TOWN OF COLLIERVILLE, TN

HONORS 20th  SEASON OF

BLUEGRASS MUSIC ON THE SQUARE

April 22, 2019  

 

Town Square Gazebo in Springtime

        Bluegrass and old-time musicians gather any time they have a chance to pick a little, especially on a town square like this! Thanks to musicians Christine Donhardt and Clay Caver, the Town of Collierville noticed the recent 20th anniversary and honored the occasion with a proclamation and a beautiful billboard which was placed at the Town Square for a period of time. Special thanks to Main Street Collierville for the billboard! Additional special thanks to Collierville Mayor Stan Joyner and the Town Board of Aldermen! The billboard was taken down to provide for other noteworthy events in town, but the musicians wasted no time in getting to the Town Square with their instruments for a quick photo shoot while the billboard was up. Whew! The musicians just did make it! The billboard was put away for safe-keeping, but it will reappear in the future.

L to R: Clay Caver, Christine Donhardt,

Monroe Jones, Billboard in background

         Keeping it brief, we should say that we are back at the Town Square for the spring/summer/and fall of 2019. We encourage musicians of all skill levels, along with families, friends, and casual onlookers, to join us on Friday evenings at about 6:30-ish BST (Bluegrass Standard Time, which is whatever time the artists finish chatting and tuning instruments). Bring the pickin' stools and lawn chairs (sack suppers and blankets for the kids, too) and come on out! 

         Here are some photos to entice you, the reader, to head out to the beautiful Historic Town Square in Collierville, TN. Many of you will also remember when "Parade" magazine held their competition for the "Best Main Street in America," and you just know which Main Street won top honors. Ours, of course!

Our very own billboard at the

Collierville Historic Town Square

         Be sure to click each photo to see a better view! And be sure to join in the fun and music whenever you can!

L to R: Back of Peter Smith, Jen Arnold, Don Gentry,

Jeff Tallant, Len Lawhon, Clay Caver Christine Donhardt,

Monroe Jones

 





Our picker friends' version of  'Sunset on the Square' in Collierville

L to R: Peter Smith, Don Gentry, Jeff Tallant, Jen Arnold,

Len Lawhon, Clay Caver, Christine Donhardt, Monroe Jones

 

Where would we be without loyal fans of bluegrass and old-time music at the Collierville Historic Town Square? Thanks to all who have supported us for most of these 20 years. We love and appreciate each of you for your support!

L to R: Loyal Fans--The Osbornes, the Whaleys, Jean Burton

 

L to R: Loyal Fans--Mrs, Whaley, Mr. Markle, Mrs. Burton

 

L to R: Loyal Fans--Mr. Osborne, Mr. and Mrs. Whaley
Tour Collierville Writer/Photographer Anna Bell, Mr. Markle, Mrs. Burton





THE STATION INN  

NASHVILLE, TN

May - June, 2019

(Updated 5.24.19)

 

 

     The home of bluegrass music in Tennessee is without a doubt The Station Inn, just off Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. These days, one can hardly find the little yellowed-stone building that has withstood removal or the modernization which surrounds it. It's a forest of concrete trees disguised as buildings on 12th Avenue, South. It hurts to see all that stuff. But, the Station Inn with owner J.T. Gray at the helm, stands firmly where it's been for maybe a hundred years or more.

       We have loved the Station Inn for what we guess is almost 40 years, give or take a few. Just today, as we looked at the Inn's schedule, we were blown away by what is coming up between right now and mid-June. You can't beat a lineup like what I am about to show you, and these are just some of the great acts on the schedule. Try these on for size, and go early when you plan to attend any of the shows for the spring of 2019.

      

       5/24    Steve Thomas & Time Machine

       5/25    Fireball Mail

       5/28    Tim O'Brien Band

       5/29    Town Mountain

        6/5     Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands

        6/6     Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley

        6/7     Terry Baucom

        6/13   Blue Highway

 

       You can follow the complete schedule, catch Sunday afternoon gospel with Val Storey, Larry Cordle, Mike Rogers, Jerry Salley, and more; free Sunday night jams; and hear "New Monday," on...well...Mondays. Visit the Station Inn website for show times and prices. www.stationinn.com. Address and phone: 402 12th Ave., S., Nashville, and 615.255.3307.

