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Marty Raybon and Full Circle

January 28, 2010 on 4:35 pm | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sally Gap Bluegrass Festival is proud to announce that Marty Raybon and Full Circle will be performing at Sally Gap this year! This is a top-notch Bluegrass band featuring one of the finest voices in any genre of music!

Marty Raybon and Full Circle

Founder and former lead singer of the Grammy-award-winning Country act Shenandoah, Marty Raybon led Shenandoah to 22 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including thirteen number one singles, including: “The Church on Cumberland Road” (1989), “Sunday in the South” (1989), “Two Dozen Roses” (1989), “Next to You, Next to Me” (1990), “If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)” (1994) and “Butterfly Kisses” (1997).

His talents are unmatched, whether he’s singing Country, Gospel, or his personal favorite, Bluegrass. And between the three genres, he has become very busy, performing over 100 shows per year between the United States and Canada.

His latest and most exciting venture is the release of “Daddy Phone,” a heartfelt tribute to fathers separated from their children by divorce. Raybon has packaged his songwriting genius in At His Best, his debut album with current label GrandVista Music, scheduled for Spring 2010 release.

Marty Raybon - Daddy Phone

Everyone who hears Raybon knows he has a voice to be reckoned with. Dating back to his early days in his home state of Florida, he sang in his family’s Bluegrass band. Like so many other Bluegrass artists, the grind of part-time playing and full-time work eventually got old and in 1984 Raybon headed for Nashville. By the following year he’d scored a publishing deal and moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, founding the group that would eventually become Shenandoah.

Since then, he has enjoyed many years as an esteemed performer in the Country, Southern Gospel, and Bluegrass genres. He grew up in Bluegrass and later earned acclaim in Country music, so it should come as no surprise that the latest release from Marty Raybon and his band, Full Circle, bears the mark of both.

Raybon’s vocal abilities have garnered numerous accolades throughout his career. Those he treasures most are said to be those from his peers in the industry. Gary LeVox, lead singer of the mega supergroup Rascal Flatts, views Raybon as “The greatest singer on the planet to this day,” while esteemed music critic and scholar Robert K. Oermann exclaims, “There are few more thrilling vocalists in America than Marty Raybon.”

Marty Raybon has gathered great musicians to form Full Circle, including Glenn Gibson, Chris Davis, Jayd Raines, and Daniel Grindstaff. So whether you come-out to hear a Country superstar singing Bluegrass, or whether you just come to hear a great Bluegrass band, you don’t want to miss Marty Raybon and Full Circle!

Go to the schedule page of Sally Gap’s website to find-out when they’ll be playing.

J.D. Crowe and the New South

January 2, 2010 on 2:33 am | In Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sally Gap Bluegrass Festival is proud to announce that J.D. Crowe and the New South will be performing at Sally Gap 2010! J.D. will be closing the show on Friday night, and we know it will be a show you won’t want to miss. We’ve all been big fans of J.D. Crowe’s since we started listening to Bluegrass, and if you’ve never heard him and the New South, you’re in for a treat!

J.D. Crowe has been a fixture in Bluegrass music since the 1970s, and his band, the New South, has featured some of the best talent in the genre. Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Jerry Douglas were all members of the original New South, and are shown with J.D. in the picture below.

Original J.D. Crowe and the New South

Along with these notables, other Bluegrass greats have been members of the New South. Jimmy Gaudreau, Richard Bennett, Don Rigsby, and Phil Leadbetter have all played in J.D.’s band, and they all went on to successful careers in the genre; which proves J.D.’s judge of young talent. Probably the most famous past member of the New South was Keith Whitley, who played with J.D. in the mid-to-late ’70s. Keith Whitley went on to become a world-famous Country singer, whose sorrowful legacy remains one of the most poignant in Country music history. Below is the cover of the second album Whitley recorded with the New South, with Whitley standing second from the right.

Keith Whitley with the New South

Today, J.D. Crowe is still touring and playing and still attracting some of the best young talent in the industry. The current New South features Guitarist and vocalist Ricky Wasson; on mandolin, tenor, and high-lead vocals is Dwight McCall; Steve Thomas joined the group in 2008, playing fiddle as well as contributing to the sound vocally; also new in 2008 was the addition of John Bowman on upright bass and lead/harmony vocals. Below is a picture of the current J.D. Crowe and the New South.

J.D. Crowe and the New South

We can’t wait to have this legendary entertainer at the beautiful Sally Gap Bluegrass Festival! In the meantime, if you’re interested in more information about this great band, go to their website.

Lonesome River Band at Sally 2010!

December 11, 2009 on 6:04 pm | In Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Sally Gap Bluegrass Festival is pleased to announce that Lonesome River Band will once again be playing at beautiful Sally Gap! LRB will be closing the show on Saturday night, just as they’ve done the last two years. And if the last two years are any indication, many of the band’s members will remain to pick and mingle with the fans. At Sally Gap ‘09, Sammy Shelor joined a public jam which drew a large crowd of people (see picture below).

Sammy Shelor Jam at Sally Gap '09

Sammy Shelor played in this jam until 3 a.m.! And he didn’t just play…after the jam he gave advice to up-and-coming banjo players, including Blue Storm’s banjo player seen in the picture below.

Sammy Shelor Giving Banjo Advice

Lonesome River Band is truly a class act! They connect with the fans in a way that is rarely seen among cream-of-the-crop Bluegrass bands. Sally Gap is honored to have them anchoring the lineup for 2010!

And congratulations to Sammy Shelor, who was inducted into the Virginia Music Hall of Fame on September 18th, 2009! For more information on Sammy’s induction, click here.

Click here to go to LRB’s great website!