Masters Of The Steel String Guitar – Various Artists CD 485

Description

CD 485

A legendary National tour, recorded in live performance. This guitar showcase is one of the nations most acclaimed performances devoted to a single musical instrument. Since it’s inception in 1990, this national tour has crossed the nation four times, presenting a sampling of American guitar styles. The edition of the tour heard here is from the 1999-2000 touring season and presents performers of deeply traditional styles.

These recordings were made as the tour traveled north from Arizona and through California, Oregon, and Washington. They were made direct to digital in stereo from the board mix, no secret weapons, overdubs, nor even major edits. What you hear is what the audience heard.

1. I Don’t Love Nobody – Wayne Henderson/Linda & David Lay
2. Cannonball Blues – Wayne Henderson/Linda & David Lay
3. Coat Of Many Colors, A – Linda Lay/Wayne Henderson/David Lay
4. Carter Family Medley – Wayne Henderson/Linda & David Lay
5. Alabama Jubilee – Wayne Henderson/Linda & David Lay
6. Walking Mama – John Cephas/Phil Wiggins
7. Prison Blues – John Cephas
8. John Henry – John Cephas
9. Lost John – Eddie Pennington
10. Dark As A Dungeon – Eddie Pennigton
11. Eddie’s Medley: September In The Rain / San Antonio Rose / St. Louis Blues / Tiger Rag – Eddie Pe…
12. I’ll See You In My Dreams – Eddie Pennington
13. Northern Lights – Johnny Bellar
14. Heaven – Johnny Bellar
15. Aloha Oe – Johnny Bellar
16. Sweet Dreams – Johnny Bellar
17. Guitar Rag – Johnny Bellar
18. Where The Roses Never Fade – Eddie Pennington

REVIEW

“This 18-song CD is taken from the 1999-2000 season of an American national tour of steel guitar players, spotlighting Wayne Henderson, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, Eddie Pennington, Johnny Bellar, Linda Lay, and David Lay. Some of those performers don’t play steel guitar here, but act as accompanists to the steel guitarists: Wiggins is a harmonica player and singer, Linda Lay a bassist and singer, and David Lay a rhythm guitarist and singer. Probably only Cephas & Wiggins will be familiar to the general popular-music audience. The disc’s chief strength is variety, representing the steel guitar as it’s employed in bluegrass, blues, folk, and country music. The performances are good-natured, well recorded, and not too long on innovation; it’s pleasant virtuosity, for the most part, rather than something to really make you sit up and pay close attention. There’s a mixture of vocal and instrumental performances, with Linda Lay’s country singing highlighting the vocal ones. Without a doubt, the most interesting performer is Bellar, who gets some super-eerie tones from a resophonic guitar on his instrumental ‘Northern Lights.’”

– Richie Unterberger, AllMusic.com