The first show for 2025, featuring a wide variety of bluegrass performers. You’ll hear the Hagar’s Mountain Boys, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Snuffy Jenkins, Joe Newberry and Larry Cordle, and that’s in the first 20 minutes! New Vintage Bluegrass Band gets a couple of songs, as do the fine duo Reno & Smiley with some of their 1950’s recordings. Paul Williams & the Victory Trio play some gospel, and Hunter Berry fiddles his heart out with a fine backing band. The best of bluegrass!

It’s the last show for 2024, and I’ve picked out some favourite tracks as well as some less-well-known tracks.

In this show, you’ll find Nothing Fancy, Niall Toner, the Forest Hills Bluegrass Band, Billy Strings, Raymond McLain, and the Bluegrass Album Band. There’s an instrumental from the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band from 1969, and some fine picking from Scott Vestal & Friends. Much to enjoy!

It’s Christmas Eve, and I’m playing some Christmas songs, some familiar, some not, but all good listening. I also get to talk to Anna Tukuitoga, singer and song-writer, banjo player, guitar player, about her music and music studies at Massey University.

Digging deep into my shelves of CD’s, I’m finding some real gems of bluegrass. We hear from Emerson & Taylor, David Parmley, some ‘Blue Ridge’ bluegrass from Mickey Galyean, some favourite performers like Laurie Lewis, some old-time from the New Lost City Ramblers, and more. Great listening!

The Christmas theme is creeping into Back Porch Bluegrass, with a carol from Tony Trischka with David Grier, and a contemporary song from Becky Buller. We’ve got songs from Larry Stephenson, Chris Stuart & Back Country, Richard Bennett, Dale Ann Bradley, and some instrumental work from Scott Vestal & Co, and Leroy Mack. My son Sam Trenwith sings ‘Banjoing Along’ which gets me every time. Lots of ‘pre-Christmas’ music to enjoy.

I kick off the show with an instrumental from the mid-1970’s, featuring the ‘Scruggs’ pegs’ on my banjo, then we get into the show with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Red Allen, Blue Highway, Beth Stevens & Edge, and the Steep Canyon Rangers. A couple of musical offerings from some 80+ years-old women (the Stonemans), Doyle Lawson, Sam Bush & Jerry Douglas, and Don Rigsby. Some really fine bluegrass music here! Of course, I remind you all about the forthcoming NZ tour of that great family band, the Petersons, in February 2025.

The Steeldrivers, Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Detour and Longview are all presented in this episode, as are the Lovell Sister, Dan Tyminski, and some NZ bluegrass from the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. Lyman Enloe plays a fiddle tune, and the Kentucky Colonels play a gospel tune. Of course, I remind you all about the forthcoming NZ tour of that great family band, the Petersons, in February 2025.

I enjoyed sharing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with you all so much last week that I have included another couple of tracks this week, too. We’ll also hear from the Kody Norris Show, the High Desert Band, the Poor Valley Girls (from ETSU), and Tony Ellis. The Dry Branch Fire Squad introduce some humour and some fine banjo playing from Bill Evans, and there’s a couple of tracks from a live recording of Lou Reid and Carolina.

I’ve included a couple of tunes from that classic album “Circle” album from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, featuring them and some of their musical heroes. I’ve also included tracks from my musical hero, Doug Dillard, and offerings from Hot Rize, Jerusalem Ridge, the Osborne Brothers, the Earls of Leicester, Kathy Kallick, and of course, NZ’s own Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. It’s coming up to Christmas (already!) so I’ve sneaked in a song from the Trenwiths with Caroline Jones, too.

Some of my LP’s get an airing this week. The Johnson Mountain Boys, Charlie Moore, J D Crowe on the highly-regarded ‘Model Church’ album from 1971, and some Jimmie Rodgers songs from the great Merle Haggard album ‘Same Train, Different Time’. Of course, I’ve got some more recent music from Sally Jones, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Daniel Boner, and Rickie Simpkins. Something for all tastes!