The Bluegrass Standard

Top 15 video Chart #1 Donna Ulisse “When I Go All Bluegrass on You”

Mark “Brink” Brinkman & David Stewart

Floyd Country Store Wildwood Farms Brayden Williamson Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars

David Stewart: The Walking Cowboy Rides Again David Stewart: The Walking Cowboy Rides Again

by Emerald Butler “I’ve always loved music from the time I was a child,” David Stewart shares at the beginning of a conversation about his life, music, and stories of restoration. “I think anyone can learn how to play an instrument, but to have a passion for it, I think you have to be born with it.”

David says that he wasn’t born into a musical family, but his parents did own a tavern in Bradenton, Florida that had a dance hall. The Village Barn was home to a lot of music and

square dances. “I started playing when I was about 10 years old pretending that I was on the stage of the Opry. About the age of 13, I had an uncle that would take me down to a local tavern, sneak me in, and I’d play for the people in the afternoon. He’d put a tip boot out, but I think he got more of a cut than I did,” David chuckled. “I was exposed to music when I was a young child because there was music all around me, and I think that’s what got me to loving music.”

When David grew old enough to where he didn’t have to sneak into the club, he became the club’s house band and began opening acts for a lot of artists who came out from Nashville.

“I went to Nashville in the early ’70s and was trying to be an artist, but it just didn’t work out for me. Then I moved to Wyoming in ’77. In 1988, my wife and I were sitting at a truck stop one night. I was humming a song I wrote called ‘In the Wings of the Grand Ole Opry’ and my wife asked me what I would do to sing on the Grand Ole Opry. I told her ‘I’d walk to Nashville if I could sing on the Opry’, and she said, ‘what a great idea!’ So, I did that. It was a 1600-mile walk. I had no contact with the Opry at all. My whole deal was that I was going to walk there and ask them if I could play.

I didn’t know if I could make the trip, but I wasn’t going to talk to them until I made it there and let them know how much I cared about the Opry.”

As David was making the journey, a truck driver stopped and asked David if he was the “walking cowboy”. David said yes, and soon after he went viral in 1988 via the CB radio. “I got a lot of press out of it. A lot of people were writing to the Grand Ole Opry and told them to let me play. It was fortunate that I didn’t have to ask them; they asked me.” David shared that every day of the journey presented difficulties reaching from heat and drought to emotional struggles and homesickness.

“Being away from my family was probably the hardest part of the trip. It was emotionally draining. I would call home from a payphone once or twice a week. Towards the end of the trip my wife came out the last 100 miles and she walked a day or two with me. Most of the time I had a guy named Floyd Hayes who was my support and did some PR for us. He had a little camper and he’d go ahead of me and he’d have some gig lined up for me where we could make a little money for gas. It was a pretty grueling trip. I lost 32 pounds, but when I got there my legs were like concrete. I used to sing a song by Cristy Lane called “One Day at a Time” and that’s what I thought about because the world goes slow when you’re walking. I tell people now if you want to learn patience, walk across the country. My motivation was just to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.”

“Jambalaya” for the crowd. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” David shared. Soon after, David became friends with Eddie Raven and began writing songs for the singer.

“Eddie called me because he had heard some of my songs, and he asked me if I would write for his company, and then he cut some of my songs for his album ‘Living in Black and White’. He was always encouraging me, and when he decided to cut a grass album, he came to me. He also got me the Tanya Tucker cut called ‘I Can Do That’.” Over the years, David has written a lot of country and bluegrass songs. Although David got some great cuts in the Nashville writing and recording community, he confessed that he prefers writing at home with friends as opposed to writing in a company room in Nashville with a stranger. As the Nashville music and scene began to change, life started going in another direction for David.

“I was digging a ditch. I got eat up by mosquitoes that night, and the very next day I began going downhill and getting very sick.”

It was in 2000 when David caught the West Nile virus. “It just started ravaging my body. I was losing weight, and I was very, very ill. There was no cure for it at the time except for the good lord. The doctors all thought I was going. My vital organs were beginning to shut down. With a high fever, it started going into my brain, and it attacked my nervous system. I don’t know why I recovered. After I recovered, I stuttered for a while, my hands shook, and I had memory loss.

I had to relearn the guitar, and I didn’t think I would ever write again. Over the whole period, I probably lost about ten years of music.” David credits his wife for his care and his restoration of his musical abilities. Jackie would turn on David’s recordings to help him relearn his songs. “She’s always been supportive of my music because she knows it’s always been a dream of mine.” David’s music, however, isn’t the only restoration project that the couple has taken on.

“There was a lady by the name of Dawn Dawson who bought The

Occidental when it was about 8 weeks from being torn down because it had been closed for a few years.”

The Occidental is a historic hotel and once upon a time brothel in Buffalo, Wyoming that was built in the hay day of the old west. The hotel has hosted legends like Calamity Jane, Butch Cassidy, and Teddy Roosevelt.

