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Related
Websites:
Tom
T. Hall
Good
Home Grown Music
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Melvin
Goins & Windy Mountain
DANCIN’ IN THE DIRT BCR-018
________________________________________________________
Daughter
of Bluegrass "Bluegrass Bouquet"
Now
available at Ernest Tubb Records, CDBaby
or can be ordered by mail to:
Tom T. Hall Enterprises
"Bluegrass Bouquet" CD Order
P.O. Box 1246
Franklin, TN 37065
~
Song List ~
[Click on Song Title to Listen]
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09.10.08
- Review
Tom
T Hall sings Miss Dixie & Tom T
Blue Circle Records BCR 012
By
Richard Thompson (England)
Since he 'retired' Tom T Hall has, arguably, been busier than ever.
Along with his equally beloved wife Miss Dixie, he has continued
to write songs in abundance. They are prolific writers of songs,
bluegrass songs, their true vocation. As Miss Dixie has said in
an interview, "'Retirement' in my book is giving up work to
do what you love doing and we happen to love bluegrass music so
we're having a blast".
'Tom T Hall sings Miss Dixie and Tom T' comprises a dozen of the
very best songs from the duo's catalogue of songs written in recent
years. The supreme quality of the lyrics and melodies is undisputed,
in my view. Many of the songs have already been recorded by others;
Chris Jones, Dave Evans, Junior Sisk, the group Nothin' Fancy and
Ryan Holliday among them, and their popularity is already well established
in the bluegrass song catalogue. Tom T is still 'the story teller',
admittedly aided and abetted by his producer and wife, Miss Dixie.
Perhaps the most well-known song in this collection is A Hero In
Harlan. Hall draws every ounce of emotion from the song which relates
the story of the passing of a man from a coal mining community,
only in this instance he falls in battle, rather than in a coal
pit. Pretty Green Hills relates the story of an elderly man who
yearns to enjoy the vista only, poignantly, to be buried all too
soon in those very hills.
The CD begins with I'm A Coal Mining Man an up-tempo tribute to
coal miners and their contribution to the American economy. Other
highlights are Leaving Baker County, which is about finding some
meaningful status elsewhere; the tribute to one of the legends of
bluegrass One Of Those Days (When I Miss Lester Flatt); and the
nostalgia-filled Somewhere In Kentucky Tonight, a man's reflection
of life viewed from industrial Ohio
.
However, the one song that captures a real slice of American life
as much any is A Headstone For Harry, a wonderful vignette with
the couplet, "Me and my pals at the Somerset poolroom / Ian't
famous for nothing but standing around broke". You can't beat
it, can you?
The final track tells Jimmy Martin's life story in 5 minutes. It's
synonymous with Martin's action-packed life, complete with introduction,
yodel and guitar from the man himself.
Accompanying Hall, who occasionally plays guitar, are Kristin Scott
Benson, Earl Scruggs and Tim White (all on banjo), Wayne Benson
(mandolin), Robert Bowlin (rhythm guitar, Dobro®), Mike Bub
and Ben Isaacs (bass), Glen Duncan (fiddle), Terry Eldredge and
Jimmy Martin (guitar), and Randy Kohrs (resonator guitar). Rebecca
Isaacs Bowman, Sonya Isaacs, Don Rigsby and Josh Williams provide
background vocals.
Vocally Tom T is a one-off. He has a rich, expressive baritone,
retaining that expressive and wonderfully resonant delivery that
is synonymous with the original storyteller in his heyday during
the 1960s and 1970s.
"Having a blast" is a very good way to describe everything
about this collection, the picking, the singing and the general
ambience.
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~
SAVE BEAN BLOSSOM FOR BLUEGRASS ~
As
many of you know, the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground
is once again for sale.If you are one of the many bluegrass fans
with "Bean Blossom Memories" of your own, and would like
to see the history and traditions associated with the site of the
world's longest continuously-running bluegrass festival preserved
for generations to come, you can play a key role!
