Various – Masters of the Steel String Guitar

A legendary National tour, recorded in live performance. This guitar showcase is one of the nations most acclaimed performances devoted to a single musical instrument. Since it's inception in 1990, this national tour has crossed the nation four times, presenting a sampling of American guitar styles. The edition of the tour heard here is from the 1999-2000 touring season and presents performers of deeply traditional styles.
These recordings were made as the tour traveled north from Arizona and through California, Oregon, and Washington. They were made direct to digital in stereo from the board mix, no secret weapons, overdubs, nor even major edits. What you hear is what the audience heard.

Track Listing:
1. I Don't Love Nobody - Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda & David Lay / Linda Lay - 1:56   2. Cannon Ball Blues - Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda & David Lay / Linda Lay - 1:47    3. Coat of Many Colors - Wayne C. Henderson / Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda Lay - 3:27    4. Carter Family Medley - Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda & David Lay / Linda Lay - 3:17    5. Alabama Jubilee - Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda & David Lay / Linda Lay - 2:06    6. Walking Mama - John Cephas / Phil Wiggins - 4:08    7. Prison Blues - John Cephas / Phil Wiggins - 5:09    8. John Henry - Johnny Bellar / John Cephas / Eddie Pennington / Phil Wiggins - 4:31    9. Lost John - Eddie Pennington - 4:07    10. Dark as a Dungeon - Johnny Bellar / John Cephas / David Lay / Linda Lay / Eddie Pennigton / Eddie Pennington - 5:09    11. Eddie's Medley Johnny Bellar / Eddie Pennington - 4:54    12. I'll See You in My Dreams - Johnny Bellar / Linda Lay / Eddie Pennington - 4:03    13. Northern Lights - Johnny Bellar - 3:16    14. Heaven - Johnny Bellar / David Lay / Linda Lay - 3:10    15. Aloha Oe - Johnny Bellar / David Lay / Linda Lay - 3:12    16. Sweet Dreams - Johnny Bellar / David Lay / Linda Lay - 3:25    17. Guitar Rag - Johnny Bellar / John Cephas / Wayne Henderson / David Lay / Linda Lay / Eddie Pennington / Phil Wiggins - 4:05    18. Where the Roses Never Fade - Johnny Bellar / John Cephas / David Lay / Linda Lay / Eddie Pennington - 3:51

Reviews:

1. AllMusic - Richie Unterberger 
“This 18-song CD is taken from the 1999-2000 season of an American national tour of steel guitar players, spotlighting Wayne Henderson, John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, Eddie Pennington, Johnny Bellar, Linda Lay, and David Lay. Some of those performers don't play steel guitar here, but act as accompanists to the steel guitarists: Wiggins is a harmonica player and singer, Linda Lay a bassist and singer, and David Lay a rhythm guitarist and singer. Probably only Cephas & Wiggins will be familiar to the general popular-music audience. The disc's chief strength is variety, representing the steel guitar as it's employed in bluegrass, blues, folk, and country music. The performances are good-natured, well recorded, and not too long on innovation; it's pleasant virtuosity, for the most part, rather than something to really make you sit up and pay close attention. There's a mixture of vocal and instrumental performances, with Linda Lay's country singing highlighting the vocal ones. Without a doubt, the most interesting performer is Bellar, who gets some super-eerie tones from a resophonic guitar on his instrumental ‘Northern Lights."