to read the `Rambers December Update`

The Rambler reader
The Official Newsletter of Vermont’s Premier Western Swing Band
all the news that fits
December 2014
Rambler Ranch • Burlington, Vermont
Rick Norcross - Vocals & Rhythm Guitar • Josie Ritter - Vocals • Julia Shannon-Grillo - Vocals
Charlie MacFadyen - Piano, Accordion & lap Steel • Dono Schabner - Lead Guitar • doug reid - fiddle
Dave Rowell - Vocals & Bass • Ian Koeller - Drums • Ken Grillo - Sound • Thomas Margetic - crew chief
Photo By Joan Shannon
Rick & The All-Star Ramblers perform to a packed house at the “Welcome To OUR Vermont” CD Release Party and End-of-Season
Celebration in Juniper Hall at Burlington’s magnificent Hotel Vermont. From the left, Doug, Dono, Rick, Brett, Josie, Dave & Charlie.
Welcome To OUR Vermont CD
“Welcome To OUR Vermont” is a dozen song CD compilation of slightly off-center tunes that paint a musical
picture of a Vermont seen through the eyes of Rick Norcross, one of Vermont’s most beloved touring artists. He is of
course accompanied by his longtime stellar eight piece group, Rick & The-All Star Ramblers Western Swing Band.
Vermont country music star and Nashville recording artist, Jamie Lee Thurston came home from Music City, USA to
make a special vocal appearance on two songs. The tunes are sometimes wacky, often hilarious and always infused
with Rick’s heartfelt love of the Green Mountain State shining brightly through.
Fresh from a triumphant 2013 “Riding My Guitar” Tour, CD and biography
release celebrating 50 years in music, Rick Norcross has responded to the
call of his many fans asking for a new CD made up entirely of the best of his
Vermont story songs. “Welcome To OUR Vermont” answers that call with
nine of his most requested songs, remastered and updated, along with the
added bonus of three brand new Vermont songs written especially for this
project, “Welcome To OUR Vermont,” “Hardwick 1961” and “Here’s Yer Hat,
What’s Yer Hurry.”
Hear Rick’s ode to famed Vermont folk artist Woody Jackson, “Paint It
Like A Cow,” three road songs, “You’re In Heaven (Cruising Up Route 7),”
“A Grill, A Bumper, Four Headlights & A $50 Bill” (as heard on National
Public Radio’s Car Talk) and “I Heard The Highway,” the only non-Norcross tune on the CD, written by Vermonter,
Asleep At The Wheel founding member and mentor, LeRoy Preston.
Vermont history comes alive in the fact-filled, “I Rode The Ti,” the story of the magnificent Lake Champlain
steamboat Ticonderoga, moved two miles overland to the Shelburne Museum in 1955. Rick was on the last voyage
on November 6th, 1954 at nine years of age and in 1998 was asked to produce The Ticonderoga Party, the festival
celebrating the unveiling of the McClure Restoration of the Ti at the museum, attended by over 7,000 people.
And two of his best songs tell the story of leaving home to understand the value of life in Vermont, “What Goes
Around” and “Riding My Guitar.” His most requested song, “You Can’t Make It Up,”
relives the memorable experience of buying a formaldehyde-infused corsage at
Harold Holcomb’s Funeral Home in Hardwick, the only flower shop in town, for a
date to the 1962 Hardwick Academy Junior Prom.
CD NEWS & REVIEWS P2
Rick has appeared in more than 1,000 concert performances over the past 51
CD RELEASE PARTY
P2
AWA NOMINATION
P3 years, singing his Vemont songs and telling his Vermont stories all over the world.
NEWS & CONGRATS
P3 New tracks for the “Welcome To OUR Vermont” CD were recorded during the
2014 HI-LITES
P4 month of June at Lane Gibson Recording & Mastering Studios in Charlotte,
MEDIA APPEARANCES P4 Vermont.