[Read
More]
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Blue
Circle Record's Latest Release:
BCR-015 Heather Berry & Tony
"Before Bluegrass"
(Click
here to listen)
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"Heather
Berry is from the Great Valley of the Shenandoah, a place rich
in shades of blue and green, and where American singing is steeped
in community, family, and church. She sings with her beloved
Tony, blending voices and instruments in a melodic style invented
back when the noisy new automobile was scaring horses, John
Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd were in short britches, Victoria
was the Old Queen, and Civil War veterans marched in all the
July 4 parades, scaring the bejesus out of the kids with the
Rebel yell.
Heather
and Tony prove that old parlor style is still a great sound,
and Dixie and Tom T. Hall have composed some new songs that
fit well in the old keys. Before bluegrass? Well, yeah. But
not before creecy greens, a yum, yum free food from the cornfields
that fed a lot of mountain people devoted to crumbling cornbread
into creecy pot liquor. Creecy greens can grow under snow and
arrive in late winter, free for the taking.. So sing along with
Heather and Tony, they are a small young family, and perhaps
you will smell some creecies cooking..."
-
Joe Wilson, National Council of The Traditional Arts
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TRADITIONAL
Reviewed 06-17-08
Heather Berry and Tony
Before Bluegrass
J.D. couldn't believe it, but Tom T. Hall and Miss Dixie released
this CD on their label Blue Circle Records, and it is a CD everyone
should have in their collection if they are true musicologist.
This CD is Appalachia at its best, transfixing a sound from
the 1920's though the 40's. This style of music eventually evolved
into what we call bluegrass today. Heather and Tony have done
all they could do in preserving a long lost sound. The autoharp
is prevalent in each track. Hailing from the Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia, the Berry's deliver the haunting sounds of this
forgotten era. Tom T. Hall and Dixie Hall wrote several of the
tracks including "Hazel Creek", "Hound Dog Blues",
a John Dillinger penned number "Public Enemy Number One",
and a song ole J.D. can certainly relate to. In the South we
have turnip greens, mustard greens, kale, tender greens and
one green that similar to rape. (this is a green that is still
waiting for the politically correct folks to come up with a
name for it) Guess what, we'll call it "creecy greens"
the last track on the CD which is picked wild and boiled with
fat back or bacon. You put cornbread in the juice and make pot
licker. I really enjoyed this track because I just happened
to have a mess of these greens to cook. For a true look into
American Music History Don't miss out on this one. 
JDH (www.cashboxmagazine.com)www
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Read
latest review of Heather Berry & Tony's new CD "Before Bluegrass"
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04.29.08
Frank
Ray of Cedar Hill is to be inducted into the NATIONAL COUNTRY
AND OLD TIME MUSIC ASSOCIATION Hall of Fame this August at the
Country and Old Time music Festival in LeMars, IOWA.
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03.28.08
Stacy York shines in “Kentucky In the Rain”
By Dan Tackett Filed (CD
Review)
www.bluegrassjournal.com
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I’d
never heard Stacy York sing until a promotional copy of her new
CD, “Kentucky in the Rain,” came across my desk. I confess,
my first glimpse of the CD told me it was one to put on the back
burner, something I’d get to on a rainy day in Illinois.
It just had that semi-pro look — not a lot of splashy, eye-catching
graphics on the cover and, hmmm, room enough on the back page
of the insert to promote a car dealership, a photographer and
a Holiday Inn Express.
Well,
I didn’t wait. I gave it a good listen a couple days after
receiving the CD, which is on Tom T. and Miss Dixie Hall’s
Blue Circle Records label. I’ve been listening for several
days now and my conclusion: Forget the rains and the clouds, this
gal shines when she sings.
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York has
been associated for several years with Joe Isaacs & Mountain Bluegrass,
so it’s no surprise that Isaacs and several members of his prominent
musical family play supporting roles on several tracks. Needless to
say, the Isaacs know how to embellish a good thing.
