Mountain Home Music Company has announced the signing of three-time IBMA Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year, Phil Leadbetter, to the label. New recordings with Leadbetter at the helm are expected soon.
A long time veteran of the bluegrass industry, Phil has been involved with some of the top entertainers in our business, including J.D. Crowe, Dale Ann Bradley, Vern Gosdin, and The Whites. As a bandleader, he served as a founding member of both Wildfire and Grasstowne, the latter an association with good friends, Steve Gulley and Alan Bibey.
Phil has not only endured a full life in the music biz, he is a five time cancer survivor, beating the disease time and again through very difficult treatments and therapies. You might even say six times, as he recently underwent surgery to remove malignant skin cancers, though that pales in comparison to his bone marrow transplant ordeal. But through it all, he remains among the most cheerful, upbeat, and positive people you might ever chance to meet, and it is perfectly in keeping with his attitude that he has signed a recording contract while also battling liver disease.
On joining the Mountain Home roster, he had this to say.
“I am so happy to be part of the Mountain Home family. I know quite a few of the artists on the roster there, and I know they are all top notch — and that says a lot about this great label. I’m looking forward to the future!”
For his first project with the label, Leadbetter has assembled a throng of reso masters for a record called Masters of Slide: Spider Sessions, coming soon from Mountain Home.
Jon Weisberger, who serves as a producer and A&R man for the label, was quick to welcome him into the fold.
“I’ve known Phil for a quarter of a century. When he first reached out to me about joining the Mountain Home family, I was thrilled at the prospect of getting him on board. He has earned the respect of so many people in this industry, not only for his determination in the face of challenges, but for his big-hearted enthusiasm for and encouragement of his colleagues young and old — and above all, for his creativity. He’s truly a legend in the music!”
Keep an eye out for more news on the Spider Sessions later this year.
