Good Friday

BIB readers who have recordings by the Bluegrass Patriots of Colorado, may already have been listening to two gospel songs from their repertoire that are appropriate for today,: 'Six hours on the cross' and 'Just as the sun went down', with the outstanding lead singing of Glenn Zankey and fine harmony vocals. No one who heard this band at Dunmore East (where they headlined the first bluegrass festival in 1995, thanks to Gerry Madden's advice to the organisers), at Athy, Ardara, or anywhere else they played in Ireland, is likely to forget them.

Both these songs were on their 2005 gospel compilation Kneel at the cross, as well as on earlier albums that are no longer available. Unfortunately, though many recordings of 'Six hours on the cross' and 'Just as the sun went down' are on YouTube, the Patriots' versions are elusive. 'Just as the sun went down' can be found at the end of their 1993 album The last waltz - and a live performance of the song by the late James King and his band is here. A 1974 recording of 'Six hours on the cross' by the Goins Brothers can be heard here.

© Richard Hawkins