York has
one of those strong, pure voices that’s crystal clear and well
suited for the material she chose for “Kentucky in the Rain.”
It glistens right out of the starting gate, on the first track, the
title cut, which was written by the Halls. Tom T. even makes an appearance
on the cut with some fine bluegrass rhythm guitar playing that has all
the bass runs tucked in all the right places. In fact, before I even
knew it was Hall playing guitar, my ears perked up at the production
on the song, which gives the rhythm guitar an unusual prominence in
the mix.
York tackles
some standards on this CD with gusto. Notable are Bill Monroe’s
“Can’t You Hear Me Calling,” and Carter Stanley’s
“I’ll Just Go Away.” The Halls have another delightful
tune on the track list, a swing-style ditty called, “I Don’t
See What I Once Saw in You.” York also gives special treatment
to the country classic-sounding, “Where the Roses Never Fade.”
Joe Isaacs
brings his hard-driving banjo style on most of the cuts and also adds
the harmony vocals on the bulk of the CD. He also steps up to sing lead
on an Onie Wheeler tune that’s become a bluegrass gospel standard,
“Go Home.”
Others
handling instrumental chores are Rebecca Isaacs Bowman on rhythm guitar,
Curnie Lee Wilson on lead guitar, Jesse Stockman on fiddle and Sonya
Isaacs on mandolin.
Co-production
credits go to York and Joe Isaacs.
“Kentucky
in the Rain” veers little off the beaten path of traditional bluegrass.
But York’s pleasant voice is strong enough to hold the attention
of bluegrassers, newgrassers and even fans of classic country.
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Sunday
Morning Revelations - The Beautiful River Of Life
Review on The Blog (www.bluegrassblog.com)
March 2008 - Bluegrass Recordings News
Posted
By John Lawless:
The
Soul Pickers are Shane Norman (mandolin and lead vocals), Tyler
Anderson (banjo, finger-picked guitar and harmony vocals), Daniel
Wiseman (guitar and harmony vocals) and Wayne Clemons (upright
bass and harmony vocals) from the northern Alabama/Tennessee area.
They
formed in 2003 and since that time, the Soul Pickers have done
over 275 dates, including special church singings, homecomings,
and revivals, as well as less obvious locations for a bluegrass
Gospel band, like restaurants, civic gatherings, family functions
and music barns.
The
Beautiful River Of Life is the band’s debut album, coming
courtesy of their signing for the Blue Circle label in April 2007.
The
quartet is supplemented on this 12 track collection by producer
Tom Brantley (fiddle, mandolin and bass vocals), Alicia Nugent
(harmony vocals) and a host of ’shouters’ - Ms. Nugent,
Brantley, Miss Dixie Hall, Melissa Lawrence, Becky Lawrence, Cari
Norman, Paula Wolak, Clemons and Norman.
It
is pleasing to see groups now mining the Dudley Connell song catalogue.
The Soul Pickers open with a rousing rendition of God’s Not
Dead - “I can feel Him all over me.” The opening bars
are sung a cappella before Anderson drives the song on with a
high degree of finesse that belies his youthfulness. (Read
More ...)
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Review by Bluegrass Music Profiles
Magazine
March/April
2008 Issue
www.bluegrassmusicprofiles.com
Soul Pickers - Beautiful River of Life
Blue Circle Records - BCR 010
Hailing
from Hazel Green, Alabama, this group of pickers preach their
message through their music. This four-piece, bluegrass-gospel
band consists of Shane Norman, lead vocals and mandolin; Wayne
Clemons, tenor vocals and upright bass; Daniel Wiseman, guitar;
and Tyler Anderson, baritone vocals and banjo. Their music is
straight-forward bluegrass reinforced with tight vocal harmonies.
