September 2019 M T W T F S S « Aug 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 -
Recent Posts
- Photos from the Jenny Brook Bluegrass Festival
- Not to Mention the old Shade Tree. . .
- Pickin’ on Ninnies
- Pre-recorded Shows April 6th and 13th
- The 2019 Joe Val Festival—Photos!
- Time for the 2019 Joe Val Festival!
- Rhode Island’s Best-Kept Secret? Rock Hearts on HAH!
- The Legendary Al Hawkes Dies at 88
- It’s the Eighth of January!
- Extra! Fiddlin’ John Carson Played Tex’s ‘Christmas Time’ in 1927!
- Well Met—It’s Opry Time Again!
- Tony Watt Launches JamVember
- The Whiskey Gentry’s Dead Ringer—Is Lauren Staley!
- Harvard Football vs. HAH: A Draw!
- Why I Cancelled Barbara Martin Stephens
Top Posts & Pages
- "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem"
- Classic Stereo/Phonograph Console Needs a Home
- "A Good Voice and a Clean Suit"—Slim Whitman Dies
- And Yet Another One—Tompall Glaser at 79
- Country Calendar
- John Lincoln Wright's "Takin' Old Route One" Now on CD!
- 2015 Joe Val Festival News
- The Montreal Express
- ‘Maple Sugar’, Sweetheart!
Home Base
- WHRB 95.3FM – Live Internet Stream for HAH HAH’s Home for Lo These Many Decades
My other hats. . .
- Walking Creek World Follow Cousin Lynn down The Walking Creek. . .
Category Archives: Country History
Pickin’ on Ninnies
Saturday a listener named Liz posted a comment on the Paper and Pen page. I was going to respond there, but then decided that the question was important enough to merit a post. Liz wrote: “When the pickaninnies pick the … Continue reading
The Legendary Al Hawkes Dies at 88
I met Al Hawkes at one of the Joe Val Festivals, back in the Green Room. It was not the one where he received the 2009 Heritage Industry Award from the Boston Bluegrass Union. It might have been 2016 when … Continue reading
Posted in Bluegrass, Country History, Country News, Record Business
Tagged Al Hawkes, Allerton and Alton, Alton Myers, B Lilly, Bear Family Records, Betty Cody, Boston Bluegrass Union, Don Stover, Don Williams, Event Records, Everett Alan Lilly, Everett Lilly, Hal Lonepine, Jim Rooney, Joe Val Festival, Lenny Breau, Maine Public Radio, Rockhouse Mountain Productions, The Cumberland Ridge Runners, The Lilly Brothers and Don Stover
1 Comment
It’s the Eighth of January!
And that means it’s time for ‘The Battle of New Orleans’ with Johnny Horton (1959): Johnny Horton of course took the song from Jimmy Driftwood (whose real name was James Morris). From a site called the Greasespot Cafe, … Continue reading
Extra! Fiddlin’ John Carson Played Tex’s ‘Christmas Time’ in 1927!
Well, sort of. After I played Tex Logan fiddling his composition, ‘Christmas Time’s a-Comin’’ with The Lane Brothers, followed by Bill Monroe’s classic first recording of the song, listener Paul Murphy emailed me with this news (reprinted with his permission): … Continue reading
Talkin’ about Trains
The High 48s Bluegrass Band Back on the May 26th show I rediscovered the 2014 album of train songs, called Great Northern Railroad, from a band called The High 48s, a slim cardboard volume hiding amidst the plastic jewel boxes … Continue reading
Posted in Bluegrass, Country History, Hillbilly History, Hillbilly Journal, Radio Talk
Tagged Baltimore and Ohio, Becky Schlegel, Capitol Limited, Charlie Poole, Cosmo Cavicchio, David Davis, Ed McMann, Eric Christopher, Friendship Train, Giffords Ice Cream, Jim Walsh, Jon Chase, Merci Train, National Limited, Quarante et huit, riding the blind, riding the rods, Rounder Records, The Forty and Eight, The High 48s Bluegrass Band
6 Comments
‘Maple Sugar’, Sweetheart!
Last Saturday (5May) on a whim I played an instrumental version of the fiddle tune ‘Maple Sugar’ (sans fiddle) from White Mountain Bluegrass, and mentioned that the first version I recalled was from Doc Williams, “with words.” As it turns … Continue reading
Posted in Bluegrass, Country History, Hillbilly Journal, Songwriting
Tagged 'Maple Sugar Sweetheart', 'Maple Sugar', Chickie Williams, Dave Palmater, Doc Williams, Hank LaRiviere (Hank Rivers), Lonesome Lefty's Scratchy Attic, Rupert House, Tom Towle, Ward Allen, White Mountain Bluegrass, WWVA
5 Comments
Rare Stanley Brothers Radio Transcription—You Can Help Save It!
Yesterday, this note arrived from audio engineer Frank Cunningham: Hi Lynn, your listeners might find this interesting: Bristol, VA/Tenn. (January 10, 2018) – A rare transcription disc containing a live broadcast performance of The Stanley Brothers and the Clinch Mountain … Continue reading
Don Williams, 1939–2017
I have been remiss in not acknowledging the life and work of Don Williams, who died in September. Don had literally dozens of hits on the country charts in the 1970s and early ’80s, many of which crossed over onto … Continue reading
Posted in Country History, Country News
Tagged Alan Jackson, Allen Reynolds, Braid Paisley, Cowboy Jack Clement, Don Williams, Eric Clapton, Jim Reeves, John Lincoln Wright, Kathy Mattea, Kyle Young, Lofton Cline, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Pete Townshend, Roger Cook, Sam Hogin, Susan Taylor, The Poco Seco Singers
1 Comment
Adiós Glen Campbell
(Hits and Misses 6) • Glen Campbell: Adiós (2017, Universal) If you’ll look at my post from last September on Hillbilly at Harvard in the 1960s, ‘HAH History: The Committee Saves the Show’, and scroll down, you’ll see a photo … Continue reading
Posted in Country History, Hillbilly History, Hits and Misses
Tagged Adiós, Bob Dylan, Brian Sinclair (Ol' Sinc), Brian Wilson, Capitol Records, Carl Jackson, Crest Records, Dickey Lee, Frank Sinatra, George Jones, Glen Campbell, Hank Williams, Jack Scott, Jerry Reed, Jimmy Webb, John Hartford, Kim Campbell, Merle Haggard, PowerLine, Roger Miller, Scott Johnson, The Beach Boys, The Committee, The Green River Boys, The Monkees, The Wrecking Crew
2 Comments
No Particular Place to Go
Chuck Berry reportedly wrote that title in prison (for transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines, violating the Mann Act). The song devolves into an amusing anecdote when the the protagonist cannot get the young lady’s ‘safety belt’ unbuckled, but … Continue reading
