IB: International Bluegrass August 2016

IBluegrass INTERNATIONAL AUGUST 2016

Announcing the New Hall of Fame Inductees - The Founders of Rounder Records - Clarence White And the Nominees Are… Your IBMA Awards Finalists Distinguished Achievement Award Honorees Melvin Goins 1933 - 2016 Celebrating 50 Years of Bluegrass Unlimited Remembering Dr. Ralph Stanley, Part Two

INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS VOL. 32 | NO. 7 | AUGUST 2016

Editor Shannon Wayne Turner

Designer E.R. Womelsduff || NotAScubaDiver.com

STAFF

Paul Schiminger Executive Director

Shannon Turner Director of Communications and Professional Development

BOARD

Leah James Director of Member Services

Eddie Huffman Director of Convention Services

Tim Surrett Board Chairperson

Alan Bartram || Artists / Composers / Publishers Becky Buller || At Large Jamie Deering || Merchandisers / Luthiers Regina Derzon || Secretary, Associations Mike Drudge || Agents, Managers, Publicists John Goad || Print Media / Education Denise Jarvinen || At Large Marian Leighton Levy || Recording / Distribution / Marketing William Lewis || At Large

Steve Martin || At Large Stephen Mougin || At Large Joe Mullins || Treasurer, Artists / Composers / Publishers Ben Surratt || Vice Chair Wayne Taylor || Artists / Composers / Publishers Alan Tompkins || At Large Angelika Torrie || International Bree Tucker-Myers || Event Production Bob Webster || Broadcast Media

INFO The monthly e-mailed publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association 4206 Gallatin Road, 37216 USA 614.256.3222 || 888.GET.IBMA FAX: 615.256.0450 || EMAIL: info@ibma.org www.IBMA.org

(ISSN #109-0605) IBMA is the trade associaiton that connects and educates bluegrass professionals, empowers the bluegrass community, and encourages worldwide appreciation of bluegrass music of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Statement of fact and opinion are made on the responsibility of the writers alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers, directors, staff, or members of IBMA. Portions of International Bluegrass may be reprinted provided that explicit citation of the source is made: “Reprinted with permission from International Bluegrass, the publication of the International Bluegrass Music Association, www.IBMA.org�

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TAB LE O F CON T EN T S INTERNATIONAL BLUEGRASS

August 2016 50 Years of Bluegrass Unlimited 6 8

Bluegrass Unlimited Leaves a Lasting Legacy

by Bill Conger

Bluegrass Unlimited & Me: a 50-Year Journey

by Bill Foster

COVER STORY 10

And the Nominees Are...

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Remembering Dr. Ralph Stanley, Part Two

On July 27th during a live event on Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction, the IBMA announced its final nominees for the 27th Annual International Bluegrass Music Awards, along with the latest recipients of the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award and the newest inductees into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

We continue to remember the extraordinary life and career of the high lonesome singer from the Clinch Mountains of Virginia, who made it all the way to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Voices - Dr. Ralph has influenced fans and musicians of

mountain, old-time, bluegrass, country, rock and almost every other genre of music there is. We had the chance to talk with some very influential voices in their own right, and all of them will tell you right now that if it hadn’t been for Ralph Stanley, their own music would likely have been very different.

DON RIGSBY - From his raisings in Kentucky to The Band of Ruhks, Don Rigsby never had the music of Ralph Stanley far from his mind.

VINCE GILL - Gill might be known primarily as a country star, but he credits Dr. Ralph with helping him to develop his own high tenor voice.

RICKY SKAGGS - Stepping into the Clinch Mountain Boys as a teenager, Ricky Skaggs learned much from Stanley that he carried with him into his career as a country and bluegrass superstar.

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In Concert

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CD Reviews

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What’s New at World of Bluegrass

Looking back at the night in July when Rhonda Vincent raged with The Osborne Brothers, Jesse McReynolds and Mac Wiseman in Nashville. Yes, that happened.

We took a listen to the latest Kaia Kater release, as well as the new gospel project from Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers.

Details about the Talent Buyer Track, Bluegrass Ramble, Songwriter Showcase Artists and the Health Fair, where we’ll be giving away FREE EYEWEAR!!!

Bluegrass Unlimited Covers Provided by Bluegrass Unlimited and Linda Shaw.

BU Photos, Courtesy of Bill Foster

International Bluegrass | August 2016 5

Bluegrass Unlimited Leaves a Lasting Legacy

BY BILL CONGER The world’s premiere bluegrass magazine celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. Bluegrass Unlimited was founded half a century ago with humble beginnings, and since that time has earned a steadfast reputation as the bible of bluegrass.

The genesis of the publication happened in July of 1966, when many fans of The Stanley Brothers didn’t get wind that the legendary performers had a concert planned in the Washington, D.C., area and missed the show. Pete Kuykendall, Dick Spottswood, Gary Henderson, Dick Freeland, Dianne Sims and Vince Sims decided to get together to see what could be done to prevent poor communication in the future.

“We sat in a Bethesda, Maryland living room and finally decided that what we needed to do was prepare a little newsletter so we could charge a modest amount for it,” recalls Spottswood, who served as editor the first four years of the publication’s existence. “In exchange, people in basically the mid-Atlantic area would be able to find out when who was coming to town and where they would be.”

“There had never been one [a newsletter] before then, and people didn’t believe we could put out something on a monthly basis that covered the things that they were interested in,” remembers Kuykendall, one of the co-founders, who took over the reigns as editor in 1970.

were skeptical. We were getting feedback from the musicians, but they were hesitant to come to support us even though we were helping them out. It took them awhile to come around to it.”

“It was something that we intended to do as bumbling amateurs which wound up to be significant and very influential, and we’re sitting here talking about it 50 years later,” adds Spottswood.

Spottswood says they couldn’t foresee the magazine’s longevity, but the founders knew they were providing an invaluable service to the bluegrass industry.

“When you plant a seed, you plant a seed,” he says. “You don’t necessarily envision a 100-foot tall tree. Who thinks ahead like that? We had a job to do at the time, and it did work very well. It meant that performers coming to the area could count on us doing free publicity for them, and we, in turn, could count on being able to get to see them.

It seemed like a pretty good idea for everybody, audiences included, and the guys who were selling drinks,” he adds with a chuckle.

Bluegrass musicians agree that the magazine has had tremendous impact on the industry and their careers.

Kuykendall says his vision was simply for the publication to be successful, which in itself was a huge feat considering the industry’s initial reluctance to climb aboard and support the magazine.

“It helped promote the venues, it helped promote the artists, it gave us a chart that was reliable; it does everything, and it still does,” says Dale Ann Bradley. “Everybody loves to get that in the mail, especially the times that I’ve been fortunate enough to be on the cover of it,” she adds with a laugh. “I’m proud of that. Everybody couldn’t wait to get their Bluegrass Unlimited in the mail.

Still can’t.”

“Bluegrass always was a kind of underground type of music,” explains Kuykendall. “They accepted us, but they

“BU has been an invaluable tool for the artist and the fan - steeped in history, education, promotion and en-

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tertainment,” says Blake Williams, whose credits include playing banjo for Lester Flatt and Bill Monroe, bass for Mike Snider, and serving as band leader for The Expedition Show. “It’s always been informative and dedicated to being a great representation of a truly great American art form.”

“As a young musician, I read BU from cover to cover. As I scanned the Personal Appearance Calendar, I dreamed of visiting those far away towns and festivals. The dream became a reality through my work with Bobby Smith, Lester Flatt, Bill Monroe and Mike Snider. Every album was reviewed and show dates promoted. With my own band, Williams & Clark Expedition, the official stamp of approval came when BU published the first ever feature story written about us. Happy Birthday and a big thanks to BU!” Spottswood believes that bluegrass music is in better shape now for what Bluegrass Unlimited has been able to do for the music business.

“Ultimately, because of Pete’s courage and enthusiasm, and orneriness and intelligence---he decided that they had reached a commercial potential. It was something that was starting to represent a significant amount of commerce and out of that grew IBMA, basically, so that Reprint of first issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, Courtesy Pete Wernick

there would be a kind of Chamber of Commerce for bluegrass,” he says. “I think if Bluegrass Unlimited had not existed to give the music some kind of in-print respectability in the ‘60s, that an organization like that would not have been possible in the ‘80s.”

