The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences has announced nominations for music's most prestigious honor, and fiddle prodigy Michael Cleveland is among the cream of the crop with his GRAMMY nominated Fiddler's Dream in the Best Bluegrass Album category.
Michael Cleveland is the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) most awarded Fiddle Player with an unprecedented TEN trophies to his credit and fronts one of the most hard-driving bluegrass bands in the business, Flamekeeper. Together, they have released multiple critically acclaimed albums, won the IBMA's Instrumental Group of the Year FIVE times, and Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year SIX times.
With this GRAMMY nominated solo release, Fiddler's Dream, Cleveland delivers his finest studio album to date: full of the fire and finesse that has earned him fans from across the globe. Highlights include a blistering performance of the Arthur Smith penned title track “Fiddler’s Dream,” a step out vocal from Sam Bush on the John Hartford classic “Steamboat Whistle Blues,” and a twin fiddle show down on the Bill Monroe classic “Tall Timber” featuring Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band). Additional guests include Jerry Douglas (Dobro), Jeff Guernsey (guitar), Lloyd Douglas (banjo), Andy Statman (mandolin), Paul Franklin (steel guitar), Vince Gill (vocals), and co-producer, Jeff White (guitar and vocals).
Earlier this week, an announcement was made regarding the making of a feature length documentary film starring Cleveland. The film not only focuses on his music career, but also offers poignant glimpses into his personal life and how he navigates the world without sight. Produced by documentarian John Presley who has been shadowing Michael for nearly a year, Flamekeeper - The Michael Cleveland Story will be released in 2018.
“He plays fearless and it’s intoxicating to play with him because he makes you play fearless,” says Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill. “He takes no prisoners but he plays with a restraint and a soul. He plays without abandon. It’s wicked to see how much music he pulls out of a bow. He’s untouchable.”
For more information on Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, including a complete list of tour dates, information on Flamekeeper - The Michael Cleveland Story, and Cleveland's recent GRAMMY nomination, please visit www.flamekeeperband.com.
One of bluegrass music's most formidable bands, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, is announcing the departure of one of their long-time members, Justen Haynes, who has been the fiddle player for over 12 years.
Russell Moore, the band's founder and leader states, "Over the holidays, Justen and his family came to the conclusion that it was time for him to stay home more and concentrate on their new business, requiring that he leave his position with IIIrd Tyme Out. As a result, his last show with the band was this past Saturday (1/6/2018) at The Fairview Ruritan Club in Galax, VA. It was a fun night of joking and carrying on with each other, as we always do, and catching up on our personal lives since we had just returned to performing after a six-week holiday vacation for the band. For me, and I think for all of us, it was a very enjoyable evening of performing and reminiscing about the last 12+ years that Justen has held the fiddle playing position in the band. Although we hate to see him leave the band, we understand and support his decision and wish him and his family all the best in this new venture and chapter in their lives, and we know that we'll see them from time-to-time in our travels."
Upon his departure, Justen offered much gratitude to his fellow bandmates and the many friends he has made over the years. "It has been an amazing ride over the last 12 years. Russell and the band gave me the opportunity of a lifetime and I will be forever grateful. I have gained lifelong friends near and far and want to thank each one of you for the impact, support and encouragement you gave me while I was on the road. My kids have expressed their desire for me to come off of the road. Therefore, I will be working from home as I continue to pursue one of my other passions in dog training. We recently opened a dog boarding and training facility (“Haus Luc K9”) that will allow our family opportunities and adventures in the region. We are excited about this new venture and what it brings for our family, but sad to see the music chapter end. I may not be playing music, but I would still love to hear from you so don’t be strangers! Thank you again for your support, memories and life changing experiences."
Regarding the new year and what it holds for IIIrd Tyme Out, Russell says, "As for the band, we're in the process of re-grouping and gearing up for our 2018 touring season which, by all accounts, looks to be a very good year with many show dates, and we look forward to seeing and performing for all our friends and fans!!"
Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out will resume their 2018 tour later this month with appearances at the Shepherdsville Country Music Barn (Kentucky) on January 19th and The DeKalb Theatre in Fort Payne, Alabama on January 27th. "And speaking of Alabama," says Russell, "Even though I live in Georgia, I should be able to have recovered from the loss of the National Championship in time to hug the necks of all you Crimson Tide fans. See y'all at the show!"
Smithsonian Folkways celebrates the golden age of Bluegrass music in Southwest Ohio with the release of Industrial Strength Bluegrass on March 26. The second single, "Family Reunion" featuring the Queen of Bluegrass Rhonda Vincent and bluegrass music's rising star, Caleb Daugherty releases today.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass is the story of bluegrass’ transformation from a music to a movement, carried north by Appalachians seeking a better life in the booming post-WWII factories of Southwest Ohio. The 16-song collection was produced by IBMA Award-winning musician/bandleader Joe Mullins, whose father - fiddler and radio personality Paul “Moon” Mullins - made that journey and helped found the region’s bluegrass scene. The compilation (companion to the new book of the same title from University of Illinois Press) presents Southwest Ohio bluegrass classics remade by an all-star cast featuring Country Music Hall of Famers the Oak Ridge Boys and Vince Gill, Bluegrass Hall of Famer Bobby Osborne, and many of today’s finest bluegrass and Americana artists including Lee Ann Womack, Dan Tyminski, The Isaacs, Sierra Hull, and more.
