Big Tiny Little was a jazz pianist who played on the Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1959. He started playing the piano at the age of 5, and in addition to playing with Lawrence Welk, he produced over 45 albums under hiw own name. He just died on March 3, 2010 at the age of 79.
Lee Floyd, III, started playing banjo professionally was at the age of 13 at a Shakey's Pizza Parlor. Since then he has played many venues, including Disneyland and Disney World.
This album is mostly instrumental, with a few songs that include passable vocals. The instrumental work is just plain fun stuff. Both artists play very energetically and you will likely be unable to stop tapping your foot to this stuff.
Here's a little traditional country/bluegrass music recorded in the relaxed fashion of yore. I always relish finding albums like this.
Liner Notes:
Abe Horton was born in Carroll County, Virginia. on April 11, 1917. He was raised near Big Reed Island Creek and came from a musical family; his father, Denny A. Horton, played banjo and fiddle. Abe started with the fiddle at age eleven and played with his brothers often.
Many of the musicians Abe played with were on up in years when he was young. He credits these older musicians as being the source of a lot of the old songs he knows, as well as, his style of playing. A partial list would include the names of Hermon Edmonds, Glen Smith, and Orville and Preston Cox. Perhaps Abe's greatest musical influence was his wife, Annie Mae's grandfather, Friel Webb. Abe's recollections of past days in Carroll County offer a deeper understanding into the music of this region.
Following his tour of duty during World War II, Abe dropped out of music for twenty-three years. Around 1970 he started the band, the Pine River Boys and Maybelle. Heritage III and XXI feature their distinctive sound. A solo album, Heritage XIX, portrays other old one songs and tunes by Abe.
Harold Beatty Hausenfluck was born March 26. 1952, in Charlottesville, Virginia. From 1956 to 1971, he attended the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton. It was during those years that he first became interested in country music.
Some of the first music Harold remembers hearing were older songs his father used to sing. Around 1961, his grandmother found him a "wind up" record player and a few 78 r.p.m. records. The records were of Fiddlin' John Carson and the Virginia Reelers, and he recalls this as the first really old timey music he had heard and it "stuck right with me."
The first instrument Harold learned to play was the harmonica at age eight. Soon to follow was the "jawharp" and the guitar. With the guitar he started with an open tuning style and often used a slide. He admits playing some modern type country tunes at first and even a little rock music. Harold's back up guitar praying can be heard on some tunes on this album.
The WCKY Jamboree out of Cincinnati and the Grand Ole Opry on WSM Nashville were favorite radio shows during the 1960's. Through them, he heard the banjo styles of Grandpa Jones, Kirk McGee, Oswald, and Stringbean.
In 1968.a girlfriend brought Harold an album of the clawhammer banjo music of Wade Ward of Grayson County, Virginia. It was here that "things started clicking." The album notes mentioned the fiddlers' conventions, and in 1969, he and his dad came to the OLD FIDDLERS' Convention in Galax. Harold comes right to the point in describing it as an "eye opener” for him. One lesson he learned at these early conventions, and a good one to pass along to others is "to learn the old time way—you learn from the old timers."
From 1971 to 1973, Harold moved to Vancouver, Washington, to further his education in piano servicing. While there, he come into more contact with reissued old time music by such record labels as County and Rounder. In 1973, Harold returned to Richmond, Virginia, where he lives today.
Harold first met Abe Horton and his band, the Pine River Boys and Maybelle in 1972 at the fiddlers' convention in Saltville, Virginia. He says he was a "little sheepish" at first, but as he ran into them at other conventions a real friendship developed. Harold and Abe's first album of authentic songs and tunes is available on Heritage XXIII.
Harold credits the following musicians as having influenced his fiddling style: John Corson, Norman Edmonds, Lowe Stokes, and Eck Robertson. To a lesser extent he also credits, Tommy Jarrell, Crockett Ward, Boyd (Hick) Edmonds, Glen Smith (Hillsville). and Joseph Hurly (Slim) Smith. Another fiddling Influence of the last few yews is Joe Birchfield of Roan Mountain, Tennessee.
