Happy 100th Birthday Bill Monroe

In honor of the 100th birthday of the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, we thought we'd share this tribute album that we released back in 1996. Produced by bassist extraordinaire Todd Phillips, it features a who's who of bluegrass and acoustic music performing in unique collaborations, all songs by Bill Monroe.

It features dozens of the most prominent and influential bluegrass musicians of our time, including Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Del McCoury, John Hartford, Chris Thile, and Peter Rowan.

Please share and enjoy, in the memory of the musical innovator, cultivator, and father figure of bluegrass music.

Various Artists - True Life Blues - The Songs of Bill Monroe

Personnel:

1. Molly and Tenbrooks - Alan O'Bryant, Craig Smith, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, David Grier, Todd Phillips
2. True Life Blues - Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, Mike Marshall, Tony Trischka, Todd Phillips
3. I'm on My Way to the Old Home - Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Vassar Clements, Craig Smith, Todd Phillips
4. Highway of Sorrow - Tim O'Brien, Scott Nygaard, Stuart Duncan, Todd Phillips
5. Old Ebenezer Scrooge - David Grier, Todd Phillips
6. Memories of You - Alan O'Bryant, Pat Enright, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, Todd Phillips
7. Rawhide - Ronnie McCoury, David Grier, Stuart Duncan, Craig Smith, Todd Phillips
8. Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Vassar Clements, Jerry Douglas, Craig Smith, Todd Phillips
9. Letter from My Darling - Peter Rowan, Greg Garing, Bobby Hicks, Todd Phillips
10. Sitting Alone in the Moonlight - Tim O'Brien, Mollie O'Brien, Ronnie McCoury, Richard Greene, Todd Phillips
11. Big Mon - Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas
12. Get Down on Your Knees and Pray - Alan O'Bryant, Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Roland White
13. Used to Be - Kathy Kallick, Laurie Lewis, Jim Nunally, John Reischman, Tony Trischka, Todd Phillips
14. Scotland - Vassar Clements, Richard Greene, Chris Thile, Scott Nygaard, Todd Phillips
15. Travelin' This Lonesome Road - Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Herb Pedersen, Vassar Clements, Todd Phillips
16. Heavy Traffic Ahead - Pat Enright, Vassar Clements, Jerry Douglas, Ronnie McCoury, Todd Phillips
17. Little Cabin Home on the Hill - John Hartford, Ronnie McCoury, Mike Compton, Todd Phillips

This Week in Sugar Hill History - Doc Watson at Gerdes Folk City (2001)

On September 11, 2001, Sugar Hill Records released the classic "Doc Watson at Gerdes Folk City" - a definitive collection of historic live Doc Watson recordings from 1962-1963.

This album documents Doc Watson's first solo public appearance; it finds him in front of an appreciative West Village crowd at the height of the early-'60s folk music craze, playing a borrowed acoustic guitar (at the time the only guitar he owned was the electric Les Paul with which he had been making a living as a member of a North Carolina rockabilly band) and performing a varied set of tunes that range from traditional ballads like "Little Sadie" and "The Roving Gambler" to traditional blues and Merle Travis-style guitar showcases. He's joined at various times by local folk luminaries John Herald, Ralph Rinzler, and Bob Yellin, but what is consistently striking is his mastery of the stage and the warmth and gentle virtuosity of his playing -- attributes that would later come to define his art, but which are remarkable in an artist performing solo for the first time. ~Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Buy it on AmazonMP3: http://amzn.to/oJ7mbL

Listen to the Full Record: