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Inner Views of Doyle Lawson: Saved by Grace

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver: Saved by Grace

While every single interview I have conducted for Inner Views has been distinctive and personally memorable to me, I must tell you that the Inner Views I am sharing with you today will forever hold an extraordinarily special place in my heart. Doyle Lawson, a humble man of God, is a legendary giant in the world of bluegrass music and is one of my biggest musical heroes, hands down.

Cheryl Smith:  Could you share with us about your childhood?  What are some of your favorite memories to recall from your time growing up?
Doyle Lawson:  As far back as I can remember I have loved the sound of music. Radio was the vehicle of entertainment in those days and there was an abundance of local, regional and national programs to listen to. The ones I remember vividly are of course the Grand Ole Opry on WSM in Nashville and the Farm and Fun Time show heard daily on WCYB in Bristol, Tenn./Va.. In the early 1950’s, my dad and mother, along with one of his nephews, started singing in churches locally, and I loved to watch them work out the harmony parts, and I absorbed everything I heard them do.After hearing Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys on the Opry, I was knocked out by Bill’s voice and mandolin playing, and decided that I was gonna be a picker and singer…When I was 11 years old, we were living in Hancock County, Tenn., and Dad was singing lead with the Clinch River Quartet, and I discovered that one of the men in the quartet (Willis Byrd) had a mandolin. I asked Dad to ask Willis if I could borrow it to learn to play.

In 1958, I got to meet the man who became my first professional boss in music. Jimmy Martin was from Hancock County, Tenn. and had gone to work for Bill Monroe in 1949. He went on to front his own band, the Sunny Mountain Boys in 1954, first teaming up with the Osborne Brothers. On the 3rd day of Feb. 1963, I went to Nashville and auditioned for (Jimmy) to pick the banjo, and that started my 55 years and country music career.

Doyle Lawson

Smith:  Were you raised in a Christian home?
Lawson:  Yes, I was brought up in a Christian home after my dad rededicated his life in 1950. He and Mom along with one of his nephews started singing in church as a trio and later added a bass singer. At the age of eight during a revival service, I realized that I was lost, and I went to the altar and accepted Jesus as my Savior…

The music business can be full of worldly trappings and it can be easy to lose your way. And I did for a good while. But on the 1st Sunday of May in 1985, I humbled myself and asked God to take control of my life because I had made a mess of it.

On the outside things looked – and were – going great, but inside me I was miserable. I didn’t have the one thing I needed most of all and that was God. He never ever left me, I left him, but he was there when I truly asked for forgiveness. That was the best decision I have ever made as an adult.

Smith:  Who has most influenced you, musically?
Lawson:  Bill Monroe was my first musical hero and then came the first generation of what was to become known as Bluegrass music: Flatt and Scruggs, Mac Wiseman, Jimmy Martin, the Stanley Brothers, Reno and Smiley, and the Osborne Brothers and more.
Gospel music (influencers) would be: the Chuck Wagon Gang, the Statesmen Quartet, the Blackwood Brothers, the Masters Family, the Browns Ferry Four, and local and regional groups.

Smith:  Can you share with us about a special highlight in your career?
Lawson:  Oh my, there are many to draw from, but I suppose the first-time appearance at the Opry with Jimmy Martin was one of the standouts. I had always wanted to go see the Grand Ole Opry and as it turned out, the first time I saw it was from the stage. I was so nervous you could literally see my pants legs shaking. The National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship award is another treasured memory as well as being inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2012.
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LIFE IS A STORY Sweetly Sung On New DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER Album

LIFE IS A STORY Sweetly Sung On New Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Album

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver Compelling Collection Available August 25

Nashville, TN (June 26, 2017) – Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver bring unparalleled storytelling to fans on August 25 with the 12-track wonder LIFE IS A STORY. Described by Lawson as a mix of Bluegrass styles “from the middle of the road to the very traditional,” the album never strays from the heart of the genre. “So much of what makes good Bluegrass and Country music compelling comes down to great songwriters – and the stories told in their songs,” Lawson observes. “Life itself is really a continuous story that embraces the beginning, the middle and inevitable ending.” LIFE IS A STORY, and here it is sweetly sung. Fans can pre-order the digital release HERE.

