Posts Tagged ‘banjo’

Saturday Matinee – Mean Mary James, Sam Chatmon, Boyd Rivers, Larry Carlton & Robben Ford

Saturday, 28 January 2012

Mean Mary James burns through the traditional banjo standard “Cripple Creek.” Her bio is a jaw-dropper.

I don’t usually post two in a row from the same musician, but here’s Mean Mary and husband Frank James with “Joy,” an original song she wrote (with snippets from “Ode To Joy”).

The great Sam Chatmon plays Big Road Blues, That’s All Right & Sam’s Rag.

Boyd Rivers at the Mississippi Blues Festival 1980, introduced by Willie Dixon.

Ah, bullpoop. They’re not the greatest guitar players ever, but this is pretty good. Larry Carlton & Robben Ford jam the blues 2007.

That should do you folks for a while. Have a great weekend, see you tomorrow.

Saturday Matinee – Mull, Martin, Plastics, Grisman & Garcia, King & Preston &, um, Willis

Saturday, 14 August 2010

Martin Mull in 1973 gets back to his roots in the Lake Erie delta.

Martin Mull’s college roommate was Steve Martin who was no slouch on banjo.

Awesome. I can play the plastic scale, too, but putting it into a high-speed vid makes the grade.

Now THIS is really annoying, so much so that I’m not going to post it here. You’re on you’re own, and I dare you to listen to the whole tutorial.  I couldn’t do it, but I can listen through this:

David Grisman & Jerry Garcia doing B.B. King’s classic “Thrill is Gone.”

To close it out, here’s B.B. King himself with Billy Preston and, um, Bruce Willis on harp. Have a great weekend folks, and remember that most of us can play harp better than Bruce Willis, who’s got no business at all in that lineup.

Saturday Matinee – Diesel Brown Skaggs Pops & Perkins

Saturday, 16 May 2009

Diesel speaks about work, kids, farming, mafia, pirates. The Anti-Boxxy.

Alison Brown has got to be one of the best banjo pickers I’ve ever heard. Very few can play like this without the comfort of studio editing.

Here’s Ricky Skaggs on mandolin, 7 years old, with Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass.

Here’s Ricky Skaggs’ classic “Highway 40 Blues” with the seminal bluegrass backup band, the Boston Pops.

Carl Perkins was one cool rockabilly cat.  He’s got an interesting back up band in this video… too hot to handle and too cold to hold.

Foggy Mountain Ladyland

Thursday, 14 May 2009

Hendrix Pickin_Uncertain Times 090330

It all makes sense now, considering Jimbo Hendrix’ love of the ‘grass and his discography:

Hey Bud
Purple Hayes (tribute to Woody)
All Along the Wheat Flour
Breakdown Traffic
MooMoo Child
Stone Fence
Fox-N-Ladle
The Wind Cries Opal

(Many more classics were showcased at the Monterrey International Harvester Festival in 1970.)

Aside from Jimbo, The GrooveGrass Boyz mixed some Grand Ole Opry standards with funk, with Bootsy Collins on bass. Really.

yo lsn up yo @ “Walkin’ After Midnight” no wat m sayn yo.

[Image from Uncertain Times.]


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