Stan Dudley & Les Woodie & Bluegrass 1 - Something Old & Something New In Bluegrass

(Lark LRLP-3030) 1978

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I think this was Les Woodie's first recording in many years, although he deems to have remained active in the local music scene, since starting work in 1962 as a DJ at WKDE in Altavista, Virginia.

The album features largely mid-tempo bluegrass, with some fine fiddle backing from Les, and competent but not particularly inspiring instrumentation on guitar / mandolin / banjo / dobro. Some though may find the electric bass a bit irritating at times, particularly the version of Today Has Been A Lonesome Day, where it's a little high in the mix.

Vocally the album is quite varied, with at least three of the songs being originals. Stan Dudley's vocals are pleasant enough, with Delma Jean also singing harmony on the choruses to Going Back To Old Virginia and Banks Of The Ohio. His other vocal contribution, You'll Find Her Name Written There, features a solo vocal and although not in the same calibre as Bill Monroe, is still quite listenable. Delma Jean Walden contributes two tracks: the vocal duet It's Over Between Us and solo vocal on Mother's Gone. Another cut, Oh, How I Miss You, has no composer identified on either the sleeve or label, but is obviously Lester Woodie and the LP review in 'Bluegrass Unlimited' credits him as vocalist commenting that his vocal is: "a mellow country baritone very similar in tone and quality to Jim Eanes".^[1] A fourth band member, Everett Collins also sings lead on the verses to The Country Gent's Uncle Joe and the choruses have a wall-of-sound harmony vocal.

The darkly comic song with vocal by Wayne Epperson, B.J. The D.J., is about a Radio DJ who had lethal road accident and had been a hit for Stonewall Jackson. The song may have struck a nerve with Lester, who had a lucky automobile escape in 1957 when swerving to avoid an oncoming car. His vehicle skidded 135 feet and flipped on it's top.^[2]

The album also has three instrumentals: Junior Collins' Blue Ridge Mandolin which has a nice fiddle break, but is otherwise a bit repetitive; Bascom Hicks' Walking Across The Mountain, a mellow dobro instrumental, again with fiddle break; and Les Woodie's fiddle tune Leatherwood. This is one of the more-uptempo tracks on the album and the fiddle work is great, but there's one bit where the melody/chord changes sound very familiar... I can't place where though!

The LP features liner notes by Don Reno and the cover photo was taken at Shady Valley Bluegrass Park in Evington, Virginia. The park was the site of Don Reno's "1st Annual Summer Bluegrass Festival & Fiddlers Convention" on 23 Jul 1978, which also featured Ralph Stanley and Stan Dudley & Bluegrass 1.

My copy of this LP has fault at the beginning of the first track on side one, which makes the first few seconds unplayable. I'm not sure if it's a pressing fault, or just age-related damage.

• Everett Collins: bass, vocal (a)
• Junior Collins: mandolin
• Stan Dudley: guitar, vocals (b)
• Wayne Epperson: guitar, vocal (c)
• Sonny Guthrie: banjo
• Bascom Hicks: dobro
• Les Woodie: fiddle, vocal (d)
• Delma Jean Walden: vocals (e)

NB: (a) vocal on Uncle Joe; (b) vocal on Going Back To Old Virginia, You'll Find Her Name Written There, Banks Of The Ohio and (probably) Today Has Been A Lonesome Day; (c) vocal on B.J. The D.J.; (d) vocal on Oh, How I Miss You; (e) vocal on It's Over Between Us and Mother's Gone.

Other artwork / related images:

[1] p. 33 of the May 1979 edition of 'Bluegrass Unlimited'.
[2] p.6 of the 'Statesville Record and Landmark' newspaper, 20 May 1957.