Art of Music 2022

DECEMBER 2-3 · 2022

Balsam Range marks 15 years

Curious & Rooted Sierra Hull spreads her wings

Travelin’ McCourys | Michael Cleveland

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A Message FROM buddy T

his year’s Art of Music Festival is an important and exciting one — for the musicians onstage, and for those in the audience. People are ready to get back to normal, and our festival is such a great event for Haywood County.

Once again, we’ve brought in a stellar lineup to make each night as strong and memorable as possible.

Our goal has always been to bring folks to Haywood County that we really admire as musicians and artists. Balsam Range has traveled for years and gotten to see those acts — to just admire their talents, and who they are as individuals. To bring these performers to Haywood County is such a treat, and it’s something we’re honored to present to our area.

Putting on a music festival is a huge challenge, where we’re always trying to make the event grow each year — presenting a diverse group of acts, offering new activities and workshops during the day. But regardless, at the heart of the festival is celebrating the art of music. It takes a long time to pull all of these elements together and try to make it all balance out onstage each night — and I think we’ve achieved it again this year.

This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the formation of Balsam Range. You know, we’ve really been through so much, musically and individually as a family. We’ve gone

Special thanks to theses partners.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Smith Photography

We’ve seen a lot of things come and go, and to still be able to follow this journey — as friends and family — is very special. through a lot in 15 years. We’ve seen a lot of things come and go, and to still be able to follow this journey — as friends and family — is very special.

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that our time together and being able to do things like the Art of Music Festival are special, and we don’t

Art Of Music Festival Director/ Balsam Range Tour Manager/Publicity: Mandy Tenery Writing: Garret K. Woodward Cover Photo: Sierra Hull.

DONATED PHOTO

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ever want to that for granted. We’re grateful for everything we’ve been able to do, see, experience, and accomplish throughout the last decade and a half, and we look forward to any opportunities that the future may hold.

— Buddy Melton fiddler/singer of Balsam Range

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“Music makes pictures and often tells stories All of it magic and all of it true And all of the pictures and all of the stories All of the magic, the music is you.”

John Denver

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Schedule + More The official Thursday night kickoff event is always something really special. This year, we think might it be even more so.

In honor of our year-long 15th anniversary celebration, we are hosting an evening with Balsam Range, “15 Years In The Making” show held at Shackford Hall at Lake Junaluska. We will share more details about the show as it nears, but we are really excited Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper about it. Tickets are limited as we want this to be an intimate occasion. Tickets on-sale NOW! Cash, Marty Stuart and Barry Gibb,

Friday, Dec. 2 Sierra Hull & Justin Moses

A mandolin virtuoso, Sierra Hull made Grand Ole Opry debut at the age of 10, played Carnegie Hall at age 12, only to land a deal with Rounder Records just a year later. At age 31, Hull has also been recognized as the “Mandolin Player of the Year” five times by the IBMAs. Husband to Hull, Justin Moses is an award winning multi-instrumentalist celebrated as one of the most versatile musicians in all of acoustic music. A prominent Nashville session musician, he has appeared on stage or in the studio with an endless list of diverse artists such as Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Bruce Hornsby, Béla Fleck, Peter Frampton, Rosanne

TICKETS

among many others. Moses has also been awarded “Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year” by the IBMAs four times.

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

A 2019 Grammy Award recipient for “Best Bluegrass Album,” Michael Cleveland’s blistering prowess and technical fluency on the fiddle has marked him as a sought-after musician, leading to performances with Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, Tim O’Brien, J.D. Crowe and the New South, Andy Statman, and The Kruger Brothers in recent years. However, it wasn’t until 2006, when Michael formed his own band Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, that he found the right vehicle for his musical vision, and he hasn’t rested since, constantly looking for new ways to push himself and his music forward.

• Visit balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com or call 800.222.4930.

• For tickets and lodging information at Lake Junaluska, call 800.222.4930 or visit lakejunaluska.com.

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Atlanta Pops Orchestra

Founded in 1944, the Pops were initially started as a way for the finest musicians in Atlanta to come together and perform as one entity, whether it be on the radio or onstage for public viewing.

It’s all in an effort to spread the love, passion and talent of music to others, in hopes of perhaps sparking a creative fire within earshot — a professional vision, and personal sentiment, that resides between the Pops and Balsam Range.

