Long time readers will remember a fun story from last December about a wedding proposal at a Steep Canyon Rangers concert in Roanoke, VA. Jacob Harbour, bass player with Rich In Tradition, had convinced the Steeps to let him come on stage and propose to his girl, Caroline Yates.
Fortunately for all involved, she said yes. And now comes news that Jacob and Caroline were married this past weekend in Boone, NC, Caroline’s home town.
Jacob tells us that their first dance was to Shenandoah Valley by Steep Canyon Rangers, the song they dedicated to the happy couple last December when they became engaged.
Harbour had just recently given up the bass gig to concentrate on his marriage, but looks forward to his next bluegrass adventure down the road.
“I said farewell to the Rich in Tradition guys last month after six wonderful years of traveling with them. All of those guys mean the world to me and I will always cherish what we had. Their friendships will last a lifetime. I’m currently focusing on being a new homeowner and newlywed, but I will be back at it soon with whatever musical opportunity comes up next!”
Congratulations and best wishes to the Jacob and Caroline!
We’ve always said that bluegrass brings people together, and this past weekend, The Steep Canyon Rangers got the chance to make that happen in a very real way.
During their set on Friday night in Roanoke, VA, Jacob Harbour – bass player with Rich In Tradition – convinced the Steeps to let him come on stage and propose to Caroline Yates, his girlfriend of several years. No pressure, right Caroline?
Of course, she said yes, and the two love birds are planning a wedding now.
Jacob lives in Danbury, NC while Caroline has been in Roanoke attending nursing school. Last Friday was her final day of classes, and Harbour had come up to celebrate with her at the concert. Little did she know what he had in store!
He shared a few word about the multiple ways the Steeps have intersected with his life.
“This past Friday night, the Steep Canyon Rangers were gracious enough to let me come on stage with them and propose to my girlfriend of five years! It makes for an awesome story as MerleFest 2012 is where I first heard them live, and it completely steered me in a different direction musically, and the band has influenced me greatly over the years. Also at MerleFest that very same year I started to talking to who is now my fiancé! It was so cool to be able to propose with the Steep Canyon Rangers and reminisce about how it all started!”
Here are a few more photos from Caroline and Jacob’s big moment.
Eagle-eyed Rangers fans will notice that founding member Charles Humphrey III is not in his usual spot playing bass. Earlier on Friday, he had announced on Facebook that he was stepping away to dedicate his time to the Songs From The Road Band which he created as a side project with friends 11 years ago.
“With a band whose name was derived from the label off of a beer I was drinking in a Chapel Hill apartment in the late 90’s, I’ve toured the far corners of the World. With that said, I’m excited to let y’all know I’m moving on to pursue other musical and non musical passions aside from Steep Canyon Rangers. I wish the boys the best as we part ways and can proudly say, it’s been one hell of a ride!”
When with caught up with Rangers banjo player Graham Sharp last night, he said that they all wish Charles well.
“We’ve played more good music and had more fun together with Charles than anyone could hope for in a single lifetime. We’re moving in separate directions and we trust all our friends and fans will support Charles in all his endeavors. It’s been a great ride together!”
This report on the long-running series of bluegrass shows in Sandy Ridge, NC is a contribution from Jay Adams, banjo player with Rich in Tradition. Jay assumed management of this popular local tradition in 2010 when its founder, Cleo Lemons, turned 90 years of age.
Saturday March 19 marked 68 years of bluegrass music at the Sandy Ridge School in Sandy Ridge, NC. Host band Rich in Tradition and headliners Alan Bibey & Grasstowne played to a standing room only crowd of enthusiastic fans.
Master of ceremonies Bob Webster, recently had an article in the January issue of Bluegrass Unlimited detailing some of the interesting facts about the earlier days of the show, which Flatt and Scruggs played annually for 20 years followed by Flatt’s Nashville Grass, The Osborne Bros, Jim and Jessie, The Lewis Family and others.
A very special guest, Dukes of Drive lead singer, Joey Lemons, took the stage with Rich in Tradition during their second set for a few numbers to honor his grandfather, Cleo Lemons. Sadly Cleo, who established the Sandy Ridge School Bluegrass Show in 1948, passed away on March 5th, just days before this year’s concert. Joey also gave an emotional “Thank you” at the beginning of the concert to all those involved with continuing his grandfather’s efforts to bring the best in bluegrass to Sandy Ridge.
It was a great night for both bluegrass fans and the Sandy Ridge Elementary school. The proceeds from the concert benefit the school.
We are working on something very special for 2018 which will mark 70 years of bluegrass and history at Sandy Ridge.
It’s not uncommon for bluegrass bands to claim an association with tradition. Some are based in it, some are influenced by it, some have built upon it, while others seem to have completely forgotten about it. One Mt. Airy, NC-area band, however, is “rich” in it. Rich in Tradition has recently released their fourth album (and second for Mountain Roads Recordings), Lonesomeville, and do a fine job convincing listeners their name is well-deserved.
