McCoury Music and High Sierra Music Present the First Annual Delfest

Bluegrass master Del McCoury offered up a holiday gift to music fans today with the announcement that he'll be hosting a world-class music festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2008. Delfest 2008 Initial Line-Up Del McCoury Band " Vince Gill " Dierks Bentley " Keller Williams and The Keels David Grisman Bluegrass Experience " Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck Sam Bush " Punch Brothers feat. Chris Thile " Railroad Earth plus many more to be announced!

(Billboard Publicity Wire) December 22, 2007 -- Bluegrass master Del McCoury offered up a holiday gift to music fans today with the announcement that he'll be hosting a world-class music festival over Memorial Day weekend in 2008. Produced in association with High Sierra Music, Delfest will build on McCoury's record in presenting a popular New Year's Eve concert at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, his success with his own McCoury Music label--and, of course, his reputation as a legendary artist whose appeal crosses generations and genres--to offer a festival experience stamped with the unique McCoury touch.

Though the inaugural lineup is still being built, it's clear that the bluegrass patriarch's wide-ranging appeal and cross-genre friendships are shaping the 3-day program. Besides appearances by the Del McCoury Band throughout the weekend, Vince Gill, Dierks Bentley, Keller Williams and The Keels, Sam Bush, David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck, the Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile, and Railroad Earth are among those already confirmed, many for multiple performances.

In addition to traditional stage sets by these world-class artists, attendees can expect to see one-of-a-kind collaborations, special guest sit-ins, and various tributes to Del McCoury and his musical legacy. Each day's schedule will also feature more intimate appearances, both at unique "playshops" -- informal workshops where the emphasis will be on performance rather than instruction--and in late night indoor performances and picking sessions. Whether they're "parking lot pickers" or just plain music fans, festival-goers will have plenty of opportunities to interact with their favorite artists. Rounding out the program, Delfest will include a band competition, with the winners invited to return for a regular set at the following year's gathering.

Yet while music will be central to Delfest, every aspect of the festival experience will be shaped by its host's concern for and appreciation of the fans. The festival will offer interactive children's programs, a craft fair featuring regional and international artisans, and an eclectic food court along with the chance to simply relax and camp with good friends in gorgeous weather. Personally chosen by Del, Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD is a perfect location, nestled along the Potomac River in the scenic Appalachian Mountains yet convenient to four major airports and easily reached by rail or road, with ample tent and RV camping on site as well as plentiful lodging nearby. Those who venture into the surrounding area will find a range of recreational options, including swimming, fishing, hiking, and biking. Finally, VIP packages will be available for those who want to take their Delfest experience to the ultimate level.

"I've had opportunities to host a festival before," says McCoury, "but I always thought that if I was going to do it, I'd want to make sure that it was done right." And between the easygoing yet uncompromising commitment to quality that's characterized every one of his activities and the experience of High Sierra Music, whose 18th annual High Sierra Music Festival will follow the new event by a matter of weeks, it's certain that Delfest will be just that -- a world-class event with a down-home feeling.

Tickets and Information The 1st Annual DelFest takes place Friday, May 23rd through Sunday May 25th, 2008 at the Allegany Fairgrounds in Cumberland, MD. Gates open at 8:00am on May 23rd. Tickets are on sale now at delfest.com. Three-day adult passes are $99 through February 4th or while supplies last. Three-day pass for kids aged 6 to 12 are $30; 5 & under admitted free. On-site camping is included with all multi-day passes. On-site RV passes with hookups are $100. Premium VIP Packages include three-day festival passes, separate entry and camping areas, access to a VIP lounge near the Grandstand Stage featuring a special viewing area, private port-o-johns, chair massage, a lounge area with beverages and snacks, admission to all Late Night performances, festival t-shirts, festival posters and drink tickets. These packages are designed for both individuals and groups of two. Package #3 includes an RV pass with guaranteed, reserved hook-up. Prices range from $375 to $800.

May 23-25, 2008 Allegany County Fairgrounds, Cumberland, MD (2.5 hours west of Washington DC)

Delfest 2008 Initial Line-Up Del McCoury Band " Vince Gill " Dierks Bentley " Keller Williams and The Keels David Grisman Bluegrass Experience " Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet feat. Bela Fleck Sam Bush " Punch Brothers feat. Chris Thile " Railroad Earth plus many more to be announced!

For more information: Stan Strickland or Chris Harris, McCoury Music ph. 615.340.9919 www.delfest.com

Del McCoury Band, Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte, NC- 11/30

Josh Klemons 2007-12-11

Del McCoury is Nashville. He is bluegrass and he is class. Del McCoury and his band show us all how its meant to be done. With old school sensibilities that find them dressed every night in their Sunday finest, Del and the boys crowd around their mics and remind us of a bygone day when musicians without talent would have been laughed off of the stage rather than given a recording contract complete with backup singers and an MTV video. There is no faking it with the Del McCoury Band. They play without nets, without crutches and without excuses. There is no distortion to hide behind, no drummer to tempo to, and the result is probably one of the most perfect bands on the road today.

On Friday, November 30th, they brought their set to the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina.

These guys have impeccable vocals and flawless harmonies. When a member of this band steps up to take a solo, he has something to say and there is a fluidity to the group that you lose when the guys start plugging in and inadvertently anchoring themselves to a piece of the stage. When Robbie McCoury, one of the best bluegrass banjo players around, peaks through the rest of the band to sing the lead on "Nashville Cats," and then leans back and lets the rest of the band sing the backing vocal, it is just fun to watch. Del moves between mics and the rest of the band swells and wanes around him.

Del has two sons on stage with him, Robbie on banjo and Ronnie on mandolin. Both are masters of their field. The rest of the band is Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass and they dont ever seem to feel left out. Musically, they are on par with the McCourys. They both took turns singing lead and accompanying vocals. Carter had plenty of chances to solo throughout the night. When Del forgot the name of a song or composer it was almost always Bartram who stepped up and whispered it in his ear. Blood is not important in this band, they are clearly all family.

The show was opened by Charlotte locals Fedor and Guthrie. They are two pieces of the quintet The New Familiars, a very strong Charlotte acoustic thrash band in the vein of the Avett Brothers. Without their full rhythm sectioned backing band, these two took the stage with smiles on their faces. They were scruffy and hairy. They had on suits and ties and they were carrying their weapons of choice: guitars, a banjo, a mandolin, a harmonica snuggly in its holder around Guthries neck and their voices. They sang tight harmonies, played well-written songs, and entertained the excited crowd for a little under an hour. Without their drums and bass and amplifiers, they had a sound very reminiscent of the Old Crow Medicine Show. At times they conjured images of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. The two grew up together and it was evident that they have been playing together a long time. There was a familiarity and comfortability between the two that is rarely seen in musicians, especially ones as young as Fedor and Guthrie. It was a great start to a great night.

It was an interesting juxtaposition from fresh, raw talent to the veteran act. When the Del McCoury Band took the stage, they were the picture of experience and thats what the audience was there for. Much to Dels delight, the audience showed up with requests in tow. He called for them throughout the night and while he often joked that he did not remember a song or a lyric, without fail they played the song. This is a band that believes in audience participation and aims to please. About halfway through the show and in the middle of a verse, Ronnie forgot the lyrics to a song off of his new childrens album: Little Mo McCoury. On the next song, Del forgot the words to a song that he was singing. It was an otherwise flawless night and these quick reminders that these guys are human only added to the smiles both on stage and off.

During the first encore, Ronnie put down his mandolin and made the only instrument switch throughout the night. He picked up a mandocello and showed us how he does it on the lower registers. The encore ended with Del, Alan and Robbie comping as Ronnie and Jason got down and dirty trading solos staring eye to eye and matching each other line for line. The encore ended and the lights stayed low, after which the band came back out and treated us to another one. Surprisingly, Jason Carter got the last word of the night. They did a quick fiddle jig, under a minute in length, which made up in intensity what it lacked in length. Then the band took two steps back, bowed to their audience like gentlemen, and exited the stage.

While Dels band is bluegrass at heart, throughout the night we heard them push their way into a lot of musical territory. Gospel, traditional and blues made extended appearances. Klemzer, swing and jazz all dropped in for a quick hello. Bill Monroe would have been proud watching his boy all grown up and with so many worldly friends.

This just in...

On Friday, October 19 from 3-4 p.m. (EDT) we will be pre-empting an hour of The Ray Davis Show to present the Del McCoury Band's performance on Talk of the Nation.

The show is being recorded live on Thursday, from 3-4pm (the 2nd hour of Talk of the Nation) The Del McCoury Band will appear during the Performance Chat segment, where they will pick and sing live in the NPR studio, and also chat with show host Neal Conan. They will offer songs from Ronnie McCoury's new children's bluegrass CD, Little Mo' McCoury, and perhaps some band favorites as well.

Talk of the Nation can be heard on WAMU 88.5 HD-3 from 2-3 p.m. Note WAMU does not usually air the 2nd hour of Talk of the Nation and so this is an extra special broadcast, that will only be heard on Channel 2.

The Ray Davis Show will continue from 4pm-6pm. The Ray Davis Show for Friday, October 19th is pre-recorded.

OK, we're finally giving you what we've been asking for. A Live CD and DVD. We'll be recording the Oct. 17th and 18th shows at The Barns at Wolftrap in Vienna, VA. Every year the sound at The Barns is amazing, so we decided it would be the perfect place to record our first live album. The date will be upon us before we know it, so make your plans now to be there. We need all you "Delheads" there to really make this a special event.

Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Rd, Vienna VA 703-255-1902

Come on out to the Del McCoury Band in-store performance at Davis Kidd Bookstore in The Mall at Green Hills, Sat. Sept. 29, 11am!!! This is to promote Ronnie's new CD, "Little 'Mo McCoury"! You'll hear 30 minutes of music..all songs from "Little 'Mo" and then have a chance to purchase the CD, meet the guys and get an autograph. You don't want to miss it!! Remember...September 29th at 11 am!! Bring the kids!!!

For Immediate Release June 6, 2007

FIRST ALL-BLUEGRASS ALL-CHILDRENS ALBUM LITTLE MO MCCOURY TO BE RELEASED AUGUST 21 RECORDING BY LUMINARY RONNIE MCCOURY FEATURES INTERPRETATIONS OF BLUEGRASS CLASSICS AS WELL AS SONGS BY BOB DYLAN, RANDY NEWMAN, MCCOURY, OTHERS Ronnie McCourys fondest childhood memories are ones he has of accompanying his fatherthe iconic Del McCouryto bluegrass festivals, experiencing early on the way that music can bring parents and kids together. Now that he is a highly accomplished artist (and father) in his own right, Ronniejoined by the Del McCoury Band, of which he is now a longtime and prominent memberhas recorded an unprecedented album that will allow families everywhere to experience together this quintessential American musical form. McCoury Music releases the first all-bluegrass album for kids and their parents, Little Mo McCoury, August 21 to stores nationwide. Its fitting that this album bound to bring families together comes from one of Americanas first families. The McCoury legacy extends back 40 years to when Del was one of Bill Monroes Bluegrass Boys, up through the Del McCoury Bands 2006 GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album. In addition to Ronnie and Del, Little Mo McCoury (as in just a little more McCoury) includes contributions from Ronnies brother Rob and Ronnies wife Allison, with whom he co-wrote My Friend, My Guitar, a song Ronnie figures is a good way to get kids to learn how to play a G-run. Robs roles on the album are numerous: He helped with song choices, takes the lead on an interpretation of Earl Scruggs Mamas Blues, and plays banjo throughout the recording. The bands other members, fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Bartram, are also featured. Like the Del McCoury Band, Little Mo McCoury makes a strong case for the contemporary appeal of bluegrass while remaining firmly rooted in the musics traditions: There is the unmistakable high lonesome sound and songs taken from the canon of the genre. The album classics like Jimmy Brown the Newsboy and Going Ape Over You, as well as some surprising material, such as the Randy Newman-penned Toy Story theme, Youve Got a Friend in Me and Dylans God Gave Names to All the Animals, which Ronnie learned from Tim OBriens version. The song was an inspiration for Little Mo McCoury. So was David Grisman and Jerry Garcias landmark Not Only for Kids. Ronnie also plans for Little Mo McCoury to be a live music experience. Hearkening back to when he was a boy on the road with his father, he imagines kids matinees at bluegrass festivals, for example, where he will be accompanied on stage with members of the same family band that helped him make this groundbreaking recording, aside from one of the most successful touring bands in the country. Little Mo McCoury dates will be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.mccourymusic.com Ken Weinstein Blake Zidell Big Hassle Media Blake Zidell & Associates 212.619.1360 718.643.9052 weinstein@bighassle.com blake@blakezidell.com

The Del McCoury Band performed at the end of April at the annual MerleFest...and you can hear it now! Check it out at http://www.mvyradio.com/archives/index.php#A

Vince Gill Launches New Tour with Amy Grant, Del McCoury Band

18-Date Swing Runs from July 14 to Sept 11

NASHVILLE -- April 3, 2007 --Vince Gill is expanding his tour repertoire this summer by adding fellow Grammy-winners Amy Grant and the Del McCoury Band to his troupe. The 18-date circuit begins July 14 at Atlantas Chastain Park Amphitheatre and concludes Sept. 11 at Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

The new show will be an expansion of those featured on the recently concluded These Days Tour which spotlighted selections from both Gills triumphant 4-CD These Days album and his long list of country hits.

