With a discography boasting some of the most influential recordings in contemporary bluegrass music, it could be daunting for a band like Blue Highway to put together an album highlighting their greatest hits over the last thirty years. With Live At ETSU! A 30-Year Retrospective Event on Down The Road Records, the group has managed to do exactly that through vibrant renditions of these classics recorded over two nights at East Tennessee State University’s Martin Center for the Performing Arts.
Blue Highway’s connection with ETSU runs deep as guitarist Tim Stafford and resophonic guitarist Gary Hultman were both alumni of the school’s acclaimed bluegrass program. Another connection can be found on the opening track, I’d Rather Be A Lonesome Pine. Written by program founder, Jack Tottle, this song also served as the opening track to the band’s acclaimed 1998 album, Midnight Storm. Featuring Stafford along with his fellow original members Wayne Taylor on bass, Shawn Lane on mandolin, and Jason Burleson on banjo, it’s immediately evident why the group has maintained such a loyal following over the last several decades. Resophonic guitarist Gary Hultman does an admirable job of honoring what Rob Ickes brought to the band while also making his own musical mark. In The Gravel Yard by Malcolm Pulley is another wonderful example of Blue Highway’s consistent sound.
It wouldn’t be a proper Blue Highway retrospective if Some Day didn’t appear here. Converted to a song by Stafford from a poem written by Olive Stockton, this performance demonstrates the group’s incredible vocal harmony that has been a hallmark of their sound, and particularly why this song has been a mainstay in Blue Highway’s repertoire. Other fan favorites such as Lonesome Pine and Through The Window of a Train are featured as well.
Blue Highway is also joined on this recording by several guests, some of which are former members of the group. The North Side features the father/son vocals of Shawn and Grayson Lane, while Tears Fell On Missouri features fellow ETSU alum Barry Bales on bass. Tom Adams who filled the banjo slot in Blue Highway from 1998-2000 appears on Keen Mountain Prison. Justin Moses who served a brief stint on resophonic guitar is featured on Top of the Ridge. Considering he didn’t appear on any studio recordings during his tenure in Blue Highway, it’s a real treat to have Justin captured on this live effort.
The grand finale Clinch Mountain Backstep features Blue Highway along with Bales, Adams, Moses, Sierra Hull, Alan O’Bryant, Jacob Burleson, as well as Gaven Largent, another former reso-guitarist of Blue Highway. It’s a rousing way to close out an energetic look at the last several chapters of the band’s sterling career,
Live at ETSU! A 30-Year Retrospective Event will please longtime fans of Blue Highway and serve as a great introduction to those who aren’t already familiar with their vast body of work. Having recorded over two nights of shows, there’s definitely much more material captured that we haven’t heard. Here’s hoping that we will soon get volume two!
