In the course of coming back home to Kentucky, I had the opportunity to appear twice on the Red Barn Radio program: first on their eighth broadcast of An Appalachian Christmas, where I was privileged to perform with Sarah Kate Morgan, The Local Honeys, and The Sara Holroyd Singers.
Then it was a thrill to get the invitation to appear on the April 1 broadcast of Red Barn Radio with the Lexington folk duo, One Lane Bridge. Red Barn Radio records its programs live, and so I’m pleased to announce that from those recordings, I am releasing a new live album. My new album, Smiles, was recorded live on the sound stage of Red Barn Radio.
Because it’s a live recording, it’s just me and my guitar, warts and all, but I’m very happy with the results.
Smiles includes a couple of songs that I’ve not released on earlier albums, like the 1931 song and Toontown theme from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Smile, Darn Ya Smile, and a song I learned from the late Comer “Moon” Mullins, Shanty in Old Shanty Town. I’ve never released a Christmas album, either, but Smiles contains a couple of songs from the Appalachian Christmas program.
It also contains a couple of recordings that I’ve wanted to make for a long time, like a living room style performance of the Shaker dance song ’Tis the Gift to Be Simple. And yes, it contains a live recording of my most requested song, and one that has been a favorite ever since I started including it in my shows, My Dog Jesus.
Smiles will be available on CD, and you’ll be able to buy it on my website or at shows, but you don’t have to wait. You can listen and download tracks from Smiles or download the entire album today by visiting my page at Bandcamp.
I enjoyed being part of Red Barn Radio, and I have to give a shout out to Ed Commons, their executive producer, not only for the opportunity to be on the program but also for his excellent engineering and production work on Smiles.
So please visit the page on Bandcamp, give this new live album a listen, and smile, darn ya, smile!