THANK YOU’S
P4
INSIDE SCOOP
Airflyte Records • 216 Battery Street • Burlington, VT • 05401 • Vox (802)864-6674
the Rambler reader - Page 2
Welcome To OUR Vermont CD - OPINION
“It’s a great CD and a wonderful way to highlight life in Vermont. Vermonters are fortunate to count you among
their own” ...Peter Shumlin, Governor, State of Vermont • “I’ve been listening to this great record. It’s
terrific stuff! I drive all over the state and this is now a constant companion” ...Brian R. Searles, Secretary of
Transportation, State of Vermont • “Welcome To OUR Vermont is a 12-track album of Western Swing with a
very Vermont theme. A great gift to mail to former Vermonters.” ...Art Edelstein, Arts Correspondent, Barre
Times-Argus & Rutland Herald • “These songs are wonderful in their simplicity and accessibility to all ages
and will have you singing along by the time the second chorus comes around.” ...Dawn Gustafson, The
Hardwick Gazette
“Welcome To OUR Vermont” CD Celebration At The Hotel Vermont
On Sunday, October 5th, Rick & The All-Star Ramblers Western Swing Band played a free concert in
Juniper Hall at Burlington’s magnificent Hotel Vermont to an enthusiastic full house celebrating the release and
subsequent international success of their “Welcome To OUR Vermont” CD project.
Thanks to the Gene Autry, Oklahoma based Academy of Western Artists’ 2014 nomination as “Best Western Swing Band,” western swing radio and internet DJs are currently airing songs from “Welcome To OUR
Vermont” on their programs based in England; Madrid, Spain; France; Argentina and in the U.S., in Lubbock,
Texas; Tampa, Florida; California and Washington, DC. These Vermont and regional radio stations have kindly
embraced the tunes, especially the title track: WOKO; WDEV; WLVB; WVMT; WRUV; Vermont Public Radio,
North Country Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Radio.
(L to R) a quartet of Rambler vocalists, Rick, Dave, Josie & Julia holding
forth at the Hotel Vermont “Welcome To OUR Vermont” CD Release Party.
(L to R) Rambler Alum Tom Buckley, Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Famers WDEV’s Jack Donovan and VPR’s Joel Najman.
Music Arranger & Keyboardist Charlie MacFadyen
The Hotel Vermont show was the last band performance of the 2014 touring season during which they introduced songs from the new CD to audiences all over Vermont who responded with enthusiastic standing ovations. This show was the first time the Ramblers played the album from front to back. Following the “Welcome
To OUR Vermont” tunes, the band played a set of their most-requested song favorites from their Summer tour.
Prior to the show, there was an “open house” of “The Mighty Pickle,” the band’s tour bus, the recently restored 1957 Flxible Starliner parked outside the Hotel Vermont for audience “inspection.”
And inside Juniper Hall, there was a display of Rick’s rare Rock & Roll photographs he shot from ‘69 to ‘74
as music writer for the Tampa Times when he interviewed and photographed many of the most famous artists
of the century - Elvis, Janis Joplin, Led Zep, Johnny Cash, Elton John, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones
and hundreds of others. These photographs document the spirit and the unbridled energy of rock & roll stars
caught at the peak of their careers, many of whom have long since passed away and many who are still
rocking, buoyed by the quality of these seminal performances.
Welcome To OUR Vermont Show - OPINION
“Boy, oh boy, oh boy! Did I ever have a great time Sunday! It’s a wonder that my face isn’t sore from smiling for
three hours straight. You and the All Star Ramblers are a TREASURE” ...Tom Hughes, Director of the Crown
Point Historic Site • ““They came from Hardwick, Shelburne, Middlebury, Burlington, Rutland, Johnson, Plainfield..all over Vermont to celebrate with Rick and the Ramblers and the release of their latest CD. The Ramblers
never sounded better as they played their final concert for the year at the new Hotel Vermont. Rick Norcross
continues in his 51st year to entertain with one of the finest Western Swing Bands in the country. Catch them
when you can next year” ...Jack Donovan, WDEV Radio personality, Vermont Association of Broadcast
Hall of Fame • “Rick, It was great to see you today. The venue was perfect. It was great to see and speak
with all of your band members. I am so honored to be a small part of the Rick and the Ramblers team. Love to
everyone” ...Lane Gibson, owner, Lane Gibson Mastering & Recording Studio • “Rick, we want to thank
you for the fantastic concert tonight at the Hotel Vermont!!!! What a great crowd! We thoroughly enjoyed your
“history” comments during the show which I felt really made the music come alive!! I Love your ‘Welcome to our
