High Lonesome And Blue

Performer: Del McCoury
Engineer: Jerry Douglas; Jim Robeson; Bil VornDick; Bill McElroy
Producer: Ken Irwin; Del McCoury; Jerry Douglas; Ronnie McCoury; Ken Irwin (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Del McCoury (vocals, guitar); Ronnie McCoury, David McLaughlin (vocals, mandolin); Eddie Stubbs (vocals, fiddle); Jerry McCoury (voals, bass); Richard Underwood, Rob McCoury (banjo); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Jon Glik, Warren Blair, Tad Marks, Jason Carter (fiddle); Mike Bub, Mike Brantley (bass, background vocals). Includes liner notes by Jon Weisberger. Personnel: Del McCoury (vocals, tenor, guitar); Ronnie McCoury (vocals, mandolin); David McLaughlin (baritone, mandolin); Mike Bub, Jerry McCoury (baritone); Eddie Stubbs (bass voice, fiddle); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Richard Underwood, Rob McCoury (banjo); Tad Marks, Jon Glik, Warren Blair, Jason Carter (fiddle). Audio Mixers: Jerry Douglas ; Bil VornDick. Liner Note Author: Jon Weisberger. Recording information: Bias Recording Co., Springfield, VA (1987-1996); Cowboy Arms Recording Studio, Nashville, TN (1987-1996); Music Row Audio, Nashville, TN (1987-1996). Though bluegrass singer/guitarist Del McCoury had been recording since the 1960s, it was the series of albums he made for Rounder Records in the '90s that cemented his reputation and gained him a wider audience. Subsequently, he crossed over into backing up Steve Earle, recording Richard Thompson songs, and otherwise mixing with the pop world. The period covered by HIGH LONESOME AND BLUE, though, finds McCoury and his stalwart band delivering hardcore bluegrass with a conviction and soulfulness that's nearly visceral. Never shying away from the darker side of life, McCoury sings often of despair and stark realities while contrasting these bleak subjects with sparkling, up-tempo bluegrass runs that achieve a perfect artistic contrast. And even among tunes by such country legends as Bill Monroe and George Jones, McCoury's own songs stand tall, delivered in the unmistakable voice that gives this worthy collection of his Rounder years its title.

Dirty Linen (p.65) - "Few musicians represent bluegrass' distinctive high-reaching voice as does Del McCoury....The CD recalls a prolific period in the life and career of McCoury..."

Singer/mandolinist Del McCoury's career had the most auspicious beginning a bluegrass musician can hope for; in the mid-1960s he was a member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys. He kicked off his solo career a couple of years later, and by the '70s he had found a middle ground between bluegrass traditionalism and the open-minded "newgrass" approach, becoming a highly influential artist in the process. In the '80s, McCoury truly codified his style, forming a tight band that included his sons Ronnie and Rob. THE MOUNTAIN, their 1999 collaboration with Steve Earle, raised the band's profile even further, endearing them to non-country audiences and neatly dovetailing with the early-2000s O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?-inspired bluegrass resurgence.

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