Back Porch Bluegrass Free FM

May is NZ Music Month, and this show features some NZ musicians and bands that have contributed to the bluegrass genre whilst overseas. Musicians featured include BB Bowness, Gerry Paul, Mark Mazengarb, Leonard Cohen, George Jackson, and of course, members of the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.

May is NZ Music Month, and this show features some NZ musicians and bands that have contributed to the bluegrass genre over the years.

Darren Beachley, Dale Ann Bradley, Blue Highway, the Bluegrass Album Band all feature in this show, along with the Gibson Brothers, and Sideline. I also pay tribute to NZ bass player Bruce Fergus, part of the 1970’s NZ band Bluegrass Expedition, who passed away recently.

Bluegrass legend, and one of my heroes, banjo player Ben Eldridge died very recently. On this show I feature just some of Ben’s magical banjo work with Seldom Scene and his prior work with Cliff Waldron & the New Shades of Grass. We’ve also got some music from Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, the All-Girl Boys, Bryan Christianson, and the Pleasant Valley Boys.

I’ve been digging deep into my shelves of CD’s, and I’ve come up some selections from familiar performers that I’ve not played on this show previously, as well as a few ‘favourites’ that leap out me saying ‘pick me, pick me’.
Among the performers featured are the Osborne Brothers, Donna Ulisse, Special Consensus, Doyle Lawson, Longview, the Bluegrass Cut-Ups, and Seldom Scene.

A new album from French bluegrass legend Jean-Luc Leroux, plus offerings from Travers Chandler, X-Train, the Price Sisters, and Dan Tyminski. We’ve got some old-timey banjo picking from David Holt, and a rare gospel song from the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band.