top of page
BAND BIOS
DEL McCOURY BAND
Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link. With sons Ronnie and Rob, the Del McCoury Band continues to represent in a larger, growing musical community a peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history...a history that he’s still shaping daily.
RHONDA VINCENT
Rhonda Vincent is no stranger to most anyone in the field of music. Why even Elton John and Bernie Taupin enlisted Rhonda and her iconic friend Dolly Parton, to create a “Queen of Bluegrass” version of their song “Please” for their 50th Anniversary Tribute CD in 2018. The Grammys honored Rhonda Vincent & The Rage with the 2017 Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album “All The Rage – Volume One” a live project that displays the World Class Talent of Rhonda and her incredible band. She’s one of the hardest working entertainers, in any genre of music, touring an incredible eleven months out of the year. It’s been far too long since the “Queen of Bluegrass” settled down in the studio to create new music, and finally the wait is over.
THE 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 with Dad in the Del McCoury Band honed their knife-edge chops, and encouraged the duo to imagine how traditional bluegrass could cut innovative pathways into 21st century music. With fiddler Jason Carter, bassist Alan Bartram, and latest recruit Cody Kilby on guitar, they assembled a group that could take what they had in their DNA, take what traditions they learned and heard, and push the music forward.
QUEBE SISTERS
With over fifteen years of touring to date, The Quebe Sisters have delivered their
authentic triple fiddle and three-part harmony sound to the concert halls and festivals of North America and Europe.
Grace, Sophia, and Hulda Quebe front an innovative Progressive Western Swing band of archtop guitar, upright bass, fiddles and sibling harmony. The Dallas-based five-piece presents a unique Americana blend of Western Swing, Jazz-influenced Swing, Country, Texas-Style Fiddling, and Western music.
BALSAM RANGE
The 2018 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year, Balsam Range, has become one of the genre’s most award-winning acts since forming in 2007, garnering 13 IBMA awards on the heels of 8 critically-acclaimed albums. With a lineup of Buddy Melton, Darren Nicholson, Dr. Marc Pruett, Tim Surrett, and Caleb Smith, the five original members are all acoustic musicians and singers from western North Carolina and they thoughtfully and respectfully adopted the name of a majestic range of mountains that surround part of their home county of Haywood, NC where the Great Smoky Mountains meet the Blue Ridge, the Great Balsam Range. In addition to winning Entertainer of the Year, Balsam Range vocalist Buddy Melton won IBMA’s Male Vocalist of the Year and bass player Tim Surrett won IBMA’s Bass Player of the Year in 2018. Balsam Range has left audiences spellbound while headlining major festivals from coast-to-coast, selling out venues across the nation, appearing multiple times at the Grand Ole Opry, and most recently claiming the #1 radio chart spot with their single “The Girl Who Invented The Wheel.”
TEXAS & TENNESSEE
Playing classic bluegrass music in a passionate style intended to honor the artists who helped define the genre, each band member has a deep love and respect for the music of Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, J. D. Crowe & The New South, and the Bluegrass Album Band. T&T brings an enthusiasm for the music that’s quickly conveyed to the audience and features songs that nearly all long-time bluegrass fans will recognize (and maybe sing along with) and that casual bluegrass fans will want to hear again. John R. Bowman’s strong lead vocals are a highlight, and the brilliantly explosive breaks by Steve Huber and Ron Inscore are supported by driving bass from Alan Tompkins.
PURPLE HULLS &
DENNIS W. PARKER
You could easily say these two musicians were born to make music together. Identical twins Katy Lou and Penny Lea Clark of The Purple Hulls were raised on a working family farm in the deep piney woods of East Texas, but that didn’t stop the Texans from finding their way to the hills of Tennessee, specifically, Music City, where they began touring with various country artists and writing songs for Nashville’s largest publishing company, Sony Tree. The Purple Hulls are no stranger to road life and are now blazing the trail as a dynamic sister duo, showcasing their unique sibling harmonies while ripping the strings off any instrument they can get their hands on! If you’re looking for authentic acoustic driven music delivered at its best, your search is over.
APPALACHIAN ROAD SHOW
Appalachian Road Show is a visionary acoustic ensemble, bringing new-generation interpretations of traditional Americana, bluegrass and folk songs, as well as offering innovative original music, all presented with a common thread tied directly to the heart of the Appalachian regions of the United States. GRAMMY-nominated banjoist Barry Abernathy, joins forces with GRAMMY-winning fiddler Jim VanCleve, fresh off of his recent stint touring with multi-platinum country artist Josh Turner, as well as esteemed vocalist and mandolinist Darrell Webb, who has recorded and toured with Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent, among many others. The group also includes bassist Todd Phillips, an acknowledged legend in bluegrass music circles, with two GRAMMY wins and four GRAMMY nominations under his belt, along with 23-year-old “old soul” guitarist Zeb Snyder, whose fierce and versatile playing recalls Doc Watson and Norman Blake as readily as it does Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughn.
