Decorated Veterans

What did it take to sing tenor to Jimmy Martin?

When he left Bill Monroe for a solo career, Jimmy Martin had to answer that question with a tenor whose power equalled Monroe’s. Martin found the perfect foil in Paul Williams.

A few years ago, Williams got together with two other Martin alumni – Doyle Lawson (who plays guitar here), and banjo man, J.D Crowe. They’ve made a couple of well-received albums, but when they hit the stage, they blow the roof off the dump.

In this clip, they’re joined by Jason Barie on fiddle and Dale Perry on bass – both of whom were members of Lawson’s band, Quicksilver, at the time. And though everyone is in top form, it’s hard not to single out Crowe’s return to a more traditional, blues-based style (He has said he learned a lot from Fats Domino’s piano playing) for his work with this group. This is his best picking in years!

Here they are with Williams out in front, singing one of his signature numbers, “The Hills Of Roane County”.

Senator Robert Byrd's "Mountain Fiddler" Remastered

Robert Byrd was a self-taught fiddler who learned traditional fiddle tunes while growing up in the hill country of West Virginia. Eventually, he became the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, and the longest-serving member of the Senate, but he never gave up playing the fiddle.

In 1977, Sen. Byrd recorded this album in his office, backed by members of The Country Gentlemen -- Doyle Lawson on guitar, James Bailey on banjo, and Spider Gilliam on bass.

The result was an album filled to the brim with true, traditional mountain music -- joyful, authentic, and totally raw. Some of the tracks are introduced by Sen. Byrd's anecdotes recounting the first time he heard these age-old tunes, the musicians he learned them from, and the places and occasions where they were played. It's fascinating stuff from a born raconteur.

The band jelled seamlessly, and it shows, especially on the instrumentals, "Forked Deer" and "Red Bird".

One of the most intriguing things about Mountain Fiddler is that Sen. Byrd provides a lead vocal on many songs that are played as instrumentals these days. "Cripple Creek", "Turkey In the Straw", "Old Joe Clark", and "Cumberland Gap" are among these.

Sen. Byrd's vocal delivery is just as raw and untutored as his fiddle playing on these songs. By contrast, he gives moving, inspired readings on story songs like "Wish I Had Stayed In the Wagon Yard", "Rye Whiskey", and the album's countrified standout, "Come Sundown She'll Be Gone".

Sen. Byrd also takes some bluegrass standards out for a spin, including "Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die", "There's More Pretty Girls Than One", "Roving Gambler", and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

Both old-time and bluegrass musics have largely strayed away from this sound, and lost a lot of their emotional impact in the process. Mountain Fiddler is a study in the real deal for musicians and fans of  those genres.

Rock-Solid Bluegrass Gospel From Jimmy Martin Vets

J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Paul Williams had all worked for bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin. That shared history gave them a great idea for a bluegrass gospel CD: Why not get together to record a CD of gospel tunes that each had performed with Martin?

Old Friends Get Together, released in June of 2010, is the happy result, and even with all that star power, everyone has some great moments in the spotlight.

"This World is Not My Home" is a tasty duet between Doyle Lawson on lead and Paul Williams on tenor, while Williams turns in a soulful lead vocal on "When the Savior Reached Down for Me."

Two of the CD's best tracks are "Lord, I'm Coming Home" and "Shake Hands With Mother Again". "Shake Hands" is especially tight with gutsy, high lonesome harmonies, and a lead vocal by Doyle Lawson that's pure soul.

Jimmy Martin fans will love the vocal arrangements, which stick closely to those of the original recordings, which often featured women on tenor vocals (Both Penny Jay and Gloria Belle, who also played bass for Martin, filled this vocal spot). Sonya Isaacs and Cia Cherryholmes contribute distinctive high harmonies.

Although the emphasis is on the vocals, J.D. Crowe's picking shines, especially on "Voice of My Savior" and "The Little White Church".

The combination of mountain soul with high lonesome vocals and polished Nashville-style arrangements is pure Jimmy Martin, but the record never sounds like a museum piece. Clearly, this CD was made by a top-notch group of musicians who gave their all and had a great time doing it.

J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, and Paul Williams were, one might say, The Earls of Leicester of Jimmy Martin tunes, even before The Earls of Leicester came to be. For the last couple of years or so – and two well-received albums – they’ve been covering Jimmy Martin favorites as only three Martin veterans can.

They do an especially good job on this one – “Prayer Bells Of Heaven”. There’s even a good ‘n’ country drummer, just like Jimmy had on his recordings.

This is Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver at their best – simple, tasteful, but still singing the blues.
Lawson’s picking has always been underrated, and this clip is a perfect example. Why not get out of the way and let the vocals shine?

Lawson, banjoist Scott Vestal, and guest dobroist, Jerry Douglas, do exactly that. Meanwhile, Glen Duncan and Hoot Hester on twin fiddles mirror the crying vocals to perfection.

Put it all together, and you get this outstanding performance of “One Way Train”.

Only when a band is this good can you get away with such poor sound quality. The quality of the music comes through loud and clear, however. Plus, it’s fascinating to see Doyle Lawson starting to rock some Old Testament prophet hair.

Maybe he’s taking the words of this song to heart. This is “I Won’t Have To Worry Anymore”.

In 21st century America, church is almost always a private club where the biblically illiterate worship something – not Jesus – that might be best described as “Americhrist”. Songs about church, as opposed to songs about the gospel, make me wary. A lot of “Church, the way it used to be” songs have been co-opted by the Americhrist crowd. They talk about an old-fashioned preacher, and how close everybody was – a club.

This, too, is a song about church the way it used to be, but anybody listening to the lyrics would never mistake the church described here for today’s American church.

This is The Bluegrass Album Band – J.D. Crowe, Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, Bobby Slone, and Todd Phillips – with “The Model Church”.

A Gospel Promise For the Civil Rights Movement

Doyle Lawson got this one from Sister Rosetta Tharp. The message may seem a bit reactionary, but it was relevant during the (initial) struggle for civil rights, and, sadly, is relevant all over again.

This rendition is powerful, and it’s clear from their dazzling technique and obvious passion why DL&Q are consistently ranked among the top bluegrass gospel groups.

This is Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver with “My Lord’s Gonna Move This Wicked Race”.

Doyle Lawson, Terry Baucom, Lou Reid, & Ray Deaton (that would be the first incarnation of Quicksilver) were reunited on stage at Bluegrass First Class 2014, with help from current Quicksilver members, Jason Barie and Josh Swift.

They played some of their greatest hits, of course, along with this one, which I first heard from Jonathan Edwards and The Seldom Scene. Lou Reid is one of the most expressive vocalists in modern bluegrass, and he makes the most of this song, called, “How Long Have I Been Waiting For You?”