March 2023
Long time no update - but this article in the April 2023 edition of Bluegrass Unlimited should give you an idea of what Tim has been up to! Click the image to read the whole article.April 2017
June 2014
November 2013
January 2012
September 2011
Gretchen Priest-May and Tim May were featured soloists during the first Southeast Kansas Symphony concert of the year in Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. They played a solo portion of the program and also performed in “The Kansas Suite,” a piece composed for the symphony by Nashville composer/arranger Steve W. Mauldin.
The Morning Sun newspaper wrote two articles about Tim and Gretchen, before and after the concert.
Here's the preview article: http://www.morningsun.net/featured/x26165417/PATRICKS-PEOPLE-Tim-May-and-Gretchen-May-Priest-will-play-with-the-Southeast-Kansas-Symphony-in-The-Kansas-Suite
Here's the review of the concert: http://www.morningsun.net/topstories/x981215064/For-their-first-concert-of-the-year-The-Southeast-Kansas-Symphony-collaborates-with-special-guests
September 2011
September 2011
October 2010
Carpenter & May's debut CD, self-titled, has charted at #1 at folk radio for the month of September 2010. Carpenter & May (Fred Carpenter and Tim May) are also the #1 artist and had the #3, #9 and #15 songs of the month. Violin Shop Records was the #18 label. The CD was sent out through the auspices of Jared Ingersol Music Management. In October, Carpenter & May performed at the IBMA conference and will perform at APAP in January and Folk Alliance in February 2011. Check out Carpenter and May's website, www.carpenterandmay.com .
October 2009
Flatpicking Essentials, Volume 6, by Dan Miller and Tim May, provides you with 152 pages (and 2 audio CDs) worth of valuable information that is designed to help you take your flatpicking to the next level.
Pick up a copy: http://flatpickingmercantile.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=fs31&Product_Code=2462&Category_Code=FPE
In
this podcast, number 21, Dan Miller catches up with Tim May at Camp
Bluegrass to talk about the new FGM Records release, Flatpicking
Bluegrass, produced by Tim. In addition you will hear a song from the
CD by Josh Williams singing lead vocal and playing lead guitar.
Take a listen: http://flatpick.libsyn.com/
March 2009
Flatpicking Bluegrass
has just been released on FGM Records. The CD highlights lead guitar
work on standard bluegrass vocal tunes. Each song on the CD features a
full bluegrass band. While the band remains the same for each tune, the
guitar player/lead singer changes. The guitar players/lead singers who
are featured on this CD include some of the finest in bluegrass:
Josh
Williams, Tim Stafford, Kenny Smith, John Chapman, Brad Davis, Tim May,
Richard Bennett, Jim Hurst, Chris Jones, Jeff White, Stephen Mougin,
and Jim Nunally
The back up band includes Shad Cobb on fiddle, Charlie Chadwick on
bass, Chris Joslin on Dobro and banjo, and Dave Harvey on mandolin. Tim
May and Brad Davis provide harmony vocals on most tunes, although
others, such as Wil Maring, Amanda Smith, Alan O'Bryant, Jason and
Jeremy Chapman, Jana Mougin, and Patty Mitchell also sing harmony on
select tunes. If you love traditional bluegrass and flatpicking, you
will love this CD!
The guitar's role in bluegrass is continuously evolving. At first the
guitar player sang and played rhythm. Later, thanks to flatpicking
heroes like George Shuffler, Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Tony Rice, and
Dan Crary, the guitar began to gain a lead voice in bluegrass. While
many still think of "flatpicking" the guitar as taking solos on fiddle
tunes, the flatpickers on this recording are here to show you that the
guitar also has something to say on traditional bluegrass vocal tunes.
Song List
1. My Home's Across the Blue Ridge Mountains - Stephen Mougin
2. East Virginia Blues - John Chapman
3. Six White Horses - Jeff White
4. When the Golden Leaves Begin to Fall - Jim Hurst
5. Long Journey Home - Josh Williams
6. I'll Stay Around - Tim Stafford
7. Banks of the Ohio - Brad Davis
8. Why Don't You Tell Me So - Richard Bennett
9. In The Pines - Chris Jones
10. Teardrops in My Eyes - Jim Nunally
11. Gone Home - Tim May
12. Air Mail Special On The Fly - Kenny Smith
Purchase the CD at: http://flatpickingmercantile.com .
February 2009
Tim May is featured in the Volume 13, Issue 3 (March/April 2009) issue of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine in an article titled "Catching Up With Tim May". Check it out at www.flatpick.com or www.flatpickdigital.com
The
article is three pages long and is written by Chris Thiessen. It talks
about Breedlove Guitars, PlaidGrass, his work with David Harvey,
teaching music, and more.
