The New South is a bluegrass band formed in 1971 by banjo player

J. D. Crowe James Dee Crowe (August 27, 1937December 24, 2021) was an American banjo player and bluegrass band leader. He first became known during his four-year stint with Jimmy Martin in the 1950s. Crowe led the bluegrass group New South from 1971 until ...

. Their first two albums, ''Bluegrass Evolution'' and the eponymous record known by the album number, "Rounder 0044," established them as a dominant force in bluegrass, though the two albums are wildly different.

Band members

The New South have recorded and toured with a variety of different lineups. One of the most notable lineup changes came in 2002 when the entire band quit out of desire for a more active performing schedule, forming the band

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. Crowe quickly found replacements (rehiring mandolinist/vocalist Dwight McCall and guitarist/ vocalist Rickey Wasson who had both been members previously) and the New South has continued a moderate performance schedule. Current and past members include: J.D. Crowe,

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Tony Rice David Anthony Rice (June 8, 1951 – December 25, 2020), known professionally as Tony Rice, was an American guitarist and bluegrass musician. He was an influential acoustic guitar player in bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, newgrass and a ...

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, Bobby Slone,

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Jerry Douglas Gerald Calvin "Jerry" Douglas (born May 28, 1956) is an American Dobro and lap steel guitar player and record producer. Career In addition to his fourteen solo recordings, Douglas has played on more than 1,600 albums. As a sideman, he h ...

, Keith Whitley, Jimmy Gaudreau, Mike Gregory, Steve Bryant, Paul Adkins, Tony King,

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, Richard Bennett, Robert Hale, Darrell Webb, Curt Chapman, Dwight McCall, Rickey Wasson, Wayne Fields, Harold Nixon, Randy Hayes, and

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Key recordings

The Kentucky Mountain Boys

J.D. Crowe formed the prototype for the New South, the Kentucky Mountain Boys, around 1964.Kentucky Encyclopedia, p.243 Members of the line-up included

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen, Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been claimed by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

, Larry Rice, Bobby Slone, and

. The group recorded three albums on Lemco Records: ''Bluegrass Holiday'', ''Ramblin' Boy'', and a gospel album, ''The Model Church''. Lawson left the group in 1971 to join the Country Gentlemen, and was replaced by Larry Rice's younger brother,

, a guitar prodigy and student of

Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrd ...

''Bluegrass Evolution''

The first album recorded as the "New South" was ''Bluegrass Evolution''. This album seems to have been influenced by the

Osborne Brothers The Osborne Brothers, Sonny (October 29, 1937 – October 24, 2021) and Bobby (born December 7, 1931), were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for ...

and by more mainstream country music; it incorporates drums, pedal steel and electric instruments to a far greater degree than most bluegrass bands of the period.

''J.D. Crowe & The New South'' ("Rounder 0044")

After ''Bluegrass Evolution'', Larry Rice left the band. A young

replaced him, and

also joined the group for this 1975 eponymously titled album, more commonly known by its Rounder Records catalogue number ("Rounder 0044"). Stylistically this album marked a sharp turn from ''Bluegrass Evolution'', while still experimenting with pedal steel, percussion and a piano on the tracks "You Are What I Am" and "Cryin' Holy", the majority of the album featured songs played with traditional bluegrass instrumentation (although on the slower numbers, Skaggs doubled his fiddle with a viola) by up-and-coming singer songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot, Utah Phillips and Rodney Crowell, as well as incorporating more traditional songs such as "Old Home Place," "Some Old Day," and "Sally Goodin." This one album changed the nature and direction of bluegrass music to an extent that everything after it has to be viewed in light of this album, and today this album is considered a landmark in bluegrass music without which no collection is complete.

The Keith Whitley Years

Not long after Rounder 0044's release, Tony Rice departed the band to join David Grisman's band. Skaggs and Douglas soon followed suit, forming their own band, Boone Creek. After experimenting with a few lineups, Crowe hired bassist Steve Bryant, mandolinist Jimmy Gadreau, as well as former Ralph Stanley guitarist Keith Whitley. This band produced three albums: ''My Home Ain't In the Hall of Fame'', ''Live in Japan'', and ''Somewhere Between''. All three of these albums saw the band returning toward the sound of the ''Bluegrass Evolution'' album, incorporating more country elements, with Crowe even playing electric guitar more than banjo on "Somewhere Between".

Discography

*''Bluegrass Evolution'' (Starday SLP 489, recorded 1973, released 1977) *''J.D. Crowe & the New South'' (Rounder 0044, 1975) *''You Can Share My Blanket'' (Rounder 0096, 1977) *''My Home Ain't In The Hall of Fame'' (Rounder, 1978) *''Somewhere Between'' (Rounder, 1981) *''Live In Japan'' (Rounder, 1982) *''Straight Ahead'' (Rounder, 1986) *''Flashback'' (Rounder, 1994) *''Come On Down To My World'' (Rounder, 1999) *''At Bean Blossom: Uncle Pen Days'' (2000) *''Lefty's Old Guitar'' (Rounder, 2006)

References

External links

Official Website
* * as J.D. Crowe & The New South * as The Kentucky Mountain Boys {{Authority control 1973 establishments in Kentucky American bluegrass music groups Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1973