Bluegrass dynamos, The Roys, have signed a production deal with ValCom Studios for a new, weekly music-driven variety show. Lee and Elaine Roy will appear and perform on the 30-minute show
titled, Roots And Music With The Roys, with the inaugural 13 episodes to be taped in Nashville early next year. The show has already been picked up by over 120 stations nationwide, landing The Roys a potential 40 million cable and broadcast household viewers. Vince Vellardita, CEO-President of ValCom Studios says, “Elaine and Lee are incredibly talented. There are no shows on the air like this one, and it’s the perfect vehicle to expand The Roys’ career.”
“Our mission has been to spread the ‘joy’ of Bluegrass, and this show will certainly help us bring this
iconic American musical style to many new listeners,” says Lee. The duo has enjoyed enormous success at radio and at retail, and Elaine calls the new show “an incredible opportunity.”
The episodes will be presented in true “variety” format, with each show including a performance by The Roys, humanitarian features, a festival
event highlight segment, plus a guest musical artist, interview, and a closing jam session. Roots And Music With The Roys will focus on Bluegrass and Acoustic Roots formats.
The Roys are uniquely qualified to act as ambassadors for their genre; the duo was recently named 2011 Inspirational Bluegrass Artist of the
Year at the ICM Faith, Family & Country Awards show, and were previously honored with the ICM’s Duo of the Year Award in 2010 and 2009. Their recent hit, “Coal Minin’ Man” rocketed up the Bluegrass charts, landing at #1 on Power Source’s Bluegrass Top 35 Chart, #1 on HotDiscInternational Top 40 Chart, #3 on Bluegrass Unlimited’s National Bluegrass Survey and #4 on Bluegrass Music Profiles’ Top 30 Singles Chart.
The Roys start 2012 with their first-ever shows in Australia:
01/25/2012 Tamworth, Australia / Tamworth
City Council Outdoor Show
01/26/2012 Tamworth, Australia / The Family Inn
01/27/2012 Tamworth, Australia / Tamworth Country
Music Festival, Toyota Stage
01/29/2012 Tamworth, Australia / Tamworth City
Council Outdoor Show
Following their return from Australia, The Roys will launch a busy U.S. touring
season, which includes festivals and fairs and co-hosting duties at the Christmas 4 Kids Celebrity Golf
Tournament with Tennessee Titans’ Rob Bironas in April.
Hall of Fame Inductees for 2011
Del McCoury
George Shuffler
Entertainer of the Year
Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers
Vocal Group of the Year
The Gibson Brothers
Instrumental Group of the Year
The Boxcars
Male Vocalist of the Year
Russell Moore
Female Vocalist of the Year
Dale Ann Bradley
Emerging Artist of the Year
The Boxcars
Album of the Year
Help My Brother by The Gibson Brothers (artists), Eric & Leigh Gibson and Mike Barber (producers); Compass (label)
Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year
“Goin’ Up Dry Branch,” Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (artist), Buddy Spicher & Jimmy Martin (songwriters), Jeff White & Michael Cleveland (producers), Rounder (label)
Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year
“Prayer Bells of Heaven” by J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson, & Paul Williams (artists), Ben Isaacs (producer), Mountain Home (label)
Song of the Year
“Trains I Missed;” Balsam Range (artists); Walt Wilkins, Gilles Godard & Nicole Witt (songwriters)
Recorded Event of the Year
“Prayer Bells of Heaven” by J.D. Crowe, Doyle Lawson & Paul Williams (artists); Ben Isaacs (producer); Mountain Home (label)
Banjo Player of the Year
Kristin Scott Benson and Ron Stewart (tie)
Guitar Player of the Year
Bryan Sutton
Fiddle Player of the Year
Michael Cleveland
Bass Player of the Year
Marshall Wilborn
Mandolin Player of the Year
Adam Steffey
Dobro Player of the Year
Rob Ickes
Awards & Honors given at the Special Awards Luncheon Thursday afternoon.
Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients
Greg Cahill
Bill Knowlton
Lilly Pavlak
Geoff Stelling
Roland White
Broadcaster of the Year
Katy Daley
Print Media Person of the Year
Juli Thanki
Bluegrass Event of the Year
Silver Dollar City’s Bluegrass & BBQ Festival; Branson, Mo.
