TIM SMITH: The Lonesome Blueridge

Tim Smith

The Lonesome Blueridge

© 2001 TRS Records (683137700229)

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Whatever he plays - bluegrass, old-time breakdowns and hornpipes, blues, celtic, jazz or classical violin - He performs with ultimate good taste, tone and authenticity.

tracks

1 The Timberline
2 Virginia Darlin'
3 Moonlight On The Ocean
4 The Lonesome Blueridge
5 Grassy Creek
6 Billy In The Lowground
7 Pale Moon
8 Andrew's Reel
9 Grey Eagle
10 Precious Lord, Take My Hand
11 Big Boy
12 High Meadows
13 St. Anne's Reel
14 Tennessee Waltz
15 Black Mountain Rag
16 D Medley
17 Bill Cheatum
18 The Star Spangled Banner

notes

Tim Smith is a fiddle player and a Sought after performer, entertainer and studio musician.

The following liner notes are taken from Tim's CD " The Lonesome Blueridge".

I first met Tim Smith when he won Lester Flatt's fiddle contest at Lester's Mount Pilot Festival in Pinnacle, North Carolina, in june, 1974. Tim probably was'nt out of his teens at that time but he displayed the precision and polish of a professional on the festival stage that Saturday afternoon. In 1980 I came to know Tim much better as a great bluegrass fiddle player with the Bluegrass Cardinals. As the group's agent, I traveled with the band in a number of states and half a dozen European countries.

Even with all the respect I've held down through the years for Tim's work, I must admit that listening to a pre-release copy of "The Lonesome Blueridge" caught me off-guard. I had failed to remember the full extent of his versatility. Eight of these selections are his original compositions. The haunting "Pale Moon" and the bouncy "Andrews Reel" are but two examples. His highly successful venture into country blues/jazz represented by " Big Boy" would gain enthusiastic approval from such masters of the art as Jethro Burns, Hank Garland, and Dale Potter.

The bottom line here is that Tim Smith is an absolute master of his instrument. Standards such as Precious Lord, Take my Hand and The Star Spangled Banner are performed with all the verve and precision expected of a fine violinist. I'm absolutely confident that the legendary late and great Howard Forrester would wholeheartedly approve of Tim's incisive, exciting rendition of the all-time classic hornpipe, "Grey Eagle".

Whatever he plays- bluegrass, old-time breakdowns and hornpipes, blues, jazz or classical violin- Tim performs with ultimate good taste and authenticity. Backed herein by a small, unpretentious band of talented and nationally- known musicians, he takes us on a delightful journey through several genres of great music.

-Lance LeRoy

reviews

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  • Better than ever, Tim continues to grow in technique and creativity
    author: Carole Sease

    I knew Tim in the 70's and 80's when he was the phenom at Galax. Hearing the results of his maturity and growth in ability on this recent CD was wonderful though not surprising. He has always had a sense of taste that pairs perfectly with his creative abilities and flawless technique. This CD is full of new ways to play old tunes and has a variety that makes it very easy to listen to again and again.

  • A Highlight Review! (April 2002)
    author: Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine

    > > TIM SMITH > > > > > THE LONESOME BLUERIDGE > > > TRS Records TRS-CD-7002 * Highlight Review * > > > > > The 1970s in southwest Virginia was an exciting time in the world of > bluegrass, with an ever-increasing number of festivals, fans, and amazing > young musicians. One of the legendary regional bands in North Carolina during > that era was L.W. Lambert and the Blue River Boys, featuring Ray Cline on > guitar, L.W. on banjo, and a relatively young but very talented Tim Smith on > fiddle. Smith’s fiddle work had the power to almost instantly swell any jam > session to five times its size, and send everyone back to their campsites > hours later with semi-permanent jaw drop. In 1980, Smith moved on to join the > Bluegrass Cardinals in one of their most productive configurations. The > years since have certainly been kind to Tim Smith’s fiddling. He has retained > the precision and the beautiful tone that have been the hallmark of his work > since those earlier years. He plays classic fiddle tunes such as "Billy In > The Low Ground," the medley "Soldier’s Joy/Liberty/Arkansas Traveler/Eighth > Of January," along with "Bill Cheatum" and Monroe’s "Virginia Darlin’" in a > hard-driving-yet-sweet style all too rare these days, with the strong banjo > work of Eric Ellis being given a prominent role. Clay Jones provides some > fine lead guitar work, Wayne Benson does his usual great job on mandolin, and > Greg Martin does an equally good job on acoustic bass. Of the eight originals > by Smith among the 18 cuts here, three fiddle tunes — "The Timberline," > "Andrew’s Reel," and "High Meadows" — could easily become standards. In > addition, Smith has composed two fine waltzes, "Moonlight On The Ocean" and > "Pale Moon," and a wonderful jazz/swing number "Big Boy." Smith’s superb > execution and fine touch, along with the excellent work by the rest of the > band, makes just about every selection, even the warhorses such as "St. Anne’ > s Reel" and "Grey Eagle," as welcome to the ear as his fine originals. If > you’re searching for first-class traditional fiddle music played about as > well as it can be played, you may have to look long and hard to find anything > that tops "The Lonesome Blueridge." Highly recommended. (TRS Records, Inc., > 384 Princeton Square Ct., Kernersville, NC 27284, E-mail: trsrecords@aol.com > .) AW© Copyright 2002. Bluegrass Unlimited, Inc. All rights reserved. >

