Elmer Burchett Archives - Bluegrass Today

Photos from the Elmer Burchett benefit concert

Elmer Burchett at his Cancer Benefit concert (2/23/24) – photo © Roger Black

Shayne Bartley, Junior Sisk, Elmer Burchett, and Tucker McCandless (2/23/24) – photo © Roger Black

Friday night, February 23, saw a number of bluegrass music stars, family and friends come together in the Farmers Market in Mt. Vernon, Kentucky. The event was a fundraiser to help out a friend and a former band mate, Elmer Burchett. Elmer has been battling cancer and just finished his last round of chemotherapy.

Those on hand included Junior Sisk, Gary Brewer, Junior Williams, Jake Vanover, Randy Barnes, and a host of other musicians, friends, and family. Elmer played the banjo with a number of groups that performed at the event.

Spanning an extensive career Elmer has played with a number of great bands including Santa Cruz, Gary Brewer and the Kentucky Ramblers, Don Rigsby, and more recently with Sturgill Simpson. He seemed to be doing pretty well, but he still has a ways to go.

Those in a position to do so can contribute to his medical expenses via Venmo (@banjoman65).

We hope you will keep him in your prayers.

Cancer benefit for Elmer Burchett on Friday

Photos of Elmer Burchett © Ted Lehmann

Noted Kentucky banjo player and lifelong bluegrass sideman Elmer Burchett has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Bluegrass lovers know his work from touring and recording with Ronnie Bowman, Dale Ann Bradley, Don Rigsby, Gary Brewer, Pine Mountain Railroad, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Wyatt Rice & Santa Cruz, and several others. Also a talented songwriter, his credits have appeared on projects for Steve Gulley, Terry Baucom, Grasstowne, Ralph Stanley II, and Melonie Cannon.

Fortunately, survival rates for this form of cancer are quite good, but the costs for radiation treatment and ongoing monitoring are not insubstantial. At 58 years of age, we hope to see Elmer with us for quite some time. Still, friends have helped organized a benefit show to help with medical expenses, and it is scheduled for this Friday, February 23, at the Rockcastle County Farmers Market Building (180 Richmond St) in Mt Vernon, KY, in the central part of the state.

It is expected to be something of a band scramble situation, with everyone in the region joining in to provide entertainment. So whether you want to pick, or just offer some support for Elmer while he’s dealing with cancer, come on down at 7:00 p.m.

Burchett says that he has just completed radiation treatment, and will continue hormone therapy this next three years. At this point he is getting better day by day, and expects to be at the show on Friday.

Those unable to attend but who may wish to contribute something can do so via Venmo (@banjoman65).

I’m sure we all wish Elmer the very best in beating prostate cancer, and look forward to seeing him on stage again soon.

Auditions for Elmer’s General Store

We’ve followed the launch of The Banjo Cellar and Elmer’s General Store in Williamstown, KY over the past year, both businesses with a bluegrass theme.

They were established by Elmer Burchett and Megan McKamey, a pair of banjo pickers who saw an opportunity in Williamstown with the building, and now opening, of The Ark Encounter, a full-size replica of Noah’s Ark just outside of town. Elmer and Megan purchased two buildings in downtown Williamstown and have been reconditioning them along the same schedule as the Ark park, figuring that having them ready when the crowds arrived would put them in a good position.

And so it has.

The long-awaited influx of visitors began this summer, and The Banjo Cellar, a retail music store and lesson studio, and Elmer’s General Store, an old time soda fountain restored to it’s prior glory, are doing a bang-up business with the tourist trade. So much so, that they are planning all-day bluegrass entertainment starting in October.

To that end, they are holding auditions now, and inviting bluegrass and Gospel entertainers to submit electronic press kits to be considered for a position. Ideal candidates would be bands located close to Williamstown looking for full-time, everyday work. The gig will be very much like theme park work, playing alternating shifts with other artists throughout the day.

Megan tells us that the key word is “entertainers.” They are looking for performers who know how to engage an audience and make them part of the show, using a clean, family-style show.

Any bands interested in one of these positions at Elmer’s is asked to submit an EPK with at least one live performance video to banjocellar@gmail.com. More information can be obtained by contacting 423-218-6690 or 859-302-3071.

Elmer’s General Store now booking bluegrass

We wrote last fall about the opening of The Banjo Cellar in Williamstown, KY, a joint venture between banjo pickers Elmer Burchett and Megan McKamey. There they buy, sell, teach, and repair all things banjo and bluegrass.

The pair acquired two storefronts in downtown Williamstown, one for the Cellar and the second now also reconditioned and open as Elmer’s General Store. It’s set up like an old-fashioned soda fountain, which it had once been in the 1940s, where they served hand-dipped ice cream and plan to host bluegrass concerts on Saturday nights.

Both Elmer and Megan are experienced performers and know a great many bluegrass entertainers, but asked us to put out the word that any bands or artists interested in playing at the General Store should get in touch if they would be like to be considered.

