Strangely, I’d never laid eyes on the outsider folk singer Michael Hurley until a few days before his passing. He was in Knoxville to play the Big Ears festival, and I was attending. I didn’t catch his set (it was utterly packed in a smallish pub), but I saw him loading in, wearing his signature hat. Amy Alvey’s a different story. She knew Michael and visited him recently, so she has stories, and she curated our tribute block of music. Hurley was one of the most provocative artists in deep roots music since the 1960s when he emerged in the Greenwich Village scene. He was witty and unique and risk-taking, so we’ll remember him fondly. Also this week, a surprise new album from Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton arrived - a guitar and voice duo show captured live at the American Legion in East Nashville. And we’ve got songs by major recent albums from Alison Krauss, Tyler Grant, and the duo of Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson.
Adeline - Whitehorse Breakdown
Becky Buller - Ride On By
Tyler Grant - Coming Home To Stay
Alan Munde Gazette - Traditional Family Breakdown
Alison Krauss and Union Station - The Hangman
Sister Sadie - Let The Circle Be Broken
Bill Monroe - Molly & Tenbrooks
Michael Cleveland - Empty Pocket Blues
Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton - Don't Think Twice It's Alright
Adeline - Battle of Cedar Creek
Michael Hurley - Knockando
Michael Hurley - Dices Dices
Michael Hurley - Why Should I Have To Worry?
Hancock & Shouse - Lexington
Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson - Going To Raleigh
The Horsenecks - Heel and Toe
Michael Martin Murphey - Burnin' Vein
