Picture of the day - January 6, 2008

The McLain Family Band at the Carter Fold

Photo by Rick Rouse. Every Christmas season Raymond McLain brings his ultra-talented family to the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, Virginia for a special performance that is packed with some of the very best Bluegrass music you will ever hear. Thanks to a scheduling conflict, this year's McLain Family show was held a bit later than usual, so lucky for us Cheria and I were able to attend. Every member of the McLain Family Band plays multiple instruments, and their family harmonies are as good as any in the business and a lot better than most. During last night's performance Raymond and the gang picked and sang a plethora of songs, including many great old Bluegrass favorites as well as several A.P. Carter standards (after all, they were entertaining an audience at the Carter Fold!). Of course they did an outstanding job on all of them, but as always my personal favorites were the gospel classics "Turn Your Radio On" and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". Watching these talented and enthusiastic folks perform is almost as much fun as listening to them! Between their obvious love for the music and their mastery at performing it, there is simply nothing about a McLain Family show that is either boring or average, and last night the three hours they spent on the Carter Fold stage seemed more like 30 minutes. I can't speak for the other folks in the packed house, but I'm already looking forward to next year!   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"