GRASS ANYONE?

The Del McCoury Band is responsible for the best lunch "hour" I've ever taken. Years ago I traveled to a customer's site in Philadelphia to train them to use our software. Walking around downtown one evening I ended up in a record store (Tower?) and noticed The Del McCoury band was performing there live in the store for free the next afternoon. Since I was in charge of the class I scheduled lunch the next day from noon to 2:00 pm (or something like that), telling the class I had a conference call to attend. They were happy to get a two hour lunch so did not object. Next day just prior to noon I ran out the building, bought an apple on my way to the store, and ate it while Del and his band performed some terrific music in the store. To this day it was by far my most memorable lunch hour ever.

In my Top 10 All-Time Best Shows is Steve Earle and The Del McCoury Band at The House Of Blues in Hollywood in the 90's. Steve on vocals (of course) and acoustic guitar, Del and his boys on harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, stand-up bass, fiddle, and banjo, all acoustic and unamplified. The six men were arranged in a semi-circle around a single large-diaphragm mic, whoever was performing the "lead" part a step closer to the mic than the others. While singing song verses that would be Steve, who when the verse concluded would step back in line with the others. When the fiddle player took a solo he would take a step towards the mic, stepping back in line when it was over. Fantastic music, fantastic sound!

Finally pulled the trigger on the CD "The Hillmen" recorded in the early 60s. Terrific bluegrass (and folkgrass too), California style (Chris Hillman on mandolin).

I like Muleskinner:  Peter Rowan, Clarence White, David Grisman, Richard Greene, Bill Keith--hippiegrass never sounded better than this.  I also like the trio of John Hartford, Tony Rice and Vassar Clements.