Kyle Perkins Archives - Bluegrass Today

Be Proud of the Gray in Your Hair from the No Joke Jimmy’s

Don’t worry. No one will look askance if you read this headline and say, “The who’s?”

The No Joke Jimmy’s are a new special project band in Nashville, formed by a couple of former touring pros and a handful of current touring artists who are up for some extra good times. The band, and their new single, are the brainchild of Jamie Johnson, ex-Grascals singer and guitarist, and their current fiddler, Adam Haynes.

Jamie got the idea to pull together some of his bluegrass buddies in Nashville, and a few from outside of Music City, when an offer came in. So he reached out to banjo picker Ron Stewart with Seldom Scene; fellow former Grascal Terry Eldredge; Brandon Rickman, recently late of Lonesome River Band; Dennis Parker, harmony vocalist with Ricky Skaggs; Darrin Nicholson from Balsam Range; and bassist Kyle Perkins with Kenny & Amanda Smith.

“I was asked to do a show for Sam Karr from Sam Jam, and also Vic Adams from Rudy Fest and Cam Fest. I put together my favorite guys for the show and they happened to be off the weekend they booked the show.

Well, it was a lot of fun, and we felt like it sounded pretty good, so we booked one more show several months later and decided to have fun and record some tunes.”

And there you have it. The No Joke Jimmy’s.

The guys have been in the studio when their schedules align, and have five tracks finished for a new independent project that should be available by the end of this summer.

Johnson said that they have no plans to try and be a “real band,” just have some laughs and enjoy playing good music with friends using an unusual band name.

“We do not intend to tour, instead just play shows that fit all our schedules, and with this many moving parts it won’t allow time for many.

The name comes from a statement Adam said to his brother Jimmy one day as I was on the phone with him and after the question Adam responded ’cause I ain’t no joke, Jimmy,’ and I said ‘there’s our name. The No Joke Jimmy’s’ (spelled with incorrect grammar and all).

We plan to have a great time, no pressure just have fun, play a show here and there, and hopefully provide an album that folks will enjoy and add to their collection.”

A first single debuted yesterday on Bluegrass Junction (SiriusXM), a Dave Evans classic called Be Proud of the Gray in Your Hair, which Jamie says fits these guys a bit too comfortably.

“Most of us in the band are in the early years of gray hairs, and we’ve earned em.

This song was my dad’s favorite, and I’ve always been a huge fan of Dave Evans. We only planned to do it live but the energy was there, so thought we would see if the energy worked in the studio as well.

It feels like it works. Thanks to Dave Evans for writing such a great song.”

Check it out…

Be Proud of the Gray in Your Hair from the No Joke Jimmy’s is available now from popular download and streaming sites online, and to radio programmers at AirPlay Direct.

A select number of live appearances are scheduled this summer, including shows at the Milan Bluegrass Festival, Rudy Fest, the MACC Fest, Cam Fest, Pickin’ in Parsons, and Sam Jam.

Kyle Perkins Steps Forward

After solidly backing up JD Crowe and the New South and American Drive on bass, as well as playing some dates now with Kenny and Amanda Smith, Kyle Perkins is stepping front and center.

His new CD, Take Me Back, is available for pre-order by contacting Kyle on Facebook. And he expects to have a second CD available in late summer or early fall.

“If you’re a fan of traditional bluegrass and country music, I think you’ll thoroughly enjoy this record,” he said. “I am so blessed to have so many great friends in the business who helped me out on this.”

Among the powerhouse vocalists on Take Me Back are Steve Gulley, Bradley Walker, Dwight McCall, Keith Garrett, Kenny Smith, Mike and Jeff Parker, Ronnie Bowman, Dustin Prytle, Eli Johnston, Larry Stephenson, Amanda Smith, David Parmley, Kati Penn Williams and Jr. Williams. I haven’t heard any of the music from this project yet, but that list of names (and others) suggests a lot of rich harmonies.

Kyle expects to have copies in hand by the end of the month or the beginning of February.

Solo album coming soon from Kyle Perkins

Kyle Perkins has made a name for himself as a solid bass player, working with touring acts like the Kati Penn Band, David Parmley & Continental Divide, and the Larry Stephenson Band. He is also a fine banjo player, and his greatest career honor had been serving as the final bass player for J.D. Crowe & the New South, prior to Crowe’s retirement in 2012.

For Kyle, standing behind and supporting Crowe night after night was like an intensive education in all things five string.