Saturday, Dec. 3 Travelin’ McCourys

The McCoury brothers — Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo) — were born into the bluegrass tradition. Talk about a source abundant and pure: their father, Del, is among the most influential and successful musicians in the history of the genre. Years on the road in the Del McCoury Band honed the siblings’ knife-edge chops, and encouraged the duo to imagine how traditional bluegrass could cut innovative pathways into 21st century music.

In terms of accolades, all five members of the group have won International

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Art of Music Workshops

Throughout the weekend of music and festivities, there will be a handful of workshops for musicians and the curious alike (see accompanying schedule). Topics and lectures will range from songwriting to musicianship, storytelling to instrument building.

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Saturday, Dec. 3 • 10-11 a.m. — Songwriting with Milan Miller and Adam Wright at the Terrace Hotel • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. — Balsam Range full band workshop and jam.

Bring your instrument. At the Terrace Auditorium.

• 1:30-2:30 p.m. — Instrument building with Caleb Smith at the Terrace Hotel.

• 2-3 p.m. — “Songs for Your Saturday Afternoon” with Missy Armstrong and Milan Miller.

• 3:30-4:30 p.m. — “Youth Talent Showcase,” the future of bluegrass music.

All workshops are free, first come first served.

Atlanta Pops Orchestra with Balsam Range

Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for their respective instruments, with Ronnie and fiddler Jason Carter both taking home honors on multiple occasions. In 2018, the ensemble won the Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album.”

Shannon & Adam Wright

Originally known as The Wrights, Adam & Shannon Wright are a beloved husband and wife country duo. Adam is also the nephew of country music artist Alan Jackson.

Adam and Shannon Wright met in 1998 after he filled in for a musician in her band in Atlanta, Georgia.

The two started out writing songs together, eventually marrying and moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2002. Two of their songs can be found on Jackson's 2004 album

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“What I Do.” A year later, the Wrights' debut album, “Down This Road,” was released on Jackson's personal label, ACR (Alan's Country Records), in association with RCA Records. A self-titled, eight-song EP and a second album, “In the Summertime,” both followed in 2008.

The Studio Dream Team Band

A special grouping of some of the finest session musicians in modern music, The Studio Dream Team Band will showcase its various talents on several instruments as the act rolls through a slew of wellknown numbers and in-the-moment improvisational jams.

As well, Balsam Range will perform each evening.

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Choices and Changes A conversation with Sierra Hull

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t just 31 years old, Sierra Hull is already a legend in the bluegrass world. With her signature songbird vocals and mandolin virtuosity, the performer has also taken home “Mandolin Player of the Year” at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards five times.

And yet, for every mountain top Hull has climbed and stood atop, she’s constantly gazing across the musical landscape at other peaks to traverse and tackle. As the “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe always said, “if you can play my music, you can play anything,” so goes Hull down the rabbit hole of melodic possibility.

This past year, Hull was part of Bela Fleck’s return to the “high, lonesome sound” with his highly-anticipated “My Bluegrass Heart” album. Hull was also alongside country star Sturgill Simpson with his acclaimed “Cuttin’ Grass, Vol 1 & 2” records. And, most recently, she’s been collaborating with popular funk/soul rocker Cory Wong on his nationwide tour.

You’re someone who’s always looking for new people to play with, to collaborate with, to record with. Why is that important as part of who you are?

I think I’ve always been a bit of a curious musician. I grew up so rooted in the bluegrass world, and I love that — that’s always going be home for me in so many ways. [Bluegrass] is an incredible foundation to be able to really get your chops, where — as a musician, singer, songwriter — you learn how to sing harmony. You learn how to really play your instrument and improvise.

And those are skillsets that lend themselves to a lot of other places, too.

If you’re a curious musician, you can take those things that you’ve learned from the bluegrass community and use

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them in other places.

I’m a music fan, first and foremost. I just love a lot of different styles of music. So, when the opportunities come to do some kind of interesting collaboration, I’m always really inspired and excited by that.

It’s not that I’m trying to step away from my roots, necessarily. I just think, as a music fan, why not explore all the things in music that come my way?

Bill Monroe always said, “if you can play my music, you can play anything.”

It’s true. It really is. In bluegrass, you

learn how to play from an instrumental standpoint. There’s so much value and celebration of the instrumental side of that music. But, at the same time, you have all this great vocal music. Singing harmonies and really understanding how to sing with other people is such a huge part of it — you can take that to a lot of different places.