The band has a great neotraditional style, with strong vocalists, tasteful arrangements, and musicians who surely know their way around a set of strings. The tradition they’re following, however, seems to be a little more Crowe than it is Scruggs. There are only a few songs on the album that most would call traditional bluegrass, pulled from the Stanleys and Flatt and Scruggs, and updated just a bit. The group takes a page from the 1975 edition of the New South with Some Old Day, and kicks things into high gear on a straight ahead version of Long Journey Home. A highlight of the album is Carter Stanley’s Let Me Walk Lord by Your Side. It’s one of the best versions of this number that I’ve heard, with particularly strong banjo from Jay Adams.
The album’s other Gospel songs, both band originals, are also standouts. Glorious City, which was written by Adams,has a Southern Gospel vibe and nicely done harmonies. Adams and mandolin player Greg Jones collaborated on God Has Been So Good to Me, an enjoyable song of thanks to God for his help in our lives and the gift of salvation. The title track is another band original, this time from guitarist Ronnie Edwards. It’s a clever take on the classic bluegrass theme of heartbreak.
The group pulls from country music for several tracks, although the songs are given a bluegrass treatment. The classic convict’s lament, Branded Wherever I Go opens the album with a straightforward modern traditional sound. There are also two Steve Wariner covers. Rich in Tradition has done a good job translating Wariner’s late eighties country originals to midtempo contemporary bluegrass, both on Where Did I Go Wrong (which features some nice mandolin work from Jones) and the earnest Life’s Highway.
Rich in Tradition might not be known on the national bluegrass scene yet, but they’ve got a good grip on the essentials of the genre. Adams (banjo), Jones (mandolin), Edwards (guitar), and Jacob Harbour (bass) are talented musicians who have offered fans a great selection of songs with their latest album.
Lonesomeville is out now from Mountain Roads Recordings, and can be purchased from a variety of online music retailers.
Fiddler Jordan Blevins from Marion, Virginia, has joined the great traditional bluegrass band, Rich In Tradition.
Blevins, just as the rest of the group, comes from a musical family with a rich heritage in bluegrass music. His father has played the guitar since he was 13 years old and he also has two uncles who play mandolin.
Starting with the upright bass at the Monday night jams at Carson Cooper’s music store on Main Street in Marion, Blevins learned as much as he could from some pretty good pickers who were anxious to teach a young eager kid some tricks.
He joined his father’s band, the Virginia Mountain Boys, at the age of 15. When he turned 18, he became interested in the fiddle and shortly after was faced with the choice of trying out for the Virginia Tech baseball team or playing fiddle with the popular band, Fescue. His love of music steered him to Fescue and he has never looked back, continuing to hone his skills on the fiddle.
Rounding out the roster for Rich In Tradition, Blevins says that he already feels at home with this group. He says, “I’m very pleased to be a part of Rich In Tradition and look forward to a long and successful musical career with them. They are a great bunch of guys and great musicians”.
Rich In Tradition was formed in 2006 and currently consists of Mickey Galyean (guitar, lead, tenor and high baritone vocals), Jay Adams (banjo and baritone vocals), Brad Hiatt (bass, and lead and tenor vocals) and Greg Jones (mandolin, lead and tenor vocals) and Blevins (fiddle).
Their latest album Black Mountain Special (Mountain Roads Recordings MRR 1010), an excellent mix of secular and gospel music, was a Top 5 entry in the Bluegrass Music Profiles National Bluegrass CD Chart.
Veteran fiddler Tim Smith joins Rich In Tradition, the excellent young traditional band from the Mt. Airy – Galax area.
Hot on the heals of our recent note about Tim Smith’s rich musical past, including his near three-year tenure with the Bluegrass Cardinals and a one-off performance with Bill Monroe, comes news of a new appointment, as the fiddle player with Rich In Tradition.
Smith is replacing Tim Martin, who following the recent death of his mother, has stepped aside to deal with increased family duties.
Smith comes from Havre de Grace, Maryland, and with the help of his maternal grandfather and two uncles he began learning about the fiddle from the age of seven. At the age of nine his family settled in Sparta, North Carolina, and Smith became consumed in the great fiddle playing traditions of region, entering contests and playing at shows, dances and local churches.
In 1973, shortly after his graduation from Alleghany High School, Smith won Lester Flatt’s fiddle contest in Pinnacle, North Carolina. The first place prize was a guest appearance with Lester Flatt and The Nashville Grass on The Grand Ole Opry. Since then, he has been awarded various prestigious fiddle prizes, including 1st place at the 1976 The North Carolina State Championship, 1st place at the internationally renowned Galax Fiddlers Convention in 1977, and the World Championship fiddle prize at the world famous Union Grove Fiddlers Convention in 1978.
His career in bluegrass music has seen Smith playing and recording with the Bluegrass Cardinals, Jim and Jesse, Del McCoury, the Lost and Found, the Virginia Squires, the James King Band, The Country Gentlemen and The Churchmen, among several other well-known names.
Smith has his own record company, TRS Records and publishing company, Big Baby Boy Music, BMI. He lives in Kernersville, North Carolina, with his wife, Anita, and their two children, Melissa and Andrew.
