Del Yeah Fest? You know what we say to that

by Rebecca Sulock 

We heard about this first from the Black Mountain Music Scene, and it sounds damn cool. WNCW and McCoury Music are planning the first ever Del Yeah weekend (over Labor Day weekend). Two days, two venues, bands not all announced, but will feature (obviously) the Del McCoury Band.
From the news release:
“Initial plans include shows on September 4 and 5 featuring the award-winning Del McCoury Band and their friends in the Emmitt-Nershi Band, along with a full complement of yet-to-be-named artists (including regional favorites), presented at the Pisgah Brewing Company (Black Mountain) and the U.S. National Whitewater Center (Charlotte) respectively.
Shows will be programmed for a full afternoon and evening’s worth of music and entertainment, culminating in closing jam sessions that will have audiences on the edge of their seats — or dancing to the music — all night long. More.

DELFEST MOVING AHEAD IN CUMBERLAND, MD

(Nashville, TN)...A collective sigh of relief came from DelFest co-founders Roy Carter and Rebecca Sparks, of California based High Sierra Music, and festival namesake Del McCoury in Nashville, when co-founder Stan Strickland informed them that the Allegany County commissioners had issued a press release, bringing to close to a controversy that began six weeks ago when Allegany County Liquor Board chairman Gerald Delaney claimed in the Cumberland Times-News that DelFest and the High Sierra Foundation had violated laws regarding their liquor license. The controversy began when Mr. Delaney called local High Sierra Foundation board member Barb Buehl, in which he threatened the festival's reputation, it's ability to secure a beverage license in the future, and Buehl's employment contract with County Tourism, all in an effort to benefit his former employer, a local beer distributor. A threat he followed through with in the Cumberland Times on June 3rd.



As a very public dispute unfolded, a local coalition of nearly 1400, dubbing itself the "Pale Ale Army," rose up en masse and began flooding county and state offices with calls, faxes, and emails, demanding an investigation and immediate action. The first step taken by the Allegany County commissioners, after determining with the state that they did in fact have the authority to act in this matter-and with the strong encouragement of the Governor-was to ask for Chairman Delaney's resignation. The resignation was offered to Governor O'Malley on July 9th, and accepted immediately. The second, and hopefully final, step was a press release, drafted by the county attorney, on behalf of the County Commissioners, clearly stating for the record that no complaint had ever been filed, no investigation had ever been initiated, and the Liquor Board has no intention of pursuing this matter. This confirmed the position DelFest had been taking since June 3rd. The County's press release went on to say that they were confident that once the DelFest Foundation applied for the 2011 liquor license, it would be approved as well as pledged their support of community resources to meet the needs of the festival.



"I do think a lot of good came from this. Over a thousand people are now involved in local government and local charitable work and have seen the impact they can have," offered Del McCoury, a clear indication that he sees better days ahead. "We might have walked away if it had not been for the overwhelming show of support from the community. We realized that they had made this their fight and we took that into consideration every step of the way." DelFest's Foundation will be working hand in hand with the "Pale Ale Army" in August as they distribute more than $20,000 to local charities.



The DelFest founders, county officials, and local community leaders are all now in agreement on one thing-its time to move ahead. That's exactly how Del McCoury brought the July 15th phone conference to an end, "well folks, I guess we are headed back to Cumberland." The co-founders in California and Florida swear you could hear him smile.

McCoury 'confident' DelFest is back in 2011

Liquor board chairman resigned Friday


Kevin Spradlin

Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — In a message to supporters, bluegrass music extraordinaire Del McCoury thanked the more than 1,400 people who joined an online community and rallied against what is perceived as unfair and invalid allegations of law violations from the Allegany County liquor board.
"I feel confident that we'll be back next year" for a fourth consecutive Memorial Day weekend event, McCoury said to fans of a grassroots Facebook page that spurred people from across the country to write in defense of McCoury and his family.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to make it 'official' in the next few days," McCoury said.
McCoury said DelFest co-founder Stan Strickland has "a few loose ends to tie up with the county" before making the announcement official.
What put the future of one of the top tourism draws in Allegany County in jeopardy was a series of allegations by the liquor board and then chairman, Gerald Delaney, that cast doubt on actions carried out by the High Sierra Foundation of Allegany County The nonprofit organization received a temporary liquor license for the four-day festival at the Allegany County Fairgrounds each of the past three years. This year, Delaney - who resigned Friday amidst a growing furor of the unproven allegations - requested of Barbara Buehl, county tourism director and foundation member, to have more beer being poured from Western Maryland Distributing, a county distributor. Read more.

