John Driskell Hopkins, bassist with alt-country heroes the Zac Brown Band, has released a holiday album for the 2015 Christmas season. In The Spirit find Hopkins singing a dozen sacred and secular favorites, all backed by the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, and a number of noted harmony and duet vocalists.
Long time readers will recall that Hopkins’ prior album, Daylight, had a grassy flavor, assisted throughout by North Carolina’s Balsam Range. They join him again on the Christmas CD for a swingy version of What Child Is This.
In an interview last week, Hop told us that Balsam Range recorded their parts ahead of everyone else, with their own arrangement of the familiar hymn. Parts were then written for the Pops, who recorded them separately. All of the other tracks were arranged by Wes Funderburk, a dear friend of John’s.
Other guests include The Indigo Girls, and Broadway/country singer Laura Bell Bundy.
The album has the feel of an old-fashioned Perry Como or Andy Williams Christmas album, which Hopkins said was exactly his goal. What Child Is This is the only track with a bluegrass feel, but the entire album has a lush, sumptuous sound and should be a welcome addition to the holiday library of any fan of Hopkins’ rich, baritone voice.
Complete track listing follows…
Away in a Manger
Do You Hear What I Hear?
O, Holy Night
What Child Is This?
Silver Bells
Baby It’s Cold Outside
Blue Christmas
The Christmas Song
You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Christmas Time Is Here
Silent Night
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Radio programmers can download the record from Airplay Direct, consumers can purchase the manufactured CD from Hopkins’ web site, and downloads are offered from iTunes.
This past Sunday (June 22, 2014), Sammy Shelor performed with the The Zac Brown Band in Bristow, VA. Brown and his eclectic country band have been known to favor bluegrass music and acoustic artists, and his former bass player and current guitarist, John Driskell Hopkins, has a bluegrass album, Daylight, recorded with Balsam Range in 2012.
Sammy says that he met Hopkins at MerleFest in April 2014.
“We got to talking and he is a super nice guy, very laid back… my kind of people. He’s gotten interested in banjo, and we connected over Huber Banjos and Banjo.com.
He thought Banjo.com was in Nashville, but when he found out it was about 15 minutes away from where he lives in Georgia, he started going down there and hanging out, trying out banjos.
He ended up getting a Huber banjo – a Roanoke model with the neck specs like mine.”
That discussion ended with plans to stay in touch, and Sammy told us that shortly after he returned from an 11-day Lonesome River Band run, he found a message from Hopkins.
“He sent me a text asking if I wanted to come do a show with the band. So I drove up Sunday and did a couple of songs with them, had fun, hung around for a while, and then headed back home to Patrick County.
I respect these guys for all they do. They’ve worked it up from the clubs. Country music abandoned them, but they had 23,000 in the hall on Sunday.”
The Bluegrass Ramble has been a popular new addition to this year’s IBMA World of Bluegrass. Here are some pictures from around Raleigh during Wednesday’s Bluegrass Ramble.
John Driskill Hopkins, bass player/vocalist with the Zac Brown Band, and Tim Surett, who fills that same role with Balsam Range, stopped by for a chat on Wednesday at World of Bluegrass 2013.
“They’re gonna put me in the movies…” So sang Buck Owens (and Ringo Starr) in the mid 1960s in Act Naturally, a hit song that told the story of a country boy set for stardom in the movie biz.
In 2014, it appears that Balsam Range could be headed for the same fate. The guys are providing music for and appearing in the film, Careful What You Wish For, now in production at Lake Wiley near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Set for a 2014 release, the film by Elizabeth Allen is a crime thriller starring Dermot Mulroney. Paul Sorvino also stars as the local sheriff, who just so happens to be a bluegrass picker. His band is portrayed by Balsam Range, along with current collaborator John Driskell Hopkins, who plays the Sheriff’s Deputy.
Guitarist Caleb Smith tells us that they performed three original songs for the film, two from Hopkins, and the other written by Hopkins with fiddler Buddy Melton. All of the band will be featured on screen, both picking and singing, and as extras in a number of scenes.
