The Mac Wiseman Story

CMH Records CD-9001

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Love Letters In The Sand (2:15)
02 Little Blossom (3:08)
03 I've Got No Use For The Women (3:25)
04 Dark Hollow (2:28)
05 The Wreck Of The Old 97 (2:10)
06 The Ballad Of The Lawson Family (2:30)
07 May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight, Mister (3:06)
08 Bringing Mary Home (3:33)
09 The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band (2:36)
10 I'll Be All Smiles Tonight (3:20)
11 I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home (3:00)
12 Jimmie Brown, The Newsboy (2:00)
13 Little Box Of Pine (3:20)
14 Remembering (1:50)
15 These Hands (2:42)
16 The Baggage Coach Ahead (2:41)
17 I Still Write Your Name In The Sand (2:55)
18 Six More Miles (2:11)
19 'Tis Sweet To Be Remembered (2:37)
20 Dreaming Of A Little Cabin (2:49)
[Credits]
Mac Wiseman (guitar/vocals) Clarence "Tater" Tater (fiddle) Billy Edwards (banjo) John Palmer (bass) Arthur Smith (fiddle/mandolin/dobro/guitar) Clay Smith (guitar) David Brakefield (drums)
Producer: Arthur Smith, Eengineers: Hank Poole and Chuck Owens, Mastered by: John Eberle, Cover Photo: Peter Nash
[Notes]
Available for the first time on compact disc in celebration of Mac's 50th anniversary in music, this collection contains 20 of his most requested songs along with extensive album notes. Remixed and remastered by top engineers in Nashville, this is a must for all Mac Wiseman fans! "Love Letters in the Sand", "Wreck of the Old 97", "Jimmie Brown the Newsboy", "Dark Hollow", "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight", etc.

Appalachian Mountain Bluegrass

Rural Rhythm Records RHY-317

Format: CD, Album, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2007
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
01 Foggy Mountain Top: Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys (2:14)
02 Girl I Left in Sunny Tennessee: Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:41)
03 Froggie Went a Courtin': Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (1:38)
04 Cumberland Gap: The Cumberlands (2:35)
05 Black Mountain Blues: Mac Martin & His Dixie Travelers (3:07)
06 Home Across the Blue Ridge Mountains: Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys (2:02)
07 Poor Ellen Smith: Reno & Harrell with The Tennessee Cut-Ups (2:01)
08 Where the Soul of Man Never Dies: Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (2:01)
09 Grandfather's Clock: Mac Wiseman (2:08)
10 Big Sandy: Red Smiley & the Bluegrass Cut-Ups (1:02)
11 Worried Man Blues: Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys (1:57)
12 Deep Elm Blues: Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:08)
13 Wild Bill Jones: Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (1:43)
14 Rovin' Gambler: Mac Wiseman (1:49)
15 Soldier's Joy: The Cumberlands with Michael Cleveland (2:36)
16 Darling Corey: Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys (1:49)
17 Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss: Red White & the Dixie Blue Grass Band (1:36)
18 When the Bees Are in the Hive: Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:24)
19 Bread and Gravy: J.E. Mainer & The Mountaineers with Morris Herbert (2:55)
20 Run Boy Run: Michael Cleveland / The Cumberlands (2:20)
21 Gathering Flowers from the Hillside: Earl Taylor & The Stoney Mountain Boys (2:17)
22 Mole in the Ground: Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (2:23)
23 Long Journey Home: Reno & Harrell with The Tennessee Cut-Ups (2:01)
24 Rebel Soldier: The Cumberlands (3:40)
25 Fire on the Mountain: Fiddlin' DeWayne Wear & the Wear Family (1:10)
26 The Tie That Binds Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (1:27)
27 Rabbit in the Log: Frosty Mountain Boyswith Raymond Fairchild (1:31)
28 All the Good Times Are Past and Gone: Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (2:41)
29 Just Over in Glory Land: Mac Wiseman (1:53)
30 Amazing Grace: Raymond Fairchild & The Maggie Valley Boys (2:02)
[Credits]
Compilation Producer: Sam Passamano, Jr., Designner and Photographer: Marty Rosamond, Engineer: Steve Hoffman
[Notes]
Continuing with our successful Sound Traditions series, Rural Rhythm is proud to release this special new 30 Song Heritage Collection title, Appalachian Mountain Bluegrass 30 Vintage Classics which contains over 60 minutes of Historic Bluegrass Music and debuts many classic recorded songs Never-Before-Available on CD. Each song was remastered from the original master tapes by Steve Hoffman, (a leading mastering engineer in the High End Audio market). The end results are some of the best sounding authentic Traditional Bluegrass music available today.