The venue seats roughly 125 people and the proprietors are initially offering only what is raised at the door with no guarantees, but invites any bluegrass artists willing to accept those terms to contact them by email to discuss a date.

Williamstown is located in north central Kentucky, between Cincinnati and Lexington, and quite close by the Ark Encounter, a life-sized Noah’s Ark park set to open July 7. It is expected to put Williamstown on the map as a tourist destination with additional hotel and entertainment facilities coming in in its wake.

Good luck Elmer and Megan!

Banjo Cellar opens in Kentucky

These days, we are more accustomed to seeing news about retail music stores closing than opening, with pressure from online mega-stores making life difficult for smaller, privately-owned ventures.

But in Williamstown, Kentucky a pair of bluegrass veterans have partnered to open a bluegrass-centric shop called The Banjo Cellar. Elmer Burchett and Megan McKamey have acquired two storefronts side-by-side in the historic business district which they believe is a perfect spot for a bluegrass music store with an entertainment venue next door.

What makes them think they can succeed in an era when specialty retail is such a difficult market? Well, for one, northern Kentucky is definitely bluegrass country. People there know and love the music, as it’s part of the regional culture, and parents are always looking for places where their children can study the music.

But just as importantly, Elmer and Megan are looking forward to the large tourist trade expected when The Ark Encounter opens in the summer of 2016. This will be an historical attraction, including a full-sized replica of Noah’s Ark along with a petting zoo and themed restaurants. Additional Bible-based attractions are expected to be added over the next few years on the same site. The park is located roughly a mile from the historic business district in Williamstown.

The Banjo Cellar is open now, with instruments and accessories for bluegrass pickers, along with lessons for banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, ukulele, bass, piano, and drums. Songwriting lessons are also offered at the store, along with instrument repairs and a consignment program for Kentucky luthiers.

Elmer’s General Store will be next door, but is still undergoing restoration. The building had once housed an old time drug store, complete with soda fountain, which will be reopened sometime in 2016 as a 1920s-themed soda shop and live music venue, offering bluegrass entertainment.

The upper floors in both buildings will be converted into bed & breakfast style suites for tourists visiting The Ark. Who says banjo players don’t have business smarts?

To serve as a grand opening, Megan and Elmer are hosting a BooGrass Jam on October 23, to introduce themselves to the local music scene, and help raise money to complete the restoration of the General Store. A $5 entry fee will be charged, with food and beverages provided, and all pickers and music lovers within an easy drive are invited to bring their instruments and jam along. Live music will be provided on stage with a picking room set aside for jammers.

Once construction is completed, all The Banjo Cellar’s inventory will be available for sale online as well as in the store.

You can find them in the meantime at 114 N. Main Street in Williamstown, KY. They can also be reached by phone (423-218-6690) or email.

Congratulations to Elmer and Megan, and best of luck to them in this new venture!

Daniel Salyer solo EP

In the 1990s, there was a very popular sound in bluegrass featuring smooth male vocals and a polished, contemporary sound. Ronnie Bowman was perhaps the prime exemplar of this style. The projects he recorded, both with Lonesome River Band and on his own, contained a mix of his original songs and bluegrass classics, set off by his passion-laden voice.

Of course elements of this highly-influential sound still linger in current bluegrass music, and it came to mind immediately as I listened to the new, self-titeld EP from Daniel Salyer. Here is one of the finest young songwriters in bluegrass, who has been given a voice of stunning clarity and range.

Five of the seven tracks are Salyer originals, including his Jack Up The Jail, a barn burning moonshine number previously recorded by the aforementioned Lonesome River Band. They are complemented by a faithful recollection of Flatt & Scruggs’ Someone Took My Place With You and Daniel’s vocal tour de force treatment of Marcia Henry’s Gospel song, Beautiful Valley.

The short form CD opens with Down To The Bottom, an anthem to lost love that earns Salyer the Ronnie Bowman comparison.

This Song honors the trials of the working man, the drunkard, and the downhearted in general. He’s “singing this song for them.”

No bluegrass album feels complete without a waltz time song of woe. Here we get True Love’s Just A Lie, where the singer regrets having to learn what the title suggests.

Closing things out is Jack Up The Jail, the defiant tale of a whiskey maker who warns his jailers that he’s on his way.

Top level support is provided by Elmer Burchett on banjo, Matt Flake on fiddle, Brandon Green on reso-guitar and banjo, Alex Hibbitts on mandolin, and Kameron Keller on bass. Salyer plays guitar and sings all the vocal parts.

Daniel tells us that this self-produced project isn’t expected to be in wide circulation and, as such, there are no audio samples online, nor a way to order it digitally. But don’t let that deter you from taking the extra trouble to get a copy of this fine album. Salyer is a tremendous talent, well worthy of your attention.

Orders can be placed by contacting Daniel on Facebook, or by email. PayPal payments are accepted.

