2/15/08
Vine Records Receives 9 DOVE Nominations
At a press conference held yesterday, the Gospel Music Association announced the nominees for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards. Vine Records walked away with an impressive 9 nominations in the following categories: Janet Paschal “Sounds Like Sunday” for Southern Gospel Album, Lillie Knauls “Past And Present” for Traditional Gospel Album and “Oh Happy Day” (with the Talley Trio) for Traditional Gospel Recorded Song, Calvin Hunt “Bridges” for Contemporary Gospel Recording and “Come On” for Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song, The Lewis Family “The Key To Heaven” for Bluegrass Recorded Song, and Little Roy Lewis, Earl Scruggs and Lizzy Long (Lewis, Scruggs and Long) garnered three nominations with “Lifetimes” for Bluegrass Album, “I Will Find You Again” for Bluegrass Recorded Song and “James White” for Country Recorded Song. “Speechless is the only word I can think of right now to describe how we feel. Vine is a small independent label. This just goes to show the respect our artists have in the industry. We want to congratulate all of them and the songwriters for this outstanding achievement,” stated Kevin Ward of Vine Records. The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards will be handed out at Nashville’s famed Grand Ole Opry House on April 23, 2008. For more information and a complete list of nominees, visit www.gospelmusic.org. For more information about Vine Records and their roster of artists, visit www.vinerecordsonline.com.
8/3/2007
California Bluegrass Association - Reviews Pg. 5
Lifetimes (CD & DVD),
LITTLE ROY LEWIS, EARL SCRUGGS & LIZZY LONG
Reviewed by: Joe Ross
8/3/2007 12:00:00 AM
LITTLE ROY LEWIS, EARL SCRUGGS & LIZZY LONG - Lifetimes (CD & DVD)
Vine Records / Mountain Home MH11182
www.vinerecordsonline.com OR www.crossroadsmusic.com OR www.lizzylong.com
EMAIL lizzy@lizzylong.com OR jannaward@comcast.net
Playing Time – 47:19
Bluegrassers are familiar with the many accomplishments of Earl Scruggs and Little Roy Lewis who are given top billing on this album despite their fairly understated roles. Scruggs appears on five cuts, and Lewis only on four. There’s nothing wrong with lending their names to support a talented up-and-comer like Lizzy Long. Many fans of the genre may not yet be familiar with her defining vocals, enchanting fiddling and driving banjo-picking even though the prolific 23-year-old has already released four other albums. She’s got a clear vision of success, her musicianship is sturdy, her attitude is confident, and her work ethic is strong. Born and raised on a Georgia farm, her myriad musical interests introduced her to country, bluegrass and pop music, along with the instruments of these genres. Besides holding a degree in business law, she has also studied music orchestration and arrangement. At present, she plays in a band called “Mountain Fury” with her sister (Rebekah) and two college friends (Eileen Marsh, Rachel Singleton) in West Virginia. Lizzy’s mentors Scruggs and Lewis know that she’s got plenty on the ball.
Produced by Wayne Haun and Kevin Ward, “Lifetimes” is a new addition to the catalog of up-and-coming Nashville-based label, Vine Records. With top Nashville session accompaniment, the album allows Lizzy to fire with all barrels. While her fiddling might not be quite as superior as Aubrey Haynie’s or Andy Leftwich’s, it’s still plenty solid on the one cut featuring her bow work -- Earl’s original instrumental “Obelisk Flour.” Two additional songs feature her nimble-fingered banjo proficiency -- Lewis’ “Catamount Chase Breakdown” and her own self-penned (with Lyn Rowell) offering, “I’m Not Falling ForYou.”
Where this album is particularly auspicious is in its presentation of Lizzy’s luminous vocals on an entertaining blend of songs. We also hear Lewis’ or Scruggs’ voices in “The Preacher and the Bear” and “The Bluebirds Singing for Me.” Relying on a Nashville-produced acoustic music mentality for radio-friendly music, the album’s drum tracks (Greg Ritchie, Kevin Ward, Ricky Free) are a little too hot and heavy at times. However, a catchy song like Wayne Kirkpatrick’s “The Has Been” is given AKUS-like radiance with carefully cultivated percussion and piano (Pat Coil). The CD’s crowning moment actually occurs in the leanest and drumless setting of the very last track, a delicate and intimate rendition of Wayne Haun and Barry Raccio’s “The Road Before Me.” With reverance, her expressive vocals make a strong emotional statement. Carving a niche for herself, Lizzy Long demonstrates considerable astuteness, talent and class. The project’s bonus DVD includes interviews and information about the making of the album. (Joe Ross)
4/12/2007
The Lincoln Journal - Lincolnton, GA
Long's latest CD features Little Roy and Earl Scruggs
Lizzy Long's latest CD, Lewis, Scruggs, and Long: Lifetimes, was recorded with the assistance of a two legendary banjo pickers, Little Roy Lewis (l) and Earl Scruggs. The album will be released Monday, April 16.
