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Special Guests
Breathing new life into "old-timey" music,
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW is made up of six artists from all over
the country, with musical influences steeped in many different cultures.
They bring it all together to play songs from some of the earliest folk
traditions of American music, tunes from Jug bands and traveling shows,
back porches and dance halls, from the southern Appalachians to the Tejano
sounds of South Texas. The band's style, described as "rollicking"
and "punkified," turns music that is decades, even centuries
old, and turns it into something that has never before been heard on this
earth. Old Crow Medicine Show was born in the summer of 1998 when its
six members met in upstate New York and decided to travel westward in
the spirit of old time traveling medicine shows and minstrel acts. They
traveled ten thousand miles in three months, playing in countless theaters,
schools, and honkytonks, and ended up on the western shores of Canada.
The band then packed up the instruments and took its music to the Southern
Appalachians, the birthplace of old time string music. In the mountains
they had a truly "hands-on" experience--learning old ways of
farming and music making, playing with some of the finest old-time musicians
still around, making their own instruments, and raising a sheep named
Daisy, and a pig named Jasmine. They have since moved to Nashville, Tennessee
and perform frequently at Opryland. The band opened for Dolly Parton at
the Ryman Auditorium for the taping of a CBS special, and has appeared
in several documentaries including PBS's American Roots Music series;
In the Valley Where Time Stands Still, a film about the history of the
Renfro Valley Barndance; and Bluegrass Journey-a portrait of the contemporary
Bluegrass scene. Old Crow Medicine Show is Ketch Secor (vocals, fiddle,
harmonica), Willie Watson (vocals, guitar), Critter Fuqua (banjo, slide
guitar, vocals) Kevin Hayes (guitjo) and Morgan Jahnig (doghouse bass).
SUZY BOGGUSS never sneaks up on a note,
according to her friend and mentor, the late Chet Atkins. But she'll
sneak up on you. She joined the church choir at age five and began to
play the piano at the urging of her musical mother. When her older siblings
began playing the drums, Suzy followed suit and continued through high
school. As a teenager, she also started playing guitar and bought her
first 12-string with the money she earned from babysitting. When she
was starting out, Bogguss toured in a camper with her dog, striking
deals with tavern owners. During the day, she would advertise for the
tavern with posters she had made if she would be allowed to play there
that night. Her strategy worked and she performed often. Suzy moved
to Nashville in 1985 and paid the bills by singing demos by day and
performing three nights a week at a local rib joint. Bogguss now has
an impressive body of work to show for her efforts, including an album
for nearly every year of her career. She was named Top New Female Vocalist
1989 by the Academy of Country music and, in 1992, she won the Horizon
Award given by the Country Music Association. She has attended the Grammys
as a nominee (for "Hopelessly Yours," a vocal collaboration
with Lee Greenwood, and "Teach Your Children" with Kathy Mattea
and Alison Krauss), has appeared on the Tonight Show and has even hosted
The TNN/Music City News Awards show. Bogguss formed her own record company
in 2001 as well as realizing her long-time ambition of making a Christmas
album, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Loyal Dutchess Records).
She has recently begun work on another dream of hers, a swing album
produced by Ray Benson, frontman for western swing icons Asleep At The
Wheel. It is tentatively scheduled for release in the spring of 2003.
Growing up as child prodigy in
Australia during the 1960s, TOMMY EMMANUEL and his brother Phil
formed their own bands like The Emmanuel Quartet, The Midget Safaries
and The railblazers. He started his session career during the 70s and
some of his most notable appearances were on the Air Supply hit singles
"Lost in Love," All Out of Love," "Every Woman in
the World" and "Now and Forever." His presence was felt
in the United States with his album Midnight Drive (Higher Octave Music)
was in the top five for sixteen weeks. This made him the "most
added artist" on the NAC radio charts in 1997. In Nashville in
1999, he received the Certified Guitar Player award for his contribution
to finger style guitar and his versatility has taken him from international
jazz festivals to special events at the Sydney Opera House and The Grand
Ole Opry in Nashville. His talent has even led him to perform for the
King of Thailand and the Australian Prime Minister. Since discovering
the guitar as a child, he has steadily achieved every one of his ambitions
including recording his own compositions, playing drums in a band, playing
concert halls and jamming with his idol Chet Atkins. Emmanuel sees his
career as a journey of discovery, eschews being pinned down and thrives
on doing things simply because he has never done them before. The Very
Best of Tommy Emmanuel was released by Sony Music in 2001. SAM BUSH made his recording debut in 1969 at
the age of 17 with Poor Richard's Almanac. He had already held the title
of National Junior Fiddle Champion for three consecutive years. Two
years later, Bush founded New Grass Revival, a band that spent 18 years
challenging preconceived notions of traditional bluegrass instruments
by fusing a wide range of styles that included gospel, rock, pop, reggae,
jazz, country, and bluegrass. In 1989, after releasing ten albums, NGR
disbanded. Bush went on to lead Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers for five
years, and has since toured with Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and
Lyle Lovett. He released his first solo project, Late As Usual (Rounder
Records), in 1987, and has since recorded Glamour & Grits and Howlin'
at the Moon, both on Sugar Hill Records. Bush has also played mandolin,
fiddle, and guitar on recordings with Leon Russell, Doc Watson, Steve
Earle, Garth Brooks, Steve Wariner, Trisha Yearwood, and Pam Tillis,
among others. He is also featured on Short Trip Home (Sony Classics)
with classical artists Joshua Bell and Edgar Meyer. The recording of
compositions by Meyer received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical
Crossover Album. He is the only artist who has performed in 26 of the
27 Telluride Bluegrass Festivals and has become the "cosmic glue"
that has defined the festival's maverick spirit from the very start.
Culled from performances through the 1990s, his latest CD, Ice Caps:
Peaks of Telluride (Sugar Hill, 2000), makes it abundantly clear why
he is regarded so highly at the festival. He joins the Shoe Band this
evening. |
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Singer and songwriter Andra Suchy talks about singing duets with Garrison, and her latest album, Little Heart.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