DelFest - Location of next year’s festival to be decided Thursday

Michael A. Sawyers

Cumberland Times-News
Deer Park — CUMBERLAND — A DelFest Foundation spokes-man said Tuesday that a decision will be made Thursday about the location of next year’s bluegrass music festival.
Reached on his cell phone as he traveled from Florida to California to meet with renowned musician Del McCoury, DelFest co-founder Stan Strickland said all it will take for the popular event to be back at the fairgrounds in 2011 is for the leaders of Allegany County to lead.
“If there is not a public statement about the county’s intention concerning Gerald Delaney by the end of this week then I will recommend that we look at other options,” Strickland said. Strickland said he seeks chairman Delaney’s removal from the county’s liquor board.
“If we come back next year, we need to know that the leadership in Allegany County has the ability to lead so we don’t have to be watching our backs all the time.
“We are going to give the proper authorities another couple days to realize what we need in the level of cooperation to do business in the county,” Strickland said.
Strickland said DelFest has had a lot of quiet support since being accused of violating liquor laws and it has come from various levels of government in Maryland.
“We have spoken with the governor and the attorney general,” he said.

Del McCoury Awarded NEA Fellowship‏

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman, Rocco Landesman, announced this year's NEA National Heritage Fellowships, and we are proud to announce that Del McCoury is one of nine
recipients this year.

This award is the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts and each of the nine recipients will receive a one-time award of $25,000. The NEA National Heritage Fellowships public programs are made possible through the support of the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation and Darden's family of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze, and Seasons 52 restaurants.

Representing eight states, the nine recipients were chosen for their artistic excellence and their efforts to conserve America 's cultures for future generations. They come from a cross-section of ethnic cultures including Ghanaian, Irish, and Indian, and practice such diverse traditional art forms as Afro-Cuban drum building and Texas-style fiddling, as well as two art forms never before honored through the National Heritage Fellowships: lauhala (palm leaf) weaving and Bharatanatyam Indian dancing.

The award to Mr. McCoury reflects more than 50 years of work performing a truly American music. One of the greatest ambassadors for traditional bluegrass, he has been no less acclaimed for embracing offshoots of the 65 year old genre, embodying both aspects of his career through his annual Delfest music festival, where tradition is both honored and extended by the presentation of a wide array of bluegrass and string musics. Over the past two decades, he and his Del McCoury Band have become the most awarded act in the history of bluegrass, allowing him the opportunity to broaden its audience through appearances on late night television shows like David Letterman's and Conan O'Brien's, and at venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to popular festivals like Bonnaroo and the Newport Folk Festival.

When told of the honor, McCoury responded, "I'm truly overwhelmed. All I've ever done is play the music I love, and I feel very fortunate just to have made a career of it. To receive an honor like this for doing something you love seems almost unreal, but I am very thankful."

The other 2010 recipients are Ghanaian drum master Yacub Addy, fiddler Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, Lauhala weaver Gladys Kukana Grace, sweetgrass basketweaver Mary Jackson, Bharatanatyam Indian dancer Kamala Lakshmi Narayanan, Irish flute player Mike Rafferty and Afro-Cuban drummer and drum builder Ezequiel Torres.

In addition, the Bess Lomax Hawes Award, which recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage, was given to Illinois folklorist and editor Judith McCulloh. McCulloh has overseen the publication of a number of books that feature consideration of Del 's work, including Neil V. Rosenberg's and Charles Wolfe's monumental The Music Of Bill Monroe.

