The Grammy Awards launched the Best Bluegrass Album category in 1989. Bill Monroe won for Southern Flavor. A young banjo player named Bela Fleck was nominated for his album Drive. More than three decades later, Mr. Fleck won in 2022 for his epic My Bluegrass Heart instrumental masterwork. Just before we put together this show, the nominees were announced for the February 5, 2023 awards and the nominees included artists we love and albums we’ve been playing: the Infamous Stringdusters, Molly Tuttle, Peter Rowan, Del McCoury and Yonder Mountain String Band. We’ve sprinkled music from those nominees, not necessarily from the new recordings, in to shows #36 and 37. Yonder launches us this week with “I Just Can’t” from their 2022 album Get Yourself Outside, which is not hard advice to those from their Colorado mountain home base. Also in the hour, new music from Colorado’s Jake Leg and Breakin’ Strings from Maine. And we remember what it sounded like when Chris Stapleton was an original Steeldriver.
Dirk Powell - Morehead
Yonder Mountain String Band - I Just Can't
Devon Flaherty - Sandy River Belle
Jr. Williams - Railroad Town Without A Train
Frank Evans and Ben Plotnick - Todos Santos
Cedar Hill - I Remember The Blues
Jake Leg - Jackie
The Steeldrivers - Midnight Tears
Jordan Tice - River Run
Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys - Peacock Rag
Nashville Bluegrass Band - Rocking Chair Money
Clinton Davis - Mineola Rag
Brad Leftwich and the Humdingers - Ozark Fox Chase
Breakin' Strings - This Heart Of Mine
Joseph Decosimo - Trouble
Del McCoury Band - Travelin' Teardrops Blues
ETSU Old Time Band - Roll Along Prairie Moon
Molly Tuttle - You Didn't Call my Name
