JANUARY 15, 2009 ISSUE
The Travelin’ McCourys and The Lee Boys Play Legends January 22
High-Powered Bluegrass Meets Super Funky Sacred Steel
Florida sacred steel funk masters The Lee Boys will team up with world-class bluegrass pickers The Travelin’ McCourys at Legends on Thursday, January 22, for what promises to be one of the most fascinating collaborations of the new year.
At last spring’s inaugural DelFest—a musical gathering honoring bluegrass legend Del McCoury—Florida family band The Lee Boys delivered scorching sets of sacred steel gospel funk that impressed not only the crowd, but also several members of the Del McCoury Band. Before the weekend was over, the awestruck McCourys, seemingly at the opposite end of the musical spectrum, joined The Lee Boys on stage to jam.
In December, the bands’ paths crossed again at the star-studded Warren Haynes Christmas Pre-Jam at the Orange Peel in Asheville, where the genre-busting family band jam session performance elicited rave reviews and rapturous applause.
Musicians jam together all the time, but the music shared by the Lees and McCourys spawned not only a mutual appreciate society, but one of early 2009’s most unusual and exciting collaborations.
On Thursday, January 22, The Lee Boys and The Travelin’ McCourys will join forces for a show at Legends at 9:00 p.m. Each band will perform a set of music before collaborating on a set of music to end the night. Tickets are $8 at the door.
“We just thought it would be a fun collaboration,” said award-winning mandolin player Ronnie McCoury. “We want to see what we can do with these guys.”
The Travelin’ McCourys is the latest incarnation of the most awarded band in the history of bluegrass, The Del McCoury Band. Known for their individual prowess on their instruments and their rapidly expanding reputation as collaborators with the members of numerous musical icons from Vince Gill to the Allman Brothers Band and Phish, this touring unit blends the best of the Appalachian tradition with the improvisational magic of jazz.
The Travelin’ McCourys
Unique live collaborations are the hallmark of their performances and demonstrate why critics and musicians across the country hail them as the best bluegrass band in the world. The band features Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, Rob McCoury on banjo, Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass, with featured guests on guitar and vocals.
According to McCoury, the band’s distinguishing characteristic from his father’s touring bluegrass institution is their willingness to plug in and jam out, branching out from rock steady mountain music.
“I think it takes an open-minded music lover to enjoy it,” said McCoury.
Born and raised in Miami, family band The Lee Boys grew up in the church where their father and grandfather, Rev. Robert E. Lee, was the pastor and a steel guitar player himself.
The Lee Boys consist of brothers Alvin on guitar, Derrick and Keith Lee on vocals and their three nephews, Roosevelt Collier on pedal steel guitar, Alvin Cordy Jr. on 7-string bass and Earl Walker on drums. Each member of this family group began making music between the ages of 7 and 8 in the House of God church they attended in Perrine, Fla. Here they underwent a rigorous course of training in a variety of musical instruments, including lap and pedal steel guitars.
The Lee Boys recently made their High Country debut with a scorching, sparsely attended show at Boone Saloon in December. Just a few days later, the band played for a massive TV audience on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
The performance is co-sponsored by Appalachian Heritage Council and APPS Stage Shows. For more information, call the Plemmons Student Union information desk at 828-262-3030.
Want To Go?
Date: Thursday, January 22
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: Legends
Cost: $6 in advance/$8 for guests at the door
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