Danny Paisley on Danny Stewart’s January Bluegrass Cruise – photo by Janice Bailey Travis
In the midst of a severe mid-winter polar blast and snowfall, several hundred lucky members of the bluegrass community were able to take a break from the winter weather by attending/performing on Danny Stewart’s Bluegrass Cruise to the Bahamas, January 16-20.
Approximately 350 bluegrass fans boarded Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas for four nights and five days of great music, much nicer weather, and first class treatment.
Stewart shared, “This year’s cruise was probably the best one we’ve had so far out of the fifteen years I’ve been doing this, based on the way the ship was laid out. All the bands did a stellar job. Tennessee Bluegrass Band knocked it out of the park. A lot of people were talking about them, and my new MC, Kelle Perry. They liked all the bands. Fast Track was awesome. Danny Paisley always nails it. Valerie Smith did a great job. Monroe Crossing brings the most people from Minnesota. It’s cold and they want to get out, sail on the seas, and get some sunshine. And Sideline is always a staple. It’s really a good homey feeling. It’s like a big bluegrass family reunion.”
This was the first cruise for the Tennessee Bluegrass Band, and their mandolinist, Tim Laughlin, weighed in. “We’ve had a great time. We’re glad to be here. We appreciate Danny having us. All the fans here have just been great.”
Guitarist and 18-year-old vocalist of TBB, Jacob Sheffield, added, “It’s been a lot of fun. We got to meet a lot of new people and see some familiar faces. We got to hear a lot of good bluegrass music this week. There’s a lot of things to do here so it was a good time overall. I’ve enjoyed playing music, getting to jam some late into the night, and getting to jam with some of the guys like Dale Perry.”
Josiah Sheffield, Jacob’s older brother and TTB bassist, teased on stage that this was his third cruise. The first he went on was to the Canary Islands, but said that he didn’t see any canaries. It became a running joke throughout the remainder of the cruise if he’d seen any canaries.
Skip Cherryholmes of Sideline, who also performed on stage, is also a veteran. “I’ve been doing bluegrass cruises my whole life and Danny and Christa have the most well put together bluegrass cruise I’ve ever been on. They certainly give their patrons their money’s worth while also going out of their way to accommodate all of the bands.”
In addition to all the live entertainment and late night jams, there were also workshops. Ryan Paisley led one on the mandolin, Mark Anderson on the bass, Valerie Smith on vocals, and Lincoln Hensley on the banjo. Participants of the latter were excited to go home having learned the famed Sonny Osborne “jello” lick.
Stewart concluded…
“Going forward, I’m going to be doing another cruise next year out of Florida, right around the same time with different bands. I’d love to have all the bands back, but I’ve got to keep the rotation going.
We’re going to be cruising out of Seattle in August, too. I’m also going to be building my 2027 cruise in July. You’ve got to stay way ahead of it. I know 2027 seems like it’s far away, but you really have to stay ahead or I won’t be able to get the rooms that I need and the group space to make it all happen.”
A fun time was had by all. To get in on the action, visit Danny Stewart’s Bluegrass Cruise online and explore his upcoming events.