Best Graphic Design
Ricardo Alessio & Erica Harris (designer & artist), City of Refuge, Abigail Washburn (artist), Rounder (label)
Best Liner Notes
Colin Escott (writer), A Mother’s Prayer, Ralph Stanley (artist), Rebel (label)
source: ibma.org
- One of Billboard’s most-anticipated Country albums of the fall, A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO, will be available in stores nationwide next Tuesday, September 27. The new, 10-song CD features both studio and live recordings, and includes performances of traditional seasonal favorites and new compositions that are sure to become holiday treasures.
To celebrate the album’s release, Ricky and The Whites will appear at an in-store signing event at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on September
27 (11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.) and later that day, they’ll sign autographs from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the Skaggs Family Records’ Booth (#416) at the IBMA 2011
World of Bluegrass being held at the Nashville Convention Center. Skaggs, a 14-time Grammy® winner, will also entertain fans on Wednesday,
September 28 when he and Kentucky Thunder join the Bill Monroe Tribute Show being held at Vanderbilt University’s Ingram Hall at 7 p.m.
A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO features Ricky, his wife Sharon and their children (Luke and Molly), Buck and Cheryl White, and Cheryl’s daughter, Rachel Leftwich, part of the Skaggs’ extended family and members of a celebrated musical clan in their own right. Also highlighted are world-renowned Kentucky Thunder and The Nashville Strings. The disc kicks off with the upbeat bluegrass arrangement of “Christmas Time’s A Coming,” which segues smoothly to showcase Sharon White Skaggs and her sister, Cheryl, trading lead vocals on the bright, acoustic, “Light of the Stable.” An a capella
version of “The First Noel” finds Ricky singing lead, while the signature vocals of the White sisters excel on the high and low harmonies. Heavenly voices rise in praise on the classic seasonal favorite, “Silent Night,” which also features a poignant mandolin and soaring strings. Molly Skaggs shines on “What Songs Were Sung,” proving she’s more than worthy to carry on the families’ traditions, while brother Luke burns up the fret on his own composition, the intricate
instrumental, “Flight To Egypt.” The modern “Reunion Song” features a deceptively-simple sing-along melody, and Ricky not only triumphs on the lead vocal, but also plays Guitars, Mandolin, Gut String Solo and Dan Electro. Skaggs’ lightning-fast finger pickin’ guitar lick jump-starts “Children Go” and the vocal interplay between the family members (Ricky, Buck, Sharon and Cheryl) should leave listeners breathless. A haunting, original arrangement and expressive vocals by Luke, Molly and Rachel highlight “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,” and the disc closes with a classical instrumental interpretation of “Joy To The World.”
As a bonus, A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS LIVE (DVD) is included with the purchase of the CD. The DVD features the family’s heartwarming holiday concert, recorded live in Nashville at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The three generations have taken this special show on the road for the last eight
years, and the tradition continues this year, with the troupe performing at a variety of venues throughout the holiday season, including:
11/28/11
Brooks Center for the Performing Arts / Clemson, SC
11/30/11
The Paramount Theater / Charlottesville, VA
12/01/11
Music Center at Strathmore / N. Bethesda, MD
12/02/11
Historic Tennessee Theatre / Knoxville, TN
12/10/11
Honeywell Center / Wabash, IN
12/11/11
Niswonger PAC of NW Ohio / Van Wert, OH
12/17/11
Smokey Mtn. Performing Arts Center / Franklin, NC
12/22/11
Schermerhorn Symphony Center / Nashville, TN
”We started singing these songs in our living room all those years ago, with no idea that we would ever take A Skaggs Family Christmas to so many places,” explains Sharon. “We’ve performed everywhere from churches to symphony halls to the National Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington D.C., where we sang for President George W. Bush. The recording process, the performing and traveling has been so much fun! It has been such a blessing to share all of this as a family.”
Explore the history of the Skaggs Family and more at www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com.
Sierra’s NEW music video “Daybreak: is here! It was posted on CMT.com this week. Be sure to check it out!
Visit Sierra’s website often for updates!
The Compass Records Group is pleased to announce that Larry Stephenson, one of bluegrass music’s preeminent high lead vocalists and bandleaders, has signed to Compass Records. Stephenson will begin work at Compass Sound Studio this fall on a new project with a targeted release date of
early 2012. He will be sharing the production duties with engineer/co-producer Ben Surratt.
The signing follows on the heels of the Larry Stephenson Band’s win for Recorded Event of the Year at the 2010 International Bluegrass Music Awards for his most recent effort “20th Anniversary”. Stephenson, formerly signed to Pinecastle Records, is a native of Virginia. He began his professional career as a member of Bill Harrell & The Virginians and went on to tour with the Bluegrass Cardinals before relocating to Nashville in the 90′s and forming the Larry Stephenson Band.
