bluegrass music

Over the course of nearly three years, we at Americana podcast have spoken with a wonderful collective of artists and industry professionals alike about the workings in and of this ever expanding umbrella of music we lovingly refer to as Americana music. Parts of that discussion have at times touched on its history- but we have never really broached the subject of its early days and what that entailed. And who exactly was there at the beginning. 

With that in mind, we’ve decided to shake it up a bit and welcome longstanding Americana advocate and friend Rob Bleetstein. Bleetstein in casual circles, is a music lover. A long time ticket collecting, road junkie, band following fan if there ever was one.  Which all tracks for an original deadhead mind you- but he’s not someone stuck completely in the past either. Driven by just the desire to hear good music- there isn’t an artist old or young on the scene that he seemingly doesn't already know about. And if you happen to somehow introduce him to someone he hasn’t heard of- he’ll send you what can only be described as an essay or a review of his thoughts on their first two records in addition to the direction their heading with their next one. You can’t beat him. 

Professionally, Bleetstein’s credentials range from publicist, archivist, and currently producer and host on Pearl Jam Radio and the Grateful Dead Channel on Sirius XM. What he is to Americana as a genre though… well he was one of the early, if not original adopters of the term when he worked at the Gavin Report in the 90’s. Rob Bleetstein is not only a music lover- but a true music shaper. 

So Join us as our host Robert Earl Keen speaks with Rob Bleestetin about the early days of Americana, his experiences as a long-time music lover, his contributions, and what’s on the horizon of the genre

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Today’s episode is an examination and celebration of the musical roots of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. Garcia’s musical roots begin in the early 1960s with traditional American folk music. With styles ranging from bluegrass, old time country music, folk, blues and jug band music, Garcia was a well known performer in SanFrancisco and Bay Area clubs. Around 1964-65 Jerry switched his energy from bluegrass banjo to the electric guitar after forming a rock band with fellow American down home music enthusiasts Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” Mckernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzman. The Warlocks, soon renamed the Grateful Dead became an extremely popular act in the SanFrancisco area and the rest, as they say, is history. 

The format for this episode is semi-chronological in regard to Jerry Garcia’s music styles. A variety of styles are examined and is nowhere near a complete, in depth analysis of Jerry’s styles and influences. That could be a full length book. Rather, the show is a simple examination that looks at some of the original recordings that influenced Jerry and then mixes in snippets of how those recordings were manifested in Garcia’s style throughout the decades he was active as a performer up until his untimely death in August of 1995. Early recordings of Jerry in his many aggregations around the Bay Area folk scene have long been available as bootleg tapes as well as most, if not all, of the Grateful Dead shows from their 30 year career made possible through the Dead’s allowing of and encouragement of taping their live performances. There’s a lot out there to listen to and I recommend you seek out as many recordings as you can.

For an in depth dive on the Grateful Dead I highly recommend the official podcast of the Grateful Dead, The Good ‘Ol Grateful Deadcast as David Grisman’s record label, Acoustic Disc, which made many great recordings of Jerry playing traditional American music in the early 1990’s. See links below. 

Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the show. 

Acoustic Disc: https://acousticdisc.com/

Good ‘Ol Grateful Deadcast: https://www.dead.net/deadcast

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Website: https://www.olddingyjukebox.com/home

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Dolly Parton said about Billy Droze - “When your beautiful wife gave me your CD I listened to it and was very, very impressed. You have all the talent in the world and I hope they love your music as I do. Love, Dolly” 

At only 35 years of age, Billy Droze has acquired the title of “hit songwriter” and has been touring and making music non-stop for more than a decade. This truly unique artist and highly prolific songwriter, with lyrics that dig deep into the heart of life, melodies and a guitar style that combine his traditional roots with a modern twist that’s all his own, and a voice so beautiful, earthy and sincere that every song gives you goose bumps, has already been solidly received by both fans, industry leaders and musical peers. 

Droze was considered for the prestigious 2018 Grammy Awards along with the IBMA and ICMA Awards. Together with bluegrass superstar Rhonda Vincent, he hosted the 2018 ICMA Awards at the historic Grand Ole Opry House. His name is becoming synonymous among Folk, Americana, Country, and Bluegrass listeners alike. Added to his many musical accomplishments, he is now President of RBR Entertainment. Billy is one of the fastest rising stars in roots music of his generation.

