The Goins Brothers - Live at The Chicago Folk Festival

(River Track Studios RTS-1704) 1992

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This is another rare & elusive cassette release. I've not managed to find a copy, but there have been two MP3 Rips out there in internet-land. One sounds like it's taken from a faulty CD-R & has numerous skips and stutters. Another, which is far superior was on youtube, but has recently been removed.

The 1992 Chicago Folk Festival took place at the University of Chicago between the 14-16th February, with the 'Goins Brothers and The Shed House Trio' billed to appear on the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.^[1] This recording was made at the Friday 14th Feb show, which I think took place in the Ida Noyes Hall.^[2]

Since the 1990 Bluegrass My Home In The Mountains cassette, the Goins line-up had changed with a young Jason Carter joining on fiddle and John Keith on mandolin. During the band introductions, Melvin's comments indicate that Jason had joined in August 1991 and had only been playing the fiddle for just over two years. He probably left to join Del McCoury a couple of months after this gig, as the June 1992 edition of 'Bluegrass Unlimited' notes in the 'General Store' that: "Melvin Goins announces the return of John McNeely to the Goins Brothers in addition, John Rigsby from Martha, Ky., will be on fiddle with the band."

The tape of the Chicago show kicks off with a short half-minute blast of Katy Hill, quickly followed by a rapid rendition of Salty Dog Blues, the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers' Why Do You Treat Me The Way That You Do and Bill Monroe's instrumental Bluegrass Breakdown, with John Keith, Jason Carter and Ray Goins pulling no punches. Only then does the band pause for breath and settle into a more relaxed set.

After the band introductions, John Keith sings lead on his own composition Cause You've Got The Blues and John McNeely gives a masterful performance of the Delmore's Freight Train Boogie on guitar. Side one then closes with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers Death Came Creepin' (In My Room).

Side Two includes Flatt & Scruggs' Cabin In Caroline, Don Reno/Red Smiley's Long Gone, an instrumental version of the Delmore's Brown's Ferry Blues and the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers No Curb Service. There's also a fast bluegrass mash-up of Olla Bella Reed's old-time Undone In Sorrow (credited as Over Yonder In The Graveyard), with John Keith on lead vocal.

Closing the cassette there's a fine renditon of Orange Blossom Special with Jason Carter's fiddle playing being on the hot-jazzy side. Thankfully, unlike the 1988 version from Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge, this one is complete.

Thanks to Aaron Greene for the cassette cover image.

• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Ray Goins: banjo
• Jason Carter: fiddle
• John Keith: mandolin
• John McNeely: guitar / bass

Other artwork / related images:

[1] The Chicago Tribune has the line-up details for the 1992 festival: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-02-14-9201140703-story.html
[2] There's a photo of Jason Carter practicing at the Ida Noyes Hall, with a three year-old & his father paying close attention:- http://photoarchive.lib.uchicago.edu/db.xqy?one=apf7-03789.xml