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The Goins Brothers - Live In Concert

The Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge, Cannonsburg, Kentucky Feb 6 1988

(River Track Studios RTS-1232) 1988

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This seems to be quite a rare cassette featuring as Melvin puts it: "... our first live album here at the Blue Ribbon Fox Hunters Lodge in Cannonsburg, Kentucky on February the 6th, nineteen hundred and eighty eight on a cold winters Saturday night...".

At the time The Goins Brothers ran a regular Saturday night event at the Fox Hunters lodge, during the festival off-season between October-May. According to a feature by Linda Stanley in the Nov. 1987 issue of 'Bluegrass Unlimited', the music would start at 7.30pm & end a little past midnight. The Goins Brothers would usually open the show, with guest acts finishing proceedings. In between, food was served with typical fare including 'pinto beans with ham hocks, hoe cake corn bread and onions and hotdogs'.

Melvin:- "It's a regular family get-together on Saturday night... We don't have alcohol - just country cookin' and good bluegrass music."

According to the article, Melvin's wife Willia was often called out from behind the kitchen counter to sing a couple of songs with The Goins, and Melvin & his cohorts would peddle everything from knives ("some from my private collection") to wrist watches and a double-bladed axe.

The line-up on this recording isn't listed on the artwork, but was mentioned as a new line-up in the 'Notes & Queries' section of 'Bluegrass Unlimited' in both the Dec. 1987 and Feb. 1988 issues. It's also the core personnel which cut the Goins' He Showed Me The Way LP a bit later in the year.

John McNeely had previously played with Dave Evans. After quiting playing for Evans in 1984, Melvin recruited John as bus-driver and would invite him to do a couple of numbers on stage. In 1986, Dave Skeens got married and left the band & Melvin put John into the bass slot. Later, when Art Stamper and Dan Jones left the band John recalled:- "...Melvin asked how I felt about his hiring Rick May, Bill Hamm and Gerald Evans. While we were talking, he asked if I would play guitar. In 1987, we became a six-piece band."^[1]

The album, which is the first release by this new line-up, kicks off with one of the Starday-era Lonesome Pine Fiddler songs Why Do You Treat Me The Way That You Do and there's also a version of their classic You're No Good, which the Goins Brothers had previously re-cut on their 1969 Bluegrass Hits Old And New debut.

Also on offer are versions of Bill Monroe's Letter From My Darlin' and the Don Reno / Red Smiley chestnut I Know You're Married But I Love You Still; the country standard I'd Rather Die Young and Jimmie Skinner's He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One.

John McNeely sings lead on one of his own compositions, Old Friend Of Mine; Rick May introduces and gives exceptionally fine vocal performances on a couple of numbers: I'd Rather Die Young & He Died A Rounder At Twenty-One. He may also sing on Lost John and takes the lead part on Just Any Day Now, which features some fine gospel harmony.

The album closes with the brief intro part of Orange Blossom Special which fades out, as Melvin thanks the crowd.

Sound quality on my copy of this one was surprisingly good & the performances are pretty top notch too!

• Melvin Goins: guitar
• Ray Goins: banjo
• Gerald Evans Jr: fiddle
• Bill Hamm: bass
• Rick May: mandolin
• John McNeely: guitar

^{[1] An interview with John McNeely by Carol Jeffrey in 'Bluegrass Unlimited' March 1992.}