Jason Barie with Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers – photo © LuAnn Smith
Anyone who follows Radio Ramblers fiddle man Jason Barie on Facebook knows that he has been working on a new solo project since last year. Jason has been very generous with his followers, sharing snippets from the recording process all along the way, as well as photos.
The noted fiddler has spent his entire adult life in bluegrass, working for some of the top performers in our business. His face, and fiddle, should be familiar from stints with Larry Stephenson, Carolina Road, Bobby Osborne, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. These days he travels with Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers, who work as aggressive a schedule as anyone in the music.
Well today comes news that he has singed a deal with Nashville’s Billy Blue Records to release the album in September, which bears the name Jason Barie as the Ramblin’ Fiddler starring in Pieces.
It started as an effort by Barie to capture some original fiddle pieces in his home studio. Calling on friends he has made after many years working as a professional bluegrass musician for assistance, he began to realize that something special was happening. That convinced him to include some vocal material for balance, so again reaching out to friends in the biz, he created some intriguing pairings, like Del McCoury and Paul Williams singing a duet on the Hank Williams classic, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, and Doyle Lawson and
Barie says that Billy Blue, formed this time last year by a pair of experienced Nashville pros, is a perfect home for him.
“I’m excited to be a part of the Billy Blue team. Ed Leonard and Jerry Salley are exceptional business minds and are just as creative in figuring out ways to present music to the world. They have been gracious to give me a platform that allows me to express my musical creativity and to showcase my original material. They have been open to not only the music that was produced but also to new and different ways of presenting the album to the masses, which also includes a unique cover design, an alter persona, and all the way down to how we promote it. I am most humbled by this opportunity and for the gamble that they are willing to take on me as an artist. I am grateful.”
A September 6 release is scheduled for Jason Barie as the Ramblin’ Fiddler starring in Pieces.
Billy Blue Creative and A&R Director, Jerry Salley, is equally high on their new signee.
“Jason is one of the most beloved and skilled players in the genre. This project is truly special, really a remarkable journey. Jason is an ideal addition to the Billy Blue Records family. He is all about innovation, skill, creativity and positivity. That’s what we like around here.”
The record will include 7 new tunes of Jason’s, plus six vocal songs.