The 2010 awardees will come to Washington, D.C. in September for a series of events including an awards presentation and banquet at the Library of Congress, as well as a concert scheduled for Friday, September 24, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland .

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the largest annual national funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

For more information on the NEA, please visit  http://www.arts.gov/. For more information on the Del McCoury Band, visit http://http://www.delmccouryband.com/

Del McCoury's DelFest a Rousing Success for Music and Charity

by Nancy Dunham

Del McCoury has to be one of the most modest legends in bluegrass.

Although musicians in bands ranging from Railroad Earth, The Avett Brothers, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams &; Friends, Trampled by Turtles and Dave Rawlings Machine continually sang Del's praises during his four-day Memorial Day bluegrass festival in Cumberland, Maryland, the man of the hour stayed mainly in the background.

A former member of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys, Del has always felt that the bluegrass format should grow and expand to remain relevant. His band -- including sons Rob McCoury, who recently recorded with Willie Nelson, and Ronnie McCoury, who joined the other Travelin' McCoury's on tour with Dierks Bentley -- give play shops and join casual jams to foster new musicians interested in the genre. Plus DelFest benefits the financially beleaguered area where it is based. Yet what makes DelFest truly stand out is that it's all family-oriented.

"We have just a great line up," Del told The Boot while watching The John Cowan Band take the stage after Cornmeal finished their set. "I am enjoying all if it; I really am."

The approximately 20,000 fans from throughout the country that jammed DelFest apparently did, too, forming casual players' circles in the midst of the festival's campgrounds, continually calling out good-naturedly to the musicians on stage and dancing even during rain showers. Whether the bands played Bill Monroe's 'Bluegrass Breakdown,' the classic 'Nashville Cats,' or even more contemporary tunes such as Yonder Mountain's 'Another Day' or Willie Nelson's 'Blackjack County Chains,' the good mood never dipped.

"Are all of you having a good time this afternoon?" Del asked from the stage as screams and shouts erupted from the crowd made up primarily of those in their 20s and 30s. "That's all we want -- to have you enjoy all of the artists we have here." More here.

York hopes Governor's Arts Awards event leads to big changes

The celebration almost was canceled. But on Thursday, York is the center of the Pennsylvania arts world

By ERIN McCRACKEN
Daily Record/Sunday News

At 12:30 p.m. Aug. 14, music blared from speakers on Continental Square in York.
Traffic and business stopped. People watched about 100 dancers perform in the street.
After the song came the message: York would host the 2009 Governor's Awards for the Arts.
Judge Marjorie Rendell had made the announcement months earlier, and the flash mob built community interest.
But a few hours later, Gayle Cluck, arts in education director at the Cultural Alliance, received a phone call. The governor's awards, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, were indefinitely postponed.
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts -- the state organization that selects the host city and nominees, produces the ceremony and covers 20 percent of the cost -- had other issues to deal with. The state budget impasse forced it to cut back its staff and, at one point during negotiations, the council itself faced elimination.Without the council, the governor's awards would end.The bad news struck York hard, Cluck said.

But the budget passed Oct. 9. The council remained intact and began to regroup. Plans and fundraising efforts for the governor's awards, which had been put on hold for months, picked up where they left off. And on Thursday, York will become the cultural capitol of Pennsylvania for a day -- artists, celebrities, politicians and community members will gather downtown for the governor's awards. Read more...

The Del McCoury Band | Family Circle (McCoury Music)

Written by Sarah Boslaugh
Monday, 29 March 2010 13:29

The tracks are an interesting selection of material and once you hear what McCoury’s done with them you’ll be won over for sure.

Del McCoury may be the only musician in the business to have performed both with Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys and with Phish. He’s probably also the only guy to have played at both the Grande Ole Opry and at Bonnaroo. Did I mention that he’s recorded with Steve Earle as well? What all this means is that Del McCoury is as secure as a man can be in his traditional bluegrass bonafides but he's also more than willing to stretch it out a bit.

