Songs

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

"John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.” — Pete Seeger  

"The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard." — Johnny Cash  

His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Peppino D’Agostino emerged on the acoustic guitar scene in the early 80’s as a leading member of the second wave of the great fingerstylists that helped redefine the instrument in the ’90s. His remarkable technique, penchant for open tunings, and percussive effects are the basis of his unique compositional style.  D’Agostino has performed in more than 30 countries, at prestigious international festivals.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture.  Tom received a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards.   He is one of the great songwriters of the last century and will be reckoned as one of the greats in this new century, as well. He is a man we have come to regard as our friend.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Mumbo Gumbo is one of Northern California's top musical groups, with their uniquely festive roots-music sound. Their "genre-bending Americana” musical stew is a combination of soul, zydeco, folk, blues, rock, Cajun, and country.  They are an institution on the NorCal concert scene, having received numerous awards for their musical stew, releasing nine albums of original music and performing thousands of shows for devoted fans of all ages.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Psychograss was an American bluegrass supergroup founded by fiddler Darol Anger and mandolinist Mike Marshall.   One of the most eclectic bands in the history of American string music, incorporating everything from folk, jazz and classical music to Latin American rhythms and pop tunes.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

“John McCutcheon is not only one of the best musicians in the USA, but also a great singer, songwriter, and song leader. And not just incidentally, he is committed to helping hard-working people everywhere to organize and push this world in a better direction.” — Pete Seeger  

"The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard." — Johnny Cash  

His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Tom Rigney has been a part of the San Francisco Bay Area roots music scene for more than thirty-five years.  There is no question that Rigney has become one of the premier blues and roots music violinists in the world, and continues to be a prolific composer of powerfully compelling music for the violin, within the broad boundaries of American Roots Music. Tom Rigney is a true American original.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

If you are familiar with dream time groove music the musicians featured here will be known to you. Stephen Kent's didgeridoo barks and wails and grooves wonderfully, and the voice of Eda Maxym is a smooth and passionate delight, contributing to the organic and magical feeling of the tunes. A lilting journey into the world of music. 

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Welcome to Virtual Las Vegas.

Leave it to the Fabulous Bud E. Luv to come up with a memory that involves the Rat Pack and time served.

As the alter ego of bandleader Robert Vickers, Mr. Luv has spent the past three decades hamming it up on the Bay Area club scene, telling tall tales and playing easy-listening covers of beloved rock hits.

The group’s annual concerts at various local venues have created legends of their own.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Norton Buffalo, was an American singer-songwriter, countryand blues harmonica player, record producer, bandleader and recording artist who was a versatile proponent of the harmonica. Buffalo was legendary among harpists (harmonicists).

In 1976 he joined the Steve Miller Band's Fly Like an Eagle Tour and performed and recorded as a member of The Steve Miller Band for over 32 years.

The Knockouts was his Bay Area band he played with when not on tour with Steve Miller.

Buffalo, the son of a harmonica player, was born in Oakland, California, and raised in Richmond, California.

Please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Combining Celtic music with their own original compositions and rooted in the traditional music of the seven Celtic nations (Golden Bough was a popular and in-demand group on both sides of the Atlantic. This trio of modern day minstrels traveled great distances to numerous countries, bringing their music to enthusiastic folk fans the world over.

Backing themselves on an array of acoustic instruments; Celtic harp, guitar, octave-mandolin, mandolin, accordion, violin, penny-whistle
and bodhran, they blend their voices in pristine harmonies.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Combining Celtic music with their own original compositions and rooted in the traditional music of the seven Celtic nations (Golden Bough was a popular and in-demand group on both sides of the Atlantic. This trio of modern day minstrels traveled great distances to numerous countries, bringing their music to enthusiastic folk fans the world over.

Backing themselves on an array of acoustic instruments; Celtic harp, guitar, octave-mandolin, mandolin, accordion, violin, penny-whistle
and bodhran, they blend their voices in pristine harmonies.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

Alex de Grassi has been a unique voice in the world of acoustic guitar for the past 42 years; his innovative approach to composing and arranging for solo steel-string guitar has influenced a generation of younger players.. He has become known for his evocative compositions and arrangements, and for his sheer virtuosity

The Wall Street Journalhas called his playing “flawless” and Billboard hails his “intricate finger-picking technique with an uncanny gift for melodic invention.” Alex’s career has drawn acclaim for numerous studio recordings as well as for live performances as a soloist and within ensemble settings. 

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

The Sons of San Joaquinis an American Western family band. They have been credited with the rich durability of the traditional Western music they present, as well as outstanding original cowboy songs. They have over a dozen albums, including a gospel album and a greatest hits album. 

They were inducted into the Western Music Association Hall of Fame in 2006. 

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

The Modern Mandolin Quartet was formed in 1985 to give a new voice to that most American of musical instruments, the mandolin.  In spite of humble beginnings they spent the next 10 years touring across the U.S. and Europe, recording four albums for Windham Hill and two more on independent labels.   The group's most recently released recording, "Americana", took the classical world by storm, being the only classical recording to receive 3 Grammy Nominations in 2013.

For the full half hour show, please contact James Benney at james@jamesbenney.com for more information.

For nearly four decades, Laurie Lewis has gathered fans and honors for her powerful and emotive voice and her versatile, dynamic songwriting. She is a sought-after recording producer and an equally skilled teacher and mentor.

Laurie has twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association, and won Song of the Year for her rendition of the now-standard “Who Will Watch the Home Place?” She has collaborated on numerous other award-winning recordings.