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    • Free Banjo Videos Section - Scroll Down
    • Banjo Week 1
    • Banjo Week 2
    • Banjo Week 3
    • Banjo Week 4
    • Banjo Lesson: "Foggy Mountain Special" from Earl Scruggs Tribute
    • Banjo Lesson: Man of Constant Sorrow from O Brother Soundtrack
    • Banjo Lesson: Bending Strings in Bluegrass
  • Lessons
  • STORE
  • GUITAR WORKSHOP
    • Session I
    • Session II
    • SESSION III
    • SESSION IV

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • BIO
    • HISTORY
    • AWARDS
  • MUSIC
    • MUSIC CREDITS
    • Videos
  • NEWS
  • CONTACT
  • BANJO WORKSHOP
    • Free Banjo Videos Section - Scroll Down
    • Banjo Week 1
    • Banjo Week 2
    • Banjo Week 3
    • Banjo Week 4
    • Banjo Lesson: "Foggy Mountain Special" from Earl Scruggs Tribute
    • Banjo Lesson: Man of Constant Sorrow from O Brother Soundtrack
    • Banjo Lesson: Bending Strings in Bluegrass
  • Lessons
  • STORE
  • GUITAR WORKSHOP
    • Session I
    • Session II
    • SESSION III
    • SESSION IV
NEW! Ron Block Online Guitar Workshop 2020
  • NEW! Ron Block Online Guitar Workshop 2020

NEW! Ron Block Online Guitar Workshop 2020

Includes a download of Hogan's House of Music
In cart Not available Out of stock
$159.00

I held an online guitar workshop in November, and the four sessions are up on RonBlock.com, along with two bonus lessons (two more to be added soon). I've shared the elements of guitar playing that have made my lead guitar solos and rhythm a mainstay of Alison Krauss & Union Station for 29 years. Intermediate to advanced.

Topics: Roots and Inflluences - Bill Napier, Larry Sparks, and Clarence White to piano, Bill Monroe, and electric guitar players. We'll move on into some of my solos in a bonus lesson but at the front end we'll look into some of the players that helped create my style.

The Psychology of Playing Well (this is incredibly important)

Right and Left Hand Technique

Tone - Timing - Taste

Rhythm Playing

How I Learned and Continue to Learn the Neck

Make Solos More Moving with Expression

Make Solos More Engaging with Intervals ("doublestops")

Playing the Melody: The Many Ways to Vary a Solo.

Crosspicking

And I'll add more before the starting date.

Plus these freebies and more: Downloads of A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals; my Hogan's House of Music instrumental record (I took quite a few guitar breaks on it); a pdf of my Traditional Guitar Workbook with my personal tabs of George Shuffler, Larry Sparks, Bill Napier, Don Reno, Clarence White, and Junior Blankenship. These freebies alone are worth about $47.

When signing up, you'll get a download link for Hogan's House of Music. I'll send you A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals, and you'll get an email with a Dropbox link and information for the rest of it.

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Vintage: A 2021 Calendar SOLD OUT! A brand new 2022 calendar is coming later this year!
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  • Vintage: A 2021 Calendar SOLD OUT! A brand new 2022 calendar is coming later this year!

Vintage: A 2021 Calendar SOLD OUT! A brand new 2022 calendar is coming later this year!

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Out of stock

These are SOLD OUT but we'll be doing a 2022 calendar with new photos. Russ, kickin' banjoist and staff photographer for Ricky Skaggs, recently shot a bunch of pictures of a few of my vintage instruments, so we made a 2021 calendar. The calendar has release dates for the many records I've played on, and tells where I found some instruments and what recordings they're on.

Cover: 1938 Martin D28, played on Lonely Runs Both Ways and Paper Airplane. Included photos of my Rich & Taylor from So Long So Wrong, 1926 Gibson Granada from Everytime You Say Goodbye, 1963 Fender Telecaster from A Hundred Miles or More, plus others.

