The Gillis Brothers "Ice Cold Stone" (Hay Holler, 1992)

The Gillis Brothers "Down By The River" (Hay Holler, 1992)

The Gillis Brothers "Sunshine In The Snow" (Hay Holler, 1993)

The Gillis Brothers "Heart And Soul" (Rebel, 1995)
Nice stuff! These fellas mix the old-school, plaintive vocals with a crisp, low-key instrumental attack -- understated, but irresistible. This is a really fine set, well worth checking out. Some sweet, simple harmonies, too, and a nice mix of heart songs and gospel tunes. Recommended.

The Gillis Brothers "The Hay Holler Years" (Hay Holler, 2005)

The Good Deale Bluegrass Band "Another Great Deale" (Founder, 2003)
Featuring dobroist Mike Auldridge and a bunch of his pals...

The Good Old Boys "Pistol Packin' Mama" (Round Records, 1976)
(Produced by Jerry Garcia)
Longhaired hippie bluegrass at its finest... The presence of the Dreadful Grate's Jerry Garcia as the album's producer ensured a wide listenership among certain segments of the rock scene, and (at least up here in Northern California) fairly wide distribution of this 'Seventies classic... Good thing, too: this record's pretty damn satisfying. Pure, twangy, all-acoustic truegrass that stretches into country material such as Joe Maphis' "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," Johnnie And Jack's "Ashes Of Love" and Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mama," alongside bluegrass standards such as "Toy Heart" and new stuff like "Glendale Train." The picking is solid from start to finish -- mandolinist Frank Wakefield was well-liked by many on the bluegrass scene, but recorded only sparingly -- his duet with banjoist Don Reno, on "Banjo Signal," is a real scorcher, and the rest of the album, with some sweet licks on the fiddle from Chubby Wise, sizzles as well. Recommended!

The Good Ol' Persons "The Good Old Persons" (Bay Records, 1977)
A landmark early album from the SF Bay Area bluegrass scene, featuring future solo artists Kathy Kallick (on bass) and Laurie Lewis on fiddle and mandolin... A fun mix of bluegrass and old-timey music, along with a touch of jazzy swing.

The Good Ol' Persons "I Can't Stand To Ramble" (Kaleidoscope, 1983) (LP)

The Good Ol' Persons "Anywhere The Wind Blows" (Kaleidoscope)

The Good Ol' Persons "Part Of A Story" (Flat Rock Records)

The Good Ol' Persons "Good 'N' Live" (Sugar Hill, 1995)

Grant Street String Band "Grant Street String Band" (Flat Rock Records)

The Grascals "The Grascals" (Rounder, 2005)

The Grascals "Long List Of Heartaches" (Rounder, 2006)
(Produced by The Grascals)
A swell, high-lonesome set with a lively little bounce, worthy of Del McCoury, the Osborn Brothers or Jimmy Martin... This is perhaps the band's most traditional-sounding album and, for my money, their most satisfying overall. Includes a track with bluegrass-friendly op 40 star Dierks Bently and a recitation by the venerable George Jones. Good stuff... definitely recommended!

The Grascals "Keep On Walkin' " (Rounder, 2008)
One of the top bluegrass bands of recent years, the Grascals sound mighty old-school and twangy on a lot of these tunes, especially songs like the album's opener, "Feeling Blue," and the gospel-tinged "Sad Wind Sighs," both of which feature hot picking and plenty of nasal vocals and sweet high harmony. There are also a few tunes, like "Choices" and "Keep On Walkin'," that have the feel of modern high-concept Nashville ballads -- give 'em to one of those hat-act fellas, and you might hear them on commercial radio sometime soon. Mostly, though, this is a slam-bang banjo'n'mandolin twangfest, with plenty of fast pickin' to keep fans of the old stuff happy as clams. Recommended!

