News from Rural Rhythm

"SOMEWHERE IN GLORY" by Common Strings Now Released



Common Strings, Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley Launch
The Cumberland River Academy of Bluegrass and Appalachian Music

RURAL RHYTHM CHRISTIAN is proud to announce the new album release, “SOMEWHERE IN GLORY” by Common Strings. Music partners Darron and Vanessa Nichols called on their very talented bluegrass friends and fellow mountain neighbors to capture the authentic sounds of Appalachia including: Album Producer, Sammy Shelor who also provides his banjo talents; Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley on harmony vocals; Mike Hartgrove on fiddle; and Mark Hodges, Engineer.


“SOMEWHERE IN GLORY” is a collection of songs sung and played much of the same as they have been in Appalachia over the past seven generations. Some songs were written in the early seventeen hundreds and one was written while on a ship sailing to the new world. Even the new songs written by Vanessa’s father, Wayne King (“Beyond the Mist of Blue”, “The Revelation”) and Darron Nichols original songs (“Glorious Power” and “Golden Streets of Home”) have a very old, mountain sound.
Vanessa Nichols is a true coal miner’s daughter, whose father is still a miner in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. She is blessed with an amazing voice and an appreciation for the old-time mountain songs her mother and grandmother shared with her over the years. The band is dedicating the song, “Hardhat for a Halo” to the families and miners of the West Virginia and Kentucky coal mine accident. Singer, songwriter and musician Darron Nichols has also been blessed with a strong love of the musical heritage passed down through the years and has a strong desire to preserve the songs of Appalachia for future generations.
The group is also celebrating another milestone. Yesterday, Common Strings, Dale Ann Bradley and Steve Gulley launched The Cumberland River Academy of Bluegrass and Appalachian Music at the Bell Theater in Pineville, Kentucky. The program is designed to educate and inform students of all ages about the historical values of the music and culture of the people who settled the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Mary Jenkins will serve as Executive Director.



For more information on Common Strings including “SOMEWHERE IN GLORY” and also the the Cumberland River Academy of Bluegrass and Appalachian Music, please visit the band’s website.



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