The Soul Pickers move effortlessly from hard-driving numbers to
the smooth, soulful numbers and are quite comfortable in either
mode. The title cut is a beautiful composition from Dixie and
Tom T. Hall which lends itself well in showcasing the band’s
vocal harmonies. I Am the Man, Thomas is an exciting version.
Even though several of the titles may be familiar, these guys
make no attempt to emulate other performers. It’s got a distinct
Soul Pickers’ style. BMP
Used
with permission from BMP © Bluegrass Music Profiles 2008
All Rights Reserved
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December,
2007
2007
PowerGrass Radio Bluegrass Gospel Awards
Bluegrass
Gospel Album:
"Tell
Someone" by The Kenny and Amanda Smith Band ... Rebel Records.
Bluegrass
Gospel Group:
The
Cockman Family ... Sherrills Ford, North Carolina
Gospel
Songwriter:
Paul
Humphrey also known as Paul Williams
Bluegrass
Gospel Song:
"He Loves To Hear You Shout". Performed
by The Soul Pickers.
Album: The Beautiful River Of Life.
Written
by Dixie & Tom T. Hall. It’s on Blue Circle Records
Emerging
Group:
One-N-Christ ... Gastonia, North Carolina
Awards
based on listener response during the year and by David M. Bissell
... PowerGrass Radio. Special thanks to all the songwriters, groups,
artists, radio stations and record companies for promoting powerful
bluegrass gospel music. Special acknowledgement to all the pioneers
of bluegrass gospel music ... Carter Stanley, Ralph Stanley,Charlie
Sizemore, Larry Sparks, Del McCoury, Melvin Goins, Dave Evans,
Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs,Ricky Skaggs, Paul Williams, Jimmy
Martin, The Forbes Family, The Marshall Family, Joe Isaacs,Doyle
Lawson, Tom T. and Dixie Hall and many others ... thank you!
And
of course let us give all the glory to our Lord and Savior ...
Jesus Christ!
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Bluegrass Now Magazine (Review)
November 2007 Issue
By Bob Mitchell
The
Soul Pickers - "The Beautiful River of Life"
Blue Circle Records, BCR-010, www.bluecirclerecords.com
Playing time: 37:06
The
Soul Pickers is one of the best gospel groups I've ever never
heard of, and they definitely merit greater exposure. Based in
Hazel Green, Alabama, the band began performing in 2003 and clearly
set out to follow Psalm 33:3: "Sing unto Him a new song;
play skillfully with a loud noise." The Soul Pickers arent'
loud in a negative sense, but their music is joyful and soulful.
Bluegrass fans will find their song selection quite traditional
and their harmonies consistently tight and strong.
Members of the Soul Pickers include Shane Norman (lead vocals/mandolin),
Daniel Wiseman (guitar/vocals), Wayne Clemmons (upright bass),
Tom Bradley (fiddle, mandolin, and vocals). Guest Alecia Nugent
also contributes harmony vocals.
Dixie Hall said it best. After listening to this band, she urged
fans, "Get batized in traditional bluegrass gospel!"
- BM
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THE SOUL PICKERS - THE BEAUTIFUL RIVER OF LIFE
Bluegrass
Unlimited
[October 2007 Issue]
Blue
Circle Records
BCR010
This
is the debut album from the Soul Pickers, a bluegrass gospel quartet
from Fayetteville, Tenn. Their sound is tight and clear, and they
have admirable taste in songs. "The Beautiful River Of Life"
features a nice assortment of songs in styles that range from
the dark and modal old-school to smoother, more modern sounds.
In the former category are a briskly chugging version of the Ralph
Stanley/Larry Sparks classic "I Am The Man, Thomas"
(one of the finest bluegrass gospel songs ever written) and a
less exciting take on Bill Monroe's "The Old Cross Roads."
