NEWSLETTER #282 COUNTY SALES P.O. Box 191 November-December 2006 Floyd,VA 24091 www.countysales.com PHONE ORDERS: (540) 745-2001 FAX ORDERS: (540) 745-2008 WELCOME TO OUR COMBINED CHRISTMAS CATALOG & NEWSLETTER #282 Once again this holiday season we are combining our last Newsletter of the year with our Christmas catalog of gift sugges- tions. There are many wonderful items in the realm of BOOKs, VIDEOS and BOXED SETS that will make wonderful gifts for family members & friends who love this music. Gift suggestions start on page 10—there are some Christmas CDs and many recent DVDs that are new to our catalog this year. JOSH GRAVES We are saddened to report the death of the great dobro player, Burkett Graves (also known as “Buck” ROU-0575 RHONDA VINCENT “Beautiful Graves and even more as “Uncle Josh”) who passed away Star—A Christmas Collection” This is the year’s on Sept. 30. Though he played for other groups like Wilma only new Bluegrass Christmas album that we are Lee & Stoney Cooper and Mac Wiseman, Graves was best aware of—but it’s a beauty that should please most known for his work with Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, add- Bluegrass fans and all ing his dobro to their already exceptional sound at the height Rhonda Vincent fans. of their popularity. The first to really make the dobro a solo Rhonda has picked out a instrument, Graves had a profound influence on Mike typical program of mostly standards (JINGLE Auldridge and Jerry Douglas and the legions of others who BELLS, AWAY IN A have since made the instrument a staple of many Bluegrass MANGER, LET IT bands everywhere. Josh also partnered for many years with SNOW, TWELVE DAYS ace fiddler Kenny Baker. He was a giant in Bluegrass. OF CHRISTMAS, WIN- TER WONDERLAND), COLLECTIBLES UPDATE plus two Bluegrass essen- For those customers interested in out-of-print records, we tials (CHRISTMAS TIME’S A-COMING and call your attention to special lists that are available now: BEAUTIFUL STAR OF BETHLE-HEM), and she SET SALE “E” contains discontinued CDs, VHS video- has added a very nice song of her own, CHRIST- cassettes and Bear Family Box sets at bargain prices (some MAS TIME AT HOME. The arrangements and below cost!) Rhonda’s vocals are all beautifully done, and she AUCTION # 39 features several hundred 45rpm discs. makes good use of a most impressive group of ac- companists including Ron Stewart, Stuart Duncan, DAVIS UNLIMITED RE-ISSUES: The Arts Center of Randy Kohrs, Bryan Sutton, Adam Steffey and Scott Cannon county (Tenn.) is in the process of re-issuing the en- Vestal among others. Vocally she incorporates the tire Davis Unlimited label onto compact disc. This label put harmony parts of The Whites, Carl Jackson, Heather out many old-time and fiddle LPs in the 1970s. Because Berry and Jeff & Sherri Easter and her brother Darrin. there are already 15 issues available, we have no room in this Hats off to Rhonda & Darrin for producing a superb Newsletter to list them—however, a list of all available titles & tasteful album. $ 13.50 is available on request. Purchase Amount $4.00-29.99 $30.00-59.99 $60.00-139.99 $140.00-199.99 Over $200.00 U. S. Regular Mail 3.50 4.00 6.00 6.50 7.50 U. S. Priory Mail 4.50 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 International Surface 6.00 7.50 9.00 11.50 Actual International Air 9.00 12.00 15.00 25.00 Actual **For COD shipments, please add $6.00 in addition to regular shipping charges. DOMESTIC ORDER ONLY. For special expedited rates (FED EX, UPS, NEXT DAY, etc) please call or fax us for cost & authorization. DOMESTIC ORDERS ONLY. **CANADIAN ORDERS: MINIMUM SHIPPING CHARGE is $6.00 for 1-7 CDs and $8.00 for 8 or more CDs. SEND ALL ORDERS TO: COUNTY SALES P.O. BOX 191 FLOYD, VA 24091 540-745-2001 * Minimum credit card order is $25.00 * (Fax) 540-745-2008 3 JWC-1982 JARROD CHURCH “Clinch Mountain Banjo” Mr Church, who hails from the same part of the SUG-3999 SUGAR HILL RECORDS—A country as Ralph Stanley, has issued this successful tribute RETROSPECTIVE Started in 1978, the Sugar Hill album that features 13 instrumentals, all picked out very label, led by Barry Poss, has taken its place as a leader nicely. Church definitely has the feel for the nuances of Dr. in the field of Bluegrass, setting standards for quality Ralph’s style, including his old time frailing (Church here of the music and presentation that no other label has plays two of these tunes, SHOUT LITTLE LULIE and OLD matched so consistently. Box sets like this provide an T IME PICKIN’). Church gets solid support by two of insight