$12.00 The official magazine of the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Keep in touch with Bluegrass in Canada with our news, lessons, and more! Volume 16 Issue 2 April 2022 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 42167060 bluegrasscanada.org Don CouchieDon Couchie Chris StevensChris Stevens3355tthh AAnnnnuuaall PPEEII BBlluueeggrraassss && OOlldd TTiimmee MMuussiicc FFeessttiivvaall 3355tthh AAnnnnuuaall PPEEII BBlluueeggrraassss && OOlldd TTiimmee MMuussiicc FFeessttiivvaall DDuunnddaass FFaaiirrggrroouunnddss,, DDuunnddaass,, PPEEII 220066 LLiittttllee RRiivveerr RRooaadd CCaarrddiiggaann,, PPEE CCOOAA 11GGOO,, CCaannaaddaa JJuullyy 11––33,, 22002222 Ticket information and details: ppeeiibblluueeggrraassss..ccaa / 990022--556666--22664411 Fast Track USA The Spinney Brothers NS Monroe NB Eddy Poirier & Grassline NB Po’ Ramblin’ Boys USA Matt Lunn & Echo Mountain NS Presents Janet McGarry & Wildwood PEI Dave Adkins USATable of Contents The Music Survives 12 17 20 24 On the cover Don Couchie with guitar. Columns 5 President Murray Hale’s Message 8 Out West with Linda Thorburn 51 Editor Mike Kirley’s Message Lessons 6 Banjo with Denis LePage 10 Mandolin with Emory Lester News 40 What’s Going On 42 The Dill Pickle Rag Listings 34 Radio on the Air 37 BMAC Organization Listings Canada V o l u m e 16 I s s u e 2 $12.00 The official magazine of the Bluegrass Music Association of Canada Keep in touch with Bluegrass in Canada with our news, lessons, and more! Volume 16 Issue 2 April 2022 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 42167060 bluegrasscanada.org Don CouchieDon Couchie Chris StevensChris Stevens APRIL 2022 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS An intimate interview with Ojibwe multi-instrumentalist Don Couchie on music and his legacy. Last Time in the Groove Longtime Bluegrass Canada columnist Tom McCreight leaves the world but not our hearts. Friends share their thoughts. These are the Times The career and the glory of Bert Baumbach remembered. Stories of JD Crowe Friends share their memories and thoughts at the passing of the man some call most influential on today’s banjo players.Bluegrass Music Association of Canada BMAC is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation and promotion of bluegrass and old-time music in Canada, and supported by the volunteer efforts of its members. BMAC MISSION STATEMENT The BMAC mission statement as enacted in the by-laws: a) Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of bluegrass and old-time music throughout Canada. Goals: b) To support individuals, groups and organizations involved in bluegrass and old-time music. c) To provide leadership and promote education among fans, clubs, bands and artists. Specifically: 1) The establishment of bluegrass categories in the Juno Awards; 2) Lobbying with other musical genres for changes in US laws to allow easier access to the US by Canadian musicians; 3) Establishing a national bluegrass awards program not in conflict with the two existing regional awards events; 4) Sponsoring Canadian Bands to Showcase at IBMA; 5) Supporting Canadian bands efforts to play in other parts of the country; 6) Seeking grant funding to achieve these goals. V o l u m e 16 I s s u e 2 Email: membership@ bluegrasscanada.org Website: bluegrasscanada.org Publisher Murray Hale & Mike Kirley Editor Mike Kirley SUBSCRIPTION One Year $45 / includes Free Grass Roots Membership The Bluegrass Canada magazine is digitally published quarterly in January, April, July and October, online in the ‘Members Only’ section of the Bluegrass Canada website. MEMBERSHIP • Grass Roots Membership: $20/y includes all members of a household up to age 18. Access to online magazine plus all other BMAC online services. • Organizational memberships: See bluegrasscanada.org or contact Gord DeVries at 519-719-2501 or membership@bluegrasscanada.org. SUBMISSIONS Send change of addresses and undeliverable notices of Canadian addresses to BMAC, c/o Gord DeVries, 22790 Amiens Road, Komoka ON NOL-1RO. Please send articles, calendar information, photos and letters to: Bluegrass Canada Mike Kirley 831 Rose Street, Cambridge ON N3H-2G2 Email: mikekirley@gmail.com Telephone: 519-653-4975 Deadline for submissions is the first of the month, 60 days preceding the magazine date. PRINTED IN CANADA. CANADA POST CANADIAN PUBLICATIONS MAIL SALES PRODUCT AGREEMENT No. 42167060. BMAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Murray Hale mhale@green-vision.ca 705-845-8112 Vice-President Mike Kirley mikekirley@gmail.com 519-653-4975 Treasurer Roland Aucoin raucoin72@gmail.com Secretary Dave Featherstone davefeatherstone58@gmail.com Membership & Website Gord DeVries gord.devries@rogers.com Advertising Director Dennis Casey dgcasey1867@gmail.com Advertising Director David Featherstone davidfeatherstone58@gmail.com Director Denis LePage dlepage99@gmail.com Director Eric Holt erich@foothillsbluegrass.com Media Director: Dennis Casey roxden@sympatico.ca Social Media Carol Boyer carol.boyer@sympatico.ca Contributors David Featherstone Gloria Jean Hansen Denis LePage Emory Lester Linda Thorburn Advertising Rates & Specs Dave Featherstone 705-624-1155 Dennis Casey 