News & Reviews

August 14, 2009 - Press Release
Daughters of Bluegrass - nominated 2009 IBMA Recorded Event of the Year

Nashville, TN: (August 14, 2009) Blue Circle Records is proud to announce the song, PROUD TO BE A DAUGHTER OF BLUEGRASS by the award-winning group, The Daughters of Bluegrass, has been nominated for the 2009 IBMA Recorded Event of the Year. Winners will be announced during the 20th Anniversary presentation of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Award Show on Thursday, October 1, 2009 held at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

PROUD TO BE A DAUGHTER OF BLUEGRASS is the opening track from the group’s current Blue Circle Records album, BLUEGRASS BOUQUET, produced by Dixie Hall, Paul Wolak and Frances Mooney. “A whole recorded event in one song! I feel very grateful and satisfied in knowing that PROUD TO BE A DAUGHTER OF BLUEGRASS is a nomination truly representative of an entire project worthy of being the true recorded event of the year. Our appreciation to all 52 Daughters and all women in bluegrass,” said Dixie Hall, who also wrote the tune.

The nominated song features the current and two-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley along with some of the top female talents in bluegrass music including: Rhonda Vincent, Jeanette Williams, Heather Berry, Frances Mooney, Lorraine Jordan, Sonya Isaacs, Lisa Ray, Linda Lay, Lisa Martin, Sally Jones, Jeanie Stanley, Carol Lee Cooper, Gloria Belle, Becky Isaacs Bowman, Michelle Nixon, Sophie Haislip, Louise Tomberlain, Sierra Hull, Mindy Rakestraw, Lizzy Long, Annette Kelley, Lily Lieux, Dixie Hall, Judi Marshall, Melissa Lawrence, Beth Lawrence, Rebecca Frazier, Donica Christensen, Lisa Manning and Jenni Lyn Gardner.

“I want to thank each and every one who voted to nominate the Daughters’ song PROUD TO BE A DAUGHTER OF BLUEGRASS for this year’s IBMA Recorded Event of the Year. It's folks like radio hosts who play our music, our fans who listen and request our songs, fans that attend the many live performances throughout the year, plus all the people behind the scene that have made this possible,” said Frances.

Daughters, Dale Ann Bradley, Rhonda Vincent, Sonya Isaacs, and Alecia Nugent are nominated for this year’s IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year. Dixie Hall has another original song nominated this year, LEAVING HERE FOR BAKER COUNTY, co-written by Tom T. Hall, performed by Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, and nominated in the 2009 IBMA Song of the Year category.

The Daughters of Bluegrass are the proud winners of the 2006 IBMA RECORDED EVENT OF THE YEAR AWARD for their previous album, BACK TO THE WELL. Individually, the Daughters have won a multitude of awards throughout the years along with numerous 2009 SPBGMA AWARDS including: Blue Circle Records owners Tom T. and Dixie Hall winning the 2009 SPBGMA Songwriter of the Year Award, making this 8 years in a row; Rhonda Vincent, the 2009 SPBGMA Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year; Jeanette Williams the 2009 SPBGMA Traditional Female Vocalist of the Year; and Kristin Scott Benson the SPBGMA Banjo Player of the Year.

Interview with Jack Wright on "All Things Considered" on NPR Radio

The Lonesome Pine Office on Youth announces the release of the two-CD set “Music of Coal: Mining Songs from the Appalachian Coalfields.”
Two years in the making, this pair of audio CDs contains 48 songs addressing various aspects of coal mining history and culture, including black lung, union organizing, environmental impacts and the contribution of coal to the national economy. The CDs are accompanied by a richly detailed book of liner notes with striking historical photographs.
“This has been a collaborative effort involving many people in the Wise County area as well as noted experts across the country,” said Paul Kuczko, director of the Lonesome Pine Office on Youth and executive producer of the CD project. “We’ve assembled more than two hours of music that truly gives the flavor of our coal mining heritage.”
According to Jack Wright, who produced the CDs and wrote the liner notes, the musical collection is a “hybrid” of old and new songs - some previously recorded, others produced specifically for this project. “We chose some songs that came out previously on independent labels and may not have been well known, but are vital in telling original stories from the heart of the coalfields,” Wright said. “In addition, we have well established artists represented here, like Ralph Stanley, Dwight Yoakum, Natalie Merchant, Tom T. Hall, Blue Highway and the Carter Family.”

Tom T. Sings Miss Dixie & TOM T. HALL

Producer(s): Dixie Hall
Genre: COUNTRY
Label: Blue Circle

This modest bluegrass session is evidence that, four decades after his recording debut, Tom T. Hall still ranks with country's greatest storytellers, and his beloved wife and songwriting partner, Dixie, is one big reason why. Though the mood is generally upbeat, funerals figure prominently in "Jimmy Martin's Life Story" (recorded shortly before yodeling guitarist Martin's 2005 death and humorously suggesting the avoidance of hard-drinking blues songs at the memorial ceremony), "A Headstone for Harry" and the great "A Hero in Harlan," an unsentimental look at a small-town soldier's return for burial. Elsewhere, pastoral memories of dirt roads, county borders and green hills surround acknowledgement about not fitting in with the young folks. Sometimes Hall's just along for a relaxed ride among an all-star cast of pickers and strummers, and he talks more than he sings. But then, he's always been a great talker. — Chuck Eddy

August 14th CD Review: Tom T. Sings Miss Dixie and Tom T.

"Last time out the Daughters garnered an IBMA Award and I do not doubt that they will repeat this at the next IBMA convention. The songs are mainly written by Dixie Hall alone and with her illustrious husband, Tom T. Hall. Musically, it is impossible to find fault with the likes of Becky Buller, Kristin Scott Benson, Sierra Hull and the superb Rebecca Frazier among many others … This is definitely a keeper." - ~ COUNTRY MUSIC FACTS AND NEWS ~

2009 SPBGMA SONGWRITERS OF THE YEAR

Hello Everybody!

Tom T. and I want to thank those who attended SPBGMA 2009 and voted for us for the SPBGMA 2009 Songwriter(s) of the Year Award. We also want to congratulate the other award winners and especially to Jeanette Williams for receiving Traditioanal Female Vocalist of the Year.
We also want to thank the bands that performed on the "Good Home Grown Music Mini-showcase" in the McGavock Room. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEOS
Thank you all who have recorded, requested, and who have supported the artists who play the 'Good Home Grown Music' of Tom T and Dixie Hall.
God Bless!
Dixie & Tom T Hall

~ SAVE BEAN BLOSSOM FOR BLUEGRASS ~

As many of you know, the Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground is once again for sale.If you are one of the many bluegrass fans with "Bean Blossom Memories" of your own, and would like to see the history and traditions associated with the site of the world's longest continuously-running bluegrass festival preserved for generations to come, you can play a key role! (Read More)

Good Home Grown Music ~ P.O. Box 680126 ~ Franklin, Tennessee 37068-0126