The Greenbriar Boys were an American northern

bluegrass music 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. Bluegrass has roots in African America ...

group. who first got together in jam sessions in

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. The group disbanded in 1970.

Biography

In 1958, guitarist and vocalist John Herald formed The Greenbriar Boys, along with Bob Yellin (banjo) and

Eric Weissberg Eric Weissberg (August 16, 1939 – March 22, 2020) was an American singer, banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in moder ...

(fiddle, mandolin, banjo). Weissberg was soon replaced by Paul Prestopino, who, in turn was later replaced by Ralph Rinzler (mandolin) to form their most successful combination. The trio often played the

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

scene and became the first Northern group to win the Union Grove Fiddlers' Convention competition, where Yellin also took top honors for banjo. They were credited as guest artists on two tracks from

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (, ; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing mo ...

's 1961 album '' Joan Baez, Vol. 2''. In 1962, they released their first (eponymous) album on

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the so ...

. Three more albums followed: ''Dián and the Greenbriar Boys'' in 1963 for Elektra (with Dián James, died 18 May 2006), ''Ragged but Right!'' in 1964, and ''Better Late Than Never'' in 1966 (with the additions of mandolinist/vocalist Frank Wakefield, who replaced Rinzler, and fiddler, Jim Buchanan). The 1966 album included the first recorded version of Mike Nesmith's "

Different Drum "Different Drum" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith in 1964. It was first recorded by the northern bluegrass band The Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album ''Better Late than Never!''. Nesmith offered it ...

", which was recorded again in 1967 by

the Stone Poneys Stone Poneys (also the Stone Poneys, Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys, and the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt) were a folk rock trio formed in Los Angeles, consisting of Linda Ronstadt on vocals, Bobby Kimmel on rhythm guitar and vocals, ...

, and became a hit. This album was also the source for a subsequent Stone Poneys single, "Up To My Neck In High Muddy Water," with author credit to Wakefield, Herald, and Yellin. By the last album, Rinzler had left to become director of the folklife area at the

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which now bears his name. Rinzler was replaced in 1965 by the Tennessee-born mandolin virtuoso Frank Wakefield who, at the age of 31, was already a leading figure in bluegrass music, having performed since the age of 16 with such bluegrass stars as The Stanley Brothers,

Jimmy Martin James Henry Martin (August 10, 1927 – May 14, 2005) was an American bluegrass singer and musician, known as the "King of Bluegrass". Early years Martin was born in Sneedville, Tennessee, United States, and was raised in the hard farming l ...

and Red Allen and the Kentuckians. He had made a Carnegie Hall appearance with Allen, had done guest spots on various TV programs and had appeared on dozens of records, including the first-ever all-bluegrass album produced by

Smithsonian-Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...

Records. Wakefield's arrival therefore brought some welcome southern appalachian authenticity to what until then was a northern, urban and folkish-oriented group. Over the next four years, the close friendship and musical collaboration between John Herald, Bob Yellin, Jim Buchanan and Frank Wakefield resulted in some successful recordings and national television appearances. In addition to his mandolin playing, Wakefield's southern-accented lead and harmony vocals lent a distinctively rural sound to the Greenbriar Boys. Wakefield was also responsible for bringing young Kentucky-born guitarist and lead singer, Joe Isaacs, into the group by 1968. The Greenbriar Boys disbanded in 1970 as Wakefield launched what was to become a successful solo career. The Greenbriar Boys reunited occasionally in later years. John Herald released albums with The John Herald Band and a solo album, in 2000, ''Roll On John,'' before committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in 2005.

Discography

Studio albums

*1962: ''The Greenbriar Boys'' (Vanguard) *1963: ''Dian & the Greenbriar Boys'' (Elektra) *1964: ''Ragged But Right!'' (Vanguard) *1966: ''Better Late Than Never!'' (Vanguard)

Compilations

*1986: ''The Best of the Greenbriar Boys'' (Vanguard) *2002: ''Best of the Vanguard Years'' (Vanguard) *2003: ''Big Apple Bluegrass'' (Vanguard)

References

External links

Richie Unterberger, Liner notes for reissue of ''Dian & the Greenbriar Boys''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenbriar Boys American folk musical groups American bluegrass music groups Elektra Records artists Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 1958 establishments in New York City