  • author: Franf Godbey

    Subj: Tim Smith/"The Lonesome Blueridge" Date: 10/23/2001 7:40:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time From: fgodbey@uky.edu (Frank Godbey) To: bgrass-l@lsv.uky.edu Howdy, Years ago I worked as a fill-in banjo player one night in a band in which Tim Smith played fiddle... he was darn good then and he's even better now. Tim's latest release is a fiddle-tune collection on his own label, TRS Records. "The Lonesome Blueridge" (TRS CD-7002) features Tim's interpretations of several traditional fiddle tunes and country standards as well as eight of his own compositions. His "The Timberline" is a light, danceable piece reminiscent of much of Kenny Baker's work; "Pale Moon" is a haunting waltz with just the fiddle and rhythm guitar, and "Andrew's Reel" could well-be from the misty past instead of Tim's pen. Tim's "Grey Eagle" is, IMO, as good as it gets... and there have been some "powerful" versions of that old tune put on record. Other selections include "Virginia Darlin'" "St.Anne's Reel" "The Lonesome Blueridge" (a very Monrovian original) and "High Meadows" on which Tim displays some "pop/jazz" influence. All told, there are 18 selections on this CD, making it a real bargain. Also appearing are Clay Jones on guitar, Eric Ellis on banjo, Wayne Benson on mandolin, Greg Martin on bass and Greg Luck on bass on "Moonlight on the Ocean." All these fellows have a keen grasp of what it takes to support a project of this nature, and besides being superior technicians, they all play great TONE... a commodity sometimes missing even in otherwise excellent projects. Tim closes the CD with a solo violin rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" - very nicely done. Recommended without reservation. --Cheers, Frank (Another in a semi-irregular series of mini-reviews... costs you nothing extra, and worth twice the price.) PS you can reach Tim's label, TRS Records, via email: TRSrecords@aol.com or via snail: 384 Princeton Square Court, Kernersville NC 27284 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frank Godbey -- University of Kentucky -- fgodbey@uky.edu

  • author: Barry R. Willis

    "The Lonesome Blueridge" by Tim Smith TRS Records, CD-7002 A Compact Disc Review by Barry R. Willis americasmusicbluegrass@compuserve.com www.pinevalleymusic.com Tim Smith has a very nice project here. Very pleasant music. Eight of the tunes are his own creations. This all-instrumental CD is also flavored by traditional tunes. A good mix. Tim's fiddling is impeccable, forged from years of experience beginning in the early 1970s where he competed and recorded at the "Old Fiddler's Convention" (1972, 1973) at Galax, Virginia. After those LPs, he began contributing on the recording projects of L.W. Lambert and the Blue River Boys, the Bluegrass Cardinals, Gary Adams and the Bluegrass Gentlemen, Mike Hazelwood, Kent Dowell, Jim Eanes, Zeke Saunders and the Blades of Grass, Arnie Solomon, James King, Larry Stephenson, Highstrung, the Country Gentlemen, the McPeak Brothers and David Nance. During the same period he was with the above bands or contributing to their albums, he recorded his own: "1978 World Champion Fiddler" (1978), "Favorite Pastimes" (1986), "Straight from the Heart" (1990) and "Plain and Simple" (1999). Choosing fine musicians to record with him on this project was easy due to his many connections by this time. He chose Clay Jones (guitar), Eric Ellis (banjo), Greg Martin (bass), Wayne Benson (mandolin) and Greg Luck (bass). These men were able to enhance Tim's purpose which, according to him, "has been and will always be to play and record great music." This is a fine project. If you'd like a copy, send off to TRS Records, Inc., 384 Princeton Square Ct, Kernersville NC 27284. (336) 817-1188 or email TRSrecords@aol.com

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