Pre-order the album HERE: https://orcd.co/industrialstrengthbluegrass
The bars and honky-tonks of Dayton and Cincinnati were a fertile training ground for scores of bluegrass musicians. The Osborne Brothers, Red Allen, Frank Wakefield, Earl Taylor, Jim McCall, and many others paid their dues playing hole-in-the-wall clubs during the 1950s, ʼ60s, and ʼ70s. Two young men from just across the state line were frequent members of bands during this era and avid listeners of WPFB. After playing and singing for factory workers in unassuming bars throughout the Miami Valley, Aubrey Holt and his uncle, Harley Gabbard, later helped to found the popular bluegrass band the Boys From Indiana.
In 1957 they wrote and recorded “Family Reunion” as the Logan & Laurel County Boys for Cincinnati’s Excellent Records. Later that year Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Carl Story would record the song for Mercury Records with his band the Rambling Mountaineers, and it became an enduring standard. Aubrey Holt continued as one of bluegrass music’s leading composers, penning songs like “Atlanta Is Burning,” “Sad Wind Sighs,” “We Missed You in Church Last Sunday,” and “It Won’t Work This Time.”
Recent Grand Ole Opry inductee Rhonda Vincent, “the Queen of Bluegrass,” delivers a soulful rendition of this gospel classic. She is joined by one of the brightest young voices in bluegrass, Caleb Daugherty, a Hoosier who credits his early near-neighbors, the Boys From Indiana, among his varied influences.
Listen to "Family Reunion" via Bluegrass Today HERE.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass releases on Smithsonian Folkways and will be available everywhere on March 26. "Family Reunion" is available today. For more information visit folkways.si.edu/industrial-strength-bluegrass.
Smithsonian Folkways celebrates the release of Industrial Strength Bluegrass, the story of bluegrass’ transformation from a music to a movement, carried north by Appalachians seeking a better life in the booming post-WWII factories of Southwest Ohio. The 16-song collection was produced by IBMA Award-winning musician/bandleader Joe Mullins, whose father - fiddler and radio personality Paul “Moon” Mullins - made that journey and helped found the region’s bluegrass scene. The compilation (companion to the new book of the same title from University of Illinois Press) presents Southwest Ohio bluegrass classics remade by an all-star cast featuring Country Music Hall of Famers the Oak Ridge Boys and Vince Gill, Bluegrass Hall of Famer Bobby Osborne, and many of today’s finest bluegrass and Americana artists including Lee Ann Womack, Dan Tyminski, The Isaacs, Sierra Hull, and more.
Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers open the set with Dwight Yoakam’s “Readin’, Rightin’, Route 23.” It’s a highly personal song detailing Yoakam’s family journey from Pikeville, Ky., to Columbus Oh., but it’s also the story of Mullins’ family and countless more. They arrived in Ohio as immigrants in their own country, dismissed as “Briarhoppers” and ridiculed for their clothes, their food, their dialect, and their fiddles and banjos. Instead of abandoning their roots, they wore them as badges of honor, turning poverty into poetry, creating a bluegrass sound heard and loved the world over.
Listen to "Readin', Rightin', Route 23"
Every Friday after work, thousands packed their old cars to go “down home” for the weekend. Those who couldn’t headed to the bars and honky tonks of Cincinnati, Hamilton, Middletown, and Dayton, to be sung back home by bluegrass bands performing on makeshift stages through MacGyvered sound systems. Playing five sets a night for drunken, brawling, homesick Kentuckians, the bands and their music became tougher and louder, blazing through the smoke and noise like a fast-moving train. That sound shines on tracks like Dan Tyminski’s “20-20 Vision,” originally recorded by Jimmy Martin and the Osborne Brothers, and Vince Gill’s intense take on Flatt & Scruggs’ “Baby Blue Eyes.”
Bluegrass fans know Flatt & Scruggs and Martin weren’t Briars or Buckeyes, but Southwest Ohio bluegrass was a diversified industry. Cincinnati was a broadcasting center, and along with barn dances like The Midwestern Hayride, enterprising engineers built recording studios. The E.T. Herzog Studio recorded 12 Flatt & Scruggs Mercury classics, including “Baby Blue Eyes” and the original “Foggy Mountain Breakdown.” A couple miles north, King Records was producing bluegrass and country by The Stanley Brothers, Reno & Smiley, and gospel supergroup the Brown's Ferry Four—the Delmore Brothers, Grandpa Jones, and Merle Travis. That heritage is represented by Ronnie Bowman, Don Rigsby, and Kenny Smith on the Stanleys’ “Stone Walls & Steel Bars”; Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s BFF tribute “When He Blessed My Soul”; and Jim Lauderdale’s rocking version of Reno & Smiley’s “Barefoot Nellie,” showcasing up-and-coming band High Fidelity.