Produced by Lawson and recorded in Sparta, Tennessee for Mountain Home Music Company, the new album features patriarch Doyle’s signature Lead and Baritone vocals, Mandolin and Mandola, and includes members: Josh Swift (Resophonic Guitar, Acoustic Lead Guitar and Percussion); Joe Dean (Banjo and Guitar); Dustin Pyrtle (Lead and Tenor vocals, Guitar); Eli Johnston (Lead and Baritone vocals, Bass) and Stephen Burwell (Fiddles). It is a massive array of talent that forms a powerful – and immediately identifiable musical force.

TRACK LISTING
“Kids These Days” (Alex Dooley, Tom Botkin, Kevin Denny)
“Little Girl” (Harley Lee Allen)
“Life Of A Hard Workin’ Man” (Joe Dean, Eli Johnston, Dustin Pyrtle)
“Life To My Days” (Jerry Salley, Lee Black, Devin McGlamery)
“I See A Heartbreak Comin'” (Doyle Lawson, Paul M. Humphrey)
“Guitar Case” (Donna Ulisse, Marc Rossi)
“What Am I Living For” (Fred Jay, Art Harris)
“Bluegrass Blues” (Kieran Francis Kane, James Paul O’Hara)
“Derailed” (Paula Breedlove, Brad Davis)
“Love Lives Again” (George Richey, Carmol Taylor, Norris D. Wilson)
“Cry Across Kansas” (Dale Pyatt, Mike Evans)
“Drivin’ It Home” (Jerry Salley, Kerry Kurt Phillips)

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

The circular nature of life is highlighted in the lead off track, “Kids These Days,” which Dustin Pyrtle sings in a nuanced tone that reflects on innocence, lyrically invoking the perfect memories of childhood. “Little Girl,” a #1 Country hit for John Michael Montgomery written by the late Harley Allen, was a crew favorite that made the project because Doyle heard it sung so often at sound check. “They love that song,” recalls Lawson. “And the more I listened, the more I loved it too.” The inspiring “Life To My Days,” the offering’s first “grat-track,” was written by friend and fellow hit songwriter Jerry Salley.

Band members Joe Dean, Eli Johnston and Dustin Pyrtle co-wrote “Life Of A Hardworking Man” while the group was in the studio recording the new project. “We already had the album title,” Lawson notes. “The guys wanted to create a character within the narrative – and so they crafted this hammer-banging, big machine thumping tale of a typical working man.” No life story would be considered complete without a bit of heartache, so Doyle and frequent co-writer Paul Humphrey sat down to write a song acknowledging that reality. The result is the fiddle-laced traditional Bluegrass “I See A Heartbreak Comin’.”

Doyle Lawson

ABOUT DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER
With nearly 40 albums to their credit, the group has won numerous major awards, including seven International Bluegrass Music Association Vocal Group of the Year honors. For his contributions to cultural heritage as a musical trailblazer, Doyle received the National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship award in 2006, and was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2012. DLQ is an influential force in today’s Bluegrass world, and their last two releases (IN SESSION, BURDEN BEARER) received back-to-back Grammy nominations in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

Stay social:

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
FB: https://www.facebook.com/doylelawsonofficial/
Twitter: @DLQuicksilver https://twitter.com/DLQuicksilver
Website: http://www.DoyleLawson.com

Mountain Home Music Company
Website: http://mountainhomemusiccompany.com/

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Bluegrass and Gospel Master Doyle Lawson comments on new album, Burden Bearer

Bluegrass and Gospel Master Doyle Lawson comments on new album, Burden Bearer

Doyle Lawson recently shared some thoughts on his forthcoming release, Burden Bearer. Available from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver on July 8, 2016, the unique collection boasts 20 tracks: 10 with instruments, and 10 a cappella.

