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Gold Plated Banjo (Reb-1671) came three years later. Helping out was a bluegrass A-team of pickers: Tony Rice on guitar, Jimmy Gaudreau on mandolin, Mark Schatz on bass, Jerry Douglas on dobro, and Jim Buchanan on fiddle. The disc also included exciting newer tunes which like the title track and “Old Times in Virginia,” “Appalachiana,” and “Stonewall Country” to name a few. Included were remakes of a few tracks he had originally recorded with Jimmy Martin, (“Theme Time” and “Sweet Dixie”) and the Country Gentlemen (“Cowboys and Indians” and “Welcome to New York”). In 1987, Bill released Home of the Red Fox (Reb-1651), a ten-track instrumental workout that featured tunes that were written, or co-written, by him. The longevity of his career and the sheer brilliance of his playing have earned him a reputation as one of bluegrass’ best banjo players. After his retirement from military service, he performed with the Rice Brothers and also Pete Goble. By the early ‘70s, Bill was back with the Country Gentlemen and then for the next 20 years played music as a member of the Navy band Country Current. He was a charter member of the Country Gentlemen in 1957, was a part of Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys in the early and middle ‘60s, and a partner with guitarist Cliff Waldron in the late ‘60s. Banjo player Bill Emerson has led a long and storied career in bluegrass, culminating with his recent receipt of the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award.