Christmas at the Depot 

Thanks to Mike Cleveland for joining us this Year.

Christmas Open House at the Depot, Salem, Indiana was fun and successful again this year as we had banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass with vocals, hot apple cider and lots of cookies. We all were glad to have Mike Cleveland join us on fiddle and mandolin.

This day, December third was the release date for my new CD, JIM SMOAK at the Depot. To get one or more, send your information to (info@jimsmoak.net).

Have a happy and safe Christmas, everyone.

Bayou Bluegrass 

In 1961 I made two albums, one for Folk Lyric Records and one for Prestige International. Bayou Bluegrass went to Arhoolie in 1972 and then to Smithsonian Folkways in 2015.

Check out this link:

https://open.spotify.com/album/6llby8bTcNA5Ep3cHvF3T3?highlight=spotify:track:4aNmcbzaNGgGZ0xOiCkdvh

Jim Smoak Trio Rides Again! 

Well now, that was fun! Going to Lexington and playing for about a hundred at the Marriott. They are all here for the Kentucky Derby.

Brian's guitar playing was great (singing too), and Rob never missed a beat on bass.

Bill Monroe 

People often ask me about Bill Monroe or make comments like "He was hard to get along with wasn't he?".

Well, he and I got along just fine. Riding in an automobile from town to town, city to city week after week with five  or six people could get on a lot of people's nerves but we seemed to do just fine.

We were playing somewhere in Arkansas one time and after the performance he wanted to drop everyone off at the hotel and then have me drive him to through the night to Hot Springs so he could be at the…

Read more

Kentucky Derby Dinner Music  

Jim Smoak Trio can furnish some Kentucky flavor at your Derby event in Louisville, Lexington or southern Indiana.

Jim Smoak at Indiana University 

Bluegrass and Folk on First Thursday Event

Becky Sprinkle starts off this program on October first on an outdoor stage. Then comes the Jim Smoak Trio for the second half.

 https://www.facebook.com/iurural/videos/839992190137982/

Christmas Open House at Depot Museum 

Music At The Depot

Music at the Depot, usually the first Saturday in December, was cancelled in 2020 due to social distancing. We had calls from all over Indiana and Kentucky about Christmas Open House. 

The Depot will open in March 2021.

Snowy days in February 

Snow on the ground keeping some of us Inside.

I walked to the end of my lane where it joins the highway, The snow plow had thrown quite a bit of snow on my exit. With the help of a shovel and armstrong power I managed to clear an exit, left and right onto the highway.

The link to the radio interview I did with WWOZ, New Orleans no longer works. They take the program off after two weeks in their archives. 

Radio Interview WWOZ, New Orleans 

There's the remainder of this week to listen to that radio interview I did on WWOZ New Orleans, Louisiana. They are playing songs I did with Bill Monroe in 1954. Then they include songs I did with Hylo Brown in 1958.

Of course they are playing tunes from my Louisiana Honeydripper record that I did in 1961. This one is now at Smithsonian Folkways.

We have about 1/4 inch of snow today in southern Indiana.