James Alan Shelton - Half Moon Bay

(Rebel REB-CD-1809) 2002

James' second album for Rebel has a nice blend of instrumental and vocal tracks with roughly half of the album featuring friends and former band mates and the remainder including members of the CMB's. Ralph Stanley also makes a guest appearance singing the high baritone part to Little Bennie, which he hadn't otherwise recorded since the Stanley's In Person 1960 LP.

Also from the Stanley repertoire is a reworking of Darlin' Nellie Gray with Steve Sparkman and James recreating the parts laid down by Ralph and George Shuffler on the Folk Concert LP; and Handsome Molly from the Award Winners At The Folk Song Festival LP.

Dan Moneyhun provides silky smooth lead vocals on Tupelo County Jail and Foggy Mountain Top, plus split lead/tenor vocal on a lovely rendition of Dark As A Dungeon with Shawn Lane. Dan had previously worked with James in a local band called Southern Grass, and Shawn Lane likewise had played with James in Blue Ridge in the late '80s.

The CD is also includes a rare sighting of Todd Meade, who was fiddle player for the CMB's from late 2003 through 2004. Todd gets to play on just two tracks, with other fiddle duties being picked up by Keith Williams, Hunter Berry and John Rigsby.

As with the first Rebel album, the CD comes with a 12-page booklet with detailed liner notes about the songs by James Alan Shelton. The booklet also has a foreword by Tim Stafford which I think really sums up James' playing style:

In The Beginning there was tone... Before any of us guitar players started learning licks or chords or knew anything about strings, capos and picks, we first picked up the instrument and listened to that beautiful sound. Too many times, we forget just how beautiful that sound is. Not James Alan Shelton. James does so many things well on a guitar: sticking to the melody, good timing, powerful rhythm; but producing big, round, beautiful tone - some of the prettiest guitar tone I've ever heard - still comes first. One thing you can be sure of if you listen to James at a Clinch Mountain Boys concert, on his front porch, or on this record, is that his guitar is going to sound good. And that's what it's all about.

Track:	Title:	Time:	Lead Vocal:	Tenor Vocal:	Baritone Vocal:	High Baritone Vocal:	Lead Guitar:	Banjo:	Guitar:	Fiddle:	Mandolin:	Bass:
1	Half Moon Bay	02:51					James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman	Ralph Stanley II	John Rigsby	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	James Alan Shelton
2	Tupelo County Jail	02:17	Dan Moneyhun	Shawn Lane		Shawn Lane	James Alan Shelton	James Alan Shelton	Tim Stafford	Hunter Berry	Adam Steffey	Barry Bales
	Webb Piece / Mel Tillis
3	Goodbye Liza Jane	02:38					James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman	James Alan Shelton	Todd Meade	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	P.D.
4	Dark As A Dungeon	04:36	Dan Moneyhun	Shawn Lane/Dan Moneyhun	Tim Stafford		James Alan Shelton		Tim Stafford	Hunter Berry	Adam Steffey	Barry Bales
	Merle Travis
5	Road To Columbus	02:36					James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman	Ralph Stanley II	Keith Williams	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	Bill Monroe
6	Eight More Miles To Louisville	02:02					James Alan Shelton		James Alan Shelton			Barry Bales
	Louis M. Jones
7	Foggy Mountain Top	03:01	Dan Moneyhun	Shawn Lane	Tim Stafford		James Alan Shelton		Tim Stafford	Hunter Berry	Adam Steffey	Barry Bales
	A.P. Carter
8	Darlin' Nellie Gray	02:45					James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman	Ralph Stanley II	Keith Williams	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	Benny Hanby
9	Married Life Blues	02:17					James Alan Shelton		James Alan Shelton			Barry Bales
	P.D. arr. James Alan Shelton
10	Little Bennie	02:15	Ralph Stanley II	John Rigsby		Ralph Stanley	James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman		Todd Meade	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	P.D.
11	Texas Gales	03:28					James Alan Shelton		Tim Stafford	Hunter Berry	Adam Steffey	Barry Bales
	A.P. Carter
12	Handsome Molly	02:34	John Rigsby				James Alan Shelton	Steve Sparkman	Ralph Stanley II	Todd Meade	John Rigsby	Bill Dunham
	P.D.
13	Wild Mountain Thyme	02:52					James Alan Shelton		Tim Stafford	Hunter Berry	Adam Steffey	Barry Bales
	A.P. Carter