It’s been a while since we’ve seen a bluegrass band explode onto the scene like Carolina Blue. In a few short years, we’ve watched them go from a regional group performing in their native western North Carolina, to a headline act with multiple hits on the charts.
Tim Jones and Bobby Powell have been playing together since 2007, when they released an album of their original songs called Nothing So Blue. Since that time, the group has gotten consistently more polished, while retaining a focus on hard-edged, traditional bluegrass. Though the current band has been together several years, their upcoming project with Billy Blue Records, Take Me Back, will be the first recording with this lineup.
Billy Blue is releasing a debut single tomorrow, Grown Cold, which showcases the raw power and vocal virtuosity Carolina Blue exemplifies. As Jones tells us, it has a bit of the Del about it, which is always a good thing.
“Grown Cold is one written by my buddy, Bobby Powell, and he did a fine job with it. It is right up the traditional alley for Carolina Blue, and everything we embody. I’ve been on a Del McCoury kick as of late, so I was inspired for hitting some of that falsetto stuff. I believe it would make Monroe proud, and I sure hope all our friends will enjoy it.”
Tim is on mandolin and lead vocal, with Bobby on guitar, Reese Combs on bass, James McDowell on banjo, and Aynsley Porchak on fiddle. These folks pick and sing as fine as they dress, with their distinctive vintage attire and period-correct headwear.
Grown Cold will be widely available on March 20 at your favorite download and streaming services. Radio programmers will find it tomorrow at AirPlay Direct.
Look for Take Me Back to hit mid-June. And keep an eye out for Carolina Blue when touring resumes again this spring.