“I listen to my fans,” Lawson says. “We always include Gospel numbers, but I often hear that fans want to hear more a cappella music.”

The Bluegrass Hall of Famer grew up listening to a cappella music, which is powerful vocal harmony unaccompanied by musical instruments. Lawson’s own father was a member of an a capella quintet, and Lawson has had a lifelong love of this musical artform.

Well known for high standards in every aspect of his musical career, Lawson’s Burden Bearer is the latest example of the exquisite precision in vocals, harmony and musicianship of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The album is reminiscent of a traditional “call to a camp meeting,” celebrating the musical legacy of faith, hope, struggle and victory of the spirit.

His recorded and live performances move seamlessly from straight-up Bluegrass to Traditional Country, but Doyle Lawson is undeniably the master of Bluegrass Gospel. Burden Bearer includes traditional convention songs “The Touch of His Gentle Hand” and “Get Right With God,” and remarkable Bluegrass driven songs like “God Gave Noah the Rainbow Sign.” Newer compositions include the title cut and “Best Friend,” which Lawson says is one of his favorites on the album.

“It’s a wonderful story,” Lawson says of the song. “We had to put some thought and work into it in order for it to flow as a slow song. It required some restructuring and it’s a little different from the songwriter’s version, but it all came together beautifully.”

Lawson’s exceptionally talented band, Quicksilver, is comprised of Dustin Pyrtle, Eli Johnston, Josh Swift, Joe Dean, Stephen Burwell and Lawson himself.

“This band has been with me a long time,” Lawson says. “They are all naturally talented, but they marvel at how much more they understand about harmony structure since they joined. They learned a great deal on this project as well.”

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have nearly forty albums to their credit, are seven-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year winners, with enough Grammy, Dove, ICM, IBMA, and SPBGMA nominations and awards to fill a chalkboard. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

“This album is a mix of newer songs and some I’ve done all my life,” says Lawson, who grew up listening to a cappella music, often performed by his own father’s quintet. “We worked hard on this project, tried different arrangements and worked out a lot in the studio. I’m very happy with it.”

Bluegrass Master Doyle Lawson’s Class is In Session

Doyle Lawson

Mountain Home Music Company Sets Release Date for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s
Latest Album, January 20,2015

NASHVILLE, TN – Mountain Home Music Company has announced a January 20, 2015 release date for In Session from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Doyle Lawson is well known for high standards in every aspect of his musical career. For exquisite precision in vocals, harmony and musicianship, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s live shows and recorded projects are unmatched.

Some of the most accomplished and respected names in Bluegrass honed their craft under the tutelage of Lawson’s mastery. Now, the ‘School of Bluegrass’ is back In Session, with a masterful collection that promises to educate, once again, just how Bluegrass is done.

In Session begins with “Roll Big River,” a driving banjo tune that sets the course for the outstanding Bluegrass for which Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have become renowned. Up next is a lesson in history with the old-fashioned courting number, “Wilma Walker” and the sentimental Southern ballad, “Calling All Her Children Home.”  In Session also explores a grassy update of the 1950’s hit song, “You, You, You” as well as a rendition of Bill Monroe’s classic instrumental “Evening Prayer Blues.” The album wraps with pleasingly contemporary version of Moe Bandy’s “Americana,” completing the course of “reading, ‘riting, and rhythm.”

Not only is each song spectacular, but In Session is a perfect example of Lawson’s knack for the progression of tunes on an album. It is not just a collection, but a satisfying experience from its energetic opener to mellow ballads and the final, nostalgic closing number. The flow from song to song takes the listener through a path of music-inspired emotion.