“Dawn started the renovation on it. She had a real keen eye for history, but she was not a very good manager of things, so she ran into financial trouble. In about 2004 we got involved with her and my wife Jackie said, ‘we need to help her’. I said I didn’t know how, and Jackie said ‘your music. If you play your music, people will come.’ So, I started a jam session here at The Occidental on Thursday nights and it’s been going for 15 years now and we’re packed every Thursday night.” After a few years of buying stock in the Occidental, David and Jackie bought out the whole thing in 2011 and became the sole owners. The couple hosts guests from all over the world, and the music has become a great community connector.

As the couple takes care of day to day upkeep and musical performances at The Occidental Hotel, David continues to write songs of tradition and meaning. Lorraine Jordon & Carolina Road’s 2020 single “Bill Monroe’s Ol’ Mandolin” is just one of David’s latest cuts. Over the past few years, David has had a slew of chart-topping bluegrass cuts. David shared that he is th

very excited for Carolina Blue’s upcoming August 7 single and video release of his song “Too Wet to Plow” that he wrote while sitting in his home at The Occidental Hotel. David is also awaiting two other releases of his cuts with Lonesome River Band and Fast Track. David’s advice to others is to “keep following your dreams.”

Needless to say, David Stewart has had a very exciting and eventful life from playing the Grand Ole Opry to surviving a deadly virus. He has seen, walked, and written for miles and

miles, but it almost seems like the “walking cowboy” is only getting started, or one could say that the “walking cowboy” rides again.

https://thebluegrassstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/07 02202126.mp4

Drinkin’ Coffee and Makin’ Stuff Up Drinkin’ Coffee and Makin’ Stuff Up

By Kara Martinez Bachman Mark “Brink” Brinkman said his mission statement is: “To drink coffee and make stuff up.” It’s a pretty good mission, and by all appearances, he’s fulfilling it. Thank goodness, people like what this prolific songwriter “makes up.”

Brinkman said, succinctly, “I write every day,”

He might be writing a song that will eventually be recorded by

a band, such as Sideline; they’ve already recorded four Brinkman numbers. It might be recorded by Michael Cleveland, or Russell Moore, or Larry Sparks. Even Lorraine Jordan. The list of musicians who have performed his music is huge.

Depending on what’s happening, he might either be writing all by his lonesome or collaborating with someone else. He said he’s been co-writing with David Stewart a lot lately and has done close to 100 songs over the years with Paula Breedlove.

He’s a songwriting machine.

“I’ve had right around 400 songs recorded over the years,” Brinkman said. That includes about 17 number one hits. “I think I had 20 songs recorded last year …I’ve had as many as 38 in a year.”

One example of a Brinkman song that topped charts was his first number-one, “Bluestone Mountain,” recorded by Don Rigsby in the late 1990s. He said that first hit opened many doors, and today, he pitches his music to a vast network of

professional musicians — ranging from legendary to beginner level — who know and trust his work.

He never has a specific purpose for a song. He’s never sure where it will end up, who will record it. He just goes with the flow and when an idea comes, he follows it down the unknown road for which it’s intended.

“I don’t really write for anybody,” Brinkman explained.

“Sometimes I have a melody, or hook line, in my head, or a story. I try to write the best song I can, and only then do I ask: Where is this gonna fall?”

Video of Social Distancing https://youtu.be/e-LnIthvEE8 “I don’t really write for anybody,” Brinkman explained.

“Sometimes I have a melody, or hook line, in my head, or a story. I try to write the best song I can, and only then do I ask: Where is this gonna fall?”

Several of his songs “fell” onto a special album that was just released on the Pinecastle label. Originally the brainchild of performer Lorraine Jordan, the “United We Stand” album — featuring four or five sings penned by Brinkman — pays homage to, and is a charity benefit for, military veterans. Brinkman said he’s a supporter of the specific group it helps, Guitars 4 Vets. Donating talent to the album are artists including Deeper Shade of Blue, Billy Droze, Williamson Branch, and more.

“They [Guitars 4 Vets] work with PTSD vets,” Brinkman said, explaining the organization gives veterans guitar lessons and access to a guitar, and after completion of ten lessons, the budding musician gets to keep the guitar to continue making music.

Ordinarily, Brinkman said he does “a ton of shows” and also participates in many songwriter festivals, where he will perform and “tell the stories behind the songs.” He said almost all of this has been “shut down due to Corona.” In the meantime, he’s staying busy, continuing to fulfill his mission statement of drinkin’ coffee and writin’ tunes.

A special point of pride is that Brinkman was instrumental in the establishment of the IBMA Songwriter Award, one of his focuses during a three-year stint on the IBMA Songwriting Committee.

The award-winning Brinkman just loves songwriting and everything about it. He writes about everything under the sun.

Think about it: by the time you’ve written 400 songs, you’ve gotta be open to whatever ideas come your way.

“Some are slow, some are fast,” he explained. “Some are funny, some are serious. It’s just whatever moves me at the time.”

Twisted Pine Twisted Pine

by Kara Martinez Bachman Twisted Pine began organically as a group of (mostly) students from the Berklee College of Music in Boston who enjoyed getting together to listen to and play bluegrass music.

“There is an active bluegrass scene in Boston,” says Dan Bui, who plays mandolin in the group. “When I was in college, there were great players from around the country studying at Berklee, as well as a big bluegrass network in the northeast.

Lots of festivals, and lots of older bluegrass enthusiasts who love to listen to live music.”

