Lost Highways & Treasured Memories

Lost Highways & Treasured Memories is the title of the new CD from Tony Holt & The Wildwood Valley Boys.

In true Holt tradition, it features stories of life among the regular folks, told and sung with a sincerity and passion that simply can’t be faked. The music sounds real because it is, and it sounds good for the same reason.

Tony is a strong lead singer in an almost throwback traditional style, but the three part harmony is what really makes the Wildwood Valley Boys spark. Aubrey Holt, Tony’s dad and former member of the Boys From Indiana, provides the tenor vocals, with WVB mandolinist Brad Lambert taking the third part.

In fact, there are many similarities between the sound of the Wildwood Valley Boys and the Boys From Indiana, other than the high harmony. In his liner notes, Bill Yates suggests that you could view WVB as “a re-energized, updated version within the Boys From Indiana tradition.”

Tom Patrick is on bass, Jeff Murray on banjo, Matt Despain on resonator guitar, and Michael Cleveland on fiddle.

The songs are drawn from Tony’s original material and songs from the classic country era. Fans of ’60s country will recognize Buck Owens’ I Know That You Know, Jimmy Skinner’s A Born Ramblin’ Man, and this Bill Anderson gem, reworked from Bill’s quasi-calypso cut.

Get A Little Dirt On Your Hands: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/dirt.mp3]

7 of the 14 tracks are Tony’s, with 1, If I Had My Way, coming from his uncle Tom Holt, also a former Boy From Indiana. Two other standouts are these from Tony.

Cherokee Shame: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/cherokee_shame.mp3]

Just Another Souvenir: [http://traffic.libsyn.com/thegrasscast/souvenir.mp3]

You can hear samples from the entire record at CD Baby, where you can also purchase both the manufactured CD and track downloads.

Great stuff!

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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.