This song is Don’t Bother to Cry. Hazel got it from Rose Maddox, the first woman to record a bluegrass album (1962). Following Rose, Hazel & Alice Gerrard proceeded to blow the doors off through the 60s and 70s, establishing a feminist voice in bluegrass as bandleaders, songwriters, and activists

Tony plays on Hazel’s debut solo album Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People (1980) and played many shows with her over the years. He shared great stories about working with Hazel and we discussed the profound, raw power in her singing, writing, and activism, plus her wicked sense of humor.

Hi! I’m going to start an every-other month residency at Jalopy in June. Nothing else regular — I’m only in NYC part time these days

I’m playing an era-appropriate Kay Jumbo guitar which was overhauled by Vinegar Works Guitars (aka my awesome wife) with a long scale, maple fretboard which makes it great for low tuning, a thing that I relish

without a third passenger who insisted on being dropped off at the Greyhound station 😂. Dawg was holding Richard’s records when he went flying, which still have mud on them from the incident. Richard got new tires in Oklahoma City.

Including the tale of a harrowing cross country road trip c. ‘64, when Greene’s car, outfitted for drag racing with slicks, skidded off the road in OK, throwing Dawg out of a locked car door into a muddy embankment 🤯. He showered up at a local pool and they went on their way,

Thanks! It’s a Kay from the 50s and it’s probably my favorite mandolin

🪕