Lawson’s current lineup is stronger than ever with lead vocals handled by Dustin Pyrtle, Eli Johnston and Lawson himself. The harmony work on In Session makes it clear why the group has won multiple IBMA Vocal Group of the Year Awards. A noted mandolin master, Lawson always surrounds himself with top-flight players. In Session also boasts the phenomenal Dobro playing and vocals of Josh Swift, the impeccable Joe Dean on banjo and vocals and newcomer Stephen Burwell on fiddle.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have nearly forty albums to their credit, are seven-time IBMA Vocal Group of the Year winners, with enough Grammy, Dove, ICM, IBMA, and SPBGMA nominations and awards to fill a chalkboard. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

Doyle Lawson Honored by Mountain Home Music and on “Tops” Lists for 2013

ARDEN, NC (January 16, 2014) – Bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson was honored by his record label Mountain Home Music, as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver were presented with a glistening engraved plaque last week commemorating their song “Dixie Road” topping the prestigious Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine Monthly Song chart at #1 for December 2013.

The #1 song “Dixie Road” is from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s 2013 release “Roads Well Traveled” on Mountain Home Music label, a division of Crossroads Entertainment.

“The folks at Crossroads have sure treated me well,” said Lawson. “I appreciated the beautiful plaque, as well as all the honors which the song and album have earned this year.”

In addition to reigning atop the Bluegrass Unlimited chart, “Dixie Road” and “Roads Well Traveled” also scored places on several end-of-the-year “Tops” lists encompassing the best 2013 heard in Bluegrass and Country music, including:

Bluegrass Today Top 30 Songs  – “Dixie Road” at #6

Engine 145’s Best of Bluegrass Top 25 Albums – “Roads Well Traveled” at #16

That Nashville Sound Top Albums – “Roads Well Traveled” at #12

That Nashville Sound Top Songs – “How Do You Say Goodbye to Sixty Years?” at #20 and “When Love Is All You Want” at #86

 “We’re always honored when our music is embraced,” said Lawson, “and we were happy to see Dixie Road climb to #1 and be honored by our label for that achievement. We appreciate Mountain Home’s hard work in helping get us there, as well as every fan, disc jockey, radio station, and certainly Bluegrass Unlimited. It’s also an honor to be recognized among the year’s best, and we genuinely appreciate it!”

Doyle Lawson is reigning SPBGMA Mandolin Player of the Year, and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (DLQ) were named Bluegrass Gospel Artist of the Year at the 22^nd Annual Diamond Awards in October.  Lawson and his band are currently nominated for five awards in the upcoming 40^th Annual SPBGMA Awards to be held February 2 in Nashville.  Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012, the same year DLQ garnered their first ICM Vocal Group of the Year title.  With nearly 40 albums to their credit, DLQ have multiple Grammy, Dove, ICM, IBMA and SPBGMA Award nominations, and are 7-time winners of IBMA’s Vocal Group of the Year.  For more info on DLQ, please go to www.DoyleLawson.com and www.Facebook.com/DoyleLawsonOfficial .

Jeff and Sheri Easter to Perform at 2013 Diamond Awards

Creekside Gospel Music Convention, Pigeon Forge, TN (October 23, 2013) – SGN Scoops and Coastal Media are thrilled to announce the addition of Jeff and Sheri Easter to the list of artists performing at the 2013 Diamond Awards. Hosted by Tim Lovelace, the Awards will be held on Tuesday, October 29 at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee as part of the Creekside Gospel Music Convention. Reserved tickets for this event are free and can still be obtained at http://www.creeksidegospelmusicconvention.com/ .

Jeff and Sheri Easter join already slated artists Gerald Crabb and Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, among others. All of these special performances along with the entire 2013 Diamond Awards will be filmed by Atlanta’s Channel 57 to be aired at a date to be announced.

Rob Patz, CEO of Coastal Media Group and publisher of SGNScoops, commented, “I’ve enjoyed Jeff and Sheri’s ministry for many years, and Sheri’s appearance at the Diamond Awards last year was a very special highlight of Creekside. I know the Award celebration is going to be another great night and I’d like to welcome all of Jeff and Sheri’s fans and friends to join us next Tuesday!”

