[Harp-L] Bluegrass and Buddy Greene and Sonny Terry

[Dan Hazen <bluesmandan76@xxxxxxxxx>]

I confess that I haven't been reading all of the posts about harp and
bluegrass... it's not a musical style that particularly interests me... but
somebody mentioned Buddy Greene and I wanted to second that...

And I'll add that I don't think Buddy Greene is underrated, though he might
be "underfamous" (Is that a word?) He is amazing and I've never heard
anyone say anything less about him. He might be less famous than some
others, but I figure that with his level of skill, he's exactly as famous
as he wants to be, meaning he found a good place in the gospel circuit and
stuck with it... I've read that he's recording a lot of bluegrass stuff
though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj1QCas54Tw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD_R91fNYEs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzTYHb77l0c  (this one's not bluegrass, but
it's good)

I'd also like to say, "Sonny Terry" if you're interested in bluegrass harp.
Which might sound weird, since he wasn't really a bluegrass player, but his
fast rhythmic chugging style is 2nd to none, and that style of playing
would fit really well into bluegrass. Old timey country blues has a bit in
common with bluegrass and folk music.

Check out the album "Cripple Creek" by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee. It's
$13 for two discs & 40 songs on Amazon. It has several bluegrassy tunes and
his version of Cripple Creek made it onto the album "The Very Best of
Bluegrass"
There are 1 minute previews of the album songs on this site:
http://www.virginmedia.com/music/browse/sonny-terry-brownie-mcghee/albums/327403

Here's some good Sonny Terry Chugging tunes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z90cONlqCmc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOCqteysTJo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sG_hAhmTT0  (wait for it.... ahhhhh)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_4xQ20tM5g&list=PL4275BE6E9D7E79C1

The "Fiddle Riffing" approach is interesting to compare to the "Chugging"
approach. Very different, but both very effective. One is obviously more of
a lead instrument style, and the other is rhythm and could sit in the
background fairly well...