Were calling this Vince Gill: The Friends and Family Tour, Featuring Amy Grant and the Del McCoury Band, Gill announces. I know thats a real mouthful. But, believe me, its going to be a real earful, too. We aim to dazzle.

I always enjoy working with Vince, says Grant, the gospel and pop star whos also Gills wife. Its especially exciting to be on the road with him on the heels of his great project, These Days. Between Del and his band, the Sapphire Blue Horn Section and all the other musicians on stage, this will be a great spectrum of music.

McCoury agrees. Vince is like one of the boys, he says, great hair, great singer and a pretty good picker. Bluegrass has always been part of his life and it shows on stage.

There are few better judgesor practitionersof bluegrass than Del McCoury. He first gained attention in the early 1960s as lead singer and guitarist for Bill Monroes fabled Blue Grass Boys band. In recent years, he has led his own band, aided by sons Ronnie and Rob. The Del McCoury Band, the most awarded artist in the history of Bluegrass, has nine times won the International Bluegrass Music Assn.s Entertainer of the Year Award. In 2005, the bands CD, The Company We Keep, won the Best Bluegrass Album Grammy.

Grant has been a vocal star since her teen years, starting in gospel and then expanding into pop music. Her pop hits include The Next Time I Fall (with Peter Cetera), Baby Baby, Every Heartbeat and Thats What Love Is For. Her gospel recordings have netted her six Grammys.

This year, Gill earned his 18th Grammythis one for Best Male Country Vocal Performancefor The Reason Why, the debut single from These Days. He followed that song with his current single, What You Give Away.

Grant and the Del McCoury Band were prominent players in the recording of These Days, making guest appearances on four of the tracks.

These are the tour dates and locations:

July 14 Chastain Park Amphitheater/Atlanta, GA

July 15 Charlottesville Pavilion/Charlottesville, VA

July 18 The Filene Center/Vienna, VA

July 19 Ryan Center/Kingston, RI

July 20 Meadowbrook Musical Arts Center/Gilford, NH

July 21 Chevrolet Theatre/Wallingford, CT

July 22 Telos Pavillion Harbor Center/Portsmouth, VA

Aug 29 Minnesota State Fair Grandstand/St. Paul, MN

Aug 31 Deer Valley Outdoor Theater/Park City, UT

Sept 1 Casper Events Center/Casper, WY

Sept 2 The Villages At Copper Mountain/Copper Mountain, CO

Sept 5 Britt Pavillon/Jacksonville, OR

Sept 6 The Concerts At Wente Vineyard/Livermore, CA

Sept 7 Ironstone Amphitheatre/Murphys, CA

Sept 8 The Greek Theatre/Los Angeles, CA

Sept 9 Fantasy Springs Casino/Indio, CA

Sept 10 Tims Toyota Center/Prescott Valley, AZ

Sept 11 Santa Ana Star Center/Rio Rancho, NM

STEEP CANYON RANGERS ADDED TO DEL McCOURY'S HOMETOWN NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH

York Countys Del McCoury brings his Grammy winning Bluegrass band to the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center to ring in the New Year, Sunday, December 31 at 8:00pm with four hours of non-stop music. The Del McCoury Band's New Year's Eve show is always a night to remember, and they've just kicked this year's show up a notch announcing the IBMA's Emerging Artist of the Year, Steep Canyon Rangers, as the opening act. The show will also feature friends from Nashville as well as friends and family from their hometown joining them for a jam to ring in the new year (you might even spot a former band member or two).

The Steep Canyon Rangers have carved out a special spot in the world of Bluegrass music, creating a sound that looks forward and backwards at the same time. First formed in the stairwells and kitchens of Chapel Hill, NC, the Rangers arrive from varied musical backgrounds. Woody Platt, Mike Guggino, Charles Humphrey, Nicky Sanders, and Graham Sharp have created a style that combines the early sounds of Bluegrass with elements of Honky Tonk, Country and Western Swing. Fierce dynamics are a tradmark of live performaces. The Rangers striking original songs deliver high intensity at one moment and then slip into easy groove the next. Since 1992, the Del Mccoury Band has dominated the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual awards with a total of nearly 40 individual and group citations from the IBMA - including a whopping nine "Entertainer of the Year" honors. They are regular headliners at nearly all major folk, bluegrass and country festivals, taking their shimmering, inclusive brand of hill-country magic to clubs, concert halls and television shows in between. They've also appeared at some of the world's largest and most prominent festivals including Bonnaroo, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, and the Newport Folk Festival. High profile television appearances include "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Late Show with David Letterman," and "Sessions on West 54th."

For tickets, call the Strand-Capitol box office at 717-846-1111 or order online at www.strandcapitol.org.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006 Review: McCoury Band tops at Grey Fox fest

By John W. Barry Poughkeepsie Journal

For live music, New York City might have "The Garden." But the Hudson Valley will always have "The Hill."

More than a hundred miles from Madison Square Garden Friday night, thousands set up blankets and chairs on "The Hill" at the Rothvoss Farm in Columbia County for the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

The second night of the four-day gathering hosted thousands in a natural amphitheater that offered stunning views of mountains and mist and hours of effortless bluegrass.

The late afternoon sun scorched and the heat fueled the haze. But the descending orange sun and rolling green hills offered a majestic backdrop that made the music at times seem like a sideshow.

Among the hundreds of campsites that surrounded the stage, packs of children brandishing water pistols chased each other, many of them seeming to have as much fun as the adults listening to the music.

Dobro master Jerry Douglas reminded many how he wowed the Hudson Valley last November, when he played the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie with Alison Krauss and Union Station. Douglas tugged and pulled on his audience's heart strings as delicately as he did on the strings of his instrument.

Joined by Fleck

Multi-instrumentalist Tim O'Brien was the headliner and like Douglas, was joined on stage by banjo player Bela Fleck, a major name in bluegrass and jam band circles. But stealing the show and holding court on The Hill Friday night was the Del McCoury Band, a quintet fronted by the 67-year-old family patriarch and supported by his two sons, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo.

This ensemble's timelessness has been underscored recently by a new record, "The Promised Land" and the Sirius Satellite Radio program hosted by McCoury.

But the Del McCoury Band punch that clobbered everyone on The Hill Friday night was their take on British rocker Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," a tale of love, crime and fast motorcycles that McCoury seamlessly transplanted from the coal-covered side streets of working-class England to the dusty back roads of Tennessee.

As Thompson might very well say, "Good show, Del!

Here's a little of what the article has to say:

BMP: Your latest project, The Promised Land, is your first gospel release ever. DEL: I would always do a gospel number on every record, but I had a gospel record ready to record on Rounder back when by brother Jerry was with me playing bass and Ronnie had just come into the band not too long before that. We had it all worked out and then the banjo player quit and we had to go on and do a secular record. It was probably 20 or 25 years ago. I thought, 'If I ever get my own label I'll do what I wanna do.' I've put two records out on my own label and the third one is this gospel record. We're also doing a DVD and a record with a book. Plus, we're on the road a lot. We're trying to slow down and the way it looks - we ain't!

BMP: For this gospel project did you resurrect any of the songs you wanted to do the first time? DEL: Isn't that something? I'm not doing one of those and most of them were all brand new gospel songs. Albert Brumley's son Jackson lives near Ronnie (McCoury) in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He told Ronnie, 'I found some songs that my Dad wrote that we didn't even know about.' He demoed them to Ronnie and I thought, 'There's some good songs here, but I wonder how many people have recorded this stuff?' Nobody really has recorded any of them and I had never heard them either. Anyway, that's half of the record.

To read more go to www.bluegrassmusicprofiles.com

GRAMMY®-winning bluegrass artist Del McCoury will host a new bluegrass music program launching June 24 exclusively on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

Hand Picked with Del McCoury will feature traditional as well as progressive bluegrass music chosen and hosted by McCoury, whose notable career spans five decades.

McCoury plays guitar and sings lead vocals in the Del McCoury Band, which also features his two sons. In addition to winning the 2005 GRAMMY for Best Bluegrass Album, the Del McCoury Band has been named "Entertainer of the Year" nine times by the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association). McCoury is known for bridging the "high lonesome" style of traditional bluegrass music with a more progressive sound, and appealing to audiences of all ages.

In 1963, McCoury was a five-string banjo picker in Bill Monroe's legendary Bluegrass Boys, and first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry. Over the years, he switched to rhythm guitar, played with a number of other bluegrass bands, and was made a member of the Opry in 2003. He has released more than 20 albums since the late 1960s, and has also recorded and/or performed with artists outside of the bluegrass genre, including Steve Earle, Phish, and String Cheese Incident, among others. The Del McCoury Band appears at numerous music festivals, including Bonnaroo, High Sierra and the Newport Folk Festival.

Of his new SIRIUS program, McCoury said, ""We've enjoyed being the bridge between the old and new over the last 10 years or so, and now SIRIUS has given us the chance to do it on an even broader scale--keeping the traditions alive with the young folks and new fans of this music, and introducing new progressive bands to the faithful. Life just keeps getting better."

Hand Picked with Del McCoury launches on Saturday, June 24, and will air every Saturday at 3 pm ET on SIRIUS Bluegrass, channel 65.

For more information, visit www.sirius.com.

http://www.bluegrassmusic.com/index.php?em192=61432_0__0_~0~445_-1_6_2006_0_0&issue=61189 For a limited time you can view the Del McCoury Band feature article in the Bluegrass Unlimited by going to the above link. It's a great article with some great pictures! Check it out...you may find out something about the band that you didn't know before!

Tune in to the John Boy and Billy Show on Thursday, June 15, to hear the Del McCoury Band live!! They will be on sometime between 8 and 10 am eastern standard time! www.thebigshow.com/home/index2.html

The wait is over. After years of requests from fans, the Del McCoury Band has recorded its first ever all gospel album, The Promised Land. This new release hits stores on June 13th.

For all of you Delheads out there, we're offering a pre-release sale on this new album. Del will personally autograph every album ordered before street date, and all orders placed by June 10th will be mailed on June 12th. Click on the link in the top right corner of this page to order yours today!!!

Nashville, TN (March 3, 2006)...Not many people know it, says Del McCoury with a chuckle, but though 2006 is the first time he's released a bluegrass gospel album, it's not the first time he's tried. "I was all ready to do one back in the late 1980's," the holder of nine International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year awards reveals. "But then our banjo player left the band, and he was such an important part of what we were going to do that we had to hold off. And the time just never seemed right after that--until now."

Though it may have been a long time coming, The Promised Land is surely worth the wait, and for more than one reason. In contrast to the string of groundbreaking albums that preceded it, the new set finds the Del McCoury Band dialing back its usual musical breadth and exploration of edgy material in favor of a deeper drink from the well of bluegrass tradition. From the joyous drive of the banjo that kicks off the celebratory opener, "Canaan's Happy Land," to the impeccable Scruggs style fingerpicked guitar of the closing "The Lord is Writing Down Names," the music here quietly asserts that no matter how far the group has roamed in the pursuit of creativity, its mastery of bedrock bluegrass is as good as--make that better than--ever.