The Grascals "The Famous Lefty Flynn's" (Rounder, 2010)
(Produced by The Grascals)
Digging deeper into the wellspring of traditionally-oriented "high lonesome"-style truegrass, the Grascals now sound quite a bit like Del McCoury and his crew, with some of the most plangent, keening lead vocals around. Nice repertoire; a lot of well-chosen cover tunes, including several with a country-ish bent such as "Last Train To Clarksville," Steve Earle's "My Old Friend The Blues," and some tunes from the Osborne Brothers catalog, as well as a couple of good gospel tunes. The picking matches the singing -- a bit brisk and piercing, and full of energy and intensity; new to the band are fiddler Jeremy Abshire and banjo queen Kristin Scott Benson. Altogether, another nice one from this compact, dynamic modern band.

The Grascals/Various Artists "Country Classics With A Bluegrass Spin" (Crackerbarrel, 2010)
(Produced by The Grascals)
Giving some country oldies a bluegrass twist, Terry Eldredge and The Grascals invite in a whole slew of high-powered pals to pitch in on the vocals... Modern top country Nashvillers such as Dierks Bentley, Joe Nichols and Brad Paisley form one end of the spectrum, while old-timers like Charlie Daniels, Tom T. Hall and Dolly Parton bring in a historical perspective, for instance when the Oak Ridge Boys reprise their hit version of Rodney Crowell's "Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight." Dolly sings on several songs, including the all-star singalong that closes the album, "I Am Strong," and an earlier version at the album's start. There're songs from Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Hank Jr. and others... This may come online sometime in the future, but for now it's available through the Cracker Barrel restaurant chain... for folks who want a little twang along with their chicken-fried steak.

The Grascals "Dance 'Til Your Stockings Are Hot and Ravelin' " (Bluegrascal Records, 2011)
This 7-song EP is pitched as an homage to the music of Mayberry, but considering how much public domain material is on here, perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a tribute to the Darling Boys (as The Dillards were called, when they appeared on The Andy Griffith Show in the early 1960s...) Whichever way you look at it, it's a nice chance to hear Terry Eldredge and his crew let their hair down and play some traditional standards, such as "Stay All Night" and "Dooley." Bummer they couldn't include "The Fishing Hole" as well... but ya can't have everything!

The Grasshoppers "The Grasshoppers" (Doobie Shea, 2000)
A nice solid, bouncily melodic bluegrass set, with heavy country leanings. Lead singer Honi Glenn has a nice light snarl that places her in the general vicinity of Claire Lynch and Rhonda Vincent... The backing band, including several of her family members, is rock solid, too, with Dan Tyminski dropping in and out of several tracks. Nice stuff!

Grasstowne "The Road Headin' Home" (Pinecastle, 2007)
A great country-tinged progressive bluegrass set, with a ton of talent in an all-star lineup: mandolinist Alan Bibey, guit-picker Steve Gulley and resophonist Phil Leadbetter team up with fiddler Jason Davis and bassist Lee Sawyer rounding out the band... That makes for some mighty fine picking, and even finer harmony vocals, especially when you also bring guests like Dale Ann Bradley and Stuart Duncan into the mix as well. The song selection is uniformly killer: this is the kind of sleek, soulful, rootsy sound that I really dig, and the fact that so much of it is original material makes it even better. Gulley contributes three songs, and co-writes a fourth, the haunting "That's Not What Ships Are For," which I'd say is a highlight of the album. Throughout, one is reminded of the heyday of 1970s newgrass, with eclectic folk-country influences laced in with excellent musicianship. This disc is definitely worth checking out!

Grasstowne "The Other Side Of Towne" (Pinecastle, 2009)

Grasstowne "Kickin' Up Dust" (Rural Rhythm, 2011)
(Produced by Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley & Wes Easter)
A really sweet, multi-textured truegrass set from Alan Bibey, Steve Gulley and their cohorts... Flawless picking and gorgeous harmony vocals underscore one great song after another. A strong mix of country and 'grass, with hints of the Jimmy Martin crossover style, as well as several top-notch gospel tunes. Bibey and Gulley's tenures in bands such as Quicksilver and IIIrd Tyme Out hold them in good stead, particularly on the religious numbers. Some swell instrumentals and solos, as well... An extraordinarily well-rounded modern bluegrass record, with a firm traditional foundation and a fresh, youthful vibe from the band. Highly recommended!

