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Bill Hicks (right) grins with delight as he observes North Carolina fiddle master Tommy Jarrell at a fiddlers’ convention circa 1972. Hicks, a founding member of the Red Clay Ramblers and the Fuzzy Mountain String Band, passed away recently at age 75. We offer a remembrance, plus music of the bluegrass band Cullen’s Bridge, and much more in this ATBR episode.

Paul Brown collection, courtesy Bill Hicks

Old-time and bluegrass traditions run deep in the foothills and mountains of northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. Mickey Galyean & Cullen’s Bridge is an active bluegrass band from the region carrying the torch for the bluegrass sound. It’s named for one of the most highly respected bluegrass banjo pickers of the region – the late Cullen Galyean of Lowgap, NC, who was the father of bandleader Mickey Galyean. The band’s new album, Songs from the Blue Ridge, presents lots of new material, songs and tunes that are energetic, creative, yet clearly within the bluegrass idiom.

Also this week, we remember Bill Hicks, a founding member of the famed Red Clay Ramblers and the Fuzzy Mountain String Band, both outgrowths of the old-time music revival that gathered steam starting in the mid-1960s. Bill Hicks died recently at age 75. We’ll hear some of his music with the Ramblers and the Fuzzies. We’ll also revisit his thoughts on his early career from his interview with ATBR host Paul Brown at Muddy Creek Music Hall in 2017. Hicks was there with his group Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry. You may also be interested in this excellent in-depth remembrance of Bill Hicks by Richard Thompson in Bluegrass Today.

We wrap up the show with a great selection of old-time and bluegrass songs and tunes including solo banjo, ballad singing, and gospel.

Playlist

1. Outback

Mickey Galyean & Cullen's Bridge

Songs From The Blue Ridge

Rebel 2. The Convict & The Rose

Mickey Galyean & Cullen's Bridge

Songs From The Blue Ridge

Rebel 3. John Henry

Bobby Harrison & Cullen Galyean

Let Me Fall - Old Time Bluegrass from the Virginia-North Carolina Border

Folkways 4. Heaven's Light Is Shining On Me

The Stanley Brothers & The Clinch Mountain Boys

Old Time Camp Meeting Songs

Gusto 5. The Blue Ridge Mountains

Mickey Galyean & Cullen's Bridge

Songs From The Blue Ridge

Rebel 6. Sally Ann

Cullen Galyean

Let Me Fall - Old Time Bluegrass from the Virginia-North Carolina Border

Folkways 7. Break 1 - Soldier's Joy

Cullen Galyean

Let Me Fall - Old Time Bluegrass from the Virginia-North Carolina Border

Folkways 8. Piney Woods

Bill Hicks

The Fuzzy Mountain String Band

Rounder 9. Snowbird On The Ashbank

Fuzzy Mountain String Band

The Fuzzy Mountain String Band

Rounder 10. Interview - Bill Hicks

Bill Hicks

ATBR recording 11. Tying Ten Knots In The Devil's Tail

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR recording 12. The Telephone Girl

Red Clay Ramblers

Twisted Laurel

Flying Fish 13. Flying Cloud Cotillion

Red Clay Ramblers

Twisted Laurel

Flying Fish 14. The Falls Of Richmond

Fuzzy Mountain String Band

The Fuzzy Mountain String Band

Rounder 15. Break 2 - Peter Francisco

Fuzzy Mountain String Band

The Fuzzy Mountain String Band

Rounder 16. Things In Life

Jerry Douglas

Restless On The Farm

Sugar Hill 17. Railroad

The Bucking Mules

Smoke Behind The Clouds

The Bucking Mules 18. I'm Never To Marry

Texas Gladden

Texas Gladden

Rounder 19. Josie-O

Adam Hurt

Earth Tones

Ubiquitone 20. One More River

Dale Ann Bradley

Dale Ann Bradley

Pinecastle 21. Hang On

James Bryan & Carl Jones

Two Pictures

Martin Records

Story does not include AP content

atbr #craver #hicks #watson & newberry #fuzzy mountain string band #red clay ramblers #bill hicks #cullen galyean #mickey galyean & cullen’s bridge #mickey galyean

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Becky Hobbs is both a gritty and sincere country singer and a fine songwriter. She’s one of the performers we hear on this week’s “Across the Blue Ridge”.

