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Joshua Hedley planned only on being a fiddle-playing sideman. That he’s now one of the most talked-about and persuasive traditional country singers in roots music comes as quite a surprise - to him. But lucky for us. His voice, which projects canon-like from his new album Neon Blue, is grounded in the chesty resonance of Merle Haggard, with touches of Willie’s late arriving phrases and the smoky curls of George Jones. But in the end it sounds like nobody but Josh Hedley.

We open this week’s Old Fashioned talking about the spontaneity and resourcefulness of traditional roots musicians. Nobody’s waiting around for a record deal to make an album. Brittany Haas, the amazing fiddler renowned for her work in the band Hawktail, the Live From Here band, and the Dave Rawlings Machine, took inspiration from a jam she enjoyed and assembled friends for a new album so in-the-moment that it’s called Impromptu Sessions #1.

When folks like me advocate for more fine arts education and exposure in public schools, success stories like The Accidentals are part of the agenda. This ultra-creative, musically daring trio from Traverse City, MI was born when two teenage students volunteered for a string ensemble, met one another and became, as they put it, musical soulmates. That’s why Katie Larson and Sav Buist and I spend so much time in Episode 205 of The String talking about high school.

We put Episode 27 together just as we were all getting ready for AmericanaFest 2022 in Nashville, so we leaned into artists who were showcasing during the week. It happened to be a very strong year for traditional music, very much in line with our mission here at The Old Fashioned. So you’ll hear Nora Brown, Allison De Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, Bruce Molsky, Mike Compton, and the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, all of whom showcased at the festival. Also, new music from the Watkins Family Hour with Willie Watson, a new single from Martha Spencer and a little history from Hot Rize.

We noticed that roots music shero Ola Belle Reed was born and died in August, in 1916 and 2002 respectively, and we wanted to pay homage to this songwriter, singer, instrumentalist and force of nature. So set three features four of her greatest songs, two sung by her and two by other artists. We drew from the Folkways compilation Rising Sun Melodies from 2010, which is a great resource about her impactful career. New this week, a wonderfully arcane track from young old timer Daniel Ullom, Becky Buller’s take on a James Taylor song and a harmony-rich cut from the Tennessee Bluegrass Band. And we offer classic recordings from Hazel and Alice, J.E. Mainer and Rhonda Vincent.

Since moving to Nashville at age 21 in 1978, Kenny Greenberg has built a reputation as a guitarist who could bring rock and roll punch and jangle to commercial country records as well as a standout behind the glass. Besides his seminal work with Allison Moorer, Kenny has produced albums by the Mavericks, Josh Turner, Joan Baez, Toby Keith and just recently Hayes Carll. And his studio resume is extensive and diverse, including work with Etta James, Chris Knight, Lee Ann Womack, Amy Grant, Jon Randall, Bob Seeger, and his wife of many years, Ashley Cleveland. Now he's released the first solo album in his career.

Tributes to Tony Rice have been bountiful since the legendary guitar player and singer died at home on Christmas Day 2020. The Punch Brothers issued a radically reimagined cut-for-cut cover of Tony’s Church Street Blues. Barry Waldrep steered a multi-artist collection. Now Dan Tyminski, singer and guitar man for Alison Krauss and Union Station has his own nod to his hero called One More Time Before You Go, a five-track EP. This week as I host solo while Amy Alvey is traveling and teaching, I bring you one fine cut from it, Dan and Billy Strings harmonizing luminously on “Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies,” a traditional tune that Rice arranged with Ricky Skaggs on their famous and stupendous duo album of 1980. This week features new cuts from Tim Stafford and Thomm Jutz, Gina Furtado and the Lonesome River Band, plus timeless tracks from James King, Bela Fleck and Irishman John Doyle.

Between the time we put Show 25 to bed and now, we learned that this week’s kickoff song “Travelin’ Shoes” by Nashville mandolinist Thomas Cassell comes from the album What You Need To Prove, arriving Sept. 16, 2022 from Mountain Fever Records. Cassell is part of the band Circus No. 9 and a veteran of sideman work with Billy Strings, Bryan Sutton, Becky Buller and others. And he’s the 2021 National Mandolin Champion, so look out. Love this song. Also this week, new music from Frank Solivan’s rapidly upcoming album Hold On, a lovely single by Dale Ann Bradley and J.P. Pennington and an instrumental from the great Alice Gerrard and some younger pickers, including Tatiana Hargreaves. Vintage tracks come from Mississippi John Hurt and Byron Berline with a promising young Vince Gill singing lead.

Cajun music is a constant source of inspiration for us old-time and traditional music fans. It has a pulse and a danceability like no other genre. The fiddle pairs with the accordion much as it does with the banjo in Appalachian music, as Amy notes in this show. And it’s nested in a culture that’s rich with language, race, history and food. So as Amy set off to attend another Blackpot Festival in Lafayette, LA, we cooked up a gumbo of music with an extra large measure of bayou magic. Also this episode, new songs from Seth Mulder and Midnight Run, Joseph DeCosimo and the Caleb Daughtery Band. Voila!

Jason Carter leads off this week’s Old Fashioned, because he’s one of the most versatile and renowned fiddle players in bluegrass of the last 30 years and because he’s releasing a new solo album. For those new to this scene, Jason sought out and landed the job of fiddling in the Del McCoury Band in the early 90s and he’s been there ever since, winning five IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Awards in the meantime, plus building the Travelin’ McCourys into its own phenomenon. His project Lowdown Hoedown is out as of Nov. 4. We’ve also got new music from Junior Sisk, the Foreign Landers and the duo of banjo star Kristen Scott Benson and her husband Wayne, playing as Benson. Old time sounds come from Hard Drive, David Long and our own Amy Alvey playing with Golden Shoals and the Old Time Snake Milkers.