Clinch Mountain Echo

CMB Birthdays this month:

04 Feb 1972 - Steve Sparkman. Harlan, Kentucky.

04 Feb 1906 - Art Wooten. Born 'Arthur James Wooten' in Alleghany, North Carolina.

11 Feb 1960 - Junior Blankenship. Born at the old Grundy Hospital, Grundy, Va.

25 Feb 1927 - Ralph Stanley. Born 'Ralph Edmund Stanley' in Big Spraddle Creek, near Stratton, McClure, Virginia.

29 Feb 1932 - Jim Williams. Born 'James Lee Williams' in Wythe County, Virginia.


In Memoriam:

05 Feb 1980 - Chubby Anthony. Gainesville, Alachua, Florida.

08 Feb 2003 - Ralph 'Joe' Meadows. Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland.

08 Feb 1987 - Harold 'Red' Stanley. Fentress, Tennessee.


For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

Why Me Ralph?
(Rebel SLP 1545)


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The Goins Brothers - Live In Concert

The Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge, Cannonsburg, Kentucky Feb 6 1988

(River Track Studios RTS-1232) 1988


The Goins Brothers - Live In Concert

Average Album Rating: 4
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This seems to be quite a rare cassette featuring as Melvin puts it: "... our first live album here at the Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge in Cannonsburg, Kentucky on February the 6th, nineteen hundred and eighty eight on a cold winters Saturday night...".

At the time The Goins Brothers ran a regular Saturday night event at the Fox Hunters lodge, during the festival off-season between October-May. According to a feature by Linda Stanley in the Nov. 1987 issue of 'Bluegrass Unlimited', the music would start at 7.30pm & end a little past midnight. The Goins Brothers would usually open the show, with guest acts finishing proceedings. In between, food was served with typical fare including 'pinto beans with ham hocks, hoe cake corn bread and onions and hotdogs'.

Melvin:- "It's a regular family get-together on Saturday night... We don't have alcohol - just country cookin' and good bluegrass music."

According to the article, Melvin's wife Willia was often called out from behind the kitchen counter to sing a couple of songs with The Goins, and Melvin & his cohorts would peddle everything from knives ("some from my private collection") to wrist watches and a double-bladed axe.

The line-up on this recording isn't listed on the artwork, but was mentioned as a new line-up in the 'Notes & Queries' section of 'Bluegrass Unlimited' in both the Dec. 1987 and Feb. 1988 issues. It's also the core personnel which cut the Goins' He Showed Me The Way LP a bit later in the year.

John McNeely had previously played with Dave Evans. After quiting playing for Evans in 1984, Melvin recruited John as bus-driver and would invite him to do a couple of numbers on stage. In 1986, Dave Skeens got married and left the band & Melvin put John into the bass slot. Later, when Art Stamper and Dan Jones left the band John recalled:- "...Melvin asked how I felt about his hiring Rick May, Bill Hamm and Gerald Evans. While we were talking, he asked if I would play guitar. In 1987, we became a six-piece band."[1]

The album, which is the first release by this new line-up, kicks off with one of the Starday-era Lonesome Pine Fiddler songs Why Do You Treat Me The Way That You Do and there's also a version of their classic You're No Good, which the Goins Brothers had previously re-cut on their 1969 Bluegrass Hits Old And New debut.

Also on offer are versions of Bill Monroe's Letter From My Darlin' and the Don Reno / Red Smiley chestnut I Know You're Married But I Love You Still; the country standard I'd Rather Die Young and Jimmie Skinner's He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One.

John McNeely sings lead on one of his own compositions, Old Friend Of Mine; Rick May introduces and gives exceptionally fine vocal performances on a couple of numbers: I'd Rather Die Young & He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One. He may also sing on Lost John and takes the lead part on Just Any Day Now, which features some fine gospel harmony.

The album closes with the brief intro part of Orange Blossom Special which fades out, as Melvin thanks the crowd.

Sound quality on my copy of this one was surprisingly good & the performances are pretty top notch too!

  • Melvin Goins: guitar
  • Ray Goins: banjo
  • Gerald Evans Jr: fiddle
  • Bill Hamm: bass
  • Rick May: mandolin
  • John McNeely: guitar

NB: this was a particularly strong vocal line-up of the Goins Brothers, and I have not been able to figure out the vocal parts...

 

Track:
Title:
Time:
Date:
Original Release:
A-1
Why Do You Treat Me The Way That You Do
03:04
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Curly Ray Cline
  Ld Vcl / Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
A-2
Letter From My Darlin'
04:03
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Bill Monroe
  Ld Vcl / Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
A-3
Old Friend Of Mine
03:35
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

John McNeely
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Ld Vcl / Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
A-4
I Know You're Married But I Love You Still
02:55
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Don Reno / Mac Magaha
  Ld Vcl / Gtr Hr Vcl / Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
A-5
I'd Rather Die Young
02:12
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Beasley Smith / Billy Vaughn / Randy Wood
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Ld Vcl / Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-1
Lost John
01:47
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

P.D.
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Ld Vcl ? / Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-2
You're No Good
02:28
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Charlie Cline / Ray Cline
  Ld Vcl / Gtr Hr Vcl / Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-3
He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One
03:18
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Jimmie Skinner
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Ld Vcl / Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-4
Maples And Blue Skies
03:29
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Randall Hylton
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-5
Just Any Day Now
03:11
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

??
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Ld Vcl / Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
B-6
Orange Blossom Special
01:42
06 Feb 1988
Live In Concert

Ervin T. Rouse
  Gtr Bjo Gtr Bs Mnd Gtr  
  Melvin Goins
Ray Goins
Gerald Evans Jr
Bill Hamm
Rick May
John McNeely  
Other artwork / related images:
Cassette Inlay

[1] An interview with John McNeely by Carol Jeffrey in 'Bluegrass Unlimited' March 1992.

For the Official Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys site, visit:

Ralph II ralph2.com

Spotlight on:-

Johnsons Old Grey Mule
(Emperor 45-EM-19-CS-62)


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Ralph Stanley Museum
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Hills Of Home Festival
drralphstanleyfestival.com

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Rebel Records
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Bluegrass Unlimited
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