Harold's banjo picking, for the most part, has been influenced by Lu McRay, Glen Smith (Hillsville), and Wade Ward. He says he has listened to others, but these three are the main ones of influence.
Concerning this present album, Harold states, -if there's not enough dance tunes, gospel songs, or folksongs to suit everyone; considering I'm only thirty-one years old, and that the good die young, I've got a long, long time to live. So Lord willing, there will be more to come."
The tradition of passing the music from one generation to the next continues. Abe and Harold's deep respect for the foundations of the music is very evident. It is also more than a relic of the past to them. Old time music is still alive, and it’s played here with spirit and with discriminating good taste. Certainly, these are qualities worth continuing, and ones we should hold high.
Reno and Smiley were a musical duo composed of two highly talented musicians, Don Reno and Red Smiley. They were one of the greatest duos in country (now bluegrass) music of the 1950s and early '60s.
Later in 1951, Don and Red left Magnus to play with Toby Stroud in Wheeling, West Virginia on radio station WWVA (AM). Soon after this, Don and Red reformed a band that Don had started some years before: The Tennessee Cut-Ups.
In 1952, Reno and Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups made their first recordings for King Records. Among this session was one of the band's most famous gospel songs, "I'm Using My Bible for a Roadmap" which was written by Don Reno in 1950. The sales of this record reportedly saved King Records from bankruptcy. Don Reno, Red Smiley and the Tennessee Cut-Ups continued recording for King Records but did no live performances until the mid '50s which is now known to most Reno and Smiley fans as the beginning of their "Glory Years" which lasted until they disbanded in 1964.
At this time, Don began traveling with Benny Martin and Red formed a band called the Bluegrass Cut-Ups which continued to perform on a television program that Don and Red did together for many years. When Red retired in the late 1960's, Jim Eanes acquired the band renaming it "The Shenandoah Cutups". It wasn't until 1970 or '71 that Don and Red began performing together again, and that time was short-lived as Red died in 1972 at the age of 46 due to complications with diabetes. Don continued to perform with his sons Don Wayne and Dale along with Bill Harrell until his death in 1984 at the age of 58. In 1992, Don Reno and Red Smiley were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor.
Banjo Special is wonderful instrumental bluegrass album that showcases Don Reno's banjo picking. This is certainly one of the best bluegrass instrumental albums never re-issued on CD. I have been unable to find out the names of the other performers on the recording, but the fiddle player does a fine job as well. The tunes are so smoothly done that it sounds like they aren't even working hard. I place this album among my top bluegrass favorites.
Andy Statman is a noted Klezmer clarinetist and bluegrass/newgrass mandolinist.
Andy Statman first gained acclaim as a mandolinist in pioneering bluegrass bands Country Cookin' and Breakfast Special. Statman, a Jew, began to be of the mind that bluegrass was not his music. He turned to Klezmer music, traditional Jewish folk music. Now playing clarinet, he recorded various Klezmer albums that were influential in the Klezmer revival that began in the late 70s. In the 90s, he began playing Chassidic melodies, fusing bluegrass, klezmer, and jazz along the way.
Statman learned Klezmer clarinet from legendary Klezmer clarinetist Dave Tarras, who bequeathed his clarinets to him. Statman produced Dave Tarras's last recordings. Between this apprenticeship and his practice of teaching in addition to performing, Statman has become the dean of living Klezmer clarinetists.
The Andy Statman Trio, which includes bassist Jim Whitney and percussionist Larry Eagle, plays regularly at Derech Amuno Synagogue in Greenwich Village in New York City, and tours nationally as schedules allow.
Nashville Mornings New York Nights is more than just Statman. He is joined by Bela Fleck, Tony Trischka, Jerry Douglas, Vassar Clements, Russ Barenberg, and Kenny Kosek. This is a wonderful recording if you like progressive bluegrass and there is a lot of virtuosity displayed. Out of print, but still sometimes avialable used here and there.
