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Sam Bush
extended the musical capabilities of the mandolin and
the fiddle to incorporate a seamless blend of bluegrass,
rock, jazz, and reggae. As the founder and leader of
the New Grass Revival,
Bush pioneered and guided the evolution of modern hill
country music. Together with the bluegrass supergroup
Strength in Numbers,
he pushed the traditions even further. During a
five-year stint with
the Nash Ramblers,
he provided a diverse range of textures for the songs of
Emmylou Harris.
On his own, Bush has continued to explore an eclectic
musical spectrum. |
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Bush was exposed to country
music and bluegrass at an early age through his father's
record collection and, later, by
Flatt & Scruggs'
television show. Buying his first mandolin at the age of
11, his musical interest was further piqued when he
attended the Roanoke Bluegrass Festival in 1965. A child
prodigy on the fiddle, he placed first at the national
fiddle contest in Weister, ID, three times in a row.
Together with childhood friends
Wayne Stewart
and
Alan Munde,
later of
Country Gazette,
he formed a band and recorded his first album,
Poor Richard's Almanac,
in 1969. The same year, he made his debut appearance on
the Grand Ole Opry.
Attending the Fiddlers
Convention at Union Grove, NC, in 1970, Bush overheard
the pioneering progressive bluegrass band
the New Deal String Band.
Inspired by their rock-flavored approach to bluegrass,
he formed
the New Grass Revival
in 1972. Over the next 17 years, Bush and
the New Grass Revival
revolutionized the music of the hill country,
incorporating everything from gospel and reggae to rock
and modern jazz into their tradition-rooted sound.
The New Grass Revival
went through numerous personnel changes, with Bush
remaining as the sole original member. Bassist and
vocalist
John Cowan
joined in 1973, with banjo ace
Béla Fleck and
acoustic guitarist
Pat Flynn being
enlisted in the early '80s. In 1980, the group toured
with
Leon Russell,
opening the shows and backing
Russell during
his headlining set. A live performance at the Perkins
Palace in Pasadena, CA, was released as
Leon Russell & the New Grass
Revival: The Live Album in 1981.
Beginning in 1980, Bush and
Cowan
periodically jammed with the Nashville-based
Dockbusters Blues Band.
Bush recorded his debut solo album,
Late as Usual,
four years later. In 1989, Bush and
Fleck joined
Mark O'Connor,
Jerry Douglas,
and
Edgar Meyer in
an all-star bluegrass band,
Strength in Numbers,
at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado. When
Fleck and
Cowan elected to
leave
the New Grass Revival
in 1989, Bush disbanded the group and joined
Emmylou Harris'
Nash Ramblers.
He toured and recorded with
Harris and the
band for the next five years.
In 1995, Bush worked as a
sideman with
Lyle Lovett and
Bela Fleck's Flecktones.
He formed his own band, featuring
Cowan and ex-Nash
Ramblers
Jon Randall and
Larry Atamanuick,
shortly before recording his second solo album,
Glamour & Grits,
in 1996. He released his next album,
Howlin' at the Moon,
in 1998, with many of the same players and special
guests, including
Harris,
Fleck and
J.D. Crowe.
In the winter of 1997, Bush and
the New Grass Revival
reunited for an appearance on The Conan O'Brien Show
as the backup band for
Garth Brooks. On
March 28, 1998, Bush's hometown of Bowling Green, KY,
honored him with a special "Sam Bush Day" celebration. |