"I have been traveling for many years, but it is seldom that you see such a talented newcomer as Elizabeth Long," stated bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. "She'll be a household name among bluegrass fans."
Lizzy Long's latest CD, Lewis, Scruggs, and Long: Lifetimes, is set for release on Monday, April 16.
The album teams Long with Little Roy Lewis, the seven-time Dove Award-winning front man for Lincoln County's own Lewis Family, and four-time Grammy Award winner Earl Scruggs.
Long's debut on a professional recording label was produced by Wayne Haun and Kevin Ward of Vine Records. The album captures the 23 year old's skilled instrumental talents and vocal prowess which give her the seasoned style of a bluegrass veteran.
The CD features traditional bluegrass favorites as well as original compositions written by Long, Haun, and a list of award-winning writers such as Joel Lindsey, Barry Dean, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Mac Wiseman. The tracks include "Gotta Travel On," "One More Yesterday With You," "Catamount Chase Breakdown," "I Won't Keep Falling For You," "Bluebirds Singing," and the "Preacher and the Bear."
"Recording an album with Little Roy and Earl was an incredible adventure," said Long. "Whenever you get the opportunity to record with people who are among the best of the best, it raises your own playing to another level. It was a great learning experience for me. Making an album with these two legends was the chance of a lifetime for a country girl from Lincolnton."
A graduate of LCHS and Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia, Long has mastered the piano, the fiddle, the banjo, the resonator and bass banjos, the guitar, the autoharp, the bass fiddle, the mandolin, the trumpet, the trombone, the tuba, and the drums. And on top of all that, she has a beautiful singing voice.
Lewis, Scruggs, and Long: Lifetimes marks Long's sixth foray into recording studio. Her other albums are titled Me & My Fiddle, Chicken Feed, Dreams of Yesterday, Sing a Sad Song, and Some Sweet Day (as a member of the band "Mountain Fury").
In addition to other impressive venues, Long has appeared on radio's "The Ernest Tubb Record Shop;" at Dollywood in Sevierville, Tennessee; the Fox Theater in Atlanta; the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington; the Wheeling Jamboree in Wheeling, West Virginia; and the annual Lewis Family Homecoming & Bluegrass Festival. The gifted, young artist is currently scheduled to perform at a benefit for Briarwood Academy on Tuesday, May 1, in Warrenton and at the Lewis Family bluegrass festival set for May 3-5 at Elijah Clark State Park in Lincolnton.
In his comments on Lewis, Scruggs, and Long: Lifetimes, Little Roy Lewis said, "It is a dream come true for me to record with two of my favorite musicians - one is a longtime friend and the other, a newfound favorite." In fact, it was Lewis who taught Long to play the banjo and other "bluegrass instruments."
During his career, Lewis has received awards for his showmanship as well as his musical ability. He and his famous family, known as "America's First Family of Bluegrass Gospel Music," were recently inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) Hall of Honor.
USA Today has called Lewis "a banjo picker, truly a picker's picker." His personal favorites are Earl Scruggs and Don Reno.
Speaking of Scruggs, Barry R. Willis, who has written a biography of the phenomenal musician, stated, "In all the history of bluegrass music, there are only two people, in the opinion of this writer, without whom bluegrass would not exist as it does today: one is Bill Monroe, the other is Earl Scruggs."
It was Scruggs who popularized the three-finger style of banjo picking that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music.
Moreover, Scruggs and his partner, guitarist Lester Flatt, are responsible for such cultural bench marks as "The Ballad of Jed Clampett" from the beloved television show, "The Beverly Hillbillies," and "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" from the movie, "Bonnie and Clyde."
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Scruggs received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.
Copies of Lewis, Scruggs, and Long: Lifetimes will be available at all area music stores on Monday.
Vine Records (Jan 1, 2007)