Close To The Heart (1999)
Close To The Heart contains twenty selections and approximately sixty-two minutes of music. It is the second solo recording from West Virginia singer, Bob Heyer.
Bob plays fingerpicked and flatpicked guitar,clawhammer banjo, and sings on seventeen of the cuts. He is joined by special guests Joe Dobbs(fiddle), Jim Martin (bass), and
David O'Dell(mandolin,clawhammer banjo, and harmony vocals) on some of the cuts.
Sources for the material include:Jimmie Rodgers,Merle Travis,Riley Pucket,Flatt & Scruggs,Norman Blake,Mississippi John Hurt,David Morris,Dwight Diller,Clarence Ashley,Gene Autry, and Bill Clifton.
The CD draws from a variety of musical styles including old time country, country blues, and traditional folk.There is a nice mixture of tempos and types of songs. There are songs that are humorous,sad,thoughtful,carefree,bittersweet
and passionate. There are two original songs on the release.
Some comments....
"Sincere,heartfelt, and well performed old time ballads and blues by this native performer of Wheeling,WV"
County Sales Floyd, VA
"This album makes me remember my roots.You've found a home here on The Front Porch. I plan on playing the entire album in the upcoming months."
Connie Blowblis WKNH Keene,NH
"My listeners seem to like it all.It will be getting quite a bit of airplay here."
Lee Boulton Bluegrass Roundup WOBO Norwood,OH
"This CD is really a musical gem! Your recording was one of the best surprises for me during the last several months."
Jaanus Vainu Bluegrass Radio Tallinn,Estonia
"I do sincerely thank you for the CD of pretty darn fine music."
Gerald Pike Sounds of Bluegrass CKCW Moncton New Brunswick Canada
"I listened to the whole thing and it'very nicely done.I will be giving it airplay on my Country Roots radio show.
Wayne Erbsen WCQS Asheville,NC
"Great old tunes sung in a wonderfully mature style with always appropriate back-up" Tom Druckenmiller In the Tradition WDIY Allentown,PA
"You have obviously reached a point in your musical life where you are very comfortable with the music you play.This is a well produced album which I will be pleased to feature on my program." Bruce Cameron Come All Ye Bathhurst,Australia
"A very nice CD.Great choice of material and good execution." Frank Hoppe Bluegrass Etc. KCSN Sunland,CA
"This is a warm and heartfelt collection of songs and a couple of tunes played by WV singer and guitarist,Bob Heyer.
For those who like old time country songs and traditional ballads,there will be plenty here to enjoy."
Bluegrass Unlimited
"Bob is a fine guitar player,and he shows on this CD that he can handle a banjo too.But close to the heart,Bob is a singer,and he adapts his warm baritone to an impressive variety of styles. He obviously understands his own voice and selects music he can handle with ease and grace."
Goldenseal
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Bob Heyer- A short Bio
Bob Heyer, a native of Wheeling,WV has been performing with various groups and as a solo artist since 1970.Since 1986,he has been a singer/guitarist for the Cabin Fever String Band. He has released three solo recordings, Root That Mountain Down(1995), Close To the Heart(1999) and That Lonesome Road(2005) as well as a recording with Cabin Fever entitled Havin' A Fine Old Time(1995).Since 1986 he has co-ordinated a monthly concert series in Wheeling in conjunction with Oglebay Institute, The Mountain Moon Coffeehouse, which features various styles of acoustic music including old time,bluegrass,celtic, and traditional Appalachian.He has written about old time music in West Virginia for Goldenseal magazine, a publication of the West Virginia Department of Culture and History, and wrote the liner notes for the recording Lest We Forget:The 50th Annual West Virginia State Folk Festival. He has been an instructor at the Allegheny Echoes Workshops and the Augusta Heritage Center and has presented various programs on the history of Appalachian music.
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