It's hard to give that one the kind of soulful intensity that
Monroe did, and (perhaps wisely) these guys don't try-instead,
they deliver it with energy and conviction, but with a certain
lack of edge. Where the Soul Pickers sound most at home is on
the more contemporary material, such as the simple and beautiful
"When I Wake Up (To Sleep No More)" and the more southern
gospeltinged title track (one of several written by Dixie and
Tom T. Hall, in whose studio this album was recorded). "Ain't
That Just Like God" is a fun song, despite its inappropriately
silly title, and the album closes with the Halls' joyful "He
Loves To Hear You Shout."
Recommended overall.
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12.12.07
Press
Release from Dixie Hall
(Blue Circle Records)
HE
LOVES TO HEAR YOU SHOUT recorded by The Soul Pickers brings home
double honors this month both as #1 on the Power
Grass Top Ten and as the #1 Gospel Bluegrass song of the
year for 2007 Power Grass Bluegrass Gospel Music Awards.
According
to Blue Circle Records CEOs and songwriters Dixie & Tom T.
Hall, “The Soul Pickers are an angel band to work with. They
have the knack and hard working ability to get things right and
they show promise of becoming a great presence in traditional
Bluegrass Gospel.”
Hailing
from Hazel Green, Alabama the band includes: Shane Norman (lead
vocals and mandolin), Katrina Kolb (tenor vocals and upright bass),
Daniel Wiseman (guitar), and Tyler Anderson (baritone vocals and
banjo). The band boasts of one the most versatile sounds in the
business, ranging from hard driving instrumentation and strong
vocal harmonies, to a smooth, soulful finesse.
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01.16.08
CEDAR
HILL
Poverty Row
Blue
Circle Records
BLUEGRASS Reviewed 01-16-08
CEDAR HILL
Poverty Row
Hot
Damn! What can I say after reviewing Rhonda Vincent, to find
out she wrote the great line notes for Cedar Hill.
This is fantastic bluegrass put together with some of the
greatest names in this business, Tom T. Hall and Miss Dixie,
Vince Gill, Molly Cherryholmes and the fantastic
group that makes up Cedar Hill, Lisa Ray, Frank Ray, Joe
Wieneman, Rob Collins, Kenny Cantrell, Ferrell Stowe and
Bobby Minner.
Straight from the Ozarks, Cedar Hill brings a refreshing
and crisp sound of bluegrass to a new generation and all 12
tracks are gems. Standouts include "Poverty Row",
"Broken Angels" with Vince Gill and two great
intrumentals "Whiskers In the Sink" and "Soldiers
Joy" that goes back, way back to another century.
Not a dud on this CD and it makes its debut on the Cashbox
Bluegrass Charts.
If it wasn't for Rhonda taking up space at the top,
this would surely go all the way.
~ JDH ~
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Tom
T. Hall
Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T.
Blue Circle Records
BY GRACIE MULDOON
You
can’t have it any sweeter than Tom T. Hall singing the
wonderful bluegrass melodies written by himself and his lovely
wife Miss Dixie Hall. This dyamic duo of country and bluegrass
music genres have lived a long, wonderful, storied life together
surrounded by many loving friends and family and being in the
music industry their talents have made them one of the most
enduring, and unforgettable couples. Most all of the tunes written
have been drawn from their experiences in life - the people,
places and things that surrounded them that brought wonderment,
reflection, humor, joy and sadness into their lives. Miss Dixie
and Tom T. are both gifted and put those scentiments to paper
in the most creative and memorable way - in a song. The guest
list on this one is astounding. Wow! ~ BMP ~
Jan/Feb
2008 Issue
www.bluegrassmusicprofiles.com
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TOM
T. HALL/A Hero In Harlan
Writer: Dixie
Hall/Tom T. Hall; Producer: Dixie Hall; Publisher: Good Home Grown,
BMI; Blue Circle Records (www.bluecirclerecords.com)
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No
mainstream country star of his generation has shown as much
love and respect for bluegrass as this Kentucky-bred legend.