The history of bluegrass music in films includes a number of high points. Bonnie & Clyde turned Foggy Mountain Breakdown from an obscure Flatt & Scruggs number to an international hit in 1967, as did Deliverance for Dueling Banjos in ’72. In more recent years, we’ve seen what O Brother, Where Art Thou has done for the music of Ralph Stanley, especially Dan Tyminski’s version of I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow, which was included in the film.
Is there a 2014 hit in store for Hopkins and Balsam Range? For the sake of the guys, and for bluegrass music in general, let’s hope so!
Hopkins has made his living in music for some time, as both a side man and songwriter, and is in the public eye these days as bass player with the red-hot Zac Brown Band. Daylight puts him in the spotlight as lead vocalist. Though he had graced the Opry stage many times in the past, he tells us that this time was something special.
“Playing the Grand Ole Opry is a dream come true. We are so honored to be a part of such a rich musical heritage and such a vibrant musical future. It was truly one of the best nights of my life.
Balsam Range is an absolute joy to play with. Their professionalism is amazing and their talent is world class. They have become good friends that I hope to be able to make music with for many many years to come.”
Darren Nicholson with Balsam Range echoed those sentiments.
“It was simply amazing to play the Grand Ole Opry again!! And this time it was extra special to do it with John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range. To get to play music on that stage with your band and your music you believe in so much is incredible.
So proud of our collaborative effort, Daylight, with John and Balsam Range. It’s exhilarating to see what we’ve created recognized and supported by Country Music’s greatest stage, The Grand Ole Opry.”
Thanks to Grand Ole Opry photographer Chris Hollo and our own Roy Swann for sharing these images from Friday night’s show.
Numerous country musicians have made the short leap to bluegrass in recent years, perhaps most notably Marty Raybon and Joe Diffie. These artists had already established careers as vocalists, and simply adjusted their sound for a new audience.
Now, another country musician has released a bluegrass project, but in a slightly different manner. Zac Brown Band member John Driskell Hopkins has stepped out of his usual sideman roles as bass player, songwriter, and producer to collaborate with award-winning bluegrass group Balsam Range on Daylight, a unique album filled with bluegrass, country, southern rock, and roots music.
A veteran of the Atlanta rock music scene, Hopkins shows his musical background on several of the album’s tracks. The opening song, Runaway Train, is a southern rock-influenced tune with a nice groove and bluesy dobro work from Jerry Douglas. The Devil Lives in a Mason Jar has an almost tortured sound, reflecting the lyrics’ story of the evils of alcohol. On these and a few other songs, Hopkins’ vocals are raspy, the lyrics sung in almost a growl, bringing to mind songs from The Steeldrivers.
Hopkins does a 180 on several other tracks, offering smooth vocals, an acoustic country sound, and lyrics turning to thoughts of love. How Could I? is a tender love song featuring guest vocals and fiddle from singer-songwriter Levi Lowrey, in which the singer offers assurances that he could never do anything to hurt the one he loves. Bye Baby Goodbye, a sweet duet with country singer Joey Martin of Joey + Rory, shares a story that many musicians will be familiar with – that of struggling to leave behind loved ones to go out on the road. Be My Girl features the feelings of a man falling in love and realizing that he can’t live without that one certain woman.
Contemporary bluegrass fans will enjoy I Will Lay Me Down, a cheerful-sounding tune featuring Hopkins’ band-mate Zac Brown, and the humorous She Don’t Love Me Today, in which the singer relates a series of missteps in his relationship with his wife. The Grass Don’t Get No Greener combines elements of a smooth, western swing tune with uptempo, banjo-fueled bluegrass, while Shady Bald Breakdown, an instrumental composed by Hopkins and the members of Balsam Range, allows the group to show off their bluegrass talent.
