The Amanda Cook Band has announced Troy Boone as the newest member of her touring group. He will play mandolin and reso-guitar, and share harmony vocal duties in the band.
Since leaving Sideline at the end of the summer, Troy has been filling in with Amanda, and he is proud and delighted that she has asked him to join up full-time.
“I am certainly excited to announce my on-boarding with the Amanda Cook band. I have been filling in on their show the last few months and it is a blast getting to play with them. During my time with Sideline, I was able to learn from some of the most hard-working musicians in bluegrass and it was an experience of a lifetime. My departure from them was not easily decided, but necessary in order to focus on school and family. Moving forward, I am 14 months away from graduating Full Sail University with a Bachelor of Science in Audio Production, while producing and recording bands through my home studio in North Carolina. Performing with Amanda and the amazing band she has assembled is something that fuels my musical creativity, and traveling with my wife is icing on the cake. I am extremely fortunate to continue to play with the industry’s best musicians and I look forward to seeing old friends down the line!”
He joins Carolyne VanLierop-Boone on banjo (his wife), George Mason on fiddle, Joshua Faul on bass, Frosty Foster on guitar, and Amanda on lead vocals. One suspects that Carolyne, who has been playing with Amanda since the two were living in western Florida, had some input on Troy getting the gig.
Boone taking the job has also opened up another opportunity for Cook. Billy Samford of R.Q. Jones Retrofit Resonator Guitars has become a big fan of her music, and approached her recently about the band becoming endorsers.
“I’ve followed Amanda for a while, and each time I listen to her I hear bluegrass in her soul. She couldn’t hide it if she tried! Her band reflects that as well all are outstanding bluegrass musicians in their own right. That’s why I’m so proud that Amanda has agreed to feature R.Q. Retrofit resonator guitars in her music. What more could I ask for than to have such talented and friendly people playing an R.Q.!”
So Troy gets a new rest to play on the road with the band, and Amanda gets a double-duty instrumentalist.
Cook has completed her new album for Mountain Fever Records, and a debut single is expected in the next few weeks.
