Prescription Bluegrass - Welcome Brian McNeal

A brand new show/program just in for 2012. "Prescription Bluegrass" is a very welcome addition to the "Southern Branch Bluegrass" family with a flavor that is a bit different from all the other programs streamed each week. Brian McNeal seems to maintain a very high fever and his only cure appears to be massive doses of Bluegrass on a daily basis. Those afflicted who don't get enough bluegrass in their regular musical diet are encouraged to attend our specialized weekly therapy sessions.

Treatment sessions from Prescription Bluegrass are delivered Free-of-Charge via Frequency, Amplitude or Broadband Modulation every week courtesy of a few hand-picked sponsors and your local radio station.

Treatment sessions are jam-packed with practicing specialists in all the various strains of Bluegrass Fever, including the traditional, old-fashioned, down-from-the-mountain strains, new-grass, border-grass, west-grass, home-grown and even the newer European strains.

Individual treatment sessions, family plans and group therapy are all available weekly.

2011 "Southern Branch Bluegrass" Artists & CD Recognition Awards

Bluegrass-Gospel Group of The Year-The Cockman Family

Bluegrass-Gospel CD of The Year-Mountain Faith-Save Me

Bluegrass Group and CD of The Year-Balsam Range-Trains I've Missed
Congratulations to all and looking forward to a wonderful 2012.

Emer Fox-Singer & Songwriter-Dublin Ireland

A singer and songwriter I've become acquainted with from a mutual love of music and folklore. Emer is from Dublin, Ireland and I find it so very interesting that someone with such genuine talent is not getting much more airplay on radio. Listen to the incredible voice and wonderful arrangements on the tunes that have crossed the large waters for our listening enjoyment all this week on SBBGR. I'm so very proud and feel very blessed that Emer has given me the opportunity to bring to you eleven songs that touch the heart and arouse the emotions such as "Bury Me Down" which she wrote after reading the book "Widow of the South". She said in an email that - The book gave me an insight into war in America that I had never known about before.
A wide variety of styles, creative arrangements and very well intense emotional lyrics provide us with a mix of tunes certainly worth taking the time to listen to as Southern Branch Bluegrass presents - Emer Fox as "Spotlight Artist of the Week"

 

Russell Johnson - Anytime Anyplace But Only You

North Carolina singer, songwriter and mandolinist Russell Johnson has a brand new project just out with many influences including Dean Martin, Adam Levine, Bono and B.B. King to name a few. Regardless of the compilation of musical influences this is one very well developed selection of tunes.The vocal range is exhibited throughout the project as well as the instrumental perfection delivered by Jon Stickley on Guitar, John Wade on Bass and Rick Lafleur on 5 string. In addition to the core band of pickers Nicky Sanders plays fiddle, Rick Keen on Resonator Guitar and of course Russell on Mandolin. Guest artists include Steve Fraleigh on fiddle, Julie Elkins on banjo and Emily Kirsch and Kandis Johnson on vocals. The Grass Cat regulars offered up additional strings as well. Russell wrote or co-wrote half of the songs on this project and is also a multi-talented artist with dividing his time producing, serving as a recording and sound engineer, record label and studio owner. Just listening to how well this collection of songs were arranged and performed and mixed, there's no doubt there is ample professionalism involved in every aspect of "Anytime Anyplace But Only You" by Russell Johnson.

Mark Twain - In Words and Music

The album, Mark Twain: Words & Music, is a double-CD telling Mark Twain's life in spoken word and song. It is a benefit for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, a non-profit organization that will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012. This CD project was created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Twain's death in 2010. It was produced by Grammy award-winning producer Carl Jackson and released on September 21, 2011.

The CD contains 27 tracks - 14 spoken word (with musical background) and 13 songs. The CD sequentially tells the life story of Mark Twain, who was born in 1835 under Halley's Comet and died in 1910 - also under Halley's Comet. The CD is the brainchild of Museum director Cindy Lovell who wrote the narrative and is co-executive producer with Carl Jackson. She and Jackson were childhood friends who had not seen each other in 30+ years until she contacted him to see if he would produce this project.

