New Grass Revival

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.
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

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.

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 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.

New Grass Revival reunion at beneficial concert for Courtney Johnson in 1996. From left: Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Curtis Burch.

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

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ Newgrass Festival Website
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} "New Grass Revival". http://www.classicwebs.com/newgrass.htm. 

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