Dollar – Bo Isaac and The Rounders

Some readers may remember the Kentucky-based group Summertown Road, which released a self-titled album back in 2010. The group’s lead vocalist, Bo Isaac, has reassembled several members of the band to release a new project under the name Bo Isaac and the Rounders. This thirteen-track collection, entitled Dollar, is an enjoyable addition to the modern traditional bluegrass style.

Like many other male lead singers in bluegrass today, Isaac offers up smooth, country-style vocals. Isaac is certainly a strong vocalist, and he demonstrates that well on the album’s title track. This tale of a man working as hard as he can to make ends meet is accompanied by solid banjo throughout the song, courtesy of Elmer Burchett.

Burchett also serves as cowriter of this tune and seven others on the album. I Got Lovin’ is a soulful, banjo-driven tune that also serves as another piece for Isaac to show off his voice. Steve Thomas’ fiddle kicks off the upbeat Gospel number Preachin’, Prayin’, which has a nice traditional sound and an evangelical message. Burchett, who has a gritty voice reminiscent of old-time mountain singers, takes the lead for his composition Whippoorwill, a lonesome piece about a man whose love has left him.

Buck White contributes piano on Flat Footin’, Tennessee, a fun song with a nice, bouncy groove. This tribute to lazy summer days when “it’s too dang hot for baling hay” will definitely have listeners dancing along at home. Road to Summertown, a similarly-themed number about the joy of a slower paced life, opens with a familiar banjo lick – the kick off to Down the Road.

Miner’s Cry, an original by the band’s mandolin player Zach Rambo, is an appropriate piece for an eastern Kentucky band. This story of a coal mine disaster is one of the album’s standout cuts, along with the group’s cover of the old tune Nobody’s Business. Isaac’s vocals are a bit more restrained on this song than on most of the rest of the album, and it suits the tune well. Interestingly, Thomas also recently covered this song on his collaboration with Mark Newton, Reborn.

While Isaac’s vocals are the center of the album, the instrumentalists here are no slouch. Elmer Burchett’s banjo alternates between driving and bouncy at appropriate times, while Steve Thomas’ fiddling is spot-on as usual. Randy Thomas and Zach Rambo contribute solid bass and mandolin, respectively, and Isaac rounds things out on guitar.

For more information on Bo Isaac and the Rounders, visit their website at www.boisaacandtherounders.com. Dollar can be purchased from several online music retailers, including iTunes and Amazon.

Darren Beachley is back

The best laid plans of mice and men…

Veteran bluegrass singer Darrin Beachley had fully intended to dedicate himself to a new career in the medical field. Sure, he loved the bluegrass life, but the allure of regular paychecks and company benefits at a day job found the former Quicksilver guitarist announcing his retirement from the road last winter.

But he couldn’t make it a year before bluegrass called him back. Beachley told us yesterday that he has worked out a way to do both: keep a band touring while retaining his management position in Maryland.

“I am coming back to the music full-time. After some serious negotiating with my job at Frederick Memorial Hospital, they have decided to support me in pursuit of my music by letting me continue to keep my job with whatever hours I can work, and keep my full-time benefits. My boss at FMH really surprised me by supporting the plan that I put together. I did a lot of research into the policies of the hospital, and came up with plan that he agreed to and supported.

With that being said, The Darren Beachley Band is back going after it full blast with a lineup that I am so happy with: Shayne Bartley, Greg Luck, Elmer Burchett and Marshall Wilborn. Shayne and Greg have been with me through all the transition of the last year or two. We are really great friends and I really cherish having them as part of the band.

Elmer started out by just filling in, and the more I have gotten to know him the more I have grown attached to this guy. He is INCREDIBLE writer and entertainer, and he just signed on full-time.

Marshall Wilborn will be here as I like to say, ‘When Marshall wants to be here, and his commitment to Longview doesn’t get in the way.” When Marshall can’t be with us, I have been using Adam Seale who has made a few trips with us, including our last outing to Colorado for High Mountain Hay Fever.

So… after some trial and changes, I am back where my heart is.”

Here’s a live video of the band, shot this past June at the Lincoln County Bluegrass & Gospel Festival in West Virginia.

Darren said that plans for a new album are already in the works.

“We will be in the studio next month recording a wide variety of material.

We are also looking to add dates for 2013 and beyond, and can booked through the bands website, or by calling 240-285-0055.”

Elmer Burchett to Summertown Road

Jack Hicks, founding banjoist with Summertown Road, has stepped aside with Elmer Burchett jumping in to take his spot.

The band was formed in 2008, and their debut, self-titled album was released on Rounder earlier this year. Bo Isaac is on guitar, Randy Thomas on bass, and Zach Rambo on mandolin.

Hicks had a memorable stint with Bill Monroe in the 1970s, apperaing on the live Bean Blossom album in 1973. His playing was definitive of the popular banjo style at the time, a mix of Scruggs and bluesy, melodic runs.

Burchett has worked with a number of touring acts, most recently Pine Mountain Railroad.

You can find more details about Summertown Road, including their concert schedule, online.