Michael Feagan Archives - Bluegrass Today

Tennessee Bluegrass Band welcomes new members

Tennessee Bluegrass Band at The Station Inn – photo © Laci Mack

The Tennessee Bluegrass Band welcomes three new members into their fold: Michael Feagan on fiddle, and young brothers: Jacob and Josiah Sheffield on guitar and bass, respectively. They join founding members Lincoln Hensley on banjo, and Tim Laughlin on mandolin.

Feagan will be pulling double duty as he continues to play fiddle for Larry Sparks along with TBB.

Born in Augusta, Kentucky and now living north of Nashville, Feagan explained…

“I told Larry that I’m going to do all his dates. I’m still working with him, and I told Lincoln. I really like Lincoln. He is a fine musician on banjo and guitar. We are all on the same page musically. We all like traditional-style music.

Those young boys and Tim are really good singers. They’ve got really good harmony. They are all good people to be around and that means a lot, too, besides the music. I have fun playing with them. It’ll just get better, the more we play.”

Feagan picked up the guitar at age 10, but found the fiddle at 19.

“I liked the sound of it. I heard Kenny Baker and Bobby Hicks, and I liked their style. I don’t try to play exactly like them, but you can hear a lot of it in my playing.”

Playing professionally for 40 years, the fiddler’s first gig was with the Boys from Indiana. Next, Feagan fiddled with Bill Monroe, performing on the album, Southern Flavor, which won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Recording in 1989. He also played country music with performers such as Dean Dillion, Mel McDaniel, Jerry Reed, and Doug Stone. Returning to bluegrass, he played for Dave Peterson’s 1946 Band, Melvin Goins, Kody Norris, and now, Larry Sparks.

The Sheffield brothers are from Elm City in eastern North Carolina.

“They pick up the music real quick, which is good,” Feagan noted. “I’m getting the chance to play a lot of fiddle tunes that I haven’t played in a long time. They know all that stuff. They like it, too. That means a lot.”

Josiah is 19, a multi-instrumentalist, and attends Patrick Henry College in Virginia, majoring in economics and business analytics.

“I started off at age eight on the piano. I didn’t start playing bluegrass until I was 13.

My brother picked up the fiddle and my grandpa played the banjo. I wanted to play so I picked up the guitar. We got into music because of our maternal grandparents. After taking some beginner guitar lessons, I picked up the banjo. I started listening to a bunch of recordings like JD Crowe & the New South, and obviously some Flatt & Scruggs records, learning by ear.

Jake and I started taking lessons about five years ago from a guy named Jan Johansson. He is a very good teacher. He taught us proper band etiquette. During a jam session, I was asked if I played bass. I said, ‘Not really, but I think I could learn.’ I started playing the bass that very afternoon, and the rest is history. I’ve been playing bass for about four years.”

Josiah met Lincoln at the Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention.

“We knew Nick Hancock from fiddlers’ conventions. He recommended us to Lincoln. We were honored. We were flattered. This will be the first official traveling band that I’ve been a part of.”

Josiah will sing some lead, but mainly harmony. “It will vary. It will make the whole thing interesting. Lincoln wants me do sometimes baritone, sometimes tenor, and sometimes lead, depending on what sounds the best. I’m looking forward to what the Lord has in store and, ultimately, hope that the Lord is praised by what I do. I hope to bring God the glory.”

Younger brother, Jacob, is 17 and is homeschooled and interns at an engineering firm in Rocky Mount, NC. He hopes to attend NC State and study engineering, but is keeping his options open.

“My granddad, Thompson Waite, played the banjo and got me interested in bluegrass. My dad listens to a lot of bluegrass too.

When I was eight, I started the Suzuki method of violin. After a while, I went to a jam session in Wilson, NC. Someone told me if you can play the fiddle, then you can play the mandolin. So I picked up the mandolin and I’ve always enjoyed singing with my family.

A couple years later, my brother, Joe, taught me to play guitar. Then Jan Johanson was our instructor for a number of years, and is still a good friend of mine. He put a band together: me, Joe, and Johnny Smith. We formed the band Bull Run.

Lincoln heard us sing at Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention. I was playing mandolin and he heard me sing. He said, ‘Man, if that boy could play guitar, I’d hire him in a heartbeat.’ He didn’t know I could play guitar until another friend of mine, Nick Hancock, told him that I could.”

Young Jacob likes his new role.

“I’ve enjoyed playing with the Tennessee Bluegrass Band so far. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been somewhat put out of my comfort zone, as I’m not used to being a guitar player. I’m more of a mandolin player. And I’m the lead singer. I’ve been more used to singing the harmony parts, but I’m getting more comfortable with it. I’m learning a lot of new material which is good. It’s been a good experience. I give all the glory to God. I love music and I have a talent for it. That’s a gift from God so I’m thankful for it.”

Hancock, whose photographs are regularly featured here at Bluegrass Today, explained his role in detail …

“In 2023, I was at the Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention to photograph it for Bluegrass Today, and to report the winners of the competitions. Lincoln Hensley and The Tennessee Bluegrass Band were there also, to provide entertainment on Saturday night while the judges tallied their scores. Lincoln had watched the band Bull Run perform in competition as the last contestant. I had earlier pointed out Bull Run’s lead singer and guitar player to Lincoln as having a strong and good sounding lead voice. Lincoln noticed the youngster playing mandolin and singing tenor in the group, Jacob Sheffield. Lincoln said, ‘He has a real smooth tenor that I like.’ Lincoln also noticed that Jacob had placed second in the guitar competition at Abingdon.

On June 25th this year, Lincoln messaged me and asked me if I had any contact information for ‘that kid at Abingdon last year with the good tenor voice.’ I had Jacob’s phone number, but would prefer to call him and tell him that Lincoln Hensley wanted to talk with him. I asked Jacob if I could give his phone number to Lincoln and he agreed.

Lincoln later called and told me he had talked with Jacob, and asked him if he would be interested in singing lead and tenor in The Tennessee Bluegrass Band, and Jacob responded with a ‘yes.’ Lincoln was also looking for a bass player with vocal abilities, and Jacob told Lincoln, ‘My brother plays bass and sings harmonies.’

Lincoln invited both Jacob and Josiah to an audition at Tim Laughlin’s house on the Saturday after Lincoln returned from his California trip. Both Lincoln and Tim were very pleased with the audition, and hired Jacob and Josiah on the spot.”

Hancock got to see and hear the new band configuration.

“I attended the Lincoln Hensley Stage dedication in Erwin, TN on Friday, July 12, where the new Tennessee Bluegrass Band, with Jacob and Josiah, performed for the event. I was very happy to witness that. Both Jacob and Josiah are very talented youngsters and very honorable young people. I wish them a good future with The Tennessee Bluegrass Band.”

The veterans of the band are happy with their new personnel.

Lincoln Hensley, a founding member and banjoist with the Tennessee Bluegrass Band, expressed,…

“We are so thrilled to welcome these men aboard to The Tennessee Bluegrass Band. They all bring so much to the table for our show and overall band sound. Michael Feagan has an incredible amount of experience on the road playing with everyone from the Father of Bluegrass Music, Mr. Bill Monroe, to country legend, Jerry Reed. I really have been enjoying the interplay between his fiddle and my banjo lately on our road dates, and working up arrangements with him. He really listens and we have a great musical chemistry together already.

Now, the Sheffields! Those two, even as young as they are, have really blown us away! Their blend with Tim on the trios happened so quickly, it actually shocked me. They have an excellent understanding of how harmony works, and either one of them can sing any part. They are total naturals. I first noticed Jacob and Josiah’s vocal ability at last year’s Abingdon Fiddlers’ Convention. I wrote their names down that night as possible prospects if we ever made a change. I am so thrilled to have all these guys out on the road with us, and to hit the studio soon. The first few shows with them have been so much fun!”

TBB’s mandolinist, Tim Laughlin, added….

“We are really excited about our new band members of The Tennessee Bluegrass Band. Michael Feagan, plus Jacob and Josiah both are outstanding vocalists. Harmony with these three is better than ever. Lincoln and I are looking forward to sharing our love of bluegrass music with such a great and talented group of people.”

Look for the new line-up Labor Day weekend when the Tennessee Bluegrass Band performs on the iconic stage at Camp Springs Blue Grass Park in Elon, NC.

Southern Flavor from Becky Buller

Dark Shadow Recordings has released a second single from Becky Buller’s upcoming album, ‘Tween Earth And Sky. This one is a special tribute to Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys.

