CMH To Release 2nd Vol. “PICKIN’ ON THE 80’S

Los Angeles-based CMH RECORDS has announced the release date for a second installment of their PICKIN' ON THE BIGGEST HITS OF THE 1980'S release. 

Featuring bluegrass interpretations of the biggest hits of the 1980's, the PICKIN' ON SERIES album (out digitally February 24) kicks off with a spirited rendition of Toto's 1982 hit "Africa." 

Other standouts include songs by Whitney Houston, George Michael, Robert Palmer and Foreigner. The 12-track collection is produced by Brad Davis, known in the Bluegrass circles for his original Double-Down-Up guitar technique, songwriting, vocals and producer talents. Davis has worked with Willie Nelson,Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam, just to name a few.

Track listing for PICKIN' ON THE BIGGEST HITS OF THE 1980'S Volume 2: Africa (Toto) I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) (Whitney Houston) Walking On Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves) Faith (George Michael) Our House (Madness) The Power Of Love (Huey Lewis & The News) Dancing With Myself (Billy Idol) Walk Like An Egyptian (The Bangles) Simply Irresistible (Robert Palmer) Danger Zone (Kenny Loggins) I Want To Know What Love Is (Foreigner) Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)

"I am so honored to be the producer of the CMH bluegrass tribute to the legendary hits of the 80s," Davis shares. "I felt like these songs had such an impact on our generation that the only way to create a bluegrass arrangement was to use the original track as my pilot for the grass version.  I fell in love with these songs years ago and I hope this tribute will cause everyone to fall in love again." 
 
The first installment, released in 2008, featured bluegrass reinterpretations of hits by the likes of A Ha, Michael Jackson, Tears For Fears and Soft Cell and is available now on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify.
 
In a recent Los Angeles Times feature on the label, Randall Roberts noted, "The notion of reinterpreting popular music for different genres was initiated when CMH mined its catalog for a themed collection called Pickin' on the Movies. Pickin' on the Beatles followed, as did a similar tribute to the Eagles.  The brand blew up when Deadheads fell for Pickin' on the Grateful Dead.  The company's best sellers have been able to reach the high five figures."  CMH Records remains dedicated to presenting the finest in bluegrass and roots music, through re-issues of classic material by the greats and stellar recordings from new voices.
 
 
About CMH Records' Pickin' On Series:
Born out of a love of rock music and for the virtuosity of bluegrass musicians, the Pickin' On Series features the best in bluegrass paying tribute to the biggest and brightest artists in rock and pop. Though it started modestly in 1993 with the release of Pickin' On the Movies, tributes to The Beatles and Eagles soon followed and by 1997 the Pickin' On Series was on fire. The Pickin' On Series continues to thrive with one hand in traditional bluegrass and the other in popular music, ready for the next chance to create innovative bluegrass music.