“Pete was on the committee that was responsible for the magazine in the first place, and he was [one of the] head instigators for IBMA 20 years later, and I think those two events are strongly connected, even if one didn’t follow the other right away.”

Spottswood adds that unlike jazz and classical music, bluegrass isn’t just treading water.

“I think part of the intellectual respectability, if you will, fallback has to do with Bluegrass Unlimited giving it that kind of solid support and following the trends and commenting intelligently on them, and making sure that each issue has some historical material in it so that people of today can recognize what elements came out of music 30 years ago or 300 years ago, still continue to have an influence on the music today,” says Spottswood.

“Bluegrass has been very, very successful in renewing itself and bringing its past along with it at the same time.”

“Because of our tenacity, we’ve been there when all else failed. We’ve learned over the years what worked and didn’t work,” Kuykendall adds.

“I think we’ve tried to cover as many [musicians] as we could as often as we could, and they appreciated that.

I’m just proud that it’s lasted as long as it has.”

Bill Conger has been a regular contributor to Bluegrass Unlimited for 20 years. He is currently working with Bobby Osborne on a biography of his life.

Pete Kuykendall

International Bluegrass | August 2016 7

Bluegrass Unlimited & Me a 50-Year Journey

BY BILL FOSTER In July 1966, a group of D.C.-area bluegrass music fans formed and printed a mimeograph newsletter called Bluegrass Unlimited. This came about from a missed opportunity to see a nearby Ralph Stanley performance.

This new periodical would be available to like-minded music fans and would contain information on upcoming events, album reviews, and related articles. It was in those simple eight pages of reviews and such that formed the basis of the now-glossy, internationally-known premier periodical for and about bluegrass music. In July 1966, I was a 19-year old GI just returned from Korea with a year to go in my enlistment and two years of trade school ahead of me. As a young man growing up in Maine, I knew nothing about bluegrass music.

My music at the time was from folk music, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and others. I’d never heard of Bill Monroe, Lester & Earl or anyone like that. However, in 1969 I relocated to suburban Maryland for a job with the Navy, and through new friends I found WAMU’s bluegrass radio programming, Indian Springs Bluegrass Festivals and Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. It was also through the guitar jams, picking parties and local bars that I found bluegrass music, and it found me. This finding would have a huge impact on my musical direction for the rest of my life. Of all the music I had grown up with and enjoyed, bluegrass was what I wanted to play and hear.

Bluegrass Unlimited produced the Indian Springs festivals, and it was at these festivals where I came to know folks like Pete Kuykendall, Kitsy O’Meara (Kuykendall), Katy Daley and the late Les McIntyre. Les was instrumental in getting me really involved in the D.C. bluegrass community through WAMU radio’s bluegrass programming, helping me to meet many local musicians in the D.C. area, going to clubs like the Birchmere and getting a subscription to Bluegrass Unlimited.

Bluegrass Unlimited had become the only magazine devoted to bluegrass music, and through its pages I learned about the music, where to hear it and where to buy it. Bluegrass Unlimited was my textbook, and the

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D.C.-area music scene was my classroom.

Les had joined the BU staff in 1981 writing reviews and articles, and in 1985, Les and I co-founded the Bluegrass Overnight program on WAMU. Through Les’s recommendation, I was asked to join the BU staff in 1994, where I continue to write reviews and occasional articles. In 2000, Les started a regular monthly column in BU titled “Additional Releases,” which focused on lesser-known artist releases including those that were self-produced or not signed to a label. In 2011 with Les McIntyre’s untimely passing, I was asked to take over the column, which I continue to write today. I also continue to write occasional full reviews, book reviews and other articles.

I have been pleased to be able to review a number of projects from award-winning artists including Bobby Hicks, Jim Mills, Blue Highway, Mark Newton, Dan Tyminski and Donna Ulisse. I’ve also written articles about Pete Goble, Black Diamond Strings and Richard D. Smith’s book on Bill Monroe, and I wrote obituary columns for Evan Carl, Ray Davis and my friend Les McIntyre.

For me, Bluegrass Unlimited has been an educational source of information for and about our international musical community, and I am proud to be a part of their continuing legacy.

Bluegrass Unlimited’s impact on bluegrass music and the bluegrass community in general is paramount to the music’s development and popularity, and to the magazine’s success and growth. From its humble mimeographed beginnings to its current glossy magazine format, Bluegrass Unlimited will hopefully continue for another 50 years to be the main source of collective information for a continually growing American musical genre.

Bill Foster is a musician, broadcaster, writer and music publisher living in Strasburg, Virginia. He is a member of the IBMA Leadership Bluegrass Alumni Committee.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 9

And the Nominees Are...

2016

Did your favorite make the cut?

You could feel the anticipation in the air as Kyle Cantrell from Sirius XM’s Bluegrass Junction got the event underway for the nomination announcement for the 27th Annual IBMA International Bluegrass Music Awards. Nominees were announced July 27 at a press conference in Nashville, Tennessee, with reigning IBMA Entertainers of the Year, The Earls of Leicester, leading the pack with three nominations for the band and five for their individual members.

They’re followed by The Del McCoury Band with six nominations (band and individuals), Flatt Lonesome with five nominations and Becky Buller, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Frank Solivan with three nominations each. (A full list of nominations appears below.)

Awards are voted on by the professional membership of the IBMA. Results of the balloting will be revealed at the International Bluegrass Music Awards, Thursday, September 29, at the Duke Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Individually and as a group, the Earls of Leicester are nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year, while individual nominations go to members Shawn Camp for Male Vocalist of the Year, Jerry Douglas for Dobro Player of the Year and Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year (“Cazenovia Casanova,” with Frank Solivan and Sam Bush), Barry Bales for Bass Player of the Year and Charlie Cushman for Banjo Player of the Year.

The Del McCoury Band’s tally includes Entertainer of the Year, Recorded Event of the Year (“Pretty Woman,”

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with Frank Solivan); Male Vocalist of the Year for Del McCoury, Fiddle Player of the Year for Jason Carter, Bass Player of the Year for Alan Bartram and Instrumental Group of the Year for The Travelin’ McCourys.

2014 Emerging Artist of the Year winners Flatt Lonesome racked up nominations in five categories: Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year (Runaway Train), Song of the Year (“You’re the One”) and Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year (“In the Heat of the Fire”).

Other multiple nominees with three nominations each include Becky Buller, Sam Bush, Sierra Hull and Frank Solivan; and with two nominations each: Balsam Range, Lonesome River Band and The SteelDrivers.

“Congratulations to every nominee that earned the votes of their peers through every round of the voting process, it is an honor and great accomplishment,” said IBMA Executive Director Paul Schiminger.

“I can’t wait for the show in Raleigh on September 29. It is always the biggest celebration of bluegrass music!”

The awards show promises to be an evening of music and celebration. If you don’t have your tickets yet, you may get them by logging onto www.ibma.org or calling 1-800-514-3849. IBMA Business Conference registration as well as hotel reservation info can also be found on the site.