This gentle waltz aches with loss, yearning and mourning for
a fallen soldier. It’s the centerpiece of a song collection
that should be mined by every star in this city. Get a load
of the supporting cast: Glen Duncan, The Isaacs, Jimmy Martin,
Don Rigsby, Earl Scruggs and Randy Kohrs, for starters. Titled
Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T, the CD was recorded
at Miss Dixie’s request as his Christmas present to her.
“Claim retirement all you want,” she scolds him in
the liner notes, “but the music won’t leave you alone.
And neither will I.”
~
Bob Oermann ~
(Music
Row Magazine)
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August
14th CD Review: Tom T. Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T.
Joe
Ross Review of "Tom T Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T"
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Interview
with Jack Wright on "All Things Considered" on NPR Radio
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The Lonesome Pine Office on Youth announces the release of the
two-CD set “Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian
Coalfields.”
Two
years in the making, this pair of audio CDs contains 48 songs
addressing various aspects of coal mining history and culture,
including black lung, union organizing, environmental impacts
and the contribution of coal to the national economy. The CDs
are accompanied by a richly detailed book of liner notes with
striking historical photographs.
“This
has been a collaborative effort involving many people in the
Wise County area as well as noted experts across the country,”
said Paul Kuczko, director of the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth
and executive producer of the CD project. “We’ve assembled
more than two hours of music that truly gives the flavor of
our coal mining heritage.”
According
to Jack Wright, who produced the CDs and wrote the liner notes,
the musical collection is a “hybrid” of old and new
songs - some previously recorded, others produced specifically
for this project. “We chose some songs that came out previously
on independent labels and may not have been well known, but
are vital in telling original stories from the heart of the
coalfields,” Wright said. “In addition, we have well
established artists represented here, like Ralph Stanley, Dwight
Yoakum, Natalie Merchant, Tom T. Hall, Blue Highway and the
Carter Family.”
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Tom
T. Sings Miss Dixie &
TOM T.
HALL
Producer(s): Dixie Hall
Genre: COUNTRY
Label: Blue Circle
This
modest bluegrass session is evidence that, four decades after
his recording debut, Tom T. Hall still ranks with country's greatest
storytellers, and his beloved wife and songwriting partner, Dixie,
is one big reason why. Though the mood is generally upbeat, funerals
figure prominently in "Jimmy Martin's Life Story" (recorded
shortly before yodeling guitarist Martin's 2005 death and humorously
suggesting the avoidance of hard-drinking blues songs at the memorial
ceremony), "A Headstone for Harry" and the great "A
Hero in Harlan," an unsentimental look at a small-town soldier's
return for burial. Elsewhere, pastoral memories of dirt roads,
county borders and green hills surround acknowledgement about
not fitting in with the young folks. Sometimes Hall's just along
for a relaxed ride among an all-star cast of pickers and strummers,
and he talks more than he sings. But then, he's always been a
great talker. —Chuck Eddy
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Bluegrass
Music Profiles Record Review: Carolina Road
Sept Issue 2007 - BY
HAL COTTRELL
Lorraine
Jordan and Carolina Road have a great new project out entitled,
of course, what better name than Carolina Road! The title track
is sung by new band member Jerry Butler, formerly of Pine Mountain
Railroad, and he does a fantastic job with his new gang of grassers.
What a vocal talent he is and joining forces with Lorraine Jordan
- what a great match for great ‘grass! This band has been
around for quite some time - and headed by Grassy Girl Lorraine
- has always produced high quality music/songs/picking. Kudos
to Lorraine and her illustrious band! My favorite cuts besides
the title track of course are Run Little Fox, Maybe You Will Change
Your Mind, Can’t You Hear The Mountains Calling! It’s
all good.
~ BMP ~
Visit BMP online at www.blugrassmusicprofiles.com
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Circle Records | P.O Box 681286 | Franklin, TN 37068-1286
www.bluecirclerecords.com
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