Dan says that a group of students and other musicians played together constantly. “We went to shows and festivals, and did lots of informal gigs, playing at farmers markets, bars and even a few weddings. Out of that came Twisted Pine.”

As they formalized their band, the group started a regular gig at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. “They have a bluegrass jam every Tuesday night,” explains Dan. “It’s something they’ve done every week for over 20 years. There are bands upstairs and lots of jamming downstairs. Playing there each week helped us build our repertoire and setlist. It is a great place. I think every scene needs a place like that.”

The name Twisted Pine grew (pun intended!) from a need to have a name for the band. “One of the early band members was from California,” recalls Dan. “I think she came up with that because of a kind of pine tree that grows there. I am not really sure of that, but in any case, the name stuck!” That was back in 2013 when the band began playing together. “We’ve

had different members come and go,” says Dan, who is an original member of the band.

The band today is comprised of Bui, Chris Sartori (bass), Kathleen Parks (violin/vocals), and the newest member of the group, Anh Phung (flute/vocals). “We’ve known Anh for a long time,” says Bui. “She’s a great musician and we connect with her both musically and personally.” While the flute may not be an obvious instrument on Americana music, Bui says that Anh is more about the person and her personality than her instrument.

“She is such a fan of traditional bluegrass. She plays fiddle tunes on the flute, and she also plays mandolin. Everywhere she plays she turns heads.”

While they may have started out as a straightforward bluegrass act, they soon discovered that it felt more natural for them to write songs that related to their own experiences and musical identity outside of bluegrass. “We decided to just go with that,” says Bui, “because it wouldn’t be authentic if we wrote like Bill Monroe or other iconic bluegrass musicians.”

The band recorded a seven-song EP of covers, Dream, based in bluegrass, but with a more poppy sound, followed by a selftitled CD, Twisted Pine.

Bui says as they kept writing more and more, and traveled together, their sound developed in a way that no one in the band could have foreseen. The group has been busily evolving into what the Boston Globe now calls “something else, a wider version of a string band; boundary jumpers akin to outfits like the Punch Brothers, Nickel Creek, and Crooked Still.”

Their newest CD, Right Now, is due to be released August 14.

The album’s first single, Don’t Come Over Tonight is a sort of bluegrass indie folk-and-funk concoction that perfectly portrays the band’s musical evolution. Next up is Amadeus Party. “I came up with the initial idea,” says Bui. “I wrote it on the mandolin and brought it to the band to become what it is today.” The song began as an instrumental that Bui describes as “bluegrass band does James Brown funk” and ends with the refrain “Amadeus Party.”

“We all like the movie Amadeus,” says Bui, “and when we were rehearsing, Kathleen just started randomly singing ‘Amadeus Party’ and we liked it! We knew we wanted a video in the studio while we were recording the song, and thought it would be funny to wear period costumes. We didn’t realize how much those elaborate costumes would cost to rent, but in the end, it was worth it. The video really captures the spirit of how we feel when playing music together. We really just enjoy having fun and vibing off each other.”

Because of the COVID19 quarantine, the band hasn’t had the opportunity to see each other in person since mid-March. “We had a request for live-stream and we tried to figure out how to do that. We decided to do a variety show-type format that would pay tribute to our locations.” The band members used phones and whatever equipment they had, sending videos to each other.

“The more we did, the more excited we became,” says Bui. “For a solid month we mixed audio and worked on a video. It was really a great way to quarantine. We just thought about how we could use the internet and technology to promote, stay relevant and figure out what we could do.”

Releasing a new album without a promotional tour is a challenge. “We try to utilize the internet as much as we can and find other ways to reach people during these unprecedented times.”

The Floyd Virginia’s Alive

Country Store: Past is Still

The Floyd Country Store: Virginia’s Past is Still Alive

by Kara Martinez Bachman The Floyd Country Store is a big deal in Floyd, Virginia. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes right through this one-stoplight town, and most visitors plan to pull off and spend a few minutes checking it all out.

According to owner Dylan Locke, however, some stay longer than anticipated when they find out how much happens at that special spot in Virginia. There’s top-notch live music.

There’s local food. There are music lessons. There’s old-time shopping. It might be more than pass-through; for lovers of roots music and tradition, it’s perhaps a destination in itself.

“It’s an actual country store,” Locke explained. “The building is circa 1910, or 1909.” It’s stocked with some modern items, but many offerings are what you’d expect from an old general store. There’s a soda shop. Provisions. Kitchenware. Soaps.

Salves. Musical instruments. And according to Locke, “things that are unique, artisan-made crafts.”

Visitors can savor some local flavors. “The food is the type you’d find in a small town in rural Virginia,” Locke said.

He’s got things such as locally grown grits. Cornbread. Pinto beans. A specifically local item offered is the savory handpies.

“It’s a very Appalachian thing,” he said, explaining how workers such as coal miners would choose them because they were quick and portable, and were “an easy lunch item.”

The main highlight, however, is the bluegrass and old-time concerts, which have drawn legendary performers and world travelers for 35 years.

Locke bought the old store in 2014, and his reasons seem solid: To preserve something vital to the people of the area.

