Radio John: Songs of John Hartford

Bush began the record on a yearly trip to his place in the Florida Panhandle, where he takes instruments and a recorder to work on ideas. He was fighting latency while trying to overdub when his friend Donnie Sundal, who co-owns a local studio, arrived the next day with a Pro Tools rig, microphones and preamps. Bush had meant only to make demos for the Sam Bush Band. Working with Sundal he layered instruments, usually starting with guitar, then adding bass and mandolin, and putting banjo on last. When lockdown began he finished vocals and banjo in the overdubbing room of his soundman and road manager Rick Wheeler. Bela Fleck lent him low-tuned banjos, including one of Hartford's own.

Bush produced the record and wrote the liner notes with Jon Weisberger. The executive producers were Daniel Sheehy, John Smith and Lynn Bush, and David Glasser mastered it. Apart from the title track, where his band plays with him, every instrument is his. Two instrumentals, Down and John McLaughlin, come from Hartford's 1976 album Nobody Knows What You Do, on which Bush played in the original sessions.

Reception

The album reached number two on the US bluegrass chart. Lee Zimmerman of Bluegrass Today called it the ultimate tribute and wrote that Bush finds a place between commitment and creativity. Rick Bayles of Americana UK gave it 8 out of 10, praising the playing and the choice of songs. He thought the solo tracks a little dry until the band arrives on the closing title song. Bush himself said that playing everything alone was not nearly as much fun as playing with other people. He also filmed live performance videos for the record, including one of A Simple Thing As Love.