Recording studios and radio stations offered careers, but the defining sound of Southwest Ohio bluegrass was created in bars. There, musicians and fans formed the first real bluegrass community, and that spirit of adventure in every migrant leaving home for a new life found its way into the music. Southwest Ohio bluegrass was a unique combination of deep tradition and game-changing innovation. You can hear it in “Mountain Strings,” mandolinist Frank Wakefield’s rock-influenced instrumental, performed by an all-star band led by mandolinist Sierra Hull and featuring Kristin Scott Benson on banjo (both are among the first women to win IBMA honors on their instruments; this is their first recording together). This version of the tune and two other tracks on the album feature pioneering African American drummer Phillip Paul, veteran of hundreds of King sessions, from gritty R&B to hard-driving bluegrass. At 95, the unstoppable Mr. Paul is still gigging in Cincinnati with his jazz trio.
Dayton’s Red Allen, Bluegrass Hall of Fame member and one of bluegrass’ all-time great voices, revolutionized bluegrass harmony with Bobby and Sonny Osborne. Driving back to Dayton from WWVA’s Wheeling Jamboree, Bobby was singing “Once More.” Sonny came in on baritone, but as Red told it, he was too tired and tipsy for high tenor, so he sang an octave lower. That new “high-lead” sound powered their 1958 crossover hit and became the Osbornes’ trademark. It’s performed by The Grascals, whose co-founder Terry Smith played with the brothers for 14 years.
Before Red’s youngest son Harley Allen became a BMI Songwriter of the Year, he was one of bluegrass’ finest lead and tenor singers, performing with Ronnie, Greg, and Neal Allen in the Allen Brothers and with Mike Lilly in the Allen Lilly Band. Both groups recorded Harley’s “Suzanne,” sung here by Mo Pitney and the band Merle Monroe.
Family runs deep in Industrial Strength Bluegrass. Joe Mullins’ son, Daniel Mullins, an award-winning bluegrass journalist, provides a history lesson in detailed liner notes. Gospel group The Isaacs features siblings Sonya, Becky, and Ben with their mother Lily. Their father Joe was a mainstay of Ohio bluegrass in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Joined by the Oak Ridge Boys and reunited with Joe, they sing his “Garden Tomb.”
Another Southwest Ohio bluegrass great deserving more recognition is Dave Evans, a banjo player with a devastating high-lonesome voice. Country artist Lee Ann Womack does a stellar take on Evans’ “From Life’s Other Side.”
Singer-songwriter Larry Cordle revives the most local song here, Tom T. Hall’s industrial murder ballad, “The Rolling Mills of Middletown.”
The top-tier talent includes singers Rhonda Vincent, Russell Moore, Bradley Walker, Josh Williams and instrumentalists Jerry Douglas, Jason Carter, Mike Bub, Glen Duncan, Kenny Smith, and David Harvey (son of innovative Dayton mandolinist Dorsey Harvey).
Industrial Strength Bluegrass “takes it home” with “We’ll Head Back to Harlan.” Sung by Bobby Osborne, one of the last of bluegrass’ first generation, it’s a first-person account of those weekly Appalachian homecomings and the dream of moving back for good. Few ever did, but as Industrial Strength Bluegrass shows, their hillbilly odyssey created some of the finest bluegrass ever made.
To celebrate the album release of Industrial Strength Bluegrass, Joe Mullins along with Miami University Regionals and University of Illinois Press are presenting a LIVESTREAM concert featuring artists from the album including Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Rhonda Vincent, The Isaacs, and Caleb Daugherty. Fred Bartenstein and Curtis Ellison, co-editors of the book by the same name, will make presentations on southwest Ohio's influence on modern day Bluegrass music, and also offer an inside look into the making of both the book and recording. The LIVESTREAM concert begins at 12noon ET on Saturday, March 27th. An all-access pass is avaialble for $14.95 and may be purchased here.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass on Smithsonian Folkways is available everywhere today. For more information visit folkways.si.edu/industrial-strength-bluegrass and industrialstrengthbluegrass.com.
About Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the "National Museum of Sound," makes available close to 60,000 tracks in physical and digital format as the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian, with a reach of 80 million people per year. A division of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the non-profit label is dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among people through the documentation, preservation, production and dissemination of sound. Its mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document "people's music" from around the world. For more information about Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, visit folkways.si.edu.
The Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival is now a three-day indoor festival featuring the best in bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and roots music. Be sure to join us every Fall and Spring at the Roberts Convention Centre in Wilmington, OH
We're looking forward to welcoming ALL of these outstanding artists and more to our Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival November 11, 12 and 13, 2021!
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 2 at 10am EDT. Buy online and see complete festival details at www.industrialstrengthbluegrass.com or tickets by phone are at 1-800-965-9324. The Holiday Inn at The Roberts Centre will begin accepting reservations Monday, August 16 at 10am EDT. Links to all other hotel accommodations, camping info and more are on the festival website.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass: Southwestern Ohio's Musical Legacy was named the International Bluegrass Music Association's Album of the Year during a ceremony last night in Raleigh, NC. Joe Mullins who produced the album released on Smithsonian Folkways earlier this year, accepted the award and expressed heart-felt gratitude upon receiving the honor.
