July Already?Greetings,July! Already! Where did June go? It went so fast that we didn't even get an email out to you folks. We thinking that's the first month we've missed in the fourteen years we've been sending them out and we were officially called out for our slothfulness by some of you who were wondering what was going on. It's nice to know some of you missed hearing from us. June was a quiet month spent mostly off the road. We quietly celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary, we spent 10 days on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and we worked on music and around the house here in Middlebrook.
We're now to quote a British Isle's neighbor of ours -
"beavering" around the place here, trying to tie up all
the loose ends before heading up to Minnesota for five
days. The garden is mulched and in good shape, the dog
path is mowed, our friends are lined up to help with the
cats and dog and Linda's had her banjo nails refurbished.
All we have to do now is pack. Hopefully we can get out of
here tomorrow without forgetting our instruments or
leaving doors unlocked, both of which we have done in the
past. This will be a special weekend as "A Prairie Home
Companion" will be celebrating its 40th year on the air.
There will be a festival surrounding this weekend's
broadcast and the broadcast itself will be a special
three-hour presentation. The list of other performers is
lengthy and impressive and, considering how many other
performers could be asked and would love to be asked,
we're glad that Garrison Keillor asked us to be a part of
this historic occasion. This link should get you all the
information you need: We've been included on a wonderful CD honoring Jean Ritchie, the iconic folk singer from Perry County, KY. Jean's influence on folk and country music is immeasurable and, as she heads into her 92nd year, it's only appropriate that a tribute album to her be released. "Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie" will be released on Compass Records in September and we'll be sure to keep you up to date on all the information. It's a double CD filled with her original songs and the folk songs she brought to the world's attention, having learned them from her family and friends in eastern Kentucky. We sing her great song, "The L and N Don't Stop Here Anymore." Other artists include Tim O'Brien, John McCutchen, Kathy Mattea, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and many others. Jean has led an incredibly interesting life, starting out in the eastern Kentucky mountains, later on becoming a leading figure in the 1950s-60s Greenwich Village music scene, and now, after living over 60 years in New York, is back in Berea, KY where she is surrounded by many friends. Check her out on Wikipedia and be sure and order the CD. . Bumper Sticker of the Month: Honk if you love Jesus. Text while driving if you want to meet him! . We hope this finds you well and busy. Check out some live music when you get a chance and we hope to see you at one of the stops along the way.
Your pals, |