[ Mark and his Tu-Ba-Phone]
Mark Johnson & Clawgrass®

Unique recordings of a mixture of bluegrass, folk, old time, and progressive music from the clawhammer style of Mark Johnson. Mark has discovered that "the clawhammer banjo doesn't need to be relegated to the role of a 'support' or 'rhythm' instrument--it can be applied in much the same way as other instruments are that are used in bluegrass and acoustic music."

The discs below are US$15 each; please add $1 each for shipment in the US or Canada. For shipment to other countries, please add US$3 per disc.

Order from:
Mark Johnson
P.O. Box 3335
Dunnellon, FL 34430
USA

352-489-0499
or email to clawgras@pig.net

Visit Mark's page at http://www.banjo.com/Profiles/MarkJohnson.html for more information about him and Clawgrass, as well as to hear a 30-second sound clip.

Clawgrass: Mark Johnson with the Rice Brothers and Friends

  1. My Sweet Sarah
  2. Bright Sunny South
  3. John Henry
  4. Home Sweet Home Revisited
  5. Forked Deer
  6. Dream Your Life Away
  7. Mississippi
  8. North Carolina Breakdown
  9. Colored Aristocracy
  10. Liza Jane
  11. Clinch Mountain Backstep
  12. Angeline the Baker
Mark Johnson & Clawgrass: Bridging the Gap
  1. Daddy Keeps on Plowin'
  2. Old Joe Clark
  3. Sally Ann
  4. Welcome to New York
  5. Rosewood Casket
  6. Kayla Anne
  7. Cuckoo's Nest
  8. Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Someday
  9. Gabriel's Trial
  10. Sweet Sunny South
  11. My Friend Betty*
  12. Meadows of Dan
* Royalties donated to the American Cancer Society
QUOTES AND COMMENTS:

  • Mark Johnson describes his "Clawgrass" style of playing the banjo as "a mixture of bluegrass, folk, old time, and progressive acoustic clawhammer." Whatever the name, this project is one that will shatter and expand any preconceived notions the listener has ever had about clawhammer banjo. On 12 uniquely arranged and well produced original and traditional cuts, Mark is joined by Tony & Wyatt Rice/guitars, Larry Rice/mandolin, Jason Thomas & Tammy Murray/fiddles, Ronnie Rice/bass and James Tucker/dobro.
    International Bluegrass Music Association Newsletter, Jan./Feb.,1995
  • On this CD "Clawgrass", Mark Johnson with the Rice Brothers and Friends, we hear almost a missing link between Bluegrass and old time mountain music. This CD will fit into the collection of almost any bluegrass fan, whether their tastes run to the hot and progressive branch of the music or the more traditional side.
    Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, March, 1995
  • If you can somehow imagine clawhammer banjo played with the complexity and precision necessary to make a proper blend with the caliber of players with whom Mark Johnson associates here, then you just may be sufficiently impressed enough to include a copy of this CD in your collection.
    Bluegrass Now Magazine, July/Aug 1995
  • Every now and than a killer banjo player that nobody has ever heard of comes wandering out of the woods and blows your socks off. Mark Johnson is his name and you're going to hear a lot more of him in the months and years to come. Mark's CD is called "CLAWGRASS" and it is absolutely a knockout! Every player should have one.
    Banjo Newsletter cover story & Review, July 1995