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Don Reno & Red Smiley - Together Again (REB-1789), 2006

Musicians
Don Reno: Banjo, Lead Guitar on tracks 4, 8 & 13, Vocals
Red Smiley: Guitar, Vocals
Bill Harrell: Guitar, Vocals
Buck Ryan: Fiddle
Jerry McCoury: Bass
Unknown: Mandolin

Production Credits
Originally released on Rome Records (R-1011) in October 1971
Original recordings produced by Jack Casey and Dick Unteed
Engineered by Jack Casey and Marvin Jones
Recorded at Rome Recording Studio, Columbus, OH
Reissue produced by Eddie Stubbs
Remixed by Steve Chandler at Hilltop Recording Studios, Nashville, TN
Assisted by Charlie Cushman and Eddie Stubbs
Mastered by John Eberle at Americana Mastering, Nashville, TN

Things were tough indeed for bluegrass performers when this album was cut and issued (as a vinyl LP) on the Rome label in 1971. There was little market for bluegrass music, except for a few hot spots in the Southeast, parts of Ohio and the Washington, D.C. area. Don Reno was teaming with Bill Harrell, and Red Smiley had basically retired from music for health reasons, when the idea came up for the duo to reunite for a series of shows and perhaps a recording. The album that resulted got essentially no distribution, and it is estimated that fewer than 500 copies were sold. Smiley then passed away on January 2 of 1972. While this record does not match the quality of Reno & Smiley’s best King or Dot work, and the sound quality shows some distortion in places, it is very much Reno & Smiley, they were still in good vocal form, and they recorded some songs that they never cut elsewhere, including a young Dave Evans piece called Highway 52—a solid, spirited performance that is one of the highlights of the album. There is also some of Reno’s great guitar work on an excellent version of "Shine Hallelujah Shine."