Lou Reid & Carolina

I just discovered this bluegrass legend that i'd never heard before. I first came across Lou having recently seen the Doyle Lawson 'Through The Years' DVD. I was amazed by his vocals and then following the usual YouTube trail i find out he's a really good mandolin player! This music just keeps throwing up great stuff the more you listen. For a wee lad here in Scotland it's all been new for me - i only seriously got into bluegrass about 5 years ago. Any thoughts/stories and indeed further listening recommendations from the folks here?

He has had two stints with Seldom Scene, at present and back in the eighties, and was part of Longview for a time, but played guitar in the latter two mentioned. (He also played with Ricky Skaggs for a time during Skaggs' mainstream country career.) It depends on whether you are primarily interested in his mandolin work, or whether you have an appreciation of his vocal talents as well, but either way, there is quite a lot of material available.

IMHO, his BG material is as good as it gets. Great singer, writer, and player. Extremely talented musician. One of my all-time BG favorites. I highly recommend his CDs.


Tom

Yep, Lou's a keeper.

His incredible vocals are all over the first three albums by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (with whom he played bass): Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Rock My Soul and Quicksilver Rides Again. All three are available on CD (the first and third together on one CD called The Original Band), and they're all essential IMO. Some of the finest bluegrass mandolin you'll ever hear too, courtesy of the estimable Mr. Lawson.

I remember Lou when he was playing bass in a band called "Southbound", traveling around with Jimmy Haley in a converted bread truck.

This was back in 1975. Saw Lou at a small festival in Rhode Island with the original Lilly Brothers and J.D. Crowe when he had Skaggs, Rice, Bobby Sloan and Jerry Douglas.

Thinking back, the promoter ran out of money, didn't pay the musicians, and the whole thing got called off on Sunday Morning!

- John

I saw Lou at a festival when the "New" Seldom Scene was performing and they played quite a few of the Scene`s priginal songs and Lou is the only mandolin player that I have seen that could copy Duffey`s style of picking, he sounded just like John did on his recordings...A very talanted picker for sure...I can`t say that I am crazy about some of the songs that they do with Carolina, it`s a little far out from bluegrass but the picking is good....

Willie

Thanks for all the suggetions. I've just got Rock My Soul - came yesterday in the post. I saw a clip of Lou Reid, Terry Baucom and Carolina on DVD doing Kneel Down and Pray up. I'd never heard of him as mandolin player and thought he was so good that i thought i'd check out his stuff. His singing is just amazing though!

J. Albert--Your festival story sounds a great deal like some festivals in 1973 billed as "Peace, Love, Blues and Bluegrass," where payment of the bands was not a regular occurance as the season went on. The first one turned out to be the Bluegrass version of Woodstock, with thousands more than were expected, and with woefully inadequate facilities, but it generated lots of revenue. However, as the season progressed, the money dwindled, and the bands became fewer; those who continued to play often did so in the hope that they might get paid at some point. the promoter's last name was Clark, a very nice, well-intentioned fellow who took on a bit more than he could handle, as it turned out. Any connection to the festival you mentioned that took place a couple of years later?

Lou's high tenor voice is amazing. He's able to do more of what he likes since he started up 'Carolina', his own band. Several good albums; I'm partial to his first one, "Time". His wife Christy plays bass in the band and, in her own right, is a great singer. She was nominated for 'female vocalist of the year(contemporary)' last year. Also easy on the eyes.

The Scene band with Lou was/is my benchmark for BG because that was my introduction. Lou just blows me away.

Funny enough, all the folks that really know him say he's best on fiddle. Imagine that!

"...the promoter's last name was Clark, a very nice, well-intentioned fellow who took on a bit more than he could handle, as it turned out. Any connection to the festival you mentioned that took place a couple of years later?"

I believe his name was Jim Clark, and yup, there was a connection.

Just looked in my archives in the other room, and I have a flyer from one of the festivals they put on, billed as the (take a deep breath) "1st Annual Pennsylvania Old Time Mountain-Country Gospel-Bluegrass & Blues Folk Music Arts Festival". Ran from Friday June 29 all the way to Wednesday July 4, 1973 (I -think- it was 73, might have been 1974).

In fact, I still have the ticket for it, just found it by chance today while cleaning things out (found my original 1969 Woodstock ticket, too!).

Quite a lineup it had - for example:
Earl Scruggs Review
Doc & Merle Watson
Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper
Snuffy Jenkins & Pappy Sherill
Grandpa Jones
Charlie Moore
Bryan Bowers
The Stonemans
Roger Sprung!
New Grass Revival
Vassar Clements & Doug Dillard
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
John Hartford
Don Reno & Bill Harrell
Peter Rowan
Jim Rooney
Red, White & Bluegrass
Red Allen
Bluegrass Alliance
BB King (yes, he was there!)

It was in Hallam (near York) at a place called Valley View Park.

Those were the days!

- John