And what’s funny is now someone who jumps over the fence of bluegrass is considered to have a “crossover factor,” where before an artist might not make that jump in fear of losing their

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audience. Today, it’s more about creative fulfillment.

Totally. Well, we live in a time where we have access to [all forms of] music.

At our fingertips, we can pull up anything we want to listen to in seconds.

The possibilities as a listener are endless, and the things to be inspired by is kind of endless, too.

I’m grateful that I was brought up in bluegrass, and so rooted in something [like that]. And you learn a lot when you’re really sort of living in one zone heavily for a long time. But, I also think it’s part of the beauty of just having all these different things, is that there’s a musician trying to create art or just as a listener where you can dabble in all these different areas — it’s so much fun.

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It’s like, how could you not be inspired by all this music?

I know, exactly.

The beauty is you do what you want to do, you follow the muse, which is one of the great things that’s happened with your Cory Wong collaboration — you took a leap and kicked some doors down.

Well, that’s a perfect example of something that just came my way — Cory reaching out to me on Instagram saying, “Hey, do you want to play on my record?”

And, what you find is, that sometimes the most unlikely of pairings can be this magical thing. If you’re not open to those [opportunities], you won’t ever have that excitement of collaboration, and you just live in your zone the whole time.

[Now], there’s nothing wrong with that, if you find something you love and that’s what excites you. But, for me, I love trying to be open-minded for any kind of collaboration that might come my way, because I learn something new in every situation I walk into.

Being able to go play with Cory, or any of the number things that I’ve done this year, just makes me be able to come back and think about my own career and band dynamic differently — all of these things I’m learning are inspiring what I’m trying to ultimately do and create.

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Brotherhood and backwoods tradition Balsam Range celebrates 15 years together Writers’ Note: Since I started in the position of arts and entertainment editor at The Smoky Mountain News in 2012, I’ve been able to dive deep into the legend and lore of bluegrass sensation Balsam Range. Not only has the group become musical heroes in their own right, the group remains a pillar of the genuine compassion and inclusive nature at the heart of folks here in Haywood County and greater Western North Carolina.

Below are excerpts from numerous cover stories and articles over the last decade.

Congratulations on 15 years, my friends.

— Garret K. Woodward

August 2012

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n the heels of their latest release, “Papertown,” Balsam Range held court at the historic Colonial Theater in Canton last Friday night, Aug. 10.

The sold-out album-release party attracted around 250 patrons. The concert was a celebration of not only a new record, but also a homecoming and “thank you” to all in Haywood County — all of those who are a part of “Balsam Nation” — on their continued support of a band that is realizing more and more each day that the sky’s the limit.

“I grew up in the mountains and music was part of our heritage. My dad played and about everybody in my family played. We’d play every evening, especially on Friday nights when other musicians would come by and sit on the porch,” said mandolinist Darren Nicholson. “As long as people have been living here, music has been here.

Music and dance is a big part of mountain culture. It’s just a way of life. Sitting down with your family after dinner and playing. It’s been like that around here for hundreds of years.”

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Entering their fifth year together, the group came to fruition in a roundabout way of old friends and new, sitting down and pickin’ for the sake of pickin’.

“Originally, we just got together to jam. A couple of the guys had put out solo records and some of us played on those records,” said bassist/dobroist Tim Surrett. “We had so much fun and ended up picking together. By the second time or so we picked, we got asked to play a show and then we just had to look for a name.”

The quintet features Nicholson, Surrett, guitarist Caleb Smith, fiddler Buddy Melton, and banjoist Marc Pruett. From winning a Grammy Award (Pruett) to being inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Surrett), PowerGrass Music Awards “Male Vocalist of the Year” (Smith) to performing

at the Grand Ole Opry (Nicholson) or playing alongside the legendary Doc Watson (Melton), they’re an array of talent and acclaim deeply rooted in Western North Carolina.

“We all grew up around here. There’s something magical about [bluegrass] that grabbed me,” Melton said. “It’s hard to describe until you’ve experienced it.

We meet new fans all the time that have just discovered this music and it hits them in the heart.”

Wandering backstage before the show, a cacophony of strings drift through the hallways. Each member finds their own corner where they tuneup, take a moment to collect their thoughts and catch their breath in the minutes leading up to the performance.

