Ron Block photo by Dan lofton

Best known as Union Station’s guitar and banjo man, Ron Block will perform at Rocketown in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday, February 7th in support of his latest album “Doorway” (Rounder).

The “in the round” style show kicks off at 7:00 PM and will also feature Sierra Hull, Sara Groves, Christopher Williams and Charlie Peacock.

Block has just finished producing Sierra Hull’s debut CD which will be available later this year on Rounder Records.

Rocketown is located at 401 6th Ave S. and tickets are available through www.etix.com for $10.00. For more information you can visit www.rocketown.com or call 615-843-4001.

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Nashville, Tenn. — The Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum’s successful quarterly program series Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Session Players kicks off its third year on Saturday, February 16, with a salute to legendary producer and guitarist Jerry Kennedy. The 2:00 p.m. program, which will be held in the Museum’s Ford Theater, is included with Museum admission and is free to Museum members.The interactive program, hosted by Stringed Instrument Curator Bill Lloyd, will include an in-depth, one-on-one interview highlighted by vintage recordings, photos and film clips culled from the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive. Immediately following the program, Kennedy will sign autographs in the Museum Store.

Jerry Kennedy filled multiple roles as a musician, producer, songwriter and record executive in Nashville’s music industry. An accomplished guitarist, his distinctive work graces hit recordings such as Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man.” He has produced classics by Tom T. Hall, Jerry Lee Lewis, Reba McEntire, Roger Miller, Johnny Rodriguez and the Statler Brothers, among many others, and he was chief of the Nashville division of Mercury Records from 1969 to 1984. Working with producer Shelby Singleton, Kennedy was also instrumental in breaking down racial barriers in the early ’60s by recording R&B acts like Brook Benton, Ruth Brown and Clyde McPhatter with Nashville country session musicians.

Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jerry Kennedy began playing the guitar as a child and in 1951, at the age of ten, earned acclaim as a finalist in the annual Bob Wills talent hunt. By the time he graduated from Byrd High School in 1958, Kennedy had become a local sensation and was performing on the Louisiana Hayride. He backed rising stars Faron Young and Johnny Horton on the country radio show, all the while traveling the state with friend and producer Shelby Singleton and making blues records with the likes of Jimmy McCracklin and Guitar Junior.

Following the lead of other local musicians, and prompted by Singleton (who now worked for Mercury’s country division in Music City), Kennedy made the move to Nashville in 1961 in search of session work. In 1963 he began work as Singleton’s assistant at Mercury Records. After Singleton moved to New York to head up Mercury’s A&R office, Kennedy was promoted to A&R manager at the label and in 1969 became Mercury’s vice president in charge of country music.

While pushing paper and making executive decisions, Kennedy was still able to forge a remarkable career as a both a record producer and session musician. Known for his easy-going temperament and low-key approach to recording, he produced Roger Miller’s early hits, helping the new artist earn 11 Grammys in 1964 and 1965. Kennedy is also widely known for producing (and playing on) the albums that aided Jerry Lee Lewis’ transition from rock to country.

One of his most distinctive musical contributions can be heard on Jeannie C. Riley’s 1967 hit “Harper Valley P.T.A,” where Kennedy’s playful Dobro licks go tit-for-tat with Riley’s bold vocals. Kennedy played on Bob Dylan’s famous Blonde on Blonde sessions, as well as on Roy Orbison’s hit “Oh, Pretty Woman.” His guitar and Dobro work also graced recordings by Elvis Presley, Ringo Starr and Kris Kristofferson, among others.

Kennedy stepped down from Mercury Records in 1984 to start his own production company, JK Productions, which produced the Statler Brothers, among others. A much beloved member of the Nashville musical community, Kennedy resides in Brentwood, Tennessee, and is enjoying retirement.

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Donna Ulisse

Hadley Music Group recording artist Donna Ulisse will be taking a break from SPBGMA activities on Friday, February, 1, 2008 to tape the nationally syndicated radio show Bluegrass Breakdown hosted by Dave Higgs who also writes the “Bands To Watch” column for Bluegrass Now. The show originates on Nashville’s NPR station WPLN and is carried by over fifty other stations around the country.

Ulisse will be singing several songs off of her current release “When I Look Back” which consists of fourteen self-penned tunes. Backing her up on the show will be guitarist Keith Sewell who also produced her CD, with Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin, Dave Pomeroy on bass and Andy Hall on dobro. Rick Stanley will also provide some harmonies. Stay tuned for an air date.

