We posted a few months ago about rising country artist Mo Pitney being booked to perform a bluegrass set at the Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass festival this month. Many bluegrass fans know that young Pitney grew up performing in a bluegrass band with his family, and could just as easily be headlining bluegrass festivals as playing amphitheaters on the country scene.
Last week he announced who would be accompanying him at this weekend’s festival. Two members of Ricky Skaggs’ Kentucky Thunder will join him on stage, harmony vocalist Paul Brewster and banjo picker Russ Carson, along with certified pro Mike Bub on bass, and Casey Campbell on mandolin. They will offer up acoustic versions of Mo’s country hits, like Clean Up on Aisle Five and Come Do a Little Life, along with a full set of top bluegrass favorites featuring Pitney on lead vocals and guitar.
Fans who may not have heard Mo with his family will have noted his smooth bluegrass voice on Rickey Wasson’s Croweology project in 2016. That record featured modern re-recordings of classic songs by J.D. Crowe & The New South, with Wasson singing ones made famous by Tony Rice, and Pitney taking the Keith Whitley numbers.
Mo says that he is psyched about the May 19 show.
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass show this year in Sevierville and I am especially excited about playing these songs that made me fall in love with music. The band consists of some of my all-time favorite players. I picked every one of these guys because I have admired their playing for years and I have had the opportunity to sit in a jam with them only to find out they love the same style of bluegrass music as I do and they really know how to play it. This show is going to be an attempt to re-create some of the most impactful music in my early years. This music is the foundation upon which I have built my career as an artist. I am really looking forward to it!”
The Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass festival is a free event, with two days of great music plus championship barbecue and great southern food of every kind. There is plenty of parking downtown and a clean, family-friendly atmosphere right on the main drag.
Find all the pertinent details online.
