New Grass Revival
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The New Grass Revival
| For The Record... |
| Band formed in 1971 with Sam Bush (vocals, mandolin, fiddle, guitar), Courtney Johnson (banjo), Curtis Burch (vocals, guitar, dobro), and Ebo Walker (upright bass). John Cowan (vocals, electric bass) replaced Walker, 1973. Bela Fleck (vocals, banjo) and Pat Flynn (vocals, guitar) replaced Johnson and Burch, 1982. Signed with Flying Fish Records, 1972; have also recorded with EMI America and Capitol Records. Group has made numerous live appearances in the United States and Canada; television appearances include “Hee Haw” and “Nashville Now.” Addresses: c/o Vector Management, P.O. Box 128037, Nashville, Tenn. 37212. |
Bluegrass band
The New Grass Revival has been called "the premier progressive-bluegrass band." The group’s members play traditional bluegrass instruments—guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and bass—and their vocal harmonies reflect a bluegrass pattern. What distinguishes this band, however, is its incorporation of rock, jazz, reggae, and even rhythm & blues influences for a strikingly modern sound. Some listeners even hesitate to call this work "bluegrass," so far does it depart from the classic bluegrass approach.
Bluegrass Unlimited contributor Ronni Lundy notes that the New Grass Revival’s songs bear no resemblance to the "pop-rock influenced pap... being touted as ‘newgrass.’" The critic adds: "Yes, this music [borrows] heavily from the realms of rock, jazz and blues, but it [has] lost none of the drive and melancholy that characterizes bluegrass music. It [is] as old and poignant as sepia photographs... and, at the same time, full of the powerful pace of modern life, rushing by like the city traffic." Needless to say, this innovative fusion of old and new has found enthusiastic followers among younger listeners. Stereo Review correspondent Alanna Nash claims that the New Grass Revival is talked about in bluegrass circles as "the ultimate progressive supergroup."
The band formed in 1971, essentially by splitting en masse from a group called the Bluegrass Alliance. Original members of the New Grass Revival included fiddle and mandolin player Sam Bush, banjo picker Courtney Johnson, and guitar and dobro player Curtis Burch. All three musicians grew up in bluegrass country—Bush and Johnson in Kentucky and Burch in Georgia—and they all gravitated to bluegrass out of their love for such classic groups as Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, and Jim & Jesse McReynolds. Bush, Johnson, and Burch all cut their professional teeth with the Bluegrass Alliance, joining within several years of one another. When they formed their own band they added Ebo Walker on upright bass.
The earliest New Grass Revival work reflects the influence of bluegrass pioneers such as Flatt & Scruggs and Jim & Jesse. The band departed from that path in 1973 when Walker was replaced by electric bass player John Cowan. Cowan’s was not a bluegrass background. He had begun playing bass as a young teen because he loved Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and he had matured with an interest in soul, acid rock, and country rock. Cowan brought these interests—and a strident tenor voice—to the New Grass Revival. He had never played bluegrass before. Bush told Bluegrass Unlimited: "When John came into the band, he had to change more for us than we did for him.... He had to learn how to play without a drummer, how to approach bluegrass music."
In fact, Cowan’s country-rock experience started the band in the direction it has taken to this day. The evolution continued in 1982 when Johnson and Burch left and were replaced by banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck and singer-songwriter Pat Flynn. Flynn’s own songs have a rock feel to them, and the band has also recorded work by the Beatles and rocker Marshall Crenshaw, among others. Many New Grass Revival tunes—especially the instrumental ones—owe a debt to jazz, with improvisational solos and coordinated breaks. Lundy describes the New Grass Revival’s material as "fusion music, not just a technical fusion of style, but the fusion of a rich and complex past with a powerful, fast paced present. It is ... the poignant country man taken one generation further into the world of cities, factories and alienation, but never losing contact with the heritage that is his strength and joy."
Nearing its twentieth anniversary as a group, the New Grass Revival is on tour some forty-two weeks per year. The band’s move to Capitol Records in 1989 reflects its growing prestige both within and outside the bluegrass community. Lundy concludes: "The road has often been rough and rocky, but the incredible talent and solid professionalism of the band members are winning
them great respect from their contemporaries…. For those of us who consider ourselves living offspring of [the bluegrass] culture, New Grass provides not only an echo of our past but a meaningful musical expression of our present and future."
Selected discography
Fly through the Country, Flying Fish, c. 1973.
The New Grass Revival, Starday, c.1974.
To Late To Turn Back, Flying Fish, 1977.
When the Storm Is Over, Flying Fish,1979.
Barren Country, Flying Fish, 1979.
On the Boulevard, Sugar Hill,1985.
New Grass Revival, EMI America,1986.
(With Leon Russell) Commonwealth, Flying Fish.
The New Grass Revival Live, Sugar Hill,1989.
Friday Night in America, Capitol, 1989.
Sources
Bluegrass Unlimited, November 1978.