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Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill -”Welcome Here Again” (Green Linnet)

Nashville, Tenn. - Irish fiddle virtuoso Martin Hayes and Chicago-born guitarist Dennis Cahill possess a rare, almost telepathic musical kinship. The duo’s new album, “Welcome Here Again,” is a fresh departure.

Eighteen tracks with the same burning intensity and depth of emotion found in their previous collaborations, “The Lonesome Touch” (1997) and “Live in Seattle” (1999). It was once common for Irish musicians to record one tune at a time, to make each one a self-contained masterpiece. In “Welcome Here Again,” this tradition is revived.

The mesmeric rhythms, the tantalizing slow release of melody, the extra tone from the viola or a tuned-down fiddle, all of that and more can be found on this album.”Welcome Here Again” is the first release on Green Linnet Label since it’s acquisition by the Compass Records Group in 2006.

Beginning March 1, 2008, the Compass Records Group will kick off a year long Green Linnet relaunch campaign.

To sample tunes from “Welcome Here Again” click here.

Current Performance Schedule:

• 02-15-2008 Clinton, NY - Hamilton College
• 02-24-2008 Perth, - UWA Perth International Arts Festival
• 02-28-2008 Circular Quay - NSW, - The Basement
• 03-01-2008 Wellington, - Wellington International Arts
• 03-02-2008 Wellington, - Wellington International Arts
• 03-03-2008 Wellington, - Wellington International Arts
• 03-04-2008 Brisbane, - Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts
• 03-05-2008 Canberra, - The Folkus Room, Serbian Culb
• 03-06-2008 Melbourne, - Brunswick Music Club
• 03-07-2008 Adelaide, S.A., - Womadelaide
• 03-08-2008 Adelaide, S.A., - Womadelaide
• 03-09-2008 Port Fairy, - Port Fairy Folk Festival
• 03-10-2008 Port Fairy, - Port Fairy Folk Festival
• 03-14-2008 Katoomba, - Blue Mountains Music Festival
• 03-15-2008 Katoomba, - Blue Mountains Music Festival
• 03-16-2008 Katoomba, - Blue Mountains Music Festival
• 03-31-2008 Bellingham, WA - Mount Baker Theatre
• 04-11-2008 Eugene, OR - Shedd Institute for the Arts

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Lonesome County

Michigan isn’t exactly a Bluegrass Mecca, but don’t tell that to members of Lonesome County, an up and coming band from Pickney, near Ann Arbor, Mich.

Lonesome County, an ensemble of five capable pickers and singers, is making some inroads beyond its northern landscape. Lonesome County’s first big milestone was winning the band contest at the 2006 festival in Renfro Valley, Ky. Last year, the group expanded further with the release of its debut, self-titled CD.

The 12-track CD is easy listening, with a few instances of real ear grabbers, especially from the flying fingers of band leader Chad Jeremy, who handles guitar chores and vocals for the group. The CD also runs the genre’s own inner gamut — from the traditional to contemporary.

I’ve dealt with words and the King’s English language to earn a paycheck for about four decades, so the catchy-titled tune, “Notey But Nice,” really caught my eyes when I first picked up this CD. The ears weren’t a bit disappointed when the track was played. It’s an Irish-tinted instrumental that nicely showcases the band’s picking skills, as does “Lonesome County Line.”

The group wrote nine of the project’s dozen tunes, and I gather from the liner notes that Jeremy was the kingpin in penning the tunes. “Fool’s Conversation,” a ballad, is a stand-out with its lyrics, contemporary sound and pleasant chord moves that stretch far beyond the three-chord classics.

But there are a couple of those three-chorders on this CD that also make for fine listening, including the Carter Family’s “Darling Pal of Mine” and the Flatt & Scruggs classic, “Your Love is Like a Flower.” They serve as a strong testament that this band can tackle Bluegrass’s traditional side with class and plenty of gusto.

Many of the Jeremy-penned songs are a good mix between the old and the new. All in all, it’s a noteworthy debut project for this regional band that shows plenty of potential to spread its wings well beyond those Michigan boundaries.

Other members of the group are Kevin Frank, mandolin and vocals; Lee Kaufman, banjo and vocals; Paul Shapiro, bass and vocals; and Marty Somberg, fiddle and vocals.

Lonesome County also maintains a fine, rather extensive Web site. Information on ordering the CD and plenty of other tidbits about the band, its music and members’ instruments can be found at www.lonesomecountyband.com.

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