Both tendencies are evident on Family Circle which features McCoury on lead vocals and guitar, joined by his sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Rob (banjo) as well as Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass. The tracks are an interesting selection of material and while some of the songs may not strike you at first as traditional bluegrass material once you hear what McCoury’s done with them you’ll be won over for sure.

The biggest stretch on Family Circle may be "Break Up," a song popularized by Jerry Lee Lewis in 1958 but which sounds great as a bluegrass number as well and gives McCoury a chance to show off his rockabilly vocal chops (complete with that JLL hiccup).

Another unusual choice which turns out to be successful is "I Remember You," a 1941 popular song written by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer which (so the legend goes) expresses Mercer's crush on Judy Garland. Well, bluegrass can jerk tears with the best of them and on Family Circle this tune gets an appropriately sentimental treatment including a bit of yodeling. from McCoury. Not what you'd necessarily expect on a song from the heart of the big band era, but it works. More...

Del McCoury Band has fans away from bluegrass

Del McCoury has spent 50 of his 70 years playing music, though by necessity the music often has shared time with day jobs: pouring concrete, logging and the like.
He and his Del McCoury Band have forged a hard-driving bluegrass sound that is at once staunchly traditional and instantly identifiable. It is acoustic, practiced and precise, and it seems the polar opposite of the jam-rock culture.
"Well, we've been doing mixed festivals -- you know, hardcore bluegrass and then . . . some others, since the early '70s," said McCoury, sitting at his home with sons (and McCoury Band members) Rob and Ronnie McCoury.
"I guess I always had the confidence that somebody's going to like this music. Some might walk away, but somebody else will walk toward us. I've been playing for all sorts of different people since way back. Played for hippies, and for beatniks before that," he said.
The well-appointed McCoury home is a testament to the extent of his music's popularity beyond bluegrass' niche audience. In the liner notes to the 50-song box set "Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury," dobro great Jerry Douglas wrote, "You can finally make a living playing bluegrass, and a large part of it is because of Del McCoury: He became like the new Bill Monroe."
Born in Bakersfield, N.C., McCoury was raised in York County, Pa. Early on, he was enamored of the sounds he heard on the "Grand Ole Opry," particularly those that came from Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. These were the days before bluegrass was called "bluegrass," and before any act based around fiddles and five-string banjos had achieved the kind of success that would allow a pool in the backyard.
Brother G.C. McCoury taught Del to play guitar, but his most impressive trick as a youngster was his ability to play a banjo in the style Earl Scruggs was pioneering on the "Opry." That ability helped an older McCoury get a job with Bill Monroe.

More...

Del McCoury, others to be honored at Governor's Awards for the Arts

York County natives including Jeff Koons and Del McCoury will be honored at the April 8 ceremony in York.

By ERIN McCRACKEN
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated: 02/25/2010 07:55:56 AM EST

The Governor's Awards for the Arts ceremony will be a homecoming for York County natives Jeff Koons and Del McCoury.
At the April 8 ceremony, the visual artist and bluegrass artist will stand on York's Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center stage next to two other recipients who have never left -- Patron Award winners Louis J. Appell and Arthur Glatfelter.
A host site honoring four of its own is unprecedented in the history of the statewide awards, Judge Marjorie Rendell said Wednesday. She and her husband, Gov. Ed Rendell, will serve as emcees for the event.
York countians rose to the top of the nearly 70 nominations for individuals and organizations received by The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Other winners include Caroline Nunan of Lancaster and the Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous from Elk County.
Read more...