“For us, it’s an institution,” he explained. “It’s also a place where the community comes together. It’s a throwback in time, to when a community would come to play music after a hard workday…to me, it’s an age-old tradition that never went away. What’s beautiful about it [bluegrass and old-time music] is it’s very much alive,” he said. “You’ll see a twoyear-old, and a 90-year-old, and a college student on the

dance floor at the same time.”

“People connect with it because it’s so old, and really is the roots of American music,” he added.

The store is known for its Friday Night Jamboree.

“The Friday Night Jamboree is mostly old-time music, and dancers come to dance on the dance floor,” Locke said. “But we have both sit-down shows and shows for dancers.”

A dizzying array of performers have graced the stage over the years, including everyone from Bela Fleck to Larry Sparks.

There are also bluegrass lessons on-site, taught to students of all ages, hailing from around the world.

Some of this has been put on hiatus — or slightly altered — due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. The store is doing what it can to keep providing the sense of community it always has,

even if from more of a distance.

“We’re trying to be agile and adaptive, and meeting people where they are, instead of them coming to us,” Locke said.

“We just started doing some music in our backyard, taking advantage of some outdoor space,” he said.

They’ve temporarily replaced some of the in-person music lessons with extremely low-cost workshop series, conducted via the CloudCast platform. Locke said that allows the store to continue to “support some of the musicians who are stuck at home. We’re doing our best to try to do some [Facebook] Livestreams,” he said.

The store has a whopping 32,000 followers on Facebook, and the Livestreams allow the concerts to continue, albeit in a socially distant way. As the store and its offerings just gowith-the-flow in our temporarily restricted world of today, no doubt they’ll continue to provide traditional experiences to fans for years to come.

“We own it, but my wife and I just consider ourselves stewards,” he explained. The musicians actually “own” it, he said. The community “owns it.”

Places such as the Floyd Country Store might seem as old as the hills, but they’re made forever new as life is breathed into them daily, by people who value the best parts of the past. https://youtu.be/Hsm88TsXqRU

Born to be Wild Born to be Wild

by Stephen Pitalo Wildwood Farms, with over 600 varieties of blooming daylilies, has been a landmark in Virginia’s Floyd County since 2000. And although the botanical name for daylily is “Hemerocallis” which is Greek for “beautiful for a day,” Judy Bowman and her family deliver beautiful bluegrass performances to the locals for many days courtesy of the concert stage they erected in 2013.

“I guess the biggest bluegrass fans would be me and my sister, Sue,” said Wildwood owner Judy Bowman, “who is our music coordinator and has her own gospel CD. Our love of music came from our Mom. We were a poor family and it was a wonderful way to learn about life. I will admit we really never knew how poor we were because our Mom gave us so much love.”

They grew up with bluegrass and old-time bluegrass music. “Our Mom loved to play and sing and we used to have music “jams” at our house all the time- we just called it getting together and “making music”. We also all learned to “flatfoot” when we were young. Other family members played too. My grandfather played the banjo and my uncle played the fiddle and taught my sister to play the guitar. There are six of us kids and we all love music.”

Bowman knew when the family started the store that there had to be a stage, and music dedicated to Judy and Sue’s mother, who passed away in February 2012.

“She knew we had plans to build the store, but she never got to see it,” said Bowman.

When the store opened on April 13, 2013, the first Wildwood bluegrass concert was underway, provided by local bluegrass group Too Young Too Old. Bowman said the event stage was also designed to be a community gathering place for local people to have some good clean fun on a Saturday night.

“We offered bluegrass or old-time music every Saturday for eight years and we also have music jams every 1st and 3rd Sunday since we opened. We loved the jams because we built it slowly over time and would regularly have 20 or more people playing and singing and we all became friends and it was just like going home.

“The most memorable events so far are the two benefits we did for two dear friends with health crises. The first was for

Brien Fain whom I consider to be one of the best old-time banjo players ever. His style was so unique and amazing. He passed away at age 44 the week we were to have the benefit and it turned out to be the most amazing memorial services. We had over 50 musicians come that day to ‘play a song’ for Brien.

This included Larry Sigmon and many other musicians. The other benefit was for Timmy Mills, another friend who had cancer and was able to attend his benefit. This was also an amazing event with incredible numbers of people supporting this event. Timmy also was a very special bluegrass banjo player and we loved hearing him play. He had amazing talent. We had several bands play that day including Martha Spencer from The Whitetop Mountain Band. Both of these events raised a lot of money for medical expenses for them and their family but even more was what it did for their spirit and morale was amazing. We thought Brien was getting better but passed away suddenly the week before the event. Timmy was overwhelmed by the response at his benefit and all the people who came and supported him.

This was when we knew that this place could do so much good and it was very humbling. We try to give back to the community and we’re very fortunate to be in such a wonderful area. Every Saturday night show was memorable and special.”

Among the reputable acts that have graced the Wildwood stage are Sammy Shelor, Carson Peters, and Iron Mountain, Presley Barker, The Slate Mountain Ramblers and Eddie Bond as well as local acts like The Country Boys, The Comptons, The Marshall Brothers and High Road, Steve Marshall and High Road, Too Young Too Old, Hubert Lawson and the Bluegrass Country Boys, The Southern Gentlemen, and Jus’ Cauz Bluegrass.

