Biography

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BILL EMERSON - HOME OF THE RED FOX (REB-1651), 1987

Musicians
Bill Emerson: Banjo
Tony Rice: Guitar
Jimmy Gaudreau: Mandolin
Jerry Douglas: Dobro
Jim Buchanan: Fiddle
Mark Schatz: Bass

Production Credits
Produced by Bill Emerson
Recorded at Webco Studio, Gaithersburg, MD
Engineered by Wayne Busbice
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, Inc., Springfield, VA

Banjo player Bill Emerson has led a long and storied career in bluegrass, culminating with his receipt of the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award. He was a charter member of the Country Gentlemen in 1957, was a part of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys in the early and middle ‘60s, and a partner with guitarist Cliff Waldron in the late ‘60s. By the early ‘70s, Bill was back with the Country Gentlemen and then for the next 20 years played music as a member of the Navy band Country Current. After his retirement from military service, he performed with the Rice Brothers and also Pete Goble. The longevity of his career and the sheer brilliance of his playing have earned him a reputation as one of bluegrass’ best banjo players.

Surrounding himself with top-notch musicians and with excellent tunes, Emerson demonstrates his immaculate taste and consummate technical ability on the 5-string banjo on this neat all instrumental recording. Tony Rice's guitar work and Jerry Douglas's Dobro are particularly outstanding and get plenty of play without stealing the show. Rice - who takes lovely breaks on just about every tune - referred to this record as "magic" in his recent biography Still Inside. Jimmy Gaudreau (mandolin), Jim Buchanan (fiddle), and Mark Schatz (bass) also contribute nicely to a well-textured, full bodied sound. Happily, Emerson has included solid new recordings of his standout older pieces that have become standards over the years, "Sweet Dixie" and "Theme Time." The other eight tunes are all Emerson originals and good vehicles for his straight, driving Scruggs-style. A brilliant record.