Great Record Labels: Rounder Records

[Ojai Sam]

Jeannie Kendall -Jeannie Kendall (2003)

I ran across this one while searching for my 60 Years Of Great Music pick and almost chose it. Jeannie and her father, Royce, had a long string of hard country hits as The Kendalls in the 70's and 80's. It all ended suddenly when Royce died backstage of a stroke in 1998.

This album began as a Kendalls bluegrass project in 1998 but was shelved for several years due to Royce's death. It emerged as a triumphant solo return for Jeannie, who harmonized with the likes of Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent and Allison Moorer. The musicians were a bluegrass dream team with members of Union Station joined by the likes of Rob Ickes.

Jeannie's high, clear voice always carried a lot of emotional power during her days withe The Kendalls, but she reached a whole new level of maturity here on a strong group of songs old and new. There's even a moving posthumous duet with Royce. The whole story of death and resurgence is recounted in David Cantwell's masterful No Depression magazine article here. Jeannie is still touring actively today but unfortunately hasn't recorded in a long while.

on the Sam-O-Meter.

 

[axolotl]

^ Her voice sounds like a blend of Emmylou and Dolly ...at least, to me.

 

[Ojai Sam]

Claire Lynch - Crowd Favorites (2007)

Claire's back!

This compilation collects key tracks from her four previous Rounder albums but adds four new songs. The most essential of these is an 8 minute jam on "Wabash Cannonball" that must be heard to be believed.

From her website:

Long recognized and praised as a creative force in acoustic music, Claire Lynch is a pioneer who continually pushes the boundaries of the bluegrass genre. Her career has been decorated with many accolades including three GRAMMY nominations, seven International Bluegrass Music Association awards and the prestigious United States Artists Walker Fellowship.

Dolly Parton credits Claire with "one of the sweetest, purest and best lead voices in the music business today." Her harmonies have graced the recordings of many stellar musicians. Equally gifted as a writer, her songs have been recorded by The Seldom Scene, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, Cherryholmes, The Whites and others.

Blazing her own trail in the mid 70's when there were few role models for young women in the genre, Claire Lynch made history when she led the Front Porch String Band which evolved in the 80’s and 90’s into “one of the sharpest and most exciting post-modern bluegrass bands on the circuit.” She formed her own Claire Lynch Band in 2005 and has since consistently been a top pick of prestigious publications, critics and audiences across the U.S. and beyond.

Claire grew up in Kingston, New York until the age of 12 when her family moved to Huntsville, Alabama. There she began her education in country music and got caught up in the Bluegrass revival of the 1970's, joining a band called Hickory Wind. Later, the band changed its name to the Front Porch String Band with Claire’s vocals as its centerpiece.

In 1981, after their first nationally released recording, the group retired from the road and Claire pursued dual careers in addition to raising a family, spending seven years as a staff writer at two of the most prestigious publishing houses on Music Row in Nashville. At the same time, she became a much-sought-after session vocalist.

In 1991, the Front Porch String Band was resurrected with the album Lines and Traces on Rebel Records - a move that ultimately led to the launching of Claire’s solo career in earnest. Friends for a Lifetime was released on Rounder Records in 1993 followed by Moonlighter in 1995 (Claire’s first GRAMMY nomination) and Silver and Gold in 1997 (also nominated for GRAMMY glory). She was named the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 1997 and enjoyed many chart successes. The band kicked off the new millennium with the album Love Light in 2000.

Claire took a five year hiatus from the road to serve as Dolly's backup vocalist and do session work. In 2005 she formed another band and has continued to tour and record with great success since then.