The Bad Livers -- see artist discography

The Bailes Brothers -- see artist discography

The Bailey Brothers "Have You Forgotten?" (Rounder Records, 1974) (LP)
Vintage recordings by Charles and Dan Bailey, a brother duo who first started recording in the late 1930s, around the same time as Bill and Charlie Monroe. I mention the Monroes because the Bailey boys developed a sound that was influenced by bluegrass, but never wholly part of it -- they had an interesting sound that was midway between the older "brother harmonies" of groups such as the Callahan Brothers and contemporaries like the Blue Sky Boys, and the more buoyant new bluegrass style. This album collects some of their vintage, Depression era recordings, songs that were quite popular at the time, although they are also one of the older acts that were rediscovered by the Rounder Records folkies, and invited to record new albums in the '70s that are also quite good.

The Bailey Brothers "Take Me Back To Happy Valley" (Rounder Records, 1975) (LP)

The Bailey Brothers "Just As The Sun Went Down" (Rounder Records, 1980)

Kenny Baker -- see artist discography

Barbwyre "Barbwyre" (2013)
Loose-limbed, playful "funkgrass" from this Colorado quartet. They mix bluegrass and western swing with a little smidge of rock and jazz in there as well... If you like, oh say, John Cowan or Sam Bush, you'll probably dig these mile-high hillbillies as well.

Butch Baldassari "A Day In The Country" (Pinecastle, 1994)
A sweet, all-instrumental album from mandolinist Butch Baldassari. Some of the more modern-sounding tunes coast into the saccharine style that predominates these days, but the more relaxed, twangier front porch-y stuff is pretty nice. Good album to chill out to.

Butch Baldassari "New Classics For Bluegrass Mandolin" (Soundart, 1998)
Another nice set of inventive instrumentals, some that drift into "new acoustic" territory, but mostly in a relative traditional bluegrass mode. Nice for fans of instrumental music, though somewhat underwhelming overall.

Banjo Dan & The Mid-Nite Plowboys "Snowfall" (Fretless/Philo Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Michael Couture)

Russ Barenberg -- see artist discography

Danny Barnes -- see artist discography

Bashful Brother Oswald "Don't Say Aloha" (Rounder Records, 1972)
An interesting confluence of old-time country, traditional bluegrass and 1930s-style Hawaiian music. Oswald Kirby, (aka Bashful Brother Oswald) once a key member of Roy Acuff's old band, was a veteran radio performer way back in the Depression era, whose career was revitalized by the '60s/'70s folk revival... Here he works through a nice slice of his wide repertoire -- clompy old banjo tunes, gospel recitations and Hawaiian ditties, as well as over-the-top sentimental weepers, such as "Should I Tell My Wife I'm Dying?" They just don't make 'em like this anymore! Oswald was pretty long in the tooth when he made these recordings, but it's still nice stuff, delivered with a simplicity and sincerity that stands the test of time.

Bashful Brother Oswald "Brother Oswald" (Rounder Records, 1972)
A classic dobro instrumental set, made with young'uns Tut Taylor and Norman Blake in tow, as well as another former member of Roy Acuff's Smoky Mountain Boys, Charlie Collins, also pitching in. Sweet stuff, also with a healthy odes of old-fashioned Hawaiian music in the mix. Recommended!

Bass Mountain Boys "Carolina Calling Me" (Pinecastle, 1992)
A real winner!! Good old-fashioned truegrass in the grand Stanleys/Flatt & Scruggs/Jim & Jesse mold. Sharp, aggressive picking, with equally assertive, authoritatively craggy vocals. Top-flight stuff: well worth tracking down!

Terry Baucom, Lou Reid & Carolina "Carolina Moon" (Sugar Hill, 1993)

Baucom, Bibey & BlueRidge "Come Along With Me" (Sugar Hill, 2002)
A nice mix of gospel and secular bluegrass by this sleek ensemble led by banjoist Terry Baucom and mandolinist Alan Bibey -- late of Quicksilver and IIIrd Tyme Out -- and their new band BlueRidge. Included is guitar picker Junior Sisk, who also contributes a couple of nice tunes to the mix -- more great truegrass for fans to gobble up...!

Riley Baugus "Life Of Riley" (Yodel-Ay-Hee, 2001)

Riley Baugus & Ira Bernstein "Appalachian Roots" (Yodel-Ay-Hee, 2002)

Riley Baugus & The Lonesome Sisters "Going Home Shoes" (Tin Halo Music, 2004)

Riley Baugus "Long Steel Rail" (Sugar Hill, 2006)
(Produced by Tim O'Brien & Dirk Powell)
A strong, salty set of hardcore old-timey music, much of it played solo by Baugus, accompanying himself on fiddle or banjo, and even singing a capella with a hard-won, ultra-traditionalist, nails-on-a-chalkboard, keening wail. If you're into rugged, uncompromised old-time music from the likes of Hazel Adkins, Bruce Molsky or Dirk Powell, then this disc is definitely for you. Indeed, Powell, along with Tim O'Brien, is a co-producer of this album and they both play on many of the tracks. This album's a real treat for the faithful, each and every song suffused with the craggy, live-wire intensity that best defines the genre. Definitely recommended!

Riley Baugus & Laurelyn Dossett "The Music Of Brother Wolf" (Triad Stage, 2006)

Riley Baugus & Kirk Sutphin "Long Time Piedmont Pals" (Old Blue, 2010)

Bearfoot Bluegrass "Only Time Knows" (2002)
A mostly-female bluegrass/newgrass band from Alaska... Later they shortened their name to just plain old "Bearfoot."

Bearfoot Bluegrass "Back Home" (Glacier Records, 2004)

Bearfoot "Follow Me" (Glacier Records, 2005)

Bearfoot "Doors And Windows" (Compass Records, 2009)
This Alaskan ensemble has beautiful mix of luminous bluegrass and tender, confessional neo-folk, all delivered with an impeccable sense of melody and timing. The female vocals intertwine while bouncing around to the well-placed fiddle and mandolin... A sly dobro slips in and out, underscoring the playful, allusive lyrics. This is, in short, one of the sweetest and most listenable Americana-folk albums of the decade, taking deeply traditional sounds and giving them an original-sounding, soulful modernization. Very distinctive, and very nice. Highly recommended!