Watch Joe Mullins' Acceptance HERE
Industrial Strength Bluegrass is the story of bluegrass’ transformation from a music to a movement, carried north by Appalachians seeking a better life in the booming post-WWII factories of Southwest Ohio. The 16-song collection was produced by Mullins whose father - fiddler and radio personality Paul “Moon” Mullins - made that journey and helped found the region’s bluegrass scene. The compilation (companion to the new book of the same title from University of Illinois Press) presents Southwest Ohio bluegrass classics remade by an all-star cast featuring Country Music Hall of Famers the Oak Ridge Boys and Vince Gill, Bluegrass Hall of Famer Bobby Osborne, and many of today’s finest bluegrass and Americana artists including Lee Ann Womack, Dan Tyminski, The Isaacs, Sierra Hull, and more.
This historic album debuted at #3 on Billboard's Top 10 Bluegrass Albums, reached #1 on SiriusXM's Bluegrass chart and is currently resting at #1 for the second consecutive month on the National Bluegrass Survey's Top 30 Albums chart.
Order the album HERE
In homage to the pioneers who established Southwestern Ohio as one of the most significant markets in bluegrass history, Mullins has rebranded his long-running twice-annual music festival as the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival and expanded it to three-days, making it the largest indoor music festival in Ohio. The event will take place in Wilmington, OH November 11, 12, & 13, 2021 with hosts Mullins and his band the Radio Ramblers, and will feature performances by Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Quebe Sisters, Bobby Osborne, and more. A spring festival is planned for March 24 through 26, 2022.
For more information on Joe Mullins, the award-winning album, Industrial Strength Bluegrass, and the fall festival, visit www.radioramblers.com. For more on Smithsonian Folkways, visit folkways.si.edu.
I met Doug Eyink nearly 15 years ago when he called me to help present and promote a Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver concert at Centerville, Ohio High School. He said, “I’m a banjo player who teaches music and orchestra to over 600 students, and I want them learn about bluegrass." I was immediately excited!
Doug has now inspired hundreds of former students and families with his passion and skills. He began the Alternative Strings program to teach select orchestra students bluegrass, Celtic, jazz and other music styles, and has showcased the students as performers in the bluegrass community, extensively. Doug and his Alternative Strings students have hosted concerts and performed with The Radio Ramblers many times, as well as Sierra Hull, Special Consensus, Doyle Lawson, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, Rhonda Vincent, Nothin’ Fancy and many others through the years.
When JMRR and Alternative Strings first partnered to perform and video record our song “Some Kind of War,” Doug was fighting his first battle with colon cancer. It was an emotional time for his family, his students, alumni and everyone who so enjoys working with this wonderful teacher. The fight has continued and Doug’s doctor recommended his retirement from teaching this year.
I want Doug's impact and legacy to always be appreciated and represented in Ohio schools so I contacted his dear friend Hillary Wagner, an Alternative Strings assistant and coordinator, and asked her to help launch the Doug Eyink Alternative Strings Scholarship. Doug, the Eyink family and many Alternative Strings alums were thankful and eagerly approved of the effort. We have even received a MATCHING GRANT from a former student of up to $5000!!
I hope you will participate in contributing to our first fundraising campaign during the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival, November 11, 12 and 13, 2021. The Radio Ramblers will host a “Fan Feast Brunch” on Friday morning of the event at 10:30am. Net proceeds from the breakfast and ALL tips and donations from this activity will benefit the scholarship fund. The brunch has a limited capacity but we still have room and advance tickets are available here. Brunch is sponsored by Tudor’s Biscuit World and The Radio Ramblers will be serving their fantastic biscuits and gravy.
In addition, a gorgeous custom guitar has been donated by Frank Howard of Centerville to assist in raising funds and will be awarded to a lucky winner. An Alternative Strings booth at the festival will give all attendees an easy opportunity to make a donation, and each $5.00 donor receives a raffle ticket for the guitar drawing Saturday evening.
Please, seek out the Alternative Strings representatives during our festival. We would love to have your help creating the scholarship fund that will allow us to encourage future generations.
The Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival is now a THREE-Day indoor event featuring the best in bluegrass, gospel and roots music entertainment. March 24th, 25th & 26th, 2022 – don’t miss Blue Highway, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers, Appalachian Road Show, High Fidelity, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show, Larry Stephenson Band, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, The Primitive Quartet, Chosen Road, The Wayfarers, Master of Ceremonies, Blake Williams, and your hosts Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers. All at The Roberts Centre, Wilmington, OH, just off I 71, exit 65, centrally located less than an hour from Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton.
What is "Industrial Strength Bluegrass"?
