These Bluegrass Stars Have Realigned

Auldridge, who left the Scene for the spinoff band Chesapeake (which included Gaudreau), describes Carolina Star as "very reminiscent of early Seldom Scene but without a banjo." The new group "kind of fell together accidentally, just like the original Seldom Scene did," he adds, starting with a reunion of the original Seldom Scene (with Gaudreau standing in for Duffey, who died in 1996).

A name was important: Many think Chesapeake failed because it didn't take advantage of its star players' names. Briefly, they were the Seldom Seniors, though, Starling says, "we didn't want to compete with the Scene still out there working, and we didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Plus Ben was in both."

"The one I liked best was GAS [for Gray, Auldridge, Starling], but the ladies in our lives didn't like that very much," Starling says. Same with SAG, and "we decided to stay away from Senile Seniors." It was after Gaudreau and Simpkins (both veterans of the Tony Rice Unit) signed on that the decision was made to make now-retired Dr. Starling the frontman.

"He fought it for a while, didn't want the heat on him," Auldridge says. "But to me, it's all about the fact that John Starling's vocals are back on the scene. He's the most overlooked guy in the business because he was a doctor -- he was busy making money when he should have been singing. He could have been Merle Haggard! And he still sounds great, too."

The current name comes from a Hugh Moffat song Starling first recorded in 1979, "about a woman working in a factory taking care of two children while her husband's down in Nashville trying to become a country music star. It's about how the real Carolina Stars are our ladies," Starling explains. "But that's very metaphoric, and I'd just as soon it stay that way."

Oddly enough, the song "Carolina Star" is not included on "Slidin' Home," which was released Tuesday. The album opens with "Waitin' for a Train," the Jimmie Rodgers chestnut about trying to get home. That song has familial echoes: Auldridge's uncle, Ellsworth Cozzens, played dobro on the original 1929 recording, made during Rodgers's brief residency in Washington. "I'm starting to feel like a relic here with so much history coming around," Auldridge jokes.

Starling is joined by Harris on "In My Hour of Darkness," a song she wrote with Gram Parsons. Harris met Parsons here and developed her love for bluegrass and traditional country at jam sessions in Starling's living room. It's also where Harris met Skaggs, whose instrumental "Irish Spring" is featured on the new album, along with the string-romp "South Riding Tango" by Gaudreau and Simpkins. Carolina Star serves as Harris's acoustic band when she tours doing her classic repertoire from the '70s and '80s.

Elsewhere, Starling delivers a world-weary cover of the Little Feat classic "Willin' " by George. He'd originally wanted to do "Willin' " with the Scene until Gray "suggested we not do it," Starling says.

"I had three teenage sons and a daughter, and I didn't think we ought to be doing songs glorifying drug runners, which is what that song does," Gray explains.

"I said . . . the word is ' wheat, rice and wine,' " Starling recalls.

"I appreciate that John did back off then," Gray says, "so if he wanted to do it now, fine. The kids are grown." Somewhere, there's a tape of George doing an acoustic version of "Willin' " in the early '70s on WHFS with Linda Ronstadt and Starling providing harmonies.

Another twist: "Slidin' Home," released on the Seldom Scene's old label, Rebel, reunites Starling and company with Grammy Award-winning producer-engineer and audio technology pioneer George Massenburg. Among his credits: engineering Auldridge's first solo album, 1972's "Dobro," and the Seldom Scene's 1974 album "Old Train." The studio approach was classical yet modern: tracking live with a minimum of overdubs, using high-resolution digital recording and mixing techniques to create a warm, living room sound. Massenburg has also worked with Little Feat, George, Skaggs and Harris, as well as Ronstadt and Dolly Parton (he produced both Trio albums). Says Auldridge, "George is a big part of the historical circle we seem to be running in."

John Starling and Carolina Star Appearing Friday at the Birchmere with special guests Jon Randall and Jesse Alexander Sounds like: Widely heard? Mike Auldridge performs "Carolina Star" in all four groups he plays with, including the Skylighters with Gaudreau and Eric Brace, the Good Deale Bluegrass Band and the Auldridge-O'Dell-Walls-Simpkins Band (with Star-mate Simpkins). "We're all a bunch of contractors," Auldridge jokes, adding that "Starling bemoans the fact that nobody wants to hire a lead singer." Gray is in six other groups, including the Country Gentlemen Reunion Band, Eddie & Martha Adcock, Jay Armsworthy & Eastern Tradition, Randy Barrett & the Barretones and the Federal Jazz Commission.