Jimmie Don Bates and Friends July 1986

This is the first part of a jam session that also featured Terry Morris. I'll post Terry's part at a later date. The "friends" aren't listed anywhere on the tape, but at various times I can hear: Bobby Christman, Anthony Mature, Joey McKenzie, and Matt Hartz.

Download Link: Jimmie Don Bates and Friends July 1986 (18MB)

Orville Burns - The Bartow Riley Recordings, 1971

The seminal Orville recording. Recorded by Bartow Riley in 1971 with Omega Burden, Pete Osborne, and Ollie Miller on guitar. As a bonus, we get Sally Johnson played by Louis Franklin on the last track, accompanied by Pete, Ollie, and Amy Burden on piano!

Download Link: Orville Burns - the Bartow Riley Recordings (43 MB)

Bar D Wranglers On Stage

Here's a really fun live record put out (probably in the early 1980's) by the Bar D Wranglers from Durango, Colorado, featuring Terry Morris on the fiddle. Many of us fiddlers from the Northwest grew up with this recording on heavy rotation, inspiring some to go on and become chuckwagon fiddlers themselves, including Tim Hodgson (Bar J Wranglers) and Tony Ludiker (Flying W Wranglers).

The Bar D Wranglers are still going strong and I encourage you to go see their chuckwagon show for an evening of great food and entertainment: www.bardchuckwagon.com.

Download Link: Bar D Wranglers On Stage (96MB)

Orville Burns with John Hartford

Here's a playlist with over two hours of Orville Burns fiddling with John Hartford on the banjo and Bobby Christman on guitar. The banjo overwhelms the audio at times, but it's still a great watch and listen. Orville plays some tunes here that likely aren't recorded anywhere else. You can tell these guys were really enjoying the opportunity to play together.

Orville Burns - fiddle
John Hartford - banjo
Bobby Christman - guitar
Mark Ralph - fiddle

Direct YouTube Link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTtU3L7dFwuxMR7YhwLbmtBkcsFvoziLV

Major Franklin - June Bug on a Barbed Wire

This is my favorite Major Franklin tape. Actually, it's probably my favorite tape, period. I had assumed everyone had this, but just in case you didn't, here it is. There are multiple copies of this floating around, mostly labeled "June Bug on a Barbed Wire" due to Major's unforgettable version near the end of the tape. I tried to reassemble the tunes in the original order to preserve that old cassette vibe.

Recorded on 4-track tape by Bartow Riley and dated January 26, 1967 (tracks 1-17) and January 28, 1967 (tracks 18-32). Accompanists include Omega Burden, Bartow Riley, and Pete Osborne.

Download Link: Major Franklin - June Bug on a Barbed Wire (155 MB)

Orville Burns with Royce Franklin

Orville Burns playing in the parking lot at a fiddle contest sometime in the early 1990's. There is a lot of joy in this video. Accompanists include:

Anthony Mature - guitar
Royce Franklin - guitar
Matt Hartz - tenor guitar
Carl Hopkins - guitar

VCR recording by Bartow Riley.

Direct YouTube Link (for a larger picture):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E04NDHwJV2g&t=110s