This title refers to bluegrass music created or connected to southwestern Ohio. Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Dr. Neil V. Rosenberg first used the phrase over thirty years ago describing the music made by those of Appalachian heritage who landed in the Cincinnati/Dayton region and made music that has been celebrated around the world. The Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse, Red Allen, Larry Sparks, Jimmy Martin and other Bluegrass Hall of Fame members lived and performed in the Miami Valley for a portion of their careers. Flatt and Scruggs, The Stanley Brothers, Dave Evans and many others recorded in Ohio recording studios. The Boys From Indiana, The Allen Brothers and The Radio Ramblers among others past and present, began their career in this region. And Joe's dad, the late Paul “Moon” Mullins, featured ALL of this music and its history on radio and on stages for decades.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival featuring some of the best in bluegrass, gospel and roots music entertainment will be bigger than ever this Fall –– November 10, 11 & 12, 2022!
Don’t miss The Del McCoury Band, Dan Tyminski Band, The Grascals, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Junior Sisk, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, Hammertowne, The Caleb Daugherty Band, The Kody Norris Show, Heather Alley & Lincoln Mash, Morehead State University's Mountain Music Ambassadors, Master of Ceremonies, Blake Williams, and your hosts Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers. All at The Roberts Centre, Wilmington, OH, just off I 71, exit 65, centrally located less than an hour from Cincinnati, Columbus, and Dayton.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 15th at 10am ET. Buy online and see complete festival details at www.industrialstrengthbluegrass.com or tickets by phone are at 1-800-965-9324.
The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) honored two Ohio entities last week during their annual conference and awards show: Industrial Strength Bluegrass as Event of the Year; and Paul "Moon" Mullins as their newest inductee to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
Producer, radio broadcaster, and bluegrass musician Joe Mullins established the Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival in 2003 and in 2021, expanded the event to a three-day festival, re-branding it as the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival. The twice-annual event is the only indoor bluegrass, old-time, gospel, and roots music event of this caliber in the region and features nationally-known, award-winning acoustic acts from bluegrass pioneers such as Paul Williams and Doyle Lawson, to rising stars such as The Caleb Daugherty Band and The Po Ramblin' Boys, to modern contemporaries such as Ricky Skaggs and Rhonda Vincent. The festivals are sponsored by Mullins’ network of southwest Ohio radio stations, WBZI, WEDI, and WKFI, collectively referred to as Real Roots Radio.
While Mullins and his band, the Radio Ramblers are the hosts of the event, he was quick to shine a spotlight on his wife Tammy, and son Daniel, for the roles they play in the production. "The foundation this festival has been built upon was put in place by my wife Tammy," stated Mullins during his acceptance speech. "Daniel has done a great job re-branding and producing the event over the last few years, but the chief builder is right here, my wife."
The next Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival will take place November 10th, 11th and 12th, and will feature Dan Tyminski, The Del McCoury Band, The Grascals, and more.
Although considered to be a rising star in the country music arena these days, Mo Pitney is quick to tell you his interest in music was first peaked with the sounds of banjos and bluegrass; especially that of the late J.D. Crowe. That interest spawned into a thriving career and the opportunity to re-create one of Crowe's classics in the most organic way possible - by accident. The result is an all-star recording of "Old Home Place" featuring the talents of Crowe, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Jerry Douglas, Jon Randall, Aubrie Haney, Guthrie Trapp and Barry Bales, releasing everywhere Friday, February 10.
Touting J.D. Crowe and The New South as "one of the most influential music groups of his life," Pitney's reverence for the legendary banjoist and band-leader is clear. For years he'd listened to the band's records and the slew of great writers and singers who moved through the band and on to become household names: Harley Allen, Keith Whitley, Tony Rice and Skaggs among them. As a young man honing his craft, this influence was key in a burgeoning career that would eventually lead him to a record and publishing deal on a major country label, Curb Records. And while he's had much success alongside his country music peers, Pitney's passion for the music he was raised on has always remained true.
"The first time I ever heard 'Old Home Place' was on a J.D. Crowe and The New South album when I was a young kid," says Pitney. "I learned that version and would play it with my dad and my brother when we were touring Bluegrass festivals. When I was in the studio to record my current album, Ain’t Lookin’ Back, I started playing the song to warm up. My producer, Jim "Moose" Brown, said ‘Mo, let’s just play through that to get the jitters out and don’t freak out when the band comes in,’ and he recorded it."
Unbeknownst to Pitney, his producer played the track for Stuart who loved it so much, he expressed interest in being part of it. That lead to a conversation with Skaggs who also wanted to play on it. "From there, we decided to recreate as much of the original version as possible, and it became a compilation of my heroes playing bluegrass and country music."
The historic recording was also captured in a timeless video clearly showing the camaraderie between Pitney and his heroes through not only the music created, but in conversation and laughter.
"This track means the world to me," he continues, "and shows the evolution of the music that I want to make now, but also where I came from. I’m thankful for every opportunity I have to be able to do that."
