Frank Brown earned the nickname “Hylo” because of his considerable vocal range that became his trademark.  Born in 1922 in Johnson County, KY, which also became the birthplace of Loretta Lynn, Brown had thoroughly absorbed the music indigenous to his Appalachian home.

In 1957, Brown joined Flatt & Scruggs, becoming a featured vocalist with the duo’s Foggy Mountain Boys. The group’s increasing popularity prompted Flatt and Scruggs to form a second Foggy Mountain band, called the Timberliners, with Brown as the unit’s frontman; the Timberliners which included mandolin player Red Rector, fiddler Clarence “Tater” Tate, Jim Smoak on the banjo, and bassist Joe Phillips.

Hylo Brown and the Timberliners released their first album in 1958 on Capitol Records and it remains a traditional bluegrass classic album.  The group was short lived and had a few band changes with Norman Blake on dobro and Billy Edwards on banjo and soon after breaking up Brown rejoined Flatt & Scruggs as a featured singer.

In the early ’60s, Hylo Brown cut a handful of solo records, including 1961′s Bluegrass Balladeer, 1962′s Bluegrass Goes to College, and the next year’s Hylo Brown Meets the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers.

Hylo Brown recorded seven albums for Rural Rhythm Records in the late 60’s with Lee Sutton as producer.  Hylo Brown & The Timberliners was the first of the seven albums and was originally released in 1967.   Uncle Jim O’Neal, creator of Rural Rhythm Records, was the architect behind Hylo Brown performing all the standard traditional songs that have been handed down through the generations on these seven classic albums.

After recording seven albums for Rural Rhythm Records Hylo ‘s recordings became fewer and news of him was hard-to-find.  He broke up his band and retired from the road in the 1980’s and eventually passed away on February 2, 2003.

    PICTURE FROM LIFE’S OTHER SIDE (3:39)
    LITTLE BUNCH OF ROSES (2:32)
    GREAT HISTORICAL BUM (1:40)
    BANJO SIGNAL (:44)
    BRING A LITTLE WATER SYLVIE (1:31)
    BLUE TAIL FLY (2:08)
    WEEPING WILLOW (1:58)
    WEDNESDAY NIGHT WALTZ (1:53)
   GROUND HOG (1:58)
   LONESOME ROAD BLUES (2:08)
   THE PICTURE ON THE WALL (2:30)
   LEFT MY GAL IN THE MOUNTAINS (1:41)
   SWEET FERN (2:26)
   BANJO ON THE MOUNTAIN (1:45)
   SAME OLD TALE (2:14)
   BROWN EYES (2:40)
   WALKING CANE (2:08)
   FIVE STRING ROCK (1:02)
   HANDSOME MOLLY (1:23)
   THE HOBO SWEETHEART (2:21)
Musicians:

HYLO BROWN – Guitar, Lead Vocal
JACK CASEY – Guitar
ROSS BRANHAM – 5-String Banjo
JOHN MAULTBAY – Fiddle
DANNY MILHON – Dobro Guitar
DICK BRICKLESS – Acoustic Bass

Album Produced by Lee Sutton
Reissue Producer: Sam Passamano, II
Mastered for this CD by Sammy Passamano, III

For free catalog of Country, Bluegrass Gospel and Folk music call 
(800) 776-8742 or write to: 
Rural Rhythm Records
P.O. Box 750
Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

HYLO BROWN & Timberliners (Full Album)

RED SMILEY and The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
The warm, expressive voice of Red Smiley is one of the treasures of bluegrass music. With his longtime partner, Don Reno, he was an integral part of one of the all-time greatest bluegrass acts, although we catch him on his own in the autumn of his years. This recording, originally released in 1967, find him making a sweet return to the old time music that formed the bedrock of bluegrass.

Arthur Lee “Red” Smiley was born on May 17, 1925 in Asheville, North Carolina. He joined a band with Red Rector in 1946, and met Don Reno in December 1949 after Reno had spent a year as Earl Scruggs’ replacement in Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. Reno & Smiley were recruited by fiddler Tommy Magness for his group, the Tennessee Buddies, and in late 1951 they left Magness to form Reno & Smiley.

In 1955, Reno & Smiley signed on at the Old Dominion Barn Dance in Richmond, Virginia. Then, as Don Reno recounted, “We moved to Roanoke [to host a weekday television show on WDBJ] and drove to Richmond every Saturday night for the Old Dominion Barn Dance until the spring of 1957. Our television show with our old friend [announcer] Irvin Sharp, called Top o’ the Morning, did so well they added one half hour to our show and the drive to Richmond got rough. We took over the WDVA Barn Dance in Danville, Virginia every Saturday night as soon as we left the Old Dominion Barn Dance [in December 1959].” The problem was that television restricted their touring, and while this suited Red it didn’t suit Don. Red’s reluctance to tour stemmed from health issues. He suffered from diabetes and lost a lot of weight. Reno & Smiley split in November 1964.

This recording is the first of three LPs that Red and his Blue Grass Cut-Ups made for Rural Rhythm in the years immediately after the split. After his TV show was cancelled in March 1968, Red retired briefly before signing on with Don Reno and Bill Harrell in 1970. They performed and recorded together, and were in the middle of a tour when Red began suffering mild heart-attacks in 1971. Later that year, he was taken ill during a flu epidemic, and died on January 2, 1972, at the age of 47.