Bluegrass at Newport: 1959-1963

Vanguard VCD-121/22

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys
01 Salty Dog Blues (2:07)
02 Before I Met You (2:33)
03 Cabin On The Hill (2:43)
04 Jimmy Brown The News Boy (3:13)
The New Lost City Ramblers
05 Train Forty-Five (2:24)
06 Pretty Little Miss (3:11)
07 Liza Jane (2:23)
Tex Logan, Eric Weissberg & The New Lost City Ramblers
08 Jordan Am A Hard Road To Travel (2:42)
Mac Wiseman And The Country Boys
09 Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Home (2:13)
10 Love Letters In The Sand (2:03)
11 Little Footsteps In The Snow (2:55)
Clarence (Tom) Ashley, Doc Watson, Clint Howard & Fred Price
12 'Way Downtown (3:00)
13 Maggie Walker Blues (3:11)
14 The Girl I Loved In Sunny Tennessee (2:50)
15 Lee Highway Blues (1:54)
Earl Scruggs, Hylo Brown & The Timberliners
16 Flinthill Special (3:23)
17 Earl's Breakdown (1:57)
18 Cumberland Gap (1:12)
The Morris Brothers
19 Salty Dog Blues (1:51)
20 You Give Me Your Love And I'll Give You Mine (2:59)
Jim And Jesse & The Virginia Boys
21 Border Ride (1:52)
22 Gosh, I Miss You All The Time (2:00)
23 Dill Pickle Rag (1:20)
24 She Left Me Standing On The Mountain (2:00)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Mary Katherine Aldin
[Notes]
Recorded live at the Newport Folk Festivals 1959, 60 & 63.

Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs: The Mercury Sessions Volume 2

Rounder Records Special Series 19

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1985
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 My Little Girl In Tennessee (C)
A2 Will The Roses Bloom (D)
A3 I'll Never Shed Another Tear (C)
A4 Bouquet In Heaven (B)
A5 Cabin In Caroline (A)
A6 I'll Never Love Another (C)
A7 God Loves His Children (A)
B1 Pain In My Heart (D)
B2 Baby Blue Eyes (B)
B3 Doing My Time (D)
B4 Preaching, Praying, Singing (D)
B5 Why Don't You Tell Me So (B)
B6 Foggy Mountain Breakdown (C)
B7 I'm Going To Make Heaven My Home (A)
[Credits]
Lester Flatt (guitar) Earl Scruggs (banjo) Mac Wiseman (guitar) Curly Seckler (mandolin) Art Wooten (fiddle) Benny Sims (fiddle) Jim Shumate (fiddle) Cedric Rainwater (bass) Jody Rainwater (bass)
Linar notes: Neil V. Rossenberg, Design and hand-tinting: Scott Billington
[Notes]
Session (A) Fall 1948 (B) April-May 1949 (C) December 11, 1949, Cincinnati, Ohio (D) October 21, 1950 Tampa, Florida

Lester Flatt & Mac Wiseman: On the South Bound

RCA Victor – LSP 4688

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: United States
Released: 1972
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Salty Dog Blues (2:09)
A2 Just A Strand From (2:51)
A3 Mama's And Daddy's Little Girl (2:33)
A4 How Lonely Can You Get? (2:28)
A5 I'm Waiting To Hear You Call Me Darling (2:42)
B1 On The Southbound (2:16)
B2 Are You Coming Back To Me (2:16)
B3 You Can't Trust A Friend Anymore (2:25)
B4 Me & Your Memory (2:31)
B5 When You Are Lonely (2:47)
[Original Version]
RCA Victor LSP-4688 (US) 1972
[Credits]
Lester Flatt (guitar/vocals) Mac Wiseman (guitar/vocals) Josh Graves (dobro) Roland White (mandolin/vocals) Haskel McCormick (banjo) Victor Jordan (banjo) Howdy Forrester (fiddle) Paul Warren (fiddle) Hargus Robbins (piano) Don Smith (bass) E.P. Tullock Jr (bass)

The Great Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys (1945-1949)

Harmony HL-7290, Columbia HL-7290

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Country: United States
Released: 1961
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Rocky Road Blues
A2 Kentucky Waltz
A3 Footprints In The Snow
A4 Blue Moon Of Kentucky
A5 Mother's Only Sleeping
B1 Blue Grass Stomp
B2 My Rose Of Old Kentucky
B3 Blue Grass Breakdown
B4 Can't You Hear Me Callin'
B5 The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band
[Credits]
Photography: Arlene Ragsdale

Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys 16 All-Time Greatest Hits

