Podcast 388: Sam Bush

The one-and-only Sam Bush joins us this week for an enlightening talk about John Hartford and so much more.

Sam has just released 'Radio John: Songs of John Hartford,' a tribute album to his old friend/mentor where he plays every instrument (acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and fiddle). We talk about the inspiration behind the album, the Hartford tracks he chose, and his recording process.

Sam also talks to us about some of the unique gear he employed. In addition to his tried-and-true 1937 Gibson F-5 mandolin (dubbed "Hoss"), he used a Silvertone bass with 40-year-old strings; a low-tuned banjo on loan from Bela Fleck, and a Cat's Eyes / Tokai copy of a Martin D-42.

It's a great chat with a true bluegrass music legend. We hope you enjoy it.

Get Sam Bush's 'Radio John' here: https://folkways.si.edu/sam-bush/radio-john-songs-of-john-hartford

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Pre-order An Instrument Maker's Guide to Insanity and Redemption: Behind-the-Scenes Stories from the Instrument Making and Repair Community here.

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