Turnberry Records has a debut single for Darren Beachley, the initial offering from an upcoming project that will mark his first solo effort in more than a decade.
Beachley has enjoyed a stellar career in bluegrass, from his time playing reso-guitar with Bill Harrell & The Virginians as a young man in Maryland, to being lead singer and guitarist for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver from 2005-2009. From there he formed a popular group called Darren Beachley & Legends of the Potomac, which included such names as Mike Auldridge on reso, Tom Grey on bass, Norman Wright on mandolin, and Mark Delaney on banjo.
The Legends signed with Patuxent Records and released an album, Takeoff, but the group eventually disbanded when Darren took a demanding job in medical administration at Frederick Memorial Hospital. He popped back up a few years ago with Linda Lay’s group, and is now ready to pursue his music career once again having signed with Turnberry last fall.
This first single is New Ballard Branch, a nice medium tempo number written by Eli Johnston and Kevin McKinnon, which is well served by Darren’s familiar voice. He says that it grabbed him when he heard the demo.
“Like a lot of bluegrass songs, it’s a love story gone wrong. I really like it because the melody line and chord changes are totally different than most things I’ve heard.”
He is supported by an all-star studio band made up of Clay Hess on guitar, Scott Vestal on banjo, Alan Bibey on mandolin, Curt Vestal on bass, and Stephen Burwell on fiddle. Beachley provides his reso-guitar as well.
Check it out…
New Ballard Branch from Darren Beachley is available now at popular streaming services online. A full length album, The Road Not Taken, is expected later this year.