Red’s Bluegrass Cut-Ups comprised bassist John Palmer, banjoist Billy Edwards, Tater Tate on fiddle, and Gene Burrows on mandolin. Red generously shared solo space and let his young sidemen step up to the mic. “Oh! Monah” is a pop song that bandleader Ted Weems cowrote and recorded in 1931. “Roll on, Buddy” had been recorded by the Monroe Brothers in the 1930s, and many times before that. No one, though, is sure where it originated. The Monroes also popularized “Darling Corey,” although again no one knows its origin. Usually treated as a breakdown, “Shady Grove” was based on a nursery rhyme, “Fly around My Pretty Little Miss,” that crossed the ocean with the first settlers.

The great black songster Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. Leadbelly, popularized “Take This Hammer,” a song he’d probably heard in the Texas prisons. During the 1960s, it became a folk revival classic. Turning to songs of Appalachian descent, we have “900 Miles,” another immemorial song that became a folk revival favorite. It sounds ominously redolent of other murder ballads, like “The Banks of the Ohio.” The close harmony on the choruses is exquisite. If Red Smiley schooled his young accompanists, he schooled them well. “Short Life of Trouble” was written or adapted by blind songster Dick Burnett. “In The Pines” is one of the great unsettling classics of American music, a song that has crossed all boundaries from Doc Walsh’s 1926 recording to Kurt Cobain’s haunting coda to his Unplugged appearance. In between, it has been recorded by Leadbelly, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Bill Monroe, and even became a 1964 hit for a Britpop group, the Four Pennies. Folklorists agree that it was probably cobbled together from several nineteenth century Appalachian songs. The “in the pines” refrain is one of the most evocative in American music.

And of course, like every good bluegrass show, this set includes some hymns. The vintage gospel classic “Somebody Touched Me” is a song that Bob Dylan often includes in his shows, and one that probably comes from African American sacred music, as does “Working on a Building.”

There is deep knowledge and true love of the old music embodied here. Red knew the value of these songs, and he is part of the chain by which they’re passed down to us and future generations. Truly music for the ages.
Colin Escott

1.  ROLL ON BUDDY (1:35)
2.  SUMMERTIME IS PAST AND GONE (1:59)
3.  BIG SANDY (1:00)
4.  TAKE THIS HAMMER (1:57)
5.  WRECK OF THE OLD NO. 9 (2:41)
6.  LET THE CHURCH ROLL ON (1:54)
7.  SHORT LIFE OF TROUBLE (2:30)
8.  SHADY GROVE (1:17)
9.  LITTLE MAGGIE (1:48)
10.  900 MILES (1:33)
11.  SILVER BELLS (1:47)
12.  OH ! MONAH (1:50)
13.  TUPELO COUNTY JAIL (2:02)
14.  BLACK EYED SUSAN (1:15)
15.  FALLEN LEAF (2:33)
16.  SOMETHING GOT HOLD OF ME (2:29)
17.  LITTLE BIRDIE (1:52)
18.  IN THE PINES (2:31)
19.  DARLIN’ COREY (1:18)
20.  WORKING ON A BULDING (1:57)
21.  SOMEBODY TOUCHED ME (2:35)

Musicians:
RED SMILEY – Guitar, Lead Vocal
BILLY EDWARDS – Banjo
CLARENCE “TATER” TATE – Fiddle, Vocal
GENE BURRIS – Mandolin, Guitar, Vocal
JOHN PALMER – Acoustic Bass

Album Produced by Lee Sutton
Album Arranged by Uncle Jim O’Neal
Reissue Producer: Sam Passamano, II
Mastered for this CD by Sammy Passamano, III

For free catalog of Country, Bluegrass Gospel and Folk music call (800) 776-8742 or write to: 
Rural Rhythm Records
P.O. Box 750
Mt. Juliet, TN 37122

RED_SMILEY & The Blue Grass Cut-Ups (Full Album)

It makes perfect sense that the “King of the 5-String Banjo” would have a Christmas album too. This tastefully done project features all-instrumental collection of many seasonal favorites. Raymond could’ve really gone to town with some of his more innovative licks and tricks, but he keeps his picking fairly conservative with this holiday fare. That’s probably a wise approach with these 14 carols and songs that also include Cody Shuler (mandolin), Arvil Freeman (fiddle), Wayne Crowe (bass, guitar), and Bruce Moody (guitar). Thankfully they don’t play with Nashville-styled slickness. They just seem to have fun and play with spirit (sometimes with a little harmony thrown in) that would make Jolly Ol’ St, Nick proud.