Del McCoury taking bluegrass to Bonnaroo and beyond

By Don Thrasher, Contributing writer

Del McCoury is one of the true stars of bluegrass, but he refuses to be pigeonholed.
The 70-year-old native of York, Pa., has managed to take his music to a wider audience by embracing contemporary songs and interesting performance opportunities. And he’s achieved all this while sticking to what he does best: good-old fashioned hillbilly music.
McCoury, who will perform at a Cityfolk-sponsored concert at The Masonic Center in Dayton on Saturday, Jan. 23, took time recently for a brief Q&A.
Q: How is everything?
A: “Things are great. I feel good and still feel like singing, but I’m 70 now. You never know when I might retire. You know how it is when you get old, you have no guarantees.”
Q: What’s it like playing bluegrass at Bonnaroo?
A: It’s great. We were the first bluegrass band to play Bonnaroo. I didn’t know if anybody there would want to listen to bluegrass and there was a big crowd for us. It kind of surprised me.”
Q: You’ve covered contemporary songs, but you’ve remained true to your bluegrass roots. What keeps you devoted to that sound? Read on...

Martin Guitar Introduces the D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition

January 13, 2010
It is hard to believe Del McCoury just celebrated 50 years of playing bluegrass. The legend of traditional bluegrass with his Del McCoury Band continues to record and tour almost nonstop, and remains both one of its most popular artists and one whose music transcends the genre.
McCoury was already bluegrass royalty in 2002 when C.F. Martin created the D-28 Del McCoury Limited Edition guitar of which a respectable 115 instruments were sold in his honor, achieving a new level of success with music both timeless and groundbreaking.
True to its inspiration, the Martin D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition features exceptional premium tonewoods. The Adirondack spruce top and scalloped braces are crafted with early '40s-era placement, to produce a powerful, balanced tone. Back and sides are genuine mahogany, which imparts midrange "punch" and clarity. The genuine mahogany neck features a rounded, full thickness "V" profile and 1930's style heel.
The body appointments are pure, traditional Style 18: classic Old Style 18 rosette, Style 18 five-element black/white fine line top purfling, Delmar tortoise-brown top, side and back binding, Delmar tortoise-brown end piece, Style 18 back strip, and classic beveled and polished Delmar tortoise color pickguard. Only time can produce the rich patina of the top on Del's '47, but aging toner gives the D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition a good start in that direction. The neck's polished headplate is Madagascar rosewood and the Golden Era® C.F. Martin decal and nickel Waverly™ tuners with oval buttons closely replicate the vintage original. The unbound black ebony fingerboard features Old Style 18 abalone pearl position markers and is matched by the black ebony heelcap. The belly bridge likewise is black ebony. Both the vintage-style angled nut and compensated saddle are crafted from genuine bone. Ebony bridge pins and end pin are topped with abalone pearl dot inlays.
To approximate the color of the classic 1940s D-18, the mahogany on the D-18 Del McCoury Custom Edition is stained dark prior to finishing. Martin's flawless polished gloss lacquer finish completes this instrument's classic look. Delivered in a Geib style hardshell case, each Martin D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition guitar features two interior labels; a Del McCoury 50th Anniversary label and a Custom Edition label personally signed by Del McCoury and numbered in sequence with the edition total. In honor of his 50 years in music, only 50 of the D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition will be produced. Authorized C.F. Martin dealers will take orders (including orders for left-handed instruments at no additional charge) for the D-18 Del McCoury 50th Anniversary Custom Edition until the edition is fully subscribed. The names of participating Martin dealers then will be posted on the Martin website: http://www.martinguitar.com/ .

Del McCoury recovering from surgery

According to Chris Harris of McCoury Music, York native bluegrass performer Del McCoury was experiencing stomach pain an discomfort last week.

On Dec. 10, he was admitted to Sumner Regional Hospital in Hendersonville, Tenn. and was diagnosed with an inflamed gall bladder. He underwent surgery Dec. 12 and was released the next day.

Harris also sent an e-mail statement from the band: "The McCoury family would like to thank all of those who expressed concern and prayed for the family during this time. Del is anticipating a quick recovery and is looking forward to enjoying the holidays with his family and resuming personal appearances and other work in January."

For more Del McCoury news, visit http://www.mccourymusic.com/ or http://www.delmccouryband.com/.
Follow The Del McCoury Band on twitter at http://twitter.com/delmccouryband.