Hopkins has written or cowritten all of the songs on this album, creating a well-rounded collection of original tunes which cover a wide spectrum of acoustic music. In addition to lead vocals, Hopkins also plays guitar on the album, joining Balsam Range members Buddy Melton (fiddle), Darren Nicholson (mandolin), Marc Pruett (banjo), Caleb Smith (guitar), and Tim Surrett (bass and dobro).
Balsam Range serves as much more than just a studio backing band for this project. Their skills and experience in contemporary bluegrass and acoustic music are showcased throughout the record, allowing them to help direct the sound of the album. Fans of both Balsam Range and the Zac Brown Band, as well as those who enjoy southern roots music, are sure to enjoy this project, which is available today (January 22).
John Driskell Hopkins, bass player with the Zac Brown Band, has teamed up with Balsam Range to record an album of his original music, Daylight, which will be independently released on January 22, 2013.
The bulk of the music is performed with Hopkins on guitar and vocals, with Balsam Range providing accompaniment. Several guest artists are featured as well. Tony Trischka and Jerry Douglas appear on one track each, and Zac Brown lends his chart-topping lead vocals to a song, as does Brown protege Levi Lowrey. Joey and Rory Feek (Joey + Rory) sing a lovely duet on another.
Though his career has been in country music, John claims a life-long fascination with bluegrass and says that when his plans for a solo project solidified, he reached out to Balsam Range to assist.
BR banjo picker Marc Pruett tells us that the call came out of the blue.
“Hopkins contacted us through our web site a couple of years ago about the possibility of doing a CD. He had heard us do Blue Mountain on Sirius-XM. Evidently, it moved him to find us and, at first, we were not sure what might happen.
But we met him one night for a practice session. He drove up to Clyde from Marietta, and we all had a good time, saw that he is a real, sincere person, and that he is a great picker, singer and family man. (My son is an Eagle Scout, and John is as well! So we had that as common ground for conversation.)”
It took a full year to find sufficient down time in both the Balsam Range schedule and in Hopkins’ commitments with Brown, but they rehearsed when they could, and did some shows togethers to get the material down in front of an audience.
Sessions were tracked alternately at the Crossroads Music studio in North Carolina, and John’s home studio in Atlanta. Final production and mixing were completed at Zac’s Southern Ground Studios in Nashville.
Pruett feels like he’s made a friend in the process.
“John Hopkins is a serious student of all kinds of music, and I think it comes through well in the songs he writes. He really runs the gambit from soft, Gospel-sounding acoustic, to hard, driving rock-swing things. John is a ‘power singer,’ and man he can deliver.
The most satisfying thing for me is in the fact that he invited us to write with him, and I guess I pushed into it enthusiastically enough that he wrote one with just me. I hope it can find a home sometime on a disc, and I learned a lot writing with him.
I consider him a friend, mentor, and fellow ‘music-warrior’ on this adventure of life. I’m glad I met him, and I treasure his friendship. “
Buddy Melton, vocalist and fiddler with Balsam Range, says that working with a musician who appreciates bluegrass, but works outside the boundaries of the style was a valuable artistic opportunity.
“We love to listen to bluegrass as we travel but also like to listen to other genres. The same is true for artists in those different genres. John and the guys with the Zac Brown Band often listen to bluegrass as they travel. Funny how good music seems to find a path to those we think aren’t listening and even inspires them.
The John Driskell Hopkins project was a lot of fun to create. John is an extremely talented guy and his song writing and production took us in directions we might not have otherwise gone. It is rewarding as an artist to have the opportunity to expand our minds and musical approach.
There are some great songs on this project and along with Balsam Range there are some special guest like Zac Brown and Jerry Douglas that make for a fun collaborative musical project.”
And Hopkins himself gave the band an oddly-phrased thumbs up.
“Being on stage with Balsam Range is like body-surfing in warm butter-cream icing with hillbilly cherubs. Smooth…..”
The CD won’t be available to ship until January 22, but it appears that MP3 downloads can be purchased now from John’s web site, where you can also stream the entire album.