When family and friends come over for a holiday gathering, put this CD on to liven things up a bit. There are plenty of easy listening Christmas albums out there, and “yule” surely get a kick from banjo-centric renditions of “Frosty the Snowman” and “Here Comes Santa Claus.” In a certain way, Fairchild is like Santa too for bringing us this heart-warming gift for a Bluegrassy Christmas. (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

Raymond Fairchild – Smoky Mountain Christmas

CHRISTMAS: THE MOUNTAIN WAY is a live performance musical show that showcases Christmas and its traditions in the Appalachian Mountains. The Bell Theater in Pineville KY was turned into a Christmas wonderland last June. The show, hosted by Mike Scott (Mike Scott s Nashville Band, Ronnie Reno Tradition, Jim & Jesse, Bill Monroe), featured performances by Steve Gulley, (Doyle Lawson And Quicksilver, Mountain Heart, Grasstowne), Dale Ann Bradley (2011 I B M A Female Vocalist of the Year), Marty Raybon (Grammy winner/Shenandoah), Audie Blaylock (2012 I B M A Male Vocalist of the Year nominee), Cumberland River, Common Strings, Debbie Gulley and students from the Cumberland River Music Academy. Christmas is a very special time in our hearts and souls. It connects us with family, friends and traditions passed down through the generations. Over the years working with many artists with ties to the mountain community I have heard a strong recurring message about The Mountain Way. We have asked some artist friends to help us put together a TV special filled with all the traditions, memories and cherished music that represents the charm, beauty and grace of Christmas: The Mountain Way , Sam Passamano, II – Executive Producer / President Rural Rhythm Records. Artist / Album Producer Steve Gulley: Growing up in the East Tennessee Mountains near the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, I learned early on the respect and reverence the people of the mountains hold for the Christmas holiday. I m proud to say that tradition still holds true today in the Cumberland Mountains that I love so dear. Technology, money, commercialism and the flavor of the month mentality that has evolved over the years for so many is replaced with old fashioned values, tradition, heritage and thankful praise. I believe this videotaping will let the rest of the world get a glimpse of true Americana and allow the spirit of the season to shine through in the brightest of ways. I m proud to be a part of this production and share Christmas the best way I know…..Christmas: The Mountain Way. Christmas: The Mountain Way will air on BlueHighways TV (5 million households), during the 2012 Christmas season, with multiple airings in November and December. BlueHighways TV is proud to be able to offer this star filled Christmas music special from this picturesque location, the Bell Theater in Pineville, KY , says Stan Hitchcock, Chairman and CEO of the nationally distributed cable network. This will be a wonderful gift for our viewers who love bluegrass and mountain music. We thank Rural Rhythm Records and their artists for making it available to us. Music from the program will be available in a 2 Disc Package one compact disc containing 14 songs and the second, a DVD disc featuring not only the live performance(s) but loads of extra features, including interviews with the artists, stories about their Christmas experiences and a behind the scenes look at the Making of Christmas The Mountain Way’. The package will also contain two original Christmas songs written just for this program, Christmas The Mountain Way written and performed by Steve Gulley and Dale Ann Bradley and Christmas In The Mountains written by Joey Jones and performed by Cumberland River. Both of these songs will be sent to bluegrass, Americana and roots radio for the upcoming Christmas season.

Christmas The Mountain Way (Includes Bonus DVD)

VINTAGE BLUEGRASS POWER PICKS – 30 TRADITIONAL CLASSICS 

THE LEADER IN CLASSIC BLUEGRASS COLLECTIONS!  Continuing with Rural Rhythm’s highly successful POWER PICKS - COLLECTION Series comes VINTAGE BLUEGRASS – 30 Timeless Classics.  This title is the 7h in the POWER PICKS Series and contains 30 authentic performances and beloved timeless classics by many Bluegrass legends and pioneers.  

The recent upsurge of interest in bluegrass has reconnected America with its past.  Rural Rhythm was foremost among the labels that recorded bluegrass. From its inception in 1955, Rural Rhythm’s founder, Uncle Jim O’Neal, loved traditional music and probably knew as many songs from early times as any folklorist. He would encourage his artists to keep these songs alive, and, as a result, Rural Rhythm is a treasure trove of traditional American music. The old songs tell us so much about the way our ancestors lived and about the way the country has changed since the first settlers arrived. 

This new POWER PICKS collection contains the “real thing”, recorded by Bluegrass legends, such as Don Reno, Red Smiley, Hylo Brown, Earl Taylor, Bill Harrell, Mac Martin and pioneers who have spent their lives staying true to their rural American roots. 

