Alan Bibey & Grasstowne to Billy Blue Records

Billy Blue Records in Nashville has announced the signing of Alan Bibey & Grasstowne to the label.

Bibey met with principals Jerry Salley and Ed Leonard during SPBGMA weekend, and toured the Billy Blue facilities, coming away with a confident belief that this was a good move for him and the band. The work Jerry and Ed have done of late with acts like Appalachian Road Show, Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver convinced Alan that he had found a good home.

“We are thrilled to be joining Ed Leonard and Jerry Salley as well as the entire Billy Blue family. I’ve always been a huge fan of Jerry’s singing and songwriting. The great success of Billy Blue Records in a relatively short amount of time is quite remarkable but not surprising if you know these folks. We are honored to be a part of this organization and really excited about the new music we will be creating in this partnership.”

Though he has been near the top among bluegrass mandolinists since hitting the scene with New Quicksilver in 1986, and again with IIIrd Tyme Out in 1991, Al has seen a strong surge in popularity in this past few years. He was named the IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year in 2019, and Mandolin Performer of the Year earlier this month by SPBGMA, as he had the two prior years as well. Grasstowne’s recent Gospel project, Gonna Rise & Shine, sent a number of songs to the top of our Bluegrass Today charts, and has thrilled audiences since tracks began releasing in 2018.

Jerry Salley, who serves as A&R/Creative Director for Billy Blue, says that they are ready to get to work soon on new music with this talented artist.

“Bluegrass veteran, Alan Bibey, is easily one of the very best mandolin players in our genre of all time. It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with such a talent and with his incredible band, Grasstowne, one of the top groups in our industry.

We are very excited about our musical journey together and are making plans for new music to be released very soon.” 

Grasstowne also includes Zak McLamb on bass, Justin Jenkins on banjo, and Tony Watt on guitar.

We’ll be sure to update when more Alan Bibey & Grasstowne news hits from Billy Blue.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2004 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.