Southern, released in 2010 on Rural Rhythm (RHY 1053), is Bill Emerson and Sweet Dixie's mainstream traditional-bluegrass statement, recorded at Phoenix Studios in Browntown, Virginia. Emerson — Country Gentlemen veteran, U.S. Navy Band Country Current founder, and one of the most consequential banjo players of his generation — leads a band with Tom Adams on guitar and lead vocals, Wayne Lanham on mandolin, Teri Chism on bass, and Frank Solivan or Ricky Simpkins on fiddle. The mid-tempo set leans on strong vocal trios and mixes originals with classics; Janet Davis guests on second banjo on her own composition "Grandma's Tattoos." Sweet Dixie was Emerson's retirement-era band, formed after his Navy Band tenure to keep him playing on his own terms.
Tracklist
- 1 I Don’t Care Anymore alt version 2:25
- 2 Love Reunited 2:40
- 3 Life In The Old Farm Town 3:18
- 4 The Midnight Train alt version 2:03
- 5 Old Coal Town 2:52
- 6 The Black Fox 3:16
- 7 I Can’t Find Your Love Anymore alt version 2:45
- 8 Little Stone Lambs 2:45
- 9 Sometimes The Pleasure's Worth The Pain 2:27
- 10 Grandpa Emory's Banjo 2:59
- 11 Grandma's Tattoos 3:22
- 12 The Lord Will Light The Way 2:31