Grateful Dead "Workingman's Dead" (Warner, 1970)
Well sure, maybe this isn't a proper "bluegrass" album, but what with Jerry Garcia's later involvement in Old & In The Way, and the overall backwoods vibe of this album, it's certainly a major link from the hippie rock scene into the world of country and folk. Plus, it's one of the Dead's best (and most accessible) albums, recorded when they were at their poppy peak. A classic album, with a big old Appalachian streak running right through it. Totally worth checking out.

Josh Graves & Kenny Baker "The Puritan Sessions" (Rebel, 1989)
A lovely reissue of two albums originally recorded for the Puritan record label, Something Different, from 1972, and 1973's Bucktime, pairing fiddler Kenny Baker up with dobro guru Josh Graves. These sessions are notable not only for the fluid, sympathetic interplay between two mellow-minded old-timers, but also for the chance to hear Baker playing guitar -- which he had to stop doing after an accident in 1977 that damaged the nerves in his left hand. And lemme tell you: it sure sounds sweet! A great mix of songs and rather adventurous instrumentals... well worth tracking this disc down!

The Greenbriar Boys "Best Of The Vanguard Years" (Vanguard, 2002)
The Greenbriar Boys -- featuring John Herald, Ralph Rinzler, Bob Yellin and Frank Wakefield -- were one of the most influential bands of the '60s bluegrass revival, helping bridge the gap between the semi-retired old-timers of the '40s and '50s and the eager young'uns of the early '60s folk boom, who wanted to soak up as much "authentic" hillbilly culture as they possibly could. In the early days of the Greenwich Village-based earnest folkie college/coffeehouse scene, what you knew was, quite frankly, more important than how well you could play it, and like many of the would-be bluegrassers of the time, the Greenbriar Boys did sound a bit ricketty from time to time. That was okay, though... their hearts were in the right place, and they had fun digging up material like the historically-oriented ballads such as "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" and pop culture goofs like Wayne Raney's "We Need A Whole Lot More Of Jesus (And A Lot Less Rock and Roll)." This generously programmed 2-CD set collects material from their influential LPs on the Vanguard label, recorded between 1961-66, and charts the group's rapid progress from a somewhat awkward-sounding (but very enthusiastic) ensemble into a more, cohesive professional band. When Rinzler left the group in order to devote himself fulltime to booking shows and promoting events, hotshot mandolin whiz Frank Wakefield came in and added some extra instrumental ooompf. Fans of the New Lost City Ramblers and those interested in the history of the modern bluegrass scene should definitely check this collection out -- it's a nice glimpse into the innocent early years, and definitely shows these guys at their best.

The Greenbriar Boys "Big Apple Bluegrass" (Vanguard, 2003)
More nice stuff from these sleek city slickers. If the Best Of set above piqued your interest, this disc is a nice follow-up, including a few album tracks left of the other set, as well as a bunch of previously unreleased material for the hardcore fans to savor.

The Greencards "Weather And Water" (Dualtone, 2005)
This scrappy, eclectic band seems tailormade to horn in on a bit of Alison Krauss's territory, offering a similarly mellow, accessible mixture of Americana-folk and bluegrass picking... But instead of Krauss's increasing tilt towards mainstream pop, the Greencards have a noteworthy streak of Celtic trad, with a bounce and a lilt that keeps things lively. Their musicmaking still seems too effortful -- you always feel them working their way from Point-A to Point-B to Point-C, and they seldom hint at those magic leaps to X ,Y, Z and beyond that make the best musicians so special. But despite the workmanlike feel to their work, they are clearly a band that's on the way up and that will find a loyal audience whose energy and enthusiasm match that of the band. Worth checking out, particularly if you are a fan of Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck, and the slicker side of the contemporary bluegrass scene.