Bearfoot "American Story" (Compass Records, 2011)
(Produced by Brent Tuitt)
There was a big shakeup in the decade-old Bearfoot bluegrass band, following the release of their mesmerizing 2009 album, Doors And Windows... Three of the five current members are new, including singer Nora Jane Struthers, who bears an uncanny likeness to Sarah Jarosz, both in her vocal tone and in the open-ended, poetic structure of her songs. One this album, the reconstituted band holds a likeness to Alison Krauss and Union Station, less stylistically then organizationally: the Struthers-led songs are balanced by more rugged, boyish bluegrass with more of a traditionalist feel, much the same way Dan Tyminski and Ron Block balance Krauss's modernist muse. I didn't find this album as alluring as their last, but there's plenty here to keep old fans happy and gather new ones in as well. Definitely worth a spin.

Delia Bell -- see artist discography

The Bell Spur String Band "The Bell Spur String Band" (Heritage Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Elbert L. Marshall)
Bedrock old-timey music by a family band from Bell Spur, Virginia, made up of Johnny Jessup (autoharp), Joseph Edgar Jessup (banjo), Martin Marshall (banjo), and Ernest Stanley (who was also part of the Jessup family) on fiddle. The session was recorded informally back on August 12, 1963 by producer Elbert Marshall, who also contributes copious liner notes. These guys were already old-timers when they cut this session: they started playing together in the 1920s, though they never recorded anything before these tapes were made; the liner notes also inform us that fiddler Ernest Stanley was born back in 1893, so he was seventy when they cut this session. A lot of well-known tunes are included, although the arrangements were unusual, and in 1982 bluegrasser Bobby Patterson sat down with Martin Marshall -- the group's surviving member -- to work out the parts for a new recording of the Bell Spur band's material, a project that in turn led to Elbert Marshall finally issuing his old tapes on LP.

Gloria Belle "...Sings And Plays Bluegrass In The Country" (Rebel Records, 1967) (LP)

Gloria Belle "A Good Hearted Woman" (Southern Belle Records, 1978) (LP)

Gloria Belle "Love Of The Mountains" (Webco Records, 1986) (LP)

Wayne Benson "An Instrumental Anthology" (Pinecastle Records, 2003)
A very pleasant all-instrumental set, fronted by the young mandolin player from the popular band, IIIrd Tyme Out. Nice, bouncy sense of melody, with plenty of sweet, playful riffs. Occasionally drifts into David Grisman-y dawg-grass homage, but still, that's sort of to be expected, what with him being a mandolinist and all. Nice stuff!

Byron Berline -- see artist discography

Alan Bibey "In The Blue Room" (Sugarhill Records, 2000)
A rock-solid tradgrass set, well produced and packed with talent. Bibey's constant cohorts, such as Terry Baucomb and Tony Rice pitch in, though Bibey sets some time aside to just plain show off on the mandolin, notably on instrumental numbers such as the short, jazzy "Wild Fiddler's Rag," and the more sugary "Lee's Reel" and "Stumptowne." A few choice vocal numbers, too, with plenty of liveliness and pluck. A real class act.

Big Country Bluegrass "The Boys In Hats And Ties" (Rebel Records, 2010)
A swell high-lonesome set, dedicated to the golden age of classic bluegrass music -- the era in which Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs and others toured the country, duded up "in hats and ties" and brought drag-racing twang to the world. This low-key, high intensity ensemble mixes passion for the music with a pleasantly grizzled feel -- you can hear the age in their voices, complimented by the wisdom it brings, and as older players often, do they really reach into the emotional depths of each song. If you like your bluegrass gritty and true, this album might just do the trick for you!

Big Country Bluegrass "Memories Of The Past" (Rebel Records, 2013)
(Produced by Tommy Sells & Big Country Bluegrass)
A great set of rock-solid, true-blue, old-school bluegrass, with hot picking, tight vocal harmonies and great material. Tommy and Teresa Sells are the core of this long-lived Virginia ensemble, joined here by lead singer Eddie Gill and banjoist Lynwood Lunsford, who all certainly pull their weight... and then some. This mostly-secular set has the kind of sizzle and sincerity we look for in traditionally oriented truegrass, the immediacy and simplicity that can still give you a little tingle when you hear it done right... like on this record! Give her a spin, and you'll see what I mean.

The Bills "Let 'Em Run" (Red House Records, 2005)
This Canadian quintet gives eclectic music a good name, spinning off from a basic bluegrassy sound into more modern terrain as well as French-Canadian and classical-tinged material. The clunky classical-inspired stuff that opens the album and bookends a few passages is the only weak spot -- it sounds like it was just plunked down in the middle of an otherwise winsome album -- but I guess you can't fault such a talented ensemble for trying to tell us that they are "classy" players, too. Overall, this is a very lively, playful set -- more than anything, it reminds me of old, early New Grass Revival records, which is fairly high praise in my book! Worth checking out.

Elmer Bird "Elmer Bird's Greatest Licks" (Fret 'N' Fiddle Records, 1980) (LP)

Elmer Bird "Home Sweet Home" (Windy Ridge Records, 1982)
(Produced by Jim McCown)
A modest offering spotlighting the clawhammer picking of "the banjo man from Turkey Creek," with backing from the Outdoor Plumbing Company, aka the McCown family. Bird was a bluegrasser from West Virginia who plays in a galloping tempo, cheerfully singing in kind of a clunky vocal style that matches the rhythm-heavy clawhammer style... Though perhaps purposefully not electrifying, this is a nice example of just-plain-folks private-label musicmaking, old tunes sung and played just for fun. I'm not sure how many albums Bird made, but I think the Plumbing Company has a few records of their own...

Elmer Bird & John Hartford "Bumble Bee Waltz" (John Hartford Music, 1985) (LP)

Elmer Bird "George, How I Miss You" (1995-?)
Another collaboration with John Hartford...

The Biscuit Burners "Fiery Mountain Music" (Indidog Records, 2004)

The Biscuit Burners "A Mountain Apart" (Indidog Records, 2005)

The Biscuit Burners "Take Me Home" (Indidog Records, 2008)

Bittercreek "All The Good Times" (Meteor Sound, 1979) (LP)
(Produced by Lou Johnson)
This Ogden, Utah bluegrass band featured fiddler Jim Shupe and bassist Ted Shupe, members of the Shupe Family Fiddlers band, which later spawned the Top Forty career of Ted's son, Ryan. The Shupes are joined on this disc they are joined by Paul Cannon, Edward Cannon (mandolin), Curtis Cannon (banjo), and Don Baker on guitar. The Shupes came from a long line of traditionally-oriented musicians, and made sure they passed the torch to their kids... In the early '80s, Ted Shupe organized the Pee Wee Pickers band, which featured his then- ten-year old son Ryan on fiddle, along with a pre-teen Matt Flinner on banjo, and much later in life Mr. Shupe and his wife Sandy organized the Utah-based Wallsburg Music Festival, which they founded in 2014.

