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Americana
News
Classic Bluegrass on DVD
Fans
of classic bluegrass should take special note of two recent DVD
releases featuring rare performances by some of the pioneers of the
Appalachian-based musical genre. These documentaries provide a
intriguing look at several bluegrass icons in the early 1970s when
bluegrass was enjoying a brief resurgence in mainstream
popularity.
In
1971, Albert Ihde produced and directed the first feature film
dedicated to bluegrass music. Bluegrass Country Soul
captures an important piece of musical history and features a
mind-boggling array of bluegrass icons performing at their peak on
Labor Day weekend in 1971. Ihde had originally intended to make
a motion picture about a fictional country music singer. The
financing fell through on the motion picture project, but one
investor was intrigued by preliminary scenes involving a bluegrass
festival. Ten days later, Ihde took his film crew to Camp Hill,
North Carolina to film Carlton Haney's 1971 Labor Day Weekend
Bluegrass Music Festival. The resulting film featured a timeless
collection of classic bluegrass performances. The project has
recently found its way to DVD and is now available to bluegrass fans
everywhere. Here are some of the amazing highlights:
Ralph
Stanley performing "Man of Constant Sorrow" with
his Clinch Mountain Boys almost 30 years before the song's
rediscovery as part of the O Brother Where Art Thou
soundtrack. Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys include a couple of
teenagers who went on to have successful careers of their own -
Ricky Scaggs and Keith Whitley.
A
young Del McCoury singing "White House Blues" with
his then backing band the Dixie Pals.
The
Osbourne Brothers performing their original classic version of
"Rocky Top" and a contemporaneous take on the John
Denver hit "Take Me Home Country Roads."
The
Earl Scruggs Revue's bluegrass version of "Country Comfort"
- a song from an up-and-coming British singer named Elton John and
his lyricist Bernie Taupin. (Elton John and Earl Scruggs would
perform the song together 30 years later on Scruggs' 2001 release Earl
Scruggs and Friends.)
Rare
documented video footage of The Bluegrass Alliance - an early
version of New Grass Revival featuring a 19-year old Sam Bush -
performing "One Tin Soldier."
A
young Tony Rice performing with The Bluegrass Alliance and J.D.
Crowe.
A
rare festival appearance by Roy Acuff performing "Wabash
Cannonball."
In
addition to the amazing collection of performances featured in Bluegrass
Country Soul, Earl Scruggs fans should check out the recent
re-issue of Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends on DVD. The
documentary was filmed in 1972 and originally aired on PBS. The film
features the banjo legend performing with a variety of folk,
bluegrass and rock icons. Like Bluegrass Country Soul, this
musical documentary was unavailable for over 30 years until the
recent DVD release. The 90 minute documentary is loaded with
great musical performances, including the following
highlights:
Scruggs
joined by Bob Dylan in Carmel, New York to perform "Last
Virginia Blues" and "Nashville Skyline Rag."
Scruggs
and The Byrds performing "Nothin' To It" and "You
Ain't Going Nowhere."
Scruggs
with Bill Monroe at the Grand Ole Opry performing "Little
Maggie" and "Nine Pound Hammer."
Scruggs
paying a visit to Doc Watson's mountain home for an informal jam
with Doc and his son Merle (the namesake of the annual Merlefest
Americana music festival).
These
bluegrass collections capture a specific moment in bluegrass history
which was essential to the development of modern Americana
music. The brief popular fascination with bluegrass music in
the late 1960s and early 1970s gave the musical genre credibility
and encouraged mainstream artists to incorporate bluegrass elements
into their music. Fortunately for all of us, these rare
musical performances were permanently documented for the
entertainment and appreciation of future
generations.
In
1971, Albert Ihde produced and directed the first feature film
dedicated to bluegrass music. Bluegrass Country Soul
captures an important piece of musical history and features a
mind-boggling array of bluegrass icons performing at their peak on
Labor Day weekend in 1971. Ihde had originally intended to make
a motion picture about a fictional country music singer. The
financing fell through on the motion picture project, but one
investor was intrigued by preliminary scenes involving a bluegrass
festival. Ten days later, Ihde took his film crew to Camp Hill,
North Carolina to film Carlton Haney's 1971 Labor Day Weekend
Bluegrass Music Festival. The resulting film featured a timeless
collection of classic bluegrass performances. The project has
recently found its way to DVD and is now available to bluegrass fans
everywhere. Here are some of the amazing highlights:
Ralph
Stanley performing "Man of Constant Sorrow" with
his Clinch Mountain Boys almost 30 years before the song's
rediscovery as part of the O Brother Where Art Thou
soundtrack. Stanley's Clinch Mountain Boys include a couple of
teenagers who went on to have successful careers of their own -
Ricky Scaggs and Keith Whitley.
In
addition to the amazing collection of performances featured in Bluegrass
Country Soul, Earl Scruggs fans should check out the recent
re-issue of Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends on DVD. The
documentary was filmed in 1972 and originally aired on PBS. The film
features the banjo legend performing with a variety of folk,
bluegrass and rock icons. Like Bluegrass Country Soul, this
musical documentary was unavailable for over 30 years until the
recent DVD release. The 90 minute documentary is loaded with
great musical performances, including the following
highlights:
