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.
The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY celebrated their initial John Hartford Days earlier this month, with a number of artists performing in honor of the great man who left us with so much music when he died in 2001.
On hand over the two days (January 31-February1) were the Sam Bush Band, Jamie Hartford, Rodney Dillard, Mike Compton, Alison Brown, Jim Lauderdale, Showman & Coole of the Lonesome Ace Stringband, and Oh Me Oh My featuring Simontacchi, Long, Bub, and Cobb.
Members of the public could enjoy concerts each evening, attend jam sessions during the day, and visit the Museum with all its exhibits about the history of our music.
Hall of Fame Executive Director Adam Engelhardt tells us that all went well.
“The John Hartford Days at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum was a resounding success, celebrating the legacy of one of bluegrass music’s most innovative artists and Hall of Famers. The energy, talent, and enthusiasm from both performers and attendees truly embodied John Hartford’s adventurous spirit. We’re proud to honor his influence and grateful to everyone who made this event so special. We’re already discussing making this an annual tradition!”
Thanks to Erin Rouse at the Museum for sharing these images, taken by Chad Gesser.
Ohio bluegrass fiddler Larry Leaver died on January 26 with his family by his bedside. He was 77 years of age.
Larry was born in May 21, 1947 in Wooster, Ohio. After graduation he served two years in the US Army during the Vietnam war (1966-1968). He went to work as a boilermaker in ’69 for Babcock & Wilcox, and stayed with them for 30 years. Throughout this time, and following his retirement in 2005, Larry played as much bluegrass as he could find time for.
A life long bluegrass fan, Leaver has a grandmother, Merle Henthorn, who was a fiddler, and he grew up watching her play.
Over the years he figured in a number of prominent bands in the Ohio/Kentucky region, starting out with Landon Walker & the Pioneer Mountain Boys. Later he joined up with the Stone Mountain Boys, and performed all over Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana, including frequent appearances on the Wheeling Jamboree on WWVA.
In the 1980s Larry was a member of The Bluegrass Mountaineers, and later Andy Hamilton & the East Kentucky Grass. After leaving his job with Babcock & Wilcox he began traveling more for work with the Boilermaker’s Union, but did play some with The Kentucky Club.
Once he finally retired it was all bluegrass, all the time. He loved attending bluegrass festivals and jams, and played with a number of groups in Ohio like The Blantons, Andy Hamilton, and Mike Gorrell & Nortwest Territory. A special treat was filling in a few times with Tony Holt & the Wildwood Valley Boys, where his son Brian was on banjo.
Larry appeared on a good many recordings during his life, and released his own solo project, Generations, in 2017 with assistance from his son Brian on banjo, and Michael Cleveland, Tony Holt, Aaron Bibelhauser, Kent Todd, Brian Allen, Lynn Manzenberger, Josh Richard, and Richard Torstrick.
It was a source of pride for Larry to see his son become an accomplished and respected bluegrass musician, and he loved spending time with his grandson, Quentin.
Leaver will be remembered not only as a fine fiddler in the traditional style, but as a good friend to many in the bluegrass community as well. His warm smile and welcoming nature will be missed by all who knew him.
With a name like Tidalwave Road, you might expect a group to be from along the Atlantic or Pacific coastline. But no, this contemporary bluegrass quartet comes from Williamsburg in southeastern Kentucky, and they have that hard mountain sound.
Ben Parker is on banjo and lead vocals, Carlie Parker on mandolin and harmony vocals, Robert Sulfridge on guitar, and Daniel Parker on bass. It was Carlie who gave the band their name, having grown up on Tidal Wave Road in Rockholds, KY. He thought it was a cool name for a band, and he was right.
Signed now to Pinecastle Records, Tidalwave Road has a new single, a song from Rick Lang and Jeff Daugherty called Low Down & Lonesome, about how a breakup can have very different impacts on the two lives involved.
Speaking jointly, they say of this song…
“Low Down & Lonesome tears open the circle of emotions that a couple goes through as their relationship ends. As one heart feels emptiness to the point of almost succumbing to death from an unexpected broken heart, then rising to the top of a mountain with a new love, the other heart starts out happy and tumbles to sadness.
We were immediately attracted to this song. Drop D tuning has always been conducive to Ben and Carlie’s vocals, and the melody gave us freedom to explore the bluesy side of bluegrass with our instrumentation.”
Have a listen…
Low Down & Lonesome is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
Fiddle man and vocalist Jason Carter is stepping away from the Del McCoury Band after 33 years to focus on his soaring solo career. He is also vacating his spot with The Travelin’ McCourys, which is the same group, with Cody Kilby swapped out for Del.
