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| The Bray Brothers with Red Cravens | Prairie Bluegrass |
| Review by Keith Rollag | |
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CD 1011 Personnel: |
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If you spend most of your time listening to the classic recordings of Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, and Flatt & Scruggs, or just want to hear a little bit of midwest bluegrass radio history, you'll really enjoy this CD. "Prairie Bluegrass" is a collection of songs performed by a young, energetic Illinois-based bluegrass band on a radio show back in the early 1960's. The sound quality is great, the songs are well-chosen, and it comes complete with the humorous between-song patter and hokey commercial spots that give the CD an honest, straight-head appeal. There's a big reason why Rounder dug up these recordings - they're terrific. The story of the band is as interesting as the music they briefly produced. In the 1950's the Bray Brothers started dabbling with banjo, mandolin, and bass as teen-agers in Urbana, Illinois, but it wasn't until the young Red Cravens (who was working nearby for Illinois Bell) introduced them to hard-driving bluegrass music that they got a passion for "Bill's Music." They quickly mastered their respective instruments and started performing as a band in 1956, but soon disbanded when two of the Bray Brothers enlisted in the Army. After their stint was over the band reformed and began playing in March of 1960. Getting themselves invited to be the opening act at Bill Monroe's Bean Blossom Jamboree, they so impressed Mr. Monroe that he asked them to be the "house band" for the rest of the summer. Besides gaining valuable performance experience and tips from the Master, they got to jam with the best in the business. Returning to Illinois in the fall, the band landed a regular slot on Uncle Johnny Barton's "Cornbelt Country Show" on WHOW in Clinton, IL, about 76 miles away from their hometown. Initially performing in the station's studio, the band tired of the two hour commute and began recording their shows in Red Craven's apartment with a semi-professional, full-track mono Crown tape recorder. For using only two microphones (one on the bass and one for the rest of the band), the sound is wonderful. They generally re-recorded over old shows to save money, but occasionally saved a good performance. Eventually the band got an invitation to play at the Opry in July 1961, which led to a recording contract with Liberty Records. Produced under the name "The Bluegrass Gentlemen," it didn't generate much listener interest, and eventually the band disbanded. In 1963 Red Cravens moved to California with all the radio show tapes, and the Bray Brothers continued to perform sporadically. In the late 60's John Hartford (who had previously jammed with the band) took some of the tapes and through Rounder Records produced an album called "491 W. Main" (the address of the apartment) as a tribute to the band. They've re-released several of the best tracks from the radio shows in this new CD. The band has an extremely polished, energetic quality as they race through all sorts of bluegrass classics in a wonderfully traditional style. With powerful harmonies and booming solos they certainly held their own against the top bands of the day - it was unfortunate they didn't get much airplay beyond the Illinois. Kudos to Rounder for keeping these gems alive - it's great stuff. I heartily endorse this album! |
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