On Thursday, February 9, Pitney will join Kyle Cantrell in-studio for the premiere of "Old Home Place" on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction at 7am CT/8amET. At 9am CT, Pitney will appear on WSM 650AM and Circle TV for Coffee, Country & Cody. Also on Thursday, catch the premiere of the "Old Home Place" video on the Bluegrass Situation. Then on Friday, February 9 at 12noon, Pitney will visit with Suzanne Alexander on RFD-TV Live.
About Mo Pitney
Curb Records recording artist Mo Pitney received a standing ovation the very first time he performed on the iconic Grand Ole Opry stage. Named an “Artist To Watch” by Rolling Stone, Billboard and The Bobby Bones Show, Pitney has amassed over 36 million streams since the release of his autobiographical debut, Behind This Guitar. The Illinois-native leans on the influences of traditional country and bluegrass stalwarts like Ray Price, Buck Owens, Roger Miller, Merle Haggard, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs and J.D. Crowe. His original song, “Ain’t Bad for a Good Ol’ Boy,” was featured on The Ranch (A Netflix Original Series Official Soundtrack). His sophomore LP, Ain’t Lookin’ Back, is available now.
Proving once again their ability to deliver creative arrangements, top-notch vocals and impressive instrumentation, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers are poised to deliver audiences the selection of songs found on their latest Billy Blue Records project, Let Time Ride. The full-length album will be released world-wide March 17 but is available for preorder now.
Preorder Let Time Ride Here
Produced by Mullins and Radio Rambler Adam McIntosh, Let Time Ride is a masterfully crafted collection of 12 songs covering the gamut of tempos and emotions. As evidenced by the album's first two singles, "Big City" and "I've Been Down That Road," the band is not one to be confined to the expected norm for an all-powerful bluegrass ensemble. Mullins' avant-garde approach to recording affords the band great opportunity to showcase new, classic, and even genre-bending songs to listeners. In fact, that ability has served the band very well over the years allowing them to churn out hit upon hit and making them a songwriter's dream. Case in point, Mullins recognized the writing talents of his daughter-in-law, Santana Mullins, a few years back. Hence, the lead off and title track, "Let Time Ride;" a driving number that right out of the gate shines a light on Mullins' banjo prowess, proving his recent SPBGMA Banjo Player of the Year title.
Mullins continues to shine vocally, too, on "Black And White," a look back to simpler times when family and common sense were prevailing themes, and on "Play The Wildwood Flower," a lilting love song that will leave a lump in your throat, and featuring Lizzy Long on autoharp. Although his name is at the forefront of the band, Mullins is intent on sharing the spotlight with The Radio Ramblers.
McIntosh, for example, is building a reputation as one of the genre's finer balladeers as showcased on the previously released "Living Left To Do" from their all-Gospel album, Somewhere Beyond The Blue, and this album's aforementioned second single, "I've Been Down That Road." He continues to add to that foundation with "End Of The End Of The World," a country-tinged waltz, lamenting among bendy notes, 'my baby's back from wherever she's been, and it's the end of the end of the world.' But don't let his crooning ability fool you, McIntosh is equally comfortable taking the lead and showcasing his creative guitar style on the driving, trucking song, "Old Fire." Ramblers bass man Randy Barnes brought this tune to the band and gives this cut a rockin' groove that makes you want to hit Route 66 in a cloud of smoke.
Chris Davis makes his recording debut with the Radio Ramblers as the mandolin player, bringing with him an energy that melds with the music effortlessly. "A-Courtin' I Go" is the perfect fit for Davis' vocal flair and personality. He is Joe’s duet partner on “Play The Wildwood Flower” and leads the quartet with his mandolin and vocals on “The Glory Road." Throughout the album, fiddler Jason Barie brings an emotive element offering the "just right" amount of melancholy to songs like Casting Crowns' "Scars In Heaven," and giddiness to "A-Courtin' I Go."
Perhaps though, this overall vocal blend with Mullins, McIntosh and Davis is what makes this album so refreshing, and of the Radio Ramblers configurations, is one of the best in the band's tenure. Adding in the bass vocal of Barnes, Gospel numbers such as the album's a cappella closer, "It's A Grand And Glorious Feeling," wrap up an album that will no doubt stand the test of time.
Let Time Ride will be released everywhere on March 17 and is available for preorder now. Radio programmers can look forward to the next single, "Black And White" to arrive March 3 with a fun concept video release on March 10. For more information on Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, visit www.RadioRamblers.com.
Let Time Ride Track List
Produced by Joe Mullins and Adam McIntosh, Songwriters in Parentheses
1. Let Time Ride (Santana Mullins)
2. I've Been Down That Road (Jerry Salley, Larry Cordle)
3. Black and White (Jeff McClellan, Daniel Salyer)
4. The Glory Road (Marty Stuart, Paul Martin, Harry Stinson)
5. Old Fire (Cliff Wagner)
6. Play The Wildwood Flower (Conrad Fisher)
7. Big City (Paul Williams, Sam Humphrey)
8. Scars In Heaven (John Mark Hall, Matthew Joseph West)
9. A-Courtin' I Go (Barkley C. Davis)
10. End Of The End Of The World (Adam Wright)
11. Forsaken Love (Jason Romero, Pharis Romero)
12. It's A Grand And Glorious Feeling (Albert E. Brumley)
Don’t miss Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, The Little Roy & Lizzy Show, Danny Paisley & The Southern Grass, Chosen Road, Kenny & Amanda Smith, Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley, Larry Efaw & The Bluegrass Mountaineers, Ralph Stanley II & The Clinch Mountain Boys, The Price Sisters, The Wayfarers and so much more!