Click on each picture to get a better view of The Station Inn.

      

 



THE SAM BUSH BAND

and

THE TRAVELIN' McCOURYS 

ROCK GPAC!!   

Germantown, TN  

April 18, 2019

Sam Bush on Mandolin 3.24.18

City Winery Nashville

Sam Bush on Fiddle 3.24.18

City Winery Nashville

 

 

Sam Bush on Strato-Mando 3.24.18

City Winery Nashville

     WELL! DAD-BLAME IT! We've just seen one of the best concerts that the Germantown (TN) Performing Arts Center (GPAC) has ever offered! The concert rocked the entire house from the orchestra pit to the very last row in the balcony of the lovely hall!

       Kicking off the amazing night were The Travelin' McCourys, who dazzled us from first note to last. Friend, they are no "opening act," by any means! The band is as follows: Rob McCoury (banjo), Ronnie McCoury (mandolin), Cody Kilby (guitar), Alan Bartram (bass), and Jason Carter (fiddle), and they are just outstanding! The sons of the legendary Del McCoury, Rob and Ronnie have put together top-quality music, and the McCoury legend continues. All artists participated in vocals on various songs. Oh my! They are just so good!

       Here is the set for the Travelin' McCourys: We're Only Passing Through, Lonesome On'ry and Mean, The Shaker (Grammy winner by Alan Bartram and Becky Buller), Midnight Flyer, Battlefield, Let Her Go (adapted from contemporary artist Passenger), and Bye-Bye So Long.

       Our pacemaker just began to quiet the ticker when here came the fabulous Sam Bush Band. There went the pacemaker! Sam Bush and his amazing crew don't do anything low-key or dragging! Go with me here: The Sam Bush Band (especially Sam Bush) goes at a frenetic pace, and their ardent fans just have to hang onto their baseball caps! The Sam Bush Band is as follows:  Sam Bush (mandolin, fiddle), Scott Vestal (banjo), Stephen Mougin "Mojo"(guitar), Todd Parks (bass), and Chris Brown (drums). Once again, every band member chipped in on vocals throughout the show.

       Here is the set for the Sam Bush Band: Play by Your Own Rules, Ridin' that Bluegrass Train, They're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone, Greenbriar (Sam and Scott wrote it), Do the Boogie (a John Hartford song), Revival (a Peter Rowan song and the title of the DVD "Revival" about Sam Bush), Roll On Buddy Roll On, Circles Around Me, You and You Alone (Stephen Mougin), Howlin' at the Moon, Stop the Violence (Sam is serious here!), and three standing ovations with three encores for The Sam Bush Band together with The Travelin' McCourys: The Georgia Mail, Vamp in the Middle, and Up on Cripple Creek (which dissolved into the instrumental version, Cripple Creek, which went about as fast as you could ever in your life imagine!) Whew! What an amazing concert by two really hot bluegrass bands!

 

Note: We borrowed from our photos of The Sam Bush Band at City Winery Nashville in 2018, while we handled it "as best we could" at GPAC in 2019. The Travelin' McCourys and The Sam Bush Band are 'Together Again' in the photos below. Click all images to get a better view.

 

For more information:

The Travelin' McCourys  www.travelinmccourys.com

The Sam Bush Band  www.sambush.com

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you see it? Sound equipment still in use at GPAC by the Sam Bush Band

At top "The Nash Ramblers," complete with a Nash Rambler

Below is "New Grass Revival"

Ahhh! We remember!



 

 

 

 

BANJO PRO RANDAL MORTON NEEDS A HAND UP!  