The 2016 IBMA Nominees ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Balsam Range The Del McCoury Band The Earls of Leicester Flatt Lonesome The Gibson Brothers VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR Balsam Range Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver The Earls of Leicester Flatt Lonesome The Gibson Brothers INSTRUMENTAL GROUP OF THE YEAR The Earls of Leicester Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen Punch Brothers Sam Bush Band The Travelin’ McCourys SONG OF THE YEAR Black River – Sierra Hull (Artist) – Sierra Hull (Writer) – Rounder Records (Label) Long Way Down – The SteelDrivers (Artist) – Elizabeth Mala Hengber, Tammy Rogers King, and Jerry Salley (Writers) – Rounder Records (Label) Radio – Steep Canyon Rangers (Artist) – Graham Paul Sharp (Writer) – (Label) Thunder & Lightning – Lonesome River Band (Artist) – Adam Wright (Writer) – Mountain Home Music (Label) You’re the One – Flatt Lonesome (Artist) – Dwight Yoakam (Writer) – Mountain Home Music (Label) ALBUM OF THE YEAR Bridging the Tradition – Lonesome River Band (Artist) – Mountain Home Music (Label) It’s About Tyme – Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out (Artist) – Break A String (Label) Runaway Train – Flatt Lonesome (Artist) – Mountain Home Music (Label) The Muscle Shoals Recordings – The SteelDrivers (Artist) – Rounder Records (Label) Weighted Mind – Sierra Hull (Artist) – Rounder Records (Label)

GOSPEL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR All Dressed Up – Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers (Artist) – Sacred Memories (Album) – Rebel Records (Label) In The Heatof the Fire – Flatt Lonesome (Artist) – Runaway Train (Album) – Mountain Home Music (Label) Rocking of the Cradle – Lonesome River Band (Artist) – Bridging the Tradition (Album) – Mountain Home Music (Label) The Savior Is Born – Becky Buller (Artist) – The Christmas 45 Vol. 1 (Album) – Dark Shadow Recording (Label) Won’t You Come and Sing For Me – Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands (Artist) – The Hazel and Alice Sessions (Album) – Spruce and Maple Music (Label) INSTRUMENTAL RECORDED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR Cazenovia Casanova – Frank Solivan with Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas (Artist) – Family, Friends & Heroes (Album) – Compass Records (Label) Fireball – Special Consensus featuring Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, and Alison Brown (Artist) – Long I Ride (Album) – Compass Records (Label) Hogan’s Goat – The Boxcars (Artist) – Familiar with the Ground (Album) – Mountain Home Music (Label) Hogan’s House of Music – Ron Block (Artist) – Hogan’s House of Music (Album) – Hogan’s House of Music (Label) Smartville – Ron Block (Artist) – Hogan’s House of Music (Album) – Hogan’s House of Music (Label) EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR Band of Ruhks The Lonely Heartstring Band Mountain Faith Sister Sadie Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle Town Mountain RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR Fireball – Special Consensus featuring Rob Ickes, Trey Hensley, and Alison Brown (Artist) – Long I Ride (Album) – Compass Records (Label) Highway 40 Blues – Special Consensus with Della Mae (Artist) – Long I Ride (Album) – Compass Records (Label) In The Pines – Carl Jackson and Brad Paisley (Artist) – Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited (Album) – Birthplace of Country Music (Label) Longneck Blues – Junior Sisk and Ronnie Bowman (Artist) – Poor Boy’s Pleasure (Album) – Mountain Fever (Label) Pretty Woman – Frank Solivan with Del McCoury (Artist) – Family, Friends & Heroes (Album) – Compass Records (Label)

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MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR Shawn Camp Del McCoury Buddy Melton Tim O’Brien Danny Paisley FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR Becky Buller Dale Ann Bradley Claire Lynch Amanda Smith Rhonda Vincent BANJO PLAYER OF THE YEAR Charlie Cushman Jens Kruger Mike Munford Noam Pikelny Sammy Shelor BASS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Barry Bales Alan Bartram Mike Bub Missy Raines Mark Schatz FIDDLE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Becky Buller Jason Carter Michael Cleveland Stuart Duncan Ron Stewart DOBRO PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Douglas Andy Hall Rob Ickes Phil Leadbetter Josh Swift

The IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes ind contributions to bluegrass music. Each year, a selected comm second only to the IBMA Hall of Fame in distinction. In 2016, th include:

Bluegrass Unlimited magazine Bluegrass Unlimited is being honored on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The monthly magazine was first published in July 1966 as a mimeographed newsletter before launching its larger format several years later.

Long considered the premier magazine for bluegrass music, founder and publisher Peter Kuykendall and editor Linda Shaw continue to cover every phase of bluegrass and old-time music through features, discographies, record and book reviews, festival itineraries and other special editions. Bluegrass Unlimited is a founding member of the IBMA, and Pete Kuykendall is a member of the International Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Boston Bluegrass Union New England’s premiere source for bluegrass music, the Boston Bluegrass Union is an all-volunteer association

GUITAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR Chris Eldridge Jim Hurst Kenny Smith Bryan Sutton Josh Williams MANDOLIN PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jesse Brock Sam Bush Sierra Hull Frank Solivan Adam Steffey

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promoting and supporting bluegrass festivals, concerts, jams, and bluegrass music education throughout the Northeast. One of the BBU’s primary goals is to help keep bluegrass music alive through education, and to that end it hosts jams and workshops for adults and children that help them learn to sing and play, often introducing them to the genre for the first time. The non-

Distinguished Achievement Award Honorees 2016

dividuals and organizations for longstanding and significant mittee recognizes up to five honorees with the award, which is he recipients of the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award

profit organization also offers bluegrass in the schools programs, songwriting workshops, an ongoing concert series and the famous Joe Val Bluegrass festival.

In 2016, the Boston Bluegrass Union is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Bill Emerson William Hundley, or “Bill,” Emerson, Jr., is an influential five-string banjo player with an astounding calling card. He is known for being one of the founding members of the genre-shifting group, The Country Gentlemen, and the innovative duo, Emerson & Waldron. The latter has been credited with introducing the now-classic song Fox on the Run to the bluegrass format. Emerson eventually enlisted in the United States Navy, where he assembled the first U.S. Navy bluegrass band. He even has his own signature model banjo, The Red Fox, which Stelling Banjo Works continues to sell. The Virginia native’s current group, Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band, released The Gospel Side of Bill Emerson & The Sweet Dixie Band earlier this year.

Jim Rooney As a musician, manager, author, music publisher and GRAMMY-winning producer, Jim Rooney has built a career of iconic proportions. He was a musical partner of the late banjoist and IBMA Hall of Famer Bill Keith for over 50 years, and played an important role in the

folk revival of the ‘60s, especially at the Newport Jazz and New Orleans Jazz Festivals. Rooney is best known for his record production work with John Prine, Tom Rush, Peter Rowan, Nanci Griffith, Iris DeMent and Hal Ketchum. His Forerunner Music Publishing Company has celebrated cuts

by Shawn Camp, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Tim O’Brien and others. Just to keep things interesting, Rooney also holds a Master of Arts degree in the Classics from Harvard University.

SiriusXM Radio’s Bluegrass Junction Bluegrass Junction humbly admits that it plays handmade, heartfelt bluegrass music. With a playlist that covers everything from Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs to Ricky Skaggs and The Grascals, Bluegrass Junction is one of the genre’s truest supporters. Hosts Kyle Cantrell and Chris Jones are former IBMA Bluegrass Broadcasters of the Year, and along with hosts Joey Black and Ned Luberecki, they make up an all-star team whose passion for the music is reflected in shows like Track by Track,Truegrass,Derailed and The Gospel Train. Bluegrass Junction is also the place where you will hear the IBMA Awards broadcast live on September 29, with the important note that it is moving to channel 62 on August 4th.

Congratulations to each of these fine and deserving recipients of the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 13

Hall of Fame Inductees IBMA Announces the 2016 Hall of Fame Inductees: Rounder, Clarence White Honored 2016

The IBMA Hall of Fame is filled with luminaries and beacons of people who have pioneered and lit the way of innovation, creativity and originality for those who follow, and the 2016 inductees are certainly fine examples of all of these attributes. On July 27, the IBMA was honored to announce that it will induct genre-bending guitarist and singer Clarence White and Rounder Records founders Bill Nowlin, Marian Leighton Levy and Ken Irwin into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame during a special ceremony at its awards Show, Thursday, September 29, 2016, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

CLARENCE WHITE: Clarence White was born in 1944 into a highly musical family including his father, brothers Eric, Jr., and Roland, and sister Joanne. After the family moved from Maine to California, Clarence and his brothers formed the Three Little Country Boys, playing both country and bluegrass music. They were later joined by Billy Ray Latham and Leroy Mack, calling themselves simply The Country Boys.

It was this band that appeared twice on the Andy Griffith Show in 1961. That year Roger Bush joined to play double bass in place of Eric, who had left, and in 1962 they changed their names to The Kentucky Colonels.

Clarence’s playing became more prominent, especially after being inspired by the playing of Doc Watson. He soon developed his own distinctive style, incorporating syncopation as well as cross-picking reminiscent of Jesse McReynolds’ mandolin playing.

With the release of the 1964 album, Appalachian Swing, White’s flatpicking expanded the language of bluegrass guitar.

