Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Uncle Penn - Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
2. Cross Eyed Child - John Hartford
3. John Henry - Del McCoury Band
4. Walkin' to Jerusalem - Connie Smith & the Whites
5. Rawhide - Marty Stuart with Del McCoury Band
6. Can't You Hear Me Callin' - Ralph Stanley
7. Rose of Old Kentucky - Larry Sparks
8. Highway of Sorrow - Tim O'Brien
9. Wicked Path Of Sin - Jerry & Tammy Sullivan
10. Orange Blossom Special - Charlie Daniels
11. Rocky Road Blues - Jim & Jesse
12. Blue Eyed Darlin' - The Bluegrass Boys
13. Blue Moon of Kentucky - James Monroe
14. Will the Circle Be Unbroken - All Artists

Disc 2:

1. Rabbit in the Log - Marty Stuart
2. True Life Blues - Del McCroury Band
3. What Would You Give in Exchange - Larry Sparks
4. Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
5. Used to Be - The Whites
6. Swing Low Sweet Chariot - Bill Carlisle
7. Rollin' In My Sweet Baby's Arms - Charlie Daniels
8. I Got a Letter - Ralph Stanley
9. In the Pines - The Bluegrass Boys
10. Workin' on a Building - Tim O'Brien
11. I'll Meet You in Church Sunday Morning - Jerry & Tammy Sullivan
12. Little Cabin on the Hill - John Hartford
13. Bean Blossom Memories - James Monroe
14. I'll Fly Away - All Artists

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #388954 in Music
• Released on: 2003-02-11
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
In April 1997 some of bluegrass music's greatest names (including Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, the Del McCoury Band) gathered at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to remember Bill Monroe, the music he made, and the genre he all but single-handedly spawned. This double-CD set captures 28 songs performed live that evening, including such standouts as Skaggs's renditions of "Uncle Pen" and "Get Up John"; Tim O'Brien's impassioned "Workin' on a Building"; the Del McCoury Band's "John Henry," where McCoury's tenor is as tense and charged as a high-voltage wire; and Stanley's "Can't You Hear Me Callin'," featuring vocal harmony so high and piercing it'll make you shiver. The producers might have fared better paring the program down to one 14-song disc, since too many average moments dilute the impact. But the album retains a certain poignancy in two songs from the late John Hartford, one of which, "Cross-Eyed Child," traces the pain of the disfigurement that led to Monroe's mournful music, and in Marty Stuart's version of the traditional "Rabbit in the Log," a woeful reminder of the hardscrabble Southern upbringing that so many of Monroe's contemporaries endured. This is not the ultimate tribute to the Father of Bluegrass, but it's a gift anyway. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Tribute does well
I bought this CD after having seen a spectacular "tribute to blue grass" produced by Ricky Skaggs et al on Public Television this spring. I have enjoyed this CD. At the moment, it's one of the CD's I reach for first.
I haven't bought much bluegrass in the past (Alison Kraus and a few others aside), but this CD has inspired me to increase my collection of some of the famous artists on this CD.

+ 1/2 stars...An All-Star Tribute to the Father of Bluegrass
It took nearly six years for this all-star tribute to the father of bluegrass music to get released, but it was worth the wait. In April of 1997, some of the brightest stars of bluegrass music shared the state at the Ryman auditorium to celebrate the music of Bill Monroe. Disc one kicks off with Ricky Skaggs leading his band through Monroe's classic "Uncle Pen" and it doesn't end until the group sing-a-long on the gospel "I'll Fly Away," which closes out disc two.

In between is 90 minutes of classic bluegrass music. Highlights are numerous, but personal favorites include the Del McCoury Band's "John Henry," Ralph Stanley's "Can't You Hear Me Callin'," Tim O'Brien's "Highway of Sorrow," Marty Stuart's "Rabbit in the Log" and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder's "Get Up John." Especially heartwarming are the two tracks contributed by John Hartford, "Little Cabin on the Hill" and "Cross Eyed Child," the latter includes spoken reminiscences of Bill Monroe throughout the song. Overall, this is a fitting--and loving--tribute. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED