The Steel Guitar Forum

Well, the forum here hasn't steered me wrong yet, so I figured I'd ask...

I don't know squat about bluegrass, except that I suddenly find myself liking it (yes, banjo and all...), so I'm looking for some recommendations for bluegrass recordings.

I'm interested in hearing what you consider to be classic/must-have recordings as well as recommendations on some more modern stuff.

(Blistering dobro riffage is a plus, but not a requirement!)

Thanks!
Patrick

Blistering dobro bluegrass - first thing that comes to mind is "I Think It's Gonna Work Out Fine", which is a CD compilation of 2 early Jerry Douglas albums, basically all bluegrass-style instrumentation, even if a few of the tunes (e.g. "Birth Of The Blues") stray a little outside the traditional field.
Also "The Great Dobro Sessions" - Douglas, Auldridge, Graves, Taylor, Phillips, Van Meter, and... and... 10 of them in all I think).
Nick
(I'll leave it to greater experts than me for the "must have" classics...)<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by nick allen on 31 July 2001 at 07:06 AM.]</p></FONT>

I've been to a few blue grass festivals and listened to a few albums....and I still prefer anything by "Flat & Scruggs" above all others, old or new. www.genejones.com

3 words,Del McCoury Band.

Classis bluegrass? Almost anything by Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers from the 50's and 60's will give you a good taste of the classic bluegrass sound.

I am very fond of everything that the Osborne Brother recorded in the 60's, which tends to have more of a country radio-friendly sound -- probably their best-known tunes is "Rocky Top" from 1967. I have several Bear Family sets of their stuff. Some true hardcore bluegrass fans have a love/hate relationship with these guys because their records are often loaded up with percussion, steel, and keyboards in the background. The best vocal trio harmonies ever recorded, IMHO.

Looking for Dobro? All the old Flatt & Scruggs records feature Uncle Josh Graves, while the Monroe and Stanley bands did not. Monroe featured the mandolin instead, and the Stanley Brothers had a lead guitar player (George Shuffler) on many of their records, instead of Dobro. All of the Seldom Scene recordings (70's and 80's) feature Mike Auldridge's Dobro playing.

What bluegrass CD's do I have in the truck right now, because they're personal favorites of mine?

Rhonda Vincent, "Back Home Again" and "The Storm Still Rages" (recent)

James King, "Lonesome and Then Some" (middle 90's)

Here Today, "Here Today" (Vince Gill, Herb Pedersen)(from about 1980)

The Kentucky Colonels, "Appalachian Swing" (Clarence White)(re-release from the 60's)(might be the best bluegrass instrmental album ever)

Del McCoury, "The Family" (recent)

The Good Old Boys, "Pistol Packin' Mama" (Chubby Wise, Don Reno, Frank Wakefield)(from the 70's produced by Jerry Garcia, one of my desert island albums for sure)

There are dozens of other great bands and albums too, very hard to narrow it down to a Top 10 list -- either current or all-time. I won't even try.

Patrick,
Bluegrass music has really evolved over the past 30 years and I feel you should start listening to the following groups that really started the evolution process.
The Country Gentlemen with Eddie Adcock on the banjo and all other Country Gentlemen recordings with Bill Emerson.
The Seldom Scene
Cliff Waldron and the New Shades of Grass
The New Grass Revival
Anything that J.D. Crowe recorded on, like the New South, I think that was the name of his group.
The band Allan Maunde (spelling) played with.
Old and in the Way
All recordings by David Grisman
The Osborne Brothers

All the above mentioned groups in my opinion were a step above traditional bluegrass. Again, purchase your recordings that were made during the very early 1970s and everything the Country Gentlemen ever recorded.

Gary Lee<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gary Lee Gimble on 31 July 2001 at 12:06 PM.]</p></FONT>

Hello Patrick,
Was good hangin' with you at the MassBash.
There are a couple of great 'locals' [I think they're from CT] who have a fantastic
flatpicking duet CD out. They are Mark Cosgrove and Richard Starkey and the CD
is titled "Delaware Crossing". It was
recorded at Windmill Studio, Stockton, NJ and
engineered by Michael Lozinski.

You may be able to find it on CDNOW or AMAZON.
Some of the cuts are: Jimmy's Texas Blues by Jimmy Rodgers; Huckleberry Hornpipe by Byron Berline; Sweet Georgia Brown by Bernie, Pinkard, Casey, some originals,The Kiss Me Waltz by Bill Monroe, and an obscure great tune by Roger Mcguinn & J. Levy called Just a Season [last song on one side of the double
Byrds album, "Untitled"].

Some fantastic picking here. They start playing the melodies pretty straight up, but then they sort of "Tony Rice" it up a bit and really take off.

You should check these guys out. Listen to early Dillards stuff, too

Jack Tuttle of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, CA has a good listing of 'essential' recordings.
I think the one essential CD I'd recommend would be J.D. Crowe and the New South - Rounder CD 0044. It features Jerry Douglas on a few tunes and is a classic of the genre.
I'm also a big fan of the first Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will The Circle Be Unbroken, but it's more of a mix of bluegrass and old country music. Good stuff anyway.

------------------
Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Patrick, I think I know just what you need! There's a CD out now called "Bluegrass Essentials" on the Hip-O label that's got a great variety of classic Bluegrass music. It's got Bill Monroe, Del McCoury, Reno and Smiley, The Country Gentlemen, The Osborne Bros., Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Alison Krauss, etc.. It's even got the Dillards singing "Dooley"! (If you ever watched Andy Griffith reruns, you'd know them as "the Darlins"...they were on several shows.)

