It’s an anthemic ballad from writers Marc Beeson and Allen Shamblin that is really a litany of social values, the sort that hold communities together all over the world, wishing the best for others and treating others as you would wish to be treated. A distinctly Christian message, one needn’t be a believer to appreciate the sentiment, which is a perfect fit for Adkins whose heart is as big as his shoulders are broad.
Though we don’t see them in the video, the audio track features Aaron McDaris on banjo, Jason Roller on fiddle and guitar, Justin Moses on mandolin and reso-guitar, and Jeff Partin on bass. Dave takes the lead with Magnolia Williams singing harmony.
What we do see is Adkins in a variety of small town settings that exemplify the spirit of the song.
Check it out…
What I’m For is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.
Coming from songwriting veterans Marc Beeson and Allen Shamblin, it shares a series of things and people that form the bedrock of communities all over the world, and Adkins says it really hits him where he lives.
“What I’m For is a song I wish I had written. It says so much about how I feel, and I know a lot of other folks who share the same sentiments. It’s dear to my heart, and I hope everyone loves it like I do!”
Billy Blue A&R Director and producer Jerry Salley said that he was ready to pitch this to Adkins before he had even finished hearing it the first time.
“Marc Besson, an old friend of mine, was performing at a luncheon I was attending, and he sang a song that day that blew me away! What I’m For is a perfectly written song about things we all care about, and feelings we all share.
Before Marc had even finished the song, I was sitting there thinking what a great song it would be for Dave Adkins. Dave absolutely loved it, we recorded it, and it is the title cut of his debut Billy Blue Records album.
His big, soulful voice delivers a strong lyric about a list of things that every single one of us can agree on!”
Supporting Dave in the studio were Aaron McDaris on banjo, Jason Roller on fiddle and guitar, Justin Moses on mandolin and reso-guitar, and Jeff Partin on bass. Magnolia Williams sings harmony with Dave on the track.
Check it out…
What I’m For is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers can grab the track at AirPlay Direct.
Pinecastle Records has released a new single from perennial songstress Dale Ann Bradley, one of the most consistently excellent artists bluegrass has ever produced. It’s her duet with Dave Adkins on the Tom Petty classic, Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.
This isn’t the first time Bradley has hit on Tom Petty for a bluegrass cover, having previously cut his I Won’t Back Down on her Don’t Turn Your Back album in 2009. Here she reprises the single from 1981 of Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around as it was recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. But with a bluegrass twist, of course.
It’s a very thoughtful and respectful adaptation, capturing the sprit of the original, with Tony Wray on banjo and mandolin, Jim Hurst on guitar, Matt Leadbetter on reso-guitar, and Ethan Burkhardt on bass. Kim Fox and Adkins provide harmony.
It’s a good’n…
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, and the full Kentucky For Me album on which it is contained, are available now popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers will find the tracks via Airplay Direct.
Freshly signed with Billy Blue Records, powerhouse bluegrass singer Dave Adkins has his first single release this week with his new label.
He has chosen the Creedence Clearwater Revival classic, Bad Moon Rising, by John Fogerty which was a worldwide hit in 1969. Though it was originally recorded with the twangy rockabilly sound that made CCR so unique in its day, it makes a natural for grassification with its irrepressible beat.
Adkins shared that he got the idea from an earlier bluegrass cut, though he sped it up a bit for his version.
“We took one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite old bands. I got the idea from Curly Ray Cline’s son, Timmy Cline. Timmy’s band recorded the song 30 years ago. We recorded it at 180 bpm and put the ‘drive’ in it. The musicians put everything they had into the track and blistered it! I could not be happier with the way it turned out.
It’s a Dream come true to have Jerry Salley and Billy Blue in my corner!! Hope you all enjoy my favorite cut to date, Bad Moon Rising!”
Support comes from Jason Roller on guitar and fiddle, Aaron McDaris on banjo, Justin Moses on mandolin, and Jeff Partin on bass. Billy Blue A&R man Jerry Salley produced and sang harmony.
Jerry Salley, Dave Adkins, and Ed Leonard at Billy Blue Records
Billy Blue Records has announced the signing of powerhouse Kentucky singer and songwriter Dave Adkins to the label. Adkins has also signed on with Billy Blue Publishing as a songwriter.
Dave has been pursuing a career as a bluegrass bandleader this past 13 years, after a diversion towards rock and country that came following a youth consumed with grass. He has seen chart success with a number of his songs, with two, Change Her Mind and Sold, spending time at #1 on our Bluegrass TodayWeekly Airplay chart.
