The Breakdown – Béla Fleck, ‘Drive’

Béla Fleck’s virtuosic 1988 instrumental album, Drive, is a touchstone of modern acoustic music, and has since influenced almost every bluegrasser looking to break new ground.

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Featuring new interviews with Béla, Jerry Douglas, and Mark Schatz, this episode reveals the untold stories of its studio recording – including how Béla got tough with Tony Rice, and why Jerry was often found in tears out in the studio hallway.

Featured Song Clips From “Drive”
“Whitewater”
“Slipstream”
“Up and Around the Bend”
“Natchez Trace”
“See Rock City”
“The Legend”
“The Lights of Home”
“Down in the Swamp”
“Sanctuary”
“The Open Road”
“Crucial Country Breakdown”

The Breakdown – Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard

Emma and Patrick dissect the 1976 album Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard (not to be confused with their earlier recording Hazel and Alice), a release that came out after the unlikely duo already broke up.

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Hazel and Alice have become one of the most influential artists in the history of bluegrass, tackling subjects that range from racial injustice to the hardships of being a working woman in their music.

Featured Songs
West Virginia My Home
Mama’s Gonna Stay
Nice Like That
Mary Johnson
Beaufort County Jail
James Alley Blues
True Life Blues

The Breakdown – Flatt & Scruggs, ‘At Carnegie Hall!’

Released in 1963 by Columbia Records, the historic performance from Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and The Foggy Mountain Boys records the first time a bluegrass artist headlined the venerable New York concert hall.

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Emma and Patrick dissect the record and pull up archive interviews and recordings that take you behind the scenes of this classic live recording.

Featured Songs
Salty Dog Blues
Footprints In The Snow
The Martha White Theme
Mama Blues
Let The Church Roll On