Although they haven’t attempted any online events during the pandemic because they have been focused on their business, Bowman said she misses it and hopes it will be revived soon.

“A night at Wildwood is about friendship, fellowship, dancing, listening to fine, quality music, and getting to share your time with others who care about each other,” she said. “Most of us here never meet a stranger. Even people who were traveling would repeatedly tell us that they’d never been anywhere like this and how much they loved it. It’s almost something palpable that’s so incredibly special and every week you knew how special it was but now because we haven’t been able to have music, it’s like losing a part of yourself and it’s painful to know how much life here has been changed. I’ll give you an example- We just found out that one of our lifelong friends passed away. She came to the music with her husband every week and had great friends here. We can’t go to her funeral and we can’t mourn for her with our friends here at the store.”

Tim White Loves Bluegrass Tim White Loves Bluegrass

by Stephen Pitalo When Tim White left Roanoke, Virginia in the 1970s and settled in east Tennessee, he pursued his careers as an artist, sign painter, and banjo picker. An artist first and a sign painter second, the banjo was a lifelong love, and led him down the path to a contribution to the culture of bluegrass that far surpassed his wildest dreams.

Tim’s interest in the musical heritage of the region, a region which stretched from Roanoke to Knoxville and cut a broad swath into neighboring states, led to his painting a mural on State Street in Bristol in 1986. This mural depicts the principal characters of the historic Bristol Sessions, which took place in Bristol, TN-VA in the summer of 1927.

Tim’s musicianship gained a following and he has fronted several bands over the past two decades, including Troublesome Hollow, The Beagles, and the VW Boys.

“My first serious band was Troublesome Hollow. I joined those guys in 1978 and we played together for over 20 years. After

disbanding for 16 years we got back together about 5 years ago and rekindled our music. We are currently doing shows.

Troublesome Hollow shows are laced with music and comedy as well.”

Tim’s interest in recognizing, preserving, and perpetuating the historic music of the area led to the recruitment of others of a like mind and organizing of the Appalachian Cultural Music Association.

Serving as ACMA president, White makes use of all his talents — artist, businessman, musician, and radio announcer — to organize concerts and contribute his time and efforts to promote the music and the message. White founded the Mountain Music Museum 1999, a museum dedicated to preserving the heritage of Southern Appalachia’s musical tradition.

White’s “Birthplace of Country Music” Mural became a local landmark and tourist draw that brought the story of Bristol to the world. Tuesday night pickin’ sessions, where musicians could come and play their traditional and contemporary music, much as has been done on front porches and around store potbellied stoves for the last two centuries. It is one of the reasons that White hosts Tim White Bluegrass Show, a syndicated radio program featuring the best in bluegrass and comedy, from Bristol. He hosts “The Bluegrass Show” on WAXM (FM 93.5) every Saturday from 9am to noon EST, and across the globe.

White is also the host of the PBS television concert series, Song of the Mountains, which has been featured on over 180 PBS affiliates and 52 million viewers across America and features bluegrass, old-time, Celtic, gospel and Americana music.

WHERE WE ARE: “BUG” TIM WHITE ABOUT THE VW BOYS

A Bluegrass Standard Interview Tim White How did you form the VW Boys originally with Dave Vaught and Larry McPeak? “Back in the early 1990s, I hired Dave Vaught to perform magic at a couple of matinees leading up to an evening bluegrass concert. I knew Dave was a professional magician. He had a reputation around Bristol for his magic shows. After working with him on these first matinee shows, I learned he was a guitar player and singer as well. We talked about getting together and working up a show to include music, magic, and comedy. That was in 1997. At first, we were going to work it as a duo but after working on some songs and routines we decided to bring in a third part harmony vocal and bass player. That turned out to be Larry McPeak.

Larry McPeak was our first bass player and lead singer. He sang tenor vocals also. Larry became sick around the year 2000. It was something pretty bad, I could tell. Larry went to a doctor and found out he needed a liver transplant. He needed to get on the transplant list and back then it cost $10,000 to get on that list. Larry was convinced that he was simply going to die. The VW Boys and other bands and individuals started a campaign to raise the money for Larry’s transplant and in 90 days the bluegrass community raised $30,000 and got Larry and two other people on the transplant list. Long story short, Larry received his liver transplant and rejoined the band. He lived another 10 years until his passing from other ailments on September 18, 2014. Larry was terrific to work with and was a fantastic songwriter.

Is that when Fat Albert Blackburn became your bass player?

Near the end of his life, Larry had to quit performing again due to his health situation. We looked for a replacement which was going to be hard to do. I was looking through my Rolodex

one night and ran across Fat Albert Blackburn’s card. I knew he would fit if he was available. I called him and he was between bands and available. He came and rehearsed with us, and he was great.

What is it about music, comedy, and magic performance that makes them so appealing, and possible to combine into one show?

There are so many great musicians in the bluegrass and Americana world. The VW Boys are good too but we wanted to present something in a show that was different. We wanted to do a show that was more entertaining than just a musical performance. We have always believed that everyone should fill their life with music and laughter. It is “Music Medicine.”

During a VW Boys show, you forget your problems for an hour or so…. well. so do we. Just good clean, family-style fun.