Read more about Billy Droze at https://billydroze.com

Host Lee Zimmerman is a freelance music writer whose articles have appeared in several leading music industry publications. A former promotions representative for ABC and Capital Records and director of communications for various CBS - affiliated television stations. Lee, who currently lives in East Tennessee, recently authored "Americana Music - Voices, Visionaries & Pioneers of an Honest Sound" which is now available on Amazon and other outlets. You can contact Lee at lezim@bellsouth.net

Cohost/Producer Billy Hubbard is a Tennessee based Americana Singer/Songwriter and former Regional Director of A&R for a Grammy winning company, as well as a music and podcast producer. Billy is also the venue developer and booking manager of The Station in East TN. As an artist Billy is endorsed by Godin's Simon & Patrick Guitars. You can find Billy Hubbard online at http://www.BillyHubbard.com  

On this episode, I sit down with Sean Flynn of American Buffalo Ghost to talk about how he's creating the future of folk music at the same time that he's preserving it's historic past. We talk what goes into making a great folk song, writing music as a story, and how the music is in people's blood. We even dive into some talk about the blues!
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Highway 81 Revisited: "After scrapping an album he felt did not represent his true feelings and musical approach, Sean Flynn, who performs as American Buffalo Ghost, today released another, entirely different, stripped-down and honest album called “Folk Songs and the Weird Americana.”"

American Buffalo Ghost - Two Days in February (Full Documentary): https://youtu.be/YSa9EqC5pjE​
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanbuff...​
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanbuf...​
Bandcamp: https://americanbuffaloghost.bandcamp...​
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5NJMr...​

Okay y'all… We need to talk about something. at first we only heard about it in whispers or read it in citations or saw the occasional New Yorker comic about it. But now’s it’s been going on for a bit and we can’t ignore the elephant in the room any longer..  Bluegrass music is considered cool now. 

I know. I'd like to say i’m surprised, but I’m really not. Bluegrass music has a rich and vibrant history, dating back to the early 20th century. It is a genre that encapsulates regional identity, creative freedom, and advanced music ability- while also nurturing a vibrant base of music lovers and players through it’s natural communal education. What it was lacking was a new take, new chapters, new songs being added to the bluegrass biblical canon. 

The key word in that sentence is “was”. 

Out of this heartland happening springs forth our guest today- the one and only Billy Strings. 

Billy Strings music is Bluegrass and beyond. His lyrics reflect a critical understanding of the power and skill of songwriting. His songs often take the time to comment on personal happenings’, his concerns regarding economic and ecological disruptions, and just general musings on life itself.  All amplified by the immaculate production of the records themselves. There are moments within Billy Strings albums that arguably border on soundscape due to the inclusion of complicated chromaticism's and lingering sonic intricacies. To try an describe how good he is… its ineffable. 

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Today’s episode features some of my favorite records centered around truck driving, hot roddin’, infidelity and surfing. The show's music selection comes from my 78s, 45s and….even a few LPs! 

I figured these topics would make for an entertaining show. Also, stepping outside the box a little for this show with some instrumental electric guitar groups. That’s where the surfing and hot roddin’ comes in. I love those types of records and I figured I’d throw some of those into the mix for this show. Why not? Please subscribe to the show if you haven't done so already and share with family and friends. Also, go take a visit to the show's new website olddingyjukebox.com and have a look around. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the show. "Truckin', Skiddin', Cheatin' & Surfin'"

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1. Washboard Sam and His Washboard Band “Back Door” 1935
2. Benny Barnes “Diesel Smoke” 1966
3. Big Tweed “Ratchet Jaw” 2014
4. Porter Wagoner “The Cold Hard Facts of Life” 1967
5. Lonnie Irving “Trucker’s Vitus” 1960
6. Phantom Surfers “Rootin’ Around For Ramona” 1997
7. Earl Johnson & His Dixie Entertainers “Three Nights Experience” 1927>
8. Del Reeves “Last Run To Memphis” 1968
9. Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys “Ganroku Hanami Odori” 1967
10. Blind Boy Fuller “You Never Can Tell” 1937
11. Jeanne Gayle with Cliffie Stone’s Music “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” 1952>
12. Terry Fell “Coffee Jim The Trucker” 1976
13. The De-Fenders “Taco Wagon” 1963
14. Wynn Stewart “Uncle Tom Got Caught” 1959
15. Red Simpson “Sleeper Cab Five-By-Two” 1967>
16. Jerry Cole and His Spacemen “Border Run” 1964 

On this week's show, we do our part to keep a legendary NC music venue open. If you'd like to help, please check out Cover Charge: NC Artists Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat's Cradle.

