Articles

THE LEGACY OF ROSCOE HOLCOMB Shanachie 621 Roscoe Holcomb (1911-1981) was the legendary old-time banjo player whose powerful vocals inspired John Cohen to coin the phrase the “high lonesome sound” back in 1962 when he first captured Roscoe on tape for the film of the same name. The Legacy Of Roscoe Holcomb, a hundred-minute black-and-white…

THE KNUCKLE KNOCKERS Yodel-Ay-Hee Records The Knuckle Knockers are husband and wife Bill Foss (vocals, mandolin, banjo, banjo-mandolin) and Martha Hawthorne (vocals, guitar, banjo), and Karen Celia Heil (vocals, fiddle, guitar). They are ably assisted by Brendan Doyle and Maxine Gerber, each on banjo, on five cuts. The CD opens with a lovely version of…

THE KARL SHIFLETT AND BIG COUNTRY SHOW LIVE FROM THE JERUSALEM RIDGE BLUEGRASS CELEBRATION Cumberland Highlander Productions continues offering quality DVDs of performances aired on its RFD-TV television program, this one featuring two complete shows (two DVDs), thirty songs in all by the Karl Shiflett and Big Country Show. One is from 2009 with mandolinist…

RICHARD D. HENRY I HAD A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS Here is a project of original gospel songs by Henry, who has put together a dozen songs that make for an interesting and musical program. Henry sings lead with a trio of backup singers: Mike Fuller, Tony King, and Gene McDonald. All but two songs…

PATENT PENDING NOT A DAY GOES BY Tuscarora Records TR-0421 Patent Pending has been a long-running bluegrass band in and around Northern Virginia and West Virginia. This latest recording is an important milestone in their illustrious music career. The core group of musicians has been together for several years and is currently Eldred Hill (guitar…

NOTORIOUS THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS Black Socks Press CD 28 Notorious is an interesting and eclectic folk ensemble built around the duo of fiddler/singer Eden MacAdam-Somer and guitarist/banjoist Larry Unger. Their full-sized band adds mandolinist Sam Bartlett and Mark Hellenberg on percussion and banjo uke. They cover an interesting range of tunes and songs from…