Dale Ann Bradley will headline an evening of Bluegrass and Gospel music Saturday August 4th at Spicer’s Lake in the heart of South Lebanon, OH.

Music get’s underway around 6:30 and will also feature The Katie Penn Band and regional favorites Pineridge.

For tickets or more information call 513-494-2598. You can also visit the Spicer’s Lake Web Site.

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Every once in a bluemoon, a nugget falls from the sky that just can’t be ignored. So it goes with the 3rd annual Bluegrass in the Park festival in Atlanta, Michigan.It’s slated for this weekend, Aug. 3-5, in Briley Township Park in downtown Atlanta. And it sounds like a picker’s party, one that may be just too darn good to pass up if you’re in the area.

Thanks to a good set of bluegrass eyes and ears from our pal in Michigan, Mike Knight, for pointing this one out to us.

Here’s how the promoters describe it:

“Do you like bluegrass music? Do you like to party? “Then come to Atlanta, Michigan, on August 3rd, 4th and 5th because we are going to have one hell ‘ova bluegrass party in Briley Township Park right downtown Atlanta on the banks of the beautiful Thunder Bay River where you can sing along, or pick and grin, swim, fish and party for 3 days with bluegrass lovers from all over the state and beyond.. “2007 will be our third annual party and every year is better than the last. And best of all it’s FREE, yes I said FREE, so come one, come all and enjoy the north country with us HERE in Atlanta and let’s party down.”

Wow! What an invitation. If its’ caught your interest, check out the particulars, incuding camping info, at http://www.atlantami.com/blue/bluegrass.htm

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McCoury Music is proud to announce the signing of bluegrass legend, Larry Sparks. Sparks, winner of the IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year award in 2004 and 2005, is the first artist to join McCoury Music. Del McCoury has always been a big fan of Sparks, noting that “Larry has a style all his own, both with his singing and playing, and is one of my favorite singers of all time.” Del went on to say that, “I am very pleased to have such a renowned musician on the roster and I’m really looking forward to this new partnership.”

Larry Sparks started out playing with the Stanley Brothers in the 1960s where he quickly gained recognition and praise from the bluegrass community for his skills and talent. This approval gave him the ambition to form his own band in 1969, The Lonesome Ramblers; a very successful band that he is still with today. Sparks is known for his impressive solos and has been dubbed “The Most Soulful Voice in Bluegrass.” Spark’s profound musical abilities have inspired many and continue to keep him in the spotlight.

“Larry [Sparks] has a style all his own, both with his singing and playing, and is one of my favorite singers of all time.”Del McCoury

McCoury Music was formed in 2003 as a home for Del McCoury and as a way to have complete control of his music. The first two releases on the label both received Grammy nominations, with one winning a Grammy and the other winning the prestigious Album of the Year award from the IBMA. Sparks is set to record the album later this year with a planned release in Spring 2007. Don Rigsby will produce the album.

Tour dates and more information about Larry Sparks & The Lonesome Ramblers can be found at his official website: www.larrysparks.com

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Family, friends and faith abound in Steve Gulley’s new CD, “Sounds Like Home,” on Lonesome Day Records.

Gulley, you will recall, fronted Mountain Heart for the past few years, but is now with a new group, Grasstowne. I always thought his soulful voice simply got buried in the over-the-top musicianship of Mountain Heart, a short-coming that has been fully corrected with his new band.

And, as one might expect, Gulley’s vocal delivery reigns supreme on “Sounds Like Home,” a nice eclectic mix of tunes topped by what’s become his concert show-stopper, the George Jones’ classic, “The Grand Tour.” Conceding that the tune is his most requested song, Gulley writes in his liner notes that it “was never meant to be an impersonation but a tribute to my favorite country singer, George Jones. I hope I did it justice. George sure did.”

Gulley’s live performance of the country classic is, simply stated, a big, big bucket of musical guts; the recorded version isn’t far off. It is, without a doubt, the CD’s highlight.

But, there are other gems, including a couple of gospel tunes from the old “Red Book” Baptist hymnal that Gulley grew up with and a couple of original tunes.

Gulley brings his wife Debbie into the limelight for a cover of the old David Houston/Tammy Wynette country classic, “My Elusive Dreams.” It’s easy to tell that this isn’t Debbie Gulley’s first rodeo, so to speak. She’s a seasoned peformer in her own right and currently is the featured vocalist on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance in Kentucky.

In the family/friends category, Gulley performs a couple of tunes that his dad’s bluegrass band performed in years back. And, he brings his dad, Dan Gulley, to the forefront to do the lead vocals on “Nearer My God to Thee.” Added icing on this cake is Doyle Lawson, who added harmony to the track and also brought Ira Louvin’s old A-model mandolin into the studio to embellish the song. With all those ingredients, it’s a blue-ribbon recipe.

Gulley brings back his Mountain Heart bandmates for “Mountain Heart,” a Gulley-penned tune that gave the band its name. And IIIrd Tyme Out’s Russell Moore pitches in some stellar harmony on a honky-tonkin’, “Cheater of the Year.”

In another not too-far bygone era, Gulley could have become a country music superstar. He’s got that kind of voice, that kind of pleasant but powerful stage presence. So much for that past scenario that never transpired. Fast forward to today when Gulley is truly one of bluegrass’s top vocalists. “Sounds Like Home” serves as a good reminder of his stature.

Quicklinks:

www.SteveGulley.com
www.Grasstowne.com
Lonesome Day Records

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