I was so lucky to know Barry Poss over the last couple of decades, because his spirit and wit helped me understand how he steered Sugar Hill Records from a one-man operation in a Durham, NC apartment in 1978 to a powerhouse of roots music that signed a young Ricky Skaggs to one of his first record deals, plus the Country Gentlemen, Hot Rize, Doc Watson, Tim O’Brien and more. Barry discovered a 13-year-old Chris Thile, releasing his first solo album and steering the rocket ship career of Nickel Creek. No doubt Sugar Hill changed my life and many others, so this week we pay tribute to the label and to Barry, who passed away after a grueling struggle with cancer. You’ll hear innovative Cajun from the Red Stick Ramblers, banjo mastery from Jim Mills, and the bluegrass breakthrough of Dolly Parton. By coincidence, Barry’s passing and thus this episode coincides with my new report from Durham and its new Biscuits & Banjos festival. It includes a note about Barry Poss’s role in making musical history there.
Riley Baugus - June Apple
Boone Creek - One Way Track
Skaggs & Rice - More Pretty Girls Than One
Country Gentlemen - The In Crowd
Mike Cross - The Bounty Hunter
Doc Watson - Ramshackle Shack
Hot Rize - Walk The Way The Wind Blows
Jim Mills - Rockwood Deer Chase
Chris Thile - Panhandle Rag
Tara Nevins - Lee Highway Blues
Tim & Mollie O'Brien - Orphan Girl
Dirk Powell - My Heart Won’t Let Me Stay
Robin and Linda Williams - Bar Band In Hillbilly Heaven
Dolly Parton - Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open
Martha Scanlan - Set Me Up High
Red Stick Ramblers - Je T'aime Pas Mieux
Sarah Jarosz - Tell Me True