Since that time, Stephenson has received many awards and accolades from the bluegrass community including multiple IBMA awards and 5 Contemporary Male Vocalist of the year awards from the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music. He is considered by many to be one of the premiere torchbearers for the traditional bluegrass sound created by first generation legends Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse, The Osborne Brothers and others.
The Compass Records Group is an internationally recognized roots music company with a diverse roster of artists including leaders in thebluegrass, Celtic, singer/songwriter and adult pop genres.
Dale Ann Bradley, 3x IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Presents Her New Album, Somewhere South of Crazy
Stream Complete Album Here
Award-winning daughter of bluegrass Dale Ann Bradley celebrates her musical heritage with new originals, a creative Seals and Croft cover and a forthcoming music video for the track “Come Home Good Boy”.
“I grew up in a tar and paper covered shack right near Loretta Lynn’s childhood home,” reflects Dale Ann Bradley on her rustic origin in the hills of east Kentucky as a hardscrabble preacher’s daughter. ”It was very different. It was not easy,” she says. And even as a girl, she knew she wanted more. With Somewhere South of Crazy (available today), this three-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year shares what has shaped her life and music, by going deeper—deeper into bluegrass, deeper into her own musical passions, deeper into her own history as a veteran entertainer who spent years singing country music alongside her ‘grass at Kentucky’s venerable Renfro Valley.
The result is a set that ranges from first-generation bluegrass classics through long-cherished favorites to brand new songs from Bradley and her friends—but always, always with her incomparably rich voice and east Kentucky sensibilities right at the center.
The title track provided Bradley with some especially enjoyable moments. “We had the best time writing,” she says of writing—and singing—partner Pam Tillis. “I just love her. We sat down, and she had that title line and the idea, and I came up with the melody and some lines—we had worked on a few different
things, but this was the one that we finished, and as soon as we did, I knew it was going to be the title track.” Bill Monroe’s “In Despair” may be more unexpected. “I didn’t plan it as a tribute,” Bradley says with a laugh. “But I hope people will think of it as one. I just wanted to showcase a more traditional side of what I do. But I’m glad it’s coming out on his 100th birthday!” The track “Come Home Good Boy” was more intentional and especially
poignant, lending itself to Bradley’s first memory of a funeral, when, at age five, a neighbor boy who served with her uncle in Vietnam returned home in a
casket.
A smartly selected crew of singers and players frame Bradley’s tender yet muscular singing to perfection. A couple of her regular bandmembers—harmony singer Kim Fox and banjo man Mike Sumner—make appearances, and so do supple, inventive musicians like the Infamous Stringdusters’ Andy Hall,
ace studio fiddler Stuart Duncan, bass stalwart Mike Bub, producer Alison Brown (who doubles on guitar and banjo) and, perhaps most
surprisingly yet appropriately, young mandolin phenom Sierra Hull. All those elements come together in the partnership here with singer, guitarist,
songwriter and friend Steve Gulley. “We grew up together,” Bradley notes. “Steve and me—we each know what the other one’s going to do.” Yet as strong as
the supporting cast is, the focus is, as always, on Dale Ann and the songs she’s chosen—and as always, they’re a deliciously varied bunch.
To a listener unfamiliar with her unique ability to pull songs from the rock vaults and make them her own, Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze,” will doubtless be the biggest surprise, but Bradley sees it as a natural. “I’ve always wanted to do that song,” she says. “I don’t pick out a rock tune just for the sake of having one—it has to be one that I always grew up with, or one that I hear that strikes me as fitting into the mix. Sometimes a melody or lyric will just have that feel, just lend itself to the banjo or something like that—like this one, it almost sounds Celtic to me.”
Some songs, like “I Pressed Through The Crowd” and “Will You Visit Me On Sundays,” have been in Bradley’s repertoire for years, yet were never recorded until now. “I was so tickled when Alison gave the o.k. to ‘Sundays,’” she notes, “because it brings back the traditional country that Steve and I have been singing together for a long, long time. And of course, ‘I Pressed Through The Crowd’—I’ve been doing that one for a long time, and it just keeps getting more and more meaningful to me.” Others are more recent. “Leaving Kentucky” was, ironically enough, started in Nashville, but finished after Bradley moved back
to Kentucky.
