Lonesome River Band has announced the addition of Jesse Smathers to the band on mandolin and vocals. He takes the spot of Randy Jones who is now working outside the music business.
Bluegrass fans will recognize Jesse from his work with James King, Nothin’ Fancy, and High Voltage. He’s a North Carolina native, where he grew up in a family of bluegrass and old time musicians. Look for him touring with LRB starting with a show June 25 at the Jenny Brook Family Bluegrass Festival in Tunbridge, Vermont.
Lonesome River Band is led by Sammy Shelor on banjo, featuring Brandon Rickman on guitar and vocals, Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, and Barry Reed on bass. They will also play later this month on June 26-27 at RudyFest in Grayson, KY, which will be Randy Jones’ official final performance.
The band has been teasing some big news this week, with Sammy and Mike flying off to California this morning with their manager, Josh Trivett. Oooh…. what could it be? We should know on Friday.
