Southern Flavor cover

Southern Flavor

Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys

Album · 1988 · MCA MCA 42133

Southern Flavor was recorded for MCA at Sound Stage Studio in Nashville in sessions that began on 4 January 1988, and the LP (MCA 42133) came out in May of that year. Monroe was 76. Emory Gordy Jr. produced and played bass on three tracks.

The band on the album is Tom Ewing (guitar and lead vocals), Blake Williams (banjo and baritone vocals) and Clarence “Tater” Tate (bass and bass vocals), with Mike Feagan, Bobby Hicks and Buddy Spicher on fiddle. The ten tracks include four instrumentals, all Monroe compositions: “Stone Coal,” “Texas Lone Star,” “Sugar Loaf Mountain” and the title tune. “Life’s Highway” and “The Days Gone By” are trio numbers with Ewing singing lead, Monroe tenor and Williams baritone, and Monroe sings lead on Carl Butler’s “White Rose.” On 14 January the group cut three gospel quartet numbers, “Give Me Wings,” “What a Wonderful Life” and “Take Courage Un’ Tomorrow.”

On 22 February 1989 the album won Monroe the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Recording (Vocal or Instrumental), the first time the Recording Academy presented an award in a bluegrass category.

Tracklist

  1. 1 New Mule Skinner Blues 2:29
  2. 2 Uncle Pen alt version 2:43
  3. 3 Walking In Jerusalem 1:59
  4. 4 On and On alt version 2:46
  5. 5 White House Blues alt version 2:12
  6. 6 Happy On My Way 2:09
  7. 7 Blue Moon of Kentucky alt version 2:07
  8. 8 Scotland 1:54
  9. 9 Midnight on the Stormy Deep alt version 4:04
  10. 10 Kentucky Mandolin alt version 3:03
  11. 11 Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine alt version 2:33
  12. 12 The Lee Weddin' Tune 1:54
  13. 13 Kentucky Waltz alt version 3:15
  14. 14 My Last Days On Earth 4:37
  15. 15 My Sweet Darlin' 2:52
  16. 16 Southern Flavor Source Recording Bill Monroe · key Em · 111 bpm 3:17

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