By now, the story is that of legend. In early 1973, fiddler Richard Greene is hired by a public TV station to assemble a group of young gifted bluegrass musicians (read: saleable to a young rock educated audience) to record a show with bluegrass father Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys. Greene brings in some of the finest pickers (young or old) with solid credentials in both the rock and bluegrass worlds: guitarist Clarence White (Kentucky Colonels, the Byrds, session player), vocalist and guitarist Peter Rowan (veteran of Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, Earth Opera), mandolinist David Grisman (New York Ramblers, Red Allen, Earth Opera), banjoist Bill Keith (Bluegrass Boys, various New York bands). But the fates conspires to keep Monroe from making the show due to a broken bus. But as the saying goes, the show must go on, and after a few quick hours worth of rehearsal on it went. What had been planned as a one shot deal became a week long gig at the Ash Grove in Hollywood and led to a record deal with Warner Brothers. The TV show was aired a few times, and Warners released one record over one year after it was recorded only to have it go out of print nearly as quickly (it was re-released by Ridge Runner, only to get cut out once again). Muleskinner the band, and ultimately the legend, was born.

For years, it was thought that the original tapes from the TV taping were lost. Now, thanks to the diligence of Sierra and Michelle White Adkins, the original broadcast half hour program have been found, restored and re-released. The video is a eye opener. All the musicians had played together in various combinations previously and clearly they respected one another. Watching them rip through bluegrass standards like "Dark Hollow", "Red Rocking Chair", "Blackberry Blossom", and the hottest version of "Orange Blossom Special" this side of Scotty Stoneman, make you feel like you're the proverbial fly on the wall. Watch closely and you can see the nod from one player to the next as to where to take a solo. Listen closely and you can hear Rowan sing a different line than White on "Dark Hollow" only to recover with a master's grace.

Performance videos can tend to drag. Not here. Neatly edited into a quick paced half hour of music, Watching Grisman bob in and out, the lanky Greene bending in and around to get to the mike to solo. As for White, we get to see him take four solos with great shots of his right hand technique, including adding his fingers to a neat little flat picking solo. His playing on this session was controlled, tasteful and very economical.

The companion CD to the live performance includes all the material originally recorded at the session. As a result, we get a glorious version of White's showpiece "I Am A Pilgrim" with White leading the song off a killer solo. It's nearly five minutes of auditory heaven. Also included on the disc are the complete version of "New Camptown Races" (heard over the opening titles of the video) and stunning vocal performance of "Sitting Alone in the Moonlight", with Maria Mulduar joining on harmony, "Going To The Races" and "Eighth Of January". In all, both live releases allow us to listen in on a group of great players whose lives and careers were intertwined in a loose jam session. The initial release was in a ridiculous long pack cd holder which would not fit on a shelf with other cd's. Thankfully, Seirra has repackaged Live in a conventional jewel bax format.

The studio release of Muleskinner is a very different affair. Where the live session emphasized acoustic and traditional styled music, Muleskinner, A Potpourri Of Bluegrass Jam, owes as much to the Byrds and country rock as it does Bill Monroe. White blazes on his patented tele hot rodded with a string bender. Keith adds pedal steel and a drummer is also added.

Only two songs are repeated from the live sessions, "Dark Hollow" and Grisman's inventive (and then mind blowing) "Opus 57 in Gm". The latter offers great insight into the playing of White and the band." Opus 57" was one of the first released example of what Grisman calls DAWG music. It's a harmonically complex tune that would be difficult to just pick up and come up with a great solo. On the live version, Keith and Greene join Grisman in turning in hot solos. Greene who played in various combos with Grisman weave in and out of each others lines with grace like old teammates at a reunion. Live, White stayed in the background not taking a solo. On the studio version, having had the time to learn the tune, White turns in a authoritative take on the head of the tune leading to a cascade of Greene's fiddle before resolving with Keith's banjo.

The studio release came out about a year after the tragic death of Clarence White. The dedication on the record reads "This album is dedicated to Clarence White, a virtuoso human being and guitarist." The re-release of these affirms the legacy of one of the finest guitarists ever to pick up a flat pick. The rest of the band ain't bad either. For guitar fans, these are must haves. Now if only Grisman, legendary for taping his performances has some additional tapes of these guys...