SGN Scoops encourages Gospel music fans across the country to attend the 2013 Creekside Gospel Music Convention. It will be a great week of the best in Southern Gospel music. Monday night will see Lou Hildreth honor the legendary Ed O’Neal. The Patterson Promotions Showcase will be presented on Tuesday morning with the 2013 Diamond Awards slated for 8:00 pm that evening. The Convention will also host an Old Time Gospel Sing on Wednesday afternoon and daily morning devotions with Dr. Jeff Steele.

Dailey and Vincent to be in Concert at Bevill Center, Boaz, Alabama

Boaz, Alabama, Marshall Technical School and the Marshall County Economic Development Council are proud to announce the acclaimed Bluegrass group Dailey & Vincent will be coming to Snead State Community College’s Bevill Center on June 1st. A jam session among local artists will begin at 3 p.m. to help kick off the event. The concert will follow at 7 p.m. Opening the concert will be award winning Canaan’s Crossing. Snead State Community College is located in Boaz, Alabama, making this event easily accessible to Bluegrass/Gospel fans from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

Grammy nominated and Dove award winning Dailey & Vincent recently walked away with several top awards from the SPGBMA where they earned Bluegrass, Vocal Group and Gospel group of the year honors. They are also three time winners of the IBMA Entertainer and Vocal Group of the year awards. Group founders Jamie Dailey and Darren Vincent have won multiple awards through the years. They have performed with artists including Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Doyle Lawson, Emmylou Harris and many more. They have also been featured on Gaither Homecoming videos.Canaan’s Crossing is a recent recipient of the Group of the Year and Song of the Year awards from Front Porch Fellowship and The Singing News. Their song “Middle Man” was recently the number one bluegrass gospel song on the Singing News Bluegrass charts. Tim Maze of Canaan’s Crossing said, “We are proud to be a part of this exciting event in Boaz.

We have worked with Daily and Vincent several times and know its going to be a great night of bluegrass and Gospel music.” Canaan’s Crossing has recently been seen on national television programs Dugger Mountain Music Hall and Harmony Road.Tickets for this special night of music featuring 2 of the hottest acts in bluegrass are $15 if purchased in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Boaz, Albertville, and Guntersville Piggly Wiggly grocery store locations, Warehouse Discount Grocery in Arab
and Gadsden Music Center in Gadsden, Alabama. Tickets can also be purchased online at itickets.com. Proceeds from the event go improve programs at the Marshall Technical School and help buy materials for the different shops and programs offered students. All proceeds will go directly to the programs to help to students develop their trades to prepare them for the job market and assist in adding new classes at the school. For more information call 256-582-5629

Doyle Lawson Heralded as Legend on Woodsongs

LEXINGTON, KY (March 1, 2013) – Doyle Lawson was heralded as a legend in his appearance on Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour at the historic Lyric Street Theatre on Monday night in downtown Lexington.

With words of praise and appreciation for Lawson and his music throughout the show, host Michael Johnathon began the show talking with Doyle about his inspirations in music, both Bill Monroe and Doyle’s dad. Doyle recalled listening to Bill Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry and admiring how Bill commanded the music he played. “I also grew up in a gospel quartet environment, as my dad sang in an a cappella gospel quartet,” Doyle continued, “so the gospel side has been as much a part of me in developing my music as bluegrass.”

While Lawson is known for his vocals and his band’s signature harmony, with Doyle fresh off the heels of being awarded SPBGMA’s Mandolin Player of the Year earlier this month, Michael Johnathon relayed that Doyle has been as important to the genre of Bluegrass as a musician as he has been as a singer.

New songs from DLQ’s upcoming album were previewed on Woodsongs, such as “Hard to Be Forgotten,” “One Small Miracle,” and the toe-tapping “Fiddlin’ Will” which gave six-time Florida State Fiddle Champion Jason Barie a chance to flex some musical muscle. In response to feedback Johnathon received about DLQ in prior performances on Woodsongs, Michael asked Doyle to give a sample of an a cappella song Johnathon especially liked with a calypso feel. DLQ obliged, and the audience raised the roof with applause for Doyle, Corey, Mike and Josh singing “Greatest Creator of Them All.”