Norman Blake -- see artist discography

Blanchard Valley Bluegrass Boys "Southbound Express" (ARK, 1984) (LP)

Audie Blaylock & Redline "Hard Driving Bluegrass" (Rural Rhythm, 2009)

Audie Blaylock & Redline "Hard Country" (Rural Rhythm, 2012)
(Produced by Audie Blaylock)
"Hard country" is what I call honkytonk and old hillbilly stuff, but bluegrass bandleader Audie Blaylock has a slightly different take on the phrase, using it to frame a sweet, solid set of traditional truegrass that draws on the bluesy twang of Jimmy Martin as well as the expansive, subtle folkiness of the progressive bluegrass scene. Fans of J.D. Crowe and the New South might want to check this guy out -- newcomer Blaylock is definitely keeping the torch alive.

Bill Blaylock & Clay Willis "There's A New Day Dawning" (JED Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by John E. Denny & Michael Figlio)

Ron Block "Faraway Land" (Rounder Records, 2001)
An inspirational-gospel album which veers between some hot picking, high-harmony gems and slower, drippier adult-folk introspections. The few truegrassy numbers, such as "He's Holding On To Me" and "In The Morning Light" are dazzlers, but the album as a whole is fairly dreary and overly serious. An interesting theological note is struck on "Higher Than Man," wherein Block reexamines the cruelty of Biblical injunctions with a more compassionate, modern eye. Not my cup of tea, but those looking for a little nuance in their Christianity, or a new direction in the well-trod paths of bluegrass gospel, may find this disc rather thought-provoking. Interesting side project from this stalwart member of Alison Krauss's band, Union Station.

Ron Block "Door Way" (Rounder Records, 2007)

Ron Block "Walking" (Rounder Records, 2013)

Blue And Lonesome "Another Song" (Legend Records, 2001)
Nice bluesy, rootsy, vocal-oriented tradgrass, sort of along the lines of Tony Rice's fab Manzanita album, though with somewhat rougher edges. The lead vocals and banjo plunking both hold the band back a bit; there's a little trouble coming 'round the bend on some of the phrasing... Still, I found this disc pretty appealing; they're particularly strong on the handful of gospel tunes amid the more secular heartsongs -- definitely worth checking out.

The Blue Canyon Boys "Just An Ol' Dirt Road" (BCB Records, 2005)
(Produced by Drew Garrett & Craig Corona)
Rugged, ragged, pleasantly unruly DIY bluegrass and old-timey music, with equal debts to Bill Monroe, Alfred G. Karnes and Gram Parsons... Great repertoire: half the songs were composed by singer-guitarist Jason Hicks, with two others by mandolin picker Gary Dark, and another by bassist Chris Goodspeed, augmented by oldies such as E. C. Ball's "When I Get Home" and one of my gospel favorites, William M. Golden's "Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies" (mis-attributed as "traditional," but I'll forgive them, since they get the feel of the song so right...) The original material on here perfectly matches the musical texture of their inspirations, and if you like the more melodic end of the old-timey spectrum, you'll want to check these guys out... Their rough-and-ready performance style puts them on the edge of alt-countryness but the Appalachian vibe remains true. Recommended!

The Blue Canyon Boys "Hello City Limits" (BCB Records, 2008)

The Blue Canyon Boys "House Full Of Sorrow" (BCB Records, 2009)

The Blue Canyon Boys "Mountain Bound" (BCB Records, 2010)

The Blue Canyon Boys "Next Go 'Round" (BCB Records, 2013)

Blue Flame Stringband "Blue Flame Stringband" (Flying Fish Records, 1983) (LP)
An archetypal Berkeley/East Bay Area acoustic roots album, featuring local luminaries Eric and Susie Thompson (nee Rothfield), Alan Senauke, Kate Brislin and bassists Beth Weil and Todd Phillips on alternating tracks. The repertoire includes old-timey clompin', some heartsongs and gospel material, and a hefty dose of Louisiana cajun music. From my point of view, the cajun stuff is a distraction, but it's certainly representative of the direction the SF/West Coast folkies took off in during the '80s. Another fine, competent album along the lines of the Any Old Time String Band and other purveyors of archaic, off-the-radar acoustic styles.

Blue Highway "It's A Long Long Road" (Rebel Records, 1995)

Blue Highway "Wind To The West" (Rebel Records, 1996)

Blue Highway "Midnight Storm" (Rebel Records, 1998)

Blue Highway "Blue Highway" (Skaggs Family Records, 1999)
Dazzling latter-day truegrass with a nice mix of hot picking and deep, rich harmony vocals, as well as dips into gospel, prison songs, and the like. Personally, I could live without hearing another version of "Man Of Constant Sorrow," but other than that, this is a pretty swell disc... Recommended!

Blue Highway "Still Climbing Mountains" (Rounder Records, 2001)
Blue Highway has become one of those great, top-flight bluegrass bands where each album is so good that you feel a little silly trying to differentiate it from their other releases. Yeah... maybe they're getting a little slicker and softer, but the core of their sound is still quite traditional-sounding and the picking is sweet. Most impressive is the fact that all the material on this album is original, written by various members of the band. Old fans won't be disappointed; new ones may be surprised.

Blue Highway "Wondrous Love" (Rounder Records, 2003)
An all-gospel album, with musically softened edges that nudge the work into Southern Gospel territory. More vocally oriented and not that much going on in the super-duper picking department; I'd say this disc is more aimed at the true believers, rather than at bluegrass fans. It's okay, but not that distinctive, particularly given the post-millennial glut of similar god-grass material.

Blue Highway "Marbletown" (Rounder Records, 2005)

Blue Highway "Lonesome Pine" (Rebel Records, 2006)

Blue Highway "Through The Window Of A Train" (Rounder Records, 2008)

Blue Highway "Some Day: The Fifteenth Anniversary Collection" (Rounder Records, 2010)

Blue Highway "Sounds Of Home" (Rounder Records, 2011)

Blue Rose "Blue Rose" (Sugar Hill Records, 1988)
An all-gal bluegrass supergroup, featuring Cathy Fink on guitar and banjo, Laurie Lewis on fiddle and guitar, Molly Mason on bass, Marcy Marxer on guitar and Sally Van Meter on dobro, with vocals spread out among the quintet. The songs are mostly contemporary material, with a couple of well-chosen oldies and traditional tunes sprinkled in for good measure...