Yet in typical McCoury fashion, Del still manages to break new ground on The Promised Land. Though like its predecessor, the album draws on a variety of song sources, a remarkable set of undeservedly obscure songs lies at its heart. For though one might think that the catalog of Albert E. Brumley--creator of such enduring classics as "Ill Fly Away", "Rank Stranger", "Turn Your Radio On", "Jesus Hold My Hand" and dozens more--had been thoroughly picked over by now, McCoury has unearthed a trove of his compositions that had never, or only obscurely, been recorded before. With their powerfully affirmative lyrics and timeless melodies, songs like "Led By the Master's Hand" and "It's Surprising What The Lord Can Do" both express and explain the relaxed assurance and good will that have turned so many from simple fans into "Del-heads".

In this sense, The Promised Land's songs--whether from Brumley; from long-time favorites and friends like Billy and Terry Smith, Shawn Camp, Ronnie Bowman and Del's co-writer here, Jerry Salley; or from still other sources--constitute not only a musical gift to his audience, but a spiritual one, too. Though one may hear classically stern, if loving warnings scattered throughout the album in "Don't Put Off Until Tomorrow" (a song Del summoned from the memory of his days with Bill Monroe, who first recorded it), the overall spirit of this set is sunny and uplifting, focused on the promise of salvation rather than the perils of sin.

Not surprisingly, as the spiritual outlook embodied in the lyrics here is gently yet passionately affirmative, so is the music both centered and exuberant. Though the group's collective virtuosity is widely acknowledged, here it is employed for a higher purpose. Jason Carter and Ron McCoury's award-winning work, Rob McCoury's under-appreciated creativity and dexterity and newcomer Alan Bartram's unerring timing all work to support, rather than overpower the gospel message, as does the enhancement of Del and Ron's start duets with an abundance of smooth trios and rich quartets.

The result of all these--the embrace of tradition, the unique song selection, the inspired performances and the unmistakable sincerity of the entire effort--is a collection that's destined to take its place alongside a handful of classic bluegrass gospel albums that have stood the test of time. At once an outward-reaching offer and deeply personal expression of faith and hope, The Promised Land is an offering that, Del says, only awaited the right circumstances. "It's something I've always wanted to do," he says with quiet cheer. "And now that I have my own label, it's something I'm finally able to do." For all those who will appreciate its message, and for those who will simply enjoy its musical riches, that's good news in every sense.

The Promised Land is due in stores June 13, 2006, the 14-track disc will be the third release on Del's own McCoury Music label in association with bluegrass powerhouse Sugar Hill Records and Welk Distribution.

For More Information:

Ken Weinstein, Big Hassle Media Ph: 212/619-1360, Fax: 212/619-1669 weinstein@bighassle.com www.delmccouryband.com

Friday, 04/28/06

Concert is for healing

By Tena Lee Hendersonville Star News

While surveying the damage off of Saundersville Road left by an April 7 tornado, Kelly Lang couldnt help but think of her father Velton. She thought about how much he loved the land and how, if he were here, he would do whatever he could to help his neighbors.

She would help too, she decided. And she would enlist the aid of her friends. This Monday night at Hendersonville High School, Lang and some of those friends - who just so happen to be among the biggest names in country music - will do what they do best to help those in Sumner County devastated by the tornado.

The A Night of Healing line up includes Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, the Oak Ridge Boys, T.G. Sheppard, The Del McCoury Band, The Whites, Gary Allan, Connie Smith, Lang, Tommy Cash and co-hosts Ralph Emery and Cathy Martindale. All, with the exception of Emery, have ties to Sumner County.

Donations will be accepted at the gate and all proceeds will go to the United Way of Sumner Countys Tornado Relief Fund.

Lang said she is surprised by the response she has received by both her friends and community members.

So many people really are wanting to help, she said. They are devastated. This is their home.

Lang, whose father was Conway Twittys road manager for years, doesnt remember an event of this magnitude taking place in Hendersonville before.

Hendersonville native Mike McClanahan agreed.

This is going to be pretty huge, said McClanahan, who is director of the United Way of Sumner County.

This is probably one of the biggest things to come to Hendersonville in a while. I think its just going to be incredible.

McClanahan said the money raised goes directly to the United Way of Sumner Countys Tornado Relief Fund.

An allocation committee will meet next week to determine how to make sure that money is effectively spent, he said. McClanahan said the money will help those hit by the tornado in Goodlettsville, Hendersonville and Gallatin. Hendersonville Mayor Scott Foster, who was also involved in the planning for the concert has been invited as well as mayors from Gallatin, Goodlettsville and County Executive Hank Thompson. Police and emergency services personnel from surrounding areas who responded to the April 7 disaster are also included.

One hundred percent of this money is going to tornado relief, McClanahan added. And its all staying here in Sumner County. In addition to raising funds, the desire of everybody involved is to really bring the community together, said McClanahan.

He added that the evening begins with Hendersonville resident and Grand Ole Opry star Connie Smith singing Amazing Grace.

McClanahan encourages those affected by the tornado to come to the front of the stage before the show in order to take part in a candlelight service during Smiths song.

We all have been affected by this personally, said Oak Ridge Boys bass singer Richard Sterban.

Sterban said he and his fellow Oaks have physically helped clean up, and now were trying to do what we do best.

He added he was at fellow Oak Ridge Boy William Lee Goldens home within an hour after it was hit by the tornado as it blew through the Station Camp area.

Goldens home - one of the states oldest  was damaged badly, but not destroyed by the storm. He has said he plans to rebuild it. Its going to be a great night of entertainment, he said.

This is worldwide, Lang said, adding a huge special guest star will also participate in the concert.

Due to vacation time on the part of the DMBsitequeen, all orders placed after 3/23/06 will be mailed on 4/3/06. All orders placed before 3/23/06 will be mailed on the 24th.

Thank you for your understanding!

DMBsitequeen

AFTER NEARLY 50 YEARS PLAYING BLUEGRASS, DEL MCCOURY WINS HIS FIRST GRAMMY AWARD

Los Angeles - CA -- The most awarded band in Bluegrass history, The Del McCoury Band, was a first time winner at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. The band won for "Best Bluegrass Album" for their latest album, The Company We Keep.

Del was on cloud nine after receiving the award. "After being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2003, I thought, this is it, what more could I ever ask for...but winning the Grammy is definitely a highlight. It's a tremendous honor to be recognized by my peers. The fact that this is on my own label makes it even more special."

The Company We Keep was the second album on McCoury's own label, McCoury Music. The label's first release, It's Just the Night, was nominated for the same award in 2004. The fact that Mr. McCoury has control over his recordings and musical legacy is an accomplishment in and of itself. He is one of the few bluegrass artists who has some semblance of control over his recording career, a rare feat in any musical genre. Over the last few years he has also been patiently reclaiming his rights to old masters and copyrights. "That's a big job," McCoury says, "but this way I'll have something to pass onto my kids and grandkids. That's important."

The Company We Keep, pairs Del with top songwriters Harley Allen ("The Little Girl") and the legendary Don Schlitz to produce three new songs - the largest number of McCoury contributions to an album in more than a decade - while showing off "Del and the boys" ongoing mastery of the high lonesome sound. Blending classic bluegrass sounds with distinctive, left-of-center material, The Company We Keep underlines the Del McCoury Band's unique control of their music and confirms their status as unsurpassed ambassadors of bluegrass. "Impeccable virtuosity" says the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post proclaimed Del a "national treasure". Reviews for Company have included statements like "...impeccable virtuosity" (Chicago Tribune), "McCoury is a national treasure" (Washington Post) and "musicianship of the highest caliber" (Harp). Del says of the album, "This is the most personal album I've ever done. It's an album of really hardcore bluegrass songs."

Since 1992 , the Del Mccoury Band has dominated the International Bluegrass Music Association's annual awards with a total of nearly 40 individual and group citations from the IBMA - including a whopping nine "Entertainer of the Year" honors. They are regular headliners at nearly all major folk, bluegrass and country festivals, taking their shimmering, inclusive brand of hill-country magic to clubs, concert halls and television shows in between. They've also appeared at some of the world's largest and most prominent festivals including Bonnaroo, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in S an Francisco, and the Newport Folk Festival. High profile television appearances include "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "The Late Show with David Letterman," and "Sessions on West 54th."

The Del McCoury Band has recently completed their very first all gospel album, "The Promised Land", set to hit stores in May.

After two successful years at the Ryman Auditorium for the annual Del McCoury Band New Year's Eve Bash, the McCourys were asked to step aside in 2005 and 2006 for the Grand Ole Opry (since Dec. 31 falls on the weekend both years). So, instead of waiting til 2007 to bring the show back, the producers of the event looked for an alternate venue, and felt the War Memorial Auditorium was a perfect alternative. However, after a slow start, and many discussions with media personnel and other music industry professionals, the producers decided this event would be better served by bringing it back in 2007 when it once again can return to the Ryman. Everyone came to the conclusion that the public has not been properly educated about what a great facility the newly renovated Auditorium is, and were therefore reluctant to try it for the first time on a night as hectic as New Year's Eve.

The Del McCoury Band and The Blind Boys of Alabama do plan to perform together at other locations in 2006.

Friday, 11/4, 6:00 PM

Manifest Disc/Charlotte, NC 6239 South Blvd Charlotte, NC 28217-4440

Phone: (704) 552-8448

Nov. 8th

Tower Philly

1pm

Phone: 916.373.2415 Fax: 916.373.2534

Nov. 10th

J&R Music World

12:30 pm Ph: 212-238-9000 ext.2458 Fx: 212-238-9189

Here are some upcoming TV appearances of Del and the Boys that you don't want to miss!!

Opry Live - Saturday, October 8, 8pm Eastern on GAC -- The band will be performing two songs and will also be talking about the new CD, The Company We Keep! On October 14th, you can catch Del on GAC Nights with Suzanne Alexander! On October 9th & 12th you can tune in to see Del on Classic Country on GAC, with host Bill Cody!!

Del's video, "She Can't Burn me Now" is featured on CMT's Wide Open Country this week.

The video also continues to air on GAC and VH1 Country.

The Del McCoury Band decided to turn their free concert in Louisville, Kentucky on Wednesday August 31st into a benefit for the Red Cross to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The McCourys were already scheduled to play the free show on the banks of the Ohio River as part of WFPK's Wednesday Night concert series, and to help local record retailer Ear X Tacy celebrate their twentieth anniversary. The Red Cross set up collection boxes, and Ear X Tacy stepped up to the plate, donating 100% of the revenue from the sale of their 20th Anniversary t-shirts to the cause. Along with the help of the 5,000 fans in attendance, a sizable donation was made to the Red Cross. Nashville singer/songwriter Jeff Black and local Louisville favorite and former guitarist for Jimmy Buffett, Tim Krekel also performed. The show was held at Riverfront Park in downtown Louisville. Thanks to all the folks who participated allowing one river city to help another.

Eight-time Entertainers of the Year The Del McCoury Band receives six nominations including Entertainer, Instrumental Group and individual nods for band members Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin. Del is also a Song of the Year nominee as writer for the Alison Krauss & Union Station song Rain Please Go Away.

The Limited Edition Del Bobblehead just went on sale yesterday, August 29th. There are only 500 of these made and they will be individually signed and numbered by Del McCoury himself! Don't delay or you'll miss out on this opportunity to take Del to work with you every day! :-) It'll make a great addition to any desk, computer, music room...you name it! Just check out our online store and place your order today...they won't be around long!

As of August 23, 2005 the Del McCoury Band made Alan Bartram a permanent member! Alan will play bass with DMB, following Mike Bub's departure from the band earlier this year. We've got Alan working on a bio for us right now and we'll have that posted on here soon...check back to find out more about this new member of the band! Welcome Alan!!

Banjo Bob wrote on Wednesday, August 24 2005:

On June 20, 2005, it was reported that Mike Bub and Del McCoury Band Go Different Ways. Bluegrass Music's eight-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year, the Del McCoury Band, has been performing with numerous bass players since that time. The band has announced that Alan Bartram will be taking over as the band's new bass player.

Alan Bartram has performed with The Gibson Brothers, Second Edition, Andy Hall, and most recently and notably with the Kenny & Amanda Smith Band. Alan was featured on Kenny & Amanda's latest album, "Never Enough." As is usual for the Del McCoury band, news is often subtle and short. The announcement received today from a band spokesperson simply stated the minimum:

"Welcome Aboard to Alan Bartram...the new bass player with The Del McCoury Band!! It became official on Tuesday, the 23rd of August and the band is excited and happy to have him on board."