We also give it up for a couple of records we dig that not only turn 10 years old this week, they topped our 2010 Top 10 list. All this & much, much less!

Debts No Honest Man Can Pay is over 2 rock-solid hours of musical eclectica & other noodle stories. The show started in 2003 at WHFR-FM (Dearborn, MI), moved to WGWG-FM (Boiling Springs, NC) in 2006 & Plaza Midwood Community Radio (Charlotte, NC) in 2012, with a brief pit-stop at WLFM-FM (Appleton, WI) in 2004.

As a young man of few dollars & even fewer means, my friends & I would sometimes pool our meager resources together when things looked bleak. What we managed to scrape together would result in a surprisingly festive feast, an impromptu party, or some other damn magical celebration of surviving another day of being young & broke.

That's kindasorta how I felt when putting together this week's show.

There were no new releases this week I felt compelled to explore, and I drew a total blank.

But wait! What's this? An awesome new Lydia Loveless single just dropped (check out the super-fun video for "Love Is Not Enough"). That changes everything!

I looked around & saw there were other new songs from forthcoming records by artists I dig. Okay.... now we're getting somewhere.

Where to next?

I'd been seeing a lot of articles online about queer country. I'd totally dropped the ball about doing anything on the show to celebrate Pride Month. Many of these artists are artists I already like. Here''s a chance to explore an exciting & important musical movement that's been slowly building up over the years.

Okay, now we're cooking!

Waitaminute! I just remembered we've yet to spend quality time with the new Jayhawks record.

We are getting there.

Cap it off with a fistful of tracks that were in heavy rotation during our first year as a mere mortal terrestrial  radio show.

Next thing you know, I'm standing in front of what I'd seen previously as a bare cupboard, looking now at the makings of a fairly festive feast. Enjoy!

Debts No Honest Man Can Pay is over 2 rock-solid hours of musical eclectica & other noodle stories. The show started in 2003 at WHFR-FM (Dearborn, MI), moved to WGWG-FM (Boiling Springs, NC) in 2006 & Plaza Midwood Community Radio (Charlotte, NC) in 2012, with a brief pit-stop at WLFM-FM (Appleton, WI) in 2004.

This episode of the Old Dingy Jukebox features some of my favorite country 45s from the 1950s and 1960s. Ranging from obscure, small label 45s to the more well known artists like George Jones and Merle Haggard on major labels like Capitol and Decca. Overall, the variety found on these records will make for an enjoyable listen to enthusiasts of down home American music styles. Enjoy.

E-mail: olddingyjukebox@gmail.com

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1. Dick Mosely- Truck Stop Number Three. Tornado Records-1968
2. Lonnie Irving- Gooseball Brown. Starday Records-1960
3. Wynn Stewart- ‘Ol What’s Her Name. Capitol Records-1967
4. George Jones- I Woke Up From Dreaming. Musicor Records- 1966
5. Farmer Boys- I’m Just Too Lazy. Capitol Records- 1955
6. Donny Young- It’s Been A Long, Long Time For Me. Decca Records- 1958
7. Joe Maphis- Tennessee Two Step. Columbia Records- 1956
8. Vern Stovall- Movin’ Round. Longhorn Records- 1967
9. Carl Perkins- Let The JukeBox Keep Playing. Sun Records- 1955
10. Merle Haggard- The Longer You Wait. Capitol Records- 1966
11. The Cimarrons- Southern Fried Chicken. Zipp Records- 1956
12. Connie & Joe- Home Is Where The Heart Is. Starday Records- 1960
13. Buck Owens/Rose Maddox- Talk Of The Town.  Capitol Records- 1963
14. Johnny Bond- Broke Disgusted and Sad. Columbia Records- 1951
15. Red Sovine- No Thanks Bartender.  Decca Records- 1957
16. Wayne Raney- Young Widow Brown. Starday Records- 1964
17. Dick Mosely- Under the Double Eagle. Tornado Records-1968

Sean does what he does best, by telling a story that doubles as a medical-grade sleep aid. Music by Alan Barnosky.