The Kentucky Colonels disbanded in 1967. The following year, Clarence became a full-time member of The Byrds, where he again influenced the guitar world by installing a device that made his 1954 Telecaster sound like a steel guitar by simply pushing down on the guitar to move the strap button. This device became known as the “B-bender.” Today, Marty Stuart owns and plays that very guitar.

In 1973, White joined Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Richard Green, and Bill Keith to form the band Muleskinner...initially to back Bill Monroe on a television program. After Monroe’s bus broke down, the band became the show’s performers. Following that recorded show and a subsequent album, White rejoined Roland and Eric as The White Brothers or The New Kentucky Colonels, along with Herb Pederson and Alan Munde. This venture and Clarence’s life were cut short when he was struck by an automobile after a show in 1973. He was 29 years old.

Clarence White remains a legendary figure through recordings. His rhythm and lead guitar work have inspired and heavily influenced countless players, including Hall of Famer Tony Rice. Clarence’s 1935 Martin D-28 guitar, which Tony Rice has played for over 40 years, is recognized as one of the most iconic instruments in bluegrass music.

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KEN IRWIN, MARIAN LEIGHTON LEVY & BILL NOWLIN: In 1970, with only their passionate enthusiasm for American roots music lighting the way, three Boston, Massachusetts, college students cast their lots into the music industry. This untested trio went from humble beginnings 46 years ago to become one of America’s premier independent record labels....Rounder Records.

From its early interest in rural American music, Rounder has amassed a catalogue of more than 3,000 titles running the gamut from bluegrass to rock, folk to Celtic and well beyond.

In addition to its own releases, beginning in 1971 with a collection of songs featuring 76-year-old banjoist George Pegram, the Rounder founders sold roots recordings from numerous labels, ran a record distributor, and operated a popular mail-order company. As Rounder grew as a company, it demonstrated the ability to nurture and develop artists’ careers over the course of a series of albums. Through the decades, Rounder has released ground-breaking, influential albums that have echoed and shaped the evolution of the bluegrass music genre, including its first Norman Blake album in 1972, the classic 0044 J.D. Crowe & The New South album, music from Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, Sam Bush, The Del McCoury Band, The Johnson Mountain Boys, Lynn Morris, Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, Dailey & Vincent, The Grascals, James King, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, Hazel Dickens, The SteelDrivers, Jerry Douglas, the Earls of Leicester, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Gibson Brothers, Doyle Lawson and Alison Krauss’ monumentally successful catalog, among others. In 2014, the label moved from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Nashville, Tennessee, and the label is now owned by the Concord Music Group, which continues to carry on and expand the rich tradition.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 15

Remembering Dr. Ralph Stanley, Part 2

BY SHANNON WAYNE TURNER

Compiled by Kelly Smith Ralph Stanley has influenced generations of fans and musicians. Lovers and makers of mountain, old-time, bluegrass, country, rock and almost every other genre of music point to Ralph and The Stanley Brothers as having a direct impact on their own work.

Don Rigsby, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs are three such people, who in turn have continued to influence the music their way. We had the chance to talk with them shortly after Stanley died, and as you will read, they will admit readily that if it hadn’t been for Dr. Ralph, their own music may well have been very different.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DON RIGSBY

for my sixth birthday., so I always remember it was February 18, 1974. It fell right on my birthday. Keith Whitley was singing lead for him at the time, and Daddy knew him. Dad said that he went and talked to Keith about it, told him that it was my birthday and I’d really love to meet Ralph Stanley, because by that point in time the music had gotten in to me, and I was enamored by it all. So Keith walked out before the show and said, “Is this the young feller that wants to meet Ralph Stanley?” I didn’t say anything; I just kind of shook my head. He said, “Well, come on.” He picked me up and put me on his shoulders, and carried me backstage to meet Ralph. He was sitting there in a dressing room, there was nothing but one single little 25-watt light bulb hanging from a fixture from

IBMA: Your influence and friendship with Ralph goes back a long time. Do you even recall a time when you had a life before Ralph’s music inspired you? When do you remember first hearing Ralph’s music and being so moved by it that he just became such a powerful influence over what you do?

Don: Well, probably when I was about four or five years old. Ralph recorded a couple things and he had this tribute song for his brother Carter, Hills of Home. It’s a recitation. It had Larry Sparks on it, Ralph, Curly Ray. I’m thinking maybe Jimmy Martin played the mandolin. When I was little, when I first heard Ralph’s voice, it was not his singing voice that touched me - it was his speaking voice. It starts off, Carter, this is your song, that was your request. You’re at rest now in the hills you so often wrote about and loved so well. When he did that, I’m getting emotional thinking about it now, just as a child I remember thinking, This is a gentle soul, he’s so gentle. Nobody that speaks that way could be anything but gentle. He proved to be just that with and for me. He was amazing.

IBMA: When did you first get to meet him?

Don: When I was six, my mom and dad took me to see him in Ashland, Kentucky, at the Paramount Arts Center

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Rigsby with Tom T. Hall and Dr. Ralph Getty Images

the ceiling. There he was, in this dim light, but I’ll never forget that smile on his face. He had a smile that would just take you apart, and he was so kind and gentle to me.

He talked to me and he said, “What song would you like to hear tonight?” I told him I wanted to hear Little Maggie. He did it that night, and he did the recitation, too. He dedicated Little Maggie to me, and it was on the encore.

He didn’t do it during the regular set, and I was sitting there just completely disappointed up to that point, and then they came back out and Ralph said, “There’s a little feller out here that really wanted to hear me sing this song, so I’m gonna do it for you.” He pointed me out in the crowd, and he sang it. I’ll never forget it, it’s one of those life-changing moments that you have.

IBMA: Do you think that after Carter died, Ralph kind of have to build his own persona, because he had always been Carter’s brother, where Carter had been the primary writer and the much bigger personality? Do you feel like he had kind of like had to build a bigger personality after Carter passed away?

Don: Carter was kind of a magnetic personality, and he wrote the songs. He didn’t write them all, but he did write the biggest portion of The Stanley Brothers’ songs, and Ralph did the instrumentals. Ralph wrote, too, but he wasn’t as prolific as Carter. I think when Carter passed away, Ralph definitely had to take stock of things and dial it back. You can see the music changing, not becoming more advanced for Ralph, but becoming older. He dug down deeper into his heritage and that started to show, like with the acapella recordings, the old Primitive Baptist hymns that he did as a boy. That began to show up, and that had never been there when Carter was around.

IBMA: Certainly Carter’s loss was devastating and definitely changed the whole path that Ralph was on, but do you think that Ralph would have been able to bloom like he did if Carter had remained alive and they had stayed The Stanley Brothers?

Don: No. I don’t. I think that they would

have been The Stanley Brothers, and I think that they would have been incredible just like they were. But, I think that with Carter not being there to have his input into the sound, Ralph had to take what they had already done and then modify it some to come up with his own identity. And really, that’s not diminishing the importance of Carter at all; it speaks volumes about it, because if someone’s important enough that you can’t go on with what you’re doing without them, it means they’re irreplaceable. Carter could never be replaced. There were people who stood in his position, but every one of them would have told you they weren’t replacing Carter, they were just singing lead for Ralph.

IBMA: When you and Ralph recorded your project a couple of years ago, when you approached him with that idea, was he immediately on board?

Don: Well you know Ralph and I had recorded before.

He recorded with me on a couple songs on a Gospel record I did called Vision. I learned something during that experience , kind of as a preamble to the other project, was that Ralph doesn’t follow anybody, he leads. Ralph was a leader and he could make anybody sound great, but it had to be on his terms. I learned that as a lesson in the studio, I was quick enough to learn it until it turned out good. That was 1997, I think. Time passed, and I needed to go back and visit my musical roots. I thought, What better to do than the very foundation of it all for me is this, his music? My tribute record is not a tribute, not to offend anybody, but it is not a tribute to The Stanley Brothers at all. It’s to Ralph and the music that he made after The Stanley Brothers because gosh, that music’s incredible. But, what could I do to address that, that hasn’t already been done? I came up with a master list of about 50 songs of his that I loved and felt that I could cover, but I took it to him to narrow it down and he made the final choices. He picked the 12 that I did, not me. He really loved the record, he loved it.

IBMA: As we learn to move forward without him, what as a friend and a mentor do you think will continue to have the most impact on you as you move through the rest of your life?

Don: Anything that I do as a musician will forever be affected by his tutelage and mentoring and advice and example. He always looked the part when he took the stage. I could adopt a little more of that persona, not necessarily to dress like him, but when you hit the stage, hit that stage and look like you’re ready to do something, instead of out to polish a car or hoe a garden or go fishing.

You need to hit that stage to set yourself apart from the audience in a way that they’re there to watch, you’re there to entertain. They need to be able to tell that you’re there for your part of this bargain.

IBMA: What a great perspective. You’re right, that has gotten kind of blurred in recent years and Ralph always International Bluegrass | August 2016 17

was an entertainer. Doyle Lawson does that really well, and some other folks. They are there to entertain and they kind of dress up and show up, don’t they?

Don: You can’t just show out, you’ve got to show up.

Bobby Osborne, same thing, he dresses the part. When he shows up, you know who that is. I always expect that big wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and the suit. That’s as much a part of it as anything. You know, even when The Stanley Brothers didn’t have two nickels to knock together, when they hit the stage they looked like a million dollars.

kids, I’m not telling them not to listen to Chris Thile and Punch Brothers at all, that’s great music in its own right, but who did Chris listen to? He listened to Mike Marshall. Who did Mike Marshall listen to? He listened to David Grisman, and worked for Grisman. Who did Grisman listen to? He listened to Monroe. It’s all interconnected, and I would just like for all of these young musicians out there to embrace the history. Don’t just take what you think it’s about, learn what it’s about and embrace it all. The onion’s got a lot of layers.

IBMA: When you talk to young people, as far as Ralph is concerned, what should they listen to in order to make sure that they have an understanding of who Ralph was and what he was trying to do with his music?

Don: Everybody doesn’t feel the same way I do, but I know that when I listen to Ralph, things that impress me about him was that he had the mountains right in his voice. You could see the rocks and the roots and the trees and coal mines and everything coming right out in his voice. That was a definite thing with me, and they need to pay attention to his voice. His banjo playing gets overlooked too often because he came along at the time that Earl Scruggs was the rage. Earl was incredible and he remains to be incredible, but Ralph was pretty doggone good too. He had his own take on it. You can tell his banjo was the driving force behind his music if you listen to it. Everybody fell in lock step behind that and I always pointed that out. One of the things that I always pointed out to my students was when you get back to the old recordings of Stanley Brothers, those high trios, Pee Wee Lambert on top Ralph singing that middle part, that’s pretty incredible stuff and spot on harmony singing. Everybody talks about Ralph the lead singer but Ralph was the best tenor singer that I ever heard. So I want them to pay attention to that.

IBMA: What’s the best way we can continue to let his light shine as a player and as someone who impacted on a personal level lives like he has yours?

DON: I say play the music, live and recordings. The songs that Carter and Ralph wrote and recorded are timeless songs. They don’t expire. This stuff gets better, and yet the older I get the more I understand about it and the more I appreciate it. When I was a kid growing up, I wanted to be like Ralph and then I went through a spell where I loved, and still love, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Lou Reid and Terry Baucom and then J.D. Crowe and New South. Then I got to be in The New South and I learned more appreciation for Ralph, not so much because J.D. taught it, but because I saw what had inspired J.D. to be what he was, which was Lester and Earl. He worked with Mac Wiseman, and he’d been around all those first generation guys and he liked Ralph, too. I think these young

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AN INTERVIEW WITH VINCE GILL Vince Gill is known for his great guitar licks and songwriting craft, but perhaps most recognize first his dulcet, high tenor voice. At this point, country music seems unimaginable without his powerful influence on legions of singers.

What you may not know, however, that without Ralph Stanley, there may not have been Vince Gill as we know him. Without Ralph’s high lonesome mountain tone, borne from the ancients, Vince might not have come from Oklahoma with the same delivery and heart found in his own work. Even from the tender age of 15, Vince knew that Ralph Stanley was someone special, someone to whom he needed to pay attention.

Vince was on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville when Stanley passed away on June 23. We spoke with Vince the next morning, where he shared his thoughts about Ralph’s influence on him and so many others.

IBMA: How are you feeling in the context of Ralph’s pass-

ing for not only bluegrass, but he just means so much to music in general?

Vince: He had a tremendous impact on the way I sing.

And that dawned on me. I went out there and starting singing Go Rest High on That Mountain, and I said, I couldn’t have written this song and sung it with the melody and the way that I did if I hadn’t been influenced by him. With Patty [Loveless] and Ricky [Skaggs] singing on that, that’s as Stanley as you can get. I just think that out of all the singers that I was lucky enough to come across and sing with, and work with and meet and be inspired by, he was my favorite singer in bluegrass. I was more drawn to the way he sang tenor, and I was always the tenor singer in most every band I was in, so it was that style and the way he would bend notes. It was huge on my way of structuring harmony. You know I’ve sung harmony on 700 to 800 artists’ records over the years, and it’s part of my DNA in a really beautiful way.

I look back at songs like When I Call Your Name. The harmony structure, the notes I would choose to use and have people sing, that’s all because of Ralph. So much so, so it became very obvious and very apparent and when I started singing for him on stage last night I said, No wonder this is the way this song turned out. We had a moment of silence for him towards the end of the night, and it was beautiful to hear complete silence in the Ryman. Then we sang Think Of What You’ve Done. I haven’t sung that in 40 years probably. You know, it was one of the first bluegrass songs, I think it was the first bluegrass song I ever learned.

then you look at that lineage of some of those mountain singers that showed up and sang with Ralph. That list is off the charts too. You have Larry [Sparks], and Keith [Whitley] and on and on and Roy Lee [Centers]...not only were they instrumental, but then for the next fifty years other people came to the forefront and kept it alive, it never lost that mountain sound. In a beautiful way, when he was a young man he sounded like he was 80 years old. His voice had that kind of maturity, character, it was unlike anything I had ever heard.

IBMA: What can we learn from Ralph about bluegrass culture?

Vince: Growing up in bluegrass gave me such a great well of inspiration of comradery. Everybody knew each other, and everybody was friendly. I remember meeting Ralph when I was 16 or 17 years old, and just how kind everybody was to each other. You know, welcoming of young kids who were trying to figure out how to learn how to play this music. When somebody was nice to you when you were a kid you never forgot it. Not ever, not ever, not ever. And that’s the way it was with me, and some of these friendships go back now 42 years.

IBMA: Was it the mountain sound in his voice, the way he bent the notes, or was it emotion?

Vince: I think some of it is that. A lot of it was him and his brother. It was that bloodline harmony. I mean, he did a bunch of great recording, obviously, after he lost his brother, but those were the definitive recordings and the ones that really kind of shaped what I learned about bluegrass, along with Monroe and along with a bunch of other people, Flatt and Scruggs. As a singer, it would be the lead singer and then there’d be two above. It had to be that coal dust or something that was in there that made them sound the way they did. I think what I like most about it was the rasp and the way it was kind of most authentic. Those voices matched that lifestyle, that hard-times lifestyle of the mountains. And, Ralph played the banjo much different than Earl. That archtop and more driving back by the bridge, a different kind of thing. And it was all very unique and its own.

IBMA: I’ve heard you talk a lot about family harmonies.

It’s interesting that you bring Carter up, because when he died it could have been really intimidating for Ralph to go, Oh, how are we going to do this now? But for fifty years, he built his own thing and continued on very successfully, and that had to have been quite a big prospect for him in 1966.

Vince: Yeah, I think so. Pressing on without his brother,

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICKY SKAGGS Ricky Skaggs knew Ralph Stanley for over 45 years, from the time he and Keith Whitley joined the Clinch Mountain Boys in 1970. Though many thought of Ralph as family, to Ricky he was just that. Long after leaving Stanley’s band for his own career in bluegrass and country superstardom, Ralph and Rick, as the Doctor called him, remained close. We spoke with Skaggs a few days after he paid a moving tribute to his friend and mentor at his funeral by singing an old hymn in the acapella, mountain way that Ralph made noteworthy in the ‘70s.

IBMA: Looking back as to the time of when you first met him as a young guy, and as y’all grew together as men and friends, how did he grow and change as a man and as a International Bluegrass | August 2016 19

music maker and in how he viewed the world?

