of the musicians who performed had something to say about the man they were honoring.

Despite the somber reason for the benefit – to help with medical bills and final expenses – the mood was upbeat, much like a memorial service for a much-loved uncle who was talented, intelligent, funny and, well, somewhat of a rascal. Kip Martin is all of those things.

The stage and the audience were sprinkled with well known personalities from Washington D.C.’s vibrant bluegrass scene: Frank Solivan and his band mates from Dirty Kitchen, fiddlers Chris Sexton, Wally Hughes and Patrick McAvinue, band leader and radio host Lisa Kay Howard-Hughes, Dudley Connell of the Seldom Scene, radio host Katy Daley and many more. The DC Bluegrass Union, which Kip founded before moving to Nashville several years ago, was well represented.

The night ended with an open jam, with nearly two dozen pickers, pros and fans alike, joining in Will The Circle Be Unbroken. There were more than a few misty eyes at the end. But there was also proof, once again that the bluegrass community knows how to take care of its own.

 

Praise His Holy Name from Wayne Taylor

I’ve long understood that a military career shows you how to get things done, but former Navy bandsman Wayne Taylor may be working on a new bluegrass record. Over the past 6-8 weeks, he has conceived an album project, written a title track, recorded, mixed and mastered the album, and will have it available for sale this weekend.

Actually, it was the song that came first. Wayne said that he wrote Praise His Holy Name in October, which inspired him to get to work on a new Christmas record.

“I was talking with Kyle Cantrell during our last track by track, and he mentioned that bluegrass needs more Christmas music. That was in the back of my mind, and one night the song just kind of happened.

Songs are gifts. This one was handed to me and I felt compelled to get it out quickly. The message is needed with the way the world is today; we need more peace and love. That’s the song’s message.”

The first tracking began on November 1, mixing was done on the 25th and mastering on the 27. Wayne wanted to especially credit National Media Services of Front Royal, VA and their CEO Mike McCool, for helping them get everything buttoned up and delivered before December 1.

Taylor enlisted a few of his former Country Current bandmates, a couple of his favorite bluegrass singers, and put a strong band around them all for this special collection. He ended up with Keith Arneson on banjo, Emery Lester on mandolin, Pat White on fiddle, Chris Sexton on viola, and Kene Hyatt on bass. Wayne played guitar and sang lead, with Don Rigsby and Missy Armstrong singing harmonies.

He said choosing these folks was a simple task.

“I played many, many Christmas gigs in the Navy with Keith and Pat, so I was able to pull from our past arrangements and put the songs down quickly. Emory and Kene are such professionals, and they were able to jump right in as well.

Phoenix Studio engineer George Hodgkiss told me what a great viola player Chris Sexton was, so we called him. I sent Chris an MP3 of Keith Arneson and I playing Praise His Holy Name and  Away in A Manger, and he wrote out parts and knocked them out in no time. He also did Silent Night off the cuff.

I selected the vocalists because I knew Don would sound great on Santa Looked A Log Like Daddy, and Go Tell It On The Mountain. Missy is probably my favorite singer, and she sounds great whatever she sings.”

Songs on Praise His Holy Name include:
  • Go Tell It On The Mountain
  • Praise His Holy Name
  • Santa Looked A Lot Like Daddy
  • White Christmas
  • Dueling Jingle Bells
  • Away In A Manger
  • Winter Wonderland
  • Silent Night

All 8 songs can be heard now at Airplay Direct, where radio programmers can download the tracks for airplay. Look for CDs at CD Baby and on Wayne’s web site by this weekend.

Thanksgiving weekend festival weather report

Here is the opening installment in what we hope will be a regular feature at Bluegrass Today, a weekend festival weather report with Special Bluegrass Correspondent, John Goad.

As often as time, resources and inclination allow, SBC Goad will report on likely weather and travel conditions for major bluegrass events throughout the year.

This initial episode serves as an introduction to the concept. More to come…

 

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa in Europe

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa have recently returned from several weeks touring in Europe, with special guest Mike Scott on banjo in tow. Taylor sent along this quick recap of their time across the pond, along with a number of photos.

We departed Baltimore/Washington Airport on 9 July, arriving in Bergen, Norway on 10 July. Our first gig was on 11 July in Sandane, a 60 minute show for an enthusiastic crowd. Then on the 12th, we played in a nice auditorium for officials and government personnel at the Kulturhus TRAVELSHAGEN.

The next day we were able to take a sight-seeing tour at the BRIKSDAL Glacier, and that evening we played for sponsors of the festival.

On the 14th we played in a beautiful church in Reed with Bobby Bare, Vince Gill, and other European musicians.

Sunday the 15th we made our way back to the Bergen Airport to fly on to Amsterdam. Monday was a day off in Amsterdam; very interesting city.

Tuesday the 17th we performed in our contact’s home town of Nieuwkoop for a great crowd of bluegrass lovers. Four bluegrass fans came from Belgium to see the band. A couple of the guys knew most of the original material – that was pretty cool.

We flew out of Amsterdam headed for Edinburgh, Scotland on the 18th. John Sheldon of the Scottish Bluegrass Association housed our band, plus another group from the Czech Republic, Rough and Rocky Road.

On Thursday the 19th we played for a packed church in Longniddry, Scotland. Many thanks to Robin Hill. Then the 20th and 21st found us at the Guildtown Festival. John said it was his best crowd to date.

On the 22nd we visited the city of Edinburgh, went to the Castle and browsed the Royal Mile Street.

With us on this tour were Emory Lester on mandolin, Kene Hyatt on bass, Mike Scott on banjo and myself on guitar/vocals. We owe Mike Scott a ton of gratitude for helping us out. He is a true pro and good guy; we had a blast.

We made some good music made friends, and brought back memories for a lifetime.

Thanks to those responsible for helping us with the performances and for allowing us to share our music around the world.

Scott Walker to Appaloosa

Here’s another change on the bluegrass band front. Scott Walker has been tapped to play banjo with Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa, filling a spot recently vacated by Lee Marcus. Lee had done two stints with Taylor’s band, and is leaving to start a new career as a military man.

Scott is stepping in right away, but as he is unable to make the band’s trip to Norway, Holland and Scotland in July, Mike Scott will accompany Taylor and the guys overseas.

Wayne spoke very highly of Marcus, and said that he would be a credit to the military, where Taylor also dedicated himself for 24 years, more than 20 of them as a musician.

“We would like to thank Lee for his contributions to our effort, and we wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.”

Keep track of Appaloosa on their official web site.

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