The Blue Sky Boys -- see artist discography

The Blue Velvet Band "Sweet Moments With The Blue Velvet Band" (Warner Brothers, 1969)
(Produced by Erik Jacobsen)
A smooth but sweet major-label album made when the '70s newgrass scene was still just around the bend. There's certainly a power-packed lineup: Bill Keith and Jim Rooney join up with fiddler Richard Greene (who had just served his own apprenticeship with Bill Monroe) and guitarist Eric Weissberg in his pre-Deliverance days... people often cite this as a pioneering bluegrass record, but I just don't hear much high-lonesome here, rather, it seems like a tradition-oriented hippie country set, with most of the "rock" sensibility set aside in favor of old-fashioned twang and a little bit of Bakersfield bounce. The repertoire is a swell mix of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, a Luke Wills western-swing oldie and a cover of Merle Haggard's "Somebody Else You've Known," with these guys scooping the Flying Burrito Brothers by a year or two. The also show deep folk scene roots with a reading of "The Knight Upon The Road," and version of the Appalachian murder ballad "Little Sadie." I think it's Jim Rooney singing lead, and I have to admit he's an acquired taste. For the first few tracks you might think there's a hint of parody in his voice -- after a while, though, you'll realize it's just the plain-spoked way that he sings, not some kind of nudge-nudge, wink-wink thing. There are only two original tracks on here, including one of the album's strongest songs, "Hitch-Hiker," a cheerful novelty number written by Weissberg that captures some of the feel of the times. I guess this has been reissued on CD, though the original LP is worth tracking down just to enjoy the hilarious "board game" drawing and text that Eric von Schmidt designed for the inside of the gatefold sleeve. A long out-of-print landmark album that is more of a quiet, iconoclastic nugget rather than an earthshaking stylistic game-changer.

Bluegrass 2001 "Bluegrass 2001" (Pinecastle Records, 2001)
Super-hot picking, along with vocals that bring back memories of the old country-rock vocal style of bands such as the Pure Prairie League, et al. I know that last comment may seem like a dig, but it's not... this is a mighty fine album, featuring the talents of Scott Vestal, Wayne Benson and Jeff Autry, along with other hot pickers on the Pinecastle orbit. The only problem with this band is its unnecessarily generic name (which leads the unwise to think this is a cheapie "various artists" compilation album, rather than a swell indie outing.

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Compact Disc" (Rounder Records, 1986)
Just when everybody was starting to roll their eyes, throw up their hands, and declare that the too-perfect, newgrass scene had lost touch with its roots, guitarist Tony Rice organized this crackerjack ensemble, mysteriously known as the Bluegrass Album Band, and cranked out album after album of the good stuff. Banjo plunker J.D. Crowe, dobro whiz Jerry Douglas, fiddler Bobby Hicks, gospel bandleader Doyle Lawson and bassist Todd Phillips were his cohorts, and their four albums rank as some of the best truegrass recordings of the decade, steeped in the lore of the elders. Gospel tunes with extraordinary vocal harmonies commingle with dazzling, lively picking, evoking Bill Monroe and all his followers, and showing quite clearly that the modern bluegrass crowd still has the goods. This CD reissue only samples from the BAB volumes 1-4; I strongly urge you to track down the original LPs, since a lot of great material has been left by the wayside... Also, it's lamentable that someone felt the need to "update" the band's otherwise-delightful name for the digital age, to the misleading "Bluegrass Compact Disc," which makes most folks assume this is some kind of compilation album. Note to Rounder: a CD with several songs on it can still be called an album; the original name was way cooler. Anyway, this is a grrrreat collection, well worth tracking down and playing over and over again!

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Compact Disc, Volume Two" (Rounder Records, 1987)
More great tunes gathered from the first four BAB albums, leaning heavily on secular tunes such as "Toy Heart," "Molly And Tenbrooks," "Pain In My Heart," and the like. There still seem to be a few gospel tunes missing here, but this 21-track collection does a nice job helping fill the gap. Ace bunny killer.

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, Volume One" (Rounder Records, 1981)
And here are all the BAB albums, issued separately and in their entirety... Yum. What more could you want?

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, Volume Two" (Rounder Records, 1982)

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, v.3: California Connection" (Rounder Records, 1983)

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, v.4" (Rounder Records, 1987)

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, v.5: Sweet Sunny South" (Rounder Records, 1996)

Bluegrass Album Band "The Bluegrass Album, v.6: Sweet Bluegrass Instrumentals" (Rounder Records, 1989)

Bluegrass Album Band "Lonesome Moonlight: Songs Of Bill Monroe" (Rounder Records, 2002)
This disc culls a set of all-Monroe covers from the various BAB albums... Nice, I suppose, if you're just into Bill Monroe's stuff, but it kind of undercuts the wonderful sense of history, depth and completeness that the original albums provided.

Bluegrass Album Band "Down The Road: Songs Of Flatt & Scruggs" (Rounder Records, 2002)

Bluegrass Alliance -- see artist discography

The Bluegrass All-Stars "...Play Country Favorites" (Varese Sarabande, 2003)
This is a curious album, at least in its outward emulation of those old '60s LPs where anonymous house bands on tiny, fly-by-night labels would knock off perfunctory versions of the hits of the day. But this particular band, featuring Butch Baldassari, Jim Hurst, Scott Vestal and fiddler Tammy Rogers, among others, has surely racked up a few more credibility points than, say, the Crown Music Orchestra or the Red River Singers. This is an all-instrumental set of country cover tunes, sticking pretty faithfully to the '50s/'60s heartsong canon, with grassed-up versions of oldies by Hank Williams, Don Gibson, Harlan Howard, and others. It's not the most innovative or rip-roaring album ever, but the picking's pretty nice, and it's easy on the ears.

The Bluegrass Band "The Bluegrass Band" (Smoggy Valley Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Dennis Coats)
Not to be confused with the Rounder Records powerhouse, The Bluegrass Album Band, this scruffy quartet from the Pacific Northwest played a lot of bluegrass and country-rock/country-folk covers -- tunes by Bill Monroe, one by Gib Gilbeau, "Ramblin' Man" by the Allman Brothers, Steve Goodman's "City Of New Orleans" -- and also recorded a couple of songs by banjo picker Dennis Coats, "Fiddlin' Round" and "Another Cowboy Song." It's an eclectic mix that certainly earns them a mention in the hippiebilly annals. Sadly, the copy of this album I saw was too thrashed to pick up, but I'm sure it'll float my way again sometime... Anyone have more info about these folks?