Ricky: Well, when Carter died Ralph went back home musically. He went back to the mountains, went back to his upbringing, and went back to the church sound. Everything that made Ralph Stanley what we know as Ralph Stanley. He encapsulated that mountain sound. I feel like that he rose up and became what he was supposed to be.

Ralph became the mountain sound that he was embodied with. He then had the release to be able to become the iconic mountain singer for America and the world. I think Ralph walked into his calling, I really do. I think when Carter passed away there was a fear there with Ralph, “What am I going to do now? What am I going to do now? I’ve never fronted the show. I’ve never emceed the show.” Ralph had done the business. Now, Ralph didn’t have to run anything by Carter anymore. He didn’t have to ask permission. He didn’t ask, “Well, what you think about this?” So there was no more of that. Ralph became Ralph Stanley at that moment. Carter died in ‘66, and me and Keith came with Ralph in ‘70. Ralph had just hired Roy Lee Centers when we went to see him in West Virginia. We were eager to go and hear and see that. It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my whole life. It was Curly Ray Cline, George Shuffler, Roy Lee and Ralph, four people. And I’m telling you, it was unbelievable. It was the greatest thing, so great. It was just amazing.

IBMA: Was that the same night that he hired y’all or was that before?

Ricky: That was the same night that his bus had broken down. So me, Keith and my dad, and Keith’s brother got up and sang for 45 minutes or so, maybe an hour, waiting for Ralph to get there. So he heard us that night, Ralph did, when he came in we were on stage singing. He invited us back to play on his break, he wanted us to play some more stuff on his break. So he heard us some more and then at the end of the night he invited us to come back. They were going to be there again later on in the year. Then he invited us to go to Columbus, Ohio, then he wanted us to come down to his house meet his mom.

That was the beginning of our journey with Ralph.

IBMA: What was it like in the car that night, with your dad and you and Keith and Keith’s brother, after y’all had played to kill the time while Ralph got there and then doing the break and him inviting you back, what was that like?

Ricky: Oh, you could have peeled us off the ceiling of the car... We were so crazy and so wild, so ecstatic. We thought we had just... I mean that was the biggest and greatest thing we had ever done in our whole life, to us.

IBMA: You left him after three years. What were the kinds

20 International Bluegrass | August 2016

of things you learned from him as far as being a band leader? As you came into your own as a solo act, what were the things you picked up from him that you wanted to incorporate as a leader?

Ricky: One of the things that I learned from Ralph was how that he shared the stage with his band. It was never just about Ralph. Mr. Monroe was all about Bill Monroe.

You know every now and then he’d let a lead singer maybe sing a song or something like that, or Kenny Baker do a fiddle tune, but it was always Mon, you know. But Ralph, you know Ralph and Carter both were great about putting a show together. They wanted to feature the band.

I’ve got tapes where George would sing a lead song, or Curly Lambert would sing a song when Curly was in the band. I learned to share and just throw it around and let the band have a moment, feature them. That was one of the things that I learned from him. I think probably the main thing that I learned from Ralph when I was 15. I had been playing fiddle from the time I was 13 on. I was playing fiddle when I met Keith. I don’t even think I had a mandolin with me. We had sold a mandolin that I’d had, my dad had bought me, and we sold it. Then, I was listening to younger mandolin players and everything when I started playing again. So, I remember a couple of times in the shows when we would go out and play with Ralph, maybe I’d turned 16 by then, and I remember Ralph, I’d see his eyes kind of dart toward me when I’d play something that was a little out of the melody where I would just kind of improvise, maybe, and get off of the melody.

I remember gently one time backstage Ralph said, “Now Rick, them people out there, they want to hear you play that song like it’s sung. Like it’s the melody, whether there are any words or not, they want to know what song you’re playing. If I was you, I’d learn to really play the melody the best you can play it. Play it in a way they can really tell what it is.” I didn’t take it as a rebuke, I took it as wisdom. Because he said, “Now you know now, when I take a break on the banjer they know exactly what I’m playing, you know, they know what song I’m playing.” And I said, “Yes, sir.” So I really took it as a word of wisdom. I’ve tried to do that, although I meander around and play improv a lot because bluegrass is really like jazz in that part of it.

You play by inspiration many times. But I’ve even told my band that, “First time through, let’s play the melody of the song, let’s do an intro that sounds like the song. On your second solo through, if you want to blow and go, then go to it. Don’t play the same solo if you’re gonna do two.” There was wisdom in that. Those are things that I learned from Ralph. Share the stage, and then play the melody and try to stay close to it so people know what you’re playing.

IBMA: How will Ralph’s impact continue to guide your life and music?

Ricky: He loved me like a son, I can really say that, and I loved him like a dad because we shared a lot of intimate talks, we shared a lot of things about life, and musically he knew that I was an old soul. One of the last things that we got to talk about when I went and saw him, I said, “Ralph, I’ve always loved the old music.” And he said, “I knew it the first time I met you. I knew you had a love for the old sound, and that’s what made me love you, that you really had the love for the old stuff.”

He told somebody in an interview, they asked him about when I left bluegrass and went with Emmylou [Harris] and came to Nashville and got my country career going, they asked Ralph, “Well, what do you think about Ricky?” He said, “Well, Ricky has got enough talent for five men, and he’ll do what he wants to do. He’ll make good music, but he’ll be back someday. He’ll come back to the roots that made him love what he loves and play what he plays.”

You know that was prophetic, that was really a word because I know that even playing my country music, I always honored The Stanley Brothers and Mr. Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs as well as the older country guys. Certainly that mixture of bluegrass and country is what made the success that I had in the 80’s and early 90’s that’s for sure.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 21

IBMA Hall Of Fame Member

Photo Credit: BluegrassToday.com

MELVIN GOINS

1933 - 2016 IB Tribute in the September Issue

In Concert

BY KELLY SMITH

The Night The Osborne Brothers and Jesse McReynolds Raged with Rhonda Vincent Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman Series July 14, 2016 Nashville, Tennessee

History was made on the Ryman Auditorium stage July 14, 2016. When Rhonda Vincent and The Rage took the stage fans knew they were in for a great show, but what they weren’t expecting were three hours of pure bluegrass with some of the greatest legends known to the genre. I was very lucky to attend.

I have always been a fan of Rhonda’s and the way she puts on a show, but that night she had more than just a few tricks up her sleeves. First, after playing for an hour she brought out her first guest, Sonny Osborne of The Osborne Brothers. They shared a few laughs, with Sonny telling Rhonda that he started his career on that very stage with Mr. Bill Monroe, and unless he greatly changed his mind he would be ending his career on the same stage at the age of 79 that very night.

After singing a few duets with Sonny, Rhonda invited his brother, Bobby Osborne, to the stage, to sing a medley of some of Rhonda’s favorite songs. At the ripe old age of 84, Bobby still has that tenor line in his pocket.

After the intermission, Bobby Osborne came back on stage to play some of his greatest hits with The Rage, including “Rocky Top.” Sonny had made the statement earlier that every musician should have at least one “Rocky Top” in their career. He said they played many shows before the release of “Rocky Top,” but after that song came

out on Christmas Day in 1967, their fame skyrocketed.

Jesse McReynolds of Jim and Jesse then took the stage.

Though he may be 87, he can still set that mandolin on fire and still plays with such passion for his music. The last guest to enter the stage was 91 year-old Mac Wiseman.

Mac stole the show with his jokes and laughter during and after each song. It was a joy to watch each of these legends do the very thing they have enjoyed doing all their lives. They were definitely in their element.

To me this show was very emotional. Each person that played that night had musical heroes who had played that same stage. For Rhonda, one of those musicians was Merle Haggard. When Rhonda sang “Mama Tried” with Sonny, she said she felt there was no better place to sing the song than the very stage where he once stood. It was also emotional because her guests had very fond memories from playing the Ryman many, many years ago. It was a great history lesson to hear them recount some of their favorite moments throughout their careers. It was even better to meet some of them after the show! I know that July 14, 2016 will always be the night that I saw an oncein-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget!

Side note: If you are a big bluegrass fan and hate that you missed the show, fret no longer. Rhonda has recently stated DVDs will be coming soon of the performances.

