Back Porch Bluegrass Show

This week I’ve included several artists who do not regularly appear on the show, but are definitely worth hearing: Dr Peter Wernick and his band, Starlett & Big John, Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys, Unspoken Tradition, as well as some who might appear more often – the Earls of Leicester, Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie, Lester Flatt & Mac Wiseman, Dudley Connell together with Don Rigsby, NZ’s Pipi Pickers, and an introductory tune from myself with Jean-Luc Leroux. Join with me and enjoy the music.

Back in the Studio, with songs from 1936 through to 2026 – 90 years of bluegrass! The Monroe Brothers, Terry Baucom, Red Wilson, Dale Ann Bradley and NZ’s own you Me Everybody get the show started, then we follow up with the Cattlestops, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, the 1970’s Country Gentlemen and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. Red Wilson plays a fiddle tune and the Stanley Gospel Tradition bring us a fine gospel song. There’s lots to like.

In this replay of the show from 01 August 2023, there's a variety of bluegrass styles, including music from Blue Highway, Claire Lynch, Monroe Crossing, the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, and Sawmill Road. There’s some fine picking from Norman Blake, some classic bluegrass from Marvin Howell and the Franklin County Boys, the Lonesome River Band, and a great starting tune from yours truly, recorded back in 1976.

This show features some more treasures from the LP’s my friend Barry has given me, with the bands Spectrum and Shenandoah Cut-ups being featured. We’ve also got music from Del McCoury, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Bobby Hicks and Cliff Waldron. The Allen Brothers do some nice harmony for us, and Craig Smith picks some fine banjo. The Hamilton County Bluegrass Band dust off an old crowd favourite, and Allen Shelton takes us out with a traditional banjo tune. It’s real bluegrass, folks.

On a trip to Wellington in 2023, I went shopping for (and purchased) some second-hand CD’s – but NEW to me.

I thought I’d share them with you all. Music from Jim Lauderdale, Chris Jones, Alison Krauss, the original Jimmie Rodgers, Ricky Skaggs and Roy Acuff. There’s some songs from Dierks Bentley, and Delia Bell and Bill Grant, as well as a tune from the HCBB featuring mandolinist Graham Lovejoy.

I was doing a recording session on banjo for music producer Dan Cosgrove, and thought he’d be a great guest on Back Porch Bluegrass. I was right! I ask Dan about his recording work, the ins and outs of being an engineer/producer/musician, and how he goes about it. I also play him some bluegrass music that I know he’ll be interested in, for the variety of techniques used in production. The CD’s I used on this show feature Dan Tyminski, Claire Lynch, the Bluegrass Album Band, Flatt & Scruggs live, Seldom Scene, Earl Taylor, and Dan Crary.

I’ve just been given a box of LP’s from my guitar-playing friend Barry Paterson, and there’s some real treasures in that box. This episode of BPBG features three of those LP’s – the Bluegrass Cardinals, Country Gazette, and Frank Necessary & Al Jones. I’ve also included tracks from the Stanley Brothers, the Foggy Hogtown Boys, James Monroe, Herb Petersen, and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. Irene Kelley plays a lovely gospel song, and Kenny Baker takes us out with a classic fiddle tune. A brand new album from the Kody Norris Show rounds out an action-packed programme.

From the 1950 Lonesome Pine Fiddlers to a brand-new album from Claire Lynch, this episode features a great range of bluegrass. The Earls of Leicester, Audie Blaylock & Redline, Scott Vestal and JD Crowe get us underway, and that’s followed up by the Kody Norris Show. Then we’ve got the afore-mentioned LPF, we’ve got Tony Ellis playing a banjo tune, and of course, two songs from Claire’s new album. The Isaacs do a classic Stanley Brothers gospel tune, and some fancy picking from JD Crowe rounds out the show. Great bluegrass music!

This episode of Back Porch Bluegrass has a ‘country-ish’ feel to it, with several songs taken from the country music genre. But bluegrass has always borrowed songs from other genres, and it makes for interesting listening. Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road, Special Consensus, Del McCoury and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band all feature such songs. Of course, we have some bluegrass classics from Dudley Connell & Don Rigsby, the Stanley Brothers, and Blue Highway, and some old-timey fiddling from the Iron Leg Boys. An eclectic mix!

Music for show #700 has been taken from new CDs (2026) and my old LPs. Lots of variation of the genre here!

From Bill Monroe through to You Me Everybody, with tracks from Ricky Skaggs, Lindsay Butler, High Fidelity, Russell Moore, and the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band (presenting a bit of tomfoolery!), Tony Rice, Larry Sparks and Butch Robins, there’s something for all tastes.