“I think the reality of bluegrass is that it’s real. There are songs about race-

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horses, rivers, mountains, murder, baptisms, etc., and all of that still resonates today,” Smith said. “When we look for stuff, we look for things that aren’t written for bluegrass. As a whole, bluegrass is a feel type of music. It’s believable. It’s always fun to bring new music to people and step out with brand new things to offer.”

Stepping up to the microphone, Surrett saluted the crowd amid raucous cheers and applause. Outside, the tall steam stacks of the paper mill signal that there’s a lot more work left to do and tomorrow is new a day.

“We grew up here and we played ball here,” he said. “We live here and we think it smells just fine here.”

June 2014

Pulling into the parking lot of a Tractor Supply Company in Clyde, fiddler Buddy Melton pops the tailgate of his truck down and takes a seat. An engineer for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Public Water Supply Section (the department covers 19 counties), Melton just finished another full day of work.

He sits on the tailgate and takes a break for a moment. Soon, he’ll get ready to travel to Highlands for a Balsam Range show that evening — show two of five that weekend.

“It’s exciting. It’s hard to believe looking back at where we started and to see it materialize in the way it has,” he said. “‘Papertown’ was a benchmark as to where we’re at. We’re really proud of this new album and what the future holds.”

The de facto leader of Balsam Range, Melton started playing fiddle in college.

He performed with bluegrass/gospel group Jubal Foster, an act that had some success but not enough in the tank to keep it going. Melton also performed with bluegrass legends David Holt and Doc Watson before he found himself jamming in Nicholson’s kitchen. With the rapid success of Balsam Range, Melton can only pinch himself to see if it’s real.

“I remember going to the IBMA awards prior to playing music and just as a fan, and watching folks I admire

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up onstage winning awards,” he said.

“You never dream you’d be up there one day going through the same process.”

But, the awards and accolades received by Balsam Range almost never happened, with the band at the mercy of the heavens when Melton was severely injured in a farming accident in early 2012. Owner of a 300-acre farm in Crabtree, Melton was kicked in the face while loading cattle. He suffered brain trauma, with surgeons wondering if he’d survive, let alone be the same again after recovery.

“The accident changed me drastically.

I went through life without any major glitches, never been in a hospital. You think you’re somewhat invincible, you see people suffer and you feel for them, but when you personally go through something like that it’s a reality check,” he said. “You realize life is precious, life is short, and you need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.”

Though Melton admits there are certain oddities that remain from his accident, for the most part he’s made a positive recovery. He was able to take the stage to perform at the album release for “Papertown” only a handful of months after he was one foot in the grave.

“You’ve just got to put it all behind you, take what you have and move forward,” he said. “The accident definitely changed my outlook on life and Balsam Range. It doesn’t take long to realize this is a special thing the five of us have — I’m grateful for it all.”

Each time Balsam Range hits the stage Melton is humbled by the supportive and encouraging audiences.

He’s also thankful for the mere fact that he knows exactly what the other four members will give — passion, professionalism and a piece of mind that their band is a fruitful endeavor.

“We are five guys with similar needs and wants, similar families and goals.

We have talent and are focused. We communicate openly and honestly, with each trying to keep it successful, with each able to put on different hats at different times,” he said. “We will play the Grand Ole Opry on a Saturday night, then get up for work on Monday

morning. You have to switch those hats, be focused and know you have a limited time to get it all done and do you get it done? We do.”

October 2014

Caleb Smith had no idea.

“I didn’t hear them announce it,” he marveled. “I was backstage talking to Del McCoury about a guitar and he says to me, ‘Son, I think they just called your name.’”

“They” as in the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), and what was called turned out to be Balsam Range winning Entertainer of the Year at the annual award show Oct. 2 in Raleigh. For Smith, the guitarist in the Haywood County group, taking home the biggest honor in the bluegrass industry was both shocking and very humbling.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” he said at the band’s celebratory after-party. “It’s humbling to even be nominated for this award by your peers and your heroes, and to win it and take it home, well, it was a milestone moment we’ll never forget — we hit the top of the mountain.”

The final honor of the evening, Balsam Range took the grand stage at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to accept the award. It was the band’s third win in an evening that also garnered them “Vocal Group of the Year” and “Male Vocalist of the Year,” which was bestowed upon Melton.

