Lonesome River Band

Oh, cool.

Uh, so on Friday evening, The Lonesome River Band will be there.

Oh, nice.

And, uh, they're also gonna be there with, uh, Southern Highlanders and Sycamore Shoals.

Jesse Smathers says that, that the contrast between the lively melody and the lonesome lyric was exactly what caught his ear.

Here's The Lonesome River Band at number 11, Walking Back to Bluefield.

Well, I left our little mountain farm, and dear old Mom and Dad.

Heading down to Burlington to make some needed cash.

Now that I have lost almost everything I gained, I'm walking back to Bluefield with a dollar to my name.

[upbeat music]

The Lonesome River Band and Walking Back to Bluefield.

Two weeks on the countdown now from their 2025/2026 singles collection on Mountain Home Records.

The team has worked with different artists at the festival to bring workshops to Jam Kids and just different meet and greet opportunities.

So this year we have some workshops with Allison Brown, the Lonesome River Band, the Foreign Landers, Carolina Detour.

And we also host just open jam sessions for all the kids to make friends because they're coming from all of our programs.

I think we have about 30-some programs represented right now of kids and families that are going to be attending the Earl Scruggs Music Festival.

The TikTok live, I'm scrolling by and you're listening to all the guys.

I think it was Lonesome River Band.

And I know these guys.

I worked at a bluegrass festival out here called Huck Finn as an artist liaison.

I worked as Lonesome River Band's liaison and Dr. Ralph Stanley's liaison.

And I'm like, I saw them do that when life I was standing on the side of the stage, you know, and so it's it was wonderful to Find your tick tock and it's it's been wonderful talking to you as well and uh, I I was listening to your podcast this morning actually before we got on with the Yeah, jamie johnson of the grass schools, you know, and i'm like, yeah this this is this is good stuff So i'm i'm a subscriber to your podcast and i'm i'm listening to all your episodes.

Yes I appreciate that.

And here's the highest of this week's six debut songs.

Lonesome River Band, don't bother with the lower regions at all.

They come straight into number seven with Walking Back to Bluefield.

Here's Charlotte with some more about them.

The Lonesome River Band have been part of the bluegrass landscape for more than 40 years, building one of the most recognizable sounds in modern traditional bluegrass.

The band is led by banjo player Sammy Sheila, a five-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year and winner of the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.

The current lineup also includes Jesse Smathers on guitar and vocals, Adam Miller on mandolin and vocals, Mike Hartgrove on fiddle, and Cameron Keller on bass.

Over the years, the Lonesome River Band has been home to a remarkable list of musicians, including Dan Tominski, Ronnie Bowman, Don Rigsby, Kenny Smith, and Ricky Simpkins, and the group has remained influential through several generations of bluegrass players.

And you had this sort of sub-genre of mash bluegrass that was developing in that same time frame.

And watching those things come together, watching Ronnie Bowman move from Lost and Found to the Lonesome River Band, and, you know, watching as the players, as the chessboard moved around... how those tunes all developed in their own unique ways.

I mean, I love that era of music.

And so it's very easy for me to put together a fun show.

And I really quite like this sort of album.

And I've chosen the Lonesome River Band to play I'll Take the Blame, which is a Flatt & Scruggs song.

And the Lonesome River Band at the time was Ronnie Bowman on bass and the lead vocal, Dan Tominski on mandolin and harmony vocal, Tim Austin on guitar, and Sammy Shelaw on banjo.

And they were a great band.

They did some wonderful music.

if you're two times two Because I'm guilty for the things I do I've slipped around, love, played every game And if you leave me, I'll take the blame And if you leave me, I'll take the blame.

And if you leave me, I'll take the blame.

Oh, that's a serious reworking of I'll Take the Blame, of the old Flat and Scrug song by the Lonesome River Band, and I hope you enjoyed that.