Add it all up, and Somewhere South Of Crazy just might be the quintessential Dale Ann Bradley album, made up equally of the surprising and the familiar, the challenging and the comfortable. Like the artist who made it, it’s an album that just keeps getting better and better—and that’s the one part of the deal that’s surely no surprise.
Tour
Schedule:
9/10 – Carter Family Fold – Hiltons, VA
9/11 – Pickin in the Panhandle Festival – Hedgesville, WV
9/30 – Sounds Like Home: A Night of Music – Caryville, TN
10/1 – Three Sisters Bluegrass Festival – Chattanooga, TN
10/1- IBMA 2011 – Nashville, TN
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison
Keillor will honor the life of Bill Monroe with a special
performance on Saturday, November 5th at Murray State
University’s CFSB Center in Murray, KY. The performance will feature
an impressive lineup of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass
Boys performing Monroe’s music and sharing stories of life on
the road with the legendary artist.
Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys first appeared on the
Grand Ole Opry in 1939 and soon became a popular touring band out of
Nashville’s WSM Studios.. Over the years, Monroe’s elite group of
Blue Grass Boys have included many successful musicians, such as Earl
Scruggs, Lester Flatt, and Del McCoury, who would eventually move on to form
their own highly successful bands. Monroe maintained a very busy
touring schedule until his death in 1996, surviving a waning interest in
early Country and Bluegrass music in the 1950s, only later to enjoy its
resurgence during the folk revival of the early sixties. During his
career, Monroe performed worldwide and was honored with the first Grammy Award ever given for
Bluegrass music, for 1989’s Southern Flavor, and he was later handed Grammy’s
Lifetime Achievement Award. He performed for several United States presidents and was
presented the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Award and the
National Medal of Honor. His original songs have been recorded by numerous
musicians in various genres of music, including Elvis Presley and the
Beatles. Because of his far-reaching musical genius, Monroe was inducted
into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the
Bluegrass Hall of Honor and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
A Prairie Home Companion will celebrate Bill
Monroe and his music on November 5th with a musical tribute that will
include revered musicians who performed with Monroe at various times throughout
his career. Scheduled to appear are: Roland White, mandolin; Blake
Williams and Bob Black, banjo; Bobby Hicks and Richard
Greene, fiddle; Tom Ewing and Peter Rowan, guitar; and Mark
Hembree, bass. Joining the Blue Grass Boys will be noted session
musicians Stuart Duncan and Kathy Chiavola.
Tickets range from $15 to $39.50 for the two-hour live broadcast
of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on Saturday,
November 5, 2011, starting at 4:45 p.m. Murray State students may receive
a discount with student identification. To purchase tickets, please visit
Ticketmaster.com, 800-745-3000 or the CFSB Center Box Office.
A Prairie Home Companion is heard by more than 4
million listeners each week on some 590 public radio stations, and abroad on
America One and the Armed Forces Networks in Europe and the Far
East. Garrison Keillor recalls, “When the show started, it was
something funny to do with my friends, and then it became an achievement that I
hoped would be successful, and now it’s a good way of life.”
A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and
distributed nationwide by American Public Media. The program is underwritten by
Ford Motor Company.
A Prairie Home Companion’s performance in Murray is made possible by Murray State
University, CFSB Center of Murray State, MSU’s public radio service — WKMS-FM — and the MSU Department
of Music.
The leader of the Niall Toner Band from Ireland is still celebrating his music reaching the number one download spot on the bluegrass and folk charts for Air Play Direct, an extraordinary achievement for
a songwriter based in Ireland. As a result, Niall Toner Band has been enjoying an ever-increasing amount of air play on American Radio. Niall’s songs about Bill Monroe, Bill Monroe’s Mandolin and The Master’s Resting Place, are proving most popular with Radio DJs and listeners in this year of Monroe’s Centenary.
With the success of his music on American Radio through the Air Play Direct digital download service Niall Toner will again be traveling from Ireland in September and October to do a small promotional tour in the Southeastern United States performing in Tennessee and North Carolina. Niall Toner will also be
performing during the International Bluegrass Music Association World of Bluegrass Conference in Nashville, Tennessee the last week of September.
