Blue Highway
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Blue Highway | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kingsport, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | bluegrass, country, southern gospel, folk, Americana |
| Years active | 1994 - present |
| Members | Jason Burleson Shawn Lane Tim Stafford Wayne Taylor Gaven Largent |
| Past members | Rob Ickes Tom Adams |
| Website | http://www.bluehighwayband.com |
Blue Highway is an American contemporary bluegrass band, based in Tennessee, formed in 1994. They have released eleven CDs, their sixth and seventh – Wondrous Love (2003), and Marbletown (2005) –as well as their 11th, Original Traditional (2016), received Grammy Award nominations.
Background
After helping found the band Dusty Miller, which was the 1990 SPBGMA International Bluegrass Band champion, and being a member (1990-92) of Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kingsport, Tennessee native Tim Stafford helped organize Blue Highway with Wayne Taylor in 1994. The group's first project, It's a Long, Long Road, "spent six months at the top of the Bluegrass Unlimited charts and won IBMA's Album of the Year Award (1996)."[1] Jason Burleson, the original banjo player with the group and a multi-instrumentalist, is a native of Newland, North Carolina.,[1] Rob Ickes, a Northern California native, moved to Nashville in 1992 and joined as a founding member in 1994. Ickes has won numerous awards for his playing,[1] and after a 21-year run with the band he announced his departure on November 18, 2015.[2] Ickes was replaced by resonator guitarist and Virginia native, Gaven Largent.[3] Vocalist, fiddler, and mandolin player Shawn Lane joined the group as a founding member after cutting "his musical teeth" in the bands of Ricky Skaggs and Doyle Lawson. Lane's songs have also been recorded by Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie Bowman, Mountain Heart, Blue Ridge, and other groups.[1] Lead singer Wayne Taylor, who plays bass, hails from Southwest Virginia and is also a founding member of the group.[1]
Personnel
Current Members
- Jason Burleson — banjo, guitar, mandolin
- Shawn Lane — mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
- Tim Stafford — guitar, vocals
- Wayne Taylor — bass, vocals
- Gaven Largent - resonator guitar, vocals
Former Members
- Rob Ickes — resonator guitar
- Tom Adams - banjo
Honors, awards, distinctions
Grammy Nominations
- Best Bluegrass Album (2005): Marbletown
- Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album (2004): Wondrous Love
- Best Bluegrass Album (2016): Original Traditional
International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards
- Song of the Year (2008): "Through the Window of a Train"
- Vocal Group of the Year (2012)
- Gospel Recording of the Year (1997): "God Moves in a Windstorm"
- Gospel Recording of the Year (2004): "Wondrous Love"
- Emerging Artist of the Year (1996)
- Album of the Year (1996): It's a Long, Long Road
- Album of the Year Award (2006): Celebration of Life: Musicians Against Childhood Cancer
- Dobro Player of the Year (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996): Rob Ickes
Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA) Awards
- Gospel Group of the Year (Overall) (2005)
- Instrumental Group of the Year (2003)
- Dobro Performer of the Year (2003): Rob Ickes
- Bass Performer of the Year (2001): Wayne Taylor
- Guitar Performer of the Year (2001, 2015): Tim Stafford
Dove Award
- Best Bluegrass Album (2004): Wondrous Love
Touring
Blue Highway has toured extensively, including the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival in 2005.[4]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass | ||
| It's a Long Long Road |
|
— |
| Wind to the West |
|
— |
| Midnight Storm |
|
— |
| Blue Highway |
|
— |
| Still Climbing Mountains |
|
— |
| Wondrous Love |
|
10 |
| Marbletown |
|
4 |
| Lonesome Pine |
|
— |
| Through the Window of a Train |
|
2 |
| Some Day: The Fifteenth Anniversary Collection |
|
5 |
| Sounds of Home |
|
8 |
| The Game[5] |
|
4 |
| Original Traditional[6] |
|
3 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
References
- ^ a b c d e "photos+bios". Blue Highway. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
- ^ "ResoRevolution". ResoRevolution. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ "Blue Highway - Bio & Awards". bluehighwayband.com. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
- ^ "Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival", Strings, newsletter of the Pineridge Bluegrass Folklore Society, October 2005
- ^ Lawless, John. "The Game from Blue Highway" Bluegrass Today, 19 December 2013
- ^ "Original Traditional – Blue Highway". Bluegrass Today. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
External links
- Official website
- "Blue Highway - Biography". Country Music Television.
- Leaver, Jack. Biography of Blue Highway at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-05-08.
- "Blue Highway's Red-Hot Bluegrass". All Things Considered. NPR Music. December 25, 2005.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