If you want the "big picture" on one CD, this would be it. (18 songs)

Listen to IIIrd Tyme Out, and Mountain Heart. Great sounds and musicianship.Also don't forget Rhonda Vincient. Richard<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Richard Bass on 31 July 2001 at 11:54 PM.]</p></FONT>

Wow, that's great guys, thanks a lot! I really do appreciate the suggestions. Now, off to the record shop...


(Hey there Chip, it was indeed good hangin' at the Mass Bash. I'm sure I'll see you at some other upcoming shows!)

whoops, double post. ....but Thanks again!<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by P Gleespen on 01 August 2001 at 05:26 AM.]</p></FONT>

I'm a Béla Fleck fan, so I'd recommend..
The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales From The Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2
you can find it on Amazon and hear samples. Some nice dobro work by Jerry Douglas. Also on the album: Tony Rice, Sam Bush, Mark Schatz, Stuart Duncan, and of course Béla Fleck. The special guests on the album are: Earl Scruggs, Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Vince Gill, Tim O'Brien, and Ricky Skaggs.

Bill Monroe had Earl Scruggs in his band at one time. I think Lester Flatt was also in the band but I'm not sure. At any rate, there was once an LP on the Harmony lable called "The Great Bill Monroe" that featured this band. I have no idea whether or not the LP has been reissued.

Some other must-have recordings:
Tony Rice "Manzanita" excellent
"Hot Rize" and Hot Rize "Radio Boogie"
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver "Rock My Soul"
John Reischmann "Into the Woods"
Mike Auldridge "Dobro"
Jimmy Martin "You Don't Know My Mind"
Seldom Scene "New Seldom Scene Album"
either of Aubrey Haynie's solo CDs

Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs Period. It don't get no more bluegrass than that! Earl Scruggs is the man when it comes to banjo. Ain't none better.

I wholely agree with three groups I've seen listed so far...
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
IIIrd Tyme Out
Seldom Scene

These three would be my personal pick, but the others mentioned are good too.

On some of the Doyle Lawson stuff, there is even some pedal steel. I'm not sure, but I "think" it's Mike Auldridge. Also, on some of the Osborne Brothers recordings, they had Hal Rugg playing pedal steel. These two examples completely kill the theory of some, that pedal steel and bluegrass don't mix, IMHO. When played in the right style, it adds tremendously to the bluegrass.

Bill Keith with Monroe and Rooney and on the "Muleskinner" album with Clarence White . there would be no Bela without Bill...Also Winnie Winston on David Grisman's LP called "Early Dog"

"The Essential Bill Monroe & His blue Grass Boys 1945- 1945," on Columbia Country & Classics reissue series, it's a two Cd set.

Great stuff, from the accordian days in 1945,to the earliest Flatt & Scruggs sides through 1946-1947.

If you get the collection of Mercury sides by flatt & Scruggs that covers the 1948-1950 period, you will notice the banjo is much more up front and aggressive. Bill wouldn't allow this with the Blue Grass Boys, heck he'd banish it from the gospel numbers.

Patrick:
The Stanley Bros. - Starday and King Recordings. Currently available, bright red packaging. Great sound, great songs. I like the Monroe Brothers, too. Skaggs has put out some nice records that manage to sound traditional and contemporary at the same time.

Rob

Don't know if it was brought up in here but if your interested in Dobro get "The Great Dobro Sessions". Real fine dobro tunes....

Hey Patrick,
I Have a double LP record set called "From Rocky Top to Muddy Bottom" by the Osborne Bros. I don't know if it's available on CD or not. It's the songs of Boudleaux & Felice Bryant and features all the great harmonies and instrumental talents of the Osbornes. It don't get much better than that or does it? Buddy Emmons is all over these two records. I don't think he plays any solos but this thing is a master's course in how to play back up on the E9th tuning. I also liked an album Tom T. Hall had called "That Magnificent Music Machine" or something like that. Tom T. did an authentic bluegrass album with some famous players on it. The most popular tune on this album was Fox on the Run but my favorite was the old Bill Monrow classic "Molly and Tenbrooks". I just picked up a Mac Wiseman CD at Walmart for $8.00 which had 20 great bluegrass standards on it. You can probably get one too if you'll hurry.

------------------
Have a good 'un! JH U-12

LEFTOVER SALMON!!!!

I am probably going to get my head bashed in by the forum for saying it but I would HIGHLY recomend Leftover Salmon's "Nashville Sessions" to you and EVERYONE on the forum who does not considder "newgrass" a blasphenous word, as one of the best contemparary bluegrass CDs to date! The CD features blugrass band Leftover Salmon w/ guest atists: John Cowan, Sam Bush,Taj Mahal, Bela Flec, Lucinda Williams and Waylon Jennings!!! Check out the track called Breakin' Through. J.Cowan RIPS the Dobro up!! Please check this CD out. You wont regret it. Other forum members pleasse send me some feed back!

Brandon- bdroper@hotmail.com

------------------

Newgrass, well to be honest I listened to Newgrass before I bought any Flatt & Scruggs, Stanley Bros, Bill Monroe, etc.

At the moment there's a British label which has the first two Country Gazette albums (1972, 1973) on one CD. The label in BGO I believe, sorry I'm just too lazy to actually go digging through my stuff at the moment.
The previously mentioned Muleskinner set is another classic, there's the 1974 album and a 1973 live set by the group on Sierra Records. I don't have the live set, but as it's with David Grisman, Bill Keith, Clarence White, Richard Greene and Peter Rowan..well it has to be great. Plus the studio set was a fantastic buy.

Another group I adore is Newgrass Revival, although the Seldom Scene are another great group, especially their 1970s sides, this is all 1970s material and a lot of these pickers went on to various fusion projects, some already mentioned on this post.

"Newgrass" began to slide after the "Revival" album in the mid 80s, but John Cowan and of course Bela Fleck are still around. (Don't know about Sam Bush & Pat Flynn)