NEWS - NEW RELEASES - EVENTS - IN MEMORY - MEET A.G.
NEWS
Sony Legacy's Robert Johnson boxed set, which was originally released in 1990 and has sold over 900,000 copies, has been remastered from flat transfer tapes that were recently discovered in a hidden room in Sony's Iron Mountain archive in New York. The original boxed set was mastered from an equalized dub.
A benefit fund has been established for bluegrass guitarist Charles Sawtelle, whose two-year battle with leukemia has necessitated a bone marrow transplant. Sawtelle is best known for his work with the bluegrass band Hot Rize and as the bass player "Slade" in Hot Rize's alter-ego swing band Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. Donation checks may be sent to Charles Sawtelle Trust, c/o Pat O'Kelly, Johnson, Cahill, and O'Kelly, 2300 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80304.
Frustrated artists who have been unable to contact record label personnel may be interested in subscribing to TAXI, an independent A&R; company. TAXI publishes a bimonthly set of listings describing what specific record labels, publishers, and music supervisors are looking for and forwards subscriber demo tapes or CDs that match those listings to label staff . All tapes not forwarded are returned to the subscriber with a written critique from TAXI reviewers. The yearly subscription fee costs under $300 (plus a $5 per-song submission fee). For more information, call (818) 888-2111 or visit Web site http://www.taxi.com.
The media school Full Sail will offer courses in studio recording, digital imaging, and live sound at National Guitar Summer Workshop (NGSW) campuses in New Milford, Connecticut; Nashville; and Redlands, California. At Full Sail's campus in Winter Park, Florida, students can choose from a jointly offered curriculum that includes guitar instruction, studio session guitar, songwriting, and demo preparation, as well as an introduction to recording and digital media. For more information, call (800) 234-6479.
NEW RELEASES
Compass Records is offering a companion CD to Nicholas Dawidoff's new book, In the Country of Country, published by Random House. The book is a series of interviews with some of the masters of country music, including George Jones, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Buck Owens, the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Emmylou Harris, Iris DeMent, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, all of whose music is featured on the CD.
EVENTS
The Tucson Folk Festival will take place May 3&endash;4 at El Presidio Park. Two stages will offer continuous performances, including two shows by David Wilcox. There will also be songwriting and fingerstyle guitar competitions. For more information, write Tucson Kitchen Musicians' Association, PO Box 26531, Tucson, AZ 85726, or visit the festival Web site at www.rtd.com/~dsimpson/atff.htm.
The California Bluegrass Association will hold its annual Father's Day Weekend Bluegrass Festival June 12&endash;15 at the Nevada County fairgrounds in Grass Valley, California. Featured performers will include Doc Watson, the Del McCoury Band, and Lost and Found. For more information, contact David Runge, Advance Ticket Sales, 215 Grant Ave., Petaluma, CA 94952, or call (707) 762-8735.
The Old Songs Festival will take place June 27&endash;29 at the fairgrounds in Altamont, New York. Artists slated to perform include bluesman Guy Davis and flatpicker Dan Crary. For a free brochure, write Old Songs, PO Box 399, Guilderland, NY 12084.
IN MEMORY
Guitarist Wally Whyton died in London on January 23 at age 67 after a long battle with lung cancer. As leader of the Vipers, Whyton was one of the founders of the British skiffle movement, out of which the Beatles and other '60s beat groups developed (see "Skiffle Fever," February). As presenter of Country Club for BBC Radio 2 for more than 21 years, Whyton also did a great deal to popularize country music in the U.K.
MEET A.G.
Acoustic Guitar heads to New Orleans May 21&endash;25 for the 25th anniversary National Association of Independent Record Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD) convention. Hundreds of independent record labels and distributors, retailers, suppliers, and media representatives attend this annual convention. For more information, contact NAIRD at (800) 607-6526, fax (606) 633-1160, Email patnaird@aol.com, or visit the Web site www.naird.com.
Got some news? Send it to Bronwen Morgan, Happenings, Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979-0767; Bronwen@stringletter.com; fax (415) 485-0831.
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