BeckyHobbs.com

This week we hear a fabulous bluegrass fiddle tune from Corinna Logsdon of High Fidelity… plus a gritty country song from Becky Hobbs… and the Alabama hit cover of another of Hobbs’ songs, Angels Around Us. Hear how much country music, bluegrass, old time and gospel have in common as we continue with The Bluegrass Album Band and The Pine Ridge Boys and Patsy. That’s just the beginning of this music-packed show including a moment with Mac Wiseman, a humorous topical song of Tennessee’ past from the Double Decker String Band, the voices of the Red Clay Ramblers and much more.

Episode 59 Playlist

1. Lost Indian

High Fidellity

High Fidelity 2. The Boots I Came To Town In

Becky Hobbs

The Boots I Came To Town In 3. Angels Among Us

Alabama

Greatest Hits Volume 3 4. Take Me In The Lifeboat

Bluegrass Album Band

The Bluegrass Compact Disc 5. Matthew 24

Molly O'Day

Molly O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks 6. Sin City

Pine Ridge Boys & Patsy

Stringband Music From Mt. Airy 7. Break 1 - Eighth of January

Sheila Kay Adams

All The Other Fine Things 8. Lonesome Train Blues

Adam McPeak & Mountain Thunder

The Last Dirt Road 9. Tis Sweet To Be Remembered

Mac Wiseman

I Sang The Song 10. Skillet Good & Greasy

Mountain Park Old Time Band

Dancing On Rocky Island 11. Lonesome Pine Special

The Rosin Sisters

It's All Your Fault 12. Pallet On The Floor

Larry Sigmon & Barbara Poole

Unique Sound Of The Mountains #6 13. Shoes & Stockings

Alan Jabbour, Sandy Bradley, Tommy Thompson

Sandy's Fancy 14. Break 2 - Grey Eagle

Presley Barker

Just Ten 15. Mr. Crump Don't Like It

Double Decker String Band

The Rest Is Yet To Come 16. Miller's Reel - Maggie Grey - Cranberry Rock

Scott Prouty & John Gallagher

No Corn On Tygart 17. The Telephone Girl

Red Clay Ramblers

Twisted Laurel 18. The Rambler's Life

South Carolina Broadcasters

Tell Me Truly 19. Fine Times At Our House

Adam Steffey

New Primitive

atbr #corinna logsdon #high fidelity #becky hobbs #alabama #the bluegrass album band #the pine ridge boys and patsy #mac wiseman #double decker string band #red clay ramblers

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(l-r) Bill Hicks, Jim Watson, Joe Newberry and Mike Craver present old time songs, fiddle tunes, and songs from popular plays they’ve performed in and produced.

Paul Brown

This week Across the Blue Ridge presents Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry from their April, 2016 show at Muddy Creek Music Hall. Mike Craver, Bill Hicks and Jim Watson are all veterans of the earliest incarnations of the Red Clay Ramblers, a North Carolina-based band that started in 1972 (and is still going today with other personnel). Joe Newberry joins Craver, Hicks and Watson for occasional performances as a foursome. This performance showcases the ensemble’s understanding of the many traditions that intersected and sometimes merged in the creation of sounds we hear today as distinctively American and distinctively Southern. You’ll hear old time mountain tunes; a song from early string band star Riley Puckett of the Skillet Lickers; songs from musicals in which these performers have appeared; and more recent songs written by band members and others including Craig Johnson and Si Kahn. Plus, we have a few recordings of older musicians who influenced Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry … and some great stories from stage.

Episode 54 Playlist

1. Ridin' The Waves

Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys w. Hubert Davis

Jim Eanes & The Shenandoah Valley Boys 2. Turkey In The Peapatch

Ken & Brad Kolodner

Swift House 3. Little Log Cabin By The Sea

The Carter Family

The Bristol Sessions 4. Twisted Laurel

Red Clay Ramblers

Twisted Laurel 5. A Man From Tennessee

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 6. Ship In The Clouds - Red Fox

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

You've Been A Friend To Me 7. Break 1 - Backstep Cindy

Tommy Jarrell

Come And Go With Me 8. I'm Gettin' Ready To Go

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 9. Aragon Mill

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 10. Tying Ten Knots In The Devil's Tail

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 11. Sandy River

Clark Kessinger

The Legend of Clark Kessinger 12. Break 2 - Old Sledge

Burl Hammons

The Hammons Family 13. How Does A Glass Eye Work?

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 14. Piney Mountain

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 15. You've Been A Friend To Me

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 16. Uncle Charlie's Revenge On Old Time Music

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording 17. Long Time Traveller

Craver, Hicks, Watson & Newberry

ATBR field recording

atbr #mike craver #bill hicks #jim watson #red clay ramblers #joe newberry #riley puckett

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