VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Best Of Bluegrass (Hip-O/Universal)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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O brother - when will that dang banjo music cease? The latest craze, thanks to them Coen brothers, just happens to be bluegrass music and for a quick intro ya can't do much better than this here collection. Bluegrass grandaddy Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys are featured with the original version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky," a sweet, rolling version, soon to be updated by Elvis into rockinroll. Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, graduates of Monroe's band, show off their lightning fast picking work, later immortalized on the theme to the Beverly Hillbillies. The list goes on and on: The Stanley Brothers, Jimmy Martin, The Osborne Brothers are all here, as well as some recent pickers (the superb Ricky Skaggs, the tiresome Vince Gill). Oh well, ya can't have it all.

© 2002 - John Sekerka