The Greencards "Viridian" (Dualtone, 2007)
A lovely, pretty-sounding set with contemporary folk overtones, ala Be Good Tanyas, along with some satisfying, straight-ahead bluegrass, and a bit of Celtic coloring thrown in for good measure. Bassist Carol Young has the strongest presence, adding fine vocals to some of the more less bluegrass-y tunes, although the guys kick in on vocals as well, and all the bandmembers contribute strong original material. You can draw comparisons to other contemporary style-stretchers: some of the gruffer male vocals evoke Dan Tyminski's work with Union Station, and there's a little bit of Nickel Creek in the folk-pop elements as well, although much to their credit, the Greencards are far less stagey and self-important than those chartmakers, and less anchored to the "adult pop" market. There's still a sense of spontaneity and joyful fun here that will be instantly appealing, and the group's diversity and mastery of styles makes this feel like a nice freeform folk radio show. This is a band that a lot of fans are going to latch onto over the next few years.

The Greencards "Fascination" (Sugar Hill, 2009)
I am probably not the right person to ask about this record. When I first heard it, I was inclined to say something favorable, about how they were being creative, and expanding the boundaries of their genre, etc. etc. But when I came back to it, I just had to admit it was impossibly pretentious and musically forced. Distinctive and attention-getting, yes, but also quite forced. It's just too lofty and overdone, really, too self-consciously poetic and artful, and too naked a bid to stake out turf on the same "adult-alt" folk-pop terrain as Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek. Admittedly, I suppose if you are a fan of that genre, this would be welcome -- I found it cluttered and loud; it made me uneasy listening to it. Towards the end, I had an epiphany, as on one song the male-female harmonies kicked in and I realized that, on that track, they sounded a bit like Fleetwood Mac, and I realized that they probably meant to. The trouble is, they moved straight past Rumours right into the Stevie Nicks solo years... Just not my cup of tea, I guess.

Richard Greene "The Grass Is Greener" (Rebel, 1995)
The sprightly debut of Greene's all-star, all-instrumental ensemble. This edition of the band features newgrass stalwarts such Bill Keith and David Grier, as well as a couple of talented young'uns (Kenny Blackwell on mandolin, Tim Emmons plunking the bass...) The overall vibe is cheerful and pleasantly melodic... A nice little record!

Richard Greene "The Wolves A'Howlin' " (Rebel, 1996)

Richard Greene "Sales Tax Toddle" (Rebel, 1997)
Here Greene includes several vocal tunes in honor of the recently-departed Bill Monroe, with his old pal (and bandmate in the late-'60s edition of the Blue Grass Boys, and later in Earth Opera) Peter Rowan chiming in on guitar and vocals. Sonny Osborne, Tony Trischka, David Greir and Butch Baldassari are the heavyweights who round out this band; bassist Buell Neidlinger brings up the rear and rounds out the sound. It's another goodle.

David Grisman -- see artist discography

Steve Gulley "Sounds Like Home" (Lonesome Day Records, 2007)
Super-sweet, melodic bluegrass from a former member of Doyle Lawson's Quicksilver, and former lead singer of Mountain Heart... SInger-guitarist Steve Gulley plays it pure and clear, with several new, original numbers and a bunch of classics from the canon... Some of his old buddies chime in here as well, including the fellas from Mountain Heart, Lawson, and Dale Ann Bradley, who adds some gorgeous harmony and duet vocals on a couple of tunes. This disc is solid from start to finish -- mostly traditional, mostly secular, though with some well-chosen gospel material, and fine pickin' throughout. If you want any proof of the strength of the independent bluegrass scene, look no further. Records like this give lots of hope for the future... Come to think of it... the present sounds mighty nice as well!

Steve Gulley & Tim Stafford "Dogwood Winter" (Rural Rhythm, 2010)

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Hick Music Index

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