Feller and Hill Archives - Bluegrass Today

Feller & Hill to B. Paul Entertainment

Braeden Paul has added another act to the roster of his newly-launched agency. Feller & Hill, the sweet duet team, along with their band, The Bluegrass Buckaroos, will now be represented by B. Paul Entertainment.

Feller & Hill specialize in traditional bluegrass, with a bit of old school country flavor. As they like to put it, their sound lies somewhere between Buck Owens and The Osborne Brothers. They also like to feature music once performed by The Boys From Indiana, a very popular bluegrass act from the 1970s that featured Tom Feller’s uncles.

For Braeden, bringing them in to his fold was a simple decision.

“I first saw Feller and Hill and the Bluegrass Buckaroos perform live a few years ago and was blown away. As a lifetime lover of traditional music, I found their combination of bluegrass and classic country refreshing. I’ve been following their career ever since. One of my ultimate goals with B. Paul Entertainment is to bring my artists to audiences that may not be as familiar with different forms of traditional music. It became very clear to me that Tom and Chris have that same goal in mind. I’m honored to have a working relationship with Feller and Hill and the Bluegrass Buckaroos!”

Feller shares his anticipation to get back to the festivals and shows after some down time, and looks forward to collaborating with Paul.

“We are very excited to be working together with B. Paul Entertainment. Braeden’s strong work ethic and enthusiasm for our music and bluegrass music, in general, is exactly the refreshing change we’ve been looking for. Chris and I have experienced many changes in our personal lives, during the past two years. Our music production and touring has slowed, as a result. We both agree that we’re not ready to give up doing what we love and we’re looking forward to getting back out and bringing our brand of music to the folks who inspire us to do what we do. In addition to the many bluegrass festivals we’ve worked in the past years, we will be implementing a plan to bring our music into new territories and to venues with audiences who may not be as familiar with bluegrass and traditional music. We all agree that it’s very important to the future of bluegrass and traditional music to introduce it to new audiences and gain the support of new fans who will support our music into the future. Braeden’s vision and dedication to these same goals will be a great asset to our business.“

Here’s video of one of their big numbers, Big Blue Roses, written by Tom T and Dixie Hall.

Feller & Hill are accepting bookings now for 2019 and beyond. For more information, contact B. Paul Entertainment online.

The Bugler releases for Feller & Hill

Rural Rhythm has released their first single for Feller & Hill, who have only recently signed with the Nashville-based label.

It’s a new song from Tom Feller’s family legacy, The Bugler, written by his uncle, Tom Holt, formerly of the Boys From Indiana. Though the song was only recently written, it retains the feel of the classic Boys, switching back and forth from a mid-tempo waltz to straight time as it tells a tale from the Civil War. Willie is a young man who became a bugler to search for his father, who had never returned from his enlistment, and his mother is crying out for someone to find him.

The lead vocal is provided by Chris Hill, surely among the clearest tenor singers in bluegrass, with the strong group harmony that has characterized Feller & Hill since they launched a number of years ago.

Here is a taste of the song.

The Bugler is included on the latest Fresh Cut’s & Key Tracks No. 1 -2017, being distributed this week to bluegrass radio. It can also be downloaded at Airplay Direct.

Look for the song to also be included on Feller & Hill’s first Rural Rhythm project, Brothers and Heroes, due out sometime this fall.

Feller & Hill to Rural Rhythm

Rural Rhythm Records, based in Nashville, has announced the signing of Indiana grassers Feller & Hill to the label. Their next album, Brothers and Heroes, is expected from Rural Rhythm this fall.

The singing duo first hit in 2012 when banjoist Chris Hill departed Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show to help launch the new act with mandolinist Tom Feller. A debut album the next year was remarkable for the guys’ spot-on representations of Buck Owens songs, done with a bluegrass twist. Over time, the influence of The Boys From Indiana, an iconic band from the 1970s that featured several members of Tom’s family, has become more visible in their music.

A debut single from Brothers and Heroes is set for release early in July. You can expect strong harmony singing, and stellar vocal performances in general from Fellet & Hill, with Chris Hill being one of the most dynamic tenor vocalists in our business.

More details should be coming soon.

Feller & Hill merge with Wildwood Valley Boys

Tom Feller, Chris Hill, and Tony Holt at the Palatka Bluegrass Festival – photo © Deb Miller

Baseball season is cranking up, which is usually the time we start hearing trade rumors in the bluegrass world. But how often do we actually get to report a merger?

Tony Holt of Wildwood Valley Boys fame has combined his operation with Feller & Hill and the Bluegrass Buckaroos. The guys are already well familiar with each other, as Tony is Tom Feller’s cousin, and the three bluegrass veterans live within about 20 minutes of each other in southern Indiana.

Tom tells us that Tony lost his whole band at the end of 2016, as a down year in bookings found them all looking for full time jobs outside of music. So Tony has joined Feller & Hill on guitar, and the band will honor all of their own dates this year with Tony, and the Wildwood Valley Boys dates as well.

Feller explained how it’s going to work…

“We will combine all tour dates for both bands, for 2017 and beyond. We will use the same band members (Tom Feller, Chris Hill, Tony Holt, and Bobby Davis) to fulfill each date. Dates which were booked for The Wildwood Valley Boys will be fulfilled as the Wildwood Valley Boys, featuring Tony Holt and his extensive song catalog and exceptional lead vocals. On Feller and Hill dates, Tony will sing the third part in trios and be featured regularly on songs of his choice. This should satisfy promotors and fans who have paid to see the Wildwood Valley Boys, while also broadening the vocal abilities and deep catalog material that Feller & Hill and the Bluegrass Buckaroos have become known for.