The POWER PICKS Series includes new collection titles that focus on Traditional Bluegrass & Old-Time Country Classics that represents the BEST OF standard classics from Rural Rhythm’s Treasure trove of over 4,000 original masters dating back to 1955 when the label was created.
TRACKS:
1.	LONESOME ROAD BLUES				EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL with The Stoney Mountain Boys
2.	TRAGIC ROMANCE					RED WHITE & His Dixie Blue Grass Band
3.	POOR ELLEN SMITH					DON RENO & BILL HARRELL with The Tennessee Cut-Ups
4.	CINDY						ERNIE & MACK with The Blue Grass Cut-Ups	
5.	I AIN’T GONNA WORK HERE TOMORROW		FROSTY MOUNTAIN BOYS with Raymond Fairchild
6.	TRAIN 45						LOG CABIN BOYS
7.	LITTLE MAGGIE					EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL with The Stoney Mountain Boys
8.	I WONDER HOW THE OLD FOLKS ARE AT HOME	RED WHITE & His Dixie Blue Grass Band	
9.	EAST VIRGINIA BLUES				ERNIE & MACK with The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
10.	HOT CORN – COLD CORN				DON RENO & BILL HARRELL with The Tennessee Cut-Ups
11.	ALL THE GOOD TIMES ARE PAST AND GONE		ROY ROSS & The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys
12.	EARL’S BREAKDOWN				BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINEERS	
13.	WONDERING BOY					EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL with The Stoney Mountain Boys
14.	THE WEEPING WILLOW				ERNIE & MACK with The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
15.	WAY DOWN TOWN					JIM GREER & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks
16.	900 MILES						RED SMILEY & The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
17.	RABBIT IN THE LOG				 	FROSTY MOUNTAIN BOYS with Raymond Fairchild
18.	PATTY ON THE TURNPIKE				LOG CABIN BOYS
19.	WORRIED MAN BLUES				EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL with The Stoney Mountain Boys
20.	CARELESS LOVE					ERNIE & MACK with The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
21.	HANDSOME MOLLY					JIM GREER & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks
22.	ARE YOU MISSING ME				RED WHITE & His Dixie Blue Grass Band
23.	NOBODY’S BUSINESS				DON RENO & BILL HARRELL with The Tennessee Cut-Ups
24.	BLUE RIDGE BREAKDOWN				ROY ROSS & The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys
25.	GATHERING FLOWER FROM THE HILLSIDE		EARL TAYLOR & JIM McCALL with The Stoney Mountain Boys
26.	BROKEN VOWS					ERNIE & MACK with The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
27.	DOWN THE ROAD					BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINEERS
28.	BANKS OF THE OHIO				RED SMILEY & The Blue Grass Cut-Ups
29.	LONG JOURNEY HOME				DON RENO & BILL HARRELL with The Tennessee Cut-Ups
30.	MISSISSIPPI SAWYER				MAC MARTIN & The Dixie Travelers

Vintage Bluegrass Power Pick: 30 Traditional Classics

APPALACHIAN SONGS OF FAITH: POWER PICKS – 30 BLUEGRASS GOSPEL CLASSCIS

THE LEADER IN CLASSIC BLUEGRASS COLLECTIONS!  Continuing with Rural Rhythm’s highly successful POWER PICKS - COLLECTION Series comes APPALACHAIN SONGS OF FAITH – POWER PICKS: 30 Bluegrass Gospel Classics.  This title is the 8h in the POWER PICKS Series and contains 30 authentic performances and beloved timeless classics by many Bluegrass legends and pioneers.  

This new POWER PICKS collection contains the “real thing”, recorded by Bluegrass legends, such as Don Reno, Red Smiley, Hylo Brown, Earl Taylor, Bill Harrell, Mac Martin and pioneers who have spent their lives staying true to their rural American roots. 

The POWER PICKS Series includes new collection titles that focus on Traditional Bluegrass & Old-Time Country Classics that represents the BEST OF standard classics from Rural Rhythm’s Treasure trove of over 4,000 original masters dating back to 1955 when the label was created.
TRACKS:
1.	PRAYER BELLS OF HEAVEN- RED SMILEY
2.	PREACHIN’, PRAYIN’ & SINGIN’ - JIM GREER		
3.	GOD PUT A RAINBOW IN THE CLOUDS - MARKSMEN QUARTET			
4.	NO HIDIN’ PLACE DOWN HERE - HYLO BROWN					
5.	THE GREAT SPECKLED BIRD - RENO & HARRELL
6.	WHEN OUR LORD SHALL COME AGAIN - RED SMILEY
7.	TAKE YOUR SHOES OFF MOSES - J.D. JARVIS	
8.	LEANING ON THE EVERLASTING ARMS - JIM GREER				
9.	SAVE ME AS I KNEEL AND PRAY - HYLO BROWN					
10.	RANK STRANGERS - RED WHITE					
11.	THE OLD GOSPEL SHIP - RED SMILEY
12.	HE WILL SET YOUR FIELDS ON FIRE - JIM GREER				
13.	WHERE THE SOUL OF MAN NEVER DIES - RUSTY YORK
14.	IF I COULD HEAR MY MOTHER PRAY AGAIN - HYLO BROWN
15.	WINGS OF A DOVE - FROSTY MOUNTAIN BOYS		
16.	I’LL BE NO STRANGER THERE - RED SMILEY
17.	I’ll BE A FRIEND - MAC MARTIN 
18.	LIFE’S RAILWAY TO HEAVEN - J.D. JARVIS				
19.	WAIT FOR THE LIGHT TO SHINE - HYLO BROWN				
20.	THE MAN OF GALILEE - RED SMILEY
21.	I BELIEVE THAT GOOD OLD BIBLE - LEE MOORE				
22.	WHEN THE ANGELS CARRY ME HOME - RED WHITE				
23.	I’LL MEET YOU IN CHURCH ON SUNDAY MORNING - J.D. JARVIS				
24.	YOU GO TO YOUR CHURCH - JIM GREER
25.	SWEETER THEN THE FLOWERS - HYLO BROWN					
26.	CITY ON THE HILL - RUSTY YORK					
27.	CRYING HOLY UNTO THE LORD - RED WHITE				
28.	HEAVENLY CANNONBALL - LEE MOORE					
29.	PALMS OF VICTORY	 - J.D. JARVIS					
30.	VOICE OF OUR SAVIOR - FROSTY MOUNTAIN BOYS	


Appalachian Songs Of Faith Power Picks: 30 Bluegrass Gospel Classics

Appalachian Bluegrass Gospel – Power Picks: 30 Instrumental Favorites

The View

Mended Wings

Black Gold

Northern Skies

No More Tears Left To Cry

Live The Life You Love

Sometimes

Heaven Needed Her More

Those Boots

No More Lonely - Single

No More Lonely

Bluegrass Kinda Christmas

The Roys - Bluegrass Kinda Christmas

Heritage Collection Series Radio Spot 60sec: Please Download this Radio Spot and add it to your Radio Show.