Serious Monroe fans know Southern Flavor as the title track of an album released in 1988, itself a mournful instrumental of the sort that he excelled in creating. As it happened, Bill got a notion to write words for the tune, and asked his friend Guy Stevenson, who was a former bass player in his band, to write them for him. Guy called on his friend DeWayne Mize for help, and the pair knocked out the lyrics.

Sadly, Monroe never found the opportunity to re-record the song. He suffered a stroke a few years later and died in 1996.

Prompted by a suggestion from her dad, Buller has assembled a session band consisting of former Blue Grass Boys to recut Southern Flavor as Bill Guy and DeWayne had reconceived it, including three that recorded on the original cut.

Becky played fiddle, along with Buddy Spicher and Michael Feagan who tracked it with Monroe, and sang it as a duet with Peter Rowan, who also played guitar. Blake Williams played banjo, as he did for Bill in ’88. Roland White handled the mandolin and Ernie Sykes bass.

She says that its release is bittersweet.

“Guy and I met at one of the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s Pioneers of Bluegrass Gatherings during the ROMP festival several years ago. We hit it off and have written together several times since then. I’m honored he’d let me take a stab at this one.

On a sadder note, we lost DeWayne Mize very unexpectedly just a few days after we cut these tracks, so he never had a chance to hear them. I want to dedicate this to both him and Mr. Monroe.”

Here’s a sample of her track:

Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadows says that there is just one last harmony vocal to lay down, and then he’ll set to mixing and mastering. That means we should see ‘Tween Earth And Sky sometime this summer.

Both Southern Flavor and an earlier single, Nothin’ To You, can be downloaded for radio play at Airplay Direct.

For The Record: Becky Buller #9

Once again, Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording has prevailed on one of his artists to retail tninthheir recording experience for us in blog form. This time, it’s Becky Buller who is working on her first solo project with the label. Here is the eighth installment of her studio diary. A talented songwriter, Becky also tours and records with Darin & Brooke Aldridge on fiddle and clawhammer banjo.

March 25, 2014

I was all set to make Tom Selleck cookies that Monday night. Had the dough mixed up and chilling in the ‘fridge. But long about midnight my brother, Michael, called in response to a Facebook comment I’d made about Luther Seminary’s Fleshpots of Egypt, the bluegrass band he plays bass for. Isn’t that a great name? So King James! Michael said he might be able to hook me up with a band t-shirt if I were to give him a line on an affordable upright bass for sale in the Minneapolis area. Their bandleader is looking to buy. So…any of my bass playing readers out there…David, Alan, Ernie…if you have any suggestions for Michael, send me a message. No t-shirts being handed out as of yet.

More importantly, we talked about Michael and his wife Erika’s upcoming interviews with churches in the Fargo, N.D., area. They’ll be graduating in May and hope to be ordained soon as Lutheran ministers. I’m so proud of them both!

All of that was much more important than making cookies at that very moment. After we hung up, I headed to bed.

4:00 a.m. CDT – Wakey, wakey! Bakey, bakey! As I mentioned, it was Tom Selleck cookies this go ‘round…probably the fussiest cookie I make. Why Tom Selleck, you ask? A friend of my mom’s heard Tom Selleck give this recipe out on Oprah years and years ago. It’s a chocolate cookie with an Andes mint melted over the top…basically a homemade Girl Scout thin mint. Of course, all the women in the connection HAD to have the recipe because they all had crushes on Tom Selleck. Have you ever noticed that everybody’s mom had a crush on Magnum P.I.? That’s one of the ongoing informal polls I’m taking. (Did YOUR mom have a crush on Magnum? Please let me know with a comment below. My mom does. Jeff’s mom did. Romy’s mom does. Jeff has a crush on Magnum’s Ferrari.)

Oh, and it’s a great cookie, too. My family has made them at Christmastime every year since.

7:00 a.m. – Jeff was just about to leave for work. He went to grab a few cookies for the road. I swatted his hand. “Those are for the Bluegrass Boys! Don’t even look at them. Shoo!” He stuck out his bottom lip and slunk out the door.