Bluegrass Blend "Ramblin Fever" (Leather Records, 1980) (LP)

The Bluegrass Brothers "Live From The Virginia Hills" (Doobie Shea Records, 2001)
I don't know much about these fellers, but this fine live album, which kinda came out of nowhere and floored me. Sure is a fine, fine record. Great picking and plunking, along with soulful vocals, full of exaggerated twang. There are also plenty of great original tunes on here, including the nobility-in-poverty anthem, "Country Poor And Country Proud," and several dazzling instrumental flights. If you want to check out a new bluegrass record with some unexpected punch, this might just fill the bill. (Also check out the band's website, www.bluegrassbrothers.com.)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "The Bluegrass Cardinals" (Sierra/Copper Creek Records, 1975)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Mountain Girl" (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "My Kinda Grass" (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Welcome To Virginia" (Rounder Records, 1977) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Livin' In The Good Old Days" (CMH Records, 1978) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Cardinal Soul" (CMH Records, 1979) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Sunday Mornin' Singin' " (CMH Records, 1980)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Live And On Stage" (CMH Records, 1980) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Where Rainbows Touch" (CMH Records, 1982) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Cardinal Class" (Sugar Hill Records, 1983) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "Home Is Where The Heart Is" (Sugar Hill Records, 1984) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "The Shining Path" (Sugar Hill Records, 1986) (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "What Have You Done For Him" (LP)

The Bluegrass Cardinals "The Essential Bluegrass Cardinals" (CMH Records, 2002)

Bluegrass Etc. "Home Is Where The Heart Is" (Tricopolis Records, 1999)

Bluegrass Fever "After Dark" (Lamon Records, 1980) (LP)
This short-lived North Carolina band featured banjoist Ricky Briggs, who contributes an original tune, "After Dark," while guitarist Jim Sharpe pens two others, "Lonesome Bluegrass Fever" and "You Gave Me Love." The rest of their repertoire includes some Bill Monroe, a cover of Gram Parsons' "Luxury Liner" and a song by Herb Pedersen.

The Bluegrass Kats "Kattin' Around" (Playhouse Productions, 1976-?) (LP)
(Produced by Laura Smith)
This obscuro bluegrass combo had a regular TV gig playing on Wilmington, North Carolina's WWAY for most of the 1970s, dating back six years before this album was made. They also seem to have played at the Pageland Theater in Pageland, South Carolina, which hosted the Sandhill Opry (the same venue that gave Randy Travis a leg-up when he was starting his career...) The group consisted of McCoy Gardiner (banjo), Tommy Simmons (rhythm guitar), "Little Tommy" Simmons (mandolin), Roscoe Canady (bass), Danny Stanley (lead guitar) and Nashville studio player Joe Thomas sitting in on fiddle. Like many off-the-radar 'grass groups, these guys went on to play in innumerable other little bands: Roscoe Canady and the Simmonses formed a group called the East Coast Boys, while Danny Stanley was in Carolina Sonshine and later in the Gentlemen Of Bluegrass. Mostly just listing them here because of the connection to the Sandhill Opry venue...

The Bluegrass Soul Pickers "If I Ever Get Home" (Blue Circle Records, 2010)
(Produced by Dixie Hall & Tony Engle)
A sweet set of independently produced bluegrass, produced under the aegis of Tom T. Hall and his wife Dixie Hall. The Hall's contribute two songs to the set list (with the excellent "If I Ever Get Home" as the album's title track) while the gruff-voiced Buddy Mason (one of two lead singers) wrote about half of the album's tracks, including the magnificent cheatin' song, "Halfway Out The Door." Nice, earthy, melodic material, with wistful nostalgic songs galore, all about working folks and fading farms, and decent, earnest picking and fiddlin'. Good stuff!

Blueridge "Common Ground" (Sugar Hill Records, 1999)
Solid, traditionally oriented truegrass, with a gruff vocals, a very prominent banjo and a good, strong melodic sense. This is this band's debut disc, an impressive showing for veteran pickers Terry Baucom (ex-Quicksilver/Boone Creek banjoist) and mandolinist Alan Bibey (formerly of IIIrd Tyme Out). If you like it smooth, but old-fashioned, this is mighty fine music that just might fit the bill. (Also see: Baucom, Bibey & Blueridge.)

Blueridge "Side By Side" (Sugar Hill Records, 2000)

Blueridge "Gettin' Ready" (Pinecastle Records, 2006)
An all-gospel album, with emphasis on harmony vocals...

Ginger Boatwright "Fertile Ground" (Flying Fish Records, 1991)
One of the driving forces behind the poppy early '70s newgrass band, Red, White & Bluegrass, singer-songwriter Boatwright returns with a talky, folky, mid-tempo album that doesn't really wow me, but may appeal to fans of mature, high-concept "progressive" bluegrass. An all-star cast of "usual suspects" superpickers back her up, including folks such as Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Doug Dillard, Mark O'Connor... The overall effect is similar to what Nanci Griffith or, later, Alison Krauss would record. It sounds okay in a broader bluegrass mix, but taken as an entire album, feels a little too intellectual for me. Good stuff, though, for the style!

Ginger Boatwright "Sipsey" (2000)

Ginger Boatwright "Inside The Gate" (2007)
A gospel offering...

Frank Bode & Tommy Jarrell "Been Riding With Old Mosby" (Folkways Records, 1986)
A nice, laid-back, down-to-earth old-timey set, with old-man vocals by Mr. Bode and squeaky fiddle accompaniment from Tommy Jarrell... Plain, old, simple, traditional mountain music, with a powerfully authentic feel.

Dock Boggs - see artist discography

Holly Bond & The Bluegrass Texans "...Sing I Wonder" (Holly Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Sullivan)
Formed around 1969, the Bluegrass Texans were a straight-up truegrass band that played around Dallas-Fort Worth in the early 'Seventies. The group was led by singer-guitarist Holly Bond, who lived in Arlington, along with Robert Grisham on dobro, Hunter Jones (banjo), Johnnie Lucky (fiddle), Mitchell Land (mandolin) and Al Strebect on bass. Along with standards like "Sally Goodin, and "Fox On The Run," they recorded four originals written by Mr. Bond: "Homesick For Texas," "I Wonder If You Think Of Me At All," "The Old Man's Going Home" and "What About You, I'm Here To Pray." Most likely all of these guys played in other bands, though the only one I know of for sure is Mitchell Land, who was in the Stone Mountain Boys, along with Byron Berline.