January 2009
We missed posting this in 2008 - but it's something you can stock up on for 2009's holiday season! From Richard Gilewitz:
" GillaZilla Records has released Strings
for a Season,
a collection of favorite seasonal tunes, gathered up by fingerstyle
guitarist Richard Gilewitz. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with
Grammy award winning sound engineer Tim Roberts, and co-produced with
Grammy nominated artist Tim May, Strings for a Season
is a
flurry of sounds from a family of strings from guitar, cello, violin,
mandolin, banjo, and piano. This 15-track release features nine guitar
arrangements for the classical guitar from Mel Bay Publications author
Stephen C. Siktberg’s 1993 book, Christmas Music for
Acoustic Guitar,
along with a John Fahey arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”,
and five arrangements by Richard Gilewitz, inspired by John Fahey’s
earlier popular Christmas albums.
Each track contains the signature 6 and 12-steel string guitar sounds
of Richard Gilewitz as he shares the spotlight with the ambiance of
cello from Laurie Jarski and Deidre Emerson, piano and keyboard from
David Webb, and the violin of Gretchen Priest. Tim May, recording
artist who has played with the likes of Patty Loveless, Eddie Rabbit,
and Charlie Daniels, adds his touch with mandolin, tenor banjo,
acoustic guitar and resophonic guitar. All solo guitar performances are
by Richard Gilewitz except for a guitar duet with Tim May on “Angels We
Have Heard on High”
According to Richard, his leap into the commercial arena of holiday
music for his 7th recording “began nearly a year after first hearing
Stephen Siktberg’s CD filled with utterly brilliant and tasteful guitar
arrangements of popular seasonal tunes. These pieces from his release
simply titled Christmas Music for Acoustic Guitar,
stuck with me long enough to get my attention and never let go.
“Convinced that I heard two guitars playing simultaneously, one day
just out of curiosity I examined the music and realized these were
arrangements for one guitar. I was floored and hooked! I believe the
first piece I attempted was “Deck the Halls” and after four more years
I selected my favorites from the book, along with some of my own
arrangements inspired by John Fahey’s earlier popular Christmas albums.”
December 2008
Apologies for the lack in updates for over a year; Tim has been up to a lot that we didn't get up on the site!
In October, he hosted "The Nashville Guitar Academy", a workshop that he designed, with fellow instructors Pat Flynn (New Grass Revival) and Stefan Papasoff. You can learn about the Academy at its website. Here's a quote from a student, William McAllister of Richmond, VA: "I wanted to drop you a short note to once again tell you how much I enjoyed the Nashville Guitar Academy workshop last week. The Fiddle & Pick Building was a perfect venue, all three instructors were superb, and the quality and attitude of the other intermediate flatpicking students rounded out this wonderful learning opportunity. Additionally, Gretchen and you were warm , gracious hosts, providing an underlying aura of welcome and acceptance. You can count on my monitoring your web site for future events that would give me another reason to make the long trip from Richmond, Virginia to the Nashville area. Best wishes for your future success. "
The PLAIDGRASS project has been selling well, and they performed at Folk Alliance in 2008 in Memphis, TN; in April 2008, Tim and his wife Gretchen opened a new building, The Fiddle & Pick, home of The Musical Heritage Center of Middle Tennessee,You can check out its website here.
Tim will be teaching Flatpicking Guitar at the Traditional Music Day Camp at the Fiddle & Pick in Pegram, TN. The three-day camp takes place from January 22, 2009 through January 24, 2009. Learn more about the camp at its website.
Tim has been holding flatpicking guitar workshops across the country in 2008: he held Breedlove Guitar workshops and other flatpicking guitar workshops in California, Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Alaska, Georgia, and Oregon. In addition, he taught at several acoustic music camps across the United States in 2008, and before the year is up, will be heading to assist fellow Breedlove artist Richard Gilewitz for some dates in Wyoming. In 2009, he'll be performing at the Peaceful Bend Americana Music Festival in Steeleville, MO.
You can follow Tim's current schedule at his MySpace site.
As for this website: we have plenty of updates to make, and
possibly some other changes, so stay tuned in 2009.
November 2007
Tim's ready to hit the road again, presenting workshops on behalf of Breedlove dealers across the country. The new schedule will be posted on Tim's Workshops Page.
More good news: Tim' s band PLAIDGRASS has released their first album, Gretchen Priest and Plaidgrass. The instrumental CD features Tim's talented wife on fiddle with Tim on guitar, tenor guitar, mandola, mandocello, and resophonic guitar. They're joined by seven great musicians who have been a part of PLAIDGRASS throughout the years, including Tom Saffell, Brian Christianson, Al Goll, Chris Joslin, Doc Holladay, Chris Fontaine, and Jeff Taylor. PLAIDGRASS delivers an expertly arranged mix of Celtic, Bluegrass and traditional music embellished with the sweet tones of rare instruments, such as Gretchen's 5-string fiddle and Tom Saffell's 8-string banjo, and instruments from Tim's vintage Gibson collection.