“Rich In Tradition has become much in demand since the release of their latest recording, Black Mountain Special in July 2010. This album has introduced this talented group to new audiences around the world and the addition of Tim Smith solidifies this group as a force to reckoned with in traditional bluegrass.”
Rich In Tradition will be in studio with Judith Burnette tomorrow evening on WBRF FM, broadcasting from Galax, VA.
Judith tells us that they will be on this Saturday (8/7) during the nine o’clock hour (EDT).
“We will be debuting their brand new Mountain Road Recordings project, Black Mountain Special. I am so excited about having these guys in studio with me and sharing their traditional style of Bluegrass with my listeners. Black Mountain Special was written by the late Cullen Galyean. It is an awesome project which really shows off this band’s great talent.
You can hear the show at 98.1 on the FM dial or www.blueridgecountry98.com streaming live on the internet.”
July 2010 is a eventful month for the Galyean family of Virginia.
In the first instance it is tinged with much sadness at the passing of Cullen Galyean. Secondly, on a much brighter note, it marks the release of the album Black Mountain Special (Mountain Roads Recordings) by Rich In Tradition, a quintet led by Cullen’s son, Mickey Galyean.
In addition to Mickey (guitar, lead and tenor vocals), Rich In Tradition consists of Greg Jones (mandolin, lead and tenor vocals), Tim Martin (fiddle, finger-picked guitar and lead vocals), Jay Adams (banjo, baritone and bass vocals) and Brad Hiatt (bass, lead and tenor vocals). They got together in 2006 and cut their musical teeth playing throughout northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia, forging a band that maintains the strong traditions for traditional bluegrass and gospel music that prevail in that region.
Mickey Galyean was born in Low Gap, North Carolina. He started playing music when he was 13 years old. His father gave Mickey an old Gibson F-4 mandolin and he switched to playing bluegrass from rock and has never looked back since. Greg Jones was born in the heart of the bluegrass and old time haven, Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Growing up with a family of musicians and singers made it a lot easier to get the picking bug. At the age of 15 he started to play the mandolin, learning everything from Bill Monroe to David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs. He joined Cullen Galyean and his band, The Bluegrassers, in 2004.
Tim Martin was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1958 and began learning to play the mandolin at the age of seven. At the age of ten he moved on to playing the banjo, before turning to his true love, the fiddle, when he was 15. Martin’s first professional job was with Jim Eanes, whom he joined at the age of 13. He makes his home in Collinsville, Virginia. From Pine Hall, North Carolina, Jay Adams’ first influences in bluegrass music were Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Reno & Smiley and all the pioneers of the music. Around the age of 16, Adams began playing banjo, a Gibson RB-250, which he acquired while in high school. His main influences on the banjo include Earl Scruggs, J.D. Crowe, Gene Parker and Craig Smith. His current favourite is Jim Mills. Brad Hiatt, from Ararat, Virginia, began playing the banjo at the age of nine. At ten-years old, he was fortunate enough to play on stage with Grandpa Jones. He went on to learn how to play the electric guitar and acoustic bass, honing his skills on that instrument while playing with The Marshall Brothers band and Spur of the Moment.
The band’s first release for Mountain Roads Recordings features great old favorites not heard in a long time, such as (The Old) Swinging Bridge and the title track, penned by Cullen Galyean, and strong original songs like Now I’m Losing You, Lost, Heartbroke and Lonesome, Weather’s Got To Change, Only One You’re Calling Baby and the instrumental Prillaman’s Switch. Alongside these are three Gospel numbers; I’ve Just Seen The Rock Of Ages, Preachin’, Prayin’ Singin’ and Let’s All Go Down To the River.
Black Mountain Special will be released on July 27. It is currently available to radio stations around the world in electronic format through AirPlay Direct.
Mountain Roads Recordings has announced the signing of Rich In Tradition, a quintet from the Galax, Virginia/Mt Airy, North Carolina, region. The group has already made its mark by providing the backbone in the studio for the recording of the tracks for the latest album from Mountain Roads Recordings, Born Into Bluegrass, the Songs of Cullen Galyean (released October 1).
Rich In Tradition – Jay Adams (banjo and vocals), Mickey Galyean (guitar and vocals), Brad Hiatt (acoustic bass and vocals), Greg Jones (mandolin and vocals) and Tim Martin (fiddle) – combines a century of rich bluegrass and gospel music experience, providing precision picking, great harmonies and a professional presentation.
Individually, the members all have a strong grounding in the music of the area, starting young, learning from the masters and honing their skills in a variety of groups before coming together as a band.
Rich in Tradition has taken 1st place in four out of five fiddler’s conventions that they entered in their first year, including 1st place bluegrass band at the Galax Fiddlers Convention.
Mountain Roads Recordings’ Karl Cooler says…
“Rich In Tradition members are a versatile group with each individual able to play many instruments and perform a variety of vocal parts. Their sound is unique and readily identifiable. Whether they are performing old standards or original songs, their audiences are always wanting more. We are so are happy that we are finally able to have them on-board with us.”
The band’s first release under the Mountain Roads Recordings’ banner is planned for middle of next year.
Visit the band’s MySpace page to listen to some their music.