Bartram is no stranger to bluegrass music. During last year's IBMA World of Bluegrass, Alan played with Becky Buller for her October 5th Album Release Party. He also contributed to Huber Banjo's "Team Flathead" project and others. Alan Bartram may not have as big of a name as Mike Bub however, he's now in big-name country with the Del McCoury Band.

So, who is this new bass player? Alan was born in Huntington, WV. Raised in New London, PA, he acquired his music polish singing in church and elsewhere. He started on guitar and while with Second Edition, he converted to the upright bass. Alan credits the Lonesome River Band, IIIrd Tyme Out and others for his major influences.

Now, it seems, Kenny and Amanda Smith need a new bass player. In music circles, it's always a game of musical chairs.

Copyright © 2005 by CYBERGRASS®. CYBERGRASS® is a Registered Trademark. All use and rights are reserved.

The Del McCoury Band can be seen quite regularly on the Tuesday night Opry when they are not out on the road! They'll be there this Tuesday night, August 30th. Tune it in at www.wsmonline.com!

Del McCoury didnt invent bluegrass. Yet, in the past decade, the 65-year-old guitarist has grown into the genres chief ambassador, spreading his high lonesome sound to a generation weaned on jamband solos and alt-country singers. Originally a banjo player, McCoury switched to guitar after joining Bill Monroes band in 1963, later filling a key role in the pioneer Bluegrass Boys band. Since 1967, McCoury has fronted his own traveling unit, which now includes his sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo). With his managers encouragement, McCoury also joined forces with Steve Earle in the late 1990s, backing the politically-charged guitarist on his album The Mountain. In 1999, McCoury strayed further from his bluegrass audience, joining Phish onstage at its Camp Oswego festival for a mini bluegrass set. Quickly tapping into this young, grassroots market, McCoury has since led a double life, dividing his time between traditional bluegrass festivals and jam-friendly gatherings like Bonnaroo and the Jammys. Of late, McCoury has also performed with Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Donna the Buffalo, and the Hackensaw Boys, oftentimes jamming with these younger players at the tail end of his own set. Below, McCoury tells Relix how a young, high lonesome singer managed to age into an elder statesman who is, in fact, quite happy.

To read this interview go to:

http://www.relix.com/cgi-bin/content_details.php?id=1399

Ramblin' Over Yonder

The Cabin Fever Tour kicks off January 29th in Tulsa, Okla., and swings through the South in February and beyond, joined on selected dates by the Del McCoury Band.

So far, five shows with both bands are confirmed. YMSB and the International Bluegrass Music Association Entertainer of the Year will alternate headlining slots on the dates they share.

Bluegrass fans who caught both groups at last year's installment of the annual String Summit know they're in for a night of pickin' and grinnin' like no other.

The Del McCoury Band will keep rollin' on with a solid schedule through June and additional dates stretching into October.

Yonder Mountain String Band is booked for much of June, including a four-day slot at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. The group recently released its first two-disc live package, Mountain Tracks Vol. 3, featuring cuts from the band's 2003 Kinfolk Celebration.

Check out the schedule for definite dates and venues.

DEL McCOURY BAND & FRIENDS TO SEND 2004 PACKING AT THE RYMAN ALL-STAR PICKERS TORCH OLD YEAR, WELCOME NEW

NASHVILLE, TN (October 14, 2004) -- The Del McCoury Band is loading up to kick out the old man and welcome the new kid this New Years Eve at Nashvilles fabled Ryman Auditorium...and you and yours are cordially invited to join the fun. The nimble-fingered roster for this gala event will feature several young lions whove impressed the McCoury crew out on the road this year--The Waybacks, The Hackensaw Boys and King Wilkie, introduce elusive guitar legend Whitey Johnson, then polish off the evening (and the year) with the inimitable bluegrass magic of the Del McCoury Band.

The event will begin at 8:00 p.m. on December 31st, with reserved tickets ($49.50, $39.50 and $29.50) available now through all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Ryman box office (phone: 615-255-9600). Already the most decorated ensemble in bluegrass history, the Del McCoury Band recently garnered the International Bluegrass Music Associations Entertainer Of The Year award for an unprecedented ninth time. Now with well over 40 group and individual honors (from the IBMA alone), Del & The Boys have assembled enough glittering hardware to fill an aisle at Home Depot. But awards are merely by-products of the groups function, which is to saw off white-hot, state-of-the-art slabs of bluegrass marked by pristine, passionate playing and stellar vocals. With a firm grasp of bluegrasss time-honored traditions, the Del McCoury Band has simultaneously incorporated surprising elements from an eclectic batch of noted (and some overlooked) songwriters from various genres to create an extrapolation of Bill Monroes baby-child thats breathtaking in its energy and vitality. King Wilkie->

This delicate, mercurial balance has allowed the McCoury Band to remain the first call of hard-core bluegrass traditionalists, even as their powerhouse chops and precise interplay combined to make them favorites on the youthful jam band circuit. Over the course of 12 years together (and a half-dozen remarkable discs), the Del McCoury Band has established itself not only as must see staples at the most prestigious music festivals in the land, but--quite simply--as one of the very best bands, regardless of genre, in the world today.

Similar lofty claims have long been whispered about the six-string wizardry of Whitey Johnson, an ephemeral, albino ax-grinder who reputedly got his start playing in a Holy Roller church in Garland, Texas back in the early-60s. Rarely seen since--and even more rarely heard--Johnson grew his legend over a twisted, shadowy, quicksilver career that would find him resurfacing from time to time with any and all manner of combos, if only briefly. It may also be noted that Whitey and his longtime friend, Nashvilles singular Gary Nicholson, have never been seen in the same room together.

A master of multiple styles, Whitey has steadfastly shunned the limelight for more than 40 years, but with Nicholsons encouragement, Johnson has agreed to join in on the McCourys year-end merriment and re-emerge, like a phoenix, whole and wholly invigorated on the Rymans stage. Whitey Johnson ->

The show will feature three more bluegrass aggregations, each presenting a unique approach to the high lonesome sound. San Francisco's The Waybacks open with their eclectic, un-hinged sound, to be followed by a pair of up-and-coming groups from Charlottesville, Virginia--the scruffy, careening Hackensaw Boys and the youthful, if talented far beyond their years, King Wilkie.

Taking their name from Bill Monroes favorite horse, King Wilkie is a brash, high-steppin sextet of youthful (ages 21-26) upstarts whove set the woods on fire with crisp chops, age-old heads and rocknroll energy. The Charlottesville, Virginia-based smokers have captured hearts young AND old with their electrifying stage act and breakthrough disc, BROKE, on Rebel Records.

Also from Charlottesville, The Hackensaw Boys--a tad older, but none the wiser--take a scruffier, snaggle-toothed approach to stringband music. Shamelessly flaunting their hill-country funk, the Boys have seen soap made, but are too humble to waste it on their own selves (slip a gallon to em, Alan...).

The show will be opened by The Waybacks, a spunky crew hailing from the unlikely grass-lands of Californys Bay Area. Their collective youth was mis-spent on all manner of reckless musical endeavors; still, they came back to the fold--high, wide and (relatively) handsome.

New Years Eve is the date; the Ryman is (of course) The Place. 2004 is a train that needs to leave the station, and the McCourys & Friends are just the folks to stoke the fire. Be there.

8For travel packages, please contact PlacesIIGo Travel, 615/460-4600 or placesiigo@att.net

Media questions, requests: CommotionPR 615.467.6677 kay@commotionpr.com / donica@commotionpr.com COMMOTION PR 811 18th Avenue So., 2nd Floor | Nashville, Tenn. 37203 | 615.467.6677 KAY CLARY kay@commotionpr.com DONICA CHRISTENSEN donica@commotionpr.com

Two Major performing groups; The DEL MCCOURY BAND AND RHONDA VINCENT WILL PERFORM AT THE SECOND ANNUAL NASHVILLE MUSIC CLASSIC AT SMILEY HOLLOW, OCT. 1 & 2, 2004

It was announced this evening at the Grand Ole Opry, that the DEL MCCOURY BAND would be performing this fall at the Nashville Music Classic in October.

Additionally, RHONDA VINCENT and her band THE RAGE will also perform at this down home celebration of Americana Music.

The "Classic" now in its second year, - It began as a word of mouth informal gathering of some of the finest bluegrass and country musicians in the world, attended by family, friends, special invited guests, and some of entertainment's top celebrities. Rhonda Vincent, Del McCoury, Jimmy Martin, Larry Stephenson, Mac Wiseman, Jack Clement, Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley,Carl Jackson, Amber Burks, David Parmley, Cherry Holmes Family, Ronnie Reno, Recon So, Pine Mountain Railroad, The Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Traylor Parker, and other "surprise guests" will perform."

This has always been about the music and the people who appreciate music that is real and honest," says founder Lester Armistead. "We want to keep the down home feel that has made this event so special." It is this "down home feel" that has attracted many name brand sponsors such as Sirius radio (who will be broadcasting the event on satellite), and national media for this unique festival of pure Americana music.

The two-day event will be held October 1st and 2nd at the venue of SMILEY HOLLOW in Ridgetop, TN, located 15 miles north of Nashville. Tickets are $20 per day at the gate or $35 for the 2 days. Dry camping is $10 a day for coaches and trailers. Tent camping is $3 a day. Wonderful food and beverages will be available at the event.To purchase tickets reserve RV parking or get additional information, one can go online to http://www.nashvillemusicclassic.com.

Join The Del McCoury Band on June 9th at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, TN! There they will be performing with Dierks Bentley on CMT's 100 Greatest Love Songs. Dierks and the band will be performing George Straits "I Cross My Heart".

Here is the link for tickets sales: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B0038AC97BD67F5?brand

The code COURY is now good for $10 off per ticket(phone, web, box office).

Here is a link to the show page on CMT:

http://www.cmt.com/shows/dyn//greatest_series/81730/episode_featured_copy.jhtml

DEL McCOURY BAND MAKE THEIR FIRST MUSIC VIDEO Band continues to gain acceptance from rock, country & bluegrass audiences For more information on the band contact: Chris Harris / Rainmaker Prod. 813/223-3603 rainmakerch@aol.com

(Nashville, Tenn.) May 11, 2004 -- It took forty years for Del McCoury to step before the camera for a music video, but once he did, viewers and tastemakers responded. The most recent edition of CMT's Top Twenty Countdown found the Del McCoury Band's "My Love Will Not Change" at #8, wedged between video favorite Kenny Chesney's latest entry and new artist Gretchen Wilson's buzz-heavy debut single. Directed by Roger Pistole and produced by Ruckus Film, the video of the first single from the Grammy-nominated It's Just The Night album, was also a finalist for Best Music Video at last month's Nashville Film Festival.

The news capped a busy stretch that found the McCoury Band in front of country music fans not only on video, but in person. After joining the cast of the Grand Ole Opry six months ago, "Del and the boys" are on the road in the first edition of a new Opry venture, the Grand Ole Opry Great American Road Show. The tour brings the Del McCoury Band and other Opry members and favorites, including Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Rebecca Lynn Howard and CMA award-winning DJ and Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs in a format designed to recreate the flavor of country music's most famous show. Stops include the Ohio State Fair, Michigan State Fair, Arizona State Fair, and Los Angeles' Greek Theatre.

While the group reaches out to country music audiences, it hasn't neglected the bluegrass community, where the Del McCoury Band has earned acclaim as the most awarded group in the music's history. It's Just The Night, the first release on the newly-formed McCoury Music label, sits atop both Bluegrass Unlimited's airplay and Bluegrass Now's sales charts. This is the first time the Del McCoury Band has scored simultaneous #1s on both charts.

The McCourys will make a triumphant return to the Bonnaroo Music Festival this June. In the festival's inaugural year, The McCoury's raucous set was widely considered one of the surprise highlights of the event.