705-457-6880 Layout James Kerr 705-927-0994 Printing & Distribution Innovative Kaitlyn Gerber 1-888-698-3883 kaitlyn@innovative.ink Millbank, ON Canada 4 BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA BLUEGRASSCANADA.ORG MASTHEADPresident’s Message By Murray HaleThe executive has been busy It’s hard to believe a month has gone by so quickly. Seems like I just sat down to write the January message a few days ago. I suppose that means that I am busy and that’s a good thing. Lots of good things are beginning to appear on the horizon which means we have a great spring and summer to look forward to in bluegrass music. It appears that most of the old festivals are excited to resume as we had hoped. Lots of people have been on our upgraded website and love the changes. Our facebook administrator has been posting new music from our bands and generally it looks like forward momentum is in progress. Check out bluegrasscanada.org and our magazine will be there .It is available in hardcopy as well. Please encourage your friends to join us. I hope by now clubs are having their regular jam sessions utilizing physical spacing. The days are getting longer and it won’t be long before spring is here and that means more outdoor music. We are so happy to report that we are getting more information from the east and west of this big country. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you are aware of bluegrass events. To all bluegrass bands: Let’s try to take it up a notch if you dare by adding new and original material to your setlists. Have a listen to each others music and only prepare for stage those numbers you are seriously passionate about. I only say this as encouragement. “And now it’s time to say goodbye to Jed and all his kin” Whoops. See you all next month. Murray is in Florida. —Ed Become a member of the BMAC Email: membership@ bluegrasscanada.org Website: bluegrasscanada.org Start gettin’ picky about Your music... APRIL 2022 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Murry Hale, president of the BMAC.Denis LePage has spent over 40 years mastering the banjo, and is an active member of the Canadian bluegrass community. He currently runs a website dedicated to banjo instruction: banjoden.com. By Denis LePage Denis once again with banjo in hand Dalrymple Walter started his bluegrass career playing with the Kent County Pickers from the Chatham area of Southwestern Ontario. In the early 90’s he joined the Dixie Flyers and stayed with them until his untimely death in 1999. I had heard Walter play Dalrymple a few times before I started putting together material for my ‘Doctor Is In’ album and really liked the tune so I asked Walt if it would be OK if recorded it on the album. He agreed and we decided to use the tune as the first song to kick off the album. Here is the tab for the first break of the tune as I played it on the ‘Doctor Is In’ and this is pretty much the way Walter had written it. It’s a really nice melody and has an interesting twist with the Eb to D transition. I know you’ll enjoy playing it. Thanks Walter! 6 BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA BLUEGRASSCANADA.ORG BANJOAPRIL 2022 BLUEGRASS CANADA MAGAZINE 7 BANJOWhat’s Happening OutWest? At the time of this writing (Feb 2), there’s not much going on anywhere. I checked with the Vancouver Bluegrass Club Pacific Bluegrass & Old Time Music Society and with current restrictions, they have gone back to zoom jams. There is more info on their website on how to link up. No one knows what is coming next for gatherings yet. Jenny Lester put on a concert at the Glenwood Hall in Smithers and uploaded it to youtube so you can watch it on there. Here’s the link: https://youtu.be/g9p0tnUOMMM Don’t forget to thumbs up the video. I think you can enroll for some singing classes in bluegrass on line. Check it out under Jenny’s website. If everything goes ahead, the dates for Nimblefingers Workshops are August 14-26 2022. For more info you can go to www. nimblefingers.ca This amazing workshop is held in the heart of the Shuswaps in the town of Sorrento at a beautiful church camp. Our local island scene for bluegrass is sparse at this time, hoping for an improvement someday soon. By Linda Thorburn Linda Thorburn is a banjo player and bluegrass community leader. Linda reports that Bluegrass is sparse in the winter this year. 8 BLUEGRASS MUSIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA BLUEGRASSCANADA.ORG OUTWESTRenfrew 's Bluegrass Festival July 7 -10, 2022 Ma-te-Way Park Renfrew, Ontario Meet up with old friends, and maybe even make some new ones! Enjoy a Weekend of Music, Fun and So Much More! Spacious and Inviting Festival Grounds Beautiful Campsite! Headlin ers Also Featuring Sound Production by John Cameron The Grascals & Nothin' Fancy CR5 Bluegrass, The Barrel Boys, The Northern Sons, & More Vendors On Site Downtown Renfrew Food and other vendors will be available all weekend longto make your stay with us the most enjoyable. All your shopping needs are just a hop, skip and a jump away in Downtown Renfrew. Need More Information Renfrew.ca/bluegrassfestival Follow us on FACEBOOK - Renfrew's Annual Bluegrass Fesitval 613-432-4848 or info@renfrew.caNext >