“Getting to play with one of my banjo heroes – J.D. Crowe and the legendary New South – for 3 years was an absolute dream come true. I learned a lot about the banjo while playing bass with J.D.”

Perkins worked with American Drive throughout 2014, and has also been doing some fill-in dates with Kenny & Amanda Smith.

He is spending the first part of 2015 finishing up a solo recording project at Scott Vestal’s Digital Underground Studio outside of Nashville. With Crowe’s example and Vestal’s skill behind the board, Kyle’s banjo is liable to be well-represented.

Assisting on the album are a long list of bandmates and friends Perkins has worked or picked with over the past few years. The following have either already tracked for Kyle’s record, or are expected to do so: Dwight McCall, Adam McIntosh, Matt DeSpain, Rick and Shayne Bartley, Mike and Jeff Parker, Ronnie Bowman, Bradley Walker, Kati and Junior Williams, David Parmley, Larry Stephenson, Ron Stewart, Steve Day, Billie Renee Johnson, Harold Mosley, Kim and Randy Dalton, Tony Carlton, Wayne Craft, Kenny & Amanda Smith, and Steve Gulley.

The primary rhythm section, however, will consist of Kyle on banjo and bass, and a pair of his picking’ buddies.

“My long-time friends, Ronald and Harold Mosley, are playing guitar and mandolin on this project. These brothers are top notch musicians, and although you may not recognize their names now, just wait until you hear their abilities on this record.”

Perkins says that he chose a mix of new songs and bluegrass classics that haven’t been recorded much to showcase the fact that he’s a banjo player, even though most folks in bluegrass know him as a bass man. He’s found a few old country songs that are new to bluegrass, an old Southern Gospel number, and a few instrumentals that highlight both the bass and the banjo.

It is hoped that recording will be completed soon, with a Spring release expected for the as-yet untitled project.

Bad weekend for bass players

After learning about Carl White’s auto accident over the weekend, we heard from Dwight McCall (American Drive) that their bass player, Kyle Perkins, also wrecked his car on Saturday morning.

Like Carl, Kyle lost control of his car on slick roads and rolled several times. It broke his windshield, knocked the top rack off the car, broke the back axle and knocked the back tires off the rims.

This is his terse report:

“I rolled it 3 times, went across the median and landed on the wheels in oncoming traffic.

I escaped with only a stiff neck and shoulders – God was watching over me!!!”

Given the number of miles bluegrass artists travel every year, it’s fortunate we don’t hear more stories like this. The next time you see your favorite band at a festival or show, maybe a word of thanks for all they do to bring us the music we love would be in order.

American Drive to debut at IBMA

So what happens when an enduring bluegrass institution grinds to a halt?

In the case of J.D. Crowe & The New South, whose nearly 40 year run is coming to an end with Crowe’s impending retirement, a new band is set to rise from the ashes.

This new group will make their official debut during September’s World Of Bluegrass Convention in Nashville, when the non-Crowe members of The New South re-emerge as American Drive, with Grasstowne banjo man Justin Jenkins playing the five.

Mandolinist and vocalist Dwight McCall shared a few words about the new venture, and their debut single.

“It’s me along with Rickey Wasson, Kyle Perkins, and Matt DeSpain with Justin Jenkins on banjo. We have a single being released today called Long Haul Trucking Man, and will have a new CD in October on Rural Rhythm.

We are honored to have been a part of one of the greatest bands in the business, J.D. Crowe & The New South, for so long. Now that J.D. has decided to retire, we are looking to our future and are pleased to be starting this new band.”

Long Haul Trucking Man: [http://ruralrhythm.com/web/uploads//2012/08/clip-LongHaulTruckinMan-AmericanDrive.mp3]

Young Mr. Jenkins has been turning heads with his banjo playing since he was in his teens, playing with Blue Moon Rising. On the road with Grasstowne this past two years has seen him grow into a solid, complete and mature picker, ready to “step into Crowe’s shoes,” in a manner of speaking.

“To me, Crowe and Scruggs set the bar for all banjo players. Stepping in with the guys who have played with Crowe for so long is an absolute honor. They have stood beside the best, and for them to consider me is a bit overwhelming, and very humbling at the same time.

I cut my teeth listening to The New South music, and it’s a dream come true to be playing with these guys. Rickey and Dwight like that same kind of music, and it just fits perfectly with what I want to play.

It’s exciting to get to play the kind of music I grew up listening to. I’ve always been a big fan of Rickey and Dwight’s singing, and I have all their CDs. We’re going to be playing material off their CDs, and our new record.

