NEW RELEASES
(Received June 25-July 24)

BLUE CANYON BOYS
MOUNTAIN BOUND
No Label, BCBCD004 (compact disc)

BLUEGRASS REGULATORS
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

BOBBY AND THE BLUE RIDGE TRADITION
I LIVE FOR HIM
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

NED CRISP AND BOTTOMLINE
TAKING THE BACK ROADS HOME
Blue Circle Records BCR025 (compact disc)

DALTON MOUNTAIN GANG
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

TIM DAVIS AND MATT HISER
FLYING HIGH
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

EXCEPTION TO THE RULE
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS
FIVE INTERSTATES
Big Blue Zoo Records, No Number (compact disc)

HONAKERS
I’LL BE WAITING
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

LORRAINE JORDAN & CAROLINA ROAD
CAROLINA HURRICANE
Rural Rhythm Records RHY1062 (compact disc)

RONNIE KING
FREE OF GUILT
Kindred Records KR47397 (compact disc)

TIM LOVELL
FIREFLIES
No Label, No Number (compact disc)

OLA BELLE REED
RISING SUN MELODIES
Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40202 (compact disc)

RICH IN TRADITION
BLACK MOUNTAIN SPECIAL
Mountain Roads Recordings MRR1010 (compact disc)

LISSA SCHNECKENBURGER
DANCE
Footprint Records FR2010 (compact disc)

KEN SCOGGINS & MILLER’S CREEK
ONCE IN A LIFETIME THING
Old Homestead Records OHCD90223 (compact disc)

FRANK SOLIVAN & DIRTY KITCHEN
Fiddlemon Music 13003 (compact disc)

THUNDER CREEK
SAY YOU WILL
No Label, 2010 (compact disc)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
GET LOW
Rounder Records 1166191002 (compact disc)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
GOLDEN BOY OF THE BLUE RIDGE
Great White Wax GWW201001 (compact disc)

ADDITIONAL RELEASES
By Les McIntyre

CAROLINA NATIVE SONS
RANK OL’ BLUEGRASS
Patuxent Music CD190.

Carolina Native Sons is a group of friends and musicians from western North Carolina consisting of Clarence Greene (guitar and vocals), Joseph Scott (mandolin and vocals), Donald Scott (resonator guitar and vocals), and Nate Leath (fiddle). They are supplemented by guest pickers Mark Delaney (banjo) and Neil Knicely (bass). This undertaking takes on special meaning in that Clarence Greene passed away December 11, 2009 (BU, Feb. ’10), and these are some of his last recording efforts. Featured are several originals including Clarence’s “Shiverin’ In The Cold” and “Another Lonesome Day” along with Donnie Scott’s instrumental “Scarlet Rising Sun.” Also included are sterling performances of classic numbers including Johnny Bond’s “I Wonder Where You Are Tonight,” Molly O’Day’s “Snow Covered Mound,” and Red Allen’s “Don’t Lie To Me.” Rank Ol’ Bluegrass is bluegrass at its best and a befitting tribute to the memory of Clarence H. Greene. (Patuxent Music, P.O. Box 572, Rockville, MD 20848, www.pxrec.com.)

STEVEN EARL HOWARD AND THE BLUE DRIFTERS
EASY TO GET LOST IN THE WORLD
Root Bass Records, No Number.

Steven Earl Howard and the Blue Drifters play a unique style of music that infuses elements of bluegrass along with bits of country and western, jazz, and ragtime influences. While the performances are somewhat erratic, especially on the bluegrass numbers “Will You Be Loving Another Man,” “Mr. Engineer,” and “Wheel Hoss,” the most effective track is their a cappella arrangement of “Sweet Chariot Swing Low.” Other performances include the Bill Trader country standard “A Fool Such As I,” “The Road Is A Lover,” and the pop classic “Cherokee.” Easy To Get Lost In The World is a pleasant collage of down-home music and should find an eager market among those familiar with the music of Howard and the Blue Drifters. (Steven Earl Howard, 1427 Jersey Ave. S., St. Louis Park, MN 55426, www.bluedrifters.com.)

BOOK

CHAMPIONSHIP CONTEST FIDDLING
BY NATE OLSON
Mel Bay MB21400BCD. (Mel Bay Publications, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069, www.melbay.com.)

This latest instruction book from Mel Bay was transcribed and edited by fiddler Nate Olson and is devoted to the ins and outs of preparing to compete in fiddle contests. Featured is 44 fiddle tunes performed by championship fiddlers including Bethany Dick, John Francis, Sherry McKenzie, along with 10 others. Also featured are short bios of each fiddler along with helpful hints about how they prepare to compete in fiddling contests. Sample tunes include fiddle favorites “Billy In The Low Ground,” “Cotton Patch Rag,” and “Little Rock Getaway.” The accompanying CD contains a sample of each tune, allowing the aspiring fiddle student to follow along at home. What is unique about the disc is that it features live performances recorded at various fiddle contests. It should be noted that this instruction program is designed for fiddlers who already have some basic skills and can read music. Championship Contest Fiddling would be an important asset to any fiddler striving to advance their skills.

COMPILATIONS AND REISSUES

U.S. SENATOR ROBERT BYRD
MOUNTAIN FIDDLER
County Records CD2743.

Fourteen fiddle tunes originally released in 1977. With Doyle Lawson on guitar, James Bailey on banjo, and Spider Gilliam on bass. Liner notes by Barry Poss. Includes “Turkey In The Straw,” “Cripple Creek,” “Forked Deer,” and “Old Joe Clark.” (County Records, P.O. Box 7405, Charlottesville, VA 22906, www.countysales.com.)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
BLUEGRASS BANDS, HELPING HANDS, VOLUME TWO: THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD
Bluegrass Bands Helping Hands, No number.

Twenty-two tracks, donated by various artists including Pam Gadd and Jeanette Williams, Steel String Session, Gold Heart, and the Muellers. Numbers include “Farewell Wagon Master,” “Woodsong,” “Until She Makes It Home,” and “Sound Of A Lonesome Fiddle.” (Bluegrass Bands and Helps Hands, LLC, P.O. Box 6714, Dalton, GA 30720, www.bluegrassbandshelpinghands.com.)