A Pick Of The Bunch

Highly regarded by both British and international bluegrass pickers, the now legendary Tom Travis has long been out front blazing a trail in support of British bluegrass music. Now a life-long member of the British Bluegrass Music Association, Tom may well be best remembered for the Edale Bluegrass Festival that he ran for many years in Derbyshire, featuring the first British performance of at that time a very young Alison Krauss.

A Pick Of The Bunch was recorded back in 1984, when as Tom says "I had arranged with some pickin' pals from Edale Bluegrass Festival to meet at Brian Curtis's Dog House Recording Studio, near Rugby." Those musicians included demon mandolin players Chris Metcalf & Chris Wing, banjo playing ace Bill Forster, amazing flatpick guitarist Chris Moreton, fiddling sensation Phil Newton and first-rate bass fiddle player Brian Booth. Other great pickers also visited the studio on later occasions making valuable contributions to the album including Bob Armstrong on Dobro.

14 tracks are found on A Pick Of The Bunch featuring the fine vocals of Tom Travis ranging from the fast moving "Whitehouse Blues" through the gentle love song "When The Bees Are In The Hive" to the prison song "Some Old Day" and the traditional instrumental "Beaumont Rag". Another traditional number to found here is "More Pretty Girls Than One" along with the gospel numbers "I'm Ready To Go" and "Wait A Little Longer".

Tom credits his wife for prompting him to include the emotive "Rebel Soldier" in his repertoire after hearing the number on an album by The Country Gentlemen. The story tells of a confederate soldier who lies dying in a Yankee prison and begs of the parson to tell him if his soul will pass through his beloved Dixie home for one last time. To Tom's delight he joined ex-Country Gentleman member John Duffey on stage at St Georges Hall, Blackburn to sing the number at a festival Tom arranged during the mid-nineties.

To give even more value for money, Tom supplements the original recording with two extra bonus track being "Darcey Farrow" and "Oceans of Diamonds" from his album Rootin' for Roots. First released as an album on cassette, Tom Travis has now released A Pick Of The Bunch on CD. A worthy album for all bluegrass lovers…. simply Magic Music!!!