Stereo Review, May 1985.
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New Grass Revival
- Genres: Country
Biography
New Grass Revival, formed in 1972 by four former members of the Bluegrass Alliance, flourished in a decade when numerous groups took traditional bluegrass and changed it to varying degrees. The group was successful enough to have the group's name become a generic label: "newgrass." The band's image, with long hair and occasionally electrified instruments, as well as its musical material contrasted greatly with standard (traditional) bluegrass like that played by Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, the Lilly Brothers, and Lester Flatt's band. In terms of longevity, popularity, and exposure, the Revival, with its hip reputation, was perhaps the most successful in competition against II Generation, Seldom Scene, the Country Gentlemen, and others.The origins of New Grass Revival lay in the Bluegrass Alliance, which Sam Bush (vocals, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Courtney Johnson (banjo, vocals) joined in 1970. At the time, the Alliance also featured bassist Ebo Walker and fiddler Lonnie Peerce. Within a year after Bush's and Johnson's arrival, Curtis Burch (dobro, guitar, vocals) joined the band. In 1972, Peerce left the band, and the remaining members decided to continue under a new name -- New Grass Revival. The band released their eponymous debut, Arrival of the New Grass Revival, later that year on Starday Records.
After the release of their debut, Walker parted ways with the band, and the group replaced him with Butch Robbins, who was only with the band for a short time. He was replaced by John Cowan, an Evansville, IN, native. This lineup was stable throughout the '70s, recording a number of albums for Flying Fish Records. As their name suggested, New Grass Revival never played traditional bluegrass -- all of the members brought elements of rock & roll, jazz, and blues to the group's sound. Consequently, certain portions of the bluegrass community scorned them, but they also gained a devoted following of listeners who believed they were moving the genre in a new, fresh direction.
In 1981, Johnson and Burch left the band, claiming they were tired of touring. Bush and Cowan continued the group, replacing them with banjoist Béla Fleck and mandolinist/guitarist Pat Flynn. New Grass Revival moved to Sugar Hill Records in 1984 and released their first album featuring the new lineup, On the Boulevard. Two years later, the band signed with EMI Records and released an eponymous album, which proved to be their breakthrough into the mainstream. Two of the singles from the album -- "What You Do to Me" and "Ain't That Peculiar" -- were minor hits on the country charts, and Fleck's showcase "Seven by Seven" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. Hold to a Dream, released in 1987, was just as successful as its predecessor, featuring the hits "Unconditional Love" and "Can't Stop Now," which both nearly made the Top 40.
In 1989, New Grass Revival released their third major-label album, Friday Night in America, which was yet another commercial success. "Callin' Baton Rouge" became their first Top 40 single, followed by the number 58 hit "You Plant Your Fields." Even though the band was more popular than ever, Bush decided to pull the plug on the group after the release of Friday Night in America. Bush became a session musician, and Fleck went onto a very successful and respected solo career. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & David Vinopal, Rovi
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New Grass Revival
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| New Grass Revival | |
|---|---|
 Photo of the classic (1972-1981) lineup of the band. The contradictory nature of their music is highlighted by the juxtaposition of "traditional" attire (flannel shirts, Sam Bush's overalls) and setting (wooden rocking chairs on a porch) with the modern amplifier in their midst. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Years active | 1971–1989 |
| Labels | Starday, Flying Fish, Rounder, Sugar Hill, Capitol, Liberty |
| Associated acts | Bluegrass Alliance, Leon Russell, John Hartford, Garth Brooks |
| Past members | |
| Sam Bush Courtney Johnson Ebo Walker Curtis Burch Butch Robins John Cowan Béla Fleck Pat Flynn |
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New Grass Revival was an American progressive bluegrass band founded in 1971, and composed of Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch, Butch Robins, John Cowan, Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn. They were active between 1971 and 1989, releasing more than twenty albums as well as six singles. Their highest-charting single is "Callin' Baton Rouge", which peaked at #37 on the U.S. country charts in 1989 and was a Top 5 country hit for Garth Brooks five years later.
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Contents
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Early years
The origins of New Grass Revival lay in the Bluegrass Alliance, which Sam Bush (vocals, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) and Courtney Johnson (banjo, vocals) joined in 1970. At the time, the Alliance also featured bassist Ebo Walker and fiddler Lonnie Peerce. Within a year after Bush's and Johnson's arrival, Curtis Burch (dobro, guitar, vocals) joined the band. In 1972, Peerce left the band, and the remaining members decided to continue under a new name—New Grass Revival. The band released their eponymous debut, Arrival of the New Grass Revival, later that year on Starday Records.