5/20 Glenside, PA /Keswick Theatre 5/27 Birmingham, AL / Zydeco 5/28 Sevierville, TN /Tennessee Smokies Stadium 5/29 Kirkersville, OH / Frontier Ranch Music Center 6/04 Raleigh, NC / State Fairgrounds 6/05 Syria, VA /Graves Mt. Lodge 6/06 Annapolis, MD /Rams Head 6/12 Manchester, TN / Bonnaroo Music Festival 6/13 Norfolk, VA / Harborfest 6/18 Flagstaff, AZ / Orpheum Theatre 6/19 Telluride, CO /Town Park 6/22 Seattle, WA /Tractor Tavern 6/23 Seattle, WA / Tractor Tavern 6/25 Jacksonville, OR / Britt Festivals @ Britt Pavillion 6/26 North Plains, OR / Horning's Hideout 6/27 Nicasio, CA / Rancho Nicasio 6/28 Chico, CA / Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. 6/29 Escondido, CA / North County Baptist Church 7/02 Dayton, OH / Riverscape Park 7/09 Cleveland, GA / Bluegrass Fest. 7/10 Renfro Valley, KY / Renfro Valley Entertainment Center 7/11 Masontown, WV / Marvin's Mountaintop Campgrounds 7/15 Nashville, TN / Ryman Auditorium 7/17 Ancramdale, NY / Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 7/18 Pittsburgh, PA / Hartwood Amphitheatre 7/23 Marshall, MO /Crossroads Amphitheatre / Opry Road Show 7/24 Monticello, IA / Jones County Fair 7/31 Wolfeboro, NH / Great Waters Music Festival 8/05 Front Royal, VA / Warren County Fair 8/06 Teaneck, NJ / Mexicali Blues Cafe 8/07 East Hartford, CT / Podunk Bluegrass Festival 8/10 Fairbanks, AK / Tanana Valley State Fair 8/11 Anchorage, AK Alaska / Ctr. For Perf. Arts 8/14 Columbus, OH / Ohio State Fair / Opry Road Show 8/15 Floyd, VA / Floyd Fest 8/16 Hamburg, NY / Erie County Fair / Opry Road Show 8/17 Detroit, MI / Michigan St. Fairgrounds / Opry Road Show 8/18 Interlochen, MI / Interlochen Center 8/20 Cherokee, NC / Happy Holiday Campground 8/21 Godfrey, IL / Lewis & Clark College 8/27 Chicago, IL / Old Town School Of Folk Music 8/28 Bayfield, WI / Big Top Chautauqua 9/04 Woodstown, NJ / Bluegrass Festival 9/05 Brunswick, ME / Thomas Point Beach 9/10 Boone, NC / High County Fairgrounds 9/11 Wind Gap, PA / Mountain View Park 9/18 Spencer, IA Clay County Fair / Opry Road Show 9/25 Flat Rock, NC / Camp Ton-A-Wanda 10/03 San Francisco, CAS / Strictly Bluegrass Festival 10/15 Los Angeles, CA / Greek Theatre / Opry Road Show

Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 Kicks Off With a Sell-Out

Nashville, Tenn. (April 26, 2004) The Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 featuring Opry members Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Del McCoury Band and frequent Opry guest Rebecca Lynn Howard kicked off to rave reviews from the Hartford Courant and the Springfield Republican before an advance sell-out crowd at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT Fri., April 23. In front of a tour version of the Opry's world-famous signature barn backdrop, the artists performed their own favorites and also joined each other on stage for numerous country and bluegrass collaborations. WSM Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs kept the show flowing with sponsor announcements just as in Opry performances in Nashville.

"I really feel like we took what happens on the Opry stage and brought it to the people," said Patty Loveless. The thing I love about the show is the opportunity to perform together throughout the evening. That's definitely part of what makes the Grand Ole Opry so unique and what makes this tour so special for us and the fans."

Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 schedule: April 30 York, PA Toyota Arena @ York Expo Center July 23 Marshall, MO Crossroads Amphitheater July 24 Monticello, IA Great Jones County Fair Aug 14 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair - Celeste Center Aug 15 Lewisburg, WV West Virginia State Fairgrounds * Aug 16 Hamburg, NY Erie County Fair and Expo Aug 17 Detroit, MI Michigan State Fairgrounds Aug 18 Interlochen, MI Interlochen Center/Kresge Auditorium Sept 18 Spencer, IA Clay County Fair Oct 15 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theatre Oct 16 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fairgrounds * Del McCoury Band will not be on this date- Buddy Jewell will perform. ** Schedule and artists subject to change

The tour is produced by Terry Elam of Fitzgerald Hartley and represented by Paul Moore at the William Morris Agency.

FIVE NOMINEES SELECTED FOR FIRST ANNUAL NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL MUSIC VIDEO AWARD

Winners to be Announced Saturday, May 1, During NFF Awards Ceremony

Nashville, TN - March 19, 2004

The Nashville Film Festival has announced five nominees for the Best Music Video Award, a newly created award to recognize Directors affiliated with Tennessee production companies, for their creativity, production, visual appeal and impact. Each video submitted had to be less than 5 minutes in length and have been broadcast between February 1, 2003 and January 31, 2004. The five finalists were chosen by a group of judges selected from the Nashville film and production industry.

Five nominees for NFF's Best Music Video include:

BOYS DON'T CRY by Plumb, directed by Kristen Barlowe for The Collective.

LIVE TO THE MUSIC by the Verbs, directed by Roman White for Revolution Pictures.

MY LOVE WILL NOT CHANGE by The Del McCoury Band, directed by Roger Pistole for Ruckus Films.

MAN OVER by Robinella and the CC String Band, directed by Roger Pistole for Ruckus Films

100 YEARS by Five For Fighting, directed by Trey Fanjoy for FM Rocks.

Two awards will be presented in this category; one chosen by an appointed Blue Ribbon NFF panel, and the other by film festival attendees. Winners will be announced during a special awards ceremony on Saturday, May 1, during the 35th Annual Nashville Film Festival, Monday, April 26 - Sunday, May 2 at the Green Hills Regal 16 Cinemas.

The Nashville Film Festival is a non-profit 501(c) corporation that receives its funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville Metro Arts, and their generous patrons and sponsors including Regal Cinemas, Business Wire, Comcast Cable, American Airlines, Baja Fresh, Bass, Berry & Sims, IFC, ASCAP, SESAC, Wild Oats Markets, William Morris Agency, Right Bank Music, Kodak, Dell Computers, Sony & RCA Label Group.

For ticket information and complete listing of films to be presented at this year's Nashville Film Festival, visit: www.nashvillefilmfestival.org. The site contains information and downloadable photos for the media only. The site is password protected and not meant for public use.

DMB's video "My Love will Not Change" is at #14 on the VH1 Country Top 20 Countdown!!

The video is also among the top 5 finalists for Best Video at The Nashville Film Fest!!

OPRY EXPANDS REACH WITH NATIONAL TOUR

Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 Kicks Off April 23

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 11, 2004) Country musics most beloved and enduring show, the Grand Ole Opry, will bring its signature blend of music and entertainment live to fans in a national tour this year.

The Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 will showcase three of its most popular members, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, and the Del McCoury Band, along with frequent Opry guest Rebecca Lynn Howard when the tour begins April 23.

We know that millions of music fans across the country hold the Grand Ole Opry in the highest regard, and that not everyone has had the opportunity to visit Nashville to see this remarkable icon, said Steve Buchanan, senior vice president of Gaylord Entertainment Co. Our goal is to give fans across the country the chance to sample the best the Opry and Nashville have to offer, inspiring them to visit Music City to witness country music at its finest. This tour is a great addition to the other ways we are sharing the best in country music, including our television, syndicated radio, and Internet broadcasts.

In addition to performing their own favorites, artists on the tour will join each other on stage for numerous collaborations and one-of-a-kind group performances at stops including the Ohio State Fair, Michigan State Fair, Arizona State Fair, and other venues through October. Tour stops will also feature WSM Grand Ole Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs as well as special guest appearances by other top performers. Embodying the live show format of world-famous Opry performances in Nashville, the shows will be complete with a tour version of the Oprys signature barn backdrop and microphone stands.

What a great opportunity to show people of all ages where the Opry has been and where it is going, added Opry member Gill.

The Grand Ole Opry is country music. This tour will offer fans across America the opportunity to experience the excitement of the Opry with performances by countrys brightest stars while we continue our Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday Opry broadcasts right here in Nashville. said Opry vice president and general manager, Pete Fisher. During their distinguished careers, Gill, Loveless and the Del McCoury Band have won countless awards and industry recognition. Gill has won more CMA awards than any other artist, Loveless is a past CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and the Del McCoury Band is an eight-time IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Entertainer of the Year. Each was nominated for a Grammy earlier this year. Newcomer Howard has enjoyed Top 10 success with the single Forgive and has just signed a record deal with Arista Records. --more--

The Grand Ole Opry has taken its unique form of American entertainment on the road many times in the past with tours featuring everyone from Roy Acuff and Minnie Pearl to Garth Brooks and Ricky Skaggs. Traveling tent shows were the first means of taking the Opry on tour in the 1930s. Then, during World War II, Opry stars toured American military bases in the U.S. and Central America building wartime. Ernest Tubb took a group of Opry stars to New Yorks Carnegie Hall in 1947, and another Opry troupe played Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. that same year.

The Oprys first overseas tour in 1949 took Acuff, Little Jimmy Dickens, Hank Williams, and others to U.S. military bases in England, Germany, and the Azores. The Opry traveled to Houston, Texas in 1990 for a special performance for President George Bush and the heads of state attending the Economic Summit of Industrialized Nations, then hit the road for a ten-city tour the following year.

Grand Ole Opry American Road Show 2004 schedule: April 23 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort Arena April 30 York, PA Toyota Arena @ York Expo Center July 23 Marshall, MO Budweiser MOFAC Amphitheatre July 24 Monticello, IA Great Jones County Fair Aug 14 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair  Celeste Center Aug 15 Lewisburg,WV West Virginia State Fairgrounds * Aug 16 Hamburg, NY Erie County Fair and Expo Aug 17 Detroit, MI Michigan State Fairgrounds Aug 18 Interlochen, MI Interlochen Center/Kresge Auditorium Sept 18 Spencer, IA Clay County Fair Oct 16 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fairgrounds * Del McCoury Band will not be on this date- Buddy Jewell will perform ** Schedule and artists subject to change

The tour is produced by Terry Elam of Fitzgerald Hartley and represented by Paul Moore at the William Morris Agency.

About the Grand Ole Opry The Grand Ole Opry presents the best in country music live every week from Nashville, Tenn. A uniquely American experience for more than 78 years, the Opry can be heard on 650 WSM-AM, Stream 137 on Sirius Satellite Radio and www.opry.com. The syndicated weekly program Americas Grand Ole Opry Weekend airs on more than 200 country radio stations across the country and on the Armed Forces Radio Network, and Grand Ole Opry Live airs each weekend on GAC: Great American Country. The Grand Ole Opry is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a Nashville-based hospitality and entertainment company that also owns and operates Gaylord Hotels and ResortQuest International. For more information, visit www.opry.com or www.gaylordentertainment.com. ###

'BLUEGRASS TO THE BONE'

By Earle Hitchner

[Published in the "Leisure & Arts" page of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL on Thursday, January 8, 2004. Copyright © Earle Hitchner. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of author.]

At age 64, Del McCoury, a singer acclaimed for putting the "blue" in bluegrass and leader of a quintet who have collectively and individually won more than 30 International Bluegrass Music Awards, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 25. I was overjoyed, then curious: What took so long?

A clue came in the title of "Working on a Building," a gospel song Mr. McCoury sang on stage that night with his award presenter, country vocalist Patty Loveless. For more than half a century, Delano Floyd McCoury has been working on a building, bluegrass, helping to raise it from a sometimes downtrodden shanty niche in country music to the height of esteem and popularity it now enjoys. He's done this plank by plank, steadfastly and often self-effacingly, using his soulful, soaring tenor voice, the epitome of bluegrass's "high lonesome" sound, to do much of the work.

"I knew there was some discrimination against bluegrass," he admitted recently from one of the more than 200 concert stops he makes annually with the Del McCoury Band. "But I was confident that if people heard bluegrass music played the way it can be played and in the right context, quite a few of them would like it."

In recent years, that context has widened in unexpected ways for the Del McCoury Band. Their appeal has spread to followers of jam bands such as Phish and Leftover Salmon, with whom they've performed. Recalling a Phish festival in Oswego, N.Y., Del said, "About 80,000 people were swinging and swaying to our music just like they did to theirs."

Early in October, the Del McCoury Band and Leftover Salmon, who describe their music as "slamgrass," shared a concert bill at Manhattan's Bowery Ballroom. The jeans-and-sneakers Leftover Salmon opened with a fun-loving brand of roots music drawing more on energy than expertise. Then the suit-and-tie Del McCoury Band came on and delivered acoustic bluegrass of startling virtuosity, tightness and potency.