into a label’s strengths & visions, and it is Stanley’s band, James Alan Shelton on guitar and Dewey always Brown on fiddle. It is curious, but noteworthy how many fascinating to Bluegrass musicians—especially from southwest Virginia— look over the have so thoroughly absorbed the “Stanley sound”. Includes past (in this case the tunes BIG TILDA, CLUCK OLD HEN, CLINCH MT. 25 years) and BACKSTEP, HARD TIMES, RANG TANG, COOSY, discover artists LISA’S JOY etc. $ 13.50 and tracks that one overlooked OLD ’97-009 ADAM TANNER & FRANK LEE “Two previously. Mules” Twelve ol d-time tunes nicely played by Tanner Sugar Hill’s and Lee on fiddle and banjo. Pieces include JULIANNE very first album JOHNSON, WHOA MULE, ELKHORN RIDGE, RUN (an LP of KITTY RUN, DOUGH ROLLER BLUES, etc $ 13.50 course) was by BOONE YODEL-062 THE PILOT MOUNTAIN BOBCATS CREEK, a fine “Lady Of The Lake” This 4-member old-time string band contemporary from the Virginia/North Carolina border area has evidently Bluegrass band that consisted of a young Ricky been together since 1989 and had at least one solid album Skaggs, Jerry Douglas, Terry Baucom and Wes out previously (YODEL-026, $ 13.50), plus another fea- Golding: the label went on to host such great groups turing fiddler Nancy Sluys. Ms. Sluys is again featured on as the Seldom Scene, Hot Rize, Doyle Lawson, Doc this 20-track program, doing a nice job on a great selection Watson ,The Lonesome River Band, The New Grass of tunes and nicely seconded by the clawhammer banjo of Revival and the Nashville Bluegrass Band, among Jacki Spector. The singing is weak, but only occurs on a others, and these acts are represented by 2 to 4 cuts few cuts. Nice versions ofWALKING IN THE PARLOR, each. While there is plenty of great Bluegrass here, it PINEY WOODS GAL, HONEYSUCKLE, should be pointed out that much of Sugar Hill’s CALLAHAN, EBENEZER, etc.$ 13.50 output—especially in later years—consisted of singer/ songwriter albums that appeared in the label’s 1000 BW-004 REED ISLAND ROUNDERS “Hand Me series (as opposed to the 3700 Bluegrass series). Downs” This 3-member old-time group from Hillsville, These artists—like Guy Clark, Mike Cross, Townes Virginia presents an extensive and really nice selection of Van Zandt and Robert Earl Keen—were among the tunes and songs from a variety of sources (Henry Reed, label’s better sellers and established Sugar Hill’s Tom Ashley, Melvin Wine, Roscoe Holcomb, Burl Hammons reputation as a leader in the “Americana” field. and the Kimble Family among others). The musicians are Although there are undoubtedly those who will enjoy Betty Vornbrock (fiddle), Diane Jones (banjo) and Billy both types of music, it is our feeling that most Bluegrass Cornette (guitar): their playing is simple but effective and fans may find limited interest in the Americana type tasteful, with the tunes taken at appropriate tempos. The cuts as well as some of the peripheral groups like the attractive packaging includes brief notes on each tune plus Gourds, The Bad Livers, Donna The Buffalo, the tunings for both fiddle and banjo. SHELVIN’ ROCK, SHIP Brother Boys, and Kukuruza—in short the set is more IN THE CLOUDS, JENNY ON THE RAILROAD, a repository of diverse music than a group of discs MAYSVILLE, PINEY WOODS, SALLY IN THE GAR- that one could listen to, start to finish, repeatedly. The DEN, etc $ 13.50 only other qualification here is more of a mystery than a complaint: why are there no previously unissued SUG-4016 CASEY DRIESSEN “3-D” From what we tracks among the 81 songs & tunes?—collectors have seen and heard of Driessen, he is a very talented and delight in these and just about every other box set we versatile fiddler who has been a part of some excellent re- can think of has at least a few such surprises. A very corded projects. On this, his first solo recording, he has chosen to go the “far out” route in what is more of an ex- strong positive, though, are the wonderful notes to perimental jazz record that features percussion as much or every song by label founder Barry Poss that clearly more than Driessen’s fiddle. It is clearly outside the param- show the respect and appreciation he had for the artists eters of the music we stock, but may well appeal to a small he worked with, as well as their respect for Poss. th minority of our readers who are open to experimental & Last but not least, there is a 5 disc, a DVD that progressive sounds. LADY BOWMORE, GAPTOOTH, includes videos, photos & artist interviews. CLIFF DWELLER’S SLIDE, SALLY IN THE GARDEN, RECOMMENDED! Box set: $ 45.00 2 A.M., etc.