Michael observed that Doyle at 5 years old had listened to his heroes like Bill Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry, and Johnathon said he could imagine 5 year old kids tuning in at home listening to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s music and wanting to sound like them. Johnathon encouraged kids who were listening to put their hearts and spirits into music, and to be happy in the music they created. He then gave three children from the audience an opportunity to be on stage and introduce the last songs by each of the show’s featured groups, DLQ and alternative grass band Lake Street Dive. Prior to DLQ closing the show with a revved up version of their perennial favorite, “Blue Train,” Doyle was introduced as “one of the most important and best looking bluegrass musicians in History!”

Heralded by Power Source Magazine recently as being much more than sequins, stones and glitz, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver sparkled in performance and appearance on that historic stage in Lexington, and may well have inspired a new generation of listening kids to pick up a mandolin or dobro and put their hearts into music … the way Doyle has spent a lifetime doing, leaving a legacy of priceless music along the way.

With nearly 40 albums to their credit, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have multiple Grammy, Dove, ICM, IBMA and SPBGMA Award nominations, and are 7-time winners of IBMA’s Vocal Group of the Year Award. Every other album release for Doyle Lawson is Gospel, and he must be doing something right, as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver are the reigning Inspirational Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year, crowned in October at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, while Lawson was still gratefully basking in the glow of his induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at the Ryman Auditorium in September.

Michael Johnathon’s Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour is heard by over 1 million listeners on over 500 radio stations in the U.S. and internationally, plus The Village on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, in addition to the American Forces Radio Network which broadcasts into over 175 countries and every U.S. Naval ship at sea. The show is also seen in millions of homes in America on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television stations. Woodsongs also holds acclaim as the world’s first multi-camera, weekly series broadcast on the Internet.

The Woodsongs show featuring Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will be available for viewing in the show’s archives on-line in the days to come as Show # 704 at the following link: http://www.woodsongs.com/showlist.asp.

Photo by Kim Hornsby, www.equineimagesbykim.com

Doyle Lawson Named SPBGMA Mandolin Performer of the Year

NASHVILLE, TN (February 5, 2013) –  Doyle Lawson was named Mandolin Performer of the Year by the SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America) at the 39th Annual SPBMA Bluegrass Music Awards held on Sunday evening at the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville.

Lawson received a total of four (4) SPBGMA Award Nominations including Entertainer of the Year, as well as Vocal Group of the Year and Gospel Group of the Year (Contemporary) with his band Quicksilver.

Also celebrating his 50th anniversary in music on Sunday, the ride for Doyle Lawson seems to be only gathering momentum, as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver are reigning Inspirational Country Music Association (ICM) Vocal Group of the Year, and Lawson is still basking in the glow of his induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in September at Nashville’s world famous Ryman Auditorium.

“Doyle is legendary in both bluegrass and gospel genres,” said Bob Cherry of Cybergrass, “and he frequently mixes them to deliver something special.  He has given so much for so long to the music we all love, and he’s never let us down.  Who wouldn’t be proud of Doyle? The bluegrass and gospel community definitely loves this man and his music!”

Lawson was honored by the Governor and State of Tennessee in 2012 for his contributions to the state and nation through his music, was heralded by journalist Craig Havighurst as “one of music’s lions,”  and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver appeared on Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and 12-time Grammy winner Paul Simon’s recent album “So Beautiful or So What.”  DLQ also appeared on the acclaimed “Mark Twain: Words and Music” with such heavy-hitters as Jimmy Buffet, Clint Eastwood, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, and Emmylou Harris.  DLQ’s album “Drive Time” spent several weeks atop the Alternate Roots Top 66 International Bluegrass Chart at #1 and was proclaimed an Essential Album of the Year by Acoustic Guitar Magazine, while the single “Precious Memories” spent an impressive five months at #1 atop the Singing News Bluegrass Gospel Chart.  “I Saw Him Walk Out of the Sky” from the most recent gospel album “Sing Me a Song About Jesus” spent two months atop the Singing News Bluegrass Gospel Chart at #1 and was nominated as IBMA’s Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year.