All PRE-SALE ticket options are available June 1st through June 14th. (Use Passcode "TIME23")
▪ New GOLD Reserved level purchases are for the first FIVE rows, A through E, center section reserved seats. At $125 each, the purchase secures a room reservation* for those wishing to stay at the Holiday Inn at The Roberts Centre. (NOTE: one room available PER PAIR of tickets purchased, AND no need for you to call the hotel – your name will automatically go on the reservations list and the hotel will contact YOU to confirm your stay and payment information, should you opt-in to this perk at the time you purchase your tickets.)
▪ SILVER Reserved ticket options - center section reserved seats beginning at row F, only $95 each (through 9/5/23.)
▪ Three-Day General Admission tickets are only $85 each (through 9/5/23.)
▪ Tickets go on sale to the general public (those not on our mailing list) beginning June 15th.
Due to the illness of his wife, Doyle Lawson will be unable to attend our Hall of Fame Homecoming Weekend at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY. Our prayers are with Doyle and Suzanne as they navigate this season. We are all encouraged by good news from Suzanne's doctors and are confident God will take care of our dear friends.
In Doyle's stead, we are grateful to announce that renowned bluegrass legend DEL MCCOURY has graciously agreed to step in and take the stage at the Hall of Fame Homecoming. “JMRR enjoys a wonderful friendship with Del. Each of us have been inspired and encouraged by Del McCoury and Paul Williams. And what a THRILL to enjoy their powerful music on stage at a facility they BOTH helped build – the Bluegrass Hall of Fame!" ~ Joe Mullins
Join us September 1st and 2nd at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum for the Hall of Fame Homecoming featuring Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, Del McCoury and Paul Williams.
After an eight-year recording hiatus, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out are announcing the release of TWO new singles this week: "Heading East To West Virginia" and "When I Get There." Both songs will be available to radio and digital streaming services Friday, October 6th.
With a career in full-time music spanning 32 years, the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) seven-time Vocal Group of the Year has amassed 18 full-length albums including their 2015 release, It's About Tyme, that stayed #1 on the National Bluegrass Survey Top 15 Albums chart for a record-setting six months. Prior, the band garnered the attention of executives at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores® who invited the band to record Timeless Hits From The Past...BLUEGRASSED sold exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores across the country. With so much success to their credit, IBMA's six-time Male Vocalist of the Year, Russell Moore has been asked repeatedly, "Why wait so long?"
"I've always wanted our band to present the absolute best music possible so entering the studio to record comes with a great deal of forethought and preparation for me," says Moore. "Before we recorded the album for Cracker Barrel, it had been five years since our previous album. In fact, going into the studio only two years later for It's About Tyme was kind of an anomaly for us. That album was so successful that I didn't really feel the need to prepare for another project right away. And then there was a period of time when we experienced a couple band member changes, and then came the pandemic, and the next thing you know, time has flown by." But the wait is finally over and Moore is counting on beloved fans and radio to be as excited about this new music as he is. "I'm hopeful that folks will be excited about not just one single, but two! We thought, why not come out of the gate running and give everyone a bluegrass and a gospel song."
Known for their solid delivery of cut-to-the-core bluegrass, "Heading East To West Virginia," written by Tim Raybon, is straight up made for IIIrd Tyme Out. "I like a good 'hook' to a song and when I first saw the title of 'Heading East To West Virginia' it immediately piqued my interest," Moore says. "After listening to the demo I knew I wanted to record it. The positive story-line and excitement of falling in love and longing to be with someone comes thru clearly, and I think you can hear the band's excitement in our performance on this cut!"
Another contributing factor to the band's decades-long success is their delivery of Gospel quartet numbers. The addition of fiddler and bass singer Nathan Aldridge in 2018 afforded them the opportunity to revisit many of the classic gospel songs the band had recorded over the years. So, it was a natural decision to record and release "When I Get There." Of the song, Moore says, "I knew Mike Feagan to be a fiddle player but didn't know he was also a writer. The demo for this song was just Mike and his guitar, but I quickly heard it as being a quartet all the way thru. Mike definitely has a talent other than playing fiddle and I love the way he put his feelings into words with this song. I also look forward to performing it on our live shows for years to come."
Fans will get a sneak peek of the new music when "Heading East To West Virginia" premieres on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction with Joey Black on Wednesday, October 4th at 8am ET followed by the premiere of "When I Get There" on BanjoRadio with Kyle Cantrell at 7:45am CT on Thursday, October 5th. Both songs will be available to radio programmers and on digital streaming services beginning Friday, October 6th.
