Reno & Smiley – Together Again

The original album — pressed by Rome Records in 1971, with an apparent circulation of only 500 copies — has become quite a collector’s item. As its title suggests, the record reunited the popular bluegrass duo, who began playing together in 1949 and parted ways amicably in the fall of 1964. This is also the last project they released prior to Red Smiley’s death in early 1972.

For Rebel chief David Freeman, who bought the rights to this album, as well as Steve Chandler, Charlie Cushman and Eddie Stubbs, who were involved in the remixing process, this was very much a labor of love. The production team meticulously reworked the original tracks — which were recorded using a combination of two-, three-, and four-track technology — to remove distortion, boost vocals, and spotlight certain solos.

Featuring Bill Harrell and the Tennessee Cut-Ups (Buck Ryan on fiddle and Jerry McCoury on bass), the band comes charging out of the gate. In a snippet of studio banter, Don Reno says, “I want to kick it off with a blast, but I don’t want to get too rough with it,” before the gang launches into their second pass at Dave Evans’ galloping “Highway 52”.

Other uptempo numbers are the comic “A Dime Looks Like A Wagon Wheel” and an excellent take on Bill Monroe’s “Shine, Hallelujah, Shine”. These songs, along with a couple of well-placed instrumentals, keep the album from being weighted down by slower tunes such as “Emotions”, “Flowers Are Like People” and “Soldier’s Last Letter”.

Ryan’s energetic fiddling is the perfect complement to Reno’s sprightly banjo playing. But Smiley’s rich vocals are perhaps most impressive. As Stubbs observes in his extensive liner notes, Smiley was “an insulin-dependent diabetic and longtime cigarette smoker with only one lung.” Just 46 at the time of his passing, it’s a wonder he was able to make music at all in his condition, let alone continuing to record and tour regularly.