“My mind was just racing. There were a lot of nominees in that category who were people that are the reason I got into singing in the first place,” Melton said. “To be included with that caliber of performers is amazing, and to win it just put it over the top.”

Since their inception in 2007, Balsam Range has rapidly risen into the stratosphere of 21st century bluegrass. Amid their numerous number-one singles, accolades and Grand Ole Opry appearances, they also won the 2011 IBMA “Song of the Year” award for “Trains I Missed.”

And on the heels of winning “Album of the Year” in 2013 for “Papertown,” the quintet released the follow-up “Five” in

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June. The new record and its singles have spent most of this past summer burning up the bluegrass charts.

“Music is a very powerful thing, it speaks to people, it’s the universal language, and there’s a responsibility with that when you get to the level we’re at,” Melton said. “People connect to your music and they tell you their life story, and it brings awareness to what we’re doing. We’re impacting people’s lives and they’re impacting ours — that’s a pretty special thing.”

Before the final award for “Entertainer of the Year” was presented, Balsam

“The accident changed me drastically. When you personally go through something like that it’s a reality check. You realize life is precious, life is short, and you need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.”

— Buddy Melton Range took the stage to play their hit song “Moon Over Memphis.” The melody took the roof off the building, as the audience roared in applause following its completion.

The band had yet to return to their front row seats when it was announced they had won “Entertainer of the Year.”

The auditorium shook with cheers and a standing ovation when they emerged from backstage to receive their trophy.

The group waved to the crowd, only to look down with smiles from ear-to-ear at their ecstatic wives clapping from the front row.

It was a moment they’d never forget, a moment of pride that will go down as

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one of the finest in the long and storied musical history of Western North Carolina.

“I haven’t felt this proud since Pisgah High School won the state football championship in 1976,” Surrett chuckled. “We’ve not done anything differently since we started playing together.

We just keep doing what we’re doing, and it just seems to get out there to more people — we keep pushing forward.”

October 2015

It was another banner year for Western North Carolina bluegrass acts at the International Bluegrass Music Association awards in Raleigh last Thursday evening.

Despite torrential downpours, and the possible threat of Hurricane Joaquin making landfall, the annual industry showcase once again brought together musicians, promoters and bluegrass fans alike for a week of memorable moments, onstage and off.

As the reigning “Entertainer of the Year,” Balsam Range watched The Earls of Leicester pick up the honor this year, but the quintet defended their title of “Vocal Group of the Year” and once again brought home “Song of the Year” for “Moon Over Memphis.” The band also was decorated by Gov. Pat McCrory with “The Order of the Long Leaf Pine,” the highest civilian honor in the state for a proven record of service in North Carolina.

Alongside his awards with Balsam Range, bassist Tim Surrett also won “Bass Player of the Year” and was selected to be the incoming chairman of the IBMA Board of Directors — as much an honor as a responsibility to not only preserve bluegrass music, but also perpetuate it into the next generation of picker and listeners.

“To be recognized by the bluegrass world is one thing, but to be recognized for the charity work we do, it’s just really nice. It means a lot. We give back to the community because we’re part of it. It’s for people we know, people we care about,” Surrett said about the “Order of the Long Leaf Pine.” “I don’t know how someone could say no to

someone right in the eye when asked to help out with a charity event. Charity begins at home. We’ve got plenty to take care of in Haywood County and Western North Carolina.”

(Editor’s note: Balsam Range recently raised $10,000 at a benefit for a family who lost their home in a fire.)

October 2018

Coming into this year, Balsam Range found itself once again nominated for numerous IBMA honors, this time for four awards: “Entertainer of the Year,” “Vocal Group of the Year,” “Male Vocalist of the Year” and “Bass Player of the Year.” And for the last three years, the Jerry Douglas-led act The Earls of Leicester had taken home “Entertainer of the Year” (2015-2017).

“It’s just wonderful to still be able to work, to still be in the ring,” Pruett modestly said. “But, the biggest award for me, is to get back out there on the stage with my buddies, pick some tunes again, and leave folks with a warm smile and some good music — that’s the only award I need.”

Right out of the gate of the nationally broadcasted show, Surrett won the first award of the evening, “Bass Player of the Year,” his second time receiving the honor. Not to be outdone, Melton then won “Male Vocalist of the Year,” also his second.

