Bill Clifton Wake Susan bluegrass Blue Ridge Shuffler

	C$		35
	$		25

Blue Ridge 78 miu. EX shape.  ALL THE GOOD TIMES ARE PASSED AND GONE  vocal by bill clifton, johnny clark, george shuffler /  WAKE UP SUSAN  instrumental, bill clifton and his dixie mountain boys.

Bio by Sandra Brennan & James Manheim

If you attend a bluegrass festival, thank Bill Clifton for having the idea to present the very first one. Clifton was not the most famous of the first generation of bluegrass artists, but he did much to establish the idea of bluegrass as a preserver of half-forgotten songs and styles. Clifton's background was hardly a typical one for bluegrass — although the players who would populate the distinctive Washington, D.C., bluegrass scene often shared Clifton's professional background. He was born William Marburg to a wealthy family in Riverwood, MD, in suburban Baltimore County. As a child, he became fascinated by country music he heard on the radio. A folk-music enthusiast, he made the obligatory trip to New York to visit Woody Guthrie. Attending graduate school in business at the University of Virginia, he formed a trio called the Dixie Mountain Boys with folksingers Paul Clayton and Dave Sadler, adopting the stage name Bill Clifton because his family objected to his musical activities. In 1952, the group made their first recordings and enjoyed some regional success. The trio then added banjoist Johnny Clark and began playing more traditional bluegrass music. After signing with Blue Ridge Records, they appeared on the Wheeling Jamboree radio barn-dance program. While there, Clifton made the acquaintance of the Stanley Brothers and A.P. Carter. In 1955 he published a songbook, 150 Old-Time Folk and Gospel Songs, which circulated widely among bluegrass musicians. After a stint in the military, he began recording in the late '50s, releasing five albums over the next seven years. They were suffused with the sentimental imagery of old-time songs, and several singles, including "Little Whitewashed Chimney," became bona fide hits and bluegrass standards.On July 4, 1961, Clifton organized an outdoor "Bluegrass Day" concert at Oak Leaf Park in Luray, VA, featuring a reunion of Bill Monroe's original bluegrass boys, the Stanley Brothers, the Country Gentlemen, Jim & Jesse, and several other top bluegrass acts. Although it was only an all-day rather than weekend-long event, the concert is generally recognized as the first bluegrass festival, as the progenitor of the hundreds of grassroots campground gatherings that flourish annually all over the U.S. and Canada. Clifton's concert didn't make much of a splash with the general public at the time, but key figures in the folk-music world were paying close attention. Clifton himself was hired as one of the organizers of the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, and Carlton Haney, one of the attendees at Clifton's Luray concert, went on to organize a larger event in Roanoke in 1965. From that point on, the modern bluegrass-festival movement grew rapidly.In 1963, Clifton and his family moved to England; he played in local clubs and other small venues around Europe. In 1967 he joined the Peace Corps and spent three years in the Philippines. While there, he visited New Zealand, recording an album with the Hamilton County Bluegrass Band. Clifton occasionally returned to the U.S. to record, and also kept recording in Europe. In 1972, he returned briefly to America to play his first bluegrass festival circuit. Encouraged by the experience, he began visiting the U.S. more frequently and recorded more regularly, signing with County Records. For his third album on the label, he formed the First Generation with mandolinist Red Rector and banjoist Don Stover. After the album's release, the trio toured the bluegrass circuit for the remainder of the 1970s. In the early '80s, Clifton and his family moved to Virginia, where he worked as a businessman. However, Clifton continued to perform at bluegrass festivals and occasional concerts into the '90s.

Picture of label  is usually of the worst side with nicks, writting, stickers etc.

ABBREVIATIONS that may be used .......HMVV his master voice victor,  MIC made in Canada , MIU made in USA, MIE made in England, W writing on label, ST1or 2 sticker on one side or 2 for both sides. SLF some label flaws such as scratching, sticker burn, minor wear or discolouration. nicks. DZ stickers in dead zone area of record 1 or 2 indicates one side or both sides. CH small surface chip on edge not in or up to play area.   SPI spider cracks not seperated usually just visible to the one side apprearance is like fine china crack.  Some records may need some cleaning done. Just to many to clean and keep clean and just  soon leave it up to the true record collectors. 

ROCKBIRD.......78 RECORD GRADING (records graded according to their physical appearance not sound quality)......MINT SHAPE (MT)looks like its never been played and label in in beautiful shape....NEAR MINT  SHAPE (NM) looks like its never been played may have a minor flaws but play area is beautiful.   EXCELLENT SHAPE (EX) great color with minor scratches or scuffing visible by turning album in light.........VERY GOOD SHAPE (VG) still has a good color and shine to the album with minor scuffing and minor scratches visible without turning the album in the light .....GOOD SHAPE (GS)........scuffing and scratching all over the record but doesn’t appear to have any deep enough to cause skipping......POOR SHAPE no shine left to the record, lots of scuffing and scratching, may skip.

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