You can find these on her website at http://www.rhonda-

International Bluegrass | August 2016 23

CD Reviews

BY NATHAN TAYLOR

Kaia Kater, Nine Pin While much of bluegrass, Americana, and folk music today turn their focus towards the good ole days, Kaia Kater shines a light on social and civil rights issues that affect us today. In her latest album, Nine Pin, Kater uses her low tenor voice and subtle clawhammer banjo to share her unique views with anyone who will listen.

With Nine Pin, Kaia Kater is reclaiming the black roots of North American music along with a new generation of artists like Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla and Dom Flemons.

Using unique, jazz-influenced instrumentation such as muted trumpet, piano, subtle electric guitar and even the sound of solo dance steps in Harlem’s Little Blackbird, Kater and co-producer Chris Bartos (The Barr Brothers, Jonathan Byrd) create a sonically interesting commentary that is entertaining as well as socially impactful. Kater takes a page from Pete Seeger and Kendrick Lamar by using her songs and talents to impact what she believes in.

24 International Bluegrass | August 2016

Kater includes two instrumentals, Fine Times at Our House and Hangman’s Reel, which truly capture the spirit of Appalachia. Kater has been studying Appalachian music in Elkins, West Virginia, which shows throughout the record. Her ties to Quebec also show in her use of French in Petit Chagrin.

If you were to choose to only listen to one song from the record, it would be difficult to not pick the album’s title track, Nine Pin. This song is a perfect representation of the whole record, with a beautiful melody, solid musical arrangement, and a highlighted message of equality.

Nine Pin, released May 13, 2016, on Kingswood Records, is a modern day protest album that has something for everyone. If you’re a fan of traditional folk music, this record will have something for you.

Nathan Taylor is originally from Perry, Missouri, but is currently calling Nashville, Tennessee home. He has just completed a degree in Commercial Music at Belmont University, and was a summer 2016 intern with the IBMA.

CD Reviews

BY KELLY SMITH

Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers, Sacred Memories Joe Mullins has done it again. His newest album, Sacred Memories, is one of the best gospel albums I’ve heard in some time. From the first driving banjo lick of When the Sun of Life Goes Down, listeners will be hooked. The strong harmonies and bouncy melody make any Christian, old or new, excited to be homeward bound. These same harmonies and driving licks foreshadow the rest of the album to come.

Tracks like The Armor of My God and I Know What I Know are great examples of the hope that Christians have when trusting in the Lord. The Armor of My God speaks of putting on the armor God gives to equip His soldiers when they are faithful. This armor consists of a sword made from his Holy Word and a helmet made from his precious salvation, as well as other protections against the enemy.

I Know What I Know is a song that Joe sings, proclaiming gladness that he knows Jesus came to die for all and that believing in him will mean an eternity of peace in Heaven.

While I Know What I Know speaks of having eternal peace,

Oh Lord tells the story of a man on his death bed that is not ready to meet his Maker. He pleads for the Lord to send his servant away, for he is not ready to die. He states that he never did a thing for God, just gamble, drink, and fight. This song is a warning and reminder that we are never promised tomorrow.

The second track on the album, All Dressed Up, is currently on bluegrass charts. The Jerry Salley tune tells the sweet story of an old farmer wearing his best blue suit, for he has somewhere important to be. The trio emotionally sings, “This ain’t goodbye, it’s not the end. It’s just so long til we meet again. You may not recognize him in these clothes. But he’s all dressed up with somewhere to go.”

It is a unique twist on the old phrase, “All dressed up with nowhere to go.” Fans will also be glad to hear other bluegrass greats such as Rhonda Vincent, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White Skaggs and The Isaacs on the album. Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White Skaggs help sing Sacred Memories, a song penned by Dolly Parton. Vincent joins Mullins on a duet about a couple hoping to walk the last mile in life together. Lastly, The Isaacs add harmony to a song many music fans will know and love, Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

The added harmony to the original lyrics from the 19th century will give listeners chills.

Though bluegrass and gospel music have usually gone hand in hand, not everyone can do both together and do them justice. Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers are cut from a different cloth. Not only do the harmonies blend seamlessly, but I honestly believe they mean every word they sing. Though the songs may be new, the message of the project is still the same - Jesus is still in the saving business and to know him means joy beyond measure.

Kelly Smith is a senior at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tennessee, studying Music Business. She leads a bluegrass band at school, and was an intern at the IBMA during the summer of 2016.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 25

DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

WORLD OF BLUEGRASS SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 1

2016 THE IBMA TALENT BUYER TRACK Now in its third year, IBMA’s Talent Buyer Track Committee continues to improve upon its efforts to cultivate a space that allows agents and talent buyers to effectively conduct business during IBMA’s World of Bluegrass. Check out all the events below, RSVP and make the most of your World of Bluegrass Business Conference!

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2016 2:15PM — 4PM ARTIST / TALENT BUYER GIG FAIR

NOTE: The Gig Fair will kick off the week on Tuesday this year, allowing talent buyers the chance to meet artists before the showcasing begins!

The event, a rare meet-and-greet opportunity in the midst of a hectic and fasty-paced music industry event, serves as an organized information exchange for emerging artists and event producers. We envision the Gig Fair as a first step in building business relationships, and it has become one of the most popular events of the World of Bluegrass week! Check out more information about the Gig Fair here.

26 International Bluegrass | August 2016

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 9AM Breakfast 2 Business 5PM — 6:30PM Agent / Talent Buyer Reception

ALL WEEK Bluegrass Ramble & Artist Showcases ALL WEEK Talent Buyer Track Educational Panels

While our Agent Pitch Sessions have been successful, this year we are taking it up a notch by providing a place for buyers and agents to connet over a gratis hot breakfast at the first-ever Breakfast 2 Business. Learn more about this RSVP-only event, and see the invitation on the next page.

As always, our Agent / Talent Buyer Reception promises to be a relaxing and engaging networking session. It is the perfect time to connect with new and old colleagues over hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Why not? The first drink is on IBMA! NOTE: Registration for artists will open later this summer, after talent buyers and event producers have signed up.

The Bluegrass Ramble & Artist Showcases are a core component of World of Bluegrass, the way the hottest new talent is introduced to the bluegrass industry. This year more than ever, our showcase artists demonstrate the diversity and breadth of bluegrass music.

The IBMA Education Committee has been working with the Talent Buyer Track Committee to provide educational panels focused on the specific needs and interests of buyers, promoters, and agents. Our seminars hold some of the most take-away material at World of Bluegrass, and we know that you won’t want to miss a single opportunity to be a part of the discussions on the issues facing today’s leading talent buyers, event producers, and booking agents.

Join us for an unmatched week of opportunities!

World of Bluegrass Talent Buyer Track Sponsored by:

International Bluegrass | August 2016 27

DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

WORLD OF BLUEGRASS SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 1

2016

Talent Buyer Track

Agents, Talent Buyers, & Event Producers You’re invited to attend

THE FIRST ANNUAL BREAKFAST 2 BUSINESS Rosters are constantly changing and new buyers / event producers are always emerging. Join us to start your day off right over a delicious complimentary breakfast while participating in a valuable session that helps prepare you for a successful conference experience. Your participation is vital to this program and IBMA’s efforts to foster growth within our industry.

Attendance Prerequisites Must be an agent working under an agency OR a talent buyer, event producer, or programmer.

Must RSVP, no on-site walk-ins will be accepted.

TALENT BUYERS & EVENT PRODUCERS, come together with your peers, both new and old, to get up to speed through a quick agent introduction that will include a rundown of their roster and a detailed timeline of where you can catch them and their acts throughout the WOB week.

RSVP for Talent buyers & Event Producers AGENTS, take advantage of this opportunity to promote your current roster, artists’ WOB schedules and learn who the new players are. Foster relationships that will pay forward for countless years to come. Reconnect with your long-standing byers and network with the buyers you have been pitching for months.

RSVP for Agents

Artists without professional agency representation may take advantage of the opportunity to get into a room with leading talent buyers, event producers, and programmers by signing up for the Gig Fair when artists registration open later this summer. YOU MUST BE REGISTERED SEPARATELY FOR THE IBMA BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GIG FAIR. 28 International Bluegrass | August 2016

AND

egrass Music E u l B g xpe n i r n e t h o h t l e O Wor rie eek ike no ld L

nce !