Boone Creek "One Way Track" (Sugar Hill Records, 1977)
Dig those '70s aviator glasses and that shaggy, shoulder-length hair! Banjo picker Terry Baucom, dobro whiz Jerry Douglas and future country star Ricky Skaggs join on this near-perfect, traditionally-oriented newgrass album. The picking is magnificent, the group singing is warm and impassioned, the choice of material is rich in history and harmony and shows the group's mastery of and devotion to old-school classics, particularly on several catchy old gospel tunes. The album falls apart just a little at the end, when a few newly-added live performances show the band's more raggedy side -- a jazzy instrumental jam, and a couple of harmony tunes with notably rough edges -- but on the whole, this is a very impressive and fun album, one of the best ever from this late 1970s scene. Of a piece -- and on a par -- with albums like Tony Rice's Manzanita, J.D. Crowe's My Home Ain't In The Hall of Fame, or the fab Bluegrass Album Band albums of the early '80s. Highly recommended!

Boot Hill "Steel Rails" (Millwheel Music, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Louisa Branscomb & Sam Sanger)
The first album by this Southeastern band, featuring a bunch of original material, including five songs written by banjoist-singer Louisa Branscomb, who was clearly one of the driving forces behind the band. Lead vocals are taken up by guitarist Sam Sanger, a musician with a background in jazz and classical music, which to my ears left him sounding a little too prim as a bluegrass singer, with a touch of effete reserve. Still, this is a nice set of earnest, DIY bluegrass, with Buddy Spicher adding some tasty fiddle licks on a few tunes. Branscomb adds several new songs to the bluegrass canon, including the album's title track, which won an award years later when recorded by Alison Krauss, one of many female bluegrassers who was inspired by the trailblazing Ms. Branscomb. (Fans may also recognize Branscomb as the author of several songs recorded by Dale Ann Bradley and the The New Coon Creek Girls... She also recorded a solo album in the '90s...)

Boot Hill "Blue Ridge Memories" (Millwheel Music, 1978)

Boot Hill "Fly, Soul, Away" (Millwheel Music, 1978)

John Bowman "Remember Me" (Mountain Home Records, 2000)
A sweet, straightforward gospel outing, with smooth, sleek melodies and nice, honey-toned harmonies. Recommended!

Ronnie Bowman "The Man I'm Tryin' To Be" (Sugar Hill Records, 1998)
Nice stuff, with good ensemble playing. The straight-ahead truegrass stuff is a delight, bouncy melodic material that is inevitably balanced with some drippy modern material and a few good, heartfelt gospel tunes. This is a late-'90s "usual suspects" set, with Aubrey Haynie, Dan Tyminski, Jerry Douglas and others pitching in. Fans of Ricky Skaggs's early solo work, or of the old Bluegrass Album Band records, should be the first in line to pick this one up.

Ronnie Bowman "Starting Over" (Sugar Hill Records, 2002)
A smooth, well-produced, poppish bluegrass album, with trad-tinged-yet-sweet vocals that sound an awful lot like Ricky Skaggs did when he set out as a solo artist in the late '70s... No surprise, since Bowman and Skaggs have been pals for years. Bowman is best known as the bass player for the Lonesome River Band, but as we can hear on this album, his third solo outing, he can definitely hold his own as a solo singer. About half the tunes on this disc drift into the soft style of sappy crossover ballads that's making Alison Krauss a hick music superstar; doubtless some of that magic will rub off on Bowman, too, since he's got the formula down pat. Plenty of straight-ahead, traditional-sounding material, too, which should keep fans of the uptempo stuff happy too.

The Boys From Indiana "The Best Of..." (Rebel, 1980) (LP)
A great set of plangent, soulful, high-lonesome traditional bluegrass from this great regional band. The Boys From Indiana was founded in 1973 and included guitarist/co-founder Aubrey Holt and his brothers, as well as banjoist Noah Crase and fiddler Paul Mullins (a veteran of the Stanley Brothers band, and father of modern traditionalist bandleader Joe Mullins...) This is great stuff, with a vibrant band totally in synch with themselves and with the music. One great song after another, though a little light on their gospel material.

The Boys From Indiana "Good Time Blues" (Rebel Records, 2006)
This revamped best-of collection has a lot of overlap with their '80s Best Of LP, but works in some stuff from their later Rebel recordings... Highly recommended!

The Boys In The Band "Bluegrass" (Trail Records, 1977) (LP)

Dale Ann Bradley -- see artist discography

Brand New Strings "Stay Tuned" (Rural Rhythm Records, 2010)

Brand New Strings "Stay Tuned" (Rural Rhythm Records, 2012)
(Produced by Preston Schmidt)
A nice, short set of mostly-original, country-tinged bluegrass. Songwriters Mike Ramsey and Randall Massengill trade off on lead vocals, each with a firm grasp of high lonesome-style singing, backed with solid picking from a band of talented newcomers. The Osborne Brothers will come to mind, particularly on jaunty tunes like "Mustang Minnie," with a smidge of Jimmy Martin in there as well (and even a Jimmy Martin namecheck on "The Guitar.") A nice followup to their 2010 debut, "No Strings Attached."

Chris Brashear "Wanderlust" (Copper Creek Records, 1999)
(Produced by Jody Stecher)
Well-crafted, low-key bluegrass heart songs, produced by Jody Stecher, who also plays and sings throughout, as well as Laurie Lewis plunking away on the bass. A nice, unassuming country-tinged set, similar to the sweet stuff Ricky Skaggs' recorded in the early '80s. Recommended.

Chris Brashear & Peter McLaughlin "Canyoneers" (Copper Creek Records, 2003)

Chris Brashear "So Long Arizona" (Dog Boy Records, 2007)

The Bray Brothers & Red Cravens "419 West Main" (Rounder Records, 1971)
Old-fashioned truegrass tunes from this self-taught family act from Illinois... Although the three Bray brothers -- Francis, Harley and Nate -- hailed from the industrial North, in the early 1950s they taught themselves to play bluegrass, learning their repertoire straight off of 78s by Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and other golden age greats. Along with guitarist Red Cravens, they formed a regional band that really came of age in 1960, but after a few years slogging it out at a semi-professional level, they called more or less it quits in '63. This album gathers some of their best recordings, from old tapes made for a local radio station, WHOW, over a period of several years. It's nice stuff, fluid and melodic and full of lively, enthusiastic playing... Recommended!

The Bray Brothers & Red Cravens "Prairie Bluegrass" (Rounder Records, 1976/2000)
A fine follow-up to the old Rounder album, 419 West Main, with another couple dozen or so songs from the Bray Brothers' early '60s radio shows, as well as a two songs released as a single back in 1963, just before the original band broke up. Even though the group's warm, friendly stage patter was a canned imitation of the professional acts they admired, it still gives a nice sense of how bluegrass and country sounded in concert, back in the goodle days. Speaking of the goodle days, a young John Hartford pops up to play fiddle on one of these tracks... He befriended the band early in his own career, and helped assemble the first Bray Brothers album, using their old home tapes as source material... This is a another nice record, filled with simple, appealing, melodic truegrass... Nice stuff!

