Turnberry Management Archives

Turnberry introduces Free Strings curriculum program with Annie Savage

Turnberry Records is getting into the music education market through a new partnership with noted fiddle and strings instructor Annie Savage. Together they are launching a program called Free Strings, designed to offer full curricula to high school band and orchestra teachers for introducing bluegrass music to their students.

With help from a grant from the IBMA Foundation, Savage created a Bluegrass and Blues Module for public school teachers which she says is the first of its sort on the market. The module includes teacher/student videos, notation packs, and their Join-The-Jam play along videos, giving ensemble directors all the tools they need to expose their students to bluegrass music.

Free Strings is also meant to be helpful for bands wanting to develop a school assembly program for their tour dates, or for individuals looking to expand their own skill set.

There are modules as well for jazz and world music.

To utilize Free Strings requires a $29/year subscription, and then $49 for each of the modules.

Savage, who trained at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, and has two decades of service teaching strings in the classroom, says that she is quite pleased with what they have created.

“The Free Strings Method is a comprehensive online curriculum for string players of all stripes, based on the nexus between inclusivity, creative musicianship, and the skill set required for a lifetime in music. The IBMA Foundation grant that we received was used to create a special Bluegrass and Blues Module that is the first teacher training course of its kind. It is designed to train a classroom orchestra instructor to deliver the nuanced skill set and technique we enjoy in bluegrass bands, jams, and the music industry to public school students. Our grant helped us hire bluegrass giant Greg Blake and renowned bass player Blake Shaw in addition to using the technology prowess of Turnberry Records to create a beautiful and easy to use interface.”

Free Strings has made this example video available for us to share with our readers, which shows Annie introducing the concepts that are covered in the curriculum.

Here is another, an example of a Join-The-Jam video for Glass Island Reel.

Full details about the Free Strings Method can be found at their official web site, and at Annie Savage’s site.

Caleb Bailey & Paine’s Run to Turnberry Records

Turnberry Records has announced the signing of Caleb Bailey & Paine’s Run to the label for a single project deal.

Bailey is a young bluegrass singer and songwriter from Virginia who grew up surrounded by the music. He made a bit of a splash in 2021 with his debut album, Poplar & Pine, which had a nice run on our Bluegrass Today charts.

Now he and his touring band are working on a new record for Turnberry, and Caleb is looking forward to sharing more original bluegrass with listeners wherever they may be.

“We’re a traditional bluegrass band that offers a unique sound that we own. If you’re a painter, you won’t go out and try to re-paint the Mona Lisa. That’s just not original.

Turnberry just seems to be the ‘happening’ place to be.

We’re now booking for 2023, and we want to be part of spearheading the next chapter for Turnberry.”

Paine’s Run includes Bailey on guitar and lead vocals, along with Rob Slusser on banjo, Brandon Kyle on bass, Joe Showalter on fiddle, Chandler Beavers on mandolin, and Wyatt Wood on guitar.

Turnberry Records is planning to release new music from Caleb Bailey & Paine’s Run with a series of singles this spring, followed by a full album release later in 2023.

Check out their sound in this video from last year, House of the Lord.

You can learn more about the group by visiting Caleb’s web site.

From Me to We – new single from Greg Blake

Greg Blake’s may soon be the primary voice you hear on bluegrass radio. With new songs featuring Blake releasing from Special Consensus, Greg’s own solo project, People Places, and Songs, and a new recording from Greg Blake & Hometown all hitting this season, one might wonder if he were the only guy singing bluegrass.

Fortunately, with his signature rich and sonorous sound, it’s always a happy occasion when one of his tracks plays on air. And here’s another to keep you on your toes.

A lyric video has just been released for his current single, from Me To We on Turnberry Records, a traditional country-sounding number that laments the divisions we see between us in the US, and probably throughout the world as politicians seek to define and exacerbate every difference into an issue.

The song was written by Greg with Jeff Walter, and recorded at the ETSU Studio with Dan Boner at the controls. With Blake singing and playing guitar, we have fiddle from Aynsley Porchak, mandolin from Jesse Brock, Mark Schatz on bass, and Boner on electric guitar, Tony Dingus on steel, and John Gardner on drums. This one sounds like it could have served as a backdrop for a 1970s Clint Eastwood movie, and is sure to tickle the nostalgia bone for anyone old enough to remember those days.

