The Boxcars reunion at Blue Highway Fest 2026 – photo © Sandy Hatley
Blue Highway Fest in Big Stone Gap, Virginia was the place to be last Friday. Festival officials reported the largest single day crowd in Bullitt Park since the festival’s inception five years ago. The anticipation was high throughout the audience as everyone anxiously waited for the long-overdue reunion of The Boxcars.
There was plenty of other great entertainment on hand, including performances by Authentic Unlimited, Rhonda Vincent, The Cleverlys, The Blue Ridge Boys, and a set of fan-voted tunes by host, Blue Highway. However, the biggest buzz was about The Boxcars.
It has been nine years since the group last performed. Taking the stage Friday evening were founding members Adam Steffey on mandolin, Ron Stewart on banjo, John Bowman on fiddle, Keith Garrett on guitar, and Harold Nixon on bass, with Gary Hultman on dobro, who replaced Bowman in 2014 when John left to focus on his ministry. Stewart and Bowman also played other instruments during their show.
A little Boxcars history: The Grammy-nominated band released their debut self-titled album in 2010. At the IBMA Awards in 2011, they received Emerging Artist of the Year and Instrumental Group of the Year. They went on to win Instrumental Group the next two years. In 2012, The Boxcars dropped All In. The following year, It’s Just a Road came out, and their last record, Familiar with the Ground, was released in 2016. The group disbanded in 2017.
MC Cindy Baucom of Knee-Deep in Bluegrass welcomed the band to the stage, “So many folks have been looking forward to this show, myself included.”
Time may have passed, but the members took command of the stage. Performing as if they hadn’t had almost a ten year hiatus, The Boxcars held the audience in the palms of their hands as they launched into a high energy set, playing four straight tunes before uttering a word.
“Oh, Big Stone Gap!”, were the first words spoken. Steffey was up to his usual humorous banter.
“Get you some of that Big Stone Gap. Man, what a pleasure it is for us to be here. I want to thank all you good folks for coming out here to this festival. When they asked us to be a part of it, I said, ‘If everybody else is game, I’m game.’ We’ll dive in here and if we miss it, we’ll miss it loud. We’re here to have fun and hope you guys have fun with us. It’s an honor to be here.”
Introducing his former band mates, he teased about their careers and their ages.
Referencing Garrett…
“He’s been an advanced chemistry teacher for around 68 years now. Little known fact about him, he’s full of that hydroponic acid, those vital mega peptides. Before the show is over, he will moisturize your skin. You will visibly see lines and wrinkles disappear. He’s also got some of that GLP-1. You’ll actually lose some weight while the show is going on.”
Garrett then launched into his composition, December 13.
Steffey then teased Stewart about having an emotional support animal, either a monkey or a pterodactyl. In seriousness, Steffey referenced Stewart’s banjo work as “one of the best right hands and shows no mercy.”
When talking about other band relations, Bowman stated, “We met in 1989,” to which Steffey responded, “We were both in utero then.”
In acknowledging Nixon, Adam petitioned Garrett, “Was it Henry David Thoreau or Chaucer who said, ‘It’s all about the bass?’ Or was it David Allen Coe?”
Garrett acknowledged Steffey as “one of the best in the business.”
Bowman played guitar and sang Southern Train after Steffey gave a nod to Lost & Found originally recording it. Then Bowman picked banjo while Stewart sawed the fiddle on Old Henry Hill, written by Garrett.
The band played many of their classic tunes such as Steffey crooning No Place to Hide, which he recorded with Alison Krauss. Other songs featured the mellow voice of Garrett on I’ve Been Waiting and Cornelia. Bowman offered up the Jerry Reed tune, You Took all the Rambling Out of Me, and they did the gospel number, In God’s Hands. Several from the crowd called for Garrett to sing his original, Jeffrey’s Hell. To their delight, the band complied.
The set passed entirely too quickly and as The Boxcars walked away from the microphones, the entire audience was on their feet demanding more. The band returned to play When the Bluegrass is Covered with Snow. Once the song ended, many of the crowd stood again, not wanting the magic to end.
Steffey was humbled and thanked the fans, saying “We’re tickled to death to be here. It’s a guilty pleasure for us. We’ve had a blast. Thank you for being so patient with us.”
The Boxcars delivered and did not disappoint. The drive, the harmonies, the humor were all back, like it had never left. The only patience required was allowing them to finally exit the stage.
MC Benny Smith from WDVX Radio was also obviously enthralled. “This is something to tell your grandchildren about.”
It was truly a wonderful step back in bluegrass music history.