When did each of the band members first become interested in each discipline: music, comedy, and magic?

Dave Vaught is a professional magician and great guitar player. He played mostly electric music with a few southern rock bands in the past. Once he & I got together with the VW Boys idea, he switched to mostly acoustic music of course.

Dave had also previously worked in the cruise ship business.

His main vocation over the years has been his magic shows.

Fat Albert Blackburn played music in southwestern Virginia for over 20 years with a band named “Fescue.” They won the prestigious band competition at the Galax Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention twice. Albert is the bass player for the VW Boys as well as lead singer on most songs. He is a big jolly man on stage. He has a wonderful sense of humor. You can’t help but have a great time around Fat Albert Blackburn. Oh, and it is ok the call him FAT ALBERT. Some folks look embarrassed when we introduce him that way but he wears that title like a badge of honor.

VW BOYS: HIGHLIGHT PERFORMANCES: Tom T. Hall’s “Artist in Residence Show” at the Ford Theatre at the Country Music Hall of Fame The Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, VA (many times over the years) Song of the Mountains nationally syndicated concert series on public television based at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion, VA Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington, DC Kennedy Center, Washington, DC Mayberry Days in Mount Airy, NC for over 20 years now.

IBMA Convention Mayberry Cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines

Song of the Mountains Cruise on Carnival Cruise Lines Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA Dr. Ralph Stanley Festival in McClure, VA Groundhog Festival in Punxsutawney, PA

Turning on to Magnolia Drive Turning On to Magnolia Drive

by Susan Marquez Magnolia Drive. It could be an address anywhere in the South.

Or it could be the name of a hard-driving bluegrass band based in the magnolia state of Mississippi. Since you are reading The Bluegrass Standard, logic says that we are talking about the band. And logic will serve you well.

“We call ourselves Magnolia Drive because we wanted our band name to be representative of Mississippi, which is the magnolia state,” says band member Don Robinson. “The goal of bluegrass music is to have that pocket or that drive, so we came up with the name Magnolia Drive and it perfectly describes what we are all about.”

Magnolia Drive bluegrass scene as a band for vocals).

But decades.

has been a driving force on the Mississippi for ten years. “We have been playing together ten years,” says Robinson (banjo, guitar, their relationships go back almost four

“We’ve all known each other for a long time, and we’ve talked about playing together.” Robinson and Cory Burton (mandolin/vocals) were asked to play at a Mississippi Music Hall of Fame Event where they talked about getting a band together. It finally happened in August 2010.

The band is composed of Robinson, Burton, and brothers Steve Nowell (acoustic bass/vocals) and Mike Nowell (guitar/vocals).

All are long-time professional musicians who have played in various bands over the years.

While they’ve played every event in Mississippi a dozen times according to Robinson, Magnolia Drive is still looking for their big break. “Our hope for a record company to take note of our work and give us a publishing deal. We’re hoping our phone won’t stop ringing!”

To make that happen, Magnolia Drive has been working on their first full-length CD. “We put out a six-song CD in 2011 that we used to send to promoters,” says Robinson. “But this CD we’re working on is much more intensive.”

With fourteen tracks so far, the CD is crammed full of

original tunes as well as songs by other songwriters and musical artists. “We are all songwriters, so we bring our own work to the project,” says Robinson. “We also have songs from such notables as Buck Owens. “We have two of his lesser-known ‘B’ side songs on the album, as well as some Old Country Gentlemen songs. We think we have a good lineup of songs and we are anxious to get it finished.”

The album was recorded in Steve Nowell’s studio in Madison, Mississippi. “Steve’s an I.T. guy for C-Spire, but his goal is to retire and run his own recording studio. This album has been a learning experience for him, and for us too.” The group has been working on the album for the past three to four years. “We live far apart,” explains Robinson. “It’s not like we can get together every Tuesday night to work on it.”

Robinson says that Ronnie Stewart is mixing and mastering the project, which is yet to be named. https://youtu.be/vSS9HqNJocQ “We’re hoping someone will hear it and says Robinson. “If all goes well, our before the end of the year.” The band showcase at the IBMA in September. “We

want to publish it,” CD will be released is scheduled to do a are all praying that

the conference still happens this year,” he says.

Robinson is no stranger to songwriting success. A song he wrote, Sunday Morning Without You, was on a GRAMMY®-nominated album Scratch Gravel Road by the Chicago-based group Special Consensus. The song was in the Top Ten for several weeks.

Magnolia Drive’s upcoming CD will feature two of Robinson’s songs, along with original songs by other band members. “We’re just trying to make the best CD we can.”

All the band members live in Mississippi. Robinson lives outside Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and works full time as a financial consultant. Steve Nowell lives in Madison, and his brother, Mike Nowell, lives in Starkville. Cory Burton lives

in Ackerman.

“We’ve all toured a good bit in the past, including playing at several festivals, and truthfully, we could play in churches every Sunday. But we are on a different path these days. We really want to pick and choose the right events for us.”

The band is inspired by bluegrass greats Doyle Lawson, J.D. Crowe and the Bluegrass Album Band. “Our music isn’t stark tradition but is more in the contemporary traditional vain.”