A cancer diagnosis and the resulting treatment had slowed him down of late, but having successfully beaten it back, Adkins is back at it with a passion, and touring hard and heavy this year.
He says this new record deal feels like a dream come true.
“Signing to Billy Blue Records and getting to work with these wonderful folks is a dream come true. No one can out work the individuals at Billy Blue. Jerry Salley can and will get any job done. I’m so excited! This has been a ‘pinch me’ kind of moment in my career.
I just want to make great music. One of these days when I leave this earth, I hope people look back and say I did pretty good when I was here. I look forward to working with Billy Blue to help me do that.
I cannot wait for others to hear what we have been working on. I’m like a little kid, giddy about what’s to come. The good Lord felt it fit to keep me here, and I take nothing for granted since my diagnosis. I’m determined to lay everything I have out there to be the best person, musician, singer, and songwriter I can be.”
With a huge voice and a personality to match, Adkins consistently wows crowds and wins fans wherever he goes. Here’s a recent video of the Dave Adkins Band doing a song that he has recorded, a grassy version of Alabama’s hit, Dixieland Delight.
With Dave are Bobby Davis on bass, Ari Silver on mandolin, Zach Vickers on banjo, and Layla Contafio on fiddle.
Jerry Salley, A&R Director for Billy Blue, says of their latest signee…
“I have been friends with Dave Adkins for many years now. I know his powerful voice, and have worked with him in the recording studio. I’ve experienced his live performances and witnessed the crowd reaction to his shows. He’s the real deal, and I’ve been hoping that when the time was right, we could work together on a full album project together for Billy Blue. Dave’s talent and personality fit our family of artists perfectly, and our entire team is excited about working with him and representing his dynamic brand of bluegrass music.”
Look for a first single from Dave’s upcoming Billy Blue debut project next week.
While veteran singer, songwriter and guitarist Dave Adkins might insist that we’re all crazy, as the title of his excellent new album for Mountain Fever Records suggests, he ought to give himself a personal pass so he’s not included in that summation. In fact, We’re All Crazy is a smart, compelling, and outstanding example of a sound that makes a solid impression even on the initial listen, and then resonates with a drive and dynamic that brings energy and emotion to full fruition.
Of course, none of this ought to come as any surprise to those that have followed Adkins over the course of a bountiful career. He began making music while still in elementary school, and by the time he was 17, he found himself employed as a musician at Dollywood. A year later, he was proclaimed a Kentucky Colonel – the highest honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky and one which is given to individuals who have made noteworthy accomplishments and given outstanding service to the community, state, or nation.
For a time, Adkins ventured behind a different microphone, and became a successful local deejay. However in 2010, he returned to making music and formed a band, Dave Adkins & Republik Steele. Three years later, he earned a SPBGMA nomination as Male Vocalist of the Year in the Contemporary category. He also made his mark as a successful songwriter, and by the time he signed with Mountain Fever Records and released his first solo album, 2014’s Nothing To Lose, he had made a decisive impression within the bluegrass community. His original composition, Pike County Jail, earned the distinction of becoming the seventh most played song on the Bluegrass Today Top 30 Song list of 2014. The album reaped numerous other distinctions as well.
Several other outstanding efforts followed, but with this new effort, Adkins is clearly at a pinnacle of his career. Every song taps into a different emotion, from the revelry and rejoicing that marks the title track, plus Dixieland Delight (Alabama’s 1983 hit), Bluegrass State of Mind, and Headed for the Hills, to the solace and reflection that’s shared through the tender trappings of Best I’ve Never Been In and Friday Night Jesus.Likewise, the songs that find a middle ground — Cold Hearted Woman and Dear Departed in Particular — also make a distinct impression.That said, Adkins doesn’t manipulate the sentiment for any specific purpose, but rather, he comes across as consistently genuine instead. It’s hard to resist both the joy and desire that emanates from each of these offerings.
As always, Adkins has assembled an astute ensemble to help him convey the music made here. The players include Aaron Ramsey on guitar and harmony vocals, Jeff Partin on bass, dobro and harmony, Will Clark playing mandolin and singing harmony, and Jason Davis on banjo. They give the album a rich reserve of tones and textures that makes this music come alive with an eager exuberance and exhilaration.
Ultimately, We’re All Crazy isn’t the unhinged effort its title might imply. Rather, it’s a competent and cohesive set of songs that’s already a best bet to be included among the best bluegrass entries of the year. And be assured, that’s hardly any kind of a crazy calculation.
