Reviews

JOSH GRIGSBY AND COUNTY LINE LOVE, LIFE AND MISERY No Label No Number This Virginia band is one singing bunch. They have great vocals and good taste in material. Opening with Michael Martin Murphy’s “Carolina In The Pines,” they cover a bevy of great songs, such as “Trains I’ve Missed,” “The Old Cross Roads,” “Lonesome…

DIXIE DEW DROP: THE UNCLE DAVE MACON STORY BY MICHAEL D. DOUBLER Univ. of Illinois Press 9780252083655. Paperback, 288 pp., 36 b&w photos, $19.95. (Univ. of Illinois Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, press.uillinois.edu.) The grand old man of the Grand Ole Opry, David Macon, was an unlikely star. Born into a large family,…

RAY EDWARDS A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Pinecastle Records PRC 1222 Ray Edwards is a long-term sideman for a number of Nashville country music stars, a multi-instrumentalist, and an accomplished songwriter. This CD features six compositions by Edwards (typically written in conjunction with Terry Foust), plus six additional cuts that have become his favorites through the…

TERRY BAUCOM’S DUKES OF DRIVE CATCH ANOTHER DREAM John Boy & Billy 2018 This ten-song set successfully shows off this band with some nice guest spots. Pulling together some strong material, Baucom is joined by The Dukes: Joey Lemons on vocals and mandolin, Will Jones on guitar and vocals, and Joe Hannabach plays bass. The…

FARM HANDS GOOD THINGS Pinecastle Records PRC 1225 The same four veteran musicians have constituted the Farm Hands, SPBGMA’s 2018 Band Of The Year, for four years. Tim Graves on resonator guitar, guitarist Keith Tew, bassman Daryl Mosley, and Don Hill on banjo share distinguished resumes going back more than 30 years. The fourth release…

THE BANJO PILOT BY BARRY R. WILLIS Covenant Books 9781643002934. Paperback, 294 pp., $29.95. (www.covenantbooks.com) This novel is the story of a banjo-picking pilot and his life. He faces great personal loss, he picks with Bill Monroe, and he teaches younger people about what it is that makes bluegrass music work. While dropping names and…