Heritage Collection Series Radio Spot 60sec


Mac Martin, born “William D. Colleran”, who changed his name early in his music career, is celebrating his 90th Birthday this year and over 60 years performing Bluegrass music.  A life-long resident of Pittsburgh, Mac, whose parents come from Ireland, listened both to the Grand Ole Opry and Wheeling Jamboree since childhood, which is where his love for traditional country and Bluegrass music began.

Mac Martin has been identified as a “Pioneer of Bluegrass” by International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky.  For over fifty years, Mac Martin has kept the bluegrass fame burning strongly in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and the surrounding regional area.  Although during the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s, Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers have not made a large number of personal appearances outside of the region, their quality recordings have won them a dedicated audience among fans of traditional Bluegrass throughout the world.  

Mac Martin’s style of music is highly influenced by the “bluesy” sound of Bill Monroe’s classic bluegrass band when Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and Cedric Rainwater were in it during the mid-1940’s.  Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers have shown an especially able knack for taking good quality songs from the near forgotten past and developing excellent arrangements of them that fit the style of the Dixie Travelers. 
With The Travelin’ Blues is the first album released by Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers on Rural Rhythm Records in 1968 and contains 20 Bluegrass Instrumental songs, many classics that features Billy Bryant’s legendary banjo playing and fiddle master Mike Carson’s.  Album highlights include; “Weary Lonesome Blues”, “Mississippi Sawyer”, “Reuben’s Pardon”, Fiddler’s Farewell”, “Maple Sugar”, “Black Mountain Blues”, “Peacock Rag”, ”Life’s Railway To Heaven” and more. 
“We choose songs that varied from the usual Bluegrass instrumentals, some with an up-tempo beat, some blues numbers and music from the early days.” – Mac Martin (December 2014)
If you enjoy authentic traditional Bluegrass instrumentals and the classics songs that have been passed down through the years performed by one of the top pioneer bands during the hey-day of the Golden Age of Bluegrass, then With The Travelin’ Blues is right for you.

1.	Weary Lonesome Blues (1:57)
2.	Smoky Mountain Rag (2:09)
3.	Mississippi Sawyer (2:13)
4.	Memphis Blues (1:45)
5.	Farewell Blues (1:40)
6.	Maple Sugar (1:47)
7.	Home In Tennessee (1:55)
8.	Natchez (1:45)
9.	I Don’t Love Nobody (1:52)
10.	Peacock Rag (1:55)
11.	Fiddler’s Farewell (1:32)
12.	Train On The Island (1:37)
13.	Lost River Blues (2:20)
14.	Reuben’s Pardon (1:37)
15.	Mustang (2:06)
16.	I’m Working On A Banjo (2:03)
17.	Old Uncle Joe (1:28)
18.	Travelin’ Dixie (1:47)
19.	Black Mountain Blues (3:05)
20.	Life’s Railway To Heaven (1:47)

Musicians:
MAC MARTIN – Guitar
BILLY BRYANT – 5-String Banjo, Lead Guitar
MIKE CARSON – Fiddle
FRANK BASISTA – Acoustic Bass

Produced By Tom Knight
Reissue Producer: Sam Passamano, II
Mastered for this CD by Sammy Passamano, III
Studio Engineer: Mark Thornton (Original tape transfer
done at Sidekick Sound Studios - Nashville, TN)
Photography By Gangadharan

For free catalog of Country, Bluegrass Gospel and Folk music call (800) 776-8742 or write to: 
Rural Rhythm Records
P.O. Box 750
Mt. Juliet, TN 37121


With The Travelin’ Blues

Weary Lonesome Blues

Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers With The Travelin’ Blues

POWER PICKS is a BEST OF series and contains Rural Rhythm’s most powerful classic song performances by many Bluegrass legends and pioneers from the heyday of Bluegrass music!  This Heritage Collection title contains classic original master performances culled from Rural Rhythm’s treasure trove of over 4,000 original masters dating back to 1955.  If you like traditional Bluegrass music and want a collection of classic songs performed by the Legends & Pioneers of Bluegrass, then the Rural Rhythm Heritage Collection series is right for you.  The songs were very familiar to our ancestors, and thanks to these traditional Bluegrass musicians, they’re with us still.  Help keep the traditional Bluegrass flame burning with your family and friends.  

