Tim featured in 2023 edition of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine

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.

Tim May


Tim performs on the stage of the legendary Carnegie Hall

April 2017

Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall

Tim May and Preston Thompson/PK Thompson Guitars

June 2013





Tim and Gretchen talk about the Musical Heritage Center

June 2014

Mega "Mini Camp" Workshop & Concert

November 2013

Mini Camp


Tim May and Preston Thompson/PK Thompson Guitars

June 2013





Davis Miller May: Doves, Crows & Buzzards

January 2012

Davis Miller May

Davis Miller May is a high energy acoustic band featuring Brad Davis on acoustic guitar and mandolin, Dan Miller on bass, and Tim May on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and Dobro. Their music features vocals tunes and instrumental numbers from a variety of musical genres, including bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and swing. The strength of this band is found in their virtuosity on their instruments and their strong songwriting abilities. As soloists Brad Davis and Tim May are two of the finest performers on the acoustic music scene today. Since their first show together in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2005 the trio has performed at various venues and music festivals all over the United States.

In January of 2011 the trio went into the studio and recorded their first CD together. Doves, Crows & Buzzards presents a very strong mix of vocals songs and instrumental tunes, original tunes and well-known standards. The CD has received rave reviews, especially from acoustic guitar fans who enjoy the interplay of Davis and May's guitar work on tunes like "Farewell Blues," "Dinah," "Nine Pound Hammer," and "Angeline the Baker." Folk radio has embraced the title cut, "Doves, Crows & Buzzards," and the Merle Haggard cover "The Way I Am," and bluegrass DJs are spinning the Brad Davis original "Ramblin' Rollin' Stone." There is something here for everyone!


Buy a copy at Flatpicking Mercantile:  http://flatpickingmercantile.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=fs31&Product_Code=2534

Download at iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/doves-crows-buzzards/id443300877?uo=4

 

Performance with the Southeast Kansas Symphony

September 2011

Southeast Kansas Symphony

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


New book with Dan Miller

September 2011

Dan miller book

Scales and Arpeggios form the foundation of all song melodies, arranged solos, licks, phrases, and improvisations on the guitar. If you are familiar with scales and arpeggios, and know how to use them, your ability to arrange and improvise your own solos will be greatly enhanced. Scale knowledge is the road map that can take you anywhere you want to go in music.

This new 160 page book (with 136 audio tracks on 2 CDs) by Dan Miller and Tim May not only teaches you how to learn scales in a way that is easy, fun, interesting, and informative, it also shows you how to practically apply scales when learning new melodies, embellishing those melodies to create your own solos and variations, and in exploring improvisations.

Most books that present scales and arpeggios will display scale patterns all up and down the neck and address many keys and many different scales (major, minor, pentatonic, diminished, whole tone, bebop, etc). This approach tends to provide too much theory and not enough practical information about how these scales can be put to practical use right away.

More information:  http://flatpickingmercantile.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=fs31&Product_Code=2537&Category_Code=01

 

New article at Mandolin Cafe about Tim May

September 2011

Tim May

There's a new article at Mandolin Cafe about Tim May's Vintage Gibson collection. Check it out:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_001390.shtml


Carpenter and May at #1 on folk radio

October 2010

Carpenter & May

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 .

 

 

Flatpicking Essentials, Volume 6

October 2009

Vintage Gibson

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

 

Tim May featured on Flatpicking Guitar Magazine podcast

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/

"Flatpicking Bluegrass" released on FGM Records

March 2009

Flatpicking Bluegrass

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 .

 

Tim May featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

February 2009

Flatpicking Guitar

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.

 

 

Holiday music - for 2009!

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.Strings For A Season

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.”


Long time, no update

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.

Announcing holiday Breedlove clinics

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.

Tim May producing Neil Young tribute

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.



See Tim's new Vintage Gibson videos now on YouTube

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.



Elixir Strings endorses Tim May

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.



RADIOLA Turns Up the Volume

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.



Brad Davis and Tim May Heading to Winfield

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.



Japanese tour with John Cowan

August 2006

Tim's souvenir program says it best. Read for yourself. Don't forget the second page.



Breedlove Guitars endorses Tim May

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.



Moody Bluegrass at the Ryman a huge hit

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.



Grammy nomination via Charlie Daniels

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.