Hot-picking bluegrass breakdowns included Ronnie McCoury's mandolin-charged "Hillcrest Drive" and Jason Carter's fiddle-fueled "Back Up and Push." Songs ranged from the locomotive "All Aboard" to the spectral "It's Just the Night," title track of the band's Grammy-nominated new album on their own label, McCoury Music (distributed by Sugar Hill/Welk). By the time Del McCoury's blues-dipped tenor wrapped around "Rain and Snow," an I've-been-wronged song he's been singing for decades, the audience was hopelessly smitten.

What pulls this diverse audience to the band is a surprisingly diverse repertoire, ranging from John Sebastian's cheeky "Nashville Cats" to Richard Thompson's gritty ode to motorcycle love, "1952 Vincent Black Lightning," and the powerful purity of the quintet's stage performances.

They still sing around one or two microphones and swap unplugged licks on Del's guitar, son Ronnie's mandolin, son Rob's banjo, Jason Carter's fiddle, and Mike Bub's upright bass. This detail-rich sound has bound all five musicians together for the past 11 years. "It's unusual to have a family band with two outsiders fitting in as well with us as we do with them for so long," Ronnie said. "I think this reveals a lot about my dad and how he runs the band. He's bluegrass to the bone."

Born in Bakersville, N.C., and raised on a dairy farm in York County, Pa., Del McCoury first heard Bill Monroe on a Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast in the late 1940s. A few years later, a Flatt and Scruggs recording of "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" hooked Del on the fleet, innovative banjo playing of Earl Scruggs. "He was picking the tar out of that banjo," Del said, "and that's exactly what I wanted to do."

Eventually Del played banjo and sang with several bluegrass bands in the region straddling southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland. "I used to travel 40 miles to make $7 a night for playing bluegrass," he remembered. "I just loved to play and never thought much then of making it my living."

That changed in February 1963 when Del McCoury became a full-time member of the Blue Grass Boys under Bill Monroe, for whom he switched from banjo to guitar. "It was the easiest job I ever had in my life," he said.

After leaving the Blue Grass Boys a year later, Del played banjo with the Golden State Boys in California but only stayed a short time before homesickness drove him and his wife, Jean, back to Pennsylvania. There he cut timber, raised a family, and played bluegrass part time for many years. But even as a part-time musician, Del had many moments of brilliance, especially "High on a Mountain," a 1972 Rounder Records release by the Dixie Pals, a band he had formed in the late 1960s.

Since returning full time to music in the mid-1980s, Del McCoury has issued several superb CDs with his band, collaborated with alt-country singer-songwriter Steve Earle on "The Mountain" album, and performed on the "Down From the Mountain" tour. The band's own tour will take them to the New York metropolitan area over the next few days, including Jan. 12 at midtown Manhattan's B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.

In the bluegrass pantheon headed by Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers,and Flatt and Scruggs, Del McCoury's place is secure. His induction into the Grand Ole Opry merely confirmed what one Salmonhead said standing next to me in the Bowery Ballroom: "That guy rules."

Mr. Hitchner last wrote for the Journal on Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac.

CATCH DEL McCOURY PERFORM ON GRAND OLE OPRY LIVE ON GAC SATURDAY, Dec. 13th! Tune in to GAC on Saturday, Dec. 13th at 8pm ET and watch as Del takes the stage as part of a very special tribute to The Louvin Brothers. This special Grand Ole Opry Live will take place at the historic Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville. There's only one place you can watch it LIVE on TV...GAC! This special show will also feature performances by a huge lineup of stars like Terri Clark, Ronnie Dunn, Joe Nichols, Rhonda Vincent and many more! Can't catch the Saturday night show? Check for airtimes on Sunday, Dec. 14th and Tuesday, Dec. 16th! [link to: ] If you DON'T GET GAC, click here and take action to make it available in your area!

http://www.countrystars.com/getgac.html>]

Del McCoury Named Grand Marshal of 51st Annual Nashville Gas Christmas Parade

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 10, 2003) --

The International Bluegrass Music Association's reigning Entertainer of the Year, Del McCoury, has been selected as the Grand Marshal of the 51st Annual Nashville Gas Christmas Parade. The bluegrass icon was recently inducted into the Grand Ole Opry and has a storied career almost as enduring as the parade itself.

"Del McCoury has an impressive presence in the Nashville community, said John Clark, vice president of Tennessee operations for Nashville Gas. Were honored to have the Bluegrass Associations Entertainer of the Year join us for this years parade and help us kick off the holiday season.

Delano Floyd McCoury began playing bluegrass music at the early age of 11, having fallen in love with the distinct sound of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. After six decades of bluegrass success--including a stint in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys--Del McCoury is now recognized for helping pave the path for a music that is flourishing in the modern era.

The Del McCoury Band includes sons Ronnie and Robbie, who joined the band in the 1980s. McCoury's band, which has, in recent years, taken its style of bluegrass on tour with rock group Phish, Steve Earle, and the popular Bonnaroo Music Festival, has imparted its influence on many of today's finest musicians.

To be asked to be the Grand Marshal is an honor. But probably more important is that it makes me cool to my grandkids. This has been the best year of my careerEntertainer of the Year, induction to the Opry, and just got a Grammy nominationbut all that excited the grandkids was being able to ride with Pop in the Christmas parade.

The Christmas Parade, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2003, begins at 10 a.m. in Downtown Nashville. The parade is co-sponsored and televised live by News 2.

This years parade, with the theme Celebrating the Spirit of Christmas, will begin at the Gaylord Entertainment Center and incorporate lower Broadway, 2nd Avenue North and the Woodland St. Bridge, ending at The Coliseum. The 23rd Annual Rudolphs Red Nose Run, sponsored by Big Brothers of Nashville, will precede the Christmas Parade. The Red Nose Run has raised more than $211,000 during the course of its 22-year existence. All proceeds from the run benefit the Big Brothers Energy Fund to make sure Nashvilles needy stay warm during the cold winter months. Nashville Gas is a Piedmont Natural Gas company, an energy services company primarily engaged in the distribution of natural gas to 920,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

ENCORE: Patty Loveless followed by Del McCoury Band (Dec. 13) Country star Patty Loveless is among the most respected artists in her field. Standouts of her bluegrass-influenced performance include Never Leave Harlan Alive and Man of Constant Sorrow. Traditional bluegrass performers the Del McCoury Band epitomizes the high lonesome sound. The quartet performs All Aboard, Nashville Cats and more.

To view a video clip of the show copy and paste:

http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin/tvschedule/sneak_previews.html

FIRST FAMILY OF BLUEGRASS RECEIVES GRAMMY NOD Friday, December 5, 2003 For Immediate Release

Capping a remarkable year that saw them appear on nationwide television and at venues filled with thousands of youthful fans, win an eighth Entertainer of the Year award from the International Bluegrass Music Association and earn membership in the legendary Grand Ole Oprys cast, the Del McCoury Band scored a Bluegrass Album of the Year Grammy nomination on Thursday for the first release on their own label, Its Just The Night (McCoury Music/Sugar Hill Records).

The group also contributed mightily to a second nominee, Christmas On The Mountain, with the entire band or individual members appearing on 10 of the albums 11 cuts, and turned in all while Del and bassist Mike Bub shared in yet another nomination, collaborating with Marty Stuart on a riveting performance of Let Us Travel, Travel On for Country Album of the Year nominee Livin, Lovin, Losin.

"I just didn't think this year could get any better," said the silver-haired McCoury after hearing the news. But to be nominated for a Grammy just puts the icing on the cake."

Third time just might be the charm for the singer/guitarist, who previously vied for the award in 1996 with The Cold Hard Facts and with A Deeper Shade Of Blue in 1993. This time around the nod comes as the veteran and his group  winners of the most awards in bluegrass history  conclude a year filled with accomplishments that have made them one of the increasingly popular genres most visible ambassadors. 2003 saw Del, his sons Ron (mandolin) and Rob (banjo), fiddler Jason Carter and bass man Mike Bub bring their powerful, traditionally-based yet innovative bluegrass to audiences across the country and around the world, in performances and on CDs and DVDs as diverse as Live From Bonnaroo 2002 and Irish music superstars The Chieftains Down The Old Plank Road.

Featured performers on the second PBS All*Star Bluegrass Celebration in April, the band previewed songs from Its Just The Night for television audiences before plunging into an exhausting schedule of appearances in concert halls, jam band festivals, hip rock clubs and on the bluegrass festival circuit, where they thrilled new fans as well as long-time Del heads who have followed McCoury for decades. Del and the boys, as theyre affectionately known, ended the year by hitting the road for a wildly successful tour with jam band favorites Leftover Salmon.

In October the group took a break from the road to appear at the International Bluegrass Music Associations annual awards show, where they walked away with yet another Entertainer of the Year trophy, confirming their status as the most awarded group in bluegrass. In addition to the top honor, Del McCoury Band bassist Mike Bub reclaimed the Bass Player of the Year title (his fourth) and fiddler Jason Carter the Fiddle Player of the Year nod (his third), while the entire group earned a share of the Recorded Event Of The Year honor for their appearance on Will The Circle Be Unbroken III. Added to Ron McCourys eight Mandolin Player of the Year awards, Dels four captures of Male Vocalist of the Year honors and the groups ample number of collective awards, this years wins found the band closing in on a total of 40 of the organizations crystal statuettes.

Appropriately, the IBMA awards show was where Del was invited to realize a lifelong dream by joining the cast of the Grand Ole Opry. Inducted into the cast on October 25, McCoury  who first appeared on the Opry in the early 1960s as a member of Bill Monroes Bluegrass Boys  joined a select group of stars like Vince Gill, who once joked that he so admired the Del McCoury Band that he was ready to claim that he was actually Vinnie McCoury.

Recorded during the spring, Its Just The Night drew the interest of major and indie labels before McCoury decided to release it on his own label  in association with Sugar Hill Records  inking a distribution deal with the Welk Music Group that put the August release in retail outlets everywhere  a bold move for a bluegrass group, but one that allowed the McCourys to retain complete creative control of their music. Prior to forming McCoury Music, the band released two albums on Ricky Skaggs respected Ceili Music label after an association with indie heavyweight Rounder Records that produced four albums between 1990 and 1996.

The album features the groups patented application of bluegrass mastery to wide-ranging material from Americana favorites like Richard Thompson, country hitmakers such as Shawn Camp, and bluegrass pioneer Don Reno, as well as a guest appearance by the Grammy-winning gospel group, the Fairfield Four, on the chilling title track.

For Del McCoury, who worked in the logging industry for decades before turning to music as a full-time career little more than a decade ago, its been a year of triumph. We've played things I never thought we'd play as a bluegrass band," the patriarch of the first family of bluegrass told CNN earlier this year  and as their visibility continues to increase with news like yesterdays Grammy nomination, the odds are overwhelming that theyll be doing more of the same in years to come.

Check out what the critics are saying about Its Just the Night:

Where Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek blend bluegrass with other, familiar styles, the Del McCoury Band wins converts the old-fashioned way: with ferocious, purebred musicianship. Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY

This a showcase for the tremendous power and range of one of traditional music's premier bands, and it's the best bluegrass release this year. Eric Fidler, ASSOCIATED PRESS

For the finest bluegrass release so far this year the ever reliable McCoury clan & travel every back road the genre knows and, with typical pioneering panache, some new ones as well. Bob Strauss, LA DAILY NEWS

"For those who dig bluegrass, this ranks as one of the top collections of the year..." Dan Aquilante, NEW YORK POST

It is good to be the king. And that is precisely what Del McCourybacked by arguably the most formidable bluegrass outfit in existenceremains. Ray Waddell, BILLBOARD

"...a showcase for the stellar harmonies and musicianship that have made McCoury and his four-man band the most-honored group in bluegrass." BALTIMORE SUN

Its Just the Night combines lickety-split picking and the evocative singing of Del McCoury& Mikel Toombs, SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

No other act so successfully incorporates the power of a rock band, the swing vibe of a jazz quintet, the four-part harmonies of a gospel group, the literary lyrics of folk troubadours and the instrumental virtuosity of bluegrass kingpins. Bobby Reed, CHICAGO SUN TIMES

Something about this dapper, pompadoured man and his sons on banjo and mandolin speaks to people. Perhaps its the potent vocals that penetrate to the dry insides of your bones or maybe the instrumental drive a lot of rock bands should envy. Craig Havighurst, THE TENNESSEAN

"... the Godzilla of bluegrass bands." LEXINGTON HERALD LEADER

There are no clunkers among the 14 tracks here. A perfect album for hardcore fans, or to introduce the curious to the sounds of true bluegrass. Dan Nailen, SALT LAKE CITY TRIBUNE

Join The Del McCoury Band and Leftover Salmon on New Years Eve at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville, TN!! For more info and tickets copy and paste:

http://leftovertickets.jambasetickets.com/evinfo.php?eventid=3626&sid=

Check out these photos taken by Mik Bondy at the Egg in Albany, NY.

http://www.tapestrylive.com/del-los-11-07-03/

Del McCoury's interview is on American Routes radio show this weekend! It airs throughout the country on public radio, between Wed 11/5 and Tue 11/11. www.americanroutes.org has the interview segment as RealAudio, and station listing.

