Ruined for Life The Del McCoury Band makes picking and singing a family thing. by MARK JORDAN n the liner notes to their stunning collaboration The Mountain, released earlier this year, Steve Earle called Del McCoury and his boys "the best bluegrass band working today." It was not idle flattery. Featuring veteran guitarist Del on guitar, his sons Ronnie and Rob on mandolin and banjo, respectively, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Mike Bub on bass, this Nashville-based outfit stands tall in a field that includes such lofty artists as Ricky Skaggs, Allison Krauss, and Bela Fleck. At the International Bluegrass Music Awards, to be held October 21st in Lousiville, Kentucky, the McCoury Band and its most recent release, The Family, are nominated for a combined 11 awards. But even that is a matter of routine for the group. Del has won the IBMA's male vocalist award four times, Ronnie has five wins in the banjo category, and Robbie has been nominated every year since 1990. Still most audiences not intimately acquainted with bluegrass know the band through their work with Earle. The two first teamed up in 1991, when the band cut a version of Earle's "If You Need A Fool." At the time Earle was spiraling into the morass of drugs and legal problems he wouldn't come out of until 1995. But at the request of the band's producer, Earle scribbled an extra verse of the song for McCoury to sing. It ended up being the last lines he would write for four years. Fast forward to 1997, and a cleaned-up Earle was riding high with another critically lauded album, Train a Comin', under his belt, and his own label, E-Squared, up and running. Earle, a songwriter whose fascination with bluegrass dates back to a childhood visit to see Bill Monroe play at the Grand Ole Opry, recruited the McCoury Band to play a track on his new album, El Corazon. The success of that collaboration led directly to The Mountain. The record is a powerful mix, featuring Earle's vivid, well-crafted songs with some of the McCoury Band's most impassioned backing. Alas, the teaming hasn't lasted. After a brief tour earlier this year, Earle and the McCoury Band parted; reportedly because, though the maverick Earle has cut out the booze and drugs, he still cusses too damn much for the straight-laced McCourys. It's for the best, though. At this stage in his career, Del McCoury has to play second fiddle to no one. Born in North Carolina and raised in Pennsylvania, McCoury and his brother Jerry were raised on the their mother's "mountain blues" and the sounds of Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, and Earl Skruggs on the radio. After an apprenticeship playing in various groups in the Southeast, in 1963 McCoury began a stint with none other than Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys. At the time he was playing banjo, but Monroe switched his new recruit to guitar and began to exploit his lovely high lonesome voice. McCoury left Monroe after a year, and in 1967 he formed his own band. His career has been on a steady track since. And with the new fame brought about by the Earle collaborations and the recent Groovegrass project, which teamed the McCoury Band with Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins, it's a career that just now seems to be picking up momentum. And the rising status of Rob and Ronnie ensures a McCoury legacy that will last a long time. (In 1995, Rob and Ronnie teamed up on their own CD, just as Del and his brother did in 1987.) But in a recent interview with The Irish Times, McCoury joked that if he had been born just a few years later --as bluegrass began to be appropriated into rockabilly and rock-and-roll, as evidenced by Elvis Presley's recording of Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" -- his musical direction might have been quite different. "I never made the connection [between rock-and-roll and bluegrass]," he said. "I knew Bill Monroe played mandolin a certain way, and then later on in life, when I heard those Memphis guitar pickers, they played a lot like Bill Monroe. But still I didn't make the connection. It was just something I didn't ever think about. You know, I was at an age when I should have been listening to Elvis Presley, but just a few years before rock-and-roll got big, I was listening to Earl Skruggs, and that kinda ruined me for life."

		Music Notes by Mark Jordan Benefit Blues It's unfortunate that Memphis musicians are called upon to play so many charity events, such as the three scheduled for this week, but thank fortune that so many area players are willing to donate their time and talents for the benefit of their comrades. Saxophonist Fred Ford, the beneficiary of this Thursday's Fredstock at the New Daisy, is one of those unheralded bad asses that seem to litter the Memphis musical landscape. He's unassuming and laid-back in person, but then at some point in the conversation you realize he's talking about the time he recorded the "Funky Chicken" -- the one by Rufus Thomas -- or the "Hound Dog" -- the original one by Big Mama Thornton. Even then the monstrous scale of his resume -- he's recorded with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Junior Parker, etc. -- doesn't hit you. In recent years, Ford has been content to be a regular at the Center for Southern Folklore, where he jams with fellow old schoolers Mose Vinson and L.T. Lewis. Last winter, Ford was diagnosed with throat cancer. Treatments have been successful, though recently he was hospitalized when the disease was found in other parts of his body. Since most of us with regular jobs don't even have adequate health insurance, you can imagine the burden on a freelance, gigging musician. To help defray some of the $7,000 in outstanding bills he has incurred, Ford's friends organized this benefit. And what friends they are. Among those scheduled to perform are Lucero, Rufus and Carla Thomas and Alex Chilton, a beneficiary of Ford's playing on several solo records, performing with the Hi Rhythm Section. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 with all proceeds going to Ford. Another stalwart of the local music scene, most know Van Duren as the frontman for Good Question, a popular Memphis group of the '80s. Of late he's been playing around town in a duo with Brady Howle, and his recent songwriting collaboration with Tommy Hoehn resulted in one of the best local releases of the year, Hailstone Holiday, a collection of well-crafted Beatles-esque pop. Sadly, a few weeks ago Duren, 45, suffered a stroke. As we at the Flyer know all too well, you can make a full recovery from a stroke, but it's a long, hard process. This Sunday's Live at the Heart of It benefit will hopefully make it an easier one. The show at Newby's has an all-star lineup that includes Reba Russell, the Riverbluff Clan, Keith Sykes, Posey Hedges, and Howle and Hoehn teaming together. Admission is $10, and the show starts at 5:30 p.m. Finally, this Wednesday and Thursday, October 13th and 14th, at the Daisy, a huge roster of Memphis bands will turn out for Doug-Out II, benefitting Doug Phillippi. Doug is the brother of comedian and sport-radio deejay Dennis Phillippi. Two years ago Doug was diagnosed with Lou Gherig's disease, and last year Dennis organized the first benefit in his honor. This year's Doug-Out covers two days, with the Jack Straw Band, John Kilzer, the Riverbluff Clan, Jack Rowell & Thiplthret, and Dr. Zarr's Amazing Funk Monster playing Wednesday and Gabby Johnson, Ackley Kids, the Memphis Yahoos, the Gecko Brothers, Keith Sykes, and Greg Hisky's Rhythm Method on Thursday. Shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, $7.50 a night in advance, and $10 in advance for both nights. New Stuff in the Bins We're short of space this week, so look for a local record spotlight next time. In the meantime, here are the new national releases you can find in stores this week. David Bowie hours (Virgin) Melissa Etheridge Breakdown (Island) Bob Log III Trike (Fat Possum) Paul McCartney Run Devil Run (Capitol) Riders in the Sky Christmas the Cowboy Way (Rounder) Ricky Skaggs Soldier of the Cross (Skaggs Family) Take 6 We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Reprise) Joe Louis Walker Silvertone Blues (Blue Thumb) Sadao Watanabe Remembrance (Verve) Bobby Watson Quiet As It's Kept (Red) XTC Homespun: The Apple Venus Vol. One Demos (TVT)