New Grass Revival was an American

progressive bluegrass Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it lar ...

band founded in 1971, and composed of

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

, Courtney Johnson, Ebo Walker, Curtis Burch,

Butch Robins Joseph Calvin "Butch" Robins (born May 12, 1949, in Lebanon, Russell County, Virginia) is an American five-string–banjo player with his own, distinct style. He's an individualist and, according to himself, "a seeker of information, knowledge and ...

, John Cowan,

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

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 "Callin' Baton Rouge" is a country music song written by Dennis Linde. It was originally recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys on their 1978 album ''Room Service'', and was later recorded by New Grass Revival on their 1989 album ''Friday Night in America'' ...

", which peaked at No. 37 on the U.S. country charts in 1989 and was a Top 5 country hit for

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

five years later. In 2020, the group were inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

Origin

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. Following this, Curtis Burch (dobro, guitar, vocals) joined the band, whilst in 1972, Peerce left the band, but the remaining members decided to continue under the new name New Grass Revival. The band released their debut album, '' The Arrival of the New Grass Revival'', later in 1972 on Starday Records.

History

Separation from mainstream bluegrass

The New Grass Revival bucked tradition, with long hair, informal clothing, and performances of songs from a variety of genres, including music by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

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"), the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

Get Back "Get Back" is a song recorded by the British rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, and written by Paul McCartney though credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to ...

"; "

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"), and

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

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"), plus protest songs ("

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"). This break from bluegrass tradition was not well received in some quarters—some thought it was not the way

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

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." In 1979, they became the backup group and opening act for

Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock and ...

First line-up (1972–1981)

After the release of their debut, Walker left and was replaced by Butch Robins, who was with the band from July 1973 to November 1974. He was replaced by John Cowan, an Evansville, Indiana, native. This line-up was stable throughout the 1970s, recording albums on Flying Fish Records. New Grass Revival never played traditional bluegrass — all of the members brought elements of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

to the group's sound. Consequently, certain portions of the bluegrass community scorned them, but they also gained a devoted following of listeners.

Second line-up (1981–1989)

In 1981, Johnson and Burch left the band being tired of touring. Bush and Cowan continued the group, replacing them with virtuoso banjoist

and guitarist Pat Flynn. Fleck's compositions such as "Metric Lips", "Seven by Seven" and "Big Foot" were well received as were Pat Flynn's "Do What You Gotta Do", "Lonely Rider" and "On The Boulevard". Pat Flynn also brought strong lead and harmony vocals to the group as well as a distinctive guitar style. In 1984, the group moved to Sugar Hill Records, and released their first album featuring the new line-up, ''On the Boulevard''. In 1986, 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 chart, and Fleck's showcase "Seven by Seven" was nominated for a

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for Best Country Instrumental. ''Hold to a Dream'', released in 1987 contained hit singles including "Unconditional Love" and "Can't Stop Now." In 1989, New Grass Revival released their third major-label album, ''

Friday Night in America ''Friday Night in America'' is a studio album by progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, released in 1989. The album includes the single "Callin' Baton Rouge", the band's only Top 40 hit on Hot Country Songs. Both it and " Do What You Gotta ...

'', which was 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 formed The Sam Bush Band, and Fleck went on to a successful and respected solo career.

After break-up

In 1993, Bush, Cowan, Fleck, and Flynn returned to the studio, to back

, on his recording of "Callin' Baton Rouge". Banjoist Courtney Johnson died of lung cancer in 1996 at age 56. Bush, Fleck, Cowan, and Burch reunited for one concert (September 24, 1996) at the

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to benefit his widow. The concert included a number of musicians and groups, such as

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, Tim O'Brien,

Vassar Clements Vassar Carlton Clements (April 25, 1928 – August 16, 2005) was an American jazz, swing, and bluegrass fiddler. Clements has been dubbed the Father of Hillbilly Jazz, an improvisational style that blends and borrows from swing, hot jazz, and ...

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Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ma ...

, Pete Rowan,

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and others. In 1997, when Garth Brooks was invited on ''

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'' 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 John Townes Van Zandt (March 7, 1944 – January 1, 1997) was an American singer-songwriter.

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.

Personnel

1972–1973

- mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals *Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals * Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals *Ebo Walker - acoustic bass, vocals

1973-1974

- mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals *Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals * Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals *

- bass guitar

1974–1981

- mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals *Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals * Courtney Johnson - banjo, guitar, vocals * John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals

1981–1989

- mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals * Pat Flynn - guitar, vocals *

- banjo, guitar, vocals * John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals

1996 reunion

(Benefit concert for Courtney Johnson) *

- mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals *Curtis Burch - guitar, Dobro, vocals *

- banjo, guitar, vocals * John Cowan - bass guitar, vocals

Discography

References

External links

Curtis Burch website

Sam Bush official website

John Cowan official website

Bela Fleck official website

Pat Flynn official website

Butch Robins official website
* {{Authority control American bluegrass music groups Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Musical groups from Louisville, Kentucky Bluegrass musicians from Kentucky 1971 establishments in Kentucky Country music groups from Kentucky Flying Fish Records artists Progressive bluegrass music groups Sugar Hill Records artists Stony Plain Records artists Capitol Records artists Rounder Records artists Starday Records artists