REBEL RECORDS CONTINUES TO DIG DEEP INTO CATALOG UNEARTHING LONG-FORGOTTEN RECORDINGS

“We here at Rebel Records continue to dig deep into our catalog, unearthing several excellent, long-forgotten recordings that we are excited to make available on AirPlay Direct for the first time!

At the top of the list is the legendary Larry Sparks, a bluegrass mainstay for over fifty years. One of the key building blocks of his career was a late 1970s album – and this month’s highlight release – John Deere Tractor. Kenny Baker was known as The Greatest Fiddler in Bluegrass Music. But he was no slouch on the guitar either, as demonstrated on his recording with Dobro legend Josh Graves: The Puritan Sessions.

One of the classic albums from the early days of Ralph Stanley’s solo career included two future country music icons: Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley. They were prominently featured on Ralph’s Something Old, Something New. Sporting some humongous Blues Brothers-era sideburns on the cover, Del McCoury’s self-titled debut album on Rebel contained a number of classic performances including “Rain and Snow,” “Rain Please Go Away,” and “I’ve Endured.”

Scranton, Pennsylvania, native Butch Baldassari discovered the mandolin in 1972 and became one of the instrument’s leading practitioners. Old Towndemonstrates how he artfully straddled the fence between adhering to tradition and establishing himself as a stylist. Speaking of tradition, Georgia natives the Gillis Brothers modeled their hard-driving bluegrass sound on that of the Stanley Brothers. Their Heart & Soul album blended exacting covers of Stanley Brothers originals with newly written songs that sounded – in the best sense of the word – old. The group name of Baucom, Bibey, Graham & Haley sounded more like a law firm than a bluegrass band! But don’t be fooled; they apprenticed under the best as members of Doyle Lawson’s Quicksilver before branching out on their own.

Dave Evans made his mark as a soulful singer with a dynamic range, as a prolific songwriter, and as a talented banjo player. His many talents are overflowing on Bad Moon Shining. Singer Charlie Sizemore came of age – literally – as a ten-year veteran of Ralph Stanley’s band. The guitarist-turned-lawyer juggled careers in music and law while honoring one of his songwriting heroes with The Story Is… The Songs of Tom T. Hall. The duo of guitarist Junior Sisk and banjoist Joe Mullins created Hall of Fame Bluegrass as their vehicle to pay tribute the songs of the bluegrass masters of yesteryear.”  ~ Mark Freeman, President – Rebel Records

K. BAKER & J. GRAVES Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			RALPH STANLEY Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			DEL MCCOURY Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen

BUTCH BALDASSARI Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			THE GILLIS BROTHERS Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			BAUCOM, BIBEY, GRAHAM & HALEY Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen

DAVE EVANS Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			CHARLIE SIZEMORE Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen			J. SISK & J. MULLINS Bluegrass – Acoustic Folk Click to Listen