“The Kid and Dr. B” at Riverside Studio

        Darin Aldridge is my “bluegrass young’un.” I have two biological children who I am very close to. Darin has been such a close friend that he is right next to family. He would often drop by the office at lunch to show me a new tune, and taught me a lot of mandolin over the years. I always wanted to do a mandolin duet CD with him, and we are have almost finished with it now.

        We recorded with Greg Luck at Riverside Studios, and bless his heart he took the time to work with old Doc and make it right. There are some pics on Darin Aldridge’s FB page of the day at the studio. We still have to mix and master and line up art work etc, but we are close. Like books, CDs take a lot more time than what folks know.

        The title of the CD is “The Kid and Dr. B- Mandolin Music Memories and Stories.” As far as I know this will be the only mandolin duet CD which also features story-telling and also a bit of generic medical advice; I always was a little different.

        Carmen Claypool from Missouri picked up on the fact that several cuts will serve as a companion CD to “The Mandolin Case.” There has been some talk of a movie. If that ever happened, I hope y’all will lobby for our version of “The Cherokee Shuffle.” Darin and did the mandolin duet and then Darin overdubbed  a guitar track and Luck filled in the bass line. We left several cuts spare by design and for a certain effect we wanted, but filled in this cut in case there was ever a soundtrack. Also I had any say in it the “Lost Indian” cut by Wayne and Kristin Scott Benson with Wayne’s super-talented N.C. student Jacob Moore would also make fine soundtrack material.

        Of course most of this movie talk is only daydreaming by an old Doc having fun, but the CD is a definite, and we hope to release it in a few months. As far as movies, well, a man has to have his dreams, and I think it is time for another good bluegrass movie, don’t y’all?

Dr. B

The Kid and Dr. B; Mandolin Music Memories

        A number of my readers have asked for some of my mandolin playing, so Darin and I are gonna do a mando duet CD I hope to release this fall. We might preview some of that work in a set before the Darin and Brooke Aldridge CD release party this summer.

        The CD is titled “The Kid and Dr. B; Mandolin Music Memories.” It will have about a dozen tracks, plus there will be some stories about the songs. (The writer coming out in me there) It is also a musical “thank-you note” to my mandolin instructors along the way. Darin was the first of course. I learned a lot of tunes from Darin, and he has shown me so much about tone and timing and playing in bands. He sent me to Wayne Benson in 2007, and Wayne has also been a huge influence. I plan to transcribe some of his lessons into a book down the road. (with his permission and collaboration) Those boys are so good they can turn a doctor into a mandolin player!

        Wayne and his fine student Jacob Moore are gonna do a cut. Alan Bibey (“Cuz”) helped me at Roanoke a years ago, and also at one of his seminars. He and one of his students plan to contribute one too. I’m gonna work hard and give you my best. I don’t want to let down my mandolin teachers!

Dr. B