New Scaggs Album Due Out

Ricky Scaggs is coming out with a hard bluegrass tribute to Monroe and Flatt and Scruggs together in the magical year of 1946. More interesting to me is the "never-before-heard recordings of Monroe and his band in '46 and '47" that apparently have been unearthed. I've heard of these recordings before, but I've not heard them. If anybody has a copy or knows where to get it, let me know.

CyberBluegrass Reports:
"Ricky's most anticipated release since Bluegrass Rules is now available for pre-order. With hand picked songs, vintage photos, special guests and personalized liners this Tribute to 1946 and 1947 is a must for your collection! Head over to www.SkaggsFamilyRecords.com to pre-order your copy and hear sound clips. All pre-orders placed on or before March 25th will be autographed by Ricky!!

Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947, from 13-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs and the ace pickers of Kentucky Thunder, is a mix of bluegrass classics and diamonds in the rough. The album, out March 25th on Skaggs Family Records, shines a light on the songs that would eventually become the building blocks of bluegrass. Initially recorded by Bill Monroe and the "Original Bluegrass Band" (Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Howard Watts) in '46 and '47, songs like "Toy Heart" and "Little Cabin Home On The Hill" provide a window into the bluegrass canon at the eve of its creation. And to bring the proceedings full circle, Skaggs even has Scruggs join him on album opener "Goin' Back to Old Kentucky."

The lesser known gems stand tall next to the classics included on the disc. "Why Did You Wander" features lightning fast "Scruggs style" banjo picking as well as high, lonesome harmonies that sound like a train chugging through the valley. The gospel inflected "Mansions For Me" demonstrates the influence spirituals had on bluegrass, while the rollicking "When You're Lonely" skips along like a walk in the Spring while the songs narrator pines for a lost love. One time Monroe band member Del McCoury lends his voice to "The Old Crossroad."

With inspiration from a stash of never-before-heard recordings of Monroe and his band in '46 and '47, the album tracks are faithful reworkings of the originals, all the while showcasing the instrumental virtuosity and high, lonesome mastery of Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder. From the high flying, warp speed pickin', fiddlin', and strummin' of "Bluegrass Breakdown," to the lost love tale "Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong," Honoring the Fathers displays all the hallmarks of the genre.