During his last tour of the United States Niall performed at The White Horse live music venue in Black Mountain, NC. The venue has a nationwide reputation for featuring the best of Bluegrass, Blues, Singer-Songwriter and String Band Music, and the patrons were well warmed-up by Toner’s music. Niall performed
solo with guitar, and his music and songs were very well received by a crowd of music lovers. Niall is expected back to the White Horse October 7th as well as a conducting a workshop for the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass and Old Time Music Program on October 6th.. He plays The Bus Pit in Kingsport, TN on October 8th.
“It is our hope that folks enjoyed the music we performed during our shows in the States,” said Niall Toner. “We are extremely excited that we now have
the opportunity to bring our music from Ireland to a larger audience worldwide and hope this may bring about additional touring to the United States and
elsewhere. We also hope everyone will visit our website www.nialltonerband.com and check out our new single William Smith Monroe”.
Additional details on Niall Toner are available at www.nialltonerband.com or www.mountainmusicentertainment.com
About Niall Toner Band
The Niall Toner Band is an Irish bluegrass band from the Blackstairs Mountain region of Ireland.
The Band was founded by Niall Toner in March, 2001, with Clem O’Brien and Dick Gladney. The Trio performs a set of all-original songs and instrumentals, and their unique sound is a rich blend of Traditional Acoustic Country Music and Bluegrass, with a distinctive Celtic twist. The Band perform live on a regular
basis at Festivals, Venues and Arts Centers in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA. Niall Toner is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s leading experts on
Bluegrass and American Country Music and Niall’s songs have been recorded by many artistes, including Bill Wyman [ Rolling Stones ], The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Albert Lee, Special Consensus, Keith Sewell, The Swanson Family, The Fleadh Cowboys, and more. www.nialltonerband.com
The 23 String Band will celebrate the release of their second album Catch 23 with a CD Release
Party at Headliners Music Hall in Louisville, KY, on Sept. 16 at 9PM. Call 502-584-8088 or click http://www.headlinerslouisville.com
for more information.
The 23 String Band are the 2011 winners of the RockyGrass Band Competition held
every July at the RockyGrass Festival on Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons,
CO. They competed through two rounds in a field of 12 bands. As
winners, 23SB will be opening the 2012 RockyGrass Festival on Friday, July 27.
The 23 String Band pay homage to the deep roots of American traditional music,
while pushing forward with genre-bending, hard-driving originals and
distinctive arrangements. Their new CD has received radio airplay on folk,
Americana and bluegrass shows across the United States, Canada, Australia and
Europe. It is available for purchase online at https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/the23stringband.
Their youthful brand of “original hillbilly music” weaves in and out of
old-time, bluegrass, acoustic roots and anything else that strikes their fancy
— it’s not uncommon to hear a Beastie Boys cover by these boys..
Notable past performances include the Master Musicians Festival, the Forecastle
Festival, the International Bluegrass Museum’s ROMP, the Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival,
the Kentucky Bluegrass Music Festival, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the
Bluegrass on the Bay Festival in Montana and the Beartrap Summer Festival in
Wyoming. Other previous highlights include the 2009 Rhythm & Roots Reunion
in Bristol, Virginia, and the 2009 Mountain Heritage Literary Festival in
Harrogate, Tennessee.
It’s a contagious conglomeration that’s entertaining and energetic, and will
get you on your feet and dancing every time!
Lee Marcus’ traditional Bluegrass CD, “Grandpa’s Pond” is now available.
“Lee Marcus is one of the great up-and-coming banjo players of this era. This CD is a must for any
Bluegrass listener!” - Sammy Shelor (Lonesome River Band)
Featured on the CD:
- Cia Cherryholmes
- Jim VanCleve (Mountain Heart)
- Wyatt Rice
- Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart)
- Christian Ward (Sierra Hull & Highway 111)
- Clint Wilson (Wilson Family Band)
- Kalyn Hall (Tomorrow’s News)
- Aaron Ramsey (Mountain Heart)
- Jason Moore (Mountain Heart)
For more information and sound clips, visit http://www.leemarcusmusic.com
It is also available on AirPlay Direct:
http://airplaydirect.com/leemarcus
“With the release of his debut CD “Grandpa’s Pond”, Lee Marcus shows his passion for Bluegrass music in
a heartfelt way. This talented sideman and award-winning songwriter steps into the role of frontman/co-producer in a big way and fills those shoes like a seasoned veteran. Great songs, great all-star players and singers, and fantastic artwork make this a standout effort in a year full of strong Bluegrass releases.”
- Dennis Jones (Host of “Goin’ Across the Mountain/The Gospel Truth” WNCW-FM Spindale, NC)
