Not too long ago, Ted Lehmann wrote about the difficulty and improbability of a band developing a signature sound, and what he says is true – regardless of the musical genre. Anyone that goes to bluegrass festivals can tell you, there are an awful lot of great pickers and singers out there. But there are only a handful of musicians whose sound is so distinctive that it is instantly recognizable.
These rare talents are so distinctive, they often have long influential careers, with a variety of sidemen. Jimmy Martin, Bill Monroe, and Ralph Stanley, for example, played with dozens and dozens of sidemen over the years, but whatever band they were in bore their names – and for good reason. The core might be a duo, like Jim and Jesse, or Flatt and Scruggs, but with these names at the top of the marquee, an audience will know they will hear something they can’t hear anywhere else.
The recent passing of Bill Yates reminded me that sometimes, whole bands can take on a soundthat carries on its appeal despite numerous personnel changes. Yates was in the Country Gentlemen, and that band’s sound was defined by Charlie Waller’s amazing voice and (for me, at least), John Duffy’s searing tenor and cyclonic mandolin playing. I always loved Eddie Adcock’s playing too.
Seldom Scene went through many personnel changes, but they maintained their appeal, and to my ear, at least, preserved their smooth, highly polished sound. That’s probably why I liked the Duffy years the best, because his great vocals were a natural fit in that band, but his frantic mandolin lent an edge that I really liked.
Some of these seminal bands provide a rich training ground for excellent musicians who go on to well-deserved fame on their own. The most famous example, of course, is Flatt and Scruggs splitting off from Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys.
If these talents are so rare, how can there be so many great bluegrass bands? LIke I said, there are lots of great musicians out there, and they often get together and make bands whose music is exciting and fun – and get high profile gigs at bluegrass festivals all over the place. But I bet most of us, with our backs to the stage, might have a hard time telling who’s playing the banjo, or even singing lead, unless we have already heard that band do that song.
But if the singer was James King, or Allison Krauss or Ralph Stanley, we’d know right away. If it was Chris Thile or David Grisman on the mando, you’d know. If it was Tony Trishka or JD Crowe on the banjo, you’d know. If it was Michael Cleveland or Vassar Clements, you’d know. If it was Clarence White or Tony Rice on the guitar, you’d know that, too.
I remember the first time I saw Chris Thile play. I thought, “Wow, this must be how people felt when they first heard Jimi Hendrix play guitar!”. His talent was so obvious, and so singular, it had an instant effect on me.
I have hundreds of records and CDs – do they all contain these major talents? Nope – I like lots of different types of music and every good musician has something to say worth hearing. But some have a sound for the ages.