Press for Jason’s 2022 solo project, Lowdown Hoedown, was universally positive, as was the response from the public and bluegrass radio. That, along with the strong reaction to three recent singles from an upcoming duo album with Michael Cleveland, Carter & Cleveland, have given him the confidence to stake out a claim and pursue music under his own name.
In a comprehensive statement this morning, Jason explains why now is the time to put away his sideman’s cap and start leading his own band, as he says goodbye to the first family of bluegrass.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to spend the last 33 years making music with The Del McCoury Band. After a considerable amount of thought, I’ve decided to say my farewell to Del and the Travelin’ McCourys in order to pursue my solo career as The Jason Carter Band.
I feel so much gratitude to these guys for nearly a lifetime of education in bluegrass music. I consider them to be not only the best musicians in the world, but the finest people you’d ever meet, and I couldn’t have picked a better boss or co-workers to be on this bluegrass journey with.
From the moment I heard Del, I wanted to play in his band. At first, I played guitar and mandolin. I talked so much about playing with Del as a kid that eventually my Dad had to tell me that Del’s sons played banjo and mandolin and Del was the guitar player, so if I wanted to be in this band, I would probably have to learn fiddle or bass, and we had a fiddle at the house. I was so obsessed with his music that every day of my senior year in high school, my mother drove me to school and we’d listen to I Feel The Blues Moving In. That song was the perfect length of time to go from our driveway to the doorstep of the school.
When I graduated high school, I realized the chances of even being in the same place as Del and his band were slim to none because they lived in Pennsylvania and I lived in Kentucky. I wound up getting a job with the Goins Brothers right out of high school and six months later, in February 1992, we were in Nashville at the same festival as Del. Tad Marks was the fiddle player in his band and he told me that the McCourys were moving to Nashville and he wasn’t making the move. He knew that I wanted his job and he encouraged me to go talk to Del. So I gave Del my number and a couple weeks later he called our home. He said I was the first to ask for the job so I was the first to get to try out if I wanted to. I’ve been there ever since.
I have to give a huge thank you to the band for practically molding me into the player I am today. Del never told me that I had to play a song a certain way; he always encouraged me to play it how I felt. In those days he would drive the bus, and there were many nights I would ride shotgun all night and play fiddle trying to learn solos to his songs. Del would sing melodies to me and I would try to play them back to him. I can’t begin to list all the experiences that we had, but I’m extremely proud of every moment. We played everything from college town bars to Carnegie Hall, and the biggest festivals in the world. I’m so proud of all the music that we played together.
I also feel I owe a lot to the guys in the Travelin’ McCourys. I’m extremely grateful to be able to have been part of that band since the beginning. I’m very much excited to watch their growth and all they will accomplish, too. I’ll be their biggest cheerleader!
Not long ago, I realized that when Del made the move to Nashville in 1992 and I started with his band, he was close to the same age I am now. This is just another example of how I have been inspired by Del McCoury. At this point in time, I feel that everything in my world is pointing me in the direction of starting my own band and pursuing my solo career. After releasing my latest solo record, Lowdown Hoedown, I have really enjoyed touring and fronting my own shows. I have a new record coming out with my friend, Michael Cleveland, in March, and I’m very excited about playing some shows with him. And, I’m preparing to begin recording my second solo project very soon. I am so excited about this new chapter and for the chance to share my own music with the world.”
Over the weekend, Jason played the Grand Ole Opry with Michael Cleveland, performing their latest single, With aVamp in the Middle. Helping out were Bryan Sutton on guitar, Cory Walker on banjo, Harry Clark on mandolin, and Alan Bartram on bass and harmony vocal.
Judging by that audience reaction, Jason is on solid ground.
Carter has announced some early dates for 2025, with many more sure to be added.
February 20 – Nashville, TN;The Station Inn with Michael Cleveland
February 21 – Fort Meyers, FL; Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center with Michael Cleveland
April 2 – Savannah, GA; Ships Of The Sea Maritime Museum with Michael Cleveland
June 14 – Lake Cowichan, BC, Canada; Cowichan Valley Bluegrass Festival
September 12 – Louisville, KY; Bourbon & Beyond with Michael Cleveland
September 14 – Flagstaff, AZ; Pickin’ In The Pines with Michael Cleveland
Wayne Erbsen has dedicated his whole professional life to playing, teaching, broadcasting, and writing about traditional mountain music. As a professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville, he has taught and performed old time and bluegrass music, hosted Country Roots for three decades on Blue Ridge Public Radio, and written a total of 38 books, most of them music instruction manuals.