MEMPHIS, TN 

APRIL 14, 2019

Randal Morton with Sherry Knight ~ Summer 2009

Collierville TN Historic Town Square Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam

 Dear Bluegrass Family,

     Your help is needed NOW!  Banjo master Randal Morton's home burned down. Arson is suspected on a nearby home.  The fire burned Randal's home, too.  He managed to save his banjos and the dog, but he injured his hand in escaping the fire.  Randal's son Jesse has set up a GoFundMe to assist Randal and Henrietta in getting through the disaster.

     Go here if you can pitch in for this world-class artist and his family:

Fundraiser by Jesse Morton: Randal and Henrietta

https://www.gofundme.com/randal-and-Henrietta

Pick away for Randal and Henrietta!  ( I )====='----<::}



Randal Morton ~ Summer 2009

Collierville TN Historic Town Square Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Jam

UPDATED JULY 16, 2019  

THE FARM HAND (singular)  

GOSPEL SOLOIST DARYL MOSLEY

ROSSVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Rossville, TN

April 6, 2019

 

UPDATE:  JULY 16, 2019  DARYL MOSLEY ANNOUNCES HE'S GOING SOLO TO WRITE SONGS AND PURSUE OTHER INTERESTS. WE HAD A SNEAKY SUSPICION THAT THIS MIGHT BE IN THE WORKS. WOMAN'S INTUITION, WE THINK! BEST WISHES TO DARYL AND TO THE FARM HANDS!

 

Farm Hands Bus on a better day

photo from September 2016

L to R: The Farm Hands: Tim Graves, Don Hill,

Daryl Mosley, Keith Tew

photo from September 2016

     Life happens, pretty often, as it seems. Unforeseeable stuff crops up right in front of us and we make the most of it, adjust, and move forward. Such was the case on Saturday, April 6, 2019. The multi-award-winning FARM HANDS (all four of them) were scheduled to appear in concert at the Rossville, TN, United Methodist Church. Not much was happening at the arranged start time of 6:00 PM Central. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Farm Hand DARYL MOSLEY blew in with his guitar, his laptop, a microphone and assorted cords. In under ten minutes, Daryl was set up and ready to play and sing.

 

Farm Hand Daryl Mosley doing what he loves best

Singing for the fans

 

       In a brief introduction, Daryl explained that the band vehicle didn't crank. The other band members stayed back home to tend to the bus issue. This seasoned professional, Daryl Mosley, sized up the situation, grabbed what he needed from his home near Nashville, and drove the almost 200 miles to fulfill the obligation. Troupers do that! The appreciative audience responded with loud applause over the next hour as Daryl did what any top performer would do. He carried on in the face of unbelievable misfortune. Life happens, remember? 

       Daryl Mosley's song selection was heavy on the 'thanks and praise,' which is the focus of The Farm Hands' repertoire. Pre-recorded background instruments and vocal harmony poured out of the laptop, and the fans got what they came to hear. It was short, but then, there was one Farm Hand and not four. Here is the song selection. We have a few actual titles and several lines from songs which were not introduced by their titles. We apologize for that inconvenience.

 

Daryl Mosley sharing 'back home' stories and singing for the fans

 

       The Set:  The Road that Leads to Him Runs Through You, When God Lived Here (little boarded-up church in Blue Creek), Everything Heaven Won't Be (no sickness, no pain and suffering, only joy), Jesus and I Would Know How Wrong It Would Be (as a  small child, he took a candy bar from the store and Daddy took him back to admit his guilt), Who Will Be Jesus to Him (or Her), Once Again We're Running Late (to church on Sunday morning), When I Say 'Christian', He's Got an Answer for Everything, Ask the Blind Man--He Saw It All (a huge hit for the Booth Brothers, Bill Gaither requested to use the song), and Lord You Never Gave Up on Me.

       We more than highly recommend the outstanding Farm Hands to you. Wherever you are in life, you will feel better when you leave a concert by Daryl Mosley, Tim Graves, Don Hill, and Keith Tew. Ask them about their Armstrong Pies, too!

       Click each photo for a better view.

 

For further information:

The Farm Hands  www.farmhandsquartet.com also on Facebook

Rossville TN United Methodist Church, 56 Main St., Rossville 380066 rossvilleumc@yahoo.com