The Country Gentlemen
The Country Gentlemen | |
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list of all past members |
The Country Gentlemen was a
The classic line-up from 1960–64 consisted of co-founders Charlie Waller on guitar and John Duffey on mandolin, with Eddie Adcock on banjo and Tom Gray on bass. They were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1996.[2]
Early history
The band started on July 4, 1957
First classic lineup breakup
They toured both the bluegrass and folk circuits during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1964,
Second generation
Charlie Waller assembled the "second classic lineup" of the Country Gentlemen soon after, with Bill Emerson returning on banjo, Lawson on mandolin,[7] Bill Yates on bass and Ricky Skaggs on fiddle. The band also switched labels from Rebel to Vanguard. Emerson left again to join the Navy after one album, and was replaced by James Bailey. Jerry Douglas joined the band on Dobro during the summer of 1973 and stayed with the band after graduating from high school in May 1974. He continued with the band until June 1975. He rejoined the band in May 1978 and was with the band until December 1978. Lawson left in 1979 to form his own band.[8]
Death of Charlie Waller
In the band's later years Charlie Waller served as the group's "focal point and leader" until his death in August 2004.[2] His son Randy Waller, whose voice is very similar to his father's, continues to play as "Randy Waller & The Country Gentlemen".
Members
Discography
Material
The Country Gentlemen play music ranging from traditional bluegrass to pop, sometimes adapting music from other genres to their bluegrass style. They also borrowed from singer-songwriters, with songs such as Gordon Lightfoot's "Redwood Hill" and Steve Goodman's "City of New Orleans."
Several of the band’s songs ("Two Little Boys," "Bringing Mary Home," "New Freedom Bell," "Matterhorn," "Fox on the Run," "Legend of the Rebel Soldier," and many others) have become bluegrass standards.[citation needed]
Offshoots
Some of the immediate offshoots of the band were Emerson & Waldron, the
In 2008, Adcock and Gray, two members of the "Classic" Country Gentlemen Hall of Honor lineup,[2] together with former member Gaudreau and Waller's son Randy, combined in 2008 to record as the Country Gentlemen Reunion Band.[9]
References
- ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "IBMM • All Inductees". Bluegrass-museum.org. 1957-07-04. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ "Country Gentlemen bio". Answers.com. 1957-07-04. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ "Members history". Nrvhost.com. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ "Tom Gray bio". Dcbu.org. 1971-11-01. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ "Eddie Adcock bio". Cmt.com. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ISBN 978-0-275-98115-0.
- ISBN 978-1-135-37700-7.
- ^ "Country Gentlemen reunite on new CD". BluegrassJournal.com. 2008-06-04. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
External links
- The Country Gentlemen Discography at Smithsonian Folkways
- Charlie Waller official site
- Randy Waller official site
- Country Gentlemen reunion website
- Bluegrass blog - 50 years of Country Gentlemen (retrieved Feb 2010
- Photos: 1972 Country Gentlemen Festival, Indian Ranch, Webster, Mass.
- John Duffey's Bluegrass Life: Featuring The Country Gentlemen, Seldom Scene, and Washington, DC, biography website