Have a look/listen…

From Me To We is available now from popular download and streaming services, and to radio programmers via AirPlay Direct.

I Hear Banjos from Mike Mitchell

I hear banjos… is that anything like ‘I see dead people?’ Does it suggest some medical intervention may be required?

Just kidding, of course. I Hear Banjos is the name of the first single from Mike Mitchell’s upcoming album with Turnberry Records. Mike wrote it with the members of the Anderson family of western Pennsylvania who make up the band Echo Valley.

Mike says that the session started out as a songwriting lesson on Zoom, and turned into a very practical exercise as they took a chance occurrence and made it into a song.

“When we started the write that morning, there was a whole lot of banjo music coming from the room next door to where the other band members were. I asked them about that, and was told, ‘its our brother’s banjo lesson time.’ So, when the there’s two banjos in the room next door, and you can’t concentrate on anything else, you write about what you know!”

The song follows the three verse story form often seen in country music, where the narrative unfolds in three separate vignettes. First we hear from someone who isn’t necessarily thrilled to be listening to banjos all the time, then a telling of how much banjo picking is heard near Mitchell’s home in Floyd, VA, and finally we finish with a brief history lesson on the ol’ five string.

Mitchell is supported on the track by Joey Mosley on guitar, Jake Mosley on mandolin, Tray Wellington on banjo, and Jason Moore on bass. Mike takes the fiddle and lead vocal, with Jesse Smathers and Jesse Brock singing harmonies.

I Hear Banjos is available now from popular download and streaming services online. Radio programmers are invited to contact Turnberry Records by email to get a copy.

All Grassed Up – new single from David Stewart

Noted country and bluegrass songwriter David Stewart has signed with Turnberry Records, and a new album, Still Got Some Cowboy in Me, is expected for release in 2022.

That title comes from Stewart’s early claim to fame, a 1600 mile walk from Wyoming to Nashville which earned him the name, The Walking Cowboy. The decision to travel such a great distance on foot came from telling his wife back in 1988 that he would walk to Nashville for a chance to sing on the Grand Ole Opry. She encouraged him to do just that and they hatched a plan to make the trip, visiting with local media along the way, and the story of “the Walking Cowboy” caught on. So much so that the Opry contacted him while still on the way and asked if he would perform on their stage once he got to Nashville. Mission accomplished.

David ended up with a book deal as well, and his retelling of that long walk, Heart and Sole, is still in print online after having sold more than 44,000 initial copies.

He also made the acquaintance of country singer Eddy Raven, and the two started writing together. Some of those songs were included on Raven’s Living In Black and White project in 2007. They are also collaborated on Eddy’s 2017 album with Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road and cowrote the title track, All Grassed Up.

And that is the song David has chosen as the first single for his Turnberry project. He tells us what he and Eddy had in mind when they put it together.

“When we were writing All Grassed Up, we wanted to express how we feel rollin’ down the road listening to all the great music our heroes made and left us.

I spent lots of miles on the road listening and learning from these great pickers playing on the Opry and at festivals.

It is a way we could say … you don’t need drugs or booze to get high. I Love Bluegrass!!!”

This new cut of All Grassed Up features David Stewart on guitar and lead vocal, with Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin, Josh Swift on reso-guitar, Jesse Baker on banjo, and Morgan Blaney on bass. Engineer and producer Greg Cole sang harmony.

Check it out…

Pre-orders for Still Got Some Cowboy in Me are enabled online. Radio programmers are invited to contact Turnberry Records to get an airplay copy of the single.

North End of a South Bound Train from Chad Darou

Turnberry Records has released a first single from Chad Darou in advance of Susquehanna Line, their full-length project with the veteran bluegrass songwriter and multi-instrumentalist next year.

Known these days primarily for his reso-guitar work, Chad has also played as a professional on mandolin and banjo. He made waves with his slide work at an early age, being invited to play on the Grand Ole Opry with Charlie Collins and Brother Oswald when he was 12. Over his career, Darou has worked with a long list of artists in bluegrass and country music, including Del Reeves, Bill Harrell, The Gibson Brothers, Wheeler Creek, Bill Anderson, Boxcar Willie, and James King. Most recently, he drew attention touring with Dave Adkins .

The new single is a song called North End of a South Bound Train, written by Ed Williams, where Chad demonstrates his abilities on reso-guitar, mandolin, banjo, and bass, supported by Ray Legere on fiddle and David Carey on bass. Mallory Evans sings the lead, with Chad and Kristin Darou providing harmonies.

