Articles

THE LONESOME ACE STRINGBAND WHEN THE SUN COMES UP No Label No Number    This is the third CD released by this band, which includes Chris Coole on banjo, Max Heineman on bass, and John Showman on fiddle. Their promo material states: “The space created by the lack of guitar, the presence of three strong vocalists,…

THE BLUE SKY BOYS 1939-1949 RADIO BROADCASTS Patuxent Music CD-280 It’s high time for another Blue Sky Boys retrospective. Fifteen years after the Bear Family compilation of the duo’s Bluebird and RCA Victor recordings, and more than 20 years after a Copper Creek radio compilation, Patuxent Music (Tom Mindte and Dick Spottswood producers) have released…

THE BLUE SKY BOYS BY DICK SPOTTSWOOD Univ. of Miss. Press 9781496816412. Paperback, 256 pp., 71 b&w illustrations, $30. (Univ. of Miss. Press, 3825 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, MS 39211, upress.state.ms.us.) Brother duos were once common in country music. The Monroe Brothers, the Delmore Brothers, and the Blue Sky Boys were all very popular in the…

ROE FAMILY SINGERS SONGS OF THE MOUNTAINS, SONGS OF THE PLAINS Pinecastle Recordings PRC1210 The Roe Family Singers are from Minnesota and feature Kim Roe on vocals, autoharp, and washboard, and Quillan Roe on vocals, banjo, and archtop guitar, plus a large backup band with everything from electric guitar to musical saw. These 15 selections…

LENA ULLMAN AND ANNA FALKENAU I CAN HEAR YOU CALLING No Label No Number This is a CD of fiddle and clawhammer banjo duets and songs, but it goes considerably outside the envelope of old-time music. Anna Falkenau (fiddle) is from Scotland and the Orkney Islands. Lena Ullman (banjo) is from further south in Britain….

KRISTI STANLEY HEART WIDE OPEN Union House Records UHR-0004 This is Kristi Stanley’s debut release on Union House and she is joined on this project by a great collection of talent, including Austin Brown (guitar, bass), Nick Goad (mandolin), Rod Smith (banjo, resonator guitar), and Adam Haynes (fiddle). Guest artists include Travis Houck (resonator guitar),…