Robin Bullock -- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Once again, it was a late night in February, and the hotel room showcases were going on by the dozens at the International Folk Alliance Conference in Cleveland. Ornaments producer Joe Gunderman stuck his head in one crowded room to hear Tom Paxton doing some great new material. But who was that picker with him? The guy was all over his instrument, filling in melodies and rhythms that were complimenting Tom's lyrics perfectly. It was just Tom and this incredible musician playing to a roomful of wrapped listeners. In the crowded hallway afterward, Joe met up with Tom and asked him who his accompanist had been. "That's Robin Bullock."

Later, Joe found Robin trading time in another showcase with Al Petteway and Amy White. Jim Blum had already told Joe, "Oh yes, Robin's a great player." While Robin wasn't playing, Joe talked to him about being on Ornaments. He was excited.

"That'll give me a chance to arrange something. It's fun to work and concentrate on one song. It's a lot less stressful than trying to do an entire album."

Interestingly, as we asked all of these folks to be on the show, we weren't sure if we'd get a song from Tom Paxton with Robin playing on it, or one with Al and Amy playing on it, or one with all three of them in support of Tom. Or any other combination you can think of. It turned out great for us. We have three brand new shiny ornaments from that bunch, Tom's (with Al & Amy), Al & Amy's, and Robin's. Lucky us.

For more information about Robin Bullock, check out Robin Bullock web site.