And as the tension in the room wore on leading up the announcement of “Entertainer of the Year,” the final award of the evening, Balsam Range took the stage and performed its latest single, “The Girl Who Invented the Wheel.”

Just as the band got offstage, the envelope was ripped open, a raucous audience roaring in cheers and shouts when the new “Entertainer of the Year” was crowned — “And the winner is…

Balsam Range.”

“Eleven years we’ve been together, and we are like family. This is the best group of guys, I love playing music with them,” Nicholson said. “This has been an incredible ride, but they’re better people. They’ve been there when it hasn’t been great and they’ve been there when it has been great — and that’s what family does.”

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Got to keep on travelin’ Ronnie McCoury of Travelin’ McCourys

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he charm and allure of bluegrass music resides in its seamless ability to have one foot in the sacred, traditional “high, lonesome sound” and the other in whatever progressive endeavors its musicians find themselves in — by chance or on purpose.

Groups like New Grass Revival, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones and Steep Canyon Rangers are traditional bluegrass at the core, all paying homage to the pioneering legends that came before them. But, what they have in common in their origins is also counterbalanced by a sincere urge to explore even further — into the music itself, but also, most importantly, into the depths of their curious hearts and minds.

And Ronnie McCoury is one of those explorers. Son of bluegrass great Del

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McCoury (who got his start as one of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in 1963), Ronnie joined his father’s solo band in 1981 at age 14, just six months after first picking up the mandolin. A touring and recording juggernaut, the Del McCoury Band (founded in 1967) remains a pillar of the genre, with Ronnie front-andcenter alongside his father and brother, banjoist Rob McCoury.

Though Del, now age 83, hasn’t lost a step — in presence and in performance — even the road warrior bluegrass icon himself needs a rest. Thus, when he steps off the bus, Ronnie and Rob load it up with their side project, the Travelin’ McCourys.

And what initially started as a creative outlet for the siblings has taken on a life of its own (including a 2019 Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album”), now regarded as one of the

premier acts in not only bluegrass, but also American music, in general.

Y’all are one of the hardest working groups out there. What throws the logs on the fire to keep it going?

Ronnie McCoury: [Laughs]. I’ve got two things here, I guess. My father in his golden age, who is still very powerful at singing and playing, and wanting to keep capitalizing on that as much as we can, because as long as he loves to do it, we’re going to keep doing it. And side two of that is watching the Travelin’ McCourys keep growing, and we really seem to be growing well. We’re eight years old, and it takes a while.

Luckily for us, it’s just been good.

When I interviewed [bluegrass legend] Sam Bush, we were talking about Del. Sam said, “Nobody has

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done more for Bill Monroe’s music in the last 30 years than Del McCoury.” I wonder not only your thoughts on that, but also what’s going to happen with the torch being passed?

I’d have to agree with Sam. I would agree that he really has kept what they call the “high, lonesome sound” alive.

There are very few bluegrass singers that have the kind of voice for that. I don’t have it like that, that’s for sure. I may sound like my dad, but I don’t have what he’s got. He’s been a guy that’s sung the lead, then has to jump up and sing tenor in the band. Mainly, because he’s so great at it. But, the guys in his band through the years weren’t tenor singers, so he did both.

And when I came along, he made me the lead singer. He’s a natural tenor singer, and Bill Monroe was a natural tenor singer — the drive in the music. I often say that the lead singers that run a band, that are [also] rhythm guitar players, they’re the ones that really control the sounds of the band — the dynamics. [My dad] is a master at it.

Come onouinnd . . .

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looking for!

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When someone mentions “what is and what is not [bluegrass],” do you look at it more as having the correct instruments onstage or more of an attitude and feel, or both?

That’s a tough question. You know, the way I grew up, and what I liked, I like the Original Bluegrass Band that created it, [which was led by Bill Monroe]. And that’s where I started, we had that stuff at home and I’d listen to that.

Besides Bill Monroe, my dad loved Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs, and Jimmy Martin. The Osborne Brothers. I was fortunate enough to see all these guys when I was growing up.

You know, The Osborne Brothers really stretched it back then, they plugged in their instruments and added a drummer. They stretched the bluegrass element out there, but it put them in a different light — more mainstream. It really brought [The Osborne Brothers] a lot of recognition. But, on the other side of that coin, they could play traditional bluegrass right down the line. And that’s what I like — that fact that you can do both.

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