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2 Hour Guitar or Banjo Lesson Via Zoom
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  • 2 Hour Guitar or Banjo Lesson Via Zoom

2 Hour Guitar or Banjo Lesson Via Zoom

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$250.00 Save 8.4%!
$229.00

A 2 hour private lesson on banjo or guitar - this can be split into two separate lessons. I've been playing professionally since the early 1980s, and since 1991 with Alison Krauss and many others. I've also taught at bluegrass guitar and banjo camps, taught my own banjo course online, and have rarely given any private lessons.

I'm quite adept at diagnosing problems and advising solutions, since I'm always doing that with my own playing.

We can talk about anything you'd like, from getting a strong tone, developing steady timing, taste, how I study the neck, right hand workouts, transcribing, or whatever you'd like. We'll tailor it to you - the objective is to give you more tools to improve and expand your playing, and we'll give you enough to work on for a good long while. Available at the introductory price for a short time.

When you purchase, you'll get an email shortly after to set up a time for the lesson.

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NEW! Banjo Lesson: Bending Strings in a Bluegrass Context
  • NEW! Banjo Lesson: Bending Strings in a Bluegrass Context

NEW! Banjo Lesson: Bending Strings in a Bluegrass Context

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$15.00

Ron gives a 20-minute lesson on bending banjo strings in a bluegrass context. You'll learn what makes bending sound best, how to learn to do bends accurately, several different ways of practicing timing, a lick, variation, and pentatonic scales.

Notes are included, and tab is included for bends, pentatonic scales, and "Wild Bill Jones," which Ron plays at regular speed at the end. You'll download four pdfs, including the password and instructions to find video.

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Banjophony by Damien O'Kane & Ron Block

Banjophony

Damien O'Kane & Ron Block

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Banjophony (CD only)

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Banjophony (Damien O'Kane and Ron Block) PRCD48 Release 20th July 2018 With Sierra Hull, Stuart Duncan, Sam Bush, Barry Bales

This spectacular debut duo album from Coleraine’s Damien O’Kane and California’s Ron Block - is probably nothing like you could imagine. This record is about the marrying of two different banjo traditions and the union of two cultures - bluegrass and Irish.

  1. Miller's Gin/Potato Anxiety
  2. Crafty Collette
  3. Battersea Skillet Liquor
  4. No Harm Done
  5. Banjophony
  6. Ode to Aunty Frances
  7. Trip to Portugal/Guiseppe's
  8. Brown Eyes
  9. The Midleton Thief/The Lobster
  10. Phoebe's/The Banjo Strikes Back
  11. Lucky Rogues/Frantic Inspiration
  12. Leiper's Fork
  13. Brian Boru's Reel
  14. Danish Horde/S.McGee Buys the Farm
  15. Waiting for Erin
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  1. 1
    01 Miller's Gin _ Potato Anxiety 5:14
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  2. 2
    02 Crafty Colette 4:39
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  3. 3
    03 Battersea Skillet Liquor 4:17
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  4. 4
    04 No Harm Done 4:28
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  5. 5
    05 Banjophony 5:26
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  6. 6
    06 Ode to Aunty Frances 4:52
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  7. 7
    07 Trip to Portugal_Giuseppe's 4:14
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  8. 8
    08 Brown Eyes 5:08
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  9. 9
    09 The Midleton Thief_The Lobster 4:54
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  10. 10
    10 Phoebe's_The Banjo Strikes Back 5:18
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  11. 11
    11 Lucky Rogues_Frantic Inspiration 4:05
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  12. 12
    12 Leiper's Fork 4:23
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  13. 13
    13 Brian Boru's Reel 4:21
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  14. 14
    14 Danish Horde_S. McGee Buys the Farm 5:48
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  15. 15
    15 Waiting for Erin 4:06
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RON'S ONLINE FOUR-SESSION BANJO WORKSHOP
  • RON'S ONLINE FOUR-SESSION BANJO WORKSHOP

RON'S ONLINE FOUR-SESSION BANJO WORKSHOP

Includes a download of Hogan's House of Music
In cart Not available Out of stock
$159.00

Greetings, fellow banjo pickers!