CD Review: Del McCoury Band's ‘Family Circle'

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Del McCoury Band
FAMILY CIRCLE
Having recently celebrated his 50th year in the business, Del McCoury should be commended for continually testing the boundaries of bluegrass music, a feat that's earned him slots at Bonnaroo and made fans out of Elvis Costello and Björk. Joined by his two sons as well as bass player Alan Bartram and acclaimed fiddler Jason Carter, the septuagenarian acts half his age as he covers songs by Mark Knopfler, Jerry Lee Lewis and other acts not typically associated with the high lonesome sounds of bluegrass.
Knopfler's 'Prairie Wedding' sounds as though it could be a McCoury original, but the most interesting cover on 'Family Circle' is the Charlie Rich-penned 'Break Up,' which was made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis during the golden age of Sun Records. The boys replace Lewis's frenetic piano riffs with sharp acoustic picking as McCoury channels his inner rockabilly singer, accenting his mountain tenor with a few Killeresque vocal theatrics.
It's not all rock-and-roll here...
Read full review in The Washington Post.

A new studio album from the Del McCoury Band‏

The Year of Del McCoury Continues With Release of New Studio Album

Nashville, TN, September 1, 2009: Released to great acclaim earlier this year, the epic Celebrating 50 Years Of Del McCoury boxed set might have appeared to be the summary and crowning achievement of a fabled career. But with the release of Family Circle on October 27th, the Del McCoury Band serves notice that the final chapter of the bluegrass patriarch’s story has yet to be written—and that there are still a few surprises left, too. Recorded this summer at sessions sandwiched between appearances at some of the country’s most popular and prestigious festivals—Merlefest, Bonnaroo, Grey Fox, and McCoury’s own mind-bending Delfest—Family Circle is a potent blend of old and new that finds Del and the boys (sons Ronnie and Rob, fiddler Jason Carter and bass player Alan Bartram) ranging more widely than ever for songs and arrangements.
Favorite writers like Billy Smith and Shawn Camp are back with new entries, along with Californian Joe New, whose “She Can’t Burn Me Now” was a highlight of McCoury’s Grammy-winning The Company We Keep, and Del revives pop classic “I Remember You” (learned from country singer Slim Whitman’s version), but like the pitchmen say, wait—there’s more. McCoury tends to his roots with “Sweet Appalachia” (from West Virginia’s Alan Johnston) and “Revenuer’s Blues,” written by Rob McCoury and long-time buddy (and hit songwriter) Ronnie Bowman, but he also grabs up songs from country and Americana’s Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson and Buddy & Julie Miller—the McCoury reading of their “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” a hit for Lee Ann Womack, is one of the most unexpected and gripping performances in the set—and Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, and even throws in a dash of rockabilly with the Charlie Rich-penned Jerry Lee Lewis number, “Break Up.”
Yet no matter its source, each song on Family Circle is accorded a treatment that does perfect justice to its essence while preserving the distinctive sound that’s brought the Del McCoury Band its unexcelled legions of “Del-Head” fans and array of awards—and that balance is the McCoury magic that’s kept them winning new fans while keeping the loyalty of old-timers who have followed Del’s career for decades. Fifty years may have passed since Del’s first days as a bluegrass musician, but today, more than ever, the Del McCoury Band is making some of the freshest and most exciting music around.

Del McCoury on Praire Home Companion

Nashville, Tenn. — The Del McCoury Band heads to St. Louis this week for a return engagement on the popular "A Prairie Home Companion" radio program to promote Del's 50 Year Celebration Box Set and companion CD "By Request". Heard by more than four million listeners each week on some 580 public radio stations and abroad on America One and the Armed Forces Networks, the appearance will be broadcast live from the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, MO at 6:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, May 30, 2009.

This appearance falls between Del wrapping up his own festival, Delfest over Memorial Day weekend, and an engagement at Bonnaroo on June 13th. Del and band are hitting the road hard this summer performing at many of the major music festivals in celebration of his 50 years in the business.

To learn more about "Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury" and "By Request," please visit www.mccourymusic.com. To see the band's full itinerary, visit www.delmccouryband.com. And finally, to find a radio station near you that carries A Prairie Home Companion, please visit http://prairiehome.publicradio.org.

Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury

The wait is over. The ultimate collection of Del McCoury's music is now available. As many of you know we've spent the past year celebrating 50 years of Del McCoury's music. To cap it off, McCoury Music is releasing a 50 song box set of the hottest Del McCoury tunes from the last 50 years. Order yours today for delivery on May 12th along with some special bonuses only available on this site.

We tried to put together a package for everyone. First, all box sets will be autographed, and also will come with a "Best of Del McCoury Gospel CD" that you can't get anywhere else. You can also upgrade your package to include a "Live" DMB show recording and an autographed print of the artwork. And since you've waited for this for so long, we've got one final treat for you. When you place your order, you'll receive a secret link and password to a page where you can hear all 50 songs and view all of the artwork online immediately.

We also have one more option that will make a great gift for friends. In addition to the box set we've compiled a "By Request" cd which includes the 14 songs that the McCourys felt were the songs that they hear the fans request during their shows each night.
Click here for all the details, and thanks for supporting McCoury Music.

-Your Friends at McCoury Music

Celebrating 50 Years of Del McCoury

Del McCoury 50 Year Retrospective - Coming 05/12/09

Celebrating 50 Years Of Del Mccoury - Bluegrass Icon’s Quintessential Restrospective

“Del gives hope to everybody…To keep the purity that you need to do this kind of music, and the drive and energy, that takes a special kind of guy.”– Elvis Costello

Nashville, TN, McCoury Music is proud to announce the upcoming May 12th release of CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL McCOURY.

CELBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL McCOURY is a stunning 5-disc special edition box set collection encapsulating a 50-year legacy of brilliant, heartfelt music from the Bluegrass icon, who recently celebrated another milestone by turning 70 years old. With more than 30 new recordings of songs from Del’s first 40 years of performing and an additional 18 from the Del McCoury’s Band most essential tracks of the last decade, this quintessential box set is complete with a 12-page full color booklet of photographs from the McCoury family archives–some which have never been seen.
From classics that he first sang back in the late 1950s to such stunning originals as “High On A Mountain,” “Are You Teasing Me,” “Dark Hollow,” “Bluest Man In Town,” “Rain And Snow,” “Good Man Like Me, “Rain Please Go Away,” as well as “Nothin’ Special” and “Never Grow Up Boy” from the Grammy-winning, The Company We Keep, it’s truly a life’s work being handed down.
“Del gives hope to everybody—fifty years is a long time to be playing music in any field,” says Elvis Costello. “But to keep the purity that you need to do this kind of music, and the drive and energy, that takes a special kind of guy.”
Elvis’ words are echoed by other master musicians and fans alike whose support for Del has only intensified over the years. The onetime Bill Monroe sideman is now the music’s spiritual and artistic heir. Since the early 90’s, Del’s popularity has soared. In addition to countless awards, including a Grammy and 3 dozen IBMA’s (and an unprecedented 9 Entertainer of the Year trophies), Del’s influence reaches well beyond his Bluegrass disciples, from 2008 Grammy Album of the Year winner Alison Krauss, to Dierks Bentley, Steve Earle, Vince Gill, and jamband fav’s Phish, Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band.
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL McCOURY was recorded in a marathon session that lasted only a few days. As befits a living legend, and a lively one at that, he brings a fresh and inspired take to all the tracks, particularly those that have been part of his repertoire since the beginning.
“We went through the songs pretty quickly,” says son Ronnie, who plays mandolin. “Take after take, it was just great. Dad sounds better than ever on here. We had a list of songs that the three of us made, with fifteen or twenty songs from each of the decades and the albums that he made before he started owning his own recordings, and he would just pick some things to record on each session—and then we just went in and knocked them out. So they all have a real live feel to them.”
CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DEL MCCOURY is far from a swan-song. If Del’s summer tour schedule is any indication, it’s going to be a lively celebration indeed. Details are forthcoming about a rigorous schedule, including a much coveted slot at Bonnaroo, one of the nations biggest summer festivals. Del will also be hosting the 2nd Annual Delfest in Cumberland, MD in May. For more information, as well as late-breaking news, visit: McCoury Music.
For any elements you might need (art, bio, photos, etc), visit the 50 years of Del McCoury info page.

