John Scott's Staff Pick: May 6, 2024

What’s up Sorry State readers? I hope everyone is having a nice week. Last week was my birthday, and I got to spend the weekend hanging out and relaxing at the beach with my friends, which was really nice. We even got to go to an old school skating rink, which also was a bunch of fun. My wonderful girlfriend knocked it out of the park with her gift and got me this live Doc and Merle Watson record that I’ve wanted for a while now. I never buy records online honestly cause it feels silly when I work in a record store. Coincidentally, this record was recorded on May 2nd, 1974, exactly fifty years from this past Thursday. Like the Live Johnny Cash record I wrote about months ago, this show was recorded by Owsley “Bear” Stanley, in his own unique way to make it sound like you’ve travelled back in time and are sitting right there in the crowd. They get things started with Wabash Cannonball, cause every show needs a train song to kick things off. Another song I really enjoyed on the first side was A Rovin’ On a Winter’s Night, which I had just heard for the first time a few weeks ago when I saw Billy Strings in Nashville and instantly fell in love with it. As I’ve said with every other live bluegrass album I’ve written about, I always love the banter and jokes in between songs. It really breathes life into the recording and makes it feel more personal. Other favorites of mine on here include Tennessee Stud, Peach Pickin’ Time in Georgia, Walk on Boy and Brown’s Ferry Blues. I’m so thankful Owsley Stanley took it upon himself to record such amazing and intimate performances so that we can enjoy them half a century later. Thank a taper today. Hopefully in fifty years I’ll be listening to a live record of a show I attended and think back fondly of the memory and remember all the small little details that happen in between songs.


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