Carl Jackson is a household name to Nashville musicians and had no trouble matching the perfect voices to each song. Everyone was eager to come on board. Clint Eastwood plays the role of Twain, Jimmy Buffett lends his voice as Huck, Garrison Keillor is the narrator, and Angela Lovell gives voice to Susy Clemens. Singers include Emmylou Harris, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Rhonda Vincent, Bradley Walker, Carl Jackson, The Church Sisters, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Marty Raybon, Val Storey, Vince Gill, Joe Diffie, and Ricky Skaggs.

Several of the songs are brand new and were written especially for the project. Only one song is from Twain's era (Beautiful Dreamer, sung a cappella by Sheryl Crow). The songs were selected to compliment each story segment, which chronicles Twain's life as a boy in Missouri to his life as a riverboat pilot, journalist, family man, author, world traveler, and social commentator.

The double CD comes with a 40-page booklet of liner notes that includes photos, song lyrics, and narration. It is carried on Mailboat Records.

Of special note: Rob Ickes, who plays dobro on the album, was named Best Dobro Player at IBMA in Sept. 2011. Adam Steffey, who plays mandolin on the project, was named Best Mandolin Player at IBMA in Sept. 2011. Some of the harmony voices that can be heard include Joey Martin (of Joey + Rory), Cia Cherryholmes, and Sonya Isaacs.

The album has been entered into several Grammy categories.

America's Bluegrass Band - Spotlight Artists of the Week

Don Rigsby, Ernie Thacker, Melvin Goins and others joined together to release a beautiful project in 2005 called "America's Favorite Hymns". I was first exposed to these tunes from my good pals Mark & Gene that do the Believers Bluegrass Show and I was so impressed I had to have the project to play for the listeners of Southern Branch Bluegrass at will. One way I expressed the creative effort that these old tunes were delivered was, yea; we've heard all kinds of others folks playing and recording these songs but when you piece together expert Bluegrass musicians and singers such as this it's a whole new ball game. Take a good listen this week when you can and you decide if this is a collector project such as I. The tune list as follows:

1) Shoutin' On The Hills                                    8) He Showed Me The Way
2) Me and Jesus                                                  9) Vision Of Mother
3) Precious Memories                                       10) Mother I'm Sorry
4) Rank Strangers                                              11) Cabin On The Hill
5) Little White Church                                      12) Sinner In Sin Too Long
6) I'm Workin' On A Building                          13) Who Will Sing For Me?
7) Zion's Hill                                                     14) Cryin' Holy
8) He Showed Me The Way                              15) Beulah Land

The Cockman Family-Dedicated "Spotlight Artists of the Week"

"It Was All About Love" is still an amazing recording project from the group "The Cockman Family". About a week ago an affiliate program associated with "Southern Branch Bluegrass" was being screened by me before airplay and the show featured a new release from this same group and I thought maybe the host had just discovered "It Was All About Love". What a surprise to me it was a brand new project from "The Cockman Family" called Dedicated. After hearing a couple tunes I sent an e-mail requesting a copy for airplay from this group and around 5 days later I'm happy to announce it's being featured as the "Spotlight Artists of the Week" for "Southern Branch Bluegrass".
Thirteen beautiful tunes filled with large quantities of strings, vocals and harmonies that fill the heart with joy and heavenly blessings that only a Christ centered effort can bring.
With all that seems to fill our lives with day-to-day struggles and huge hurdles to cross this is one impressive project that has certainly taken faithful prayers and true dedication to our Savior to create such a masterpiece as this.

Many thanks and appreciation to John Sr., Caroline, John Jr., Billy, David, Ben and all that had a hand in bringing us such a blessed host of songs such as this. Take time this week to listen to this entire CD as it will fill your soul and surely give you strength to continue your daily walk as I plan on hearing all the tunes numerous times in the next few days and will most likely become a favorite of many as I present you with The Cockman Families latest release, "Dedicated".