The Bluegrass Brothers have become favorites wherever super hard-driving traditional bluegrass music is in fashion. The Virginia band has been performing together since 1989, and despite numerous personnel changes over the years, the one constant was always Victor Dowdy on bass and lead vocals and his brother Robert Dowdy on banjo.
In recent years, Victor’s sons Donald and Steven Dowdy have joined the group making it a real family affair. After working regionally in the Mid-Atlantic area for may years, the Brothers went full time when they began enjoying tremendous popularity in Florida and California, which required Robert and Victor to resign from their long-time day jobs. The Dowdys have been working a rigorous travel schedule ever since, along with Victor’s boys and Billy Hurt on fiddle, an original member who returned to play fiddle two years ago.
It seems that the road life hasn’t agreed with Robert, who left the band not long ago to pursue an electrician’s job with Norfolk & Southern railroad in Roanoke. Brandon Farley is now playing banjo, and The Bluegrass Brothers have a new CD due out in May.
You might think that a name change is in order now that Robert and Victor have split, but don’t forget that Steven and Donald are still bluegrass brothers!