Mountain Fever Records has a new single this week for Dave Adkins, the third from his upcoming We’re All Crazy album, due to hit next week.
A native of eastern Kentucky, Dave has been singing bluegrass music since he was in high school. After just a couple of years performing at Dollywood, he was named a Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor given by the Commonwealth, for his artistic achievements. After a brief diversion into country and rock, Adkins has been back with his first musical love for more than a decade.
This latest single is a song he wrote, Cold Hearted Woman, a driving grasser inspired by a chance discussion Adkins overheard. In it a a man used that appellation to describe a woman who seemed to everyone else to be a sweetheart.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about that conversation and him describing her as being so cold-hearted, so I wrote this song. I hope you enjoy it.”
He is supported on the track by Aaron Ramey on guitar, Jason Davis on banjo, Will Clark on mandolin, and Jeff Partin on reso-guitar, bass, and harmony vocals.
Check it out…
The Dave Adkins Band has just finished a swing along the west coast, and is set to perform this weekend at the Musicians Against Childhood Cancer festival in Ohio. The following week they hit Pickin’ in Parsons in West Virginia, The Osborne Brothers Hometown Festival and CamFest in Kentucky, and the Milan Bluegrass Festival in Michigan. You can see all their dates on Dave’s official web site.
It’s offers a more contemporary sound for Adkins, a song from Skip Black, Aaron Goodvin, and Catt Gravitt.
Dave says that the vibe of the song sums up how much he loves his bluegrass music.
“We’re all crazy sums up how I feel about driving across the country to play an hour and a half of music, and by the time we get home, you realize you are just doing it to play! We’re all crazy about something.”
He is supported on the track by Aaron Ramsey on guitar, Jason Davis on banjo, Will Clark on mandolin, and Jeff Partin on bass, reso-guitar, and harmony vocal.
It’s a cover of Alabama’s smash hit Dixieland Delight, which Dave has transformed into a bluegrass song, supported by Aaron Ramsey on guitar, Jeff Partin on reso-guitar and bass, Jason Davis on banjo, and Will Clark on mandolin.
Adkins says that he has had this number in mind to cut for some time.
“I loved Alabama’s Dixeland Delight growing up. I used to say all the time that it was a bluegrass song, it just didn’t know it yet! I tried to make it the way I heard it in my head, and the guys playing on the record did just that. I hope folks like it.”
It makes a terrific bluegrass track, especially with Dave’s giant voice out front. Have a listen below.
In addition to this bluegrass album Dave is working on with Mountain Fever, he has a Gospel record also in process with their sister label, Morning Glory Music. Look for more news about that soon.
One of the most compelling aspects of the bluegrass music scene is the true sense of community that exists throughout. You find it between artists and fans, promoters and artists, radio hosts and listeners, and among all those groups as well. Probably no one is becoming wealthy, but all depend in some way on the fellowship and the income derived from playing and consuming the music.
And here is another wonderful example. Mark Gaynier, who runs the Milan Bluegrass Festival each year in Milan, Michigan, has watched as bluegrass performers have been devastated this year by a nearly complete inability to work. Some artists have or have found other sources of income during the shutdown, but with so many other folks also losing their jobs, gainful employment has been in short supply in many parts of the world.
So Mark has discovered a way to provide opportunities for his bluegrass friends to hold shows, while offering those of us missing live music a chance to hear, and get to know, some of our favorite artists. He will be presenting a series of pay-per-view concerts online, where an unlimited number of people can attend virtually, with interview segments included where the artists can fill us in on how they have been faring during 2020.
And with a low ticket fee of $10, Gaynier says he thinks this can work for everyone.
“For over 20 years I have had the privilege of calling hundreds of bluegrass musicians my friends. The bluegrass community is one big family and I can’t begin to tell you how lucky I feel to be a part of this wonderful group. I look forward to our series of events taking off so that we can continue to support artists that are currently struggling due to the restrictions placed on them by the pandemic.”
To get things started, shows are booked with Dave Adkins on October 10, and Steve Thomas & Time Machine October 17. Both shows will run from 7:30-9:00 p.m., and can be viewed on your computer, smart TV, smart phone or tablet. Advance tickets are available now for either or both concerts, and folks in the central and southeastern US can get a free pass by taking a test drive at any of the six locations of the Low Payment Kings auto dealerships in Ohio, Michigan, or Florida.
Bluegrass radio host Jeff Tuttle will interview the performers each week.
If these first two pay-per-view concerts are popular, Mark is open to continue to host them through the winter. Where else can you get a professionally-run bluegrass show for only $10?
