From a post by Bill Knowlton of WCNY’s Bluegrass Ramble Radio Show:
Earl Scruggs, the innovative father of the bluegrass banjo, died March 28th. This Sunday, April 22nd, I’ll be giving a belated but extra special tribute to Earl; a unique one as well. In December 1959 I left the Bronx for Hartford CT armed with a reel-to-reel tape recorder. At the Foot Guard Hall I was given permission to tape, for future broadcast on Fordham University’s WFUV, the entire performace of Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys. It was recorded on Dec. 6, 1959 and this will be the first rebroadcast in over 52 years! Sunday, 9 pm EDST STREAMED at www.wcny.org. Here is the direct link: http://bit.ly/HLbICZ

The Berklee Roots Roadshow (many of whom will showcase at Grey Fox 2012) will be performing live at the Kennedy Center, and on the web at the URL below, at 6:00 Eastern time tonight. The show will also be archived in this location for later viewing. http://bit.ly/bLYYS9

On June 14th, Gordon Lightfoot’s forty-year legacy of beautiful songwriting and performing will be further enhanced when he will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City in the performer category alongside Bob Seger, Don Schlitz, Harvey Schmidt, Tom Jones and Jim Steinman at the organization’s 43rd Annual Induction and Awards Dinner. The star-studded event will be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Performing songwriter Gordon Lightfoot will be honored for his role in defining the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s. He is the author and voice of many timeless songs including: “Early Morning Rain,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Sundown,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Beautiful,” “Ribbon Of Darkness,” “Rainy Day People,” “That’s What You Get For Lovin’ Me,” “Did She Mention My Name,” “I’m Not Sayin’ That I Love You,” “Race Among The Ruins,” “Softly,” “Song For A Winter’s Night,” and “Summer Side Of Life.” Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame serves as a vital bridge between music’s past and future.

Many of Gordon Lightfoot’s albums have achieved gold and multi-platinum status internationally and his songs have been recorded by some of the world’s most renowned artists including Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Peter Paul & Mary, Harry Belafonte, Jane’s Addiction, Richie Havens, Glen Campbell, Toby Keith, Anne Murray, and George Hamilton IV. He has received five Grammy® nominations and seventeen Juno Awards in his native Canada, and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, among his many other distinctions.

Lightfoot’s legacy is also well-known in the bluegrass world, especially (but not exclusively) in the recordings of Tony Rice, whose voice and guitar fit better than gloves with Lightfoot’s melodies and lyrics. “Tony Rice Sings Gordon Lightfoot” is a collection of a dozen songs that any bluegrass enthusiast should own: Go My Way, I’m Not Sayin’, Bitter Green, Shadows, Cold on the Shoulder, Walls, Song for a Winter’s Night, etc. If you don’t own this absolute gem, you should!

Caroline Isachsen, Jim Gaudet, Mike Burns, Nolan Lawrence, Grace Van’t Hof, & Celia Woodsmith – on the Masters Stage