Have you had moments where you've wanted your playing to move along more quickly? Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to go to the next level?

I've struggled with all those things. At nearly every level, I've plateaued and thought, "Is this it? Am I stuck here?" Since the age of thirteen I've been obsessed with learning how to play the banjo well, because going to the next level is always such a thrill.

As a result I've had to develop some tried-and-true ways of doing things through experimentation and study. I've used these ideas for my 26 years with Alison Krauss & Union Station, for the O Brother soundtrack, and for everything else I've ever played on - and I'd love to share them with you.

Just got this in an email: “I’ve just got to say, this workshop has been so much more than I expected….The effort you’ve put into this and the ground you’ve covered like a fog will keep me busy for years….Again, thanks so much. I call that a bargain, the best I ever had!” David W.

TOPICS: Just a few of the things I've covered:

Releasing tension (the thing that puts a lid on our dexterity).

How I work on timing and feel.

Dynamics.

Tone.

Backup.

The trick to learning the neck well.

String bending, vibrato, and working it all into rolls.

Single-string playing.

Slow playing.

Clinch Mountain Backstep.

Mollie Catherine Carter.

Man of Constant Sorrow.

Learning from recordings.

How to practice effectively.

EXTRAS: By signing up for the workshop you'll receive free downloads of my banjo-oriented bluegrass record Hogan's House of Music, and a pdf of my long out-of-print The Traditional Banjo Workbook.

I look forward to seeing you there.

LESSONS WITH A PRO: 26 Years With Alison Krauss & Union Station, banjoist on the O Brother Soundtrack’s “Man of Constant Sorrow,” and on sessions with Dolly Parton, Kate Rusby, Dan Tyminski, Vince Gill, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and many more.

LEVEL: Broadly Intermediate - lots of material for not-so-beginners all through early advanced players.

SUBJECTS: Playing without tension, improving timing and feel, dynamics, tone, string bending, vibrato, scales, single-string playing, transcribing, and more.

BONUS MATERIALS: Each participant will receive a free download of Ron’s banjo-oriented bluegrass cd Hogan’s House of Music, and a free download of the long out-of-print Traditional Bluegrass Banjo Workbook – a total of $45 in free extras.

WORKSHOP REVIEWS: "As a guy who's been participating in this clinic I promise you the value you'll receive is worth FAR more than the price. I've done banjo camps, clinics, and lessons with the best in the business. The wisdom Ron imparts is second to none. You WILL be a better player, and you'll enjoy every second. You'll have a hard time putting your banjo down after the first session, and you'll be thinking about it all day at work after the second. And it only gets better from there."

"Great class. Ron knows how to communicate; he 'teaches ideas' and is well prepared. No wasted time. The overall class experience is like having a one on one lesson with good friend."

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A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals by Ron Block

A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals

Ron Block

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CD Download

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2 CD bundle - $13 each Download

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3 CD Bundle - $11 each Download

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10 CD Gift Bundle - $10 each Download

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A Light So Fair is an album of 14 peace-filled, sparse, acoustic guitar instrumentals.

The melodies are variously inspired by the morning sunlight on the fields in Tennessee, walks in the Yorkshire countryside, a river in Scotland behind Huntly Castle, writers George MacDonald, John Donne, and C.S. Lewis, melodies of Stephen Foster, and ballad books from the 1800s.

The focus is on simplicity, tone, and nuance, with the intention that listeners would be able to take away some of that peace for themselves.

Some stellar voices add background vocals. Suzanne Cox, Sierra Hull, Kate Rusby, Damien O'Kane, and Erica Block all bring some lovely, ethereal vocal parts to the mix.