New Years Eve Announced The Ryman Auditorium  Nashville, TN December 31st, 2003. Under the Influence on New Years Eve!!

We are excited to announce that Leftover Salmon and The Del McCoury Band have decided to bring in the New Year with a touch of history and class. This year the McCoury clan will stay at home and bring in the new year with friends and family at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

The Ryman, known as the mother church of country music, first opened its doors in 1892. Nashville riverboat Captain Thomas Ryman opened the sanctuary as a place of worship for the city. In 1943, it became the home of the Grand Ole Opry. For many years this was home to musicians like Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Flatt and Scruggs, Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Elvis Presley and many, many more.

The Grand Ole Opry later was moved by owner Gaylord Entertainment, and the Ryman, its history and magic was left empty. In 1994, the doors were reopened, marking a historic claim in Nashvilles past and desire for the future.

Since the reopening the Ryman stage has been a shrine for historic, as well as modern music and special events. The likes of Johnny Cash, Ben Harper, Tori Amos, Erykah Badu, Jeff Beck, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews and so many more have graced it with intimate performances.

As a fan of Leftover Salmon, this is night you dont want to miss. As a fan of music, this is a venue you simply have to see. The powerful presence of musical icons haunts the halls of this magical venue. Please join us for what is sure to be one of the most special New Years for you and Leftover Salmon ever.

NYE DETAILS TICKETS: Tickets go on sale Wednesday October 29th through Leftover Salmon Ticketing and at all Ticketmaster locations on November 1st. TRAVEL AND Accommodations: Travel info will be and discount travel rates will be announced soon. You can also call What a Trip Travel for information at (303) 665-9003 or email marci@whatatrip.org.

Special Guests / Opener: Stay tuned for announcements on an additional acts and special guests appearances. On New Years eve in Nashville you never know who might show up!!

CONTESTS AND Giveaways: We will be giving away some great packages including hotel accommodations, tickets and more. Stay tuned to www.leftoversalmon.net/uti

The Grand Ole Opry can now be seen on the GAC channel. They will re-air the Opry Live show several times throughout this week. Check your tv guide for times and watch Del become the Newest Member of the Grand Ole Opry over and over!!

GRAND OLE OPRY INDUCTS DEL MCCOURY AS NEWEST MEMBER

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 25, 2003) - The International Bluegrass Music Association's reigning Entertainer of the Year, Del McCoury, was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry this evening by fellow Opry member Patty Loveless.Wearing a Manuel suit specially purchased for this evening, McCoury said of his induction, "this is the greatest honor of any musician's career. The Opry is the greatest show on earth." Loveless and McCoury followed the induction with the song "Working On A Building."

During the induction, McCoury was presented the Opry Member Award, a 14-inch bronze and oak wood replica of the Opry's vintage microphone stand designed by renowned sculptor Bill Rains. A portion of the trophy's wooden base recreates the famed circle of wood taken from the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, home of the Opry from 1943-74, and placed in the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House. The wood used, which was derived from Ryman pews, became available following the Ryman's restoration in 1994. The award has been presented to each Opry member. Delano Floyd McCoury began playing bluegrass music at the early age of 11, having fallen in love with the distinct sound of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. After six decades of bluegrass success - including a stint in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys - Del McCoury is now recognized for helping to pave the path for a music that is flourishing in the modern era. Today, the Del McCoury Band includes sons Ronnie and Robbie, who joined the band in the 1980s. McCoury's band, which has in recent years taken its style of bluegrass on tour with rock group Phish, Steve Earle, and the popular Bonnaroo Music Festival, has imparted its influence on many of today's finest musicians.

Grand Ole Opry Invites Del McCoury To Become Next Opry Member

Bluegrass Award-Winner Asked To Join Opry While Accepting IBMA Entertainer of the Year Honors; Official Induction Scheduled for October 25

The Grand Ole Opry did things a little different this time around. Bluegrass great Del McCoury - while accepting the coveted Entertainer of the Year honor at the International Bluegrass Music Association Awards earlier this evening in Louisville, Ky. - was interrupted by fellow bluegrass musicians Ricky Skaggs and Sonny Osborne. But the surprise was one of a lifetime, as the two Opry members asked McCoury a long-awaited question, "What are you doing on Oct. 25? On that night, how would you like to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry?" An overwhelmed McCoury waved to a standing ovation crowd and said "I'm just so honored." IBMA show co-host and Opry member Alison Krauss followed with, "I can feel the love."

"Del McCoury will be a wonderful addition to our esteemed roster of Opry members," said Pete Fisher, Opry vice president and general manager. "In addition to the significant contribution he has made to bluegrass music, Del has a big heart for the Opry and its performers, as evidenced by his numerous appearances as a guest performer. We very much look forward to welcoming the great Del McCoury as a member of the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 25th."

McCoury's Opry induction will be seen on Grand Ole Opry Live on GAC: Great American Country. Tickets for the Oct. 25 Opry performances are also available by calling (615) 871-OPRY or by logging on to www.opry.com.

Delano Floyd McCoury began playing bluegrass music at the early age of 11, having fallen in love with the distinct sound of Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs. After six decades of bluegrass success - including a stint in Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys - Del McCoury is now recognized for helping to pave the path for a music that is flourishing in the modern era. McCoury gained early notoriety with Del McCoury and the Dixie Pals. Today, the Del McCoury Band includes sons Ronnie and Robbie, who joined the band in the 1980s. Throughout the 1990s, McCoury's band, which has taken its style of bluegrass on tour with rock group Phish, Steve Earle and the popular Bonnaroo Music Festival, has embodied the best qualities of bluegrass and imparted its influence on many of today's finest musicians.

"The band is also well known for introducing and educating many acclaimed performers to the hard-core traditional bluegrass sound of acoustic fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and upright bass," Fisher said. "Del McCoury has proven himself to be an architect of bluegrass music's future. He is a true innovator."

Former Blue Grass Boy Del McCoury To Be Inducted Into Bill Monroe's Memorial Bluegrass Hall of Fame

On Saturday, September 27, 2003, Del McCoury will be honored as the 2003 Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame Inductee in a ceremony to be held at the historical Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park in Bean Blossom, Indiana during the 29th Annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Hall of Fame & Uncle Pen Days Festival.

During the past five years The Del McCoury Band has taken ites hard core traditional bluegrass music to a large number of venues and audiences where the totally acoustic sounds of the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar and upright bass would appear to be strange indeed. The impetus for this phenomenon came several years ago when rock star Steve Earle invited the group to join him on what proved to be a highly successful tour. In successive years this success has been reprised at other rock music events where Dels high, lonesome voice and the compatible vocal harmonies of band members, accompanied by the driving energy of their string instruments, has been enthusiastically accepted. At the same time, McCoury has maintained his loyal base of bluegrass fans, now enlarged substantially by exposure such as his inclusion in the landmark, multi-artist Down From The Mountain national tour of 2002.

Born in Mitchell County, North Carolina, on February 1, 1939, Dels parents moved to southeastern Pennsylvania in his early childhood. He began his career immediately after high school graduation in 1956, joining a band in Washington, DC suburbs. He then worked with other second-generation bluegrass artists such as Keith Daniels, Jack Cooke and Earl Taylor on TV stations covering the nearby metropolitan Baltimore/Washington market.

In February 1963, McCoury joined Nashville-based Bill Monroes Blue Grass Boys, touring and starring on The Grand Ole Opry. With Monroe, he sang lead and played guitar, a reversal of his previously customary role of tenor singer and banjo player. Leaving Monroes band in February 1964, he resumed his work in bands in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area, where he formed his own group, Del McCoury & The Dixie Pals, in 1967.

Dels sons- Ronnie playing mandolin and younger son Robbie the banjo- joined their dad in 1980 and 1987 respectively. The band name was changed late in the latter year to The Del McCoury Band and the McCourys relocated from their long-time home in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, to a Nashville suburb in the spring of 1992.

Now at the peak of a great career, Del McCoury has long held the friendship and respect of his peers in bluegrass for his down-to-earth friendliness and the authenticity of his music.

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Chris Harris Rainmaker Entertainment 850) 763-2211 RainmakerCH@aol.com

BILL MONROE MEMORIAL MUSIC PARK & CAMPGROUND 5163 SR 135 N (Bill Monroe Memorial Highway) BEAN BLOSSOM, IN 46160 (800) 414-4677 or (812) 988-6422 FAX: (812) 988-1203

The Del McCoury Band and Leftover Salmon team up to bring a rocking night of Bluegrass on the Under the Influence Tour this fall. This unique paring of bands from opposite ends of the Bluegrass spectrum come together to create a full night of innovative acoustic and electric music. The first half of the show will consist of an acoustic set from Leftover Salmon followed by a blistering performance from the Del McCoury Band. After the two acoustic sets, the rules change--the show will continue with a 'plugged-in' set by Leftover Salmon and close with the two bands joining forces for a free for all jam session (with members of DMB plugged in) informally called Leftover Salmon meets Clan McCoury. This well rounded night of music is sure to satisfy bluegrass lovers both new and old.

Yesterday, August 12, 2003, marked the release date of the Del McCoury Band's new CD titled "It's Just the Night". Get yours today in our website store. You can also find them in most record shops, along with Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target...when you're done listening...go to our message board and let us know what you think!!

How The 2002 Song of the Year, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Came To The Del McCoury Band, by Dick Bowden

I was working in Stamford CT in the mid-1990's and every night driving home I'd listen to "Americana" music on WFUV-FM radio from Fordham University in NYC. Occasionally this station would play an old Bill Monroe record as an example of "roots music". One dark winter night while I was navigating the bumper to bumper traffic on I-95 I absent-mindedly heard this insistent voice on the radio singing about "Red Molly" and someone calling to her, and her answering back. I'd never heard this record before and I thought it might be some new variant on the old Molly & Tenbrooks bluegrass song. I listened to the song, but concentrated on my driving, and I never could quite figure out what was going on in the song. I did notice it had just one acoustic guitar playing, making an insistent pulsing beat almost like an old Carter Family record with Mother Maybelle thumping out the bass. And it was some kind of a story song, or ballad.

The station had a habit of playing several songs in a row before the announcer would name the records. I missed hearing the title and artist, but the song made an impression.

Weeks later I heard it again and I turned the radio up good and loud and heard almost the whole song. This time I paid close attention and got the title and the artist, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson. By now I had figured out this was an old-form English ballad, but with a modern twist, about a present-day highwayman and his motorcycle. I had no idea at all who Richard Thompson was, but it was obvious he could finger-pick and sing fine.

As the weeks went by I heard the song again and again and it really started to grow on me; the hint of the old Molly & Tenbrooks conversations back and forth, the doomed love and death ballad construction, the pulsing guitar, and straining upward reaching melody in the first line of each verse. I was convinced this could become a good bluegrass song.

So I went to the record stores and hunted until I found the right Richard Thompson CD. I was hoping to get an entire album of music like this. I was shocked to find that almost everything else on the record was electric Chicago style blues (to my untutored ear). But the Vincent Black Lightning song really got to me. The more I thought about, the more I was sure that Del McCoury was the voice to get that upward straining melody in the first line of each verse. And I thought, Del, being an old motorhead, might actually like this song. At the time I thought Rob could probably lay down a great finger-picked guitar sound on this song. So I made a tape of it, and every time I'd see the boys I'd tell them I found a good song for them.

