Articles

SOUTH CAROLINA BROADCASTERS HOME TO STAY Patuxent Music CD-338 Bluegrass and old-time music are distinct genres, though old-time is clearly one of the key progenitors of bluegrass. However, there is a gray area between them, which is precisely where this CD resides. There are songs such as “Rocky Island,” which are common in the bluegrass…

THE GOSPEL PLOWBOYS WHEN THE CROPS ARE LAID BY Morning Glory Music MGM191101 Sometimes, a CD passes through your hands that once it’s popped into the player and started, it stops the listener cold. The Gospel Plowboys’ latest effort When the Crops Are Laid By did just that. I’m sorry to say I wasn’t at all familiar…

FULL CORD BLUEGRAS CHOREOMANIA No Label No Number Choreomania is the phenomenon of dancing (as in choreography) in an energetically crazed or manic state, which characterized outbreaks of mass “dancing plagues” in Europe some five centuries ago. But no worries! I’ve listened several times to Choreomania, both at my desk and in my car. While I…

DONNA ULISSE TIME FOR LOVE Blue Records BBR-1092 This is Donna Ulisse’s eleventh solo project, her first since signing with Billy Blue Records, and her second to be produced by her friend Doyle Lawson. She’s an award-winning songwriter, and her songs have been recorded by such artists as The Bankesters, Claire Lynch, Darin & Brooke…

THE SELDOM SCENE CHANGES Rounder Records 00485 Released in June 2019, this is the latest project from the current members of this stellar, awarding-winning ensemble. Founded in 1971, the band included the late Mike Auldridge, John Duffey, and John Starling, as well as Ben Eldridge (retired) and Tom Gray (still active). Since the late 1990s,…

STEPHEN WADE A STORYTELLER’S STORY: SOURCES OF BANJO DANCING Patuxent Music CD-333    Four decades ago, Banjo Dancing—a one-person show conceived, created, and performed by musician and writer Stephen Wade—premiered in a small theater in Chicago. The original show was subtitled The 48th Annual Squitters Mountain Song, Dance, Folklore Convention & Banjo Contest And How I Lost,…