Randy Carrier passes

Clarence Randall Carrier, known to friends and family as Randy, passed away on August 12 at the age of 70.

A Bristol, VA native, Randy had been involved in bluegrass music much of his life, playing mandolin in east Tennessee, and on a national scale with artists like Cliff Waldron & The New Shades of Grass, Carl Story, and Betty Fisher in the 1970s and ’80s. He continued to perform throughout his life in top regional groups in the Tri-Cities area, particularly the III Day Resurrection Band. He was also a regular performer at the Boones Creek Opry.

Randy composed a number of bluegrass Gospel songs, including this one, I’d Give Up Earthly Riches, recorded with III Day in 2014.

Outside of music, Carrier worked as a rural mail route carrier, though he had retired from that career. For the past two decades he served as minister of Pinecrest Christian Church in Jonesborough, TN and had been very active in Scottish Rite Freemasonry in his area.

In a particularly unfortunate twist of fate, Randy and his wife Sandy both died from complications of COVID-19 just four days apart, and were buried together on August 17 in a private ceremony. They will both be remembered in a celebration of life service on September 12 at Tetrick Funeral Home in Elizabethton. The family will receive visitors at 3:00 p.m. with the service beginning at 4:00.

R.I.P., Randy Carrier.

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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.