We are beyond excited to have Tony onboard and he has expressed his excitement about working with us. Tony has played a few shows with us already this year. He is often seen as very serious and somber on stage. We plan to change that. I was shown some pictures from our recent show, in Palatka, Florida where Tony was grinning from ear to ear, so obviously he’s having a great time on stage with us.

Tony, Chris, and I have a long history together and it’s always a blast to travel together and we’re looking forward to a great year.”

By merging their businesses, Tom says that now have 2 buses between them, plus an additional driver, an additional bus mechanic, and an additional lead singer. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Holt is also the natural heir to the rich repertoire of the Boys From Indiana, which his father and uncles had launched back in the 1970s.

This new arrangement is expected to be in force at least through 2018, with Tony uncertain about whether he wants to reassemble his own band.

Tom also asked that we share a word about another of his cousins.

“I would also ask you to say a prayer for the Holt family. Last Friday, we lost Tony’s sister and Aubrey’s daughter, Anita Holt, to cancer. She had only been diagnosed about a month earlier. We had a very touching service for her this past Tuesday which was filled with music throughout. It was a fitting tribute and was something that brought our entire family back together. There is an obituary online that is located on several of the family members’ Facebook pages, if you wish to learn more. Continued prayers for everyone are appreciated.”

R.I.P., Anita Holt.

MACC 2016 kickoff

The 2016 Musicians Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) festival kicked off on Wednesday, July 19th at the Hoover Y Park in Columbus, OH. Darrel and Phyllis Adkins’ annual event is held in memory of their daughter, Mandy Adkins, who passed away from an inoperable brain tumor in 2000. All of the proceeds generated from the MACC benefit St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The opening day of the MACC featured great music from Feller & Hill and The Bluegrass Buckaroos, The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, David Parmley & Cardinal Tradition, Marty Raybon & Full Circle, Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, The Grascals, Hammertowne, Blue Highway, and a Merle Haggard Tribute Show from country star, Daryle Singletary, featuring Charli Robertson of Flatt Lonesome.

Photos from Gettysburg 2016

We were fortunate once again to have Frank Baker on hand during the 72nd Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival this past weekend in Pennsylvania. Here is the first of several galleries of photos he shared from the festivities.

Palatka Bluegrass Festival – February 2016

The 12^th February Palatka Bluegrass festival opened Thursday at the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch. Florida band Penny Creek opened the show.

Greg Cahill brought Special Consensus to the stage. Special C is in its 41^st year of touring and always brings top notch music to a show. Feller and Hill gave the audience their blend of traditional bluegrass and old time country.

The Lonesome River Band were up next. They always keep the crowd wanting more. The Spinney Brothers have become one of the most popular acts in bluegrass music.

Rhonda Vincent closed out the day’s show as only she can. The “Queen of Bluegrass” is arguably the most popular entertainer in the genre.

Friday will be a full day with Alan Sibley and the Magnolia Ramblers, Audie Blaylock & Redline, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, The Grascals, and The Gibson Brothers.

Studio sneak peek from Feller & Hill

No… it’s not an early April Fools.

It’s just Tom Feller of Feller & Hill entertaining himself in the studio while the snow was falling last week. Tom shared this video as a sneak peek of their next single.

OK…. so that’s not really their new song. Tom says he make that video as a response to this one that Doyle Lawson had posted a few days earlier.

Too much fun in the studio.

In all seriousness, Feller & Hill are recording a new song, a reworking of an early Aubrey Holt composition. Aubrey was, of course, a founding member of The Boys From Indiana, and is Tom’s uncle. He says they will include a special guest on the track, though Feller won’t reveal that name just yet.

And in the good news category, Tom shared some very encouraging information about his uncle.

“Speaking of Aubrey, he’s really turned the corner and has shown great improvements over the past month and is now walking on his own, without the walker, and was even working on a new song when I vistited him on Christmas Eve. During last week’s visit, he even talked about returning to the road. It’s very exciting to see him bouncing back from the devastating year he had in 2015.”

If you attend the upcoming SPBGMA convention, you’ll be able to catch Feller & Hill on stage.

They are also offering some special pricing as well as two free downloads of their music online.

Photos from Parade of Stars 2015

The 19^th annual Parade of Stars was presented by the city of Auburn Hills, Michigan on Saturday, September 12. The show was kicked off by Feller & Hill and the Bluegrass Buckaroos. The Grascals were next up. Greg Cahill brought Special Consensus to Auburn Hills for the 19 time. Special C has been the host band since the inception of the event. Michigan’s own Detour closed the show.

Friday at the 2015 Milan Bluegrass Festival

The 18^th annual Milan Bluegrass Festival, held at the KC Campground in Milan, Michigan, was kicked off by Mountain Faith, fresh from their second appearance on America’s Got Talent. Feller and Hill brought the Buckaroos and their high energy show to the Milan stage. They were followed by one of Michigan’s favorite bands, Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road.

The Spinney Brothers made the long trek from Nova Scotia to entertain the crowd. Nothin’ Fancy closed out the show as only they can. Emcee, Blake Williams, kept the show rolling — and had the audience rolling at times with his tall tales!

Friday brings Sugar Creek Bluegrass, Flatt Lonesome, Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out, and Dailey & Vincent.