Well, it looks we have the first trade of the 2025 bluegrass band season.
The Country Gentlemen Show and Carson Peters & Iron Mountain have swapped bass players. Taylor Parks, the young bass man with the Gents Show is going to Iron Mountain, and Eric Marshall is jumping over to play with the Gentlemen Show.
Mike Phipps is the leader of the Show, formerly known as the Country Gentlemen Tribute Band, who sings the Charlie Waller part in the group. They’ve recently changed the name to represent the fact that while the bulk of their show is faithful reproductions of classic Gentlemen songs, they have begun to include new and other material in that style.
He explains how the switch was made.
“Taylor came on board with us early last year when our previous bass man, Kyle Windbeck, left to rejoin Sideline. At first, Taylor filled in with us when his schedule allowed, due to the fact that he was playing banjo with Jeff Parker. Eventually, Taylor made a full commitment to The Country Gentlemen Show for at least a year.
Taylor is an extremely talented, multi-instrumentalist, has a remarkable vocal range and is a great all-around guy. Dave, Lynwood, Darren, and I have always realized that, one day, he would be able to find another band that would broaden his horizons even more, and we have encouraged him along the way. We wish him all the best in this new journey.
Taylor’s last tour with the band will be February 27 – March 10th as we perform shows in Arizona and southern California after which, Eric Marshall will join us on bass.
Eric is a resident of Mt. Airy, NC and was an original member of Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, having started out on banjo before switching to bass. Eric is a great singer and bass man, and a prolific songwriter.
Actually, prior to Taylor joining us full time, we had sought out Eric to fill the bass spot but, like the gentleman he is, he declined due to his commitment to Carson. Like the rest of us, Eric is a big fan of Gents’ music, and will fit us like a glove. We look forward to him joining the band.”
Eric joins Mike on guitar, Dave Propst on mandolin, Lynwood Lunsford on banjo, and Darren Beachley on reso-guitar.
You can see where The Country Gentlemen Show is performing, and welcome Eric to the band, by visiting their web site.