10:10 a.m. – I was a wee bit late getting to the studio. Everybody else was already there, settled in, and telling Bill Monroe stories. Ernie Sykes (bass, Tennessee Mafia Jug Band) flew in from New York for the session. Blake and Kimberly Williams (banjo and bass, The Expedition Show) drove up from Sparta, TN. and Roland White (mandolin, The Roland White Band) joined us from just around the corner in Nashville. We gathered to play Monroe’s tune Southern Flavor, which was the title cut of his 1988 album that went on to win the first Bluegrass Grammy in 1989.

Mojo laid down a scratch guitar track. I have another special guest joining me on guitar. He couldn’t be with us the day we cut. We’ll leave his identity shrouded in mystery for a day or two longer ‘til those tracks come in.

It was so fun hearing the guys’ stories about how they met and went to work with Mr. Monroe. And then there were tales of life on the road…which I can’t really share here. Ernie and Blake are absolutely hilarious! They kept egging each other on. Tech-savvy Roland was snapping photos on his phone and emailing them over to us all immediately.

Richard Smith, whose studio we commandeered for this venture, was also with us for a while before heading off to Indiana, I believe, for a run of shows with his wife, Julie Adams.

At one point, Blake opened up the door to find an almost whiteout and snow was beginning to accumulate. About 30 minutes later, he looked out again and it was completely sunny and not a stitch of snow on the ground. Although prone to exaggeration, I swannee to goodness I’m not exaggerating. (Pictorial proof attached.)

These guys headed out about noon thirty and the fiddlers came in just before 2:00 p.m. Michael Feagan and Buddy Spicher joined me for some live action triple fiddling. We took a couple hours to work out the parts, then circled up around three mics and cut it right there. It was old school and it was AWESOME!!!

It was such an honor to work with all these guys. I keep saying that throughout these blogs, but I sincerely mean it.

Ernie is all over so many albums I love, including a bunch of the Bluegrass Cardinals stuff and Livewire. “Oh, good-bye, Marie! Oh, good-bye Marie! Out the window there’s a lonesome highway calling me…” And now he’s with the mafia…Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, that is. Them boys is snappy dressers! (We bonded over Pointer Brand attire.)

I saw Blake Williams with Mr. Monroe in Hutchinson, Minn., back in about ’90 or ’91. Jimmy Campbell was on fiddle, Tater Tate on bass, Tom Ewing on guitar. Mom brought Mr. Monroe a rose because it was close to his birthday. I have a poster here at the house signed by the band that night. I was in the fifth or sixth grade, hadn’t yet hacked off my hair into that ridiculous bob I wore for a while OR had braces. In the picture, I’m wearing a tie. I bet I had my jean legs pinned. (Leave me a comment at the bottom of the page if you ever tried out that fashion trend. I gave it up pretty quickly after a bunch of the safety pins popped open and stabbed my leg while walking home from school one day. Ouch.)

Roland… I just love Roland! I saw him with the Nashville Bluegrass Band for the first time at the Big Island Rendezvous in Albert Lea, Minn. Jeff, Romy, and I watched the Kentucky Colonels on the Andy Griffith Show via Netflix just the other day. “Mayberry On Record,” right? I’ve had all the Nashville Bluegrass Band records memorized for a while and have lately been getting into the Country Gazette stuff. The Roland White Band music is great, too, of course. And I always enjoy Roland’s “Christmas Time’s A Comin’” at the Nashville Bluegrass Band’s annual Christmas Ham Jam dealio.

I had never seen Michael Feagan without his cowboy hat on until the other day. Even without it, he is still very tall and fairly quiet. Man! Can that man fiddle!

Unfortunately, I haven’t had much opportunity to watch Buddy perform live. But we did catch the Sunday afternoon fiddle showcase at the National Folk Festival in Nashville a few years ago. There was a major fiddler’s duel going on between Buddy and Bobby Hicks. It was a thing to behold, let me tell you! Buddy would play something totally amazing and way out there and Bobby, who was hanging on every note, would look completely shocked and laugh out loud. And, when it was his turn, Bobby would play something utterly incredible and Buddy would just sit back and smile…

There’s more to the story behind our cut of Southern Flavor. We’ll be sharing that soon. Most of it’s really exciting. One bit is pretty doggone sad. Stay tuned!

End of day nine. Triple fiddles are sublime! (Near enough rhyme…oh, look at the time!)