Have a listen in this lyric video.

North End of a South Bound Train is available now from popular download and streaming sites online. Pre-orders for the full album are also enabled.

Mike Mitchell signs with Turnberry Records

Mike Mitchell photo © Kevin Slick

Turnberry Records has announced the signing of bluegrass singer, songwriter, and fiddler Mike Mitchell to the label.

A Canadian native, Mitchell now lives in the small town of Floyd, VA, a haven for Appalachian arts in the southwestern part of the state. There he operates the Floyd Music School with his wife, Jenny, teaching a new generation of young bluegrass and old time musicians.

Mike says that a couple of things led to his decision to partner with Turnberry, a good friend and the company’s location.

“My wife grew up in Hemet, CA. It’s cool to be on a label that’s right over the mountain. We hope to expand more into California and Colorado.

Greg Blake is a friend and mentor, and a personal hero. I’ve got great feelings about the people behind the company.”

Turnberry says that a debut single from Mitchell is coming soon, followed by a full album of Mike’s original music sometime next year.

Now There’s You video from Lori King & Junction 63

Turnberry Records has released a new music video for Lori King & Junction 63, based on their current single, Now There’s You.

The group consists of Lori on bass and lead vocals, with her husband, Joe, on guitar, Kevin Amburgey on mandolin, Mark Hargrove on banjo, and Kyle Murphy on fiddle. They have long been a popular act in the midwestern states, and are now looking for a national audience through their relationship with Turnberry.

Lori says that they shot the music video in a coffee shop in their hometown of Drakesville, Iowa.

“I had so much fun making this video with my husband Joe! We especially enjoyed that we were able to shoot it in our hometown and give viewers a glimpse of who we are. It’s a story of looking for love, and I think our long happy marriage helped us with this video shoot.”

Now There’s You is included on Junction 63’s latest album, Walkin’ The Blues on Turnberry Records. It is available from the popular download and streaming sites online, and on audio CD directly from the Junction 63 web site.

‘Till The End of the Road from Starlett & Big John

Turnberry Records has released another single from their upcoming album for Starlett & Big John, ‘Till The End Of The Road, expected in September.

This new single is the title track, written by Barney Rogers especially for them, about a long term love that lasts forever. The lyrics express it quite clearly… “I’m along for the ride, ’till the end of the road.”

Starlett and Big John are the stage names for this Virginia duo, in real life Starlett Boswell Austin and Big John Talley. Both have many years in bluegrass prior to forming their new venture, supported by a cast of top pickers in the Old Dominion. On this single, John is on guitar and Starlett on bass, with David Carroll on banjo, Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, and Ron Stewart on fiddle.

Talley says that it touches on how lucky we are if we find that lasting love.

“‘Till The End Of The Road is a true to life song about being lost on the road of life and love, only to find the person that really defines both and inspires you to commit.”

Here’s a taste.

‘Till The End Of The Road by Starlett & Big John is available now wherever you stream or download music online. Radio programmers will find the track at AirPlay Direct.

Pre-orders for the full album, which will be available on September 3, can also be placed online.

People, Places, and Songs video from Greg Blake

Turnberry Records has released a music video for the title track from their album with Greg Blake, People, Places and Songs.

Blake says that this song means a great deal to him, representing the things that connect us to our families and friends, the locations that stay in our memories, and the music that makes live worthwhile.

“It gives me great pleasure to share with the bluegrass and acoustic roots music communities this video of the recently released single and title cut from my new album on Turnberry Records – People, Places and Songs! I teamed up with acclaimed songwriters, Dawn Kenney and David Morris, during the COVID lock down period to write this song about the long-lasting, forever-shaping impact of those key people and crossroads in our lives.

My wish is that you not just enjoy the artistry of the music, but that the lyrics and the images remind you of … ‘the things that make us who we are, and tell us we belong; a part of us forever, rocks we build our lives upon – PEOPLE, PLACES AND SONGS!‘”

Greg is supported on this track by Jesse Brock on mandolin, Jacob Metz on resophonic guitar, Aynsley Porchak on fiddle, and Mark Schatz on bass and banjo. Schatz and Claire Lynch sing harmony vocals.

The single is available now wherever you stream or download music online, while the CD can be purchased directly from Turnberry Records.