1.	Little Maggie - Frosty Mountain Boys (1:42)		
2.	Deep Elm Blues - Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:08)				
3.	Uncle Pen	- Ernie & Mack With The Bluegrass Cut-Ups	 (1:59)			
4.	Martin & The Coys - Hylo Brown & The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys (2:44)			
5.	Rabbit In The Log - Log Cabin Boys (2:01)			
6.	Yonder Comes The Sheriff - Bob Ensign & The Stump Jumpers (1:50)					
7.	When It’s Time For The Whippoorwill To Sing - Jim Greer	& The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:30)			
8.	Cripple Creek - Frosty Mountain Boys (1:56)			
9.	Whoa, Mule Whoa - J.E. Mainer  & The Mountaineers ( Featuring Morris Herbert) (2:00)		
10.	If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again - Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (1:44)					
11.	Gathering Flowers From The Hillside - James Wall (2:01)				
12.	Foggy Mountain Top - Raymond Fairchld	 (1:32)	
13.	Tupelo County Jail - Red Smiley & The Bluegrass Cut-Ups (2:02)			
14.	Rolling In My Sweet Baby’s Arms - Frosty Mountain Boys (1:36)		
15.	Shady Grove - J.E. Mainer & Red Smiley With The Bluegrass Cut-Ups (2:00)		
16.	Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down - Jim Greer	& The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (1:32)			
17.	Bring A Little Water Sylvie - Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (1:33)
18.	Black Eyed Susan - Tater Tate (1:16)
19.	My Clinch Mountain Home - James Wall (1:51)				
20.	Why Do You Wonder - Ernie & Mack With The Bluegrass Cut-Ups (1:29)				
21.	John Hardy - Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (1:38)
22.	Down In The Willow Garden - Earl Taylor & Jim Mccall With The Stoney Mountain Boys (2:00)		
23.	Sweet Fern - Hylo Brown & The Timberliners (2:32)		
24.	John Henry - Red White & His Dixie Blue Grass Band (1:31)	
25.	I Wonder How The Old Folks Are At Hom - Ernie & Mack With The Stoney Mountain Boys (1:37)			
26.	Pallet On The Floor - J.E. Mainer & The Mountaineers ( Featuring Morris Herbert) (2:14)				
27.	Plant Some Flowers By My Grave	 - Red Smiley & The Bluegrass Cut-Ups (1:46)					
28.	I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight - Hylo Brown (3:31)			
29.	Chruch In The Wildwoods - Jim Greer & The Mac-O-Chee Valley Folks (2:09)
30.	Old Mountain Dew - Raymond Fairchild (1:16)	


30 Appalachian Bluegrass Classics – Power Picks: Vintage Collection

Sand Mountain Blues

30 APPALACHIAN BLUEGRASS CLASSICS - POWER PICKS: Vintage Collection

Nashville, TN (July 5, 2016) – Rural Rhythm Records is pleased to announce the first single “Columbus Stockade Blues” by hit songwriter Billy Droze.  At only 29, Billy Droze has acquired the title of "hit songwriter" over the years co-writing such songs as; I Know Better" (#1 on Bluegrass Today Weekly Chart) - The Grascals, "Her Memory Again" (#5 on Bluegrass Today Weekly Chart) - Flatt Lonesome, “Bottle Was a Bible” – Junior Sisk, ”Big Pain” – Marty Raybon, "Free Again" – Shenandoah, “Sunday Clothes” – Randy Kohrs, “That’s Why I Run” - Billy Yates (#1 in Europe), “You Never Know” – Darryl Worley,  "Like I Do" - Jamie O'Neil and more.

However for his first single, Droze puts his soulful mountain vocals on the classic “Columbus Stockade Blues” with the help of his friend Ronnie Bowman on harmony vocals and top bluegrass pickers Rob Ickes (Dobro)and Andy Leftwich (Fiddle).    The single is produced by Billy Droze & Ronnie Bowman and includes performances by David Freeman (Mandolin), Gary Waldrep (Banjo), Jason Roller (Guitar) andKevin Grant (Bass)

“I first heard Columbus Stockade Blues as a teenager in Alabama. from a dear friend I called my Grandfather Jack Alexander.  He would pick up his old Martin and sing it to me and quote these words jokingly with a grin "Bill if you had any sense you'd record this song and make it big" I'd laugh and shrug it off all the while knowing I would just for him if ever given the chance.  Sam Passamano, II, President of Rural Rhythm Records, and talked about maybe recording a classic traditional song and I immediately heard Jack in the back of my mind telling me to PICK ‘Columbus Stockade Blues’.  So I did…When it came down to cutting the vocal I wanted to make sure the original melody was intact, so I immediately called longtime friend Ronnie Bowman.  This song was a one taker with the band it just seem to flow out effortlessly. So in a way old seeds planted still grow and I’m sure glad they did.  I do believe we all did it justice with a slight twist and I bet old Jack is smiling.
” – Billy Droze

“Columbus Stockade Blues” first made famous by the founding father of Bluegrass himself Mr. Bill Monroe but was written and recorded way back in the early 1920’s.  Columbus Stockade was an actual place, a well-known jail and police station since as far back as the 1850's.  The song speaks about a man who was incarcerated at the facility thinking of his love back home in Tennessee and knows if he ever made it out of prison it would only be in his dreams.

