Jason Burleson, founding banjo man with Blue Highway, has a new single on his own, a rare but special occurrence in bluegrass music.
It’s one he wrote with his wife, Courtney, called Free To Go, available now online. Studio assistance came from his son, Jacob, currently with Volume Five, on guitar and mandolin, Blue Highway’s Gary Hultman on reso-guitar, and Kameron Keller on bass. Courtney sings the lead, with harmony vocals provided by Grayson Lane, son of Shawn Lane of Blue Highway.
The quiet man of bluegrass, we don’t hear much from Jason, on stage, or in general. He lets his banjo do the talking, just as he does on Free To Go. But he did share a bit about how the song came to be.
“Courtney wrote the lyrics, and I put the melody and arrangement to it. We recorded the basic track at Maggard Sound in Big Stone Gap with Alan Maggard engineering. Gary and Grayson did their parts at home and sent them in. Jim Price mixed and mastered. Everyone did an outstanding job, and it turned out even better than we expected!
We’re really proud of it, and I can’t wait for people to hear it.”
Here’s a brief sample Jason provided. Sounds like a crackerjack of a bluegrass number.
Have a listen.
Free To Go is available now from popular download and streaming services online, and to radio programmers via Get It Played.