Breakfast Special "Breakfast Special" (Rounder Records, 1977)

Gary Brewer "Jimmy Martin Songs For Dinner" (Stretchgrass Records, 1999)
A fine, heartfelt, and entirely satisfying tribute to Mr. Jimmy Martin and his country-bluegrass style. Guitarist/singer Brewer -- backed here by an all-star cast, including Bobby Hicks, Doyle Lawson, Art Stamper, and former Jimmy Martin protege J.D. Crowe -- has a rich, deep, bluesy voice, and a real nice appreciation for the material. A dozen classic compositions, including the goofy title track, which was written by Tom T. Hall... This is true-blue bluegrass at its independently produced best! This disc can be found through Gary Brewer's website, along with more info about his band.

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "A Song That Will Linger" (Rounder Records, 1988)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Blue Lightning" (Rounder Records, 1991)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Our Town" (Rounder Records, 1992)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Stay Awhile" (Rounder Records, 1995)

Kate Brislin & Katy Moffatt "Sleepless Nights" (Rounder Records, 1996)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Heart Songs: The Old Time Country Songs Of Utah Phillips" (Rounder Records, 1997)

Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher "Songs Of The Carter Family" (Appleseed Records, 2000)
This Bay Area duo has long been a potent force in the old-timey revival scene, and here they capture the plaintive emotional longing of the Carter Family sound, although their take on things may be a bit softer and less desolate (and/or rowdy) than the Carters themselves. Still, this is pretty sweet and certainly loyal to the material. Nice stuff.

The C.W. Brock Family "1983" (Family Tree Records, 1983) (LP)

Dan Brock & Louise Brock "Kentucky Songbag" (Donerail Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Dan Brock)
A slightly odd album, but it's one of the earliest examples of J. D. Crowe working as a bandleader, with Bobby Sloane and Doyle Lawson backing him up... Apparently singer Dan Brock was also the founder of the Donerail label, which was affiliated with the Lexington-based Lemco label, which produced some cool independent 'grass albums in the late '60s... At the bottom of the liner notes for this disc, Crowe's first album, Bluegrass Holiday is also listed for sale, with Brock as the guy you send four bucks to, to have it sent to you postpaid(!) (Those were the days!) Anyway, this is a sprightly set of fairly staid folksong performances by Dan and Louise Brock, who cite the esteemed John Jacob Niles as their main inspiration... Their vocals are pretty "folk scene" sounding, and the fact that they were backed up by the core members of what would become one of the greatest bluegrass bands in the world seems to have been almost a coincidence. The two styles mesh well, though the Kentucky Mountain Boys (as they were called then) keep mostly in the background, with Crowe's (or Lawson's) banjo being the most prominent instrument in the mix. They get to stretch out instrumentally on a couple of tracks on Side Two, but for the most part this is kind of a work for hire album. Nice set of Kentucky-related folklore, though, with a mix of standards and oldies from popular song (Stephen Foster, et. al.), gospel, and a few contemporary tunes like "Coal Tattoo." Definitely worth a spin!

Jim Brock "Sawdust From The Floor Of Jim Brock" (Atteiram Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jim Brock & Carl Queen)

David Bromberg -- see artist discography

Alison Brown -- see artist discography

Dewey Brown "Traditional Fiddle -- With Dr. Ralph Stanley And The Clinch Mountain Boys" (Dewbug Records, 2006)

Hylo Brown "...And The Timberliners: 1954-1960" (Bear Family Records, 1992)
Absolutely killer! Brown is an under-remembered but nonetheless awesome melodic bluegrasser, sort of along the lines of early Mac Wiseman, but with a harder, more driving instrumental edge. A slam-bang 2-CD set of prime material from the mid-to-late '50s, with a great mix of old-timey and original material. Around the same time these recordings came out, Brown was also serving a stint a with Flatt & Scruggs, developing the showmanship he took into his own work as a bandleader with the Timberliners. He also wrote several great country songs, including "Lost To A Stranger" and the novelty hit, "The Grand Ole Opry Song." This is about as good (and as sweet) as 'Fifties truegrass gets... Recommended!

Hylo Brown "Lovesick And Sorrow: 16 Greatest Starday Recordings" (King/Starday Records, 2003)
After his stint with Capitol, Hylo Brown moved to the Starday label, where he recorded the four albums this collection draws from, 1961's Bluegrass Balladeer, Bluegrass Goes To College, Hylo Brown Meets The Lonesome Pine Fiddlers from 1962 and Sing Me A Bluegrass Song from '63. Each album is represented by four songs; some of the material seems kind of by the numbers -- this was the period when Nashville was trying to co-opt the '60s folk scene, and sometimes they just trotted their way through the material -- but some of it is quite sweet. This isn't as sublime a set as his earlier Capitol material, but it'll grow on you, sure enough. Not electrifying, but still pretty solid.

Hylo Brown "In Concert" (Copper Creek Records, 1996)

Hylo Brown "Sings Blue Grass With 5-String Banjo" (Diplomat Records, 1964) (LP)
A nice, relaxed, no-muss, no-fuss set with kind of a folk-scene feel. Actually, these tracks come from sessions cut a couple of years earlier for the Starday label and were released (and re-released) an a variety of Starday, Gusto and Guest Star albums over the years. Still, it's a good collection, and has a cohesive feel. Most of the songs are traditional mountain music, though there's one standout track of more modern vintage, the slightly kooky novelty song, "Busy, Busy Man," which features cool dobro work, possibly from Shot Jackson, who was in the Starday orbit at the time. Worth a spin!

Buellgrass "Big Day At Ojai" (K2B2 Records, 1983) (LP)
(Produced by Buell Neidlinger & Marty Krystall)
When David Grisman and his crew set their sights on forging a jazz-bluegrass crossover, they beelined to a relatively obvious choice of repertoire, the melodic, lead-oriented, highly simpatico 1930's gypsy jazz of Django Rinehardt and Stephane Grappelli... Grisman's "dawgjazz" set the tenor and pace for the space-grass of the era, but on this sweet, swinging live performance, bassist Buell Neidlinger taps into potentially more challenging jazz founts, the music of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, as well as the smooth swing of Mercer and Duke Ellington. His sextet includes Andy Statman on mandolin (and clarinet!) as well as fiddler Richard Greene and distinctly un-Appalachian contributions from saxophonist Marty Krystall and Peter Ivers on harmonica. It's a nice blend; the performances are smooth but heartfelt, and the recording quality from this 1981 live show is quite good. The shadow of Grisman still looms large, as heard on Statman's Grisman-esque solo in the sprightly version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust" which kicks the album off... But Beull and company go elsewhere, paying homage to the age of jazz standards with some concise, elegant musicianship, including a dash of klezmer when Statman plays clarinet. Acoustic swing fans will definitely want to check this out.