Columbia CS-1065

Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1970
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 Molly And Tenbrooks (2:44)
A2 Blue Moon Of Kentucky (3:03)
A3 Travellin' This Lonesome Road (3:25)
A4 Blue Grass Stomp (3:00)
A5 It's Mighty Dark To Travel (2:52)
A6 My Rose Of Old Kentucky (2:57)
A7 Wicked Path Of Sin (2:39)
A8 Rocky Road Blues (2:36)
B1 Blue Grass Breakdown (2:40)
B2 When You Are Lonely (2:43)
B3 The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band (3:12)
B4 Little Cabin Home On The Hill (2:59)
B5 Footprints In The Snow (2:39)
B6 Will You Be Loving Another Man (2:53)
B7 Can't You Hear Me Callin' (3:48)
B8 I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling (2:58)
[Credits]
Cover Artwork: Margaret Coro, Liner Notes: James Goodfriend

Marin County Bluegrass Festival 1974

Marin County Bluegrass Festival April 27-28, 1974
Golden State College, San Rafael, CA

Disc 1 [75:25]
Cornbread (4/27)
1-01: Old Joe Clark
1-02: I Don’t Believe You Met My Baby
1-03: Fire On The Mountain
Homestead Act (4/27)
1-04: I’ve Been Everywhere
1-05: Take Five
1-06: Columbus Stockade Blues
1-07: Chime Bells
1-08: Diggy Liggy Lo
1-09: The Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Emmylou Harris (4/27)
1-10: Jambalaya
Tut Taylor and Norman Blake (4/27)
1-11: Instrumental
1-12: Southern Railroad Blues
Mac Wiseman (4/27)
1-13: Footprints Through The Snow
1-14: Keep on the Sunny Side
1-15: Wabash Cannonball
1-16: Mule’s Done Gone Away
Jim & Jesse McReynolds (4/27)
1-17: Are You Missing Me
Doc & Merle Watson (4/27)
1-18: Poor Boy Blues
1-19: Wabash Cannonball (same as above..)
1-20: Salt Creek
1-21: Tennessee Stud
Great American String Band (4/27) Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Richard Greene, Taj Mahal, David Nichtern
1-22: My Plastic Banana Isn’t Stupid
1-23: Dawg’s Rag (with Richard Green)
1-24: I’ll Be The Gambler If You’ll Deal The Cards

Disc 2 [73:23]
Great American String Band (4/27)
2-01: Sweet Georgia Brown
The Hired Hands (4/28)
2-02: Bear Tracks
White & The Down Homers (4/28)
2-03: She Left Me Standing There
Jim & Jesse McReynolds and The Virginia Boys (4/28)
2-04: Pick Away
2-05: Cotton Mill Man
2-06: The River Of Jordan
Great American String Band (4/27) Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Richard Greene, Taj Mahal, David Nichtern
2-07: Maybelline
2-08: Johnny B. Goode
Jim & Jesse McReynolds and The Virginia Boys
2-09: Dueling Banjos
Tut Taylor and Norman Blake
2-10: Instrumental #1
2-11: Instrumental #2
Taylor, Blake, & Mac Wiseman
2-12: The Wreck Of The Old 97
2-13: Catfish John
2-14: Love Letters In The Sand
2-15: Shackles And Chains
2-16: Prisoner Song
2-17: Jimmy Brown
2-18: The Old Folks At Home
2-19: Man Walking On The Water
2-20: Keep On The Sunny Side Of Life
Frank Wakefield
2-21: Jesus Loves His Mandolin Player #1
Wakefield, Garcia ..et al
2-22: Heartbreak Hotel
2-23: Orange Blossom Special
Doc & Merle Watson (4/28)
2-24: Doc Bog’s Country Blues
2-25: Movin’ On
2-26: Wabash Cannonball
2-27: Tennessee Stud

Disc 3 [79:50]
Ramblin’Jack Elliott (4/28)
3-01: Talking Fishing Blues
3-02: Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
3-03: Down The Line
3-04: Pretty Boy Floyd
Dillard & Frank Wakefield (4/28)
3-05: Dixie Breakdown
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (4/28) with Garcia, Vassar Clements, Doc Watson, David Nelson, John Hartford, & Jerry Mills
3-06: Tulane And Johnny
3-07: Cosmic Cowboy
3-08: Jambalaya
3-09: Sally Goodin
3-10: Battle Of New Orleans
3-11: Teardrops In My Eyes
3-12: Bonie Maronie
3-13: Randy Lynn Rag
3-14: Flint Hill Special
3-15: Mr. Bojangles
3-16: Honky Tonkin’
3-17: Diggy Liggy Lo
3-18: Will The Circle Be Unbroken*
3-19: Way Downtown Fooling Around*
3-20: Down Yonder*
* w/Doc & Merle Watson

[disc 4: 19:31]
Old And In The Way (4/28) Garcia, Grisman
4-01: High Lonesome Sound
4-02: Pig In A Pen
4-03: Panama Red
4-04: Wild Horses
4-05: The Hobo Song

  Marin County Bluegrass Festival 1974/04/27-28 (w/ Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Jerry Garcia and others)