PO' RAMBLIN' BOYS
There’s something about the music of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys that cuts right through the noise of the world and speaks plainly to the soul. Formed in the Smoky Mountains, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are at once exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee Bluegrass outfit.
They take pride in being ambassadors of their genre, and the group has brought their music from rural bluegrass festival stages to the rock clubs of Europe, with stunning results.
DOYLE LAWSON &
QUICKSILVER
A Four time Grammy nominee artist and nine-time winner of the IBMA’s Vocal Group of the Year, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver infuse traditional bluegrass with Southern gospel to create a unique and inspirational sound. An accomplished mandolinist, Lawson formed Quicksilver in 1979 and soon released the critically acclaimed Rock My Soul, an album that would become a landmark bluegrass gospel project. The band would undergo multiple lineup changes through the years, with Lawson integrating each member’s special talents into the group but never sacrificing the Quicksilver “sound.” A litany of industry awards would follow, and today the band tours internationally and has cultivated a dedicated fanbase that turns out for the Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Festival held annually in Denton, N.C.
Grassroots Stage
sponsored by:
Eric Swanson
Erik Swanson is a singer and songwriter who performs in a range of styles from Western Swing to Bluegrass. A veteran of the north Texas music scene, he is the leader of award-winning Western Swing band, Shoot Low Sheriff and also performs with Bluegrass group, Over the River. Joining Erik at Bloomin’ Bluegrass for a high energy set will be fiddle player, Dustin Ballard.
The Bodarks
Sounds Like: "Deep rootsy stuff like ragtime, jug band, and western swing, but mixed with punk” (Brandon Novarra, Lifestyle Frisco); "delightful harmonies that had the whole crowd singing along" (Sarah Badrahn, Blitz Weekly); "like Pokey LaFarge, Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Avett Brothers" (Chuck Taylor, KHYI 95.3FM Dallas)
Justin Pickard
Justin Pickard is a solo artist from Dallas, TX. Heavily influenced by rock, country and folk, his music is an irresistible blend of the finest Southern grit and soul, though it maintains an unmistakable universal appeal.
Mike Randall
Mike Randall is a Texas native well versed in traditional and honky tonk country music. With roots being traced back to the mountains of North Carolina, Mike Randall writes and performs a warm and familiar musical experience at every turn.
Salt Creek Band
Salt Creek offers a variety of standard bluegrass and other contemporary tunes performed in a unique Salt Creek fashion. Those who think bluegrass music all sounds the same are in for a pleasant surprise when they hear the original arrangements and subtle musical twists that Salt Creek incorporates. Salt Creek exhibits a level of energy and enthusiasm that only adds to the excitement of their performances. All of the Salt Creek members have roots and make their homes in the Ft. Worth area. Although Salt Creek is based in north central Texas, they have a notoriety and fan base that has a much farther reach..
.
Sarah Carrino & Co
Singer/songwriter in Denton, Texas by way of St. Louis, Missouri. Her female powered roots music is a spirited blend of gritty blues inspired vocals and simple old time melodies, all cast upon the slinky bygone western sounds of traditional bluegrass and country. An old-fashioned storyteller, Sarah stitches some of life's most genuine moments around her unabashed imagination, taking listeners on a no holds road trip through the rhythmic fields and forests in her mind.
.
Simon Flory
Flory’s sound evokes voices not much heard on radio airwaves, a stew of early country, gospel, and the best of classic Nashville. Even his guitar playing captures the rhythmic tumble of clawhammer banjo and Appalachian fiddle (on both of which he’s adept), and his vocal phrasing carries inflections from the Carter Family to Eddie Cochran to Hank Williams.
.
Ginny Mac
“One evening with Ginny and you will have traveled to the West Texas plains, reminiscent of Bob Wills' soaring fiddle tunes, or perhaps to a sidewalk cafe in Paris beside a sprightly l’accordeoniste. Take her hand, don't hold back...she’ll invite you to two-step or dance the tango under Texas skies...”
.
E-Flat Porch Band
The E-Flat Porch Band is named for the porch in McKinney, Texas where the members first practiced - it resonates to the key of E-Flat. Duane Brown and Rudy Littrell form the core of the band, entertaining with their unique blend of acoustic “porch music,” including folk, Blues, early country, jazz and original tunes. As “angst-free” acoustic musicians, they play serious music without taking themselves too seriously.
bottom of page