Biography

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Ellen Nagase
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THE BLUEGRASS 45 - THE BLUEGRASS 45 (REB-1502), 1971

Musicians
Tsuyoshi "Josh" Otsuka: Guitar, Lead Vocals
Akira "John" Otsuka: Mandolin, Lead & Harmony Vocals
Gakusei "Reo" Ryo: Fiddle, Lead & Harmony Vocals
Saburo "Sab" Watanabe: Banjo, Bass Vocals
Toshio "Speedy" Watanabe: Bass

Production Credits
Produced by Charles R. Freeland
Recorded at R.D. Homer Associates, Clinton, MD
Engineered by Roy Homer
Recorded: April 1971
Remastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO

Bluegrass has always been popular overseas; nowhere has there been a more intense interest in the music than in Japan. To an astonishing degree, Japanese listeners had embraced the music, and several fine Japanese Bluegrass bands began flourishing during the 1960s. Among the best of these was Bluegrass 45, named for the year in which the music first became a full band idiom. They were superior musicians, and they sang in English surprisingly well. Yet they will probably be best remembered for their delightful stage show. They were the among the first overseas Bluegrass groups to come to America, perform at many Bluegrass festivals and record for a leading Bluegrass label.

Here is a link to the Bluegrass Unlimited Special Series about the 1971 Bluegrass 45 tour: Bluegrass Unlimited Special Series