A New Revival to Bluegrass

Fusion is an interesting word; actually it is a word that describes accurately the band New Grass Revival. This bluegrass oriented band makes a fusion of diverse rhythms and genres, such as rock, jazz, Celtic and eastern music. They primarily produce Progressive Bluegrass, which is nowadays very popular among younger generations.

Some of this band’s contemporary groups are Boone Creek, Seldom Scene and Old & in the Way. Of course they have been influenced by several legends of this genre, such as Bill Monroe and The Grateful Dead. The members who initiated the band were Sam Bush, whose eclectic usage of instruments (fiddle, guitar and mandolin) constituted a great support; on the bass, Ebo Walker and Curtis Burch wisely playing the guitar.

By 1981, the group suspended their creational and performing activities, though Bush and Cowan decided to persist with the band. Then, other members joined the band; Bela Fleck, a gifted banjo player and Pat Flynn, a great guitarist. On September 24, 1996 Fleck, Cowan, Bush and Burch got together again, after Courtney Johnson passed away; this reunion was at the Ryman Auditorium in Tennessee, in order to give assistance to his widow.

The musical production was very prosperous; among their best albums we can mention “New Grass Revival,” from 1972, “When the Storm is Over” in 1977 and their most recent “Grass Roots: The Best of the New Grass Revival,” in 2005.