“We have big aspirations,” says Robinson. “We’ve all been doing this for so long, it’s time we take it to the next level.” From traditional bluegrass to country tunes and Gospel songs, Magnolia Drive is a band to keep an eye on.

From Mandolin Tunes to the Big Stage From Mandolin to the Big Stage

by Shelby Berry Music transcends all time, through generations.

But the ways young people listen to music today is vastly different from the ways we or our parents did. In a world of streaming and downloading music, one thing most young musicians from every generation relate to is that special memory when they fell in love with music.

Rachel Detrick remembers the moment she listened to folk music—when her dad played music by Americana band, Nickel Creek.

“The mandolin is really what interested me,” said Rachel.

“Chris Thile’s rhythm really stood out to me, and his style of music is really what drew me to the mandolin. I’d honestly love to play like he does! He pulls in a bunch of different styles from different genres as part of his Americana music.”

Her dad took her to see Special Consensus after she started taking interest in Nickel Creek, “and I caught the bug.”

Rachel was age 13, and from that moment she started putting down her bluegrass roots.

“When we went to see Special Consensus, their mandolin player was offering lessons, so I started playing right then,” said Rachel.

As Rachel grew with her music, she played solo, but in 2018, she joined some other musicians, which formed a group called

Kentucky Borderline. With this group, Rachel had her first real taste of on-stage performing.

The thing that continues to draw me to bluegrass music is not only how beautiful it is, but the community.

“Playing with Kentucky Borderline was my first time playing in front of a bunch of different crowds, playing with other musicians, and playing with a lot of microphones and sound equipment. I even made pretty great friends with the other members of the band,” said Rachel. “I’m currently doing solo music but playing with Kentucky Borderline was a great learning experience for me.”

Larry Smith, the president of Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars, is the person who originally contacted Rachel about joining Kentucky Borderline as his granddaughter Ashlyn is in the band. This is how Rachel became involved in Tomorrow’s Bluegrass Stars, an organization whose purpose is to provide guidance for young musicians and to foster an atmosphere where they perform as individuals and with each other. This community of support and understanding created by TBS founder John Colburn thrives today.

“The first gathering of TBS members I ever saw was IBMA in 2018. They had a kids’ room for any TBS members that wanted to jam,” said Rachel. “I had just become a member of Kentucky Borderline a few months earlier, so I was able to play together with other kids the same age from all over the United States.” She added that by hearing from Larry Smith and becoming a part of TBS,

“I’ve been able to meet so many people and play on a real stage. I had never gotten to do that before. Being a part of Kentucky Borderline and getting involved with TBS has allowed me to get to know the bluegrass community.”

The year Rachel joined Kentucky Borderline, she experienced her most epic on-stage moment.

“In 2018, my parents ordered me a custom Hinde Custom Instrument for me. I had no idea. Special Consensus presented it to me on-stage at the Station Inn. They invited me on stage to play with them, and it became this really special moment that has stood out to me.”

Since then, 17-year-old Rachel focuses more on her sound. As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, she strives to produce clean, smooth music.

“The thing that continues to draw me to bluegrass music is not only how beautiful it is, but the community. Even being a younger musician, people are really inclusive and welcoming, bringing you in for jams and playing together.”

As Rachel moves forward, she said, she’d love to pick up playing some additional instruments, the guitar, or even the dobro. “I’d also love to eventually play with a group as a side-job one day.”

Lastly, and maybe more importantly, Rachel hopes her music encourages and gives her fans a break from the real world. https://youtu.be/YzqzPHgm-Gg Keep up with Rachel on her Facebook page: “Rachel Detrick.”

Carrying On the Bill Monroe Tradition Carrying on Bill Monroe Tradition By: Shelby C. Berry Whatever their ages, bluegrass fans know something about Bill Monroe and his “Father of Bluegrass� legacy. And many bluegrass musicians aspire to reach his level of talent. But few rise to the challenge.

Then along comes Brayden Williamson.

In only a few years, Brayden has gone from young boy playing folk tunes to bluegrass artist with a new album, three #1 songs, and the man who managed our Father of Bluegrass.

What a journey!

From Logan County, West Virginia, Brayden recently celebrated his seventeenth birthday. His hometown’s rich musical history includes his grandfather, Ervin Williamson of the Williamson Brothers. Brayden took an interest in bluegrass at age eight.

A few years later, in his elementary music class, Brayden learned to pick on a Stagg acoustic guitar, eventually finding his home on the Martin D35 his parents later gave him.

His primary goal is to preserve traditional bluegrass sounds and styles. His original, Watching the Grass Grow, talks about

the youth of bluegrass growing in the music and how the pioneers inspire them to do great things with their music to inspire others. The song went #1, and two more songs on the album quickly followed. This success drew the attention of Bill Monroe’s producer, Vic Gabany of Nashville, Tennessee, who is now helping to move Brayden’s career forward in ways Brayden never imagined.

Brayden carved out a few minutes of his time to chat about the whirlwind of the last few years and his goals for his future.

A Bluegrass Standard Interview

The Bluegrass Standard: You were born into a musical family, specifically with your grandad Ervin of The Williamson Brothers. Did that play a part in your early life?

