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When I met lifelong musician Red Young on board Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Cruise, I knew I had to interview him. He’s had one of those journeyman’s careers that ties together all the threads of American music, from pop to R&B to jazz. He’s a pianist, Hammond organ specialist, singer, arranger and producer, and at 76 years old, he’s seen it all. He’s worked with Kinky Friedman, Joan Armatrading, Dolly Parton, Sonny & Cher, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Burdon of the Animals, Marcia Ball, Janiva Magness, and of course Delbert McClinton himself, whom he met in his home town of Fort Worth, TX some sixty years ago. Sit back and enjoy the stories.

Featuring Marc Broussard, Cristina Vane & Mark Stuart.

Featuring Rachel McIntyre Smith, Maya De Vitry & Charles Wigg Walker.

It would be hard to name any songwriter in Nashville’s long history whose work has been recorded by more stars across more genres of music than Gary Nicholson. The Texas native came to Nashville in 1980 after stints in Ft. Worth and Los Angeles, and not only did he amass an impressive string of country music hits with Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, and more, he became Music City’s go-to soul and R&B man, conjuring songs for Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, BB King, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and even Ringo Starr. Now at 74 he’s turned his own performing/recording life to songs of conscience and social protest, as on his new album Common Sense.

Featuring Wily, Miss Tess & The Georgia Thunderbolts.

Feature Brother & The Hayes, Cimarron 615 & Thunder and Rain.

Sierra Hull brings a measure of small-town delight and innocence to roots and bluegrass that perfectly compliments her innate gifts and her formal schooling in high level music-making. The mandolinist, songwriter, singer, and band leader has emerged, since her youthful debut in 2008, as a star of her field and an inspiring figure in Americana. Her four IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year awards are part of the story. But so is her composing, her collaborating and her records. The first in five years - and her first independent release - is A Tip Toe High Wire, coming March 7. This episode complements a bio-oriented show in 2018, emphasizing Hull’s recent work with Béla Fleck, Cory Wong and others, and of course the thought behind and production of her newest release.

This week Amy Alvey did all the work, curating and hosting while I was out of town for a week. All I had to do was enjoy her mix of old-time and bluegrass, which runs the gamut from Deford Bailey to a new track from classic Americana trio The Devil Makes Three. But I wanted to spotlight Riverbend, a traditional-leaning quintet from the St. Louis comprising Aaron Muskopf (guitar, vocals), Blake Korte (dobro, vocals), Andy Novara (mandolin, vocals), Will Miscall (bass, vocals), and Alex Riffle (banjo). We’ve played these fellows before, and here, they’re teasing their upcoming album No More Will I Ramble with the single “Sawdust,” about putting in hard days’ work and seeing too little come of it. Also in the hour, a twist on the old Little Sadie story from Michael Corleto, fiddle and banjo from George Jackson and Brad Kolodner, and a new single from Amy’s own duo Golden Shoals.

One corner of old-time music we make sure to touch on time to time is pre-war jazz and blues, giving us a chance to feature new Old Fashioned artists like The Pear Blossoms, who offer the new tune “Tonight I’m Thinking Of You.” Alexander Jones (of Texas) and Dayna Pirso (of Ontario, Canada) joined forces as a duo in 2022, and these days they’re keeping up a robust tour calendar across North America and overseas. They’ve just released the album Going To San Antone, Vol. 1, so there’s more bluesy goodness where this came from. Also this week, we offer the first singles from upcoming albums by Sierra Hull and Big Richard, some of the hard hitting women in the bluegrass field. And we have a block of cover tunes of major league stars by the likes of Jordan Tice, The Wooks and (back in the day) The Dillards.

I’ve heard Tyler Grant play the frets off a Telecaster through a vintage amp ripping up country songs, but I feel like his natural habitat is as one of our finest bluegrass guitar players. He won the big national championship in Winfield some years back, and he played on the road with folks like Abigail Washburn, the Drew Emmit Band and his own ensemble Grant Farm. His chops will be on display in late March when he releases his seventh album, aptly titled Flatpicker, and we’ve got the new single this week, a speedy, thought-provoking desert train song called “Goat Canyon Trestle.” Also this week, a tongue-twisting “Auctioneer” from the Kody Norris Show, a Tom T. Hall cover from Chris Jones, and a new single from now-solo artist Laura Orshaw. Plus, we tip our hat to the bluegrass side of the recently departed Melba Montgomery.