Kameron Keller Archives - Bluegrass Today

Kameron Keller to Lonesome River Band

Following the past year of restricted performance opportunities for touring artists, a lot of your favorite bands may look a bit different this summer season. Not many folks can survive a year with no income, and we have seen a number of musicians already leave a music career behind since the shutdowns.

Today we have word of another, the exit of Barry Reed from Lonesome River Band, a position he had held since 2010. An experienced player who studied jazz and classical bass in college, Barry had worked beforehand with both Audie Blaylock and Michael Cleveland. He is leaving LRB now to take a job outside the music business.

Band leader and banjo man Sammy Shelor shared a few words of farewell to Barry, and of welcome to Kameron Keller, who will start with Lonesome River Band later this week on bass.

“In all walks of life, these past 18 months have brought so much change in everyone’s lives. It has been especially hard on the music industry and everyone involved in every aspect of it. Once again it has affected Lonesome River Band.

Our master bass player, Barry Reed, has decided that a change of career is needed for stability for his family. We have so enjoyed having a bass player of his caliber in the band the past 10+ years, and hate to see him go. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

We now welcome Kameron Keller from East Tennessee to the band. He has been in the circuit for many years – despite his young age – with bands such as Volume Five, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, and others. We believe he will be a great asset to the band and we are looking forward to his first show, July 9th at the Reeves Theater & Cafe in Elkin, NC.

Many thanks to all our wonderful friends and fans who keep us doing what we do and we know you will welcome Kameron into the family as you have Adam Miller. The future is bright with these young talents!”

Keller expressed enthusiasm about joining up.

“I’m very exited to be a part of LRB! I came up listening to lot of the material that this band has done over the years. I want to wish Barry the best of luck in his new career. He’s an awesome bass player, and even better guy. There’s some big shoes to fill there and I hope to do so.”

You can keep an eye on what LRB is up to on their band web site, or their social media pages.

Kameron Keller to Volume Five

Volume Five has solidified its 2020 lineup, bringing Kameron Keller in on bass to complete this season’s lineup.

The east Tennessee native has been a fixture in the bluegrass scene for at least a decade, having worked lengthy stints with Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Grasstowne, Highland Travelers, and the Darrell Webb Band. He has also done fill-in work with several other touring groups.

Keller says that coming to work with Glen Harrell and Volume Five will a bit like a reunion.

“I am extremely excited to get to stand on stage with some of my best friends and favorite musicians. I have always loved the material choices of this band and the direction of their music. Now I am really looking forward to being a part of Volume Five playing bass.”

It’s a sentiment that bandleader and vocalist Harrell shares.

“We are so excited to welcome Kameron to the band. We have known him for several years and he’s filled in with us before. Kameron has a great reputation as one of the best bass players in the business and we can’t wait to get started on a new recording so everyone else can hear what we hear. He’s a great guy and we look forward to performing and recording a lot of music with him.”

Kameron will be joining Glen on fiddle, Patton Wages on banjo, Jacob Burleson on guitar, and Aaron Ramsey on mandolin.

This 2020 edition of the band will debut at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival in Framingham, MA on February 15.

Check the V5 web site to see all their tour dates.

Welcome Carter Keller!

Congratulations to Kayla and Kameron Keller, who are celebrating the birth of their first child.

Carter James Nathaniel Keller was born at 8:15 a.m. on August 6 at the Franklin Woods hospital in Johnson City, TN. He weighed in at 8 lbs 9 oz, stretching out to 21.5”.

Kameron is the bass player with ClayBank, and has been a familiar face in bluegrass for several years. He had toured previously with Grasstowne, Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, and Highland Travelers.

Kayla and Carter are both doing well, and Kameron is beside himself with his baby boy.

Congratulations again to Kameron and Kayla, and a big Bluegrass Today welcome to little Carter!

Congratulations Kameron and Kayla

Kameron Keller, bass player with Junior Sisk & Rambler’s Choice, and his sweetheart, Kayla Campbell, were married this past Saturday, May 21. The love birds were wed at The Millstone in Limestone, TN, and will settle not far from there in Jonesborough.

Kayla and Kameron are honeymooning now in Kiawah Island, SC. It’s where the two met, and got engaged a year later. Talk about returning to the scene of the crime!

Prior to working with Junior, Kameron had played for several years with Alan Bibey & Grasstowne.

Many congratulations to the newlyweds. It’s hard to imagine a more handsome couple.

Kameron Keller to Darrell Webb

Kameron Keller, bassist and tenor vocalist with Junior Sisk this past year, is taking over that same position with the Darrell Webb Band. He cites the fact that Webb is based in the same part of East Tennessee as he lives as his primary reason for the switch.

Prior to his time with Junior, Kameron had worked with Alan Bibey & Grasstowne.

Junior expects to announce his new bass man before the band renews touring in the Spring of 2016.

Kameron Keller to Junior Sisk

Junior Sisk has announced that Kameron Keller has taken the job playing bass with Rambler’s Choice. He had been working this past few years with Alan Bibey and Grasstowne.

Kameron takes the spot vacated by Jason Tomlin who has left for a job with Tru-Ball Archery, and to focus on playing music with his brother, Justin, in the Deer Creek Boys.

Sisk plans to use the next few months with their lighter schedule to get Kameron up to speed, and be rarin’ to go when things heat up again in the Spring.

You can follow their tour schedule online.

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.