A.G. Olmstead Closes ANE with Memories of Jimmy Rodgers
[from August 2008]
Remember Peach Pickin’ Time In Georgia? In The Jailhouse Now? Keep On The Sunnyside? California Zephyr? Or Gonna Sing, Sing, Sing?
If you love the songs of Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family and Hank Williams, Sr. then you’ll revel in the Atlantic National Exhibition’s Closing Concert by A.G. Olmstead & His Old Time String Band tomorrow night, Aug 31, 8 to 10 p.m., on their Building One main stage.
Hailed as a new Jimmie Rodgers on CBC Radio One interviews and concert segments and by leading Nashville session players, who thrilled A.G. when several volunteered to back him on a debut CD a year ago.
“I grew up knowing most of the older artists’ repertoires,” A.G. told me early this spring, “especially Jimmie Rodgers’ because Dad played his records almost every night. Jimmie was his favourite singer and I guess he just naturally became mine, too.”
And, although Jimmie was born in Mississippi and A.G. (Adam to his friends) far north of the Mason-Dixon line in our Maritimes, with St Stephen now his home base, he does sound a lot like the ‘father of country music.’ Even the songs A.G. writes have a Rodgersesque feeling that is nostalgic. Songs about trains, tragedies, drinking and home that he’ll mix with old favourites in concert!
And, although A.G. never railroaded as Jimmie did, he’s has worked blue collar jobs, built logging and construction roads, rambled and lived in many of the same parts of the US that Rodgers did.
At 15, A.G. left NB for a US school with a music curriculum, after graduating, busked for three years in New York where Rodgers was formally signed by RCA, then spent three years playing California clubs, then a three year residency in Texas which was Jimmie’s favourite state and where he lived during his years of great fame. Then travels in Europe, followed by a tour of our Canadian west, a year back home writing and refocusing. Then two years in Nashville, playing clubs, haunting recording label offices, sitting in on jams and backstage parties, getting to know a lot of musicians, some very famous, although he didn’t realize that at the time. Then a recording session at O’Banyon’s Terrace Studio, and a CD of a dozen songs that he’d penned, produced by Alan O’Bryant and recorded, mixed and mastered by Tim Roberts, two prestigious names.
And, amazingly, one of the Nashville based musicians who backed A.G. on that recording, Chris Henry, is making the trip up to play mandolin with A.G.’s band Friday! Chris’s high energy vocals and blistering mandolin solos bring audiences to their feet every where! And Toronto’s Foggy Hogtown Boys fiddler John Showman, a 2004 Juno nominee is joining them: On upright bass there’s Sam Petite who plays with two renowned Toronto string bands. And on banjo NB’s multi-instrumentalist and 2005 ECMA nominee, Al Scott.