Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers to Billy Blue

During this past weekend’s Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, show hosts Joe Mullins & The Radio Ramblers made a special announcement from the stage.

Joe called Jerry Salley out to join them, in his position as Creative and A&R Director of Billy Blue Records in Nashville. Jerry was on hand at the festival as an invited performer, doing a special set with fellow songwriters and singers Carl Jackson, Bradley Walker, and Larry Cordle, but in this occasion, Salley was wearing his BBR cap.

He announced to the audience that Joe and The Ramblers have signed with Billy Blue, and will be recording their next project with the label, a new company launched earlier this year by Ed Leonard and Daywind Music Group. The goal of Billy Blue is to find and sign exciting bluegrass acts, just as with Leonard’s other new venture, Billy Jam Records, which will focus on alt-grass and Americana artists. Both companies work under the motto, “We’re here to play!”

In expressing his pleasure with this new relationship, Mullins also shared praise for his prior label partners, Rebel Records.

“As a musician, radio programmer and by having some retail and marketing experience, I became acquainted with the Daywind Corporation years ago and have always been impressed. With the passion and enthusiasm of Jerry Salley, I think this new label’s future is really bright. The entire Billy Blue Records team is poised to assist bluegrass artists in gaining new listeners. It’s also a very unique time in how music is sold and consumed, and they are ‘all in’ for making certain bluegrass is in front of all types of audiences. And just like Billy Blue Records, JMRR is ‘here to play.’

I made friends with Dave and Mark Freeman and Rebel Records at age 25. I’m grateful for all of their encouragement and assistance in presenting 6 Radio Ramblers albums over the past 8 years. As the oldest and one of the most respected bluegrass music labels, I am very proud of what we have accomplished together.”

No word yet on when a new Radio Ramblers project may be forthcoming.

You can watch the actual announcement from SOIMF here.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.