Host Larry Groce and the Mountain Stage team culled together this episode of songs by some of music’s greatest songwriters, performed by various artists over the years on Mountain Stage.
We touch on the songs of Bob Dylan, with performances by The Band, Chris Smither, Jimmy LaFave, and The Derek Trucks Band. Songs of Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter are done by Joan Osborne, Catherine Russell, and Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams. Brandi Carlile does Leonard Cohen and Mary Black covers Joni Mitchell.
You’ll hear a touching Bruce Springsteen deep-cut interpreted by David Lindley, who also does Warren Zevon’s ”Vast Indifference of Heaven.”And we couldn’t have an episode like this without some songs of the Beatles, done by the likes of John Pizzarelli, Judith Owen, Curtis Stigers, and The Mutual Admiration Society.
Jimmy LaFave has gone and left many hearts broken. I don’t remember when I first heard him sing, but I do remember it was love at first listen.
He was a guest on Mountain Stage nine times between 1995 and 2015. Since we repeat shows about a year after they are first aired, he was heard on Mountain Stage 18 times over those 20 years. He was due again this year. The reason why is obvious: he was one of America’s greatest singers.
Excellence and even genius is not always rewarded with fame and fortune. Jimmy was the poster boy of that fact.
After 9/11, I made a radio special called “Songs of Hard Times and Hope”. It included 25 Mountain Stage performances that moved me with their humanity: Steve Forbert’s “I Blinked Once”, Paul Brady’s “The World Is What You Make It”, Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding”, The Band’s “The Shape I’m In”, Julie and Buddy Miller’s “By Way of Sorrow”, Bruce Cockburn’s “Pacing the Cage”, Richard Thompson’s “Beat the Retreat” and more. Perhaps the most poignant song on that show was Jimmy’s “Long Ago with Miles Between”.
Jimmy was famous for his Dylan covers and he sang many of them over the years on Mountain Stage. In all, he probably sang about 50 songs on the show. Maybe someday we’ll make a two-hour special of just Jimmy on Mountain Stage. But all I want to put here is that one performance of “Long Ago with Miles Between”. Listen to it and your heart will break, too.
-Larry Groce, Host and Artistic Director: Mountain Stage.
2015 was a big year for Mountain Stage. We began a beautiful friendship with public radio music discovery machine VuHaus. We created a new, bite-size podcast called Mountain Stage 2 Go.
And across nine venues in four states, we recorded over 100 live sets that showcased the best and brightest musicians in the world today. (Of course, none of this would have happened without your support!)
Before we embark on our 33rd musical year around the sun, Larry Groce and the Mountain Stage crew have picked out 27 performances that deserve another listen and another round of applause. From A to Z, these are our favorite Mountain Stage performances of 2015. (Hint: click the Episode # for their Mountain Stage podcast episode, where available.)
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Allen Toussaint (Keith-Albee Theater in Huntington, WV on February 15, 2015 – Episode #838)
