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The passing of Jesse McReynolds and Bobby Osborne within a few days of each other at ages 93 and 91 respectively was a bit uncanny. Both were legendary mandolinists who picked their way into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame during the first golden age of the genre. I wrote a memorial piece to them here, and quickly turned to pulling music from their storied careers to play in our second block. Hosting solo I also worked in a set of acoustic guitar music, inspired by a new instrumental album by Blue Highway’s Tim Stafford. Also this episode, new music from Authentic Unlimited and Nora Brown.

Featuring Wood Box Heroes, The One-Eighties & William Matheny

Featuring Beth Bombara, Alex Harris & Jake Ybarra

When East Nashville emerged as a nationally important music scene in the early 2000s, Amelia White had a substantial role in that play. Like so many others, she’d migrated from elsewhere (Boston and Seattle) to find a nurturing community full of collaborators and enablers. She was included on a seminal anthology of East Nashville songs. And she set up a rhythm of writing, recording and touring domestically and increasingly overseas. Now she’s heading back to showcase at AmericanaFest 2023 and getting set to release an album this winter produced by Americana great Kim Richey. Amelia dropped by the studio for a friendly conversation that surveys her journey, with music from across her career.

Featuring Luther Dickinson, Keturah Allgood & Joanne Shaw Taylor

For a band that released its independent debut album in 2017, the Teskey Brothers have come a long way. From our perspective here in Nashville, that would be 9,700 miles, the distance from their home town of Warrandyte, New South Wales, Australia. Raised on classic soul and R&B music, Sam and Josh Teskey started making music together as kids and became staples of the Melbourne music scene. They didn’t have huge aspirations, but when their first record impressed folks close to home, they took their classic Stax/Muscle Shoals sound to the world and the world replied. This year they’ve toured Europe for five months and played major sold out venues, including the Ryman Auditorium behind their current album the Winding Way. Guitarist, songwriter, singer and recording engineer Sam Teskey is my guest.

Featuring The Tennessee Warblers, The Mike Thomas Band & Charlotte Morris

Amy enjoyed another year at the Clifftop Festival in West Virginia, one of the nation’s premiere old-time gatherings and contests. Her project with the Old Time Snake Milkers had a podium finish in the Traditional Band contest (yay!). She noticed who won and who the stars of the camp were and let that inspire our second set with AJ Srubas and Rina Rossi, Chance McCoy and the Tall Poppy String Band. Also this week, new singles from Don Rigsby, the Lonesome River Band and the Steep Canyon Rangers. The track from Alice Gerrard may look like a classic, but no, the great NC-based singer is coming with a new album, and this is an a cappella single from it. And we pair Dan Tyminski’s “Ode To Jimmy” with the real Jimmy Martin doing his hit “Hold What Cha Got,” the one that inspired Tony Rice.

This week we celebrated the anticipated release of East Nash Grass’s second album Last Chance To Win. Do we understand the cover? No. But do we love the variety and intelligence and musicality of its 11 songs? Absolutely. We’ve been playing singles all along, and here you’ll find the elegant James Kee song “I Almost Told Her.” More in the weeks ahead, because this will be one of our favorites of the year. Also new this week, Nora Brown is back with a duo with Stephanie Coleman, Ralph Stanley II covers the New Riders of the Purple Sage, the Lonesome Ace Stringband brings a fiddle medley, and Danny Burns sings Mindy Smith. Plus deep history from the Country Gentlemen and heroines Kathy Kallick and Laurie Lewis.

There’s a lot of man between Robert Finley’s cowboy boots and the crown of his signature black cowboy hat almost seven feet above. When he gets in full swing on stage, his long legs and arms are in constant motion, gyrating amid a parade of greasy funk beats. He’s an absolutely magnetic figure, with a toothy smile and bright eyes despite the glaucoma blindness that ended one chapter of his life but in a way opened up a new one. He’s that rare delight - a great American roots musician - and a person living with a disability - who grabbed the world’s attention in his 60s.