I think it will be a lot of fun!”

American Drive will go full time in 2013, and Justin will continue on with Grasstowne through the end of the year, or until they find someone to take his spot.

“I hated to leave Grasstowne. I have a great relationship with all those guys, but the travel will be much easier for me with the new band based in Kentucky, where I live. I have a lot of respet for Alan Bibey and all the guys in Grasstowne. They are my best friends, but the way the music business is, things don’t last forever. It was a hard place to be in telling them I was leaving.

I am really going to miss playing with them – even more, getting to hang out with them all the time.”

The band already has a number of shows booked for next year, and anyone interested in having them in for a show should contact Dwight McCall or Rickey Wasson.

Rural Rhythm VIP Showcase

This post is a contribution from Christy Reid, one of our 2010 IBMA correspondents. She will be reporting on her experiences at IBMA as a member of Lou Reid & Carolina.

One look inside the door of Fisk Room 1 and 2, and you could see why this was the place to be on Wednesday night! We didn’t even get inside the door when Lou ran into Ronnie Reno and Rodney Dillard. Rodney’s new CD was released this week, along with Lou Reid and Carolina’s.

There was a long line of folks enjoying the food, just a glance around the room and I saw many familiar faces. Mark Newton and Sam Passamano opened the show talking about the Grave Mountain Memories Live CD that is about to be released, along with DVD footage that captured that special day in bluegrass history. They also gave everyone new information about the next live recording with Rural Rhythm artists at Bean Blossom. The first band up to showcase was Grasstowne. They always do a great job, and they covered some Bill Monroe material, getting everyone ready for the special Bill Monroe Tribute Live CD.

When we arrived, Grasstowne was on stage and, after Grasstowne, it was our turn. We performed a few songs off of our last Rural Rhythm album My Own Set of Rules, and then a Bill Monroe tune, Little Georgia Rose. After our performance, came the wonderful Lonesome River Band. At the end of their set they welcomed onto the stage Carrie Hassler to do a few Bill Monroe classics. Molly and Tenbrooks was a crowd favorite! The night was rounded out with IBMA Nominees Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out; Kyle Cantrell of Sirius/XM was on hand to bring them on-stage. They really tore the crowd up!

Here are a few more photos from the event:

IBMA Special Awards 2010

Like any modern awards show, IBMA hands out a number of the trophies earlier in the day, prior to the gala production scheduled for later this evening. These include both awards in more arcane, industry-oriented categories (liner notes, graphic design, broadcaster).

Not that these awards aren’t important; in fact, IBMA describes them as Special Awards. Bluegrass Today was honored to accept one in 2007 for Print Media. I know…

Our fried and fellow bluegrass blogger Ted Lehmann has a fine photo essay on today’s Special Awards ceremonies on his site.

Ted lists the winners as follows:

Print Media – Eddie Dean and Dr. Ralph Stanley for Man Of Constant Sorrow
Liner Notes – Dr. Ted Olson for Appalachia Music Of Home
Broadcaster – Kyle Cantrell of Sirius-XM
Event – Roger Moss and the 14th annual Podunk Bluegrass Festival
Graphic Design – Julia Craig for Dailey & Vincent Sing The Statler Brothers

Unlike the artist awards, these Special Awards are chosen by a committee selected by the IBMA Board, and are not decided by the votes of the professional membership.

A number of special, lifetime achievement awards were also announced this afternoon, and presented to Pete Wernick, Tex Logan, Lynn Morris and Richard Weize (Bear Family Records).

Be sure to visit Ted’s blog to see all his fine photos from the Special Awards festivities.

New faces in The New South

J.D. Crowe & The New South has two new members to announce for 2010.

Kyle Perkins has come aboard to fill the bass spot recently vacated by John Bowman (now playing fiddle with The Boxcars). Just 24 years old, Kyle had worked previously with David Parmley, Larry Stephenson and Kati Penn. He is also a talented banjo player and is comfortable on most any of the bluegrass instruments.

Also new to the band is resophonic guitarist Matt Despain. Crowe hired Matt to replace fiddler Steve Thomas, who has left the band to pursue other projects.

Matt comes from Charlie Sizemore’s group, and had also worked with Bobby Osborne, Pine Mountain Railroad and Dean Osborne before coming to The New South. He can be heard on Sizemore’s latest CD, Good News, as well as the two most recent albums from Bobby Osborne.

You can follow the JD Crowe & The New South schedule online, and keep an eye out for the new lineup somewhere near you.