What do Billy Joel’s 1973 album Piano Man and Dolly Parton’s 1999 bluegrass album The Grass is Blue have in common? The same incredible opening track!
Alright, I admit I’m in a bit of a bluegrass/country phase—just know that for the coming week. So, I was down a rabbit hole researching a bluegrass singer and guitarist named Claire Lynch. After opening 30 tabs on Chrome and reading page after page, I found out that she sang backing vocals on a few tracks from Dolly’s 1999 bluegrass record. I immediately went to Spotify and fired up the album. I was not expecting the first track to be Billy Joel’s “Travelin’ Prayer.” Moments like this are why I love diving into random songs, exploring who played on which album, and spending my time researching and discovering new music—it’s all about the hidden gems! Now, I’m sure some of you may have already heard this, but I hadn’t, and I loved every second of my first listen.
This album features some incredible bluegrass musicians. When you listen, you’ll hear the great Stuart Duncan on fiddle. If you’ve been a “long-time” subscriber, you’ll remember a whole post about one of his songs or albums. The band also features Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Barry Bales, and Jim Mills. The album includes a number of background vocalists, including Claire Lynch, Patty Loveless, and others, but on this specific tune, we hear Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski. You’ve heard Dan as the main vocalist on “Man of Constant Sorrow” from the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Fun Fact: Dolly Parton’s three bluegrass albums, the music of Alison Krauss, and the soundtrack of the hugely popular film O Brother, Where Art Thou? are credited with bringing bluegrass to widespread popularity in the 2000s.
Video Fact: There’s a fantastic video of Dolly performing and promoting her then-new album with the song “Train, Train” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Listening Tips: Take a listen to the beautiful and relaxing intro (ideally with good speakers in a quiet space). The intro is so sweet, and Stuart Duncan’s double stops (two notes played at the same time on violin) will melt your heart. After the intro, the band takes off! Notice how much they feature the instrumentalists in the mix and the arrangement. The vocals are so tight too. The background vocals sound like an extension of Dolly’s voice. Also, notice how there aren’t any drums. The mandolin, banjo, and bass almost create a “percussion” section in this style. Finally, listen for the jam session at the end. Just when you think the song is about to finish, the band keeps it going! Love it!
Happy listening!
Song: “Travelin’ Prayer”
Artist: Dolly Parton
Album: The Grass Is Blue
Year: 1999
My other favorites from the album:
“The Grass Is Blue”
“Cash On The Barrelhead”
“I Still Miss Someone”
Hey Lord, take a look on around tonight
And find out where my baby’s gonna be
Hey Lord, would ya look out for him tonight
For he is far away from me
Hey Lord, would ya look out for him tonight
Make sure that he’s gonna be alright
Things gonna be alright with me
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one.
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