| Chester club new venue | Doobie Shea records | Bluegrass Yearbook |

Bev Williams has already announced that he is to run “RochEdale” again next year! On the first weekend in June - 2nd, 3rd & 4th 2000. But it will be a new location - Bev is looking at a low-lying venue near the M66 J21. It has a proper concert hall, toilets, showers and other facilities - including nearby PUBS!

CD: The Bluegrass Sessions (Tales from the Acoustic Planet vol. 2)

• Artists: Sam Bush (mando); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Stuart Duncan (fiddle); Bela Fleck (banjo); Tony Rice (guitar); Mark Schatz (bass).
• Special Guests: Earl Scruggs (banjo); Vassar Clements (fiddle); John Hartford (lead and bass vocals, banjo); Vince Gill, Tim O'Brien, Ricky Skaggs - harmony vocals

This CD brings together not only the greatest acoustic players on the planet but three generations of bluegrass greats, including first generation pioneer Earl Scruggs. From stone-cold traditional bluegrass to the edges of newgrass, from Fleck originals to classics, The Bluegrass Sessions promises to be out of this world.

Bela Fleck writes:

“Although this group of musicians has never formally been a band, I have always imagined it as one. Tony, Sam, Jerry, Stuart and Marty and I, spring from the bluegrass heartland. Everything else we play is coloured by that.

“I wanted to make a bluegrass record because it had been way too long since we had all played together, and time was flying by fast. I wanted to encompass all types of bluegrass, from stone cold traditional to the edges of newgrass. As the plans progressed, several things fell into place that made it even more special. Earl Scruggs's involvement plus John Hartford and Vassar Clements taking part added the dimension of three generations of bluegrass being represented here, including the first one!

“I believe Bill Monroe recorded with accordion at some point, so the inclusion of Joey Miskulin with Larry Paxton and Bob Mater makes some kind of perverse sense as well. Vince, Tim and Ricky brought it back before we lost control completely! To all the musicians, thank you for putting so much of yourselves into this music. Thank you also for putting up with me during recording. It is truly an honour to play with all of you. I value the friendship we have beyond words. And to the listener, thank you for being here, we need you.”

After almost 4 happy years at the Commercial Hotel the Chester Club ran into bad times after a recent change of Landlords (two men). They didn’t want music and had no music licence. On Tuesday 15th June they asked the group to leave - obviously to fill the room with a large party of American tourists who were coming in. “Your not going now?” asked one of them, “We’ve come to hear the Bluegrass!” Shooting yourself in the foot, or what?!!

The pickers went directly to another pub (The Bull and Stirrup, George St., near the Northgate) and were offered a terrific room free of charge - non-smoking, similar to the previous one but slightly larger. It has to be on Monday nights. The pub is easier to find and has good parking.

Jeanette Williams Charts Debut Solo CD.

Landing firmly on the bluegrass charts in 4 charting areas, Jeanette Williams has debuted on the National Bluegrass Charts with her new CD, Cherry Blossoms in the Springtime, at no.15; bluegrass single Break My Heart at no.23 and Gospel single In His Arms at #9. as reported by Bluegrass Unlimited and Bluegrass Now Magazines.

Jeanette's singer/songwriter husband, Johnny Williams, also recently won the MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest for a single he wrote from Jeanette's CD entitled "What Will Become of Me." Competing against nearly 500 songwriters, this was Johnny's second consecutive year winning this prestigious award. He also wrote Your Last Mile, another single from the Cherry Blossoms project.

Cherry Blossoms was produced by Tim Austin and Dan Tyminski at Doobie Shea Studios.

This new book, by Bob Donaghey, includes biographies of favorite bluegrass festival performers and is hot off the press in time for the 1999 festival season.

The BGYB is a quick reference to nearly 90 bands and people such as Tina Adair, Nickel Creek, Sam Bush, Jim and Jesse and the Virginia Boys and many, many more. There are photos of everyone he writes about and it is colorfully produced.

The informative, soft cover, 157-page book gives insights into the personalities and works of these performers. A CD of bluegrass music is included. The 17 tunes are from five of bluegrass music's best known record labels and the groups include Laurie Lewis, Benny Martin, Richard Bennett, Lonesome River Band, Special Consensus and others. The CD is worth the price of the book alone.

You can buy a copy of this book from the publisher, Nectar Publications, 4842 Park Springs Rd, Pelham NC 27311 or order through Pine Valley Music for your copy. The book is $18 plus s&h. The Bluegrass Yearbook will be published annually.

1st July 1999