Columbus Stockade Blues - Billy Droze

Bluegrass Tragic Love Songs

The Marksmen Quartet of Murrayville, Georgia. originated in 1967 as a Southern gospel quartet under the direction of Dr. Earle Wheeler. Through the years, the group's styles moved to bluegrass gospel and country gospel. Dove award nominees in 2008 for "God's Masterpiece" and 2010 for "Blue Ridge Mountain Memories," the group includes Earle Wheeler, Mark Wheeler, Darrin Chambers, Mark Autry and Davey Waller.

Love Letters In The Sand - The Marksmen Quartet

At 26, fiddler Jim Van Cleve has already achieved more than many players do in a lifetime, apprenticing with bluegrass master Doyle Lawson, winning acclaim as a member of the hot bluegrass-and-more ensemble Mountain Heart and playing a prominent role on the winner of 2004's Grammy for Country Album of the Year, Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs Of The Louvin Brothers and playing on Carrie Underwood's triple platinum album, Some Hearts. Now, with the release of his solo debut, No Apologies, Van Cleve, who wrote or co-wrote 6 songs on the album, takes a bold step forward. With the help of guests ranging from award-winning bandmates and friends like three-time IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Ronnie Bowman to country and gospel singer Sonya Isaacs.

Let The Big Dog Eat - Jim VanCleve

#1 hit bluegrass song "Hard Rock Mountain Prison" by the multi-award winning group, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out.  The song appears on their self-titled album and can be purchased at iTunes, Amazon, Rural Rhythm Records and more.

01 Hard Rock Mountain Prison

By James Moulton

This is the second recording made by Melonie Cannon, daughter of Nashville Producer ,Buddy Cannon. Her first one opened up a lot of ears a couple of years ago. Canon's voice reminds me alot of Allison Krauss with more of a country accent. Cannon has her own nuances and pours out emotion into each song. "Cactus In A Coffee Can" could easily be a hit if it was played on country radio. This is a beautiful song penned by Allen Shamblen, it had been sitting in Buddy Cannon's A song folder for a long time. The oddly named song is a masterpiece of beautiful melodies,hooks with just some killer lyrics. I cried the first time that I heard it.

Very few artists can push my buttons and hit that inner spot. Cannon blew me away with her rendition of "Whiskey Lullabye" on her first CD too long ago.

It is hard to go into detail about each song on this disc. "Send A Little Love" (Bowman,Sherrill),is a beautiful emotive prayer to God to send a little love our way. So Sweet!!! I gave up trying to become a successful writer long ago, what I have been blessed with is artists and their publicists like this, who know that when release time comes, I'll get that disc and that is special. Special music is very hard to find today. Like, I'm thinking that it's about time to hear from Mindy Smith's folks, yeh ,about that time.

I must say and be grateful for Rural Rhythms Records, they are fast becoming one of the hottest Bluegrass labels period. I like how they have split up between trad. bluegrass and more contemporary bluegrass like this. Yeh, I love this stuff. When my two favorite labels downsized (Vanguard and Sugar Hill), I wondered, then Rural Rhythmn came steamin' along, "Love You Guys".

This next song kinda did me in, ever hear a song that was like about what you were goin' thru. "The Day Before You"(Narmore,Rose,Brokop) has a special meaning for me. What a sad, happy, song about giving up love and then finding it. Randy Kohr's Dobro does me in here.
This is also special for Cannon because her Daddy sings it with her.

Well, a few more words and I hope that you get your copy soon. OH, Oh "Back To Earth" (Nelson) - Cannon and Willie Nelson sound like Angels on this one, how does Willie keep it up, They sound so good together. Yeh, and Willies' beautiful guitar playing. I have had this CD about two weeks and it keeps getting better with each listen. Buddy Cannon does such an excellent job of producing it, so many guest musicians and vocalists. It just doesn't get much better.
Melonie Cannon and Carrie Hassler are the two hottest bluegrass singers on the scene right now. Well, see ya next time. got a little surprise for ya.

www.meloniecannon.com
http://www.ruralrhythm.com/

Melonie Cannon: The Day Before You

By Timothy Yap TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

Prime Cuts: Cactus in a Coffee Cup, Back to Earth (Duet with Willie Nelson), The Day Before You

Some people release CDs that simply ride the crest of what's currently hip with their eyes incessantly fixated on the mighty dollar. Then there are those whose records are pieces of art intricately woven with the woes and joys of life in all its opaline beauty. Cannon's long awaited sophomore effort "And the Wheels Turn" proudly belongs to the latter. Daughter of hit writer cum producer Buddy Cannon (who has worked with Kenny Chesney, Reba McEntire, George Strait among others), Cannon has enlisted daddy's help again not only in producing this disc but also in co-writing two tracks with the rest of the songs coming from Nashville's A-list scribes including John Scott Sherrill, Ronnie Bowman, Mark Narmore, Dean Dillon, Michael Heeney, Lisa Brokop and Jennifer Hanson. Nevertheless, despite the involvement of such big names from country music, Cannon's sonic palette is still progressive bluegrass (think Alison Krauss) with the occasional splatter of country and southern Gospel. However, unlike Krauss, Cannon has a deeper and earthier alto that resonates with an understated passion that is what makes Cannon such an engaging performer.