Each chapter includes a number of concise biographies of important figures whose contributions are worth noting, some based on interviews Wayne has conducted with them, in person. Some are obvious; Earl Scruggs in the banjo chapter and Fiddlin’ Arthur Smith in fiddling, but many reach way back to very early artists, or take a look at young artists who are making a mark today.
Especially tasty is the second appendix, which is titled “Quickies,” featuring more than 50 brief snippets about individuals, songs, and experiences the author has chosen to insert.
Anyone with an interest in the history of the music of the southern Appalachian region will find Southern Mountain Music either a sterling resource, or an entertaining read, as you may prefer. One would expect to find this book on the reading list of Appalachian Studies programs all over the southeast.
With a Foreword by Tim Stafford, this is a “can’t lose” volume that belongs in the library of anyone with a passion for traditional mountain music.
Southern Mountain Music is available directly from the publisher, and from many online resellers.
Modern bluegrass heroes The Steeldrivers have always been heavy on the blues in their original music, going back to their days with founding member Chris Stapleton, who is now putting his bluesy sound into the country scene.
Now they’ve gone all the way, signing with Memphis-based Sun Records, the legendary label that recorded blues icons like Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, and Little Milton before hitting it big with Elvis Presley and moving towards rock ‘n’ roll and country artists like Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. Though under new ownership since those glory days under founder Sam Phillips, they remain a prominent and influential force in the music business.
Steeldrivers bassist Mike Fleming says that the whole band is psyched to join up with such a legendary name.
“As The SteelDrivers celebrate the 20th year of their musical odyssey, I cannot imagine a finer coupling for our new recording than the iconic Sun Records.”
Fiddler and vocalist Tammy Rogers adds that they are all walking a little taller since the signing.
“We’re excited to partner with a true icon. Sun Records definitely has the ‘cool’ factor!”
Chase Gregory, Sun Records Senior Director of A&R/Sync, warmly welcomes The Steeldrivers into the fold of the newly reactivated label.
“The founder of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, and his successor, Shelby Singleton, both had a knack for recording and releasing great music across a diverse array of genres. While the sounds vary from artist to artist, one thing ties it all together: ingenuity.
Now under its third owner, Primary Wave, Sun has risen and is releasing great new music again for the first time in decades. We are thrilled to welcome The SteelDrivers to the Sun Records family! They are emblematic of Sun’s Americana roots, and we are honored to help them celebrate 20 years as a group.”
A new album is already finished, bearing the title Outrun, with a May 23 release expected from Sun. No word yet on when a first single might drop, though we do have this brief tease.
Sun Records has started a mailing list for folks who want to receive updates about Outrun. Simply sign up on their web site.
DC bluegrass power couple Wally Hughes and Lisa Kay Howard-Hughes, known to many friends as Wallisa, have announced that they are leaving Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike after 11 years touring and recording with the group.
Smith so enjoyed the band she had assembled, all of them capitol-area pickers, that she moved to the area as well.
Wally played fiddle and reso-guitar, and Lisa Kay the mandolin, both singing harmony with Val, and both insist that they have nothing but the deepest fondness for her going forward.
Lisa Kay tells us that…
“We have truly had a wonderful experience performing with Valerie all over the country and beyond. So many great opportunities! We consider her to be a dear friend and wish her all the best going forward. Getting to sing with her is one of my favorite things.”
Wallys adds how much he enjoyed one of his Liberty Pike band mates in particular.
“For many of those years, we had the honor of performing with the venerable Tom Gray, who was one of my inspirations for playing music, and a hero of mine on the stage and river. Watching Tom stand up in his canoe to check the rapids ahead, or hearing his bass lines on a solo or backup, puts me in awe.”
Valerie wishes them both the best, and thanks them for all the good times.
“Lisa Kay Howard-Hughes and Wally Hughes will be moving on from Liberty Pike in the immediate future. It’s been almost 11 years together and we’ve had an amazing run.
When I needed a touring band on the East Coast in 2014, Lisa and Wally and Joe Zauner and Tom Gray stepped up and took me in. We’ve been to nearly half the States and several foreign countries, and recorded a number of cuts which have received solid radio play over the years. Most of all, we became the best of friends.
In bluegrass music, keeping a touring band together for 11 years is just short of miraculous. I’ve been very blessed and I wish them all the best.
All good things come to an end, but our memories live on. These folks were an integral part of one of my best configurations after 35 years of touring. Wishing them the best of luck in music and in life!
Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike will see you on the road and on the radio this Spring and beyond.”
Wally and Lisa Kay plan to keep active in bluegrass, both with their band Level Best, which also includes James Field, Ed Lick, and Joe Hannabach, with whom they will tour Europe this summer, and with a new outfit they are starting called the Howard/Hughes Project, which is headed to Ireland in April.
Remedy Tree is a young bluegrass band from north Florida who have been turning heads all over the southeastern US this past few years with their fresh sound and strong original material. While their widespread prominence may be new, the group has been at it since 2015, helmed by Gabriel and Abigail Acevedo, with a mix of folk and contemporary bluegrass that wins over audiences wherever they perform.
Newly signed to Mountain Fever Records, they have a debut single on offer, Beyond What I Can See, which Gabriel wrote snd sings, one he says is about searching and reaching for what you seek.
“Beyond What I Can See is a song about longing. It speaks to the ups and downs of chasing a dream and the struggles and sadness that come with it at times. Anxiety can creep in, and self-doubt can run amuck. Still in the end, that place beyond the horizon, still calls to you, and the race is never ending.”
With Gabriel on guitar and lead vocal, and Abigail on bass, support comes from bandmates Nathan Beaumont on banjo and Bryce Griffin on mandolin, plus guest fiddler Jason Carter. Bryce and Abigail sing harmony.
Have a listen and see if you don’t hear what so many people have warmed to in Remedy Tree.
Beyond What I Can See is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.
ETSU boasts the oldest and largest four year degree program in this sort of music, launched by Jack Tottle in 1982. Since that time they have graduated dozens of students now working professionally in the music industry around the world.
The Artist in Residence position is a one-year, full time, non-tenure track opportunity for an experienced and celebrated bluegrass performer to work with students in a variety of settings. Renewal for a second year is a possibility.
The primary duties of the Artist In Residence are to produce and share live and/or recorded musical work, mentor students in private instruction and collaboration, and promote the Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Program throughout the duration of their employment.
Artists In Residence will have access to all of the resources of the program in order to support their activities, including state-of-the-art performance and recording spaces, the prodigious Archives of Appalachia (which include nearly 90,000 recordings), and dedicated teaching areas.
Detailed activities and expectations will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate but may include some of the following: a performance residency at a local venue; workshops or masterclasses within the program and community; band leadership and mentorship; public lectures, performances, or collaborative presentations; written or musical publications; course development and instruction in the candidate’s area of expertise.
If the successful candidate is a noted instrumentalist, they will be asked to provide private lessons, or vocal coaching if known as a singer. Likewise if a songwriter, coaching students in composing songs.
Some criteria for consideration include:
Professional-level musical ability and experience
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
Up-to-date and experiential knowledge of the bluegrass music industry
Ability to promote the program to a wide range of audiences
Ability to coach instrumentalists and/or vocalists from beginner through advanced levels
Ability to help prepare students for careers as bluegrass music professionals
Ability to develop effective teaching materials for university instruction
Commitment to foster a collegial learning environment in which equity, inclusion, and innovation are encouraged
Previous Artists in Residence at ETSU in the bluegrass program include Brittany Haas, Mike Compton, and current AIR, Tim Stafford.
Preferred qualifications are listed as:
Top-level industry involvement and accolades as demonstrated by award nominations, artistic collaborations, noteworthy performances, broad fanbases, recordings, publications, instructional materials, and other accomplishments. Previous teaching experience, whether in a private studio or at an institution, is a plus.
The university offers a competitive salary with health and life insurance benefits.
Program Director Dan Boner has created this video to explain the Artist in Residence position.
The good people who have been running the Doc & Rosa Lee Watson MusicFest since 1998 are asking the wider bluegrass and old time music community for help getting things ready for their 2025 event, scheduled for July in Sugar Grove, NC.
The site of the festival, the historic Cove Creek School, was badly damaged by the floodwaters following Hurricane Helene at the end of September 2024. Festival Chair Danny Platt tells us that they are working hard to get everything restored, but that uncertainties about insurance and county commitments, not to mention the difficulties of finding contractors with so much destruction across the region, leave them in need of some help.
This is another example of how hurricane damage along the Blue Ridge has hit the old time and bluegrass community especially hard, a population already dealing with a scarcity of resources.
Danny created this video to explain the position they are in, and plead their case for assistance.
The Cove Creek Preservation & Development organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity, so all donations are tax deductible.
If you can help with a contribution of any size, visit the Doc & Rosa Lee Watson MusicFest fundraising page online.
