Recordings, releases, and related news

On 9 Sept. the BIB carried a recording from YouTube of Hazel Dickens singing 'Hills of Galilee'. By coincidence (if that's what it was), on the same day Smithsonian Folkways Recordings announced three coming reissues of classic recordings by Hazel Dickens and her musical partner Alice Gerrard. The two albums Who's that knocking? and Won't you come and sing for me?, completely remastered, are being rereleased on vinyl, and issued for the first time as downloads or on streaming. At the same time (21 Oct.) all the Folkways recordings by Alice and Hazel are being rereleased as Pioneering women of bluegrass: the definitive edition on streaming and CD, with extras including a previously unreleased cut of a Louvin Brothers song.

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Richard Thompson reported yesterday on Bluegrass Today (BT) a new thirty-two-minute documentary film on Hazel Dickens's life: Don't put her down: the life and times of Hazel Dickens, produced and directed by Julia Golonka, who explains in the BT feature how the film was inspired and came to be made. It will be screened at several festivals in coming months.

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The Dark Shadow Recording company announces that the Stillhouse Junkies (who made a big impression at this year's Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival) released their album Small towns on Friday (9 Sept.). On Bluegrass Today, Lee Zimmerman's review of the album includes a playlist with samples of all twelve tracks.

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Kenny & Amanda Smith (above) have released their eighth album together, the twelve-track All I need, which is now available on all streaming platforms, and from their website in CD form. Kenny has appeared more than once at Omagh festivals, and Amanda once with her husband.

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We Banjo 3, originators of Celtgrass, could be heard live last Friday on 'Bluegrass Junction', the premier bluegrass programme on the Sirius XM station. The band's Fergal Scahill had previously (23 Aug.) been interviewed on the Hops and Spirits Bar Conversations podcast series.

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The Moving On Music agency announce that in their Belfast concert on Sun. 23 Oct. the Damien O'Kane and Ron Block Band will be joined by John Joe Kelly on bodhrán; that percussive dancer Nic Gareiss will be performing with fiddler, violist, and composer Ultan O’Brien at the Duncairn, Belfast, on Sun. 6 Nov.; and that in mid November Don Vappie, jazz tenor-banjo maestro, and his band will be playing four dates up North: dates and booking links are here - no connection with bluegrass, but potentially of great interest to mandolinists as well as jazz fans.

© Richard Hawkins