The CD will be available online at Flatpicking Merchantile
soon.
October 2007
Tim has been working at Charlie Chadwick’s studio this month producing a new project for CMH Records. A Bluegrass Tribute to Neil Young features songs originally written and/or recorded by Young but arranged for bluegrass instrumentation. Chris Joslin, Brian Christianson, Gretchen Priest-May, Shad Cobb, Al Goll, Kyle Wood, and Susie Coleman join Tim and Charlie for this acoustic romp through some great folk-rock favorites. Tim’s vocals are particularly outstanding on this CD. Release date: January 2008.
October 2007
In late June, Tim May and David Harvey put their Gibsons together for an hour long walk through the history of the instruments used in mandolin ensembles in the ‘teens. Each owns a collection of vintage Gibson instruments, and both could be considered authorities on old Gibson models. The event was taped at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and is available for viewing on YouTube. Find more information on Tim's Video Page.
September 2007
“I murder strings,” Tim says with a sheepish look. He claims he’s sent thousands to their graves. Rapid, sliding movement is hard on strings; they pick up sweat, oil and dead skin cells which immediately build up in the string winding. Tim remembers having to change strings between sets in order to maintain the clear, bright tone he counts on delivering. He was in that phase when Elixir Strings hit the market. When Tim tried a set, he was dumbfounded by what a difference they made. Not only did they withstand the pounding he gives strings, they reduced slide and other string noise. When Tim contacted Mike Lille earlier this year, he could honestly report, “Elixirs are the only strings I use. They last forever.” An Elixir endorsement followed, but Tim was already promoting the brand. “I was raving about Elixir before I ever got an endorsement.”
Tim prefers the Medium Gauge Phosphor Bronze set, for clarity, tone and longevity. To see how they’re made, visit Elixir Strings.
August 2007
What a treat it is to hear great material from the Swing era played by top level acoustic musicians. Toss a few hot bluegrass standards, and you’ve got RADIOLA. David and Jan Harvey invited Brian Christianson, Jon Weisberger, and Tim May to a banquet packed with a delicious menu of mandolin and fiddle tunes, garnished with sweet vocals. Expect a CD soon. For booking or other information, email: David Harvey.
July 2007
Flatpicker Brad Davis is as awesome a talent as Tim May. Tim tags along with Brad sometimes, serving up his brilliance on a mandolin, banjo and dobro. “Brad is great singer and writer. His music fits into multiple genres: bluegrass, folk and Americana,” Tim says. Tim and Brad are headed for the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS in September, with Gretchen Priest joining them on fiddle and Dan Miller on bass. Tim says Brad is “inspiring to play with and just a great guy to hang out with.” The three give flatpicking clinics and workshops at camps, house concerts, etc.
Check Tim’s calendar on MySpace for upcoming shows. If you have interest in booking the trio, email Dan Miller at dan@flatpick.com.
August 2006
Tim's souvenir program says it best. Read for yourself. Don't forget the second page.
May 2006
Breedlove Guitars has offered Tim May a professional endorsement. Both sides certainly have good reason to celebrate. Tim became an official Breedlove clinician, traveling to instrument dealers to promote the Breedlove line. In these clinics, Tim talks about the history of flatpicking and a little about how guitars are built, giving qualified insight on anything from instrument structure to how to hold a pick. And, of course, he plays for the crowd, which sure makes a Breedlove sing.
“I think Breedlove is the best contemporary maker of acoustic instruments in America today,” Tim says.” I think the Revival Series guitars have outstanding playability, tone, and a really good neck.” The unique neck features a wax finish rather than varnish, which slides well and has a great feel. Tim owns a Breedlove Model DR (Deluxe Revival) and a custom made tenor guitar. He records with both these instruments and if you listen to Tim’s recent recordings, you can understand why.
Tim's Workshop Page will have Tim's current clinic schedule. Check out Breedlove's website at www.breedloveguitars.com.
November 2005
If you were lucky enough to have seen the live performance of Moody Bluegrass (October 23, 2005), then you know what a magical event it was. Tim May’s fingerprints were all over the Moody Bluegrass CD, released in late 2004, crafting charts and arrangements, and as session leader. Two members of the original Moody Blues, Justin Hayward and Graham Edge, joined Andy Hall on guitar and dobro, Andy Todd on bass and Tim on guitar. The project, produced by David Harvey who also played mandolin on the project, was so well received that Harvey is producing Moody Blues II this Fall. For more information and great photos of the live show, visit www.moodybluegrass.com.
November 2005
Charlie Daniels received a Grammy nomination for the Best Country Instrumental Performance of 2005 for his cut of the old favorite I’ll Fly Away. Tim May was the solo guitarist on the tune. You can get information on the album on the Charlie Daniels website, www.charliedaniels.com.