Sounds like Lawson and his band are just getting warmed up!  Attorney and fellow musician Charlie Sizemore echoed the sentiment, saying recently, “I would not be the least bit surprised if the best music from Doyle Lawson is yet to come.”

In a statement written just before the SPBGMA Award was announced on Sunday, and in reflecting on his career in music, Lawson said:  “From the depths of my heart, I thank everyone who ever stood on stage with me, those who work behind the scenes, all of the people who have shown your support by coming to the concerts and buying the recordings, and most of all almighty God and His only begotten Son Jesus for watching over me and guiding my footsteps when I may have taken the wrong road of life. God bless you all, and stay with me! It’s a great ride!”

 To read Lawson’s full quote on his career, please go to:
http://doylelawson.com/2013/doyle-lawson-named-spbgma-mandolin-player-of-the-year-and-celebrates-50th-anniversary-in-music/

For a full listing of SPBGMA Award Winners, please go to:
http://www.musicrow.com/2013/02/2013-spbgma-award-winners/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2013-spbgma-award-winners


To view all SPBGMA Nominees, please go to:
http://www.spbgma.com/level2/natnom2013.html



Photo by Kim Hornsby

Doyle Lawson Leads Bristol Christmas Parade as Grand Marshal

BRISTOL, TN (December 7, 2012) — Doyle Lawson was surrounded by twinklinglights, candy canes, shiny brass banisters and tinsel Christmas trees on the float leading the 31st Annual Bristol Christmas parade down State Streetin historic downtown Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia on Thursday evening.

Doyle led the parade as official Grand Marshal, with a host of glistening floats, marching bands, and swirling lights on shiny red firetrucks cascading behind him. The caravan of holiday magic led by Lawson also ushered in Santa Claus on a float carrying his glimmering sleigh and famous host of reindeer.

The Grand Marshal honor marks a series of firsts for Lawson this year, as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver received their first Inspirational Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year Award in October, on the heels of Lawson being inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in September.

Doyle and Santa are both pretty well thought of, as  Joy Bellamy–Smith shared of her adorable four-year old daughter this week, “Rylee is more excited about seeing Doyle than she is about Santa!”

While awards are appreciated, it’s the individuals his music touches who matter the most to Lawson.  He carefully tucked a drawing little Rylee made for him in his pocket at the Paramount Center show last Saturday, and he treasures comments he receives such as that of a mother whose child wanted to know if she could sing with Doyle Lawson for Jesus when she got to heaven.   Lawson’s music touches hearts, and the hearts it touches give backa hundred-fold with sentiments such as those from some of the same children who lined the streets of Bristol for the parade, excited for a glimpse of two of their favorite fellas, Doyle Lawson and Santa Claus.

Of his evening serving as Grand Marshal, Doyle said:

“Folks, we had the best time at the Christmas Parade in Bristol last night.  My daughter Kristi and grandson Spencer rode with me, and we had so much fun on the lead float coming down State Street.  It was great seeing old friends lining the streets to wave hello, and I sure appreciated the honor of serving as the parade’s Grand Marshal.  It was a first for me, and something I’ll never forget. I’m grateful to have shared that moment with my grandson especially. Priceless memories. And that’s what I wish everyone this holiday season, many great memories with your families. Merry Christmas everyone!”

Doyle was back on the road this morning toward Nashville, where he and his band members Josh Swift and Mike Rogers are in studio mixing Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s newest album. Dobro player Josh Swift’s Cowbell Fever Studios is hosting the mixing and mastering of this project, while both Cowbell Fever and lead singer Mike Roger’s 2013 Studio were utilized in tracking.  The band‘s new album is due out in early 2013.