Cannon's other trump card is that she knows how to sing a story song well. Instead of yielding to the temptation to open the disc with an attitudinal stomper, Cannon creeps into our conscience slowly and surely with a devastating heart-wrenching ballad "Cactus in a Coffee Cup." "Cactus" tells of an encounter Cannon had with a girl on a plan where she told Cannon of her mother: how she abandoned her at birth, became a drug addict and later died. With nothing much left behind, all the girl has in remembrance of her mom was a cactus in a coffee can. Without any improbable resolution, Cannon unhurried unfurls the reality of life in its starkest form making our listening experience truly heart shattering. Equally detailed in her narration is the hopefully "The Day Before You" (which is interestingly co-written by Lisa Brokop) which chronicles a loss-at-love Cannon ready to give up on romance just to find her Mr. Perfect appearing in the most unexpected time. This is certainly a treat for the hopeless romantic at heart.

Like many female artists today, Cannon has a canon of songs that speak empowerment to women. Drawing her inspiration way back into the Biblical times, "Mary Magdalene" is further bolstered by a heavenly chorus and its thumping inspirational message. Cannon shows she has attitude with her tough-chick "I take no nonsense from you" stance on the lead single "I Call It Gone." Reaching back into vaults, Cannon has chosen to record two covers. First is Willie Nelson's "Back to Earth," taken from the red-headed stranger's 2006 "Songbird" CD; this is the perfect vehicle for Cannon to slowly devour every word of this broken hearted ballad making each word stain with ache and meaning. Nelson here joins Cannon and both of them blend excellently with each other like two buddies talking about their pain in a lonely tavern. The other cover is Vern Gosdin's "Set `Em Up Joe," a track also co-written by dad (Buddy Cannon). Though Cannon's delivery is no match for Gosdin's patented nasal growl, it's still a passable barroom number.

A few bluegrass numbers (such as "Dark Shadows" and "It's Alright Here") are standard fare with fire-sped fiddling and guitar licks that seem to showcase the musicianship than the songs themselves. Though not as perfect as her debut, "And the Wheels Turn" still is a stellar record. Cannon's confident delivery augmented by her sensitive and thoughtful dictation and some well chosen ballads are what makes the wheels of enjoyment turn and turn and turn.

I Call It Gone - Melonie Cannon

Journeyman musician Tim Hensley has served extended stints with Ricky
Skaggs, Patty Loveless and Kenny Chesney soaking up each individual artist s
essence on his way to making LONG MONDAY, a debut album that merges
vintage bluegrass with classic American songwriters and acoustic songs of
life. With guest appearances from Vince Gill, Sonya Isaacs and Loveless and
songs from John Prine, Rodney Crowell, Carl Jackson and Larry Cordle,
John Scott Sherrill, Tim Stafford and Ronnie Bowman, and Hensley himself,
this is a first record that sums up a lifetime of living inside the music.
Since learning to sing in a Pentecostal family, then becoming part of the
Altar Way Singers, the Cincinnati-born and raised tenor harmony singer has
slowly moved through a odyssey of bluegrass, country covers, Skaggs 
bluegrass/country hybrid and Loveless Appalachian soul. His stint at the
auxiliary acoustic/electric rhythm guitarist and tenor singer with Kenny Chesney has
put him in front of over a million people every year for the last six summers and it s
Tim s love of bluegrass that inspired the multiple CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year
to co-produce Hensley s record with creative cohort and ACM Song of the Year writer
Buddy Cannon.
Tim gets up there every night and rocks with us, Chesney says, but its after the
shows, walking back to the bus that you can hear his voice in the halls, singing what
he truly loves. You hear enough of someone singing something that really matters to
them, well, you wanna help them realize their music, too. That s how it felt with Tim and
the bluegrass stuff... It was letting the world get to hear something we ve been lucky
enough to get to hear almost every night for the last five or six years.

With an aggressive media campaign being lined up, a spring tour with Chesney and
endorsements from some of the brightest names in Americana, bluegrass and country,
Tim Hensley s debut is one of the most anticipated around the tastemaker rooms and in
the know music lovers collections in a long time. It is Hensley s willingness to be who
he is, to not follow trends but to work from the heart that drove LONG MONDAY and
it is that which the fans of the artists he s played with have always gravitated towards.
Blending the various genres he has passed through Southern gospel, bluegrass,
singer / songwriter, mountain soul and straight-up the middle country, LONG MONDAY
is a survey course in much of what s great about organic American music. A lot of
heart, hope, harmony and playing from a man who s given his music to so many and is
now finally getting to sing his own songs.

Ridin' Out The Storm - Tim Hensley

California-based Rural Rhythm Records has been one of the more aggressive labels in the bluegrass world of late, signing artists and releasing new projects with impressive frequency. It’s a family business, managed by the gregarious patriarch, Sam Passamano, with assistance from his daughters Jennifer and Sarah, and sons Anthony and Sammy3.

And now, they are picking up and moving the business and their families. Well, half of them are. Sam and Sammy3, and their families, are relocating to the Nashville area to be geographically closer to the majority of their artists, and the core of the bluegrass community.

Rural Rhythm Records

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