James King
Noppet Hill Bluegrass Festival
Lanesboro, MA
07/25/1999

Source: AKG480/CK61 caps > Beyer Dynamic MV-100 > DAP-1 by Tom Reizes
Transfer:  MDAT > Fostex D-15 > Ardour @ 48k
Master:  Wavelab 10 (tracking, levels) > FLAC 1648

Thanks to Tom Reizes for the DAT and to Mitch Wittenberg with help identifying the songs played.

Early set:
01. stalling + soundcheck
02. MC James King intro 1
03. Leather Britches
04. I'm Gonna Settle Down
05. The Wall

Last set of the festival:
07. MC James King intro 2
08. Old Swinging Bridge
09. Letters Have No Arms
10. It'll Be Me
11. All I Ever Loved Was You
12. Train 45
13. Little Georgia Rose
14. Just A Few Old Memories
15. stage banter
16. Flower Of The Heart
17. Sweethearts Again
18. Dear Old Dixie
19. Love Me One More Time
20. I Don't Do Floors Any More
21. Travelin' The Highway Home

Encore:
22. Farewell Blues

Adam Poindexter - 5 string banjo
Owen Saunders - fiddle
Jason Moore - bass fiddle
Kevin Prader - mandolin

Along with Larry Sparks and Bill Paisley, James King performed on Day 3 of the 1999 Noppet Hill Bluegrass Festival.

Some of the early set may be missing.  The first six tracks were from one DAT, and the last 16 tracks were on a DAT marked "James King 2" and are clearly from a later performance that evening.  How much is missing?  Unclear, but it's a good assumption that King didn't play a 16 minute set.   

From banter on these recordings, it seems that King arrived late because they were playing "930 miles away" in Prestonburg, KY, the night before.  As a consequence, the artists were shuffled somehow, and Larry Sparks played two sets with King performing in between.  King then closed the festival with a second, final set in the early evening, after Larry Spark's 4:00 p.m. set, which ran about an hour.  

Despite whatever is missing, if anything, this is a fine hour plus of bluegrass.

--mhg :: 2020-10-05




James King Band, Laurie Lewis, Gibson Brothers, Larry Sparks, Goins Brothers, Bob Paisley, Karl Shiflet and Big Country, Breakaway, Adam Dewey and Crazy Creek, Mike Boulay and Friends, Cow Tippers, Bag Boys, Traver Hollow (July 23-25).

From the Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield MA, July 22, 1999 p. 56 "What You Need To Know About Noppet Hill Bluegrass Festival"

For the fourth year running, the Noppet Hill Bluegrass Festival takes place this weekend at the Steele's Family Farm on Bailey Road in Lanesboro (five miles north of Pittsfield off Route 7watch for signs). Perched at the bottom of a gentle slope in a natural amphitheater in a 35-acre hayfield offering some of the most picturesque vistas in the Berkshires, Noppet Hill has quickly become an annual highlight of the summer festival season, drawing hardcorc bluegrass fans as well as families just looking for a fun way to spend a summer afternoon. This year's festival takes place Friday, July 23, through Sunday, July 25. Individual day passes are available at the gate (Friday, $10; Saturday or Sunday, $20), as arc three-day passes ($50) entitling holders to camp on the site (free firewood is provided to campers). Children 12 and under are admitted free. Music runs Friday, 5 p.m. -10 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. -10 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. -5 p.m. Field pickin' a highlight of any bluegrass festival worth its salt typically occurs around the clock. Gates open Thursday, July 22, at noon. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs. There is a large spectator tent near the stage to provide relief from the sun or bad weather. Food vendors will be in ample supply, but coolers are permitted. According to the festival's informative (and witty) Web site, www.campfest.com (which indudes links to home pages for most of the performers), there are only two rules at Noppet Hill: 1. You have to pay to get in. 2. You can't act like a jerk. Seems eminently reasonable.