Wilkesboro, USA – MerleFest Records, distributed exclusively by Welk Music Group, has announced a May 11, 2004 street date for MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003. The audio compact disc assembles a “who’s who” of acoustic music recorded live at MerleFest 2003 on a generous 18 tracks. MerleFest host Doc Watson’s two contributions reflect both his bluegrass (“Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms”) and blues/rockabilly (“Match Box Blues”) influences.
From Asleep at the Wheel’s classic western swing on “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” to the hard driving bluegrass of Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder with “How Mountain Girls Can Love” to Guy Clark’s wry troubadour twang on “Black Diamond Strings” and Don Edward’s traditional cowboy music heard on “Master’s Call” to the jam band fusion of Donna the Buffalo’s “Conscious Evolution,” this live compilation includes something for everyone who appreciates Americana music.
MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003also features live cuts by artists including Dr. Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Whites, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Hot Rize, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mountain Heart, Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, and the Red Stick Ramblers.
The CD also presents a glimpse into Vassar Clements’ 75th Birthday Jam at MerleFest 2003 with “Orange Blossom Special” featuring Vassar, Sam Bush, Béla Fleck, Tony Rice, Bryan Sutton, Mark Schatz, and Peter Rowan.
MerleFest has also released Fresh Faces at MerleFest 2004. This compilation of previously released tracks features The Waifs, Mindy Smith, Savoy Doucet Cajun Band, Hot Tuna, Ann Rabson, and many others.
Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2004, the 17th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, on its campus in Wilkesboro, NC on April 29 – May 2, 2004. Those joining Doc Watson and Merle’s son Richard Watson for MerleFest 2004 will include the Sam Bush Band, Rosanne Cash, John Cowan Band, the Derailers, Donna the Buffalo, Dry Branch Fire Squad, Béla Fleck & Edgar Meyer, Vince Gill, the Gourds, David Grisman Quintet, Hot Tuna, Indigo Girls, Jeannie Kendall, the Kruger Brothers, Patty Loveless, Natalie MacMaster, Nickel Creek, Tim O’Brien, Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio, Old Crow Medicine Show, Reeltime Travelers, Tony Rice Unit, Savoy Doucet Cajun Band, Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends, the WAiFS, Gillian Welch, and Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison.
MerleFest Information: 800-343-7857 or www.merlefest.org.
Buy MerleFest Live!: The Best of 2003
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