Separation from mainstream bluegrass
Other groups were also playing progressive bluegrass at the time, such as The Dillards, Eddie Adcock's II Generation, and the Country Gentlemen, but few did it with the flair of the New Grass Revival. At the time, bluegrass was a very tradition-bound music; bands were expected to have short hair and dress in matching outfits. Not the New Grass Revival. They all had long hair, wore whatever they wanted to wear, and played whatever they wanted to play, including music by Jerry Lee Lewis ("Great Balls of Fire"), the Beatles ("Get Back"; "I'm Down"), Bob Marley ("One Love"), and protest songs ("One Tin Soldier"). This caused problems. A lot of people didn't like it and thought it wasn't the way Bill Monroe meant for Bluegrass to be played. "Our reason for doing the newer-type music wasn't pretentious or irreverent or sarcastic or disrespectful," explained Curtis Burch. "We just felt like people were ready to see that you could really expand the sound, using those same instruments." Interestingly, Monroe was a fan of New Grass Revival. In 1979, they became the backup group and opening act for Leon Russell and this further alienated them from the mainstream bluegrass community.
1972 - 1981 - first lineup
After the release of their debut, Walker parted ways with the band, and the group replaced him with Butch Robins, who was only with the band for a short time. He was replaced by John Cowan, an Evansville, Indiana, native. This lineup was stable throughout the 1970s, recording a number of albums for Flying Fish Records. As their name suggested, New Grass Revival never played traditional bluegrass—all of the members brought elements of rock & roll, jazz, and blues to the group's sound. Consequently, certain portions of the bluegrass community scorned them, but they also gained a devoted following of listeners who believed they were moving the genre in a new, fresh direction.
1981 - 1989 - second lineup
In 1981, Johnson and Burch left the band, claiming they were tired of touring. Bush and Cowan continued the group, replacing them with virtuoso banjoist Béla Fleck and guitarist Pat Flynn. These two energized the band and moved it to new musical heights. Fleck's compositions such as "Metric Lips", "Seven by Seven" or "Big Foot" were very well received as were Pat Flynn's "Do What You Gotta Do", "Lonely Rider" and "On The Boulevard". Pat Flynn also brought a strong lead as well as harmony vocals to the group and his style of guitar playing is incomparable.
The group moved to Sugar Hill Records in 1984 and released their first album featuring the new lineup, On the Boulevard. Two years later, the band signed with EMI Records and released an eponymous album, which proved to be their breakthrough into the mainstream. Two of the singles from the album -- "What You Do to Me" and "Ain't That Peculiar" -- were minor hits on the country charts, and Fleck's showcase "Seven by Seven" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental. Hold to a Dream, released in 1987, was just as successful as its predecessor, featuring the hits "Unconditional Love" and "Can't Stop Now," which both nearly made the Top 40.
In 1989, New Grass Revival released their third major-label album, Friday Night in America, which was yet another commercial success. "Callin' Baton Rouge" became their first Top 40 single, followed by the number 58 hit "You Plant Your Fields." Even though the band was more popular than ever, Bush decided to pull the plug on the group after the release of Friday Night in America. Bush became a session musician, and Fleck went on to a successful and respected solo career.
After breakup
Banjoist Courtney Johnson died of lung cancer in 1996 at age of just 56.[1] Bush, Fleck, Cowan, and Burch reunited for one concert (September 24, 1996) at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee to benefit his widow.[2] The concert included a number of musicians and groups, such as John Hartford, Hot Rize, Tim O'Brien, Vassar Clements, Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs, Pete Rowan, Jerry Douglas and others.[3]
In 1997, when Garth Brooks was invited to perform on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien to perform "Do What You Gotta Do", a song written by Pat Flynn, he asked Flynn, Bush, Cowan, and Fleck to join him in performing it. Since that performance, Flynn has worked with both Cowan and Fleck, but not Bush. Likewise, Bush has also worked with Cowan and Fleck on numerous occasions. Bush and Cowan have also played with Burch.
In April 2007, Bush, Fleck, Cowan, and Flynn stepped into the spotlight together during the Merlefest 20th Anniversary Jam and played the Townes Van Zandt song "White Freight Liner." The single song reunion was the first time the four of them had played together in a decade.
Sam Bush, John Cowan and Curtis Burch performed with their own groups on the world's first International Newgrass Festival 21–23 August 2009 at Ballance Motox, Kentucky.[4]
Band members
- 1972 - 1974[5]
Sam Bush - mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals
Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals
Ebo Walker - acoustic bass, vocals
- 1974[5]
Sam Bush - mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals
Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals
Butch Robins - bass guitar
- 1974 - 1981[5]
Sam Bush - mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals
Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals
John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals
- 1981 - 1989[5]
Sam Bush - mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Pat Flynn - guitar, vocals
Béla Fleck - banjo, guitar, vocals
John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals
- 1996 reunion[5]
(beneficial concert for Courtney Johnson)
Sam Bush - mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals
Béla Fleck - banjo, guitar, vocals
John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals
Discography
Further information: New Grass Revival discography
References
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External links
- Curtis Burch official website
- Sam Bush official website
- John Cowan official website
- Bela Fleck official website
- Pat Flynn official website
- Courtney Johnson obituary
- Butch Robins official website
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