AW

ARE PROUD TO BRING YOU

TuesdayThursday Sept 27-30

1

FridaySaturday Sept 30-Oct 1

CONFERENCE

WIDE OPEN 5 BLUEGRASS

The IBMA Business Conference is the premier industry event and trade show for bluegrass professionals.

2

Weekend Festival

EXHIBIT HALL

The Bluegrass Expo is the central gathering place to browse the latest industry wares, conduct business, and network.

3

BLUEGRASS RAMBLE

Official showcase performances at the IBMA's annual World of Bluegrass Business Conference form the premier platform for introducing talent and new music to the bluegrass community.

4

AWARDS SHOW

Thursday Sept 29

The International Bluegrass Music Awards Show is the biggest night on the bluegrass calendar, recognizing outstanding achievement and pioneering efforts in the genre.

Wide Open Bluegrass has a ticketed Main Stage at Red Hat Amphitheater, with part of the proceeds benefiting the Bluegrass Trust Fund, and a FREE StreetFest with music in downtown Raleigh on five stages plus a dance tent, free activities, stages, and a music expo inside the Raleigh Convention Center, and much more!

Info and Schedules: wideopenbluegrass.com

TICKETS

DOWNTOWN RALEIGH

WORLD OF BLUEGRASS SEPTEMBER 27 - 29

2016

The Bluegrass Ramble & ARTIST SHOWCASES

The Bluegrass Ramble at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference is the premier platform for introducing the hottest new talent to the bluegrass industry. This year more than ever, our showcase artists demonstrate the diversity and breadth of bluegrass music.

PLEASE NOTE: All showcase artists will perform at both the Raleigh Convention Center and at the Bluegrass Ramble in venues around downtown Raleigh.

AFTERNOON SHOWCASES

THE BLUEGRASS RAMBLE

SPONSORED ARTIST SHOWCASES will take place WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 from 2 - 5PM

THE BLUEGRASS RAMBLE will take place

OFFICIAL ARTIST SHOWCASES will take place THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 from 2 - 5PM

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 from 7PM - 2AM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 from 7PM - 2AM THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 from 7PM - 2AM

30 International Bluegrass | August 2016

This year we are thrilled to welcome to the BLUEGRASS RAMBLE & ARTIST SHOWCASE STAGES ANNIE LOU

OLD SALT UNION

BILL AND THE BELLES

RED WINE

10 STRING SYMPHONY

RUN BOY RUN

CARDBOARD FOX

STEEP REVINE

CAROLINA BLUE

TELLICO

HACKENSAW BOYS

THE ANDREW COLLINS TRIO

HANNAH SHIRA NAIMAN

THE HONEY DEWDROPS

HIGH PLAINS JAMBOREE

THE LIL’ SMOKIES

HOT BUTTERED RUM

THE LOOSE STRINGS BAND

J2B2

THE UNSEEN STRANGERS

JENNI LYN

TIM CARTER AND BANG BANG

JOE WALSH

TOWN MOUNTAIN

KAIA KATER

TROUT STEAK REVIVAL

MISSY RAINES AND THE NEW HIP

VALERIE SMITH AND LIBERTY PIKE

MOLLY TUTTLE BAND

ZOE & CLOYD

For more information on any of our 2016 showcase acts, please visit our Bluegrass Ramble lineup page.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 31

W O RLD OF BL U E G R A SS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER SEPTEMBER 29 AT 1 PM

AARON BIBELHAUSER ANYA HINKLE ASHLEIGH CAUDILL CHRISTOPHER BURTON CJ CAIN GALEN GREEN JENNI LYN GARDNER KEVIN WILLIAMSON KORBY LENKER LEE LEANDERS

“Blue Collar Dreams” “Ever What They Say” “Franklin County” “Textbook Definition of the Blues” “Widow’s Ghost” “Little Circles” “Burn Another Candle At Both Ends” “The Miner’s Song” “Friend and a Friend” “Birmingham to Jackson”

Thank You All Who Submitted A Song 32 International Bluegrass | August 2016

LOOK F O R YO U R T HIR D RO UND

VOTE

IBMA AWARDS B ALLO T

The third round of voting for the IBMA Awards will begin August 1 and run through August 15.

Professional and Organization members of the IBMA will receive their ballots with instructions for casting their votes.

The third round of voting will determine the winners in each category.

We cannot overstate the importance of voting. Without active voices of every IBMA member, the awards process cannot properly reflect the current tastes and successes of bluegrass music.

We need you, so please vote.

The recipients of the 2016 IBMA Awards will be announced at the IBMA Awards Show as part of World of Bluegrass week in Raleigh, North Carolina on Thursday, September 29.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 33

34 International Bluegrass | August 2016

F RI DAY, S E PT E M B E R 30 LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY FIRST NAME Daily & Vincent Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands w/ special guest Alice Gerrard Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder Soggy Bottom Boys

Featuring Jerry Douglas, Dan Tyminski, Barry Bales and Ron Block of Alison Krauss & Union Station; and Pat Enright, Mike Compton, and Stuart Duncan of The Nashville Bluegrass Band

S ATU RDAY, O C T OB E R 1 LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY FIRST NAME The Becky Buller Band The Del McCoury Band Greensky Bluegrass John Cowan with Darin & Brooke Aldridge Kruger Brothers w/ special guest Symphony of the Mountains Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out Steep Canyon Rangers International Bluegrass | August 2016 35

DOWNTOW

WORLD OF B

SEPTEMBER 27

IBMA HEALTH FAIR RETURNS TO WORLD OF BLUEGRASS It can be tough to be in the music industry and have access to quality healthcare. Whether you are an artist, business owner, event producer or whatever your role in the industry, it can be a challenge to keep yourself healthy and find affordable providers for your healthcare needs.

Your health is important to the IBMA, and that is why we are delighted to once again partner with several providers, including Sight & Sound Vision Care and MusiCares, The Recording Academy’s healthcare outreach, to bring you the World of Bluegrass Health Fair in Raleigh. These are some of the benefits that will be available to qualifying World of Bluegrass attendees:

FREE VISION EXAMS AND EYEWEAR Sight & Sound has partnered with the America’s Best Glasses and Contacts to provide free vision screenings and eyewear to all registered conference attendees.

“Sight & Sound, as a provider of eye care to those in the music industry, is thrilled to be working alongside the International Bluegrass Music Association,” says Mark Lindsey from Sight & Sound. “We understand that not everyone has access to regular eye care. We look forward to providing care to all attendees and hearing some terrific bluegrass music. Please come by our clinic this year for free exams and eyewear (glasses, readers, sunglasses). Special thanks to America’s Best Glasses and Contacts for their donations of time, equipment and resources.”

36 International Bluegrass | August 2016

20

WN RALEIGH

BLUEGRASS

7 - OCTOBER 1

016

DENTAL CLINIC MusiCares, in conjunction with the Smiles program, will be providing dental screenings, teeth cleaning, and complete x-rays to uninsured music professionals in need.

HEARING CLINIC AND EAR IMPRESSIONS FOR CUSTOM EAR PLUGS MusiCares, in partnership with Audibel, will also be offering ear impressions for free custom ear plugs.

MusiCares also works to address the health and wellness needs of music professionals. In support of these efforts, MusiCares will be joined by an audiologist who will be onsite during select hours to provide valuable information on the importance of hearing conservation. It is offering ear impressions for FREE* custom musicians’ earplugs, which are will likewise be provided compliments of MusiCares.

Danielle Bowker, Manager of MusiCares, notes, “MusiCares is honored to again participate in the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Business Conference. IBMA does an extraordinary job of prioritizing health and wellness and helping MusiCares take care of the overall health of the Bluegrass community.”

There will be additional health-related events presented at World of Bluegrass, with the details still to come. Stay tuned IB: International Bluegrass and your Inbox for all the details! *IMPORTANT NOTE: Dental and hearing clinics are limited to music industry professionals who can document eligibility and those who sign up in advance.

International Bluegrass | August 2016 37

NEXT MONTH: WORLD OF BLUEGRASS PREVIEW REMEMBERING MELVIN GOINS AND DON PARMLEY AND MORE

IB 38 International Bluegrass | August 2016