From time to time I'll be posting segments called Bluegrass Roots. Bluegrass music is one of the earliest genres I encountered growing up in eastern Kentucky. Long before I ever heard Guns n Roses or AC/DC or any other band that you are supposed to listen to when you're ten years old, I could quote Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers or Bill Monroe. While there is a plentiful supply of good bluegrass music, the weakest trait of the genre as a whole is the songwriting. Too often even the top bands in the business will use worn out cover songs for more than 50% of their album tracks. Today's featured artist is one of the few truly great and prolific bluegrass songwriters.
Larry Cordle, from eastern KY, has had songs recorded by a who's who list of mainstream country acts. "Against the Grain" by Garth Brooks. "Highway 40 Blues" by Ricky Skaggs. "Under This Old Hat" by Chris Ledoux. Check out Larry's allmusic page for a three page list. He even cowrote "Murder on Music Row" which was recorded as a duet by Alan Jackson and George Strait.
I've posted two tracks from the Murder on Music Row album from a few years back, recorded with his band Lonesome Standard Time. The whole album is good so don't be afraid to pull the trigger and order it. His whole catalog is worth having if you like bluegrass and good songwriting. Buy his albums here.
Black Diamond Strings
When It's All Said and Done
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