In the meantime I was trying to figure out who Richard Thompson was, to help "make the case" to Del and the band that this was a legit song on the Americana circuit that could have broad commercial appeal. I happened to mention to my sister-in-law Linda Zaleski in the Philly area, who likes Del's music, that I had found a cool song for Del. When I told her what it was, she gasped and said "Oh my God, that's Richard Thompson's huge hit and it would bring all kinds of new fans to Del!" Turns out she knew all about Richard Thompson. She informed me of his huge stature in the English folk-rock world. She told me that all the great British rock and roll guitar men like George Harrison and Eric Clapton think that Richard Thompson is the greatest guitar player that ever lived. And he's well known as an amazing writer of songs that sound old.

The summer of 1999 I had a chance to hang out with Ron, Rob, Mike and Jason at a gig in San Antonio Texas. I made it a point to bring along my tape of the song for them to listen to. I remember all we had to play it on was a Walkman! Each one of the guys took turn listening to it through the little headphones. None of them had heard it before, but they all seemed interested in it, and allowed as how it might make a good number. But they didn't know how Del would feel about it, and if bluegrass was ready for a motorcyle hoodlum song!!!!! I gave them the tape and a xerox of the lyrics from the Richard Thompson CD liner notes. I told them what a monster hit this song had been for Richard Thompson (according to my sister in law), who he was, and how it might bring new listeners to their music.

Months went by. Every time I'd see Ron or Rob I'd ask about the song. Ron had played it for Del and gotten a non-commital response. Ron said one of the words in the song might be a problem; the mention of the English town "Boxhill", as in "down to Boxhill they did ride". In a flash of inspiration trying to stick up for "my" song, I said "well just make that Knoxville!"

I never heard too much more about it til around the winter of 2000-2001 Ron mentioned to me that Del had surprised them all -- he had privately worked up a version of the song on his own that suited his voice, pronounciation, phrasing, etc. and wanted to record it! Turns out Del liked the idea of a motorcycle number since he used to ride an Indian in his younger days!

After the band recorded it Mike played a rough cut tape for me, and I could have fainted dead away to hear Rob invent such a great banjo line for it! Everything about it blew me away. Del pitched it even higher than Richard Thompson's Bb, up in C, and that straining high vocal in the first line just sounded like how Bill Monroe said he used to "holler" out in the woods as a kid to see how strong he could make his voice! The arrangement and everything was just marvelous. My sister in law Linda was tickled to death by the news.

I remember the first time I heard Del sing this song in person was at a show in Albany NY. He was kind enough to mention that I had sent him the song. I remember a friend of mine in that audience (who knew nothing about all this) was so surprised that he made an audible yelp of disbelief!

Then we hoped and prayed and repeated the word of mouth for almost two years, seeing Del do the song on the televised Opry, at festivals, at concerts, heard it on the radio, etc., until our wishes were granted and the song was nominated by IBMA for Song of the Year, and then of course, won the award in October 2002. Along the way my sister in law heard Richard Thompson at a concert in Philadelphia where he told the audience how happy he was that Del McCoury was doing this song!

As Del said in an interview "I don't listen to the radio much, but this good friend of ours does and he sent us a tape of this motorcycle song, heh heh!"

I don't think I could be any prouder if I'd written the song myself! I'm really happy how great this all turned out for Del and the band. But I have to tell you on the CD Del and the Boys I like "Learning the Blues", "The King's Shilling" and "Bluegrass Country" all just as much as the Vincent Black Lightning. And imagine my surprise this fall when I went to a little picking session up in Massachusetts with some new friends and their 11 year old daughter was cajoled into singing her two Del McCoury favorites -- "How Can I Explain What I Can't Understand" (from the 1970 Rounder album) and "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". I'm glad to say I was able to fake Rob's banjo arrangement while she sang!

As I learned more about Richard Thompson I found out that the Nashville Bluegrass Band recorded one of his great songs "Waltzing's For Dreamers" back in the early 1990's. Of all the Richard Thompson recordings I've been able to hear so far, I only like a measly 4 tunes of his! Black Lightning, Waltzing's For Dreamers (I would like to hear Carter Stanley sing that really slow, whisky-soaked and sad with just George Shuffler playing guitar), Bee's Wing (I think this is Thompson's greatest, but it's in jig time and couldn't translate to bluegrass I don't think) and a cut on a recent Cajun sampler called Les Flames d'Enfer (Flames of Hell) -- all of these are with his great acoustic guitar playing. In fact, I'm reading a biography of Richard Thompson this month.

I think I may have another tune for Del, from the repertoire of a great blues artist. We'll see. It will be a surprise, at least! Maybe it will have some of the success of Vincent Black Lightning -- "the motorcycle number" as Del calls it. I sure enjoyed the entire experience and I want to do it again! Kudos and congratulations to Del and the Boys for making this song their own so successfully.

THE DEL MCCOURY BAND TO APPEAR ON THE LIVE AT BONNAROO DOUBLE DVD

A track from Del McCoury's performance at Bonnaroo will be included on the Live at Bonnaroo Double DVD. The Live from Bonnaroo DVD can be purchased through www.bonnaroo.com or at your favorite record store!

DVD Special Features Include: - Widescreen Format - 5.1 Dolby, 5.1 DTS, Stereo - Artist Photo Gallery - Festival Performance Schedule w/ artist setlists and bios - Video Trailer - Bonnaroo Bonus Footage and Outtakes

The track listing for the DVD is as follows in order of appearance: - Thela Hun Ginjeet - Les Claypool's Frog Brigade - Ain't Nothin' But a Party - Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Time to Confess - Gov't Mule - Brain Liaters - Drums & Tuba - Roses are Free - Ween - Number Two - Col. Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains - Burn One Down - Ben Harper - Blue Indian - Widespread Panic - Tall Boy - Widespread Panic - Amazing Grace - Blind Boys of Alabama - Good Times - Robert Randolph with Luther Dickinson - What's His Name - Campbell Brothers - Cheek to Cheek With the Blues - The Del McCoury Band - B Song - Bela Fleck & Edgar Meyer - Search - The String Cheese Incident - Sugartown - North Mississippi Allstars - Rodeo Clowns - Jack Johnson - Nightingale - Norah Jones - Countdown - Jurassic 5 - Swing Low - The Del McCoury Band and DJ Logic - Shibuya - Galactic - Sugar Magnolia - Phil Lesh & Friends with very special quest Bob Weir - Tennessee Jed - Check Out Your Mind - Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - Buck It Like a Horse - Galactic and Little Rascals Brass Band - Push On 'Til the Day - Trey Anastasio

The Martin Guitar Company takes pride in paying tribute to Del McCoury, an incredibly soulful figure in the acoustic music community, for his years of contributions to the industry. Like Del McCoury's music, the Limited Edition D-28DM is steeped in tradition. The body is Martin's famous Dreadnought shape, made from solid Indian rosewood to give that rich, warm bass desired by most Bluegrass guitar players. The instrument is bound both top and back with grained ivoroid to give it a distinct vintage look. The panels of the back are joined in the center with zig-zag purfling, reminiscent of Martins of yesteryear. Grained ivoroid nicely caps the heel of the neck and is also used as an endpiece where the sides meet at the endpin.

Solid Adirondack spruce, lightly colored with aging toner, was chosen for the top. Famous for its clean, crisp tone, this variety of spruce is an excellent complement to the Indian rosewood. The top braces are scalloped and forward shifted to 1" from the soundhole. The combination of Adirondack red spruce and scalloped bracing provides great separation for bright, clear lead work and booming bass runs. The soundhole is dressed with the simple appeal of a vintage "18 style" rosette, with a uniquely thin strip of pearl as the center ring and a polished, beveled tortoise style pickguard.

Del's choice for a neck shape is Martin's "Modified V" with a nut width of 1 11/16". The genuine mahogany neck is joined to the body using the traditional dovetail neck joint, assuring the sustain and punch Martins are famous for. The squared, tapered peghead features a polished Brazilian rosewood headplate with the old style C. F. Martin & Co. decal. The back of the peghead has a diamond volute, and the guitar is equipped with nickel Waverly butterbean tuning machines. The ebony fingerboard is decorated with unique position markers. Elegant dots of lapis stone, each trimmed with a thin ring of pearl, symbolize Del McCoury's fondness for the blues. This tribute guitar is available with Del's signature in pearl between the 19th and 20th frets, upon request.

The 'blues' theme continues... genuine black ebony bridge pins inlaid with lapis dots compliment the ebony, long saddle, bridge. The strings resonate clearly across the bone nut and saddle. The D-28DM ships with Martin MSP+4200 Extended Life Strings and a 545 Geib™ style deluxe case.

Del McCoury and C. F. Martin IV will personally sign the interior label of each guitar. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Del McCoury D-28DM will be donated in support of the American Heart Association.

Orders for the Limited Edition D-28DM will be accepted by Martin dealers for until September 18, 2002 after which a list of participating Martin Dealers will be posted on the web at: www.martinguitar.com.

There are many who realize that Del was originally a "banjer" picker. Many know that he was hired by Bill Monroe to play "banjer" with the Bluegrass Boys in 1963, but when he got to Nashville, Monroe had just hired Bill "Brad" Keith from Boston with his startling new "melodic banjer" style. Monroe assigned Del to guitar and lead singing (surprise!). Consequently, most fans feel that Del never got a chance to pick "banjer" with the Bluegrass Boys.

Au contraire! as Del-heads say in Paris France (and maybe in Paris Texas and Paris Maine). In early 1963, Bill Monroe, Kenny Baker and Bessie Lee Mauldin booked a program at New York University in NYC. As he often did, Monroe wasn't carrying a full road band at that time and would "pick up" musicians he knew on the way to a show. On this trip he "picked up" Jack Cooke (yes, Ralph Stanley's bass player for the last 30 years) to play guitar and sing lead, and Del McCoury to play "banjer". Del had appeared in Jack's band "The Virginia Mountain Boys" in the Baltimore area on "banjer", so Cooke probably recommended him to Monroe. Cookie of course, had appeared and recorded as a Bluegrass Boy on guitar in the late 1950's.

Anyway, tape exists of this show at NYU, and it is simply STUNNING for Del's RAPID-fire "banjer" picking (and baritone singing in trios!), Baker's early, stronger, more vigorous style of fiddling, Cooke's hot guitar rhythm and great singing, and Monroe's extry-fine singing and absolutely mind-blowing mandolin picking (he mentioned several times during the show that he had been told there were a lot of mandolin players in the audience, and he was clearly "pouring it on").

So, what did they play? Oh, it was a great program with old chestnuts and good surprises. Del carried his weight all the way, even surprising Monroe to come in and sing on trios, after Bill had announced the song would be a duet!!!

PANHANDLE COUNTRY - WALKING THE DOG - Jack Cooke solo (Del soloed on this same tune when HE played guitar) LIVE AND LET LIVE - starts as a duet, becomes a trio, Del picks like Don Stover LONESOME RD. BLUES - by "Dale, the boy from North Cuhlina" stunning picking! GOTTA TRAVEL ON - Monroe invites the audience to sing along "good and loud" BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY - RAWHIDE - blistering fast and clear ROANE COUNTY PRISON - MULESKINNER BLUES - MOLLY & TENBROOKS - KENTUCKY WALTZ - TRUE LIFE BLUES - ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL - GREY EAGLE - Kenny Baker gets to encore after OBS for enthusiastic audience UNCLE PEN - Del sings in trio CAN'T YOU HEAR ME CALLING BLUEGRASS BREAKDOWN - Monroe introduces this "I believe it's time we'se callin' on the "banjer" picker here for another good banjer number. (off-mike: Whaddaya wanna do for 'em?) Dale plays one called the Bluegrass Breakdown." And Del plays it FAST in a style all his own, not copying anyone exactly. Good licks! Cooke is right in there on the rhythm. Kenny Baker kind of gives up at the end of his break in disgust, it's so fast. Monroe rises to the challenge with some AMAZING licks, stuff I never heard before or since. I SAW THE LIGHT - starts as a duet, ends as a trio, awesome fast mandolin breaks CABIN IN THE CORNER OF GLORYLAND - trio GET UP JOHN - all mandolin TOY HEART - in E! a HIGH duet. Del takes a good "banjer" break with a neat A7 chord YOU'LL FIND HER NA