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  1. 1
    Hope Sings 2:33
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  2. 2
    A Light So Fair 2:40
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  3. 3
    All Through The Night 1:38
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  4. 4
    Welcome, Dear Dawn 3:01
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  5. 5
    Donne's Passage 2:55
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  6. 6
    The Distant Isle 2:19
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  7. 7
    The White Stag 2:35
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  8. 8
    The River Deveron 2:18
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  9. 9
    Take My Life, and Let It Be 2:35
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  10. 10
    Bear My Harp Hither 2:58
    0:00/2:58
  11. 11
    The Good Morrow 2:41
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  12. 12
    The Twilit Vale/A Quiet Longing 4:23
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  13. 13
    O'er Furrow and Field 3:23
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  14. 14
    With Joys Reunited 3:12
    0:00/3:12
A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals - WAV DOWNLOAD by Ron Block

A Light So Fair: Peaceful Guitar Instrumentals - WAV DOWNLOAD

Ron Block

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A Light So Fair is an album of 14 peace-filled, sparse, acoustic guitar instrumentals.

The melodies are variously inspired by the morning sunlight on the fields in Tennessee, walks in the Yorkshire countryside, a river in Scotland behind Huntly Castle, writers George MacDonald, John Donne, and C.S. Lewis, melodies of Stephen Foster, and ballad books from the 1800s.

The focus is on simplicity, tone, and nuance, with the intention that listeners would be able to take away some of that peace for themselves.

Some stellar voices add background vocals. Suzanne Cox, Sierra Hull, Kate Rusby, Damien O'Kane, and Erica Block all bring some lovely, ethereal vocal parts to the mix.

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0:00/???
  1. 1
    Hope Sings 2:33
    0:00/2:33
  2. 2
    A Light So Fair 2:40
    0:00/2:40
  3. 3
    All Through The Night 1:38
    0:00/1:38
  4. 4
    Welcome, Dear Dawn 3:01
    0:00/3:01
  5. 5
    Donne's Passage 2:55
    0:00/2:55
  6. 6
    The Distant Isle 2:19
    0:00/2:19
  7. 7
    The White Stag 2:35
    0:00/2:35
  8. 8
    The River Deveron 2:18
    0:00/2:18
  9. 9
    Take My Life and Let It Be 2:35
    0:00/2:35
  10. 10
    Bear My Harp Hither 2:58
    0:00/2:58
  11. 11
    The Good Morrow 2:41
    0:00/2:41
  12. 12
    The Twilit Vale/A Quiet Longing 4:23
    0:00/4:23
  13. 13
    O'er Furrow and Field 3:23
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  14. 14
    With Joys Reunited 3:12
    0:00/3:12
Trouble Go Down by Ron Block & Jeff Taylor

Trouble Go Down

Ron Block & Jeff Taylor

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1 Trouble Go Down CD Download

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2 Trouble Go Down CDs Download

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5 Trouble Go Down CDs Download

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Trouble Go Down blends beautiful instrumental arrangements of gospel from 1800s hymnals, new hymns with old souls, and contemporary acoustic music. Ron Block of Grammy-winning band Alison Krauss + Union Station and Jeff Taylor of the highly acclaimed group the Time Jumpers form a duo to mix bluegrass and piano-based gospel roots. Banjo, piano, vintage guitars, fiddles, mandolin, whistles, bouzouki, acoustic bass, bodhran, and Ron’s and Jeff’s vocals are expertly intertwined with guest and harmony vocals by Ellie Holcomb, Suzanne Cox, and many others.

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  1. 1
    Like A River Glorious 2:13
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  2. 2
    Gather Ye 3:35
    0:00/3:35
  3. 3
    Trouble Go Down (feat. Suzanne Cox) 4:04
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  4. 4
    I Am Hidden Away In The Bosom Of Christ 4:33
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  5. 5
    Come Away With Me 3:33
    0:00/3:33
  6. 6
    O, How I Love Jesus 0:34
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  7. 7
    Alight Thou In Me (Feat. Ellie Holcomb) 4:09
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  8. 8
    Everything Broken And Everything Beautiful (feat. Ellie Holcomb) 4:05
    0:00/4:05
  9. 9
    Leaning On The Everlasting Arms 1:42
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  10. 10
    He Leadeth Me 2:45
    0:00/2:45
  11. 11
    Jesus Loves Me / What A Friend We Have In Jesus 3:21
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  12. 12
    Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus 2:21
    0:00/2:21
  13. 13
    His Love Will Bear You On 3:46
    0:00/3:46
  14. 14
    Doxology 0:55
    0:00/0:55
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The Christmas Collection (wav version) by Ron Block