For more information on Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, visit IIIrdTymeOut.com or follow the band on Facebook and Instagram: @iiirdtymeout.
Three years after its original release on compact disc and streaming services, Smithsonian Folkways is announcing a special DOUBLE VINYL LP SET of the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) Album of the Year (2021), Industrial Strength Bluegrass. This all-star project set, which tells the story of bluegrass' transformation from a music to a movement carried north by Appalachians seeking a better life in the booming post-WWII factories of Southwest Ohio, will be released May 3rd. The new vinyl edition includes the original 16-song collection PLUS seven bonus archival tracks.
Industrial Strength Bluegrass was produced by IBMA Award-winning musician, bandleader, broadcaster and event producer Joe Mullins, whose father - fiddler, radio personality and Bluegrass Hall of Famer Paul “Moon” Mullins - made that journey and helped found the region’s bluegrass scene. The compilation (companion to a book of the same title from University of Illinois Press) presents Southwest Ohio bluegrass classics remade by an all-star cast featuring Country Music Hall of Famers the Oak Ridge Boys and Vince Gill, Bluegrass Hall of Fame members Bobby Osborne and Doyle Lawson, and many of today’s finest bluegrass and Americana artists including Lee Ann Womack, Dan Tyminski, The Isaacs, Russell Moore, Sierra Hull, and more. The additional seven tracks, courtesy of Rebel Records, help deepen the narrative of this epochal period in bluegrass with archival recordings by The Traditional Grass, The Hotmud Family, Dave Evans, The Boys From Indiana, and Bluegrass Hall of Fame members Red Allen, Larry Sparks, and The Stanley Brothers.
As the factories of southwestern Ohio hummed with activity during the middle decades of the 20th century, they not only powered the nation's economy but also served as magnets for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Appalachia. Among these migrants were numerous talented musicians whose melodies would come to define the region's cultural landscape. Every Friday, crowds either headed "down home" or to local bars in cities like Cincinnati and Dayton, where bluegrass bands played fervently to homesick Kentuckians.
Recording studios and radio stations offered careers, but the defining sound of Southwest Ohio bluegrass was created in bars. There, musicians and fans formed the first real bluegrass community, and that spirit of adventure in every migrant leaving home for a new life found its way into the music. Southwest Ohio bluegrass was a unique combination of deep tradition and game-changing innovation.
Producer and performer Joe Mullins saw the archival artists performing these songs around the time they were recorded. “My bluegrass journey has been a lifetime labor of love. I live 6 miles from the auditorium where the first bluegrass college concert was held, and where the Stanley Brothers track in the ISB vinyl set was recorded. Adding in classic bluegrass from our neighborhood was so exciting, and these older recordings connect perfectly to the songs we recorded for the 2021 release. The tunes and artists added from the past 60 plus years represent the foundation of Ohio’s bluegrass traditions; industrial strength then and now!”
The double vinyl set of Industrial Strength Bluegrass has expanded liner notes contributed by Joe’s son and co-producer, Daniel Mullins, also a journalist and third generation radio broadcaster, and will be available via Smithsonian Folkways beginning May 3rd. A limited number of advance copies will be available for purchase at the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival happening March 21st through 23rd in Wilmington, OH. For more information visit folkways.si.edu.
Track List (*denotes bonus track)
Side A
1. Readin', Rightin’, Route 23 - Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers
2. Are You Missing Me - Dailey & Vincent
3. 20/20 Vision - Dan Tyminski
4. You'll Never Be The Same - The Traditional Grass*
5. Baby Blue Eyes - Vince Gill
6. When He Blessed My Soul - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
Side B
1. Barefoot Nellie - Jim Lauderdale and High Fidelity
2. Once More - The Grascals
3. Mountain Strings - Sierra Hull
4. Stone Wall - Red Allen & The Allen Brothers*
5. Suzanne - Mo Pitney and Merle Monroe
6. The Singer - The Hotmud Family*
Side C
1. Larry Sparks Medley: Dark Hollow/A Face In The Crowd/These Old Blues - Josh Williams, Bradley Walker and Russell Moore
2. Ninety-Nine Years Is Almost for Life - Dave Evans*
3. Garden Tomb - The Isaacs and The Oak Ridge Boys
4. He's Everything to Me - Larry Sparks*
5. From Life's Other Side - Lee Ann Womack
Side D
1. I'm Bound to Ride - The Stanley Brothers*
2. Stone Walls and Steel Bars - Ronnie Bowman, Don Rigsby, and Kenny Smith
3. Shakin' the Grate - The Boys From Indiana*
4. Family Reunion - Rhonda Vincent and Caleb Daugherty
5. The Rolling Mills of Middletown - Larry Cordle
6. We'll Head Back to Harlan - Bobby Osborne
About Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the "National Museum of Sound," makes available close to 60,000 tracks in physical and digital format as the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian, with a reach of 80 million people per year. A division of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the non-profit label is dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among people through the documentation, preservation, production and dissemination of sound. Its mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document "people's music" from around the world. For more information about Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, visit folkways.si.edu.
