Bluegrass by non-bluegrass artists

[Matt Hutchinson]

I've been listening to bluegrass off and on over the past few years and enjoy most of the regular stuff. What I've particularly enjoyed recently are albums by great songwriters/performers who get in a bluegrass band for one or two albums. Examples are :

Steve Earle 'The Mountain'
Dolly Parton' The Grass is Blue' etc
Emmylou Harris 'At the Ryman', 'Roses in the Snow'

Any more of these I should check out? I enjoy hearing these kind of albums as the people making them obviously have a real passion for the music despite it not being their main genre (and because it's not their main style they usually bring something a little different to it too).

Cheers,

Matt

[Tim]

"Mountain Soul" by Patty Loveless would be an example.

[Klaus Wutscher]

And of course my favourite: "High Country Snow" by Dan Fogelberg, featuring Dawg, Jerry Douglas, Herb Petersen, Ricky Scaggs, Jim Buchanan, Doc Watson....

[Matt Hutchinson]

Great, thanks guys that's two more to check out!

[mandopete]

You've overlooked the most famous of these...Will The Circle Be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

[Matt Hutchinson]

Hi manopete,

I have the first volume, are the other two as good? maybe I need to check those out as well. Keep 'em coming.

[Landgrass]

Not exactly hard core grass but Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby just put a CD.

[Lefty&French]

Tim O'...

[Wesley]

I sure wish Johnny Cash had released a bluegrass album. It's a little late now.

One I can think of is Steven Stills. On the four sided LP "Manassas" one side had a strong bluegrass flavor aided by Chris Hillman.

[Don Stiernberg]

You might like Leon Russell with The Newgrass Revival--a DVD.
There had been some vinyl LP's of their work also, I'm not sure they're available in CD format, but the DVD covers that era pretty well.

[MadMax]

Posted on May 02 2007, 10:26
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Hi manopete,

I have the first volume, are the other two as good? maybe I need to check those out as well. Keep 'em coming.


I think Volume III is almost as good as Volume I. As far as Volume II is concerned, I can take it or leave it.

[mandopete]

I think the original Will The Circle Be Unbroken is the best of all of those recordings. That little bit from Jimmy Martin about "C'Mon John..." to John McEuen is worth the price of admission alone!

[dmamlep]

The truth is, that they probally love Bluegrass, but need to feed the family. and once they have made the money they can play what they want. I think you see lots of that today. but glad they did, they have some great sound.

[Willie Poole]

I was in Dollywood a few years ago and saw a wonderful all girl bluegrass band and I always wondered why Dolly didn`t use them to record a bluegrass album...The way I feel about these "country" stars recording bluegrass is, Where they when bluegrass really needed a shot in the arm? They seem to getting booked on bluegrass festivals too, kinda wish it was like the good ole` days when country and bluegrass were considered "Hillbilly music" and you hear them both on a show or on the radio stations....Willie

[Bob Sayers]

I don't know if you could call Vince Gill a "non-bluegrass" artist. He certainly lives comfortably in both the country and bluegrass worlds.

By the way, I read an interview somewhere (can't recall the source) that Vince recently purchased an original Loar. Does anyone know which one? As I recall, he also owns Bill Monroe's personal "Monroe model."

Bob

[Jim MacDaniel]

And don't forget the Dixie Chicks' Home -- maybe not hardcore BG, but it's a great mandolin album, featuring Steffey on most tracks, and Thile on a track or two.

[Wesley]

Robert - I can't quote a source but I heard that Gill's wife Amy Grant bought the Loar for him. Maybe it was his birthday or Christmas - but that's one little package I'd love to unwrap.

[jus]

Someone who fits the bill but is kind of off the US musical map is the Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly. The guy has legendary status in Australia and came out of the Melbourne/Sydney pub rock scene of the 1980s. In recent years however he has put out two bluegrass style albums, one with the now defunct Uncle Bill (I guess we know which Bill that is a reference to...) and one in 2005 called Foggy Highway with a bunch of Australian bluegrassers that call themselves the Stormwater Boys, one of the songs is a nice duet with Kasey Chambers , You're Learning (they must have ripped that one off Roses In the Snow.... # , or maybe they got it direct from the original Louvin brothers' recording??? ) #plus a bunch of Paul Kelly originals.
He's a great songwriter and #his stuff is well worth checking out.

justin

[f5loar]

Skeeter Davis LP "I Love Flatt & Scruggs" is a good one.
Rose Maddox "Sings Bluegrass" another good which featured the mandolin playing of Bill Monroe and Donna Stoneman. Buck Owens,Carl Smith,Tom T. Hall and Lynn Anderson did all bluegrass recordings.

[fatt-dad]

I hear that Tommy Ramone is playing BLUEGRASS.

f-d

[f5loar]

this is true and an F5 at that but from what I've heard of his debut bluegrass CD he probably should consider going back into rock even if he is the only surviving member of the Ramones!

[gospelman]

A southern gospel group called The Bishops put out a bluegrass album entitled "Kentucky Bluegrass." They have unique vocals and I believe that the album may have won a Dove Award for best Bluegrass album in 2000. It's one of my favorites.

[Bob Sayers]

"Robert - I can't quote a source but I heard that Gill's wife Amy Grant bought the Loar for him. Maybe it was his birthday or Christmas - but that's one little package I'd love to unwrap."

Wesley,

I think you're referring to the "Monroe Model" that Amy Grant bought for Vince at the auction of Bill Monroe's personal effects. He bought the Loar last year, according to the following article in the winter 2006 issue of Frets:

http://www.fretsmag.com/story.asp?storycode=16653

Either way, he's a winner!

Bob

[allenhopkins]

Tom T. Hall, The Incredible Music Machine
Doc Watson, Good Deal! Doc Watson in Nashville with Don Stover etc.
There's supposedly a Molly O'Day album with bluegrass backing from the '60's -- heard of it, never heard it...

[f5loar]

Now Doc Watson was playing bluegrass back when bluegrass wasn't cool so he don't count. Still does today. His best bluegrass recording was with Flatt & Scruggs in 1966.