Buellgrass "All Strung Out: Adventures In Buellgrass" (K2B2 Records, 1996)
This is a CD reissue of the Big Day At Ojai album reviewed above...

Buellgrass "Across The Tracks" (K2B2 Records, 1983)
(Produced by Buell Neidlinger & Marty Krystall)
This is a CD reissue of the Big Day At Ojai album reviewed above...

Luke Bulla & Jenny Anne Bulla "Luke And Jenny Anne Bulla" (Rounder Records, 1992)
There have been a lot of youthful prodigies in the bluegrass world -- Ricky Skaggs, Mark O'Connor, Chris Thile, et. al. -- but these fiddle-playing siblings rank pretty high up there. Jenny Anne was ten years old(!) and Luke was eleven when these recordings here made, and man, talk about talent to spare! A dazzling debut by two preteens who grew up steeped in the sweet and rugged Texas fiddling style... Nice stuff!

Becky Buller & Valerie Smith "Here's A Little Song" (Bell Buckle Records, 2008)

John Burke & The Yankee Carpetbaggers "Old Fashioned Dance Music, Hoe Downs, Songs And Banjo Tunes" (Voyager Records, 1968) (LP)
Banjo plunker Joe Burke was originally an East Coaster -- born in Connecticut, he went to Columbia and became a New York City stringband folkie, recording this old-timey album in 1968 with a group called the Yankee Carpetbaggers.

John Burke "Fancy Pickin' And Plain Singing" (Kicking Mule Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Victor Coupez, Chip Hayward & John Burke)
A delightfully low-key album from banjoist John Burke, who plunks and croons in a relaxed, almost lackadaisical style, with tunes that span antebellum medicine show oldies, Appalachian hill music and more modern country and bluegrass twangtunes. After recording the Yankee Carpetbaggers album above, he headed west and decamped to Seattle, where he joined a more theatrical group called Dr. Snootful's Wonder Cure Medicine Show, members of which back him here as the Old Hat Band. This is pretty stripped-down, back-to-basics material, though clearly played with plenty of wit and affection... On some of the bouncier numbers, they remind me a bit of the Cheap Suit Serenaders. Amazingly, this was only Burke's second recording, after the record he cut in '68!

Jethro Burns "The Puritan Sessions" (Freeland Records, 1998)

Jethro Burns "Swing Low Sweet Mandolin" (Acoustic Disc Records, 1995)

Jethro Burns "Bye Bye Blues" (Acoustic Disc Records, 1997)

Jethro Burns & Tiny Moore "Back To Back" (Acoustic Disc, 2005)
(Produced by David Grisman)

Pat Burton "We've Been Waiting For This" (Flying Fish Records, 1974)
(Produced by Michael Melford)
This was one of the earliest releases on the Flying Fish label, an eclectic, freewheeling doozy of a bluegrass-indiebilly album featuring singer-guitarist Pat Burton and a bunch of his pals. These included fiddler Vassar Clements, mandolinist Michael Melford, two of the surviving Bray Brothers -- Harley Bray on banjo and Francis Bray on bass -- and alt-twang ringleader John Hartford singing and playing a little bit of everything as well. Burton had been hanging around with and playing bands with these guys for years, since the mid-1950s, and is probably best remembered for his work with Hartford, particularly on the Slumberin' On The Cumberland album, and he shows a lot of the same self-effacing, good-natured sense of humor and genre-busting musical virtuosity. The album kicks off with the half-rueful "Hit Song," a novelty song that speaks for the legions of talented living room pickers who will never hit the bigtime, as well as "Ode To Country Music," which further elaborates Burton's love of good, old-fashioned twang. He wrote half the songs on here, including "Jane Russell No.3" and "Jane Russell No.11," and on the rest of the record dips liberally into old-timey music and traditional country, with some sweet tunes by the likes of Bradley Kincaid, Hank Snow, Lester Flatt and Hank Thompson. Clements gets a chance to shine on a cover of Thompson's "The Older The Violin, The Sweeter The Music," and Burton ends the album with some truly fine gospel singing with a gospel that included Harley and Shela Bray, on a nice version of "Heaven's Light Is Shining." Apparently this was the only album Burton released under his own name, although he got equal billing with Hartford and Martin on the Cumberland album, and he jammed with a lot of artists over the years. If you see this one, pick it up -- it's pretty fun!

Pat Burton/John Hartford/Benny Martin "Slumberin' On The Cumberland" (Flying Fish Records, 1979) (LP)

Buzz Busby "Going Home" (King/Starday Records, 2003)
A delicious collection of all the studio recordings mandolinist-bandleader Buzz Busby made for the Starday label in the late 1950s. It is some mighty sweet stuff, with creative picking framed by interesting acoustic dynamics, an unusual sonic space carved out on tunes like the "Buzz's Ramble," a bright, fast-paced instrumental with a teeny echo thrown on to accent the inventive melodic and tempo twists that Busby seemed to favor. Pretty damn fast, too. Notable sidemen include Charlie Waller and Bill Emerson of the Country Gentlemen, who have no trouble keeping up with the blistering, jaw-dropping pace Busby would set whenever he felt like it... Bluegrass musicianship simply doesn't get better than this. If you like Golden Age truegrass by the likes of Mac Wiseman and Jimmy Martin, then this disc is an absolute must for you to pick up. It's a winner!!

Sam Bush -- see artist discography

Robert Byrd "U.S. Senator Robert Byrd: Mountain Fiddler" (Rebel Records, 1978)
(Produced by Barry Poss)
A much-welcome reissue of Sen. Robert Byrd's 1978 bluegrass album, a fine set of authentic West Virginia Americana... And, yes, it's that Robert Byrd, the eminent, recently departed Senate leader who gradually shifted his politics from ardent segregationism to support of various civil rights measures, and who ended his career as the longest-serving member of the United States Congress. Byrd was an avid amateur fiddler, and liked to break out the bow at political rallies and social functions. This album was, admittedly, a bit of a vanity project, but it's still pretty fun. The Senator's style is pretty ragged, more old-timey than bluegrass, although he finds strong and sympathetic backing from guitarist Doyle Lawson and his cohort, James Bailey and Spider Gilliam. It's an engaging, vivacious performance, and certainly an interesting historical footnote. And way better than any of those songs that Orrin Hatch wrote, that's for sure.

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Hick Music Index

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