The Christmas Collection (wav version)

Ron Block

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The Christmas Collection combines Leiper's Fork Christmas (2016) + Carter's Creek Christmas (2015) in one convenient download. Acoustic (mostly) music, with vintage guitars, banjo, mandolin, bass, fiddle, strings, Jeff Taylor on piano, and the occasional electric guitar and snare.

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  1. 1
    Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 2:47
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  2. 2
    The First Noel 2:49
    0:00/2:49
  3. 3
    We Three Kings 3:29
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  4. 4
    Away In A Manger 3:19
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  5. 5
    Go Tell It On The Mountain 3:02
    0:00/3:02
  6. 6
    Come, Children Of This Long, Discarded Night 4:47
    0:00/4:47
  7. 7
    Here We Come A-Wassailing/Good Christian Men Rejoice 2:30
    0:00/2:30
  8. 8
    O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 3:02
    0:00/3:02
  9. 9
    In The Bleak Midwinter 2:30
    0:00/2:30
  10. 10
    Jingle Bells 2:41
    0:00/2:41
  11. 11
    What Child Is This? 2:48
    0:00/2:48
  12. 12
    Sleigh Ride 2:40
    0:00/2:40
  13. 13
    Angels We Have Heard On High 3:10
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  14. 14
    O Holy Night 3:17
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  15. 15
    God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 3:19
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  16. 16
    Brightest and Best (Star in the East) 2:45
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  17. 17
    Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 2:53
    0:00/2:53
  18. 18
    The Cherry Tree Carol 2:09
    0:00/2:09
Hogan's House of Music  by Ron Block

Hogan's House of Music

Ron Block

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1 Hogan's House Of Music CD Download

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2 Hogan's House Of Music CDs Download

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5 Hogan's House Of Music CDs Download

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Fourteen-time Grammy winning banjoist and guitarist Ron Block, 24-year veteran of Alison Krauss & Union Station, steps out to record a collection of romping bluegrass instrumentals. He combines brand new originals and older tunes from some of his musical heroes, like Earl Scruggs, J.D. Crowe, Ralph Stanley, Art Stamper, and Stephen Foster. The lineup is full of stellar musicians: Stuart Duncan, Alison Krauss, Tim Crouch, Sam Bush, Adam Steffey, Sierra Hull, Dan Tyminski, Clay Hess, Jerry Douglas, Rob Ickes, Barry Bales, Byron House, Mark Fain, Jeff Taylor, and Lynn Williams.

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  1. 1
    Smartville 3:03
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  2. 2
    Hogan's House of Boogie 3:03
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  3. 3
    Wolves A-Howling 1:48
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  4. 4
    The Spotted Pony (featuring: Stuart Duncan, Alison Krauss, Adam Steffey) 3:20
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  5. 5
    Clinch Mountain Backstep 3:36
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  6. 6
    Gentle Annie (featuring Tim Crouch) 2:42
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  7. 7
    Mooney Flat Road (featuring: Stuart Duncan, Alison Krauss) 3:31
    0:00/3:31
  8. 8
    Mollie Catherine Carter 3:10
    0:00/3:10
  9. 9
    Seneca Square Dance (featuring: Sierra Hull) 2:17
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  10. 10
    Calico 3:28
    0:00/3:28
  11. 11
    You Are My Sunshine 3:27
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  12. 12
    Lonesome Road Blues 2:06
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  13. 13
    '65 Mustang Blues (featuring: Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas) 4:00
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  14. 14
    Brushy Fork of John's Creek 2:54
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  15. 15
    Carter's Creek Pike 2:42
    0:00/2:42
  16. 16
    Home Sweet Home 2:40
    0:00/2:40