An Interesting Post Brings Back Memories

The following post and reply were taken from the Western Pennsylvania Bluegrass Committee discussion site. I thought it would be of general interest.


Hard to believe it's been almost 20 years... I'm sure there are at least a few on this list who used to attend the Beaver Valley Bluegrass Festival that the Beaver Creek Bluegrass Band used to hold at Brady's Run Park in Beaver County back in the eighties and nineties. And what a festival it was. I sorely miss it.
Some of the biggest names in bluegrass were playing in our own back yard each Memorial Day weekend. It was there I first saw Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley, Tony Rice, Hot Rize, Doyle and Quicksilver, and many other top bluegrass acts of the day. You don't really appreciate something like that until it's gone.
Rich or Randy Ord, if you're reading this, thank you. Anyway, Del McCoury was one of the headliners in 1989, and one of his sets, during which David Grisman and Sam Bush sat in on a few numbers, was recorded, and can now be downloaded freely and legally from this page:http://www.archive.org/details/del1989-05-27lateflac
A few words of caution:The files are huge and are in FLAC format, which is a lossless audio format that you probably can't play directly in Windows Media Player (I can't) and probably can't play directly in WinAmp either (I can't). You'll need to download a decoder to convert them to WAV files, which you can play directly, burn to a CD, or convert to MP3. There are probably lots of free decoders available; I got one from here:http://flac.sourceforge.net/download.html
The interface is non-intuitive, so you should probably be fairly handy with computers before attempting to use it. If you're not, enlist a friend who is. It's well worth the effort. The sound quality isn't superb, but it isn't bad either. And Del and the boys are absolutely on fire for this set.

Reply:

I was back on the side of the stage when this took form. David Grisman was playing with Del McCoury. David broke a string and came off stage to change it. Sam Bush was hanging out backstage so David told Sam to grab his mandolin and go back up with him. They would do a 3 mandolin thing with Ronnie McCoury. Sam grumbled that David and Ronnie where warmed up and he was coming up cold but he did it.It was amazing.I am glad there is a recording of it.
Rich Ord-

Delfest 2009 Announced

Delfest 2009 Announced: (Press release)

McCoury Music and High Sierra Music present DelFest . Memorial Day Weekend . May 22-24, 2009 Allegheny County Fairgrounds . Cumberland, Maryland, 2.5 hours NW of DC . 2.5 hours from Washington National, Dulles, Baltimore and Pittsburgh airports.

3 Days . 3 Nights . Late Night Shows . On-site Camping . Kid's Area and ActivitiesArtist Playshops . Bluegrass Band Competition . Food . Drink . Art & Craft Faire . More!

Tickets On Sale Now!
Discounted tickets for DelFest 2009 are on sale now and we're happy to announce that we're once again offering our early bird deal of just $99 for an adult three-day pass while supplies last! Visit the ticketing page for details and to purchase.

Initial Line-up Announced
In addition to appearances by the Del McCoury Band throughout the weekend, Sam Bush, Railroad Earth, Peter Rowan and The Free Mexican Airforce, J.D. Crowe and The New South, Tim O'Brien, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Lee Boys, Joe Craven, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, the Davisson Brothers Band, and Vinegar Creek Constituency are among those already confirmed. There are many more to come so stay tuned here and to our eNewsletters for more line-up announcements!

DelFest Academy
Attention all students of bluegrass music! The inaugural DelFest Academy will be offered May 18 - 21, 2009 at our festival site in Cumberland, featuring three days of classes and performances for banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar and bass as taught by members of the Del McCoury band and others. Enrollment and more information in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
2008 T-shirts Now Available
Did you miss out on getting your DelFest t-shirt at this year's festival? A new run has been printed and they are on sale now at the DMB store!