Brayden Williamson: Most definitely! My Papaw was a recording artist in the 1920s, and he had seven records that he released. His musical background is why I started playing the guitar. Neither of my parents play, so I guess it skipped a generation! PBS did a documentary called American Epic where my Papaw was featured, and that’s how I learned a lot about him. I learned a lot by playing his style of the guitar and eventually ventured into a more modern style of playing bluegrass music.

BGS: What is your favorite part of playing bluegrass?

BW: The relationships with fellow musicians, meeting people.

It’s like a family!

BGS: What inspires your sound and how to find your voice among musicians?

BW: I started listening to Larry Sparks when I was little. We

stay in touch, and I used to listen to his guitar and model myself after his style of playing. I’ve taken a big inspiration from Larry’s style of picking, but I try to make sure to keep my sound original when I can. As for singing, I try to sing as naturally as possible, the way I would talk with my own accent.

BGS: After years of performing, what has been the most rewarding part?

BW: Writing songs and learning the history behind the music.

And of course, working with Vic Gabany, Bill Monroe’s’ producer. He heard the first song I ever wrote, and he drove to see me. He told me that he wanted to be my producer and manager right then.

BGS: What is your goal for your music at this point?

BW: I want to preserve the traditional style of bluegrass.

That’s my main goal. I want to write my own music and, with that, preserve the style given to us by Bill Monroe.

BGS: What is your favorite part about Songs of a Young Man and

what does this album tell the world about you?

BW: All the songs I wrote myself, even the instrumentals. I

hope that with those songs that listeners can get a taste of how I play the guitar. I hope people can see that someone at my age of only 17 has the understanding and desire to preserve the music. https://youtu.be/ePykYHjh93w BGS: What inspired you to start writing?

BW: I’ve heard so many people that sing covers of songs

already written. When I sing, I want someone to hear something they’ve never heard before in terms of lyrics, while keeping with tradition.

BGS: Multiple songs from this album have hit #1. What does this mean to you? How did you react when you found out they hit #1?

BW: Honestly, that was so humbling and such a blessing. All

good things come from God. At only 17, I was so shocked. I want to thank everyone for requesting the song! It’s the people that enjoy the music that make it happen. My parents and I ran in the same room and hugged each other when we heard, and we cried a bit.

BGS: Last August, you debuted an original song on stage with Larry Sparks at the Mountaineer Opry House. What did this mean to you?

BW: I’m getting cold chills just thinking about it! Larry

Sparks’ manager and I are good friends through music. She called and said Larry wanted me to sing one of my songs with him. It meant so much. It’s something I’ll never forget. Larry Sparks having me on his mind and wanting me to sing with him meant so much.

BGS: What should a fan expect when attending your show?

BW: Well… a lot of energy! I like to move around and do shoulder shrugs. There’s a lot of fun and jokes. I make sure to always share my testimony while giving them some fun too!

BGS: Tell us about your endorsement with Black Diamond Strings.

BW: I was on my YouTube channel one day, and I did a song called Black Diamond Strings. I sent it to them by chance.

They sent me a long email afterward and said they loved my style of playing and wanted to set me up as an endorsed artist. I became their youngest artist to endorse! It really meant a lot. Their strings really are great too!

BGS: Lastly, what is your ultimate dream for your bluegrass career?

BW: I’ve already accomplished half of my dreams, honestly.

I’ve dreamed of recording a song in Nashville, and soon, I am going to get to record a song that Bill Monroe and my manager wrote together. Charley Pride was supposed to record it

originally with Bill on Bill Monroe and Friends. Then 10 years later, George Jones was supposed to record with him, but Bill had a stroke. Now, I’m getting the chance to record this very song. To be able to have that piece of history and have my name tied to it is incredible. Vic said he was led to give the song to me, and it was such an honor.

Fan Photos – August 2020

Top 15 Video Chart JULY 2020 Number Song

Artist

Label

LM

1

When I Go all Bluegrass on You

Donna Ulisse

Billy Blue Records

NRV

2

No Smoky Mountains

Sister Sadie

Pinecastle Records

NRV

3

Bill Monroe’s Ol’ Mandolin

Pinecastle Records

5

4

Love is the Key

Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road The Family Sowell

2

5

In America

Sammy Sadler

Billy Blue Records/615 Hideaway Entertainment Turnberry Records

6

Drivin Me Insane

Crandall Creek

Bell Buckle Records

6

7

Whatchu Want

Sugar & the Mint

Independent

NRV

8

God’s Still in Control

Merle Monroe

Pinecastle Records

1

9

I Sing Your Song

Circa Blue

Bell Buckle Records

NRV

10

The Barber’s Fiddle

Becky Buller

Dark Shadow Recording

8

11

There’s A High Lonesome Sound

Danny Joines

Danny Joines Music

4

12

Like I Could

Rhonda Vincent

Upper Management Music

12

13

The Song That I Call Home

Stephen Mougin

Dark Shadow Recording

NRV

14

Big Bill Johnson

Nick Chandler and Delivered

615 Hideaway Entertainment

14

15

My Kind of Town

Special Consensus

Compass Records

NRV

Submit Your Professional Videos, or Lyric Videos for Consideration to: editor@thebluegrassstandard.com NRV – New Release Video

NRV