The Original Sound: Flatt & Scruggs

Philips Records Japan M-5040

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: JP
Released: 1963
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Bluegrass
[Tracklist]
A1 We'll Meet Again Sweetheart (2:40)
A2 Pain In My Heart (2:45)
A3 Baby Blue Eyes (2:56)
A4 Preachin', Prayin', Singin' (2:22)
A5 Back To The Cross (2:53)
A6 Is It Too Late Now (2:34)
A7 God Loves His Children (2:39)
B1 I'll Never Shed Another Tear (2:25)
B2 Will The Roses Bloom (2:30)
B3 I'm Going To Make Heaven My Home (2:35)
B4 Salty Dog Blues (2:30)
B5 I'll Just Pretend (2:30)
B6 Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms (2:35)
B7 Farewell Blues (2:26)
[Credits]
Lester Flatt (guitar/vocals) Earl Scruggs (banjo) Mac Wiseman (guitar/vocals) Jim Shumate (fiddle) Cedric Rainwater (bass)
[Notes]
Recorded in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1948
フラット＆スクラッグスのすべて（フィリップス・レコード）

First Bluegrass Festival Fincastle VA. 1965

First bluegrass festival held in Fincastle Va. on Labor Day Weekend September, 1965.

In September of 1965 the first multi-day bluegrass festival was held at Cantrell’s horse barn in Fincastle, Virginia. The now legendary event was the brain child of the longtime manager of Reno and Smiley, Carlton Haney. Some of the entertainment lineup included Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, Clyde Moody, The Osborne Brothers, The Stanley Brothers, Don Reno and Red Smiley (in their own separate bands), and the father of Bluegrass himself, . The festival proved to be one of the most significant events in bluegrass music history. In fact it may have actually saved the music itself. Carlton’s festival started a festival movement that spawned many more festivals throughout the country and eventually the world. These festivals provided the already struggling bluegrass industry with a venue for musicians to play, meet their fans, and most importantly make a living. And for the last 47 years festivals have been life blood for most professional bluegrass bands.

Bill Monroe, Carter and Ralph Stanley at Fincastle VA, 1965.

One of the most memorable things about Carlton’s early festivals was his narration of “the bluegrass story” or as he infamously pronounces it “the bluegrass stow-ree”. “The bluegrass story” was a history lesson on the music’s beginnings and usually featured Bill Monroe and former Bluegrass Boys playing the classic tunes that defined the music. For the 1965 festival, Bill Monroe, Don Reno, Clyde Moody, Benny Martin, and Mac Wiseman were all part of the first “stow-ree”. Luckily, portions of this historic event were captured on video. If you haven’t seen the video of Don Reno, Bill Monroe, Benny Martin, and Mac Wiseman all playing on stage together at the first festival, put down this magazine now and go to Youtube immediately! It can be found on my Youtube page: www.youtube.com/user/renopicker. They play several classic tunes, such as Rawhide, Orange Blossom Special, Can’t You Hear Me Calling, Six More Miles, Molly And Tenbrooks, and Traveling Down This Lonesome Road. You can tell how Don, Benny, and Bill were all feeding off each other in the video. This isn’t the slick, clinically sterilized perfection we hear in today’s bluegrass bands, this is raw real bluegrass played by the first generation masters. Even though the video and the audio isn’t the best quality, you can still feel the energy that these guys produced when watching them perform on stage. This is what made them great and why we still talk about them today. I can only imagine how incredible and exciting it was for those that were lucky enough to see the show live in 1965.

Of course like most of you, the first time I saw this video I was thrilled to see and hear my heroes playing together in their prime but I was mostly fixated on Don, of course. I couldn’t believe the things I was hearing. His breaks were ingenious and his back up was out of this world. The first time I heard his break to Rawhide I literally jumped out of my seat and got goose bumps! But the real stand out for me was his break to Traveling Down this Lonesome Road. Till this day it’s one of the coolest things I have ever heard him do. It’s pure rock and roll on the banjo. How he thought of these things still amazes me. For Traveling, Don implements a lot of Chuck Berry/Bill Monroe type riffs on the banjo that are similar to his kick off on I Know You’re Married. Most of the double stops are done with the thumb. Remember to mute the bridge with your palm to get the right sound when doing all the thumb brush work. They are playing in the key of F in the video but as with much of Don’s playing his break can easily be transposed to any key. One of the greatest things about this break is his ending lick as he walks away from the microphone. Pure genius!! What is also impressive about this break is that Don probably never played it exactly the same way again. He was the king of improvisation. He was never afraid to take chances and neither should you. So once you get the basic break down, use your imagination to add your own ideas to it and see what happens! If you have any questions or comments please contact me through my website: www.renopicker.com Until next time…Keep Pickin’ Reno!

Reno-Style Workshop
by Jason Skinner