Vermont’ CD and “Riding My Guitar: The Rick Norcross Story” book!! You are an amazing musician. Love the
Ramblers too!” ...Cynthia Bovat, 1950s Shelburne Grade & High School Classmate
Tour 2014 Sponsored by:
DONA’S CAR
STORE
HARDWICK
the Rambler reader - Page 3
Welcome To OUR Vermont Show - OPINION
“Thanks for passing all those sweet comments along, Rick. That evening is
going to live long and bright in my memory. It was perfect, and I just loved
it when your friend held up the Hardwick Academy pennant! Then the floor
opened up for other people to tell their stories and their memories. Nope,
folks: he did not make any of that up. All those weighty people there to
honor you and your mighty band. God Almighty what a band!! You guys flat
out sizzled. Nope, folks-- I will never forget that night. Not ever. With much
love and gratitude” ...Josie Ritter, Rambler & Mango Jam Vocalist
“I looked for you to say goodnight, and goodbye for the season, but I think
you must have been hat-deep in happy fans. It truly was a special night, and
though you did ramble somewhat (it is the Ramblers after all), your timing
and rapport were keen, the audience was responsive, and we all could see
how much fun you were having and what it meant for you to have those
folks there. And Joel Najman was sitting square in front of me the whole
night! How cool is that?!” ...Doug Reid, Rambler Fiddle Player
Rick & The Ramblers Nominated "Best Western Swing Band"
By The Academy of Western Artists, Gene Autry, Oklahoma
Four Ramblers flew to Dallas, Texas for the March 29th Academy of Western Artists Will Rogers Awards Ceremony. Vocalist Julia ShannonGrillo and Rambler Sound Engineer & Road Manager Ken Grillo are pictured at right. Rick Norcross & Dave Rowell joined Julia on stage at
the Friday Night Billy Bowles Jam Session. Above, the next generation of western swing musicians, the AWA Youth Band play the Banquet.
Ramble On: Rick & The Ramblers
Nominated for a Major Award
Burlington Western Swing songwriter Rick Norcross is capping 50
years in the music biz in style. Yesterday, he announced that his band,
Rick & The All Star Ramblers, have been named as finalists for the “Best
Western Swing Duo or Group” award by the Academy of Western Artists,
an organization based in — get this — Gene Autry, Okla.
The AWA’s stated mission is to “recognize and honor outstanding individuals who, through their accomplishments, preserve and perpetuate the
traditions, values and heritage of the American cowboy.” We’re biased,
but we’d say Rick Norcross qualifies.
Last year, Norcross celebrated a half-century of rambling by releasing
and touring behind a biography penned by Vermont author Stephen
Russell Payne and an accompanying album, both dubbed Riding My
Guitar. The album, which we reviewed last August, has been garnering airplay around the world and serves as a fitting restrospective of the
man’s fascinating career.
BTW, said fascinating career includes palling around the London folk
scene in the 1960s with “some guy named Paul Simon;” working as a
rock journalist and photog for the Tampa Times, where he covered the
likes of Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin; and then later as a professional
songwriter himself. And that’s to say nothing of the museum-worthy stash
of American Western culture memorabilia and ephemera that crowds his
eclectic Burlington apartment. The place is like a Western Music Hall of
Fame in its own right.
Norcross is up against some stiff competition, including Al Dressen’s
Super Swing Revue from Austin, The Tulsa Playboys, Vince Gill’s The
Time Jumpers from Nashville and a Canadian entrant, The Western
Swing Authority from Waterloo, Ontario. But, as the cliché goes, win or
lose, it’s an honor to be nominated. And we expect Norcross to keep
rambling no matter the outcome. The only real question is whether he’ll
be taking his famous green 1957 Starliner tour bus, The Pickle, to the
awards ceremony in Dallas next month?
Seven Days Music Blog Posted By Dan Bolles On Thu, Feb 6, 2014 At 2:19 PM
the Rambler reader - Page 4
1
Read all about
Rick & The AllStar Ramblers
in the story
“You Can’t
Make It Up”
in the
July/August
2014 issue of
Vermont
Magazine!
Now Booking
Shows for the
2015 Season.
Visit Our Web
Site for further
information.
Photo by Beverly Calderoni
Nashville Songwriter &
Hear Rick in a rare
Recording Artist Jamie
Solo
Performance at 10
Lee Thurston, left,
PM at the College Street
came home to Vermont
Congregational Church
in June to join Rick
in the studio for a
at First Night Burlington,
wonderful first-ever
December 31st
vocal collaboration
Hear noted Vermont author
on the title track,
Stephen Russell Payne read from
“Welcome To OUR
his book, “Riding My Guitar: The
Vermont” and on
Rick Norcross Story,” with songs by
“Hardwick 1961.”
Rick at the Spring Meeting of the
What fun!
Green Mountain Folklore Society
on Saturday, May 23rd at 1:00
pm at the Holy Trinity Church, 38
Grand Avenue in Swanton.
2 3
THANK YOU!
2014 MEDIA EXPOSURE
4 5
6
THANK YOU FOR THESE 2014 RAMBLER HI-LITES!
Thanks to our pal, Canadian Recording Artist Grant Heywood (2)) who traveled from
northern Ontario to join The Ramblers onstage to play drums on our show at the
Addison County Field Days • Thanks to The Church Street Marketplace’s Becky
Cassidy & Stowe Mountain Resort’s Bryan Meszkat for booking The Ramblers (3)) for
their September concert series & sharing that the Ramblers were the top draw for the
past three years in a row • Welcome to the newest Rambler, drummer Ian Koeller
(4),
), our first second-generation Rambler. His late father, Eric Koeller, played that
wonderful sax break on “Paint It Like A Cow” • Thanks to Hardwick’s One & Only Bear
Bessette for sponsoring yet another month of his masterful restoration work on “The
Mighty Pickle” • Thanks to Ethel May Brousseau & Rod Durrell for inviting Rick to play
at the Shelburne High School All-Class Reunion at the end of July resulting in an “SHS
section” at all subsequent concerts • Thanks to Tampa Radio Personality Cam Dilley
(5)) for featuring Rick on his Friday Radio Show on WMNF on Rick’s way home from
Dallas • Thanks to new Rambler Road Crew Chief Thomas Margetic (6)) for joining
this year to oversee equipment setup & breakdown for Sound Engineer Ken Grillo.
And Heartfelt THANKS to all our Terrific 2014 CD, Tour & Pickle Sponsors: Bobby Miller
of R.E.M. Development (and Executive Producer of “Welcome To OUR Vermont”),
Julie Longfellow of North Country Federal Credit Union, Dan Dubonnet of WOKO,
Stacy Manosh of Johnson Woolen Mills, Bear Bessette of Dona’s Car Store & Tom Torti,
the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. And our Special Thanks to
Joe Carton and our newest Sponsor, Burlington’s magnificent Hotel Vermont.
You all were instrumental making 2014 our MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR EVER!
Does it get any better than this? I think NOT!
TELEVISION
“The Mighty Pickle,” Rick &
The All-Star Ramblers’ 1957
Flxible Starliner Tour Bus,
was featured on “Mega RV
Countdown,” which aired for
the first time nationally on
The Travel Channel on
Thursday, June 26th!
LOCALLY
WCAX - (7/17/14) “The :30”
RADIO INTERVIEWS
WMNF - (4/4/14) w/Cam Dilley
(Tampa)
WDEV - (7/16/14) “The Getaway”
w/Jack Donovan
WLVB - (7/24/14) w/Roland Lajoie
WOKO - (8/7/14) Morning Roundup
WVMT - (7/22/14) Charlie, Ernie &
Lisa Show
WOKO - (8/21/14) Champlain Valley
Fair
WDEV - (9/2/14) “The Getaway”
w/Arty LaVigne
WVMT - (10/3/14) Charlie, Ernie &
Lisa Show
THANK YOU to Each and Every One of These 2014 All-Star Ramblers
Rick says, “On Stage, On Recordings & On The Pickle, there is no finer band of musicians.
What an honor and a pleasure to share the Western Swing Experience with these Ramblers!”
Josie Ritter - Vocals • Julia Shannon-Grillo - Vocals •
Charlie MacFadyen - Piano, Accordion & lap Steel • Dono Schabner Lead Guitar • doug reid - fiddle • Dave Rowell - Vocals & Bass • Brett Hoffman
- Drums • Ken Grillo - Sound • Thomas Margetic - crew chief
Tour 2014 Sponsored by:
www.rickandtheramblers.com
DONA’S CAR
STORE
HARDWICK
Airflyte Records • 216 Battery Street • Burlington, VT • 05401 • Vox (802)864-6674 • email: rick.norcross@gmail.com