Monday Music: Bluegrass and The Byrds

Fascinating footage of Roger McGuin and The Byrds mixing it up with bluegrass legend, Earl Scruggs in 1971. McGuin along with fellow musician Chris Hillman did the same kind of thing with the same song for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2.

In this first video taken from the documentary, Earl Scruggs: His Family and Friends, you will see Roger McGuin and The Byrds performing with Earl Scruggs on the banjo. After a little bluegrass session, they do the song, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," by Bob Dylan. The song had been in The Byrd's repertoire, having been recorded for the 1968 album, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." (To watch the entire documentary, available on YouTube, go here)

This second video features the recording from Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Volume 2, with Roger McGuin, Chris Hillman and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

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Monday Music: The Lowlands

Every now and then I enjoy listening to recordings from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle be Unbroken. The first historic recording was made in 1972 featuring old time country and bluegrass artists playing with the younger generation of musicians. Two more collaborative albums ensued over the years. It has been a wonderful way to preserve authentic acoustic music born of simple hard-working lives in an era that rewards